Aurelian Palace, Sovereign Hall Operations Strategy Room.
Cassian received a message. He glanced at the wall clock and spoke to the elderly man beside him, whose hair was combed immaculately:
"Mr. Roberts, the Great Shun delegation will reach Geiserfitu Island in another two hours, and they are expected to completely depart Federation territory nine hours from now. Shall we begin preparing for the operation now?"
Everyone in the room turned their eyes toward him.
State Counselor Joan Roberts.
Although this operation was conducted in the name of a civil initiative, the Executive Administration would provide a certain degree of support, and this man was its primary person in charge.
Meanwhile, the Consul would not meddle in any related matters, listening only to reports and outcomes.
The same held true for public statements. The State Counselor represented the authorities, stepping forward as the primary "concerned party" in this affair. If any obstacles or other complications arose during the operation, it would ultimately fall upon him, the State Counselor, to take responsibility.
As a political figure nominated by the Consul, he had long prepared himself for this. However, no matter how one looked at it, he did not believe this operation could fail; on the contrary, it presented a magnificent opportunity to amass political capital. Furthermore, this was a civil initiative—even if problems arose, he was merely a behind-the-scenes supporter.
He did not rush to issue orders, asking calmly instead, "Is there any news regarding Ming of the Tianji Sect?"
Cassian replied, "Sir, according to our cross-verifications from multiple sources, once the Tianji Sect's ritual begins, it cannot be stopped. Therefore, we need not worry about any issues from him."
Olin added, "Indeed. Although he is bound by the ritual as well, the Tianji Sect's cultivation method is unique. They cannot place too many restraints upon themselves, or their cultivation cannot be completed. We consulted religious specialists on this matter, and they verified that this is true, so there will not be any slip-up on his end.
"Furthermore, we exchanged promises with him at the cost of a relic. Thus, whether he is sincere or deceitful, so long as it is what he pledged, he cannot fail to honor it."
Although all this was contained in the reports previously submitted, both men knew that a politician like Roberts lacked the patience to read through them, at most listening to oral briefings. Thus, they explained with great patience.
Roberts was very satisfied with their answers. He checked his watch. It was currently 1:50 PM, August 17, Federation time. He said, "Prepare to move, then."
Once approval was given, everyone in the room exchanged excited glances. An operation of this scale was destined to leave its mark in the history of the Federation. Setting aside the subsequent glory and acclaim, merely participating in it gave them a profound sense of mission.
As everyone dispersed into action and set to work, telegrams were dispatched one after another, while the clicking of telephone rotary dials and the ringing of bells resounded without pause across various quarters.
At present, aside from coordination among Federation government departments and several corporations, the primary focus lay in coordinating the various Throne martial artists.
Almost every Throne martial artist was a person of eminent status and standing. Furthermore, as this was nominally a spontaneous civil endeavor, they did not operate under unified deployment; rather, a fixed rendezvous point was designated, with everyone required to arrive at the scheduled hour.
Scarcely half an hour had passed in dispatching communications when a colossal shadow suddenly descended over the perimeter of the hall, blocking out the sunlight outside. Everyone turned to look, only to see an enormous colossus slowly rising into the sky beyond.
Minutes later, when the sunlight once again poured in, many walked out of the operations room. Now they could clearly see that it was an unimaginably colossal airship—virtually a fortress in the sky.
It was composed of multiple bio-tissue gasbags clustered together, supported from within by a lightweight yet rigid custom bionic framework. Its exterior was covered in a thick layer of gradient feathers, delicate and sleek, casting a faint metallic luster in the sunlight. Inlaid on the port and starboard sides were colossal emblems of the Federation's Constellation insignia.
This was the Leviathan-class airship Empyrean Behemoth, fully capable of accommodating a combat complement of thirty thousand men, utilizing mutated bio-jet gasbags as its primary propulsion with propeller blades as auxiliary power sources.
It was a war machine the Federation took great pride in, the quintessential embodiment of Federation military biotechnology.
Though the Federation government claimed not to intervene in this operation, as the "guardian" of state order, it was nominally required to ensure that this civil initiative would not imperil surrounding continents or threaten civilian lives. Regardless of the reality, this pretext was beyond reproach on the international stage.
In addition to carrying command, observation, and military personnel, the super airship accommodated reporters and press correspondents from various nations and major corporations throughout the journey, serving as witnesses to the operation.
At this moment, as the personnel of the Federation Executive Administration looked upon this leviathan and the combat organisms circling it in flight, their hearts swelled with pride.
This was a symbol of the Federation's formidable national might. Through this operation, they could display the Federation's martial prowess to the world while proving to all nations and corporations who would truly be the leader steering the world forward once the Great Impact arrived.
In high spirits, the State Counselor emerged accompanied by a retinue of operational personnel and held an open-air internal press conference on the plaza. He clarified the government's stance on the nature of the operation and reiterated time and again how seriously the Federation regarded global security, offering promises and assurances that no complications would occur in that regard.
At the same time, heads of state around the world and major corporations monitored the developments here via telegrams. The eyes of the entire world were focused on this operation.
After all, never since the collapse of the Grand Alliance had any operation mobilized so many Throne martial artists.
Most common folk might possess little understanding of martial artists, and consequently no real concept of the power wielded by Throne martial artists. But the upper echelons of various nations and major corporations knew all too well.
It could be said that such might was sufficient to wipe more than half the nations of the world off the map with ease. This stoked their anxieties and unease, compelling them to monitor the entire affair with rapt attention.
Following the press conference, once Roberts and his entourage boarded the airship, the observers and reporters from various nations began boarding as well.
With only a few minutes left before the boarding ramp closed, a loud shout came from the distance: "Wait a moment!"
It was a pretty young woman with short golden-brown hair, followed by a middle-aged man. The two presented their boarding passes, underwent a rigorous inspection, and were granted passage.
Boarding the vessel, the young woman patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Whew, thank goodness. I thought we wouldn't make it in time."
She was Lily Caldwell, a reporter from the Norland Foreign News Agency, as well as a special correspondent for the publication of the Martial Artists Council. In addition, she held another identity: daughter of the editor-in-chief of Norland's Flying Wing Magazine.
The man accompanying her was Briggs, an observer dispatched on assignment by the International Martial Artists Council publication.
Traveling with Lily on this occasion was mainly because she was the daughter of an old friend, making her his junior. Seeing how excited she was, he cautioned, "Lily, remember to keep the relic your father gave you close at hand. This battle won't be fun and games."
"I know, I know! Look, we're taking off!"
Excitedly, Lily dashed to the porthole, watching the airship slowly pull away from the ground and buildings below.
Briggs walked over to her side, crossing his muscular arms. "At the speed of the Empyrean Behemoth, we can reach the Wei Continent within three days. The morning after tomorrow, we should be able to see the famous sunrise over Mount Khalid."
Lily nodded repeatedly. "I hear there are quite a few martial artists traveling aboard this airship, and that Federation Hero is supposedly among them too. I plan to interview him first—it's a rare opportunity."
Briggs mused, "I know of him. A Secret Palace martial artist at only twenty-nine years old, heralded as the rising star most likely to become a Throne martial artist before forty in the next generation. He is indeed the most remarkable among the younger cohort."
Lily recalled something then, saying smugly, "Uncle Briggs, you're wrong there! Do you remember who Father's magazine gave an award to? The Great Shun martial artist Chen—do you remember him, Uncle?"
Briggs thought back, his gaze turning slightly solemn. "You mean... that Great Shun martial artist, Chen Chuan?"
"Exactly, that's him! I heard he was in the capital earlier too, but left for home with the Great Shun delegation just a few days ago. We missed each other. Otherwise, I could have interviewed him as well and had him evaluate our Federation Hero. What a pity."
"Mm." Briggs nodded. He knew of Chen Chuan—someone capable of fighting a portion of a Throne martial artist's power at the Secret Palace level and emerging victorious. Word of this had spread like wildfire through martial artist circles recently, and the assessment of his influence rating completely surpassed ordinary Secret Palace martial artists. Consequently, Briggs had subconsciously excluded him from the ranks of mere Secret Palace martial artists.
Still... He looked outside, his gaze sweeping over the landscape falling away below and the vast expanse of land stretching into the distance.
Whether that young Federation Hero or this extraordinary Great Shun martial artist, both paled into insignificance when compared to the battle about to unfold.
As a member of the International Martial Artists Council, he had access to a vast amount of information and understood all too well how terrifying Throne martial artists were. Moreover, to gather so many of them at once meant a destructive power beyond imagination; martial artists below their rank were not even qualified to set foot on the battlefield.
Over the Outer Ocean, Chen Chuan stood by the porthole, looking down at the outline of Geiserfitu Island gradually emerging across the ocean below.
A year ago, he had confronted the Federation military right here. Once they passed this place and traveled a bit further, they would enter Great Shun's sphere of influence.
It was time to leave.
First, however, he had to give word to Delegation Leader Xie and the others.
He first went to the first deck and found Fan Zhentong.
"Mr. Fan, we have reached Geiserfitu Island. Past this point, we will enter Great Shun's Outer Ocean waters, so there should no longer be any danger. I intend to leave the group to attend to a matter."
Fan Zhentong was silent for a moment. "You have made up your mind?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
Fan Zhentong said, "Remember what I told you: do whatever you wish to do."
Chen Chuan expressed his gratitude earnestly. "Mr. Fan, thank you." He knew that if Fan Zhentong did not support this and insisted on keeping him here, it would create no small amount of trouble.
He was about to turn and walk out.
"Section Chief Chen," Fan Zhentong called from behind.
Chen Chuan looked back. Fan Zhentong said, "If you're going, take this." With that, he tossed an object toward him.
Chen Chuan caught it with a snap. Bringing it before his eyes to examine, he saw what appeared to be a bronze clasp.
Fan Zhentong said, "It might be of help to you."
Chen Chuan recognized it as a relic. Sending his spirit inside for a sweep, he already understood how to use it—and realized it would prove immensely useful at a critical juncture. He expressed his sincere thanks once again.
Then he turned and walked out, stepping onto the terrace before floating outward, flying toward the flagship airship situated in the center.
Chapter 1291