Chapter 1233: Situation

In the following days, the Blenders seemed to be perpetually shrouded in a cloud of gloom.

Starting from the second day, classes resumed as usual. Teacher Ye stood at the podium in his usual shirt, lecturing on everything from the principles of blending to human history, geography, and astronomy. He assigned homework and administered pop quizzes just as before.

It's worth noting that after half a year of diligent study, Chen Ling's grades had improved from last place to within the top twenty in the class. While not exceptionally outstanding, and still far from the study monitor Xiaotao's scores, he had at least mastered most of the required material.

Of course, some underperforming students who slept in class consistently maintained their status at the bottom of the class.

Aside from two graves adorned with paper flowers on the barren land behind the Blenders' Mother Tree, everything seemed to have returned to its usual routine. Yet, Chen Ling keenly sensed a subtle shift in the overall atmosphere among the Blenders.

Teacher Ye had not yet announced the cause of death for the two Blenders. Zhao Yi, usually the most boastful, remained silent after his return. Even Mi Bo and He Chengxuan communicated less, passing each other occasionally like silent strangers.

Though young, the children were highly sensitive to the adults' emotional changes. They observed everything, and the laughter within the Mother Tree significantly diminished, as if they were afraid of disturbing something.

"Do you want candied hawthorn skewers?" Sun Buming asked with a smile, standing at the stairwell as he saw four or five children carrying their homework, preparing to go upstairs. "Say something nice, and I'll give you some."

The children's eyes lit up!"Brother Sun!""Brother Sun is the coolest!""Brother Sun, your lion looks so good!"

"Excellent! Take them and eat!" Sun Buming, thoroughly pleased, conjured four or five candied hawthorn skewers in one go and handed them all to the children. He clapped his hands and started walking away. Just then, as if remembering something, he turned back and asked:

"By the way, have you seen Chen Ling?""Brother Chen Ling seems to be outside.""Alright."

Sun Buming walked out of the Mother Tree. From a distance, he saw a figure in a large red opera robe sitting on the steps behind the Mother Tree, holding a branch and seemingly drawing something.

As he approached, he noticed an incredibly complex map already drawn on the ground in front of Chen Ling.

"What are you doing?" Sun Buming asked, leaning in curiously.

"Deducing the situation," Chen Ling replied without lifting his head.

"Oh? Weren't you uninterested in the survival of the human domains? Why the sudden concern for them?"

"The survival of these domains has nothing to do with me," Chen Ling paused. "I just want to see where the Blenders could find refuge if things really come to that."

Sun Buming fell silent. He glanced at the serious expression on Chen Ling's face, then sat down directly beside him. "Tell me," he prompted.

Chen Ling took the branch in his hand and pointed to the circles on the map:

"Among the nine human domains, Ruoshui Domain and Aurora Domain have been completely annihilated. After Red Dust Domain and Wuji Domain suffered heavy damage, both Lord Red Dust and Lord Wuji departed, and the remaining survivors were transferred to Tianshu and Nanhai Domains. So, four domains are completely desolate."

"The remaining five domains are Tianshu, Nanhai, Xuanyu, Zangyun, and Lingxu." Chen Ling emphasized the positions of these five circles.

"Among them, Lingxu Domain is located in the furthest northwest corner of the nine domains, while we are in the southernmost part. Crossing thousands of miles to get there is almost impossible. If we head west to Xuanyu or Zangyun, we cannot bypass the Bitter Flesh Morass. Therefore, the closest and safest routes for the Blenders are only Tianshu and Nanhai."

"But Tianshu Domain is now surrounded by the Lamenting Wilds," Sun Buming added.

"Yes, so theoretically, there's only one most suitable target now... Nanhai Domain," Chen Ling continued. "Furthermore, Nanhai Domain is the most unique among the remaining five domains."

"How is it unique?"

"It's the only domain with two demigods residing there: Lord Nanhai, Chu Changqing, and a demigod of the Book God Path. If a war between the two realms truly erupts, this domain has the highest chance of survival."

Sun Buming rubbed his chin. "You have a point... but that brings us back to the same question: Will Nanhai Domain accept the Blenders?"

Chen Ling hesitated.

"What if we consider a different approach?" Sun Buming suddenly suggested. "What if we don't go to the human domains?"

Chen Ling looked at him intently. "I know what you're thinking. Besides the human domains, the only place that can shelter so many people is the Ancient Divine Cache... And to solve the problem of feeding and housing so many children, there's only one ultimate choice...""The Ancient Drama Cache."

"...Highly unlikely," Chen Ling shook his head directly. "The Ancient Drama Cache is the Twilight Society's stronghold. You think the Red King would accept such a group of displaced Blenders to live in his base? Don't forget, he's someone who schemes even against his own disciples. What does the Blenders' fate have to do with him? What does it have to do with reversing the era?"

"He even stole my gold!" Sun Buming gritted his teeth. "Well, there goes my grand revenge plan to scheme against the Red King..."

"Time is running out for the Blenders."

Chen Ling slowly stood up. "Recently, the portion sizes in the cafeteria have been shrinking, and the children aren't getting enough to eat... Even if you can conjure candied hawthorn skewers for them to improve their meals, your spiritual power isn't infinite; you can't supply hundreds of people simultaneously."

"Honestly, if they eat too much of this stuff, they'll actually throw up... I can already sense they're less willing to eat my candied hawthorn skewers," Sun Buming sighed.

"Let's wait a bit longer, give Teacher Ye some more time."

"Why do you think Teacher Ye is so reluctant to return to the human domains? He must have contributed a lot to humanity back then."

Chen Ling looked towards Teacher Ye's office and slowly said, "...Who knows."

In the office, Teacher Ye sat alone in the dim room, motionless like a statue, staring at the compiled list of food consumption before him.

After an unknown period, he let out a soft sigh.

He took a key from his pocket and slowly opened a small drawer beside him. Inside, besides a mysterious syringe, was a stack of yellowed papers that appeared to be many years old, yet seemed to have been meticulously preserved and were undamaged.

Teacher Ye carefully laid the scattered papers on the desk, brushing away a thin layer of dust. Several printed words came into view:— "The Evolutionary Revolution of Horizontal Gene Transfer."— Author: Chu Changqing— Advisor: Professor Ye Mu