"Akhtawa, you say..."
Xin Hongtu fell into deep thought. Although the man was renowned, had done much good for Kawatua, and was exceptionally formidable, Xin Hongtu's circle had never truly trusted him.
After all, even though Akhtawa had merged with the blood of the First People, Xin Hongtu had never forgotten that he was originally a citizen of the Federation.
Chen Chuan said, "I won't pass personal judgment on Akhtawa, but according to Great Shun's intelligence, his stance is tied directly to his bound oath. And a martial artist cannot betray his own bound oath.
"Beyond that, he is also a symbol.
"Embracing Akhtawa signifies that you can place your trust in a wider world of people, rather than confining yourselves strictly to the First People of Kawatua."
Having studied and come of age in Great Shun, Xin Hongtu possessed a perspective distinct from that of the average First Person. He caught Chen Chuan's drift almost at once.
After a moment's reflection, he asked, "Mr. Chen, do you mean we shouldn't rely solely on nurturing our own talent, but should recruit from beyond our borders?"
"I believe there is more than one Akhtawa out there," Chen Chuan replied. "If the Federation can court you, you can court people from the Federation—or even other nations. After all, not even all Federation citizens share one heart with their government.
"Naturally, the backing Great Shun provides your side will not be meager either. The stronger you become, the greater that support will be."
Xin Hongtu nodded repeatedly, his spirits lifting. In truth, he had entertained thoughts along these lines before, but the presence of the traditional conservatives and the Federation accommodationists had kept them mere daydreams, utterly impossible to enact.
Now, however, so long as they persuaded the priesthood while securing Great Shun's backing, their political leverage would easily overwhelm those factions, allowing him to drive his policies forward. In the past, they had stood alone; now, Great Shun was behind them, holding the line.
He knew full well that as long as the Federation remained a rival, Great Shun would never allow Kawatua to fall.
Looked at this way, keeping Akhtawa around—even merely revering him as a figurehead—served a vital purpose.
Xin Hongtu further contemplated leveraging Great Shun's communication networks to broadcast the plight of the First People worldwide. They could appeal to talents across the globe to come to their aid. Even if only a modest number responded, it would still elevate Kawatua's power by several tiers and carry them through this perilous transition.
As for whether such newcomers might turn against them?
There was little real danger of that. As long as core secrets remained withheld and oaths and rituals bound their conduct, they did not even need these people to fight desperately on the front lines; the mere visible existence of such a force would deter the Federation.
Carrying this out would naturally require considerable funds. Previously, Kawatua's wealth had been squandered on the Federation government, spent buttering up high officials and congressmen. That would never happen again.
With so many nobles freshly purged, it was the perfect time to strike hard and repurpose their confiscated estates for this very cause.
Seeing that he had taken the advice to heart, Chen Chuan said, "As for the remaining details, you may discuss them with Deputy Delegation Leader Lu, Mr. Xin."
Xin Hongtu nodded in agreement. Aware that Chen Chuan had been dedicating himself to cultivation lately, he chose not to impose any longer and took his leave.
Next door, he met with Deputy Delegation Leader Lu to convey his decision to initiate the reform plan proposed by Great Shun. They intended to hire technical and military personnel from Great Shun, establish factories, and train armed forces, equipping Kawatua with the capacity to culture and maintain its own implants.
At the same time, they wished to establish a branch of Great Shun's Wuyi Academy in Kawatua, drawing promising locals into its training regimen.
While they had possessed their own traditional training methods in the past, those practices were long outdated and out of step with the era.
Deputy Delegation Leader Lu was thrilled by the news. Whenever Kawatua had received Great Shun's support in earlier days, it had always been coy and hesitant—eager for aid, yet terrified of displeasing the Federation. Now, at last, it was committing itself entirely to Great Shun.
Even so, Lu remained prudent and asked whether internal affairs had been completely straightened out.
"Rest assured, Deputy Delegation Leader Lu," Xin Hongtu replied. "The High Priestess and I have been handling these matters over the past few days. Our internal front is secure."
Amaru had indeed done them an immense service by eliminating the vast majority of the high nobility. While a few lesser nobles still maintained ties with the Federation, recent efforts were focused on cracking down on them.
Xin Hongtu had initially braced for a desperate last stand from those quarters, but most accommodationists lacked the stomach for it. With their high-ranking ringleaders dead, and both Ikus and the priesthood aligned with the Grand Chief, what could they possibly resist with?
Yet despite the favorable turn of events, Xin Hongtu remained clear-headed. "However, taking these measures will almost certainly invite interference from the Federation. We ask that your reinforcements arrive as swiftly as possible."
Lu replied solemnly, "We will contact the homeland without delay." He added with genuine praise, "Advisor Xin, you possess remarkable resolve."
Xin Hongtu offered a frank smile. "It is merely fighting with our backs to the river."
He had always been convinced that leaning toward the Federation was a path of certain ruin. If they were doomed to perish anyway, they would at least tear a pound of flesh from the Federation first.
"There is one more request..."
Xin Hongtu hesitated briefly. "I hope that Ikus might receive some assistance from your esteemed nation."
Lu's expression turned grave at once. "Advisor Xin, I cannot make any promises, but I will report this request faithfully to our superiors."
Matters concerning transcendent organisms touched upon strategic-tier combat capability—far beyond their authority to decide.
Xin Hongtu thanked him, then added with utmost sincerity, "Please pass along one more message: if Ikus receives aid, we can offer various resources from the ancestral lands in exchange, including samples and seeds of the aberrant plants under our stewardship."
Hearing this, Lu's eyes lit up. The aberrant flora within Kawatua's sacred domain was a prize the Federation had coveted for years. If Kawatua truly handed those over, it would add another stellar achievement to the delegation's record.
Of course, the assistance mentioned earlier was clearly a prerequisite; whether it could be realized depended on the authorities back home. Lu said solemnly, "I will report this matter in full detail to my superiors."
***
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan did not retire immediately to cultivate. He required intelligence on Gao Xinwen, the head of Progenitor Company's overseas expansion—specifically his exact whereabouts—to coordinate his next move.
Though the secret service could provide some leads, this was his personal business, and he preferred not to utilize official intelligence channels.
One straightforward alternative was purchasing intelligence from Wansong Company. However, considering the deep backgrounds of such conglomerates, and the likelihood that Wansong's Federation branch maintained entangled ties with Progenitor Company, he decided against taking that route as well.
Fortunately, there was another channel at his disposal.
He gave word to an orderly, who saluted and stepped out. Moments later, Luo Kaiyuan entered, snapped a salute, and said, "Director, you were looking for me?"
Chen Chuan said, "Kaiyuan, have a seat."
Once Luo Kaiyuan sat down, Chen Chuan asked, "Has the resistance organization attempted to contact you again since then?"
Luo Kaiyuan replied, "Not since the report I submitted back then."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Kaiyuan, I need you to handle a task for me." Tapping his boundary credential, he transmitted a set of files to Luo Kaiyuan's device. "I need you to find a way to make contact with these people and extract some information from them. I'll have Wei Dong and Xiao Qi accompany you. Remember to keep safety first."
After reviewing the files, Luo Kaiyuan nodded resolutely. "Understood. Leave it to me."
Among the data A'lu had previously transferred to Hongfu, besides the martial arts data gathered across Weiya Continent, there were contact methods and intelligence channels left behind by the AI.
One of those belonged to a resistance group dedicated specifically to this trade. Though calling itself a resistance organization, it rarely engaged in violent operations; instead, it specialized in trafficking intelligence, particularly secrets concerning the Federation's internal factions and the major megacorporations. So long as the price was right, they could procure almost anything.
Once debriefed, Luo Kaiyuan took his assignment and departed.
A sharp gleam surfaced in Chen Chuan's eyes. If accurate intelligence could be secured, it would soon be time to bring this affair to a close.
He lingered a while longer, then rose, traced open the fissure with the feather, and stepped inside.
***
While Chen Chuan cultivated within the sacred realm, Puppet had taken on and completed several commission contracts in succession. Having just exited the convergence zone, he was currently heading back alongside his squad mates.
Upon learning that he had become a martial artist, the laboratory had been ecstatic. They had tried every possible means to retain him, even offering him a position as a primary partner in the facility.
Normally, the rise of a martial artist virtually never occurred without the patronage of governments or major corporations, simply because such resources were otherwise impossible to acquire.
Recently, however, circumstances had begun to shift. For reasons unknown, pure substance—once monopolized stringently by states and conglomerates—had begun leaking out into the wider world in substantial amounts, falling into the hands of gifted individuals. Over the past few years, a handful of talents had consequently broken through by their own natural gifts.
In the lab's eyes, Puppet was unquestionably one such figure.
This was an opportunity encountered once in a century. A fringe laboratory would ordinarily never have the privilege of retaining a martial artist. Gaining one was enough to let them soar and even throw off the yoke of upstream corporations. Naturally, they were willing to spare no expense.
Ever since the day Puppet had sensed the mismatch between his spirit and his physical form, he had been striving to maintain that precarious equilibrium.
When not engaged in combat, he could absorb energy from beyond the heavens through purple qi to sustain his vitality; if possible, he would have preferred to remain motionless.
In truth, however, that kind of preservation was flawed. The slightest movement risked shattering the balance. And the more fragile it felt, the more imperative it was to move, for he now understood that this equilibrium was dynamic rather than static.
He had to fathom its patterns and forge it into second nature. That meant he could not simply linger in place; he had to clash against more adversaries and creatures of his own tier. Taking on commissions would grant him far more opportunities to fight such foes.
Before long, their vehicle pulled up to the laboratory compound, where they found the old man who had previously joined them to gather aberrant plants waiting out front.
Spotting him, Brother Xuan called out, "Well now, old timer, back to offer us more pointers?"
"I would hardly presume to offer pointers."
The old man looked toward Puppet and held up the wooden case in his hands. "Mr. Bloodstaff, I said I owed you one. This is what I tracked down for you. I hope it meets your approval."
Chapter 1239