Leaving the manor's main hall, Chen Chuan and Deputy Delegation Leader Lu arrived at the quarters prepared for them.
The all-timber building was constructed entirely in Great Shun's architectural style. It was said that the wood had been shipped across the ocean from Great Shun, and the craftsmen had been Great Shun artisans who had crossed the sea in earlier years, making it wholly authentic.
Standing inside an old-era Eastern Continent structure while situated in this foreign city gave rise to an eerie sense of displaced time and space.
Chen Chuan walked to a latticed window. Outside, he could hear the gentle washing sounds of the water channels and flowing springs. Looking out from here, he could see faint lanterns flickering across the city.
There was also a brilliant radiance burning from special materials atop the Hatikan Grand Sacrificial Altar and the surrounding serpent pillars.
Yet this meager light was far from enough to illuminate all of Kawatua. Only a handful of places in this city were permitted to run electrical wiring, this manor among them.
Even so, as stated before, this was the Year of Dormancy. A faction of traditionalists demanded a return to ancient customs, so even where electricity existed, it went unused.
Deputy Delegation Leader Lu walked over to the window and said, "Xin Hongtu is a radical reformist through and through. His faction believes they should overthrow everything of the old order and emulate our Great Shun in every aspect."
Chen Chuan nodded. The circle led by Xin Hongtu had all traveled to Great Shun to study; they were the staunchest pro-Shun faction.
Great Shun had anticipated this development long ago and had already laid groundwork for it. Great Shun currently hosted a large population of noble immigrants and mixed-blood descendants of the First People.
If Kawatua truly leaned completely toward the Federation to an irrevocable point, Great Shun could immediately send those people back to find ways to replace those defiant figures. After all, those individuals genuinely possessed the bloodline of the First People and could win the recognition of both the ancestral spirits and the feathered serpent.
Chen Chuan remarked, "Before we set off, Delegation Leader Xie spoke with me. If things truly become untenable, we are to eliminate those leaning toward the Federation by force."
Deputy Delegation Leader Lu thought about it and spoke earnestly: "Section Chief Chen, with your strength, I have no doubt you could accomplish this. But doing so would leave an unbridgeable rift between us and Kawatua.
"Even if Xin Hongtu were grateful to us at first, once he gained power, he would push us aside and distance himself from us. He would fear that we might turn around and do the exact same thing to him. Even if he didn't think that way himself, the subordinates beneath him would urge him to do so.
"Furthermore, our doing so would likely provoke the Federation into full alarm, triggering total intervention. That would make things very difficult to handle. So unless driven to absolute desperation..."
Chen Chuan said, "Your view is very pertinent, Deputy Delegation Leader Lu. It would be best if Kawatua could resolve this matter on its own. Even so, there are still things we must do."
"Section Chief Chen, what should our next step be?" asked Deputy Delegation Leader Lu.
Chen Chuan did not elaborate, merely replying, "We wait for now."
His gaze turned toward the sky above. What he had said to Xin Hongtu earlier was not born solely out of confidence in his martial prowess;
it was also because of that voice he had heard.
***
While Chen Chuan was meeting with Xin Hongtu, the Divine Guard, Amaru, arrived at Laurel Hall in the eastern part of Kawatua.
Gathered here were Kawatua's most influential grand nobles outside of the royal family. Each of them was adorned with exquisite gold and jewel ornaments. Men and women alike kept their hair styled to a mirror sheen, their complexions fair, smooth, and glowing.
They wore precious perfumes blended from ancient formulas, while the women applied premium cosmetics imported from the Federation. Dressed in ornate, distinctive finery, they sat before a fountain crafted by Federation artisans, sipping rare, celebrated teas sent from Great Shun, their expressions leisurely and contented.
When Amaru walked inside, he received an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd.
"Heroic Amaru! You must have met that Divine Guard from the Great Shun delegation? Surely you left quite an impression on him?"
Amaru's expression at that moment could hardly be called pleasant. Sensing his dejection, the person who had greeted him showed surprise and asked in bewilderment, "Amaru, what is it? Did you not see him, or did a conflict break out between you two?"
"Neither," Amaru said in a heavy voice. "He is very powerful!"
"Powerful?"
This drew the attention of everyone present, though they still did not realize the gravity of the situation.
Amaru looked around at all the gathered nobles and said, "I am certain that he is an exceptionally formidable demigod!"
"A demigod?"
Many of the seated nobles exchanged glances. Most were blank at first, only recalling the title from long-buried memories. As they connected the term to its meaning, shock surfaced on their faces.
A man clad in a purple robe abruptly rose to his feet and asked with urgent concern, "Heroic Amaru, are you certain you didn't mistake him?"
Amaru nodded. "I could not be mistaken."
Chen Chuan had not unfolded his field at the time, but the sheer threat he projected was far too intense. The impression remained fresh in Amaru's memory even now.
The questioning noble frowned. "Yet according to the intelligence we received earlier, we were certain he was merely a Divine Guard. Merely..." He paused briefly. "Merely a comparatively strong Divine Guard.
"And you, Amaru—you are our hero of Kawatua. You are just as formidable."
"No, he is far more than just a Divine Guard."
Amaru shook his head.
The secret arts he cultivated granted him keen observation and perception toward martial artists. He had seen demigods of the Federation before;
the impression Chen Chuan gave him was scarcely different from those figures.
Granted, the Federation demigods he had encountered might not have displayed their full might, but even so, it was astonishing enough.
He reasoned that this was perhaps why others mistakenly assumed Chen Chuan was merely a Divine Guard.
Having received confirmation from him, several noblewomen could not help but cry out in alarm. "A demigod! The Eastern Continent actually sent a demigod to Kawatua! By Ikus above, those Easterners must have sent him to intimidate us!"
"Indeed! What should we do now?"
The nobles present grew visibly flustered. "Should we slow things down?"
The Federation was far away, after all, while this demigod was right on their doorstep. Their immediate instinct was naturally compromise and retreat.
"Do not worry, everyone," said the standing noble in purple. "Do not forget that we also have allies of our own.
"We have no need to fear him."
"But that is a demigod—and he is right beside us!"
"That is precisely what he wants you to see, and precisely what he hopes will make you back down."
The purple-robed noble continued, "He is powerful, yes, but think about it." He pointed a finger toward the sky. "Would Ikus sit idly by and permit him to act against us in Kawatua?"
Ikus was the sacred name of the feathered serpent god—a true deity who protected Kawatua.
The nobles breathed a sigh of relief. With Ikus here, they had no need to worry on that score.
Even if Ikus had not answered their prayers for a long time, the covenant forged with the ancestral spirits would never be broken.
Thinking of this, their tension eased once more.
The purple-robed noble said, "Everyone, this matter does not concern us alone. We have shown sufficient sincerity to our Federation allies, so it is time they demonstrated their power in turn."
He stepped out from his seat. "Before arriving here, this man did many things in the Federation that displeased them, and now he has come to obstruct them again. How could the mighty Federation possibly turn a blind eye?
"A demigod? Perhaps. But the Federation has many. Moreover..."
He pointed once more toward the base of the Life Plateau. "They possess true gods as well!"
Hearing this, the nobles regained their spirits, casting aside their earlier timidity. Applause broke out across the hall, accompanied by murmurs of praise and approval.
After calming everyone and making numerous promises, the purple-robed noble shot a glance at Amaru,
and the two stepped outside together.
Once out of earshot, the noble shed his confident demeanor and asked gravely, "Is there truly no chance of victory?"
Amaru replied, "Though I loathe to admit it, my body tells me we cannot win. Standing before him is like facing the god of the underworld. He is far too dangerous."
The purple-robed noble grew anxious. His speech earlier had merely been reassurance. Could Ikus truly protect them?
After all, to win the Federation's trust, he and many others had secretly conducted rites, converting to the New Church as its followers. Ikus had no obligation whatsoever to uphold any pact with them. It was only because the deity remained unaware that he could maintain control over the situation.
Martial deterrence was direct and visceral. If the reformists spread word that an Eastern Continent demigod had arrived in the city, many people would surely lose heart and back down.
If an endeavor like this failed to carry through on its initial momentum, people would soon waver and retreat, making it far harder to rally them a second time.
Amaru said at that moment, "There is a way."
"What way?" The purple-robed noble looked over.
Amaru said, "Aren't the Federation's people offering us reasonable assistance? Now that Great Shun has a demigod here, having them send a demigod over would hardly be asking too much, would it?"
Hearing this, the purple-robed noble was both startled and furious. "A battle inside Kawatua? What are you thinking? That would be enough to destroy all of Kawatua! All our bargaining chips would cease to exist! Do you understand? Cease to exist!"
Amaru said calmly, "No, not in Kawatua. In the holy ground."
"The holy ground?"
The purple-robed noble shuddered. "That is where the Sacred Tree resides—the holy ground of our ancestors!"
Amaru's expression remained steady. "A place like that is bound to interest a Federation demigod, wouldn't you say?"
The purple-robed noble pondered deeply, pacing back and forth several times before finally looking up. "The High Priestess will never agree."
Only the council of priests could decide who was permitted entry into the holy ground, and outsiders were strictly forbidden from setting foot there.
"No, the High Priestess will allow it."
Amaru sounded utterly confident. He pointed to his own eyes. "I have been watching the High Priestess closely of late. She is hesitating, drifting in doubt. She has grown old, and she harbors a trace of pity that should not exist. She is trying to find a way forward for all the First People, yet she does not know which path to choose. In that case, the choice must be left to the ancestors."
"Let the ancestors choose..." The purple-robed noble turned the words over in his mind. He murmured, "Then let us try it."
Chapter 1227