On the border, stand-offs, fights. Warriors are wounded, fallen. Yet, an all-out war hadn’t come to pass. Time has continued to push onwards, and in the blink of an eye, it’s already the end of the year.

Only a week left before New Year’s Eve. The Emperor has already announced that there will be no New Year’s celebrations this year. Compared to the usually bustling streets, the streets now appear noticeably deserted, with some shops closing their doors early. With the shadow of the looming war, people began to think more about their families and friends, and business became a less important concern.

Long Yi and Ai Lin were walking down the street, ready to go to Iron Blood General’s Mansion.

Ai Lin was holding Long Yi’s arm. They did not say a word, just walking quietly down the street. During the previous times, Long Yi was busy as hell. There were very few occasions when he could enjoy a moment of leisure. Ai Lin, being recommended by Long Yi had joined the Eye of the White Dragon, where her intelligence and talents could shine. Suolin, unable to suppress her intrinsic killing instinct, had simply gone to the border, bringing back good news almost daily. Ruosha and Isrile were still bickering every day, but Isrile’s abilities had progressed rapidly over the past six months. Of course, this was with the help of her three junior followers.

In the past few days, Wesley and Mosquito, the head chef, have both returned home. The Dandi sisters could not return to Hell, but they were constantly researching methods to communicate with it, confident there would be news soon. The entire Dragon Legion was in a state of relaxation, which is why Long Yi brought Ai Lin home today to visit the Old Master Fan Sen.

Although the Dragon Legion is not too far from the Iron Blood General’s mansion, Ai Lin hardly ever returned home. So this occasional visit made her feel a sense of nostalgia.

After some time apart, Long Yi noticed that Fan Sen’s hair had thinned considerably. The wrinkles on his face are deeper and his rigid face had become even more so. Obviously, the gloom of war adds significant pressure to these decision-makers atop power structures.

Those who carry out orders merely need to follow them, but those who formulate the orders must ensure their appropriateness, as it could influence the course of the entire war!

"Good afternoon, Old Master." Long Yi greeted cheerfully, not wanting to darken the atmosphere any further.

"You’ve arrived? Wait a moment..." Fan Sen replied, absorbed in a problem. His large sand table was filled with chess pieces representing both enemies and allies. The sand table represented the entire border between the White Dragon Empire and the Black Dragon Empire where war was inevitable.

"What are you doing?" Long Yi leaned in to ask.

"Analyzing the situation." Fan Sen replied.

"The situation..." Long Yi stared at the nearly ten meter long sand table, with every point on it representing a group of soldiers.

"You should probably stop worrying about it. Our soldiers are transforming at unprecedented rates. Yesterday it took a hundred men to take down a dragon, today it only takes ten, who knows, by tomorrow, one person might be enough to bring down a dragon." Long Yi pulled Fan Sen away from the table. While Fan Sen was annoyed at being interrupted, he begrudgingly conceded. Looking at the sand table fruitlessly wasn’t helpful, as currently, the powers on both sides were uncertain. The Black Dragon Empire is shrouded in a cloud of mystery, but even more bafflingly, so is the White Dragon Empire. No one knew how this upcoming war would proceed, even the highest-ranking commanders of the White Dragon Empire were in the dark.

Fan Sen washed his face to clear his mind. Then the three of them moved to the garden on the back. Long Yi noticed Fan Sen walked stiffly, his legs rigid. When Fan Sen sat down, his knees gave a crackling sound.

"How long has it been since you last sat down?" Long Yi asked.

"Who knows? I’ve been standing there since this morning, thinking, and it’s been like this up until now." Fan Sen tried hard not to show his frailty, but the old man was visibly fatigued.

"Judging by how you look, I guess you didn’t sleep last night either? You should actually go to sleep." Long Yi said.

"If I go to sleep, who will take care of these issues?"

"Rest assured, even if you sleep, the Black Dragon Empire won’t be able to attack."

"What if they attack while I’m asleep?"

"Isn’t that what I’m here for?"

"That’s exactly why I’m not at ease! You’re too aggressive!"

Fan Sen said almost with his eyes closed.

"I’m not aggressive, my aggressiveness is based on my judgment of the strengths of both sides."

"Have you ever considered that your judgment might be wrong?"

"I feel that if I dwell too much on that, I’ll miss fleeting opportunities."

Long Yi’s confidence came from his grasp of opportunities in countless battles. Therefore, on this issue, Fan Sen found it hard to convince Long Yi. However, Fan Sen didn’t intend to convince Long Yi. He was just voicing his concerns. He believed that Long Yi, being as clever as he was, naturally understood his worries and knew what he should pay attention to on the battlefield.

Fan Sen looked up, still with his eyes closed:

"Long Yi, I’m not worried about your safety. Even if you die on the battlefield, I won’t feel a shred of pity. You’re a born fighter and it’s inevitable that you’ll meet your end on a battlefield. However, you can’t die. There’s a sweet girl who’d be heartbroken over you. She may seem clever, but when it comes to you, she turns into a little fool. If you die, she’ll definitely go insane. If you cause her grief, even in death, I won’t let you off the hook. Understood?"