I act immediately on anything I decide to do, and since the Dragon Girl carries a mutation virus, I dare not be careless in the slightest. Getting to that waterfall quickly to find Xiaoxue is the proper course of action. However, a sudden chill washes over my head—has Xiaoxue been there for six thousand years already?

I can’t bear to contemplate the consequences of this; I can only pray to heaven to bless me so that I can see Xiaoxue upon arrival. Otherwise, it will be a disaster. Being laughed at by Elena isn't important; the crucial thing is that I cannot be without the Dragon Girl.

Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er were by the flying saucer, discussing something in hushed tones. Both were flushed, but when they saw me approaching, they immediately fell silent. I had no mind for them, so I boarded the saucer with the Dragon Girl and Elena.

Bai and Xue, however, chased after us. The Dragon Girl spoke a few words with them, then turned to me and said, "Dragon Envoy, let them come with us. Perhaps they can be of some help; after all, they are experts in this area."

I nodded. Zhu Da asked curiously, "Where are you going?"

I casually replied, "Africa."

"What? Why are you going to Africa?"

I said, "Don't worry about it. Stay here and help Long Xi guard Dragon Mountain City."

Zhu Da countered, "We were just discussing going to Africa. Since you are heading there, it’s perfect for us to catch a ride."

I asked, puzzled, "What are you going to Africa for? We have very important business to attend to."

Cai Bao'er explained, "Based on the current theories about influencing the future, if there are no treasures inside that little pyramid in Africa, will we still strike it rich when we explore it six thousand years later?"

I replied, "Probably not? But those treasures might not have been placed there by us; it could have been someone else."

Zhu Da asserted confidently, "Absolutely not! Didn't you know, Commander Zhao? Recently, while clearing out the rebel nests, we found many treasures, most of which are actually the same ones we find six thousand years in the future! If we don't transport them to Africa, won't that affect the future generations?"

I nodded, "It should. But I suspect your primary concern isn't about affecting future generations, is it?"

Cai Bao'er admitted, "Commander Zhao is indeed sharp. It wasn't easy for us to travel to this ancient time. We need to get some travel expenses for the return journey, so Commander Zhu and I discussed putting the treasures back into that Jin Yu Pagoda for our future selves to retrieve in six thousand years."

I was genuinely worried that failing to send those items back might disrupt the history of six thousand years hence, so I agreed to their proposal. However, when I saw the pile of treasures they had gathered, I spotted a major problem.

"What about the scepter that represents supreme authority? That scepter is crucial; otherwise, it will affect many things concerning He Yuqing and Elena in the future."

Zhu Da shook his head, "It's not here. We never found that thing."

The Dragon Girl asked, "What scepter? Describe it to me."

Perhaps the Dragon Girl knew something, so I described the appearance of the scepter to her. The Dragon Girl replied, "That is the heirloom of our Dragon family, an object representing the infinite authority of Tai Hao!"

I was dumbfounded upon hearing this. What should I do now? Without that scepter, merely sending Zhu Da's pile of treasures back is useless; the scepter is the key element! But asking Long Xi to give us the ancestral artifact representing power seems utterly unrealistic.

While we were anxiously running around here, the Dragon Girl ran back to the palace. I told Zhu Da, "Never mind that for now. Load the items onto the flying saucer. Oh, and bring a few squads of Giant Ape soldiers along."

"Why?" Zhu Da asked, as he didn't know about the rebel base under the river valley, information I discovered with He Yuqing during our reconnaissance of Africa.

"There’s a rebel base there. Besides, bringing some troops will properly scare those primitive people, otherwise, who will guard the treasures for me?"

Zhu Da exclaimed, "Right! Commander Zhao, your planning is always comprehensive. Let’s bring all the flying saucers! That will surely give those primitives a shock."

"Dragon Envoy, is this it!" The Dragon Girl suddenly rushed over holding an object and asked me.

I looked up and saw it was indeed the scepter I would possess six thousand years later. "Dragon Girl, what is this?"

The Dragon Girl smiled mischievously, "My brother isn't stingy. I asked him to bestow this scepter upon you. Now that everything is ready, can we leave?"

I replied with some disbelief, "Is it really that simple?"

The Dragon Girl asked, "Did you think it would be more complicated?"

I didn't answer and waved my hand to Zhu Da, "Time is precious. Prepare to depart quickly."

The fleet of flying saucers soon arrived above Africa. But without satellite navigation or precise coordinates, it took us two days to locate the river valley of six thousand years in the future. Fortunately, it looked exactly the same six thousand years ago; otherwise, we might never have found it.

I hoped that strange plant—Xiaoxue—was already living here six thousand years ago. This was an era of genetic chaos; perhaps Xiaoxue came into being under such circumstances through a mixture of human and plant genes.

Even before the flying saucers began to descend, they were struck by laser beams. Luckily, the power of those laser cannons was limited, and they couldn't harm our ships immediately. Zhu Da announced, "There are rebels, as expected. We will land ahead and wait a moment. After we clear out the rebels, we will proceed with the exploration."

I deliberately chose to land near the primitive settlement in front of the river valley. Everything seemed to align perfectly; a group of primitives did live here. However, their stature hadn't shrunk as much as they would six thousand years later, and their eyes and noses weren't as deeply set as in the future. Perhaps their species underwent other changes over those six millennia.

Our arrival truly terrified the primitives because we descended from the sky. In the primitive murals I saw six thousand years later, the 'gods' came from the moon. Perhaps someone else visited after the moon was completed.

The battle in the valley and the basin was clearly visible from this primitive settlement. Watching rebel members have their skulls crushed one by one, the primitives were so scared they didn't dare to lift their heads. Soon, Zhu Da reported that the rebels had been cleared out, and we re-boarded the saucers to fly into the valley.

In the valley, all sorts of giant creatures could indeed be seen. It seems this area was already like this six thousand years ago, completely unchanged six thousand years later. This, of course, was thanks to the equipment in the secret chamber beneath the little pyramid.

Seeing the familiar little pyramid and waterfall in the valley, my anxiety mounted. I first ordered the fleet of saucers to land near the pyramid to survey the situation and calm my nerves.

Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er rushed in first and then ran back out, shouting, "Commander Zhao!"

"There’s another secret passage down here!"

I said, "I already knew that. Go down and see if there are any other rebels inside. After clearing them out, close that metal door. Do not touch any equipment inside; it affects the ecological environment here for six thousand years."

Zhu Da replied, "Understood. We will seal the secret passage once we’re done. You hurry to the waterfall to find Xiaoxue."

I walked toward the waterfall with the Dragon Girl, Elena, and the couple Bai and Xue. Before reaching the small pond, I noticed something strange: there were no white-furred monsters guarding the edge of the pool!

Looking up, there was nothing on either side of the waterfall. But I couldn't give up. I knew there was a cave behind the waterfall. Perhaps Xiaoxue was too young and sleeping inside. So, with a swift stride, I darted behind the waterfall.