It was finished.
Clad in his military uniform, the secretary finished reading that name. As he looked up, he unconsciously drew himself upright and squared his shoulders, sweeping his gaze across the entire hall.
Something had changed in his eyes. It was as if merely speaking those words on that man's behalf had lent him a different aura.
After all, that was Chen Buer! The era that belonged to him had already lasted for more than thirty years in this world, and by all appearances, it would continue.
Everyone in the hall, including the Council President, sat in dead silence.
A mere few minutes ago, voices in this chamber were still debating how to pressure the Huaxia Front over Han Qingyu. After all, they had done so before—more than once or twice—and it had usually yielded results.
In truth...
Though Azure had always feared that this old man, invincible among mortals and beloved by his troops, might one day steer toward military dictatorship—and had guarded against him at every turn—
And though Chen Buer's temperament often struck others as unyielding and eccentric—
Over the long years, this invincible commander of the Huaxia Legion had largely complied with the Alliance's rules and will. In matters of military force and arms, especially, he had exercised the utmost restraint.
Had it been otherwise, what the Xiongzhanli Splinter Faction had labored so meticulously to achieve could have been done with a single word from him.
Had it been otherwise, given what happened three years ago, Alphonse probably would never have lived to see today.
Had it been otherwise, in the incident just days ago, he would not have swallowed his brimming fury and resentment toward the Alliance Council, dragging his ailing body all the way to Xiongzhanli to clean up their mess.
So this was truly the first time Chen Buer had ever threatened allies with armed force.
This was not like the past, when he might lose his temper and slam a blade onto the conference table or rostrum in rough, defiant bravado. This came from the old man's own lips, word for word, ironclad and resolute.
He had said: *Wherever he goes on this journey, anyone who intercepts him along the way is a mortal enemy... We will fight to the death, without end.* The last time Chen Buer had used the words "to the death, without end" was when Azure's medical system came under attack by hostile organizations.
In the end, the old man worried for The King, dreading that peak-level masters might join forces with Alphonse.
And so he took this stand, utterly unreasonable.
For just as the old chief of staff had written in the letter, they had exercised the utmost restraint. They had waited for truth and reason, waited for three whole years.
Across those three years, neither truth nor reason had uttered a word, while Han Qingyu was still hunted in secret...
So this time, to hell with reason!
The meeting quickly came to an end. From start to finish, the Council President uttered only a single sentence: "Let us adjourn for now."
Aside from that, not a single person voiced an opinion.
The French councilman and his allies were no exception. This time, they did not even dare call out the old man's fault—even though it was glaringly obvious that he was threatening allies with military might.
Because today, in this room, when the old man truly did it... they suddenly realized with stark clarity that that name was, and always had been, a presence capable of covering the heavens with a single hand.
It was only because he had never done so before that they had so often forgotten it.
"So, to put it in Huaxia terms, does this mean the coffin lid has been nailed shut? All that remains is to watch the two sides fight it out."
"Not necessarily. From what I know of him, Alphonse isn't the type to sit quietly and wait for a duel to the death. He'll definitely look for other ways. Perhaps..."
"Perhaps what? What might he do?"
"He... I can't say."
As the council members dispersed, tugging at their collars to air out the cold sweat drenching their backs, they whispered in small knots of two and three.
***
"Alphonse might collude with outside forces." Shu You was just finishing putting on his night suit, wrapping his silver blade in black cloth.
"Outside forces?!" his trusted subordinate asked.
As a hub of intelligence, the City of Iniquity was always well-informed. They had just received word from the Azure Alliance that Chen Buer had stepped forward to prevent the Alliance from intervening, but Shu You still didn't dare let down his guard.
"Snow Lotus, Deep Sea, Earth's Core... even the faction within Voyage that refuses to accept defeat. Any of them is possible," Shu You said as he inspected his gear, pulling on a mask to tuck away his white hair.
He was preparing for a long journey.
"Boss, you... First of all, it's very dangerous for you to go out. A lot of eyes are on us right now," the subordinate urged. "And if you go and get spotted, it'll only create more trouble for Major Qing..."
"I know," Shu You said. "That's why I'm not going to him."
The subordinate blinked. "Then, Boss, where are you..."
"I'm launching a sneak attack on Snow Lotus's Arctic base. If there's time, I'll pay Earth's Core and Deep Sea a visit too." With the power of seventh on the Dome Leaderboard, Shu You intended to pin down any outside forces that might intervene, keeping them off Han Qingyu's back.
With that, he gathered his gear and prepared to head out.
"Boss!... Boss!" Another trusted subordinate sprinted in at full throttle, nearly crashing straight into his chest.
Shu You reached out to steady him. "What is it?"
"A public announcement issued by... Commander Chen." The subordinate extended a sheet of paper.
"Addressed to whom?" Shu You took it, asking before he even looked.
"Seems to be for us—for the City of Iniquity," the subordinate said.
"Oh?" Shu You looked down and saw the line of text on the paper:
[Do not interfere. Those who interfere shall die. Signed: Chen Buer.]
Naturally, he was reading an English translation.
So this announcement was indeed sent to the City of Iniquity, and from this distribution hub, it would spread to the entire source energy world.
What Shu You had worried about, Chen Buer had anticipated as well.
"...Post it up," Shu You said, handing the paper back.
The subordinate acknowledged the order and sprinted off.
Standing with his back to the doorway, Shu You fell silent for a moment, then exhaled a long, heavy breath. "Phew!"
"What's wrong, Boss?"
"Nothing," Shu You said without turning around. He lowered his head and gave an awkward chuckle. "I just... suddenly feel a little envious. Haha."
Back then, for him—the ordinary Azure Grade B soldier named Solyou—no one had ever stood up.
***
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Still as fiery-tempered as ever, is he?"
Inside the small chapel constructed of blue glass, Ne's voice drifted in from the surrounding air.
"What is it? Who?" Young Master Shiheng took his feet down from the back of the front pew, sat upright, and casually passed his teacup to the voluptuous female secretary beside him.
"Chen Buer, your legion commander." Ne patiently related both pieces of news to Liu Shiheng, explaining them to him.
"Haha, brilliant!" Liu Shiheng felt an instant rush of satisfaction. Then he snapped straight up, glancing all around. "So... Uncle Ne, you aren't really going to help Alphonse, are you?"
"What do you think?" Ne countered with a chuckle.
"I think—I think you can't do that... Hey, if you help Alphonse, I'll set fire to this place and burn it to the ground," Young Master Shiheng warned.
"Hahahahaha... All right, I promise you," Ne said.
He had agreed so readily! Liu Shiheng hesitated. "Uncle Ne, you're really that loyal?"
"In truth, it is simply because Alphonse isn't worth it."
"Tied for fifth on the Dome Leaderboard isn't worth it?"
"If you had seen how he once knelt to thin air, weeping and begging, you would understand just how worthless he is..." Ne said mildly. "After all this time, there were probably ten occasions when I nearly decided to kill you, Young Master Shiheng, yet your knees have never bent once."
"Uh, thanks... but to tell the truth, I was just scared stiff."
"Oh?" Ne paused, then burst into hearty laughter. "Hahahahaha..."
Surround sound.
"In truth, Mr. Ne rarely laughed in the past. At least, since I arrived here, I have never heard him laugh as often as he has since meeting you, Young Master," the female secretary remarked on their way out of the chapel.
"Right? What about you, though? Do you like it?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. Who'd really care about a puff of air? Every time, the one I actually wanted to make laugh was you!" Young Master Shiheng said with earnest eyes.
The female secretary looked at him without speaking.
Young Master Shiheng raised his eyebrows, leaned close to her ear, exhaled a warm breath, and whispered, "So, how about it? Want to come over to my place to chat? I can make you laugh so hard you won't be able to get out of bed."
"A fine suggestion. But what I actually wanted to tell you is that Mr. Ne heard what you just said."
"H-Heard it? So what if he heard it!" Liu Shiheng looked up and around, then bolted with a *whoosh*. He had no desire to be suspended helplessly in midair again.
Once before, he had hung floating for so long that he nearly wet his pants.
***
While winds and clouds gathered across the world, Lao Jian was preparing for his wedding.
Chapter 553