“I don't agree.”
Li Ban replied immediately.
He didn't hesitate in the slightest.
“I wouldn't recommend it either.”
A woman's slightly hoarse voice sounded behind Li Ban.
Li Ban turned around, somewhat surprised to see that the newcomer was Tan Qiyue, the head of Lanying Camp, who hadn't spoken with him at all during the meeting.
They were still resting in the abandoned Priest Camp.
Because it had been abandoned and looted multiple times, the buildings here were still extremely crude, even after repairs.
Having a door at all was a luxury; expecting a lock was out of the question.
“The beastification modification is still recent. It's currently impossible to tell if there will be rejection or other abnormal reactions over time.” Tan Qiyue stood in the doorway, offering a tight-lipped smile. “My apologies, Priest Ban, for showing up uninvited.”
Surprisingly, Tan Qiyue addressed neither the Director nor Zhu Yao, speaking instead to Li Ban, who had stood in an assistant's position during the meeting.
Li Ban quickly broke into a smile and invited Tan Qiyue in. “You are an important invited guest, Camp Leader Tan. We're all gathered here to figure out a solution, so there's no such thing as arriving uninvited.”
Tan Qiyue offered a grateful smile and entered the room at Zhu Yao and Li Ban's invitation.
She hadn't brought anyone else with her this time. While this demonstrated her trust in Li Ban and Zhu Yao, it also indicated that the purpose of her visit was a secret.
Thus, after exchanging pleasantries, the considerate Zhu Yao ushered the others out, leaving the room to Li Ban and Camp Leader Tan.
Once everyone else had left and she was certain no one would disturb them anytime soon, Tan Qiyue finally explained her true reason for coming.
“Priest Ban, I will be staying behind to stabilize our camp during this operation, so I won't be participating. However, five priests from Lanying Camp will join the team.”
Lanying Camp had the fewest priests among the Five Major Camps; sparing five people for the team was already quite difficult.
Although braving the Sea of Monsters was dangerous, success meant they could leave the Recycling Station. Therefore, the decision to go or stay required careful deliberation for both the individuals and the camps.
The vast majority of people were destined to miss out on this operation and could only stay behind.
Their lives still had to go on, and the camp naturally couldn't disband just because a few priests left.
Tan Qiyue herself was a Spirit Practitioner, not a priest. Li Ban understood why she needed to stay.
Furthermore, most of the priest leaders from the other four major camps would be participating.
The support offered by the Director was extremely generous, making it highly attractive to those in the camps near the Northern Continent Rift.
During the meeting, Li Ban had sensed the earnest fervor in everyone's eyes.
If all these powerful priest leaders left, the remaining strength of Lanying Camp wouldn't sit at the absolute bottom, allowing them to gain a greater say in future resource distribution.
Having figured this out, Li Ban naturally expressed his sincere gratitude to Camp Leader Tan.
“Actually, I came to see you today with a presumptuous request, Priest Ban.” Tan Qiyue took a palm-sized booklet from a small pouch at her waist. “You may have heard that I have a faction outside the Recycling Station called Mist Valley. I was the valley master during the previous world progression. However, if nothing unexpected has happened, the current valley master is still me.”
In the Recycling Station, some people believed that they and their counterparts from other world progressions were not the same person.
However, Camp Leader Tan clearly held a different view.
Gripping the booklet, she extended both arms and solemnly handed it to Li Ban.
“This booklet compiles everything I've learned in my life since entering the Recycling Station. A portion of the experience within it also originates here. If you successfully leave the station this time, please make a trip to Mist Valley and hand this booklet either to me or to the current valley master.”
Li Ban accepted the booklet and looked down at the title.
“Divine Control Needle Technique”
“Is this a medical manual on acupuncture?”
“It also contains some offensive techniques,” Tan Qiyue said without concealment. “If Priest Ban can help me run this errand, I am willing to offer ten White Seeds. You may also read the contents of this booklet as you please, as long as you don't teach it to anyone else.”
Li Ban opened the booklet and quickly flipped through it. Looking up, he said earnestly, “There's no need for the ten White Seeds.”
Li Ban currently carried hundreds of White Seeds. He didn't need Tan Qiyue's ten seeds at all; it was better to leave them with her camp.
The Recycling Station was already a place where energy resources dwindled with use.
“The contents in here alone are worth me making ten trips to Mist Valley.”
Tan Qiyue stood and bowed gratefully, her eyes shining slightly.
Li Ban hadn't used the phrase “if I can leave the Recycling Station.” Whether born of arrogance or confidence, it proved he was absolutely certain of success.
Moreover, Li Ban had the support of Wanghai Cliff's Director behind him.
This was the first time Tan Qiyue had heard of the Director throwing his full support behind anyone. This gave her great confidence in handing over her life's work.
Standing up to leave, Tan Qiyue said, “If you need anything during the subsequent operations, please don't hesitate to come find me.”
By saving her those ten White Seeds, Li Ban had preserved a massive amount of resources for her.
After seeing off Camp Leader Tan, Zhu Yao and the others came back inside.
They didn't ask Li Ban what had been discussed; they simply resumed discussing the contents of the meeting.
“Priest Li He claiming the other spot on the assault team today wasn't entirely out of the goodness of his heart,” Zhu Yao told Li Ban. She had a very poor impression of Li He and worried that Li Ban might be deceived by his outwardly kind actions.
“I know. Whether the assault team successfully breaks in affects the success rate of the entire operation. Naturally, he isn't comfortable leaving it entirely in the hands of others.” Li Ban had figured it out long ago. “As long as he isn't secretly trying to sabotage the operation, I can satisfy his demands for now.”
It wouldn't even matter if Priest Li He had his chosen candidate lead the assault. Once they entered the Sea of Monsters, Li Ban was confident he could make the other party listen to him regardless.
“I just wonder when Yongge Camp will be able to provide a candidate.” Li Ban still wanted to build teamwork with his teammates as soon as possible.
The assault operation didn't necessarily need to start as quickly as possible, but it definitely needed to be as thoroughly prepared as possible.
“If they still can't provide a candidate within three days, I'll go over and press them,” Zhu Yao said. As the public spokesperson for Wanghai Cliff, it was naturally her job to handle this.
“Hey,” Tail slapped her thigh, “when the time comes, just tell them that if they still can't decide, the candidate will come from Langhuan Camp. Haha, those White Robes will definitely give you someone right away, if only to save face.”
Tail wasn't a priest, so she had zero psychological barriers about exploiting the conflict between the Black Robes and White Robes.
But to Li Ban's pleasant surprise, Yongge Camp finalized their candidate early the next morning and even had him come directly to find Zhu Yao and Li Ban.
Looking at the person Ming Kai brought in, Li Ban stood up to welcome him, feeling that the man looked somewhat familiar.
Zhu Yao said hesitantly, “Are you—Priest Hao Yang? Priest Hao Ze's older brother?”
“Yes, Priest Yao, Priest Ban.” He nodded to the two of them, looking somewhat reticent.
He didn't seem very happy.
Could he have been forced to join the assault team?
Li Ban took a step forward. “Priest Hao Yang, do you have any objections to this operation?”
He could accept the other party being overbearing or doubtful, but he absolutely didn't want someone lacking personal initiative.
If the other party responded passively at a critical moment, it would absolutely hinder Li Ban's ability to get close to the Northern Continent Rift.
Priest Hao Yang was stunned for a moment, but he immediately understood Li Ban's meaning.
He puffed out his chest, his expression turning serious. “Please rest assured, Priest Ban. I will go all out to reach the rift.”
To convince Li Ban and Zhu Yao, he directly revealed his true reason for joining the assault team.
“As Priest Yao knows, Hao Ze is my younger brother. He is in the follow-up breakout team, so whether for my own sake or for Hao Ze's, I will absolutely give it my all.”
Seeing the man's solemn demeanor, Li Ban finally felt a little more at ease.
During their subsequent conversation, he also figured out why Priest Li He had chosen Priest Hao Yang.
The man was a 7th Tier Dark Moon Priest; his strength was sufficient, and he was also easy to control.
However, Li Ban hadn't expected that while both Priest Li He and Priest Hao Ze were priests of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, the Priest Hao Yang standing before him was a Mist Realm priest.
Mist Realm priests were the fewest in number and also the most mysterious.
They were so mysterious, in fact, that Li Ban hadn't even heard of this faction before entering the Recycling Station.
Feeling curious, Li Ban simply asked about it directly.
“Priest Hao Yang, you belong to the Mist Realm Faction. Why did Priest Hao Ze enter the Myriad Ancient Pagoda instead?”
“Neither Hao Ze nor I are from the Wizard World. When our small world shattered, my brother and I were fortunate enough to each obtain a Wizard Embryo Fragment. But it was also because of that shattering that we lost track of one another. After entering the Wizard World, different guides brought us into different factions.”
As a Dark Moon Priest of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda herself, Zhu Yao also knew a bit about their situation.
“I heard the two of you recognized each other not long before entering the Recycling Station.”
Priest Hao Yang nodded. “Mist Realm priests rarely travel through the Nine Provinces.”
His expression held a hint of regret, making it obvious how much he truly cared for his younger brother.
Li Ban nodded, also quite satisfied with Priest Hao Yang as a candidate.
“For the sake of the assault operation, shall we start running combat drills to build our teamwork as soon as possible?” Li Ban asked.
“No problem, I will cooperate with you completely,” Priest Hao Yang answered crisply.
However, before they could begin their drills, the people from Langhuan Camp arrived as well.
They delivered the two Bottled Humans who hadn't attended yesterday to Li Ban.
One of these Bottled Humans was a monster whose head could bloom like a flower, and the other was simply a Rib Bird.
Li Ban inquired about the abilities of the two Bottled Humans from the Langhuan Camp members, but in the end, still decided to bring only Octopus and Chao Lu.
“If you are worried that having too many people will make you too big of a target, you can bring him along.” The person from Langhuan Camp pointed at the Rib Bird. “He has a small build, but the power of his self-detonation is identical to the other Bottled Humans. When necessary, you can use him to clear a path.”
Li Ban shook his head and refused. “Just go back and have Octopus and Chao Lu come over; that will be enough.”
He still wasn't accustomed to directly using people as bombs.
Even though these two had voluntarily become Bottled Humans.
Even though they originally hadn't had many years of their lifespans left anyway.
The person from Langhuan Camp hadn't expected Li Ban to refuse so flatly. Not daring to say more, he hurriedly led the two Bottled Humans away.