The so-called traitor was the very person who had previously guided the Federation force into the Throat of the Star Spirit.
Elder Liefeng had assumed he was long dead—or rather, had preferred to believe he was dead. Now, however, he had to confront the reality.
An outsider could never have arranged an esoteric ritual inside the Throat of the Star Spirit, as doing so required an intimate understanding of the grand esoteric rituals.
The elder was well aware of the gravity of the situation.
Dealing merely with Federation operatives was one thing, but someone who understood their internal affairs and was watching them from the shadows was far more dangerous.
This was especially true after hearing Chen Chuan describe how immensely powerful that person was. At present, there were barely over a hundred thousand true Isutar people left, and Sacred Land Warriors could hardly be found among them; their martial strength was in a truly precarious state.
Although the Throat of the Star Spirit was now firmly in their hands, allowing them to take refuge within and remain safe from external intrusion, they still had to find a way to migrate the remaining members of their tribes here.
That was no simple undertaking. Accomplishing it on their own was completely out of the question; they would need the assistance of the various companies Great Shun operated along the Federation's west coast.
"Mr. Chen," Elder Liefeng said with deep shame, "we must trouble your side for help once more."
"Elder Liefeng, you have paid us remuneration, so we will naturally assist you," Chen Chuan replied.
For the time being, the stronger the First People's settlements became, the better. Having these two spikes driven into the Federation's west coast would tie down their forces, making it easier for Great Shun to digest the Outer Ocean.
Elder Liefeng nodded gratefully. After a brief hesitation, he ventured, "We would like to contact Ahetawa and ask him to come protect us for a time, but we don't know if..."
"That won't be an issue. We can help you get in touch with him," Chen Chuan said. "Before we depart, we'll leave a radio set behind so it will be easy for you to reach us if anything comes up."
Elder Liefeng looked somewhat embarrassed. "This... none of us knows how to operate such a thing."
"Don't worry. Over the past few days, I had our technician teach Awan the fundamentals of telegraph operation, and he has already acquired the basics. We also used an inactive conscious entity to cross-reference and translate your written language into a glossary of daily terms. Even if he can't memorize everything, following the codebook and glossary we leave behind will be more than enough to handle simple instructions."
Elder Liefeng nodded repeatedly. He felt remiss for having overlooked this himself; his past duties had been strictly dedicated to sacrificial ceremonies, and such practical affairs were entirely outside his expertise. Even minor, trivial matters had always been handled by his assistants. He had not expected Great Shun's people to think so far ahead on their behalf.
After a moment's thought, he asked, "Mr. Chen, are you leaving?"
"Now that you have taken control of the Throat of the Star Spirit, our escort duty is complete," Chen Chuan said. "We have stayed here long enough, and there are other matters awaiting us."
Elder Liefeng said nothing more. Leaning on his walking stick, he bent his body and bowed deeply to him.
Chen Chuan nodded in return. Casting a final glance toward the fissure, he turned and left the cavern. He walked straight to the temporary telegraph post outside and ordered an encrypted dispatch to Delegation Leader Xie, reporting that the ritual would be fully under control in about a day. At the latest, he would set out the day after tomorrow to regroup with the delegation, keeping in close communication along the way.
Less than two minutes after sending the telegram, a reply came through. Delegation Leader Xie congratulated them on completing their mission without casualties. Furthermore, the delegation had already departed Serranocha State and headed north to Arcana State to visit Kawatua, meaning Chen Chuan did not need to come join them; he could proceed along the prearranged route to carry out his scheduled visits.
The message also informed him that because he had successfully secured the Throat of the Star Spirit, Delegation Leader Jiang of the First Delegation had submitted a commendation on his behalf to the homeland and requisitioned a batch of resources. The supplies had been rushed to the visiting mission over recent days and were now stored at the Wansheng Consortium's branch in the Federation, available for him to collect at any time.
Chen Chuan felt slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Delegation Leader Jiang of the First Delegation to put him up for merit, but he certainly wouldn't refuse the rewards.
When it came to cultivation resources, more was always better. He wouldn't turn down even the lower-grade synthetic pharmaceuticals from home—anything was better than nothing.
The communication didn't end there, however. A short while later, Delegation Leader Xie sent another telegram.
Its contents informed him that upon the delegation's arrival in the Federation, they had encountered an attack by hostile entities from the opposing side. They had initially intended to issue a joint statement with the International Investigation Delegation to apply pressure on the Federation, but Delegation Leader Jiang had vetoed the proposal, deeming such a move inappropriate at the current juncture.
Though Delegation Leader Xie had the authority to act independently, he understood that the negotiations being conducted at the Federation's capital took precedence over everything else. He was unwilling to jeopardize the bigger picture, so once Delegation Leader Jiang deemed it inadvisable, the matter had to be temporarily shelved.
However, he still informed Chen Chuan that Skarson of the Joint Investigation Delegation took great issue with Great Shun's decision and had attempted to argue strenuously against it. Naturally, that had yielded no results, and Skarson had departed outright; Xie suspected the investigation delegation might proceed to act on its own.
Chen Chuan considered this. He had talked Skarson down last time, but there was no telling what the man was thinking now. If Skarson insisted on demanding international intervention, the situation would escalate past the point of return, and the entire international landscape might shift as a consequence.
Yet would the Federation ever allow things to reach that stage?
After pondering for a moment, Chen Chuan had a telegram sent to Skarson, advising him to deliberate carefully and not rush into a decision.
Once the dispatch was sent, he summoned the heads of each team to inform them that their mission here was complete and that they would withdraw the morning after tomorrow, instructing them to make advance preparations.
After everyone dispersed, Chen Chuan returned to his tent and examined the relic Elder Liefeng had given him, finding that he truly could not discern its exact function.
However, Elder Liefeng had brought it out from within the fissure, so Chen Chuan could reasonably infer that it likely only functioned on the other side of the rift. Since investigating it here was impractical, he could simply wait for an appropriate time to cross over and inspect it firsthand.
On the third day, with their gear packed and prepared, the group readied themselves to depart the Throat of the Star Spirit.
Chen Chuan declined Elder Liefeng's kind offer to open the ancient underground passage for their journey. Their movements were undoubtedly under the surveillance of the Federation's Classified Operations Directorate and Strategic Affairs Department. If they suddenly bypassed a stretch of terrain and appeared out of nowhere elsewhere, it would inevitably arouse the Federation's suspicions and lead them to confirm the existence of the subterranean passage.
That would be extremely disadvantageous for the Throat of the Star Spirit, especially before they had migrated their tribespeople over.
Their stay of more than half a month had yielded an abundant harvest: a large number of mutated plant specimens, detailed research logs on ancient esoteric rituals, and most importantly, seeds of the golden wheat obtained with Elder Liefeng's permission.
Furthermore, they had discovered several types of unique algae here and suspected that the Federation's technological breakthroughs might be linked to them. If that connection was ultimately confirmed, it would count as a discovery of strategic importance.
Naturally, there were also heaps of gold, silver, and rare gemstones, though compared to the previous discoveries, their value was the lowest.
The Isutar people had essentially brought out the wealth accumulated by their ancestors, yet they felt not the slightest regret.
Having suffered bitter lessons in the past, they understood clearly that even if they preserved these riches, wealth would be meaningless if their tribe perished, only to fall into the hands of their enemies. Rather than letting that happen, it was far better to convert their wealth into combat power to purchase useful weapons and technology.
In this regard, they were far wiser than the people of Kawatua. That was not to say Kawatua lacked people of foresight, but rather that the northern dynasty had been the last to clash with the Federation, allowing it to preserve the greatest portion of its strength among the three dynasties.
Consequently, the traditionalist faction there remained formidable. They were naturally unwilling to part easily with their ancestral wealth and resisted making major changes, fearing that reshaping production and order would undermine the authority of their ruling class.
As Chen Chuan led the group out of the Throat of the Star Spirit and into the daylight outside, everyone could not help but let out a cheer. The success of this mission would serve as a significant merit on each of their records.
Chen Chuan looked around outside. Due to the destruction from the earlier battle, the mountain peaks were barren and stripped bare, though vast clouds of steam still billowed from the distant hot springs.
It was already late December, drawing near to Great Shun's traditional New Year festivities. He would not be able to return home this year, but fortunately, the Federation had numerous settlements of Great Shun people where he could spend the New Year. While there, he could also send another telegram to his family and mail some things back.
The return journey went much faster than the trip there. In less than two days, they arrived back at the hotel they had previously booked. Stepping through its doors, everyone felt as though they had returned to the civilized world.
Many of them had not felt it initially, but now a profound exhaustion caught up with them.
After arranging the necessary security details, Chen Chuan dismissed the others to rest. Returning to his own room, he washed up, changed into fresh clothes, and stepped over to the window, focusing his senses.
Over the past few days, two of the seeds he had split off still remained, and one of them was noticeably absorbing far more spiritual power.
This meant the seed had not only survived successfully, but was also thriving—though how long it could endure remained to be seen.
He could not interfere with the process in the slightest; he had to let it undergo its transformation on its own.
He tapped his boundary credential, and a beam of light projected a map of the Federation. Over the past two years, the Federation delegation had visited Wuyi Academies across numerous regions of Great Shun, including Jibei Dao, Hedong Dao, and Chuanxi Dao, as well as Great Shun's capital.
Therefore, in the spirit of friendly exchange, their delegation also needed to pay visits to the grappling academies here in the Federation.
The Federation's grappling academies were not distributed across every administrative circuit as they were in Great Shun; rather, most were concentrated within several heavily populated states. Among them was a rather special location, which happened to be the next stop on their itinerary...
His gaze settled upon a spot on the map: Center City of Elmonte-Yawi State, home of the Free Star Grappling Academy, and the world-renowned City of Grappling.
Chapter 1099