After gradually drawing closer to land, the naval and aerial fleet dispatched a telegram to Center City in Serranocha State, reporting that interference from abnormal fog had caused the group to deviate from its scheduled route, and that they had been ambushed en route by unidentified cultists and were presently stranded along the coast.
Pursuant to the reception treaty signed between the two nations, the delegation requested the state government's assistance to ensure a secure reception and provide the necessary support.
The accompanying officials from the Federation capital also sent an inquiry telegram to the state government, demanding that it immediately deploy security forces to escort the diplomatic delegation into the city and provide a detailed explanation as to why it had failed to effectively safeguard the delegation's security.
While telegrams were exchanged back and forth, the esoteric ritual team's airship arrived swiftly at the scene, gathering samples and conducting a thorough search of the area.
Because they had arrived in a timely manner, many traces remained intact, and the fissure still lingered right there—standing as the most direct and tangible evidence possible.
Furthermore, some of the cultists had not perished outright during the earlier shockwave and had merely lost consciousness. These individuals were apprehended as well, though they were only placed under temporary detention without being interrogated yet.
Upon returning to the airship, Chen Chuan immediately sent a telegram to the International Investigation Delegation. He had retained Skarson's contact information, confident that given the man's demeanor, he would push forward the investigation with the utmost haste.
After a half-hour wait, the Federation state government finally sent a reply, asking the Great Shun diplomatic delegation to remain in place and stating that they would promptly dispatch a security team to meet them, arriving by two o'clock in the afternoon at the earliest.
Thus, the entire delegation stayed put. However, Delegation Leader Xie was cautious, keeping the fleet positioned beyond the coastline rather than landing directly on the mainland.
Ka Zhijie and Wang Tongshan were finally able to examine the situation ahead. Disembarking from the airship fleet, they reached the site of the recent incident. The first thing that caught their eyes was the massive circular crater gouged into the earth.
Without question, this must have been left behind when Chen Chuan battled whatever had been there.
Looking at the giant crater, which appeared as though struck by a falling star from the heavens, both of them were filled with shock. After a long moment, Ka Zhijie's throat bobbed. "Was this... blasted out by a spiritual impact?"
Though emotions churned within Wang Tongshan, he did his best to appear composed on the surface, adopting a feigned calm tone. "Most likely, yes."
Ka Zhijie drew in a deep breath and marvelled, "The sheer destructive power of the Longevity View..."
He could not help surveying their surroundings again. No matter how many times one witnessed such a scene, the visual shock was unavoidable; it felt almost absurdly exaggerated.
After looking for a while longer, he asked, "What in the world was it that Section Chief Chen ran into?"
Wang Tongshan stared at the fissure for several moments, his expression turning solemn. "Most likely some foul thing crossing over from the other side."
Ka Zhijie could not resist remarking, "I recall this place isn't far from Center City, is it? Just a few hours' drive at most. How could a fissure appear here? What game is the Federation playing?"
Center City was an important node in the Ring of the World, its primary responsibility being to constrain fissures. If a persistent fissure could be opened at will right on its doorstep and allow things from the other side to cross over, what was the point of Center City? Wasn't their defense completely useless?
Wang Tongshan knew more than he did. Shaking his head, he said, "This is the Federation, not Great Shun. In fact, in Great Shun, except for the capital—" He caught himself and paused. "You'll get used to it later on."
Ka Zhijie stared at him with wide eyes. "How can anyone get used to this kind of thing?"
Wang Tongshan replied helplessly, "This is the Federation—especially the West Coast. That's just how it is."
Ka Zhijie fell silent.
Just then, Cassian and Orlin from the Federation delegation approached the front of the fissure. Both instructed their attendants to record the anomaly using specialized photographic equipment.
Yet they appeared remarkably unruffled by the situation. The only thing that truly astonished them was the destructive force Chen Chuan had unleashed—which, if anything, gave them even greater confidence in their personal security.
The two did not forget to pose for a photo together in front of the fissure, smiling brightly as if taking a commemorative snapshot at some tourist attraction.
After returning to the airship, they expressed deep sympathy and indignation over what the exchange delegation had endured, stating that they had reported the matter to the Federation government through official telegrams and promised to closely monitor the follow-up progress.
Delegation Leader Xie knew these were merely diplomatic pleasantries; no matter how thoroughly it was investigated, nothing would come of it. He only needed the other side to maintain that posture. In truth, if the Federation capital truly had control over the local Center Cities on the West Coast, Great Shun would have to be even more vigilant.
Chen Chuan had returned to the airship as well. Once Leader Xie finished handling matters on his end, Chen Chuan spoke with him immediately.
"Leader Xie," he said, "both the interception incident back at Geiserfitu Island and what happened just now were likely instigated by someone behind the scenes. The attackers' identities await the esoteric ritual team's investigation, but one thing is certain: these two events are not isolated."
Delegation Leader Xie reacted swiftly, grasping the crux of Chen Chuan's words at once. He mused, "If they aren't isolated, was their initial goal to force us to alter our course?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "If we had deviated from our course at the start, given our subsequent landing destination, there was a high probability we would have passed through this area—bumping right into this."
Leader Xie said, "Yet we didn't pass through here, and the fog still found us."
Chen Chuan said, "According to my judgment, for that fog to locate us so precisely, there must have been something in our delegation luring it, acting as bait to draw its power toward us."
Delegation Leader Xie deduced immediately, "If that thing had been present from the start, there would have been no need for their earlier stunt. That means whatever attracted that entity must have appeared later." He paused and said in a grave tone, "Someone in our delegation tampered with things?"
Chen Chuan said, "It is very likely."
Leader Xie was cautious. He did not jump to conclusions, instead remarking, "However, our vessels should have esoteric rituals laid out. Reasonably speaking, nothing should be able to breach the exterior and establish contact with something outside."
Though he was not a specialist, as a member of the Foreign Affairs Department, he was not completely ignorant of such matters.
Chen Chuan said, "Actually, it isn't that difficult. Once it was confirmed that the route would no longer change, tossing certain special objects into the sea, or releasing distinctive pheromones or small organisms, would be enough. The other side only needed to ensure a rough bearing from close enough range."
Leader Xie understood. In a serious tone, he asked, "What do you propose we do, Section Chief Chen?"
Chen Chuan said, "Since someone in our delegation has been compromised, we cannot simply turn a blind eye. There is still time, so let the delegation's discipline inspection team investigate the matter. I will guarantee their safety."
Leader Xie considered it, then asked in a low voice, "Are they suspected?"
Chen Chuan knew he was referring to the three accompanying martial artists. Because all of them had stepped out onto the open deck, if they made any covert moves, ordinary people would find it nearly impossible to detect. Dealing with them would also be far more problematic, and their destructive potential was immense.
However, after speaking with Tao Huiya, his spirit had kept a constant watch over the three, so he was certain they were clean.
He said, "I saw no issues with them. But to ensure nothing goes wrong, I will have them come to my airship while the investigation is underway."
Leader Xie said solemnly, "Internal problems must be resolved promptly. Section Chief Chen, I agree to this. But I have one requirement: ensure the safety of every member as much as possible."
Chen Chuan agreed.
After ending the call, he first contacted the woman who had accompanied Tao Huiya that day.
"Inform Team Leader Tao that in light of what just happened, we are going to conduct an internal discipline inspection."
Having given the instruction, he immediately contacted the members of his subordinate squad, directing them to fan out and coordinate with the security inspection team to investigate every suspicious individual.
In truth, this task was not as difficult as imagined, because aside from a handful of people, the public activities of most individuals aboard the airships were monitored and recorded by inactive conscious entities.
Moreover, with esoteric rituals providing shielding, whether it was signals or physical items, none could produce any effect from within the cabins. Therefore, they only needed to focus on those who had visited the open-air deck during that period.
Around this time, he received an investigation report delivered by the esoteric ritual team. It was essentially confirmed that the deceased tribespeople were First People who were worshipping and summoning a nature spirit; however, the nature spirit had been tainted, turning it into a vessel for an entity from the other side.
Judging from the clothing and belongings of the cultists, they were likely adherents of the New Light Cult operating along the Federation's West Coast.
Thus, this was a textbook cult incident, and it could be confirmed as a targeted attack. After reviewing this, Chen Chuan promptly recorded and stored the data. All of this constituted evidence, which would be handed over to the International Investigation Delegation in due course.
The investigation below proceeded faster than expected; after waiting only an hour, they tracked down the culprit.
It was an officer from the Propaganda and Education Department. According to his statement, prior to departure someone had taught him a blessing ritual, claiming that throwing an object into the sea at a safe time upon reaching the Federation would ensure a safe journey.
Furthermore, inspections revealed that more than one person in the delegation carried a similar object. Yet the esoteric ritual team could find nothing amiss with them—they were merely ordinary accessories. This meant that most likely, the act itself had been endowed with ritual meaning, which was the hardest thing to guard against.
This person was currently taken into custody, awaiting further interrogation.
After reviewing the findings, Chen Chuan inquired no further. It was enough that he raised the issue and let the discipline team resolve it.
As for the person who might be leaking information to the Federation, they would not be exposed so easily. Given this officer's status, he had no access to confidential intelligence anyway, so he could be ruled out for now.
Throughout the morning, the delegation carried out various preparations. At two in the afternoon, silhouettes of airships appeared in the distance; the escort vessels from Serranocha State's Center City had finally arrived.
Chapter 1063