After clearing up the misunderstanding, Feng Qi and Wei Wei walked toward the meeting hall.
The building housing the meeting hall was square in shape, with a flagpole more than ten meters tall standing in front of it. At the top, a Dawn banner fluttered in the wind.
Fully armed soldiers from the military were stationed outside the hall.
After passing through the detection and scanning equipment, they were led by the staff into the conference room.
The meeting hall was divided into thirty-two seating sections arranged in a circular formation, with an open space in the center for the speaker's podium.
You could easily tell which department each participant belonged to just by looking at where they were seated.
Feng Qi followed Wei Wei to the seats reserved for the Crimson Research Institute and sat down to wait for the meeting to begin.
About half an hour later, Star City's highest council meeting officially commenced.
The host was a man elected through votes cast by the various departments of Star City. He was over fifty, wearing rimless glasses, with a sharp facial structure and an imposing presence.
After reading aloud the agenda items submitted and filtered by the various departments, the host turned his gaze to Feng Qi seated below. The stern look on his face softened, and he respectfully invited Feng Qi to take the stage and speak.
Feng Qi firmly waved him off.
He planned to first hear the thoughts of Star City's current leadership regarding the city's future development.
Seeing Feng Qi decline, the host didn't press the issue. He gave a respectful nod and proceeded to announce the first discussion topic.
"Planning and Construction of the New City"
Just as in the originally predicted future trajectory, Star City's current infrastructure couldn't keep up with its planned development. Many buildings and facilities were outdated.
Compared to large-scale demolition and reconstruction, it was clearly easier to build a brand-new city from the ground up.
It was a colossal project.
No one present expected to see the new city finished and in use during their lifetime.
But from the perspective of Star City's long-term future, building a new city was absolutely necessary.
The proposed concept for the new city aimed to make Star City operate more efficiently.
As discussions began, each senior official took turns sharing their thoughts on the city's planning and construction.
Feng Qi listened intently the entire time, nodding occasionally.
From their speeches, he could tell that these juniors were truly capable.
One senior even brought out a detailed report explaining how to allocate the initial resource investment ratios—ensuring that the current systems weren't compromised while still supporting steady progress on the new city's development.
There was no empty rhetoric—every speech was practical and focused. Feng Qi was very pleased with this.
The new city plan had already been brought up several times in past high-level meetings of Star City.
After half an hour of discussion and adding new input to the plan, the meeting moved on to the next topic.
Yet for some reason, as he listened in, Feng Qi felt something was missing.
As the meeting progressed, he finally figured out what it was.
At the beginning, the senior officials of Star City were clearly tense. This was obviously because of his presence. Their tone and expressions were extremely serious.
But gradually, perhaps as they grew accustomed to his presence, the atmosphere began to shift.
When differing views arose, heated debates broke out.
By the latter half of the meeting, the heads of two energy departments were already rolling up their sleeves, on the verge of a fistfight.
Feng Qi felt genuinely gratified by the intense arguments. This was what the highest council of Star City was supposed to be like.
This wasn't supposed to be a place where one voice ruled all.
Everyone had the right to express their own views and challenge those they disagreed with.
Star City's development needed to find its best path forward through these clashes of opinion.
Otherwise, this high-level council would be nothing more than an empty formality—just another box to check.
Fierce debates. Clashing perspectives.
Through them, Feng Qi saw many issues get resolved with suitable solutions.
This meeting let him witness the passion and brilliance of this generation of Star City's builders.
When the host announced that the discussion topics had concluded but didn't declare the meeting over, he turned his gaze toward Feng Qi.
At that moment, Feng Qi stood up and walked straight to the podium.
As his eyes swept across the unfamiliar faces in the hall, a bright smile appeared on his face.
He hadn't even spoken yet, and applause had already erupted.
The looks in the eyes of the senior officials around him brimmed with admiration.
The hero who had only existed in textbooks and history had returned. To them, it was a moment of overwhelming inspiration.
Many of the officials present already had gray at their temples, but in front of Feng Qi, they were like children.
When they were young, many had been taken by their parents to visit the "Feng Qi Hero Statue" in Central Park and had listened as their parents told them stories of this great man.
Admiration for Feng Qi had been passed down across generations in Star City.
Star City upheld freedom of speech, and it wasn't uncommon for the public to criticize the city's leadership online.
But there was one person no one dared to insult—Feng Qi.
The law enforcement wouldn't intervene.
But the people around any slanderer definitely would.
This dynamic could be seen in other areas as well.
Especially recently, with the increasingly tense situation between Winterfell and Star City—
Whenever a netizen from Winterfell stirred up trouble using Feng Qi's name, they would instantly be mobbed by an army of Star City supporters.
The name Feng Qi had, in a way, become a symbol of faith among Star City's citizens.
He was the core of their unity.
The return of a living legend—his figure on the stage overlapped with the childhood memory of the hero statue. It was hard for anyone not to feel moved.
Once the applause died down, Feng Qi began his speech.
Over the past few days, he had reviewed all of Star City's development records. There were still many issues he hadn't fully understood, so he intended to use this meeting to ask questions in person.
In addition, he presented three new development directions for Star City's future construction—insights he had gained from his long journey.
The first direction was to increase investment in Domain Studies, with the goal of training talent capable of traveling to Fate City and generating foreign revenue for Star City.
This would become a stable income source. The resources brought back would provide solid support for the city's growth.
It was also a new method of resource acquisition beyond the frontline supply zones.
The second direction was to establish communication with Elf City.
He had already left behind the crystal containing Elf City's coordinates at the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
In the future, it could be used to open up spatial cooperation with Elf City.
However, Feng Qi made a special clarification—he still didn't fully trust the Elf King.
Unless absolutely necessary, there was no need to establish a spatial connection.
He specified three conditions under which Star City could initiate contact with the Elf King.
First, when their spatial technology was developed enough to be completely under their control—able to sever the connection with Elf City at any time, making it impossible to repair from the other side.
If that could be achieved, even if the Elf King attempted colonization, Star City could simply cut the link.
Second, in a life-and-death crisis.
The Elf King owed him a favor. In a true moment of existential danger, Star City could reach out through the spatial connection and seek help from the Elf King.
But... there was no guarantee that the Elf King would repay him in the way he expected.
There was risk involved.
Third, when Star City was powerful enough to have no fear of the Elf King.
If Star City truly reached that level, then it could establish stable connections with both Elf City and An Mu City, initiate trade, and cooperate across all fronts, all while keeping the initiative in its own hands.
Cooperation with the Elf King was a mix of opportunity and danger.
Regarding this future strategy, Feng Qi emphasized one thing at the meeting: if contact with Elf City were established, no one from Star City was allowed to follow the Elf-kind growth path.
He understood this deeply.
The Elf-kind path had obvious advantages in the early stages compared to the cultivation system. It provided a significant power boost in a short time and was extremely tempting for the younger generation.
But once you chose the Elf-kind path, your fate would be controlled by the Elf King.
The allure of a rapid surge in power would corrupt the youth of Star City and lead them astray.
It might even result in the entire human population of Star City gradually adopting the Elf-kind development model.
That was the worst possible outcome Feng Qi hoped never to see.
The third development direction was establishing key resource zones aided by spatial technology.
On his long journey, Feng Qi had marked several regions rich in resources. If Star City's spatial technology reached a high level in the future, allowing them to cross dense domain fields and access these areas, then the coordinates he had stored in recording crystals would offer immense help to human development.
At the same time, Feng Qi clearly pointed out the risks at the meeting.
Although his trial journey had ended, the competition over resources among the Domain powers was still ongoing.
Regions that had once been safe and resource-rich might no longer be so in the future. Proper risk management was crucial.
Beyond these three key strategies, Feng Qi also proposed several suggestions.
For example, they could create a competitive event in a virtual game called the "Illustrated War Game."
This project would be open to public participation.
Once the program matured, they could hold an annual Illustrated War Game tournament.
The winners—champion and runner-up—would each receive two million in sponsorship from Star City to enter the Fate City's Illustrated War Game on Star City's behalf and earn resources.
Even if they lost, it wouldn't affect the city's overall development.
But if they won, the returns would be several times the investment—a way to use a small bet for a big payoff with a solid competition system.
The meeting lasted for half a day.
While Feng Qi spoke, the only sounds in the hall were of pens writing notes.
When he finished laying out the next phase of Star City's development plan, the room erupted in thunderous applause.
Not one senior official in Star City doubted his judgment.
To them, Star City had always developed according to the path Feng Qi once laid out.
It was true a hundred years ago, and it was still true today.
After the meeting ended and everyone packed up to leave, Feng Qi remained behind.
He still had to speak with Wei Wei.
Wei Wei would be returning to the Crimson Research Institute's secret base, and this might be their last meeting in this timeline.
When he returned to his seat, he saw Xiao You in Wei Wei's arms, her chubby cheeks constantly changing shape under Wei Wei's kneading fingers.
Seeing him return, Xiao You immediately reached out her little arms toward him:
"Boss, save me, save me!"
"Wei-jie, bullying kids again?"
"I'm conducting research on Domain creatures. By feeling her bones and flesh, I can estimate her current age."
"You can tell age by touch?" Feng Qi was stunned.
"Just messing with you. Can't believe you bought it. She's just so cute, I had to mess with her a little."
Wei Wei laughed out loud and continued rubbing Xiao You's cheeks.
"Boss, save me, I'm gonna die!"
Xiao You curled up in her arms, kicking her legs and twisting her butt, but couldn't escape Wei Wei's grasp.
"Little Domain creature, be good."
"I'm not a Domain creature. I'm a human, a wild-born human!"
Xiao You mumbled an unclear explanation, protesting after being called a little Domain creature by Wei Wei.
Seeing Feng Qi take a seat beside her, Wei Wei finally let go of Xiao You.
Freed from Wei Wei's grasp, Xiao You immediately zipped behind Feng Qi, rubbing her reddened cheeks, her eyes glaring at Wei Wei with obvious grievance.
Seeing her like that, Feng Qi finally understood why Mu Qing used to dislike Wei Wei so much when she was little.
Watching Wei Wei laugh ungracefully at Xiao You without an ounce of composure, Feng Qi couldn't help but feel awkward.
Though Wei Wei had aged, her attitude hadn't changed one bit—still careless and irreverent, laughing wildly and living free.
After chatting with Wei Wei for a while, Feng Qi glanced up at the large clock hanging in the hall.
"Wei-jie, how about dinner before you go?"
"Sure!"
Without hesitation, Wei Wei accepted his invitation.
Although the Crimson Research Institute's secret base still had external connections and decent food, it still couldn't compare to the outside.
Sometimes the field squads would bring back special goods, but for the most part, the base operated self-sufficiently in a closed-loop system.
Bulk purchases were too risky. Even in semi-seclusion, the Crimson Research Institute had to account for many security risks.
For dinner, Feng Qi chose to treat Wei Wei to spicy lobster.
A regret from the past was made up for in another way.
During this time, through Wei Wei's stories, Feng Qi gained a lot of intelligence about the faith-based growth route.
The faith-based route was one of the fallback options considered if humanity's cultivation system were ever to collapse.
But after years of experimentation at the Crimson Research Institute, they had discovered many problems with it.
The biggest issue was consciousness loss.
At first, using faith to borrow talent-based abilities posed no problem. But as one's faith deepened, the believer's consciousness would gradually get lost in the overwhelming flood of knowledge injected by the ability, rendering their spirit dull and vacant.
This didn't happen to Wei Wei.
But other staff members at the Crimson Research Institute showed similar symptoms.
Wei Wei, after all, was considered a miracle by Mu Yan. Even without touching the cultivation system, she could stay up for days without sleep. She couldn't be measured by the standards of an ordinary human body.
For Feng Qi, this was undoubtedly bad news.
He had high hopes for the faith-based system. If it worked, it could give all of humanity a huge burst in strength.
But alongside the bad news, Wei Wei also brought good news.
The good news was that Lin Ran and his team had already started addressing the issues of the faith-based system—and they'd found a direction.
That news reassured Feng Qi a lot.
He trusted Lin Ran.
In historical records, Lin Ran's talent ranked among the top three in all of human history—an undisputed genius who had never disappointed him.
Even Old Mist had suffered at Lin Ran's hands before.
As long as Lin Ran had the right conditions, anything was possible.
Another piece of good news was that major progress had been made in cracking the Flesh Sacrifice method. There was now hope for a complete solution.
This news caught Feng Qi by surprise—and thrilled him.
If the Flesh Sacrifice ritual could be fully deciphered, humanity's cultivation system would receive a huge boost.
Chatting casually with Wei Wei brought a mix of good and bad news.
The two sat at a lakeside barbecue stall, the breeze gently brushing their faces, the glittering lights across the water dazzling the eyes.
Time passed. It was now 11:00 PM.
Feng Qi and Wei Wei clinked glasses one last time and drained them. Then Wei Wei stood, placed her hand on his shoulder, and smiled:
"Young man, keep going. Your Wei-jie's heading to the grave ahead of time."
Feng Qi: …
Watching her walk away, Feng Qi couldn't help but laugh.
Behind him, Xiao You popped her head out and kept punching toward Wei Wei's retreating figure, muttering something under her breath.
As Wei Wei boarded the scarlet special vehicle parked roadside, Feng Qi stood up.
He was just about to pay and leave when a sudden realization struck him.
He hadn't brought his phone or bank card.
The scarlet car had already driven off. How was he supposed to pay?
In the past, he never let his phone out of sight. But on his long journey, he had grown used to life without one, and he hadn't changed that habit since returning to Star City.
Feeling awkward, he decided to try asking the stall owner to put it on a tab.
The stall owner was a chubby, good-natured middle-aged man.
After listening to Feng Qi's explanation, the owner just smiled and shook his head.
"Man, what era do you think we're in? Who still needs phones or bank cards? Just scan your face."
As he spoke, he picked up a palm-sized device from the table.
He pointed it at Feng Qi's face for a scan.
A few seconds later, a synthetic voice announced: Payment successful.
Seeing the payment go through, Feng Qi let out a breath of relief. He smiled, thanked the owner, and left with Xiao You, who was waddling around with a full belly.
Watching Feng Qi's retreating back, the fat boss chuckled and shook his head.
"This kid really does look like that historical hero."
Then he looked down at the screen on the device, and his expression shifted from a smile to utter shock.
On the screen:
Total amount paid: 587 yuan.
Account name: Feng Qi (Historical Hero)
…
The stall owner's heart skipped a beat. He was completely stunned.
The device was linked directly to Star City's database. That kind of information couldn't be faked by a normal person.
The red frame around Feng Qi's name was a special designation granted by the Supreme Council of Star City.
"Holy crap…"
His exclamation drew the attention of several nearby customers.
"No way, Feng Qi? That's the Feng Qi? Holy crap!"
Realizing that the customer just now wasn't just someone who looked like the historical hero but was the actual Feng Qi, the stall owner finally lost it.
But when he turned to look in the direction Feng Qi had left…
He was already gone.
The next few days, Feng Qi was constantly busy.
There was still a lot that needed to be documented.
That morning, after staying up working until dawn, Feng Qi noticed the phone sitting on his desk vibrating repeatedly with incoming messages.
When he picked it up, he realized they were Mid-Autumn Festival greetings sent from Star City's high-ranking officials.
Only then did it hit him—it was the Mid-Autumn Festival today.
Surprised, a new idea quickly formed in his mind.
Ever since bringing Xiao You and the others back to Star City, he hadn't really given them a chance to experience what the city was like.
So he decided to take advantage of the festival atmosphere and bring Xiao You and the others out to enjoy the Mid-Autumn celebrations.
As evening approached, Feng Qi and Xiao You's group boarded a Hu Po research vehicle heading toward Starlight Lake.
The streets along the way were lit up with decorations, already decked out for the holiday.
Xiao You pressed her face to the car window, curiously watching the lively scenes outside.
As the vehicle entered the lakeside road, the lanterns hanging along the path lit up all at once, illuminating the entire lakefront promenade.
Besides the lanterns, there were shadow puppet shows, riddle-solving games, and other activities for citizens to join in on the spot.
The Mid-Autumn Festival spirit was everywhere.
"What a bustling city," Lei Ting couldn't help but sigh.
After getting out of the car, Feng Qi led Xiao You and the others toward the lake. Xiao You immediately started bombarding him with questions like a curious child.
When they reached the lantern riddle area and saw lots of people gathered there to play, Xiao You darted over without hesitation.
There was a line of activity hosts in front of the lantern riddle stand.
Seeing her approach, one of the hosts wearing a rabbit mask spoke up:
"Hey little one, want to try solving a riddle? We've got special prizes just for kids!"
"Yes!" Xiao You nodded furiously.
"All right, listen up. Here comes the question."
Xiao You nodded again, balling up her fists with a serious expression.
"Flies up by day to perch on trees, by night enters the palace halls. Don't let its small size fool you—it's got heart, lungs, liver, and guts. What kind of animal is it?"
"I don't know."
The host had barely finished before Xiao You immediately shook her head.
"Okay then, let's go with an easier one."
"Okay." She nodded solemnly again.
No matter what riddle the host threw out next, Xiao You would just keep shaking her head.
She was all in, totally immersed, but left the host speechless.
In the end, after Xiao You's relentless participation, the host surrendered and gave her a mooncake along with a cute bunny costume set.
Watching Xiao You proudly wearing the bunny outfit, nibbling her mooncake with a smug look on her face, Feng Qi burst out laughing.
Festivals are all about participation.
Xiao You had truly lived up to that spirit—purely participating and nothing more.
Feng Qi then continued guiding Xiao You and the others along the lakeside. Every ten meters or so, a giant moon-shaped lantern hung above them, and bird-shaped lights adorned both sides of the road—endless decorative lights surrounded them.
Visitors filled the path shoulder to shoulder. It was packed with excitement.
Looking up, they could see a golden full moon hanging high in the sky.
Across the lake, the moon's reflection glimmered on the surface. At the center of the lake, a Mid-Autumn stage had been set up, and performances were underway.
Seeing this, Xiao You shoved the rest of her mooncake into her mouth and got ready to fly straight over to the stage.
Feng Qi quickly reached out and grabbed her left leg to stop her from causing chaos.
"Boss, there's a huge mooncake over there!"
Xiao You pointed toward the stage in the lake, eyes sparkling.
"It's fake. You can't eat it."
"Oh, can't eat it."
Xiao You never doubted what Feng Qi said. She just looked a little disappointed.
They continued walking along the lakeside path.
On both sides of the road ahead were rows of osmanthus trees, their blossoms releasing a gentle fragrance into the breeze.
Appreciating the osmanthus was another traditional Mid-Autumn custom in Star City.
Red ribbons adorned the trees, woven with lights, and little snacks were tied to the branches for people to pick at will.
Xiao You walked and ate the whole way, her face full of joy.
Lei Ting also found something that suited him.
The area ahead offered free osmanthus wine, and as a die-hard drink lover, Lei Ting immediately walked up and asked for three bottles, sipping as he strolled.
Po Jia, on the other hand, seemed a little out of place.
Maybe it was because he was used to quiet surroundings—the liveliness here left him a bit uncomfortable.
But that discomfort faded over time, especially under Xiao You and Lei Ting's influence. A faint, barely visible smile appeared on Po Jia's face too.
"Boss, what's that!"
Following the direction Xiao You pointed toward the lake, they saw a brightly lit boat sailing over from the distance, releasing colorful fireworks as it went.
"That's a boat—something that travels on water."
"Wow, a boat!"
Xiao You looked amazed. Her understanding of "boats" came from the Black Sea Domain Field—those were war machines made from ocean beasts. Feng Qi's explanation clearly updated her worldview.
Feng Qi continued leading Xiao You and the others further around the lake.
Along the way, they joined many of the Mid-Autumn activities and soaked in Star City's festive atmosphere.
As midnight approached, a synchronized fireworks display burst into the sky, lighting it up with vibrant colors.
Hearing people around them exchanging Mid-Autumn blessings, Xiao You suddenly turned to Feng Qi, Po Jia, and the others, put her hands on her hips, and copied the passersby by shouting:
"Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"