Cheng Shang boarded the airship with the Cheng family disciples who had accompanied him on this trip. Having participated from beginning to end, they had not forgotten to make inquiries and search whenever they had free time, questioning batch after batch of relocating villagers in search of his nephew's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, they turned up nothing.
And before the temple was completely sealed off, he had also gone inside deliberately to take a look around, but had likewise found nothing.
He had examined every skeleton piled within the temple, but could tell that they were from at least over a century ago.
As the airship took off and they looked down at Mount Jiao below, Cheng Zicheng asked, "Second Uncle, what on earth happened to Zishun...?"
Cheng Shang sighed. "Not finding anything might be a good thing. At least there's still some hope left." Mount Jiao was riddled with so many pits and tunnels that even the locals could hardly figure them out, let alone outsiders like them.
"Will we come back in the future?" Cheng Zicheng asked.
Cheng Shang fell silent for a moment before saying with certainty, "Yes. Our old Cheng family must get to the bottom of this."
He knew that at least their two generations still held affection for Cheng Zishun and remained fixated on this matter. The next generation down, however, wouldn't care in the slightest. Therefore, while their generation was still around, they had to strive for an answer; otherwise, there truly would never be one.
Inside the airship's main cabin, Chen Chuan sat opposite Director Lei. It was already August. The sunlight outside shone brightly, streaming through the cabin window and bathing both of them and the table before them. Wisps of steam curled up from the teacups set between them.
Chen Chuan said, "Director Lei, the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau handled this matter very properly. Today, the bureau has an irreplaceable importance. At the next meeting, I will formally submit a proposal to induct you into the Security Decision-Making Group.
"Director Lei, you should be prepared."
Director Lei nodded. This was not a sudden proposal from Chen Chuan; he had already given Lei a heads-up beforehand and had even communicated with every member of the decision-making group. All that remained was the formal motion, so the matter was essentially settled.
Becoming a member of the group was not merely an elevation in status; it also meant the bureau would receive greater allocations of funding and supplies, making it easier for them to carry out their duties.
Chen Chuan said, "Following Fumu's fission and reproduction, Center City's current environment has become very close to that of a convergence zone, yet it remains free of the various contaminations that plague one. It is exceptionally well-suited for developing various biotechnologies as well as ritual activities.
"Meanwhile, that world on the other side is drawing closer. Many things that should have been eradicated and buried now seem to be returning as well. Anomalies will inevitably proliferate before the Great Impact arrives, so the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau will certainly have a great deal of work to do."
Director Lei said, "With Consultant Lan on board, he can share much of the burden. The bureau is currently stepping up efforts to train reserve talent to handle upcoming developments."
Chen Chuan gave an affirmative sound and added, "At the next meeting, alongside the proposal for your admission to the group, a motion will be made to elevate the Skyline's security mechanisms.
"In addition, we will hold regular security defense meetings with Haidong Dao. More center cities may join in later to form a collaborative council."
Director Lei asked with political keenness, "What is the capital's view on this?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Administrator Qi has already submitted a report to the capital. When the time comes, the capital will dispatch a commissioner to oversee coordination and communication."
Director Lei nodded. After a moment of thought, he said, "I'm not too worried about our immediate situation. With the full support of Center City, and with you and the others, Section Chief Chen, Jibei Dao's security and defense shouldn't face major problems for now.
"What truly warrants concern is what happens after the Great Impact. By then, the situation will be far more complicated.
"I know the higher-ups likely have a contingency plan, but in the worst-case scenario, it will most likely preserve only a limited number of people. You and I might be among them, but far more people will not."
Chen Chuan agreed with this. Without its populace, a center city was nothing. At present, the entire security defense system relied on Fumu—or more broadly speaking, on the Ring of the World. However, if Center City also had a greater number of higher-tier martial artists stationed within, cooperating with one another would undoubtedly provide a far superior protective capability.
By now, he possessed a certain degree of power to protect himself. Yet looking at the adversaries he would have to face in the future—those "high gods," the entities from the other side, and even certain local opponents—his current level was still not enough. Thus, he could begin searching for the direction of his next stage of cultivation.
Since he had eliminated Suo Kuo, his own realm could no longer be concealed. Therefore, this time he could try seeking the next stage's cultivation technique from the Purist Faction.
If he couldn't obtain it there for the moment, he could also commission the company through Fang Song. The technique provided by the company last time had actually been quite reliable and more than sufficient for an ordinary martial artist; his own circumstances were simply somewhat unique.
After talking about these things, the two of them ceased discussing such serious topics and moved on to lighter conversation.
Half a day later, the airship landed atop a mooring tower in Center City's Weiguang District.
After waiting for everyone else to disembark, Chen Chuan first made a trip to the Government Affairs Hall to brief Qi Weizhao and several group members on the handling of the ancient scourge. He then departed the hall and took a private car back to the villa district.
He washed up at home, planning to rest for a few days. After this trip out for cultivation, he had been constantly dealing with incidents since his return. Even though his body felt no fatigue, his mind felt taut with tension.
Besides, it was already August, and the two little ones had nearly a month of vacation remaining. He thought about taking his aunt's family out on an excursion for a while.
Perhaps they could take a trip to Haidong Dao; now that the Skyline was connected, there were many places there suitable for sightseeing.
That evening, when he shared the idea with Yu Wan, she had no objections. Nian Fuli thought about it and felt it was a good idea as well; there were no major matters in the near future, and he still had plenty of unused leave. When the two little ones learned the news shortly after, they jumped up and down in delight, cheering enthusiastically.
Chen Chuan looked into it via his boundary credential. Canglong Company operated cruise ship services during these months, and by coincidence, one cruise ship was currently docked outside Center City, making it perfect for booking tickets. In truth, if there hadn't been a cruise ship, he would have prepared to take an airship, though that would have lacked a bit of charm.
Canglong Company's dedicated service representative replied quickly, providing travel date options and notable precautions. The operations director even personally contacted him to extend greetings and assure him that the finest service and security would be provided along the way.
Chen Chuan set the departure date for three days later so they wouldn't be rushed. Once the arrangements were finished, he went upstairs, read a book for a while, and then went to sleep.
The next day, as he came outside to feed Chaoming, a message arrived through his boundary credential.
It was sent by the Martial Artists Council, stating that they wished to sign a new agreement with him.
Following its initial signing, this agreement didn't require him to meet with the Martial Arts Council in person each year; they merely needed to mail over a ritual document for him to renew and confirm before sending it back.
Yet this time, they had reached out to him directly, which was clearly a departure from the norm.
Chen Chuan opened the attached encrypted package, which contained a detailed explanation reading:
"Section Chief Chen: In light of your numerous contributions to the state over the past twelve months and your personal achievements, we have decided, in accordance with the charter of the Martial Artists Council, to elevate your security protocol by one level.
"To ensure the matters proceed smoothly, please inform us of your schedule; we will pay a visit at a suitable time."
Below this were the date and the sender, who was once again Qu Miao, the one who had signed the agreement with him previously.
He turned the thought over in his mind. He was currently on a Level 5 security protocol; raising it by one level would make it Level 4, which meant fewer constraints and greater authority.
This was naturally a good thing. The protocol itself was a world ritual, granting beneficial feedback with every level raised. If he could reach the final clearance level, it would bestow immense benefits upon him.
He did not yet know what those specifically were, but a ritual passed down from the Grand Alliance era was clearly far from simple.
The Martial Artists Council's representative could arrive in Jibei Dao within two days at the latest. In that case, he decided to get this settled before setting out on the trip, so he sent an immediate reply to finalize the matter.
Hardly a few seconds after wrapping this up, another message arrived from City Hall.
Looking at it, he saw it was a signal from Secretary Qiao Yang, so he accepted the connection and asked, "Secretary Qiao, is something the matter?"
Qiao Yang said, "Section Chief Chen, we have added you to the primary roster of the second visiting delegation to the Linax Federation. The invitees and observation members on this trip come from various departments and include notable public figures, so we need to confirm and coordinate the departure time with you.
"Additionally, given your rank, Section Chief Chen, you may bring a security detail of up to thirty personnel, as well as a quota of twenty slots for family members and accompanying staff.
"Once you have finalized your choices, we can submit them together."
With that, he transmitted a form over the boundary credential.
Chen Chuan glanced through it. The invited visit involved traveling to many locations and meeting with various Federation dignitaries and martial artists, so the tentative duration was set at one year, during which all exchange expenses incurred would be covered by the Federation.
There were two rough departure windows: one in August and one in October. This month was certainly out of the question.
October, however, would work well; even after returning from the family trip, he would still have over a month to prepare, which was plenty of time. Thus, he tapped a confirmation and sent it right back.
Qiao Yang reviewed it, and upon confirming there were no issues, said, "Section Chief Chen, I will proceed with the arrangements then. If there are any changes, please let me know at any time."
Chen Chuan replied with an affirmative.
Once the call concluded, he was about to pick up his book again. But today was destined not to be quiet; before long, the boundary credential chimed with another alert.
Checking it, he saw that this time the communication was from Mr. Zhuan. The South City Industrial Zone was now covered by the Skyline signal as well, allowing for direct communication with them here.
He connected immediately.
Mr. Zhuan's voice came through: "Commissioner Chen, I just received word. The people from headquarters will arrive tomorrow at the latest."
Chen Chuan's heart stirred.
Mr. Zhuan's grave voice continued, "The visitors from headquarters may ask some questions. Be careful; there are some questions you don't have to answer. After all, you are the chief of the Jibei Dao branch."
Chapter 1041