After Chen Chuan boarded the airship, the canyon gradually receded into the distance behind him.
Meanwhile, he considered how to acquire the necessary external resources. In his view, beyond searching on his own and relying on the Purist Faction, actively engaging in the political sphere was an absolute necessity.
Judging by Elder Yu's words, a substantial portion of the provisions needed to ascend to the upper echelons was unquestionably held in the hands of the Great Shun government.
By holding the power of distribution, they were able to counterbalance and restrain the five great styles to a certain degree. Deducing further, the Great Shun government also had to possess the military might capable of sustaining this state of affairs; otherwise, the order could never be maintained.
In the end, the resources inherited and controlled by the Great Shun government far exceeded those of the five great styles.
It was not hard to imagine that if Great Shun could truly integrate its internal forces into a unified whole, that strength would be augmented substantially.
Looked at from this angle, however, beyond the local councils of the Center Cities, certain schools among the five great styles surely did not wish to see such an outcome. After all, the stronger the Great Shun government grew, the less autonomy they would retain, and the tighter their constraints would become.
Thus, it now appeared that the Skyline initiative was no longer confined to a contest between the old and new factions within the government; it likely extended to a power struggle among the major styles themselves.
If this political contest were lost, not only would Skyline stall, but the key figures spearheading the project might also face severe repercussions. Although nothing serious would happen to him as a Dongxuan View martial artist, the resources he hoped to obtain would certainly never come his way.
Furthermore, to resist the entities from beyond the world, uniting their strength was an imperative that could brook no delay.
For every reason, then, he had to push forward and ensure the success of the Skyline Project.
There was another matter demanding resolution: the former imperial household.
Originally, the former imperial household occupied far too many resources across the East Continent. The Great Shun government could scarcely derive any benefit from the convergence zones held by them, yet was forced to continuously pour in immense military strength and materiel, tying down a vast portion of its power.
If this issue could be eliminated before the Great Impact, it would not only relieve a crushing burden, but also allow vastly greater manpower and materiel to be redirected where they truly belonged.
From his current vantage, there was now yet another reason to destroy the former imperial household: having inherited so much legacy from the former dynasty, they might very well possess the things he sought.
Once he arrived in Zhongjing next month, he had to do everything possible to sweep aside the influence of the former imperial household and deny them any further leeway to drag things out.
At that moment, he retrieved the item Elder Yu had given him. It resembled a knife coin, engraved with patterns depicting some strange monster, but it was unquestionably a relic.
Probing inward with his spirit, he gained a general sense of its purpose.
It was meant to facilitate travel through the world opposite.
When martial artists from their native world crossed over, they inevitably drew the attention of entities on the other side, making every step perilous. With this item, one could blend in, rendering themselves far less conspicuous and sparing themselves endless trouble.
Yet looking at its shape, it felt almost like toll money meant for the creatures over there—an analogy that seemed remarkably apt upon reflection. After turning it over in his hands for a while, he put it away, then picked up a Martial Artists Council newspaper lying on the desk.
Much of its content covered the Federation's recent failure, accompanied by photographs taken at the scene. Though rather blurry in print, the shockwaves of fire and sweeping plumes of ash still conveyed the sheer ferocity of the battle.
Observing a battle he had personally fought from an outside perspective proved to be a novel experience.
Beneath the photos were numerous analyses discussing the origins and unfolding of the fight, along with evaluations of his performance. The phrasing was decidedly cautious, revealing that the commentators neither wished to offend him nor provoke the Federation, and largely adopted the Federation's official narrative.
Such public periodicals naturally yielded little of real value. Typically, only internally circulated materials contained detailed assessments, but accessing those required logging onto the network platform.
He had already checked earlier and found nothing relevant; he surmised that the higher-ups were still deliberating over the battle, meaning the domestic Martial Artists Council was not yet in a position to release anything.
Setting the newspaper aside, he picked up another small publication.
This had been provided by the government. As a commissioner of the Ministry of State Security, he was entitled to read publications concerning domestic and international security affairs, and this one had been delivered over the past few days.
Its contents also centered on the Federation, where the Executive Administration was currently dealing with attacks launched by the West Coast Faction.
The analysis suggested that the West Coast had suffered severe losses in this operation, yet they were demanding that the East Coast Faction not only fulfill every promise previously made to them, but also provide additional compensation.
The author argued that internal turmoil within the Federation would persist for some time, and the collapse of various political promises would leave them mired in diplomatic predicaments.
While sorting out this mess, the Federation would have no capacity to meddle abroad; therefore, Great Shun ought to seize this window to eliminate the former imperial household, rather than permitting their diplomatic delegation to tie down domestic attention and squander precious time.
The article advocated the immediate expulsion of the former imperial household's delegation. It contended that the former imperial household was currently cornered and had sought peace talks only out of desperation; Great Shun should resolutely and aggressively advance Skyline, wipe out the former imperial household once and for all, and excise this festering ulcer from Great Shun's body before the Great Impact arrived.
It was obvious to Chen Chuan that the author was a staunch supporter of the Skyline Project.
Had he been browsing the field network, he definitely would have given the author an upvote, but on paper print, direct interaction was impossible.
He gave it some thought. Truth be told, ever since becoming a commissioner of the Ministry of State Security, he had not submitted a single security topic or formal opinion to the ministry.
He turned his gaze toward the porthole, watching the sky rise higher and higher above the vast expanse of earth below.
Taking a pen from his pocket and drawing over a sheet of paper, he considered for a moment, then began writing.
He wrote steadily for over an hour. When finished, he reviewed his work, found nothing amiss, and handed it to his orderly, instructing him to transmit it to the ministry through dedicated channels upon reaching the next stop.
Little did he know what tremendous waves this stance and proclamation of his would soon stir.
***
At that very moment, Fan Zhentong, who had already returned to Zhongjing, was seated inside an expansive hall within the National Strategy Center.
He sat on one side of a silver-gray table at the center of the room. Across from him were interrogators from the Ministry of State Security—one holding the title of security commissioner, the other his assistant.
The mirror-polished floor tiles reflected figures on both sides.
Every delegation leader returning to the capital had to undergo an individual debriefing by the Ministry of State Security; it was an unavoidable procedure, and by now he had answered most of their inquiries.
The commissioner looked up at him, his tone calm yet carrying a trace of wariness. "Mr. Fan, there is one last question.
"We would like to ask your view on Commissioner Chen's departure from the delegation to act independently this time. How do you assess his conduct?"
The assistant promptly added, "Please be aware, sir, that the Supreme Security Advisory Group is currently conducting a review on you. Your response will have some bearing on that assessment, so please consider your answer carefully."
Without a second thought, Fan Zhentong replied, "I think he did well, and did rightly."
The commissioner pressed on, "Then if you had been in his position, what would you have done?"
"The premise of your question is invalid."
The commissioner fixed his gaze on him. "May I interpret that as an attempt to evade the question?"
Fan Zhentong glanced at him. "There is no need. The reason I say so is that to accomplish what he did, one must first possess Commissioner Chen's strength.
"Do you think something like that can be accomplished on a whim?
"I do not waste time imagining what lies entirely beyond my ability."
"Then hypothetically, if you possessed the same strength—"
Fan Zhentong cut him off bluntly. "If I possessed such strength, the two of you wouldn't be the only ones sitting across from me right now."
The two fell silent at once.
Fan Zhentong glanced at his watch. "Are you finished? If so, we're done here. I have things to attend to."
The commissioner closed the notebook before him and nodded. "The questioning is complete, Mr. Fan. You may leave at your convenience. Thank you for your cooperation."
Fan Zhentong stood and exited the hall. The place where he emerged was none other than Zhongjing's inner city wall—monumental and so broad that several trains could run side by side atop it.
Down on the roadway, an armed guard was clearing the way as a motorcade drove in from the opposite direction, escorted overhead by an airship. Behind them, he noticed columns of ceremonial cavalry clad in ornate armor, their hooves clattering in unison against the hard stone pavement.
Further back trailed an antique-style curtained carriage with a gently domed roof mounted with silver beasts. Suspended beneath the four upturned eaves were gilded bronze bells, chiming crisply as they swayed with the vehicle's motion.
His orderly, who had been waiting outside, stepped forward, glanced downward, and said, "Mr. Fan, that's Prince Chunxuan."
Fan Zhentong said, "I see him."
This Prince Chunxuan was the full brother of the former imperial household's puppet emperor, as well as their chief envoy for these negotiations.
After observing for a few moments, Fan Zhentong shifted his gaze to the side. There, standing beneath a tree, was a veiled woman whose body immediately tensed upon sensing his attention.
She was an inner guard of the former imperial household—an Embroidered-Uniform Emissary.
After a single glance, Fan Zhentong turned away. In his eyes, relics of the past like the former imperial household had no right to appear here at all. Yet since this was a decision made by the government's upper echelons, he had no intention of meddling.
Honestly speaking, even if he were to strike them dead right here—hmm?
His steps halted abruptly. Could that actually be feasible?
In the next breath, he dismissed the thought. What the higher-ups truly planned remained unclear, so he resumed walking as if nothing had crossed his mind.
Inside the curtained carriage, a figure resembling an origami paper effigy suddenly lifted its head and spoke to a fair-skinned, delicately handsome man dressed in archaic robes:
"Your Highness, someone just harbored killing intent toward you—"
"And did he make a move?"
The man in archaic robes seemed wholly unconcerned, examining his lightly made-up face in a hand mirror. "If someone ever chops off this handsome head of mine, make sure you preserve it well and deliver it intact to my dear imperial brother."
Chapter 1354