Fan Zhentong had actually hoped a decisive result would be reached in the second round of voting.
On the current five-member panel, the Purist Faction, Refined Practice School, and Convergence Faction each held one representative seat; of the remaining two, one hailed from the military, and the other came from state enterprises.
The military had long collaborated with the Purist Faction, so it was practically certain they would support Chen Chuan becoming an alternate member this time.
As for the two advisors representing the Refined Practice School and Convergence Faction, their choice went without saying—they would only back the candidate jointly recommended by their two factions. It was the representative of state enterprises whose stance was rather difficult to predict on this matter.
Skyline was beneficial to all state enterprises, and they could stand united in pushing it forward. However, they cooperated extensively with both the Refined Practice School and Convergence Faction as well, relying on their coordination and support for numerous local affairs.
Therefore, if the matter came down to the five-member panel's adjudication, should Refined Practice and Convergence pledge even greater interests, the recommended candidate might not necessarily end up being Chen Chuan.
Ten minutes later, the second round of voting commenced.
Fan Zhentong cast his vote for Chen Chuan once again. This round depended on the two Nature Faction advisors who had previously voted for Qiu Yanbo, and whether they would make a new choice.
He knew that the Purist Faction and the other two factions had earlier tried to win over the Nature Faction. Yet even if someone from the Nature Faction gave you an agreement to your face, they might suddenly change their minds at the eleventh hour for any number of reasons; everything rested on the final decision.
Two minutes later, the results were out.
The two Nature Faction advisors were thoroughly decisive: since their own faction's nominee had been knocked out, they simply abstained, refusing to cast their ballots for any of the remaining candidates.
With that, the outcome of this round mirrored the previous one—a dead tie. The decision was now passed to the advisory panel.
The advisory panel's verdict would not arrive quickly, and it had nothing to do with most of the advisors anyway; there was no need for them to keep standing there.
Fan Zhentong stepped away from the field screen, walked out of the hall, and stepped onto the observation terrace outside.
By this point, someone had already preceded him out there, standing by the railing and gazing at the landscape beyond.
He recognized him as Hong Jinkang, an advisor with a military background.
However, Fan Zhentong did not go over to greet him. The military had many internal factions; some maintained neutrality, while others leaned directly toward the political philosophy of the Refined Practice and Convergence factions.
And this man was one of the latter.
Fan had no intention of speaking to him, yet upon seeing Fan, the other man walked over.
Drawing near, Hong Jinkang said to him, "Advisor Fan, I just cast my vote for Acting Commissioner Cen.
"This isn't because I fail to recognize Commander Chen's abilities. Quite the contrary—it's precisely because Commander Chen has accomplished such tremendous exploits on the front line that I changed my mind."
He continued in a deep voice, "A man like Commander Chen can only realize his personal value on the front lines, which is also what benefits the country most."
He genuinely believed this: since Chen Chuan was so capable, he ought to be left commanding at the forefront, where he could exert an even greater impact, particularly during the impending Great Impact.
"Commander Chen is the youngest among the three. Pulling him away from the front line now would be too early; it would be a loss for the nation, and it wouldn't foster his personal growth either. He can easily wait three years before being nominated for the advisory council.
"When that time comes, I'll cast my vote for him."
Fan Zhentong replied, "That's your decision. There's no need to tell me."
Hong Jinkang looked at him. "Advisor Fan, I'm not offering an explanation. I know your avatar is currently overseeing combat operations on the front lines, so I merely wish to ask you to relay my sentiments to Commander Chen."
Fan Zhentong turned his head, looked at him, and said unceremoniously, "If there's anything you want to say, Advisor Hong, go and say it to Commander Chen yourself. I have no obligation to do it for you. Furthermore, I don't believe Commander Chen cares about your opinion in the slightest."
Hong Jinkang frowned, gave a polite nod, turned, and walked away.
By then, most advisors had scattered to various places, waiting for the panel's decision.
Yet this wait dragged on for more than an hour, with no result in sight.
Fan Zhentong checked the historical records; similar situations had occurred in the past.
The most recent instance took place in the seventy-fifth year of Jianzhi. That time, two rounds of voting had also resulted in a tie, but a final decision had been reached within fifteen minutes.
He did not know the exact details inside the room, but substantial disagreements undoubtedly existed; otherwise, a conclusion would not have been delayed for so long.
After another ten minutes or so of waiting, the active consciousness's voice finally sounded once more through the boundary credential, informing them of the ultimate decision.
The alternate recommendation spot had been awarded to Cen Xinwu, jointly nominated by the Refined Practice School and the Convergence Faction.
The moment this result emerged, the advisors of the Enterprising Faction frowned, while those representing the Conservative Faction breathed a sigh of relief.
It was not merely because of the outcome itself, but because Chen Chuan exerted far too much pressure on them. They truly did not want such an overwhelmingly strong figure to join the advisory council so early.
Indeed, they knew they could not hold Chen Chuan back forever, and that he would eventually be admitted. But delaying it as much as possible was still a win. In particular, joining the advisory council before the Great Impact versus afterward was a completely different matter. Not only could many policies be shaped according to their preferences in the meantime, but once total confrontation began, they could secure numerous vital positions in advance.
All the advisors, including Fan Zhentong, received a dispatch from the five-member advisory panel stating that the council's decision would be submitted to higher authorities for approval, and the final result would be announced publicly after the New Year.
Fan Zhentong had initially felt rather displeased upon hearing that the recommended candidate was not Chen Chuan, but he quickly calmed down.
When he had discussed the matter with Chen Chuan, the young man had not cared much about it at all. It had not been an act of feigned indifference, but a genuine lack of concern—the demeanor of someone with far higher sights who could not be bothered by minor scenery along the path.
If that was the case, Fan Zhentong had no reason to take it to heart either.
Besides, the final outcome was not yet set in stone.
He looked up toward Jianmu Tower, located above Danxin Hall. The upper section of the structure was composed entirely of field simulations, appearing as though it could pierce through the cloud dome and extend into the vast void of space.
After watching it for a while, he stepped forward and departed.
***
Purist Faction headquarters.
Zhan Jiyue arrived at noon. Knowing that the advisory council's recommendation spot was supposed to be decided before midday, he went directly to Vice Chairman Zhu.
"Vice Chairman Zhu, do we know the result yet?"
Vice Chairman Zhu showed a helpless expression. "Ah, you." He paused, his expression turning slightly solemn. "The recommendation has been decided. The one ultimately chosen was Cen Xinwu, recommended by the Convergence and Refined Practice factions."
Zhan Jiyue fell silent at once. After a moment, he insisted, "No, this isn't final yet. This is only a recommendation spot; it still requires verification and approval from above."
Vice Chairman Zhu shook his head. "Old Zhan, you know full well that's virtually impossible. Although a nomination submitted by the advisory council must be presented to higher authorities for review, it's usually just a formality.
"The top has never rejected a nominee submitted by the advisory council. Unless a major proposal touches upon the other world, the higher-ups never interfere with concrete proceedings below.
"Besides, the authorities always focus on the overall situation and never dwell excessively on any single individual."
He looked at Zhan Jiyue. "Once the New Year passes, this result will be announced."
With a soft sigh, he added, "This outcome isn't what I wanted to see either. But in three years, there's no way they'll be able to stop Director Chen."
Zhan Jiyue shook his head. "Three years?" he said with a trace of mockery. "In three years, Commander Chen won't need us to recommend him at all."
"Hm?"
Vice Chairman Zhu looked at Zhan Jiyue in slight confusion. But then something struck him—what Zhan Jiyue meant was that in three years...
He pondered in silence. Was that possible? Personally, he did not discount the possibility; in fact, he hoped to see it come to pass.
Now he understood why Zhan Jiyue was so anxious. If that were truly the case, then support right now was indeed what mattered most.
Yet he was helpless as well. It wasn't that they hadn't done their best, but rather that the matters involved stemmed from long-standing power struggles and political warfare.
They had already gained immense political benefits from Skyline and the eradication of the former imperial household. The advisory panel's decision this time was likely made in part out of an effort to maintain balance.
***
Meanwhile, inside the Convergence Faction headquarters.
Numerous councilors were overjoyed upon learning that their jointly recommended nominee had been submitted at last. After their failure to prevent the offensive against the former imperial house, they had finally reclaimed a victory. For the Conservative Faction, this could also shore up the increasingly shaken confidence of their rank and file.
One councilor spoke up, "Gentlemen, there is one more matter we must address."
Once everyone turned their attention toward him, he said, "Up until now, Commander Chen has still not signed the security agreement.
"Previously, because of the need to combat the former imperial household, we could tolerate it. But now the former imperial household is virtually nonexistent, and the war will soon come to an end. Another year has flashed by; we can no longer turn a blind eye. It's difficult to answer to the international community, and national order must be upheld.
"Therefore, at the upcoming conference, we should propose having Commander Chen sign the security agreement as soon as possible."
The councilors present voiced their agreement one after another. After the downfall of the former imperial household and before the Great Impact arrived, the principal conflict among factions would revolve around internal competition for resources. They absolutely had to find a way to restrain Chen Chuan, an obvious spearhead of the Enterprising Faction, or they would never be able to sleep peacefully.
Crucially, their demand was reasonable and something the international community had continually pressed for. Before, the war could serve as an excuse; now, there was no longer any justification for further delay.
***
At the same time, on the Youdu front line.
Fan Zhentong had promptly transmitted the advisory council's decision to Chen Chuan via telegram.
Upon receiving the telegram, Chen Chuan glanced at it, saw that Cen Xinwu had secured the recommendation spot, and casually tossed it aside.
Right now, his mind was entirely occupied with how to procure the remaining precious materials and locate the sites left behind by the former imperial household; he had no interest in concerning himself with anything else.
He was certain that records concerning "sites" existed. However, the former imperial household had left behind a truly vast quantity of books and archives, an immense sea of documentation, making searching through them exceedingly difficult.
Fortunately, this was a new era. He did not need to sift through them by hand; assigning a task to active conscious entities and letting them browse and retrieve information on his behalf was enough. And he could already sense that he was drawing close to his objective.
Chapter 1460