Chen Chuan also sensed the activity on his boundary credential.
Because Zhongjing lay within the protective perimeter of four central cities and was surrounded by numerous field communication installations, any traveler arriving from any direction could receive transmissions the moment they entered this range.
This functioned as a simplified version of the Skyline, allowing those living near Zhongjing to enjoy its conveniences long in advance.
As the airship drew closer, he saw that his personal profile was being updated. His current position as head of the security department was retained, though an annotation reading "Pending Reassignment" had been appended to it.
Zhan Jiyue said, "Council Member Chen, we will be arriving in about two or three hours. Once we finish this game, we can get ready."
Chen Chuan agreed.
Half an hour later, Zhan Jiyue regrettably suffered defeat once again. He had no choice but to bring the match to a reluctant end and temporarily leave the cabin lounge.
Chen Chuan sat for a little longer until he had finished the tea in his cup, then returned to his quarters to pack his belongings.
Once finished, he came out and sat for over an hour. Seeing that the time was about right, he called out softly; Chaoming, who had been obediently waiting beside him, leapt onto his shoulder, and Chen Chuan made his way to the public cabin lounge.
Zhan Jiyue had arrived early and was chatting with Commissioner Xiao. Seeing Chen Chuan emerge, Commissioner Xiao immediately smiled and greeted him, and Chen Chuan replied with polite courtesy.
At that moment, a voice sounded from the active conscious entity, alerting them that they had entered the airspace of Zhongjing.
The airship lacked an observation deck, but it featured a forward viewing window that offered an unobstructed panoramic view ahead.
As the clouds and mist gradually dispersed, the whole of Zhongjing was unveiled before their eyes.
Zhongjing City was situated atop the Red Mound, where an Everliving Fissure had existed since antiquity. Rising thousands of feet above the surrounding plain, its architecture had followed the mound's topography since ancient times. A vast collection of archaic structures was preserved here—continuous stretches of palaces, temples, pavilions, and terraces, with connecting corridors and flying bridges ascending tier by tier until reaching Dachen Palace at the very summit.
However, this ancient palace complex—which had survived five dynasties, undergone multiple expansions, and been preserved intact—had now been converted into a museum for public tours and assemblies. In addition, right beside it stood the Tianyuantang Administration Court, where the Great Shun national government handled affairs of state.
The city's layout radiated outward from the central mound in concentric ring-wall roads, divided into nine tiers counting from the innermost ring wall.
Each tier of ring-wall roads was packed with grand yet functional architectural complexes. Not only did they house various administrative agencies, but they were also fitted with military defensive installations, interconnected with one another to form a structure where inner and outer layers linked together in layered mutual protection.
Flanking Zhongjing to the east and west were two natural barriers—Leigu Mountain and Jinhe Mountain—which sheltered the central city within like a pair of wings.
Several tributaries of the Xuan River wound their way down from Leigu Mountain, cutting through the city before converging with the waters beneath Jinhe Mountain and flowing eastward.
Chen Chuan had visited the Federation's capital, Lunovira Center City. Lake Chickland was likewise richly blessed by nature, linking numerous central cities together, marked by a dense commercial atmosphere and an air of adventure and expansion, open and wild.
Yet when it came to grandiosity and magnificent scale, Zhongjing reigned supreme. In particular, that profound weight born of an unbroken ancient legacy weathered through countless tribulations could not possibly be ignored.
As the airship drew closer, several landmark structures came into view.
Such as the Tianque, Zhongjing's tallest building, constructed over a thousand years ago during the Sheng Dynasty; the Flying Phoenix and Dragon Zither Terraces, built at astronomical expense of manpower and resources by the former imperial household; the Jade Sea and Golden Pool, smooth as congealed fat with a cloud of golden vapor drifting across its center; the Tianhui Bridge, its walls hung with jade bells, linking nine waterways; the Dayi Tower, ancient and solemn, used for stargazing and calendrical divination; and many other sights he had only ever heard of in legend or seen in illustrations, all now becoming clearly visible before his eyes.
Zhan Jiyue stepped up beside him and sighed with admiration. "'Nine tiers of towering pavilions touch the Milky Way; the Red Mound raises the sun to fly toward heaven.' Since ancient times, this place has been the center of the world. A sight like this never grows old, no matter how many times you see it."
Chen Chuan looked outside. Countless airships of all sizes bustled to and fro around the Red Mound, adding to the city's magnificent splendor.
He thought for a moment and asked, "Mr. Zhan, where is our Purist Faction's headquarters?"
Zhan Jiyue pointed westward. "Over there, west of the Flying Phoenix Terrace and north of the Golden Pool, between the third and fourth ring walls."
Chen Chuan glanced in that direction and indeed spotted several towers, along with a familiar pivot pillar.
Zhan Jiyue said, "Besides our Purist Faction, the other four factions all have headquarters established in Zhongjing." With that, he pointed out their locations one by one.
While the two spoke, Commissioner Xiao stood beside them, maintaining a pleasant smile the entire time.
Once the airship reached the ninth ring-wall road, it was not permitted to proceed further without a special transit permit, so it descended toward a nearby mooring tower.
When they disembarked, Commissioner Xiao checked his watch and said, "Commissioner Chen, it is getting late. There are currently two accommodation options. One is the Wei Post, the official guesthouse for administrative officials entering Zhongjing on business from various regions. Given your rank, room and board are completely complimentary, though the conditions there are truly rather modest. If you do not wish to stay there, we can arrange for you to stay at another hospitality hotel, with all expenses covered by the Ministry."
Chen Chuan gave it some thought and decided to find another hotel instead.
It was easy to imagine that many visiting officials with tight budgets stayed at the Wei Post. As a Dongxuan View martial artist, his presence there would likely make most people ill at ease, and the guesthouse clearly would not provide suitable facilities for cultivation.
He could have gone to the Purist Faction headquarters, but it was getting late today. The faction's department established here primarily served political maneuvering and exchange, as well as coordinating with the Defense Department against extraterrestrial entities. They had endless daily affairs to manage; if he went there, they would have to specially assign staff to host him, which would only cause disruption.
Thus, he had an orderly book a room at the Ziying Pavilion, the largest and most fully equipped hotel in Zhongjing. Although prices there were exorbitant, he had barely spent any of his salary over the years. Besides, for a martial artist at his level, money was hardly a consideration anymore.
Commissioner Xiao had originally called a dedicated Ministry car to pick them up, but despite leaving an hour early, it was stuck in traffic, and judging by the situation, it would remain jammed for quite a while. Left with no choice, he hired a security motorcade from the mooring tower to carry the three of them toward the Ziying Pavilion.
In truth, someone of an administrative commissioner's rank could request the Central Guard Bureau to clear the roads ahead, but Chen Chuan had not yet officially assumed office, nor did he have urgent official business to attend to, so he had no intention of exercising that privilege.
However, he had clearly overestimated the traffic conditions in Zhongjing. Even with alerts from the inactive conscious entity and taking several detours, the vehicle was still brought to a halt at a major crossroads.
Ahead, armed guards could be seen placing barricades, while two-wheeled motorized vehicles sped past one after another, blowing their whistles intermittently.
Zhan Jiyue glanced at his boundary credential, which showed a real-time notification that traffic control was in effect ahead to let a motorcade pass first.
In Zhongjing, where important figures abounded, such an occurrence was not surprising in the least. However, upon checking, he found that the motorcade belonged to neither the government nor the military, which was rather unusual.
Here in Zhongjing, even representatives of global megacorporations would only receive such treatment if they were at the level of a country division head.
Commissioner Xiao made an inquiry. For the Ministry of Security Affairs, looking into this was child's play, and he soon had results.
He said, "I've found out. It's a group of singers and screen actors invited to the capital for a joint performance. One of them is a recent favorite of Zhu Han, the second son of Deputy Finance Minister Zhu."
He could not help sighing. "Deputy Minister Zhu is an exceptionally capable man, but he lacks discipline when it comes to his family. This second son of his isn't actually incompetent by any means; he was remarkably talented from an early age, gained early admission into the Zhongjing Higher Arts Academy, and is an 'assemblage artist.' It's just that he's obsessed with promoting celebrities and throwing all manner of wild, scandalous parties, so his reputation isn't great. Deputy Minister Zhu has quite the headache over him. Using family authority to clear roads for celebrities—only a son like his could pull something like that."
Chen Chuan used his boundary credential to look up what "assemblage" meant. It turned out to be the artistic practice of assembling unrelated, scattered objects into visually aesthetic works.
Browsing through them, he noticed there was indeed real craft behind them, and they even faintly incorporated structures resembling esoteric rituals. Even to an outsider like him, they seemed intriguing, though one piece appeared tinged with a hint of madness.
Seeing this, he fell into quiet contemplation.
Once the motorcade passed, they encountered no further disruptions, finally arriving at the Ziying Pavilion around nine in the evening.
Seeing Chen Chuan safely delivered, Commissioner Xiao smiled and said, "Commissioner Chen, I need to report back to headquarters first. Tomorrow morning at nine, I will come by to pick you up. Would that be convenient for you?"
Chen Chuan said, "That works. Thank you, Commissioner Xiao, for all your trouble along the way."
"Think nothing of it, it's only my duty."
After exchanging pleasantries, Commissioner Xiao hired another security escort from the hotel and took his leave.
After he left, Zhan Jiyue said to Chen Chuan, "There's no rush regarding headquarters. Settle your affairs first, Council Member Chen, and let me know when you have time; I'll accompany you on a visit. Also, leave the promotion of the bounce-ball game and tournament to me. I'll see to it that it's handled properly."
"Good, it's a deal then. Let's be in touch in a few days."
Chen Chuan smiled faintly, shook hands with Zhan Jiyue, and watched him depart. Then, adjusting the brim of his hat, he walked into the hotel.
After checking in, led by a staff member, he settled into a garden-style pavilion suite known as Mingxi Garden.
Yet even as he checked in, he was unaware that the article he had submitted earlier, explicitly voicing his support for the Skyline, had already sparked a tremendous tempest throughout Zhongjing.
Chapter 1360