"Gao Ming, over the next year or two, it would be best for Aunt and the family to remain in Center City as well and avoid traveling elsewhere as much as possible."
Although Chen Chuan did not explicitly state that the Great Impact was drawing near, Gao Ming grasped his meaning at once. He smiled and replied, "Don't worry about them. They've always been very mindful of their safety."
"That's good," Chen Chuan said. "If anything comes up, just let me know."
Gao Ming smiled. "Understood, Cousin. I won't stand on ceremony with you."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Since you're here, let me take you on a tour of Youdu to see the sights. There might not be another chance in the future."
"Sounds great," Gao Ming agreed.
Chen Chuan brought him aboard an airship and flew toward Youdu.
The sights around Youdu were actually quite impressive, not at all confined to the imperial palace grounds. For instance, the residences of several grand secretaries, while not matching the scale of imperial palaces, were not in the least inferior in architectural elegance.
However, the weather in the convergence zone was perpetually gloomy. Anyone who did not live here would likely feel disheartened and depressed after a stroll, and even soldiers were inevitably affected.
Consequently, after the military assumed control, numerous projection searchlights had been mounted across the city's skies to simulate sunlight.
Chen Chuan paused at the primary scenic spots and took several photographs with Gao Ming. He would have Gao Ming take these back, letting them serve as word to his aunt and uncle that he was safe and sound.
On the return trip, he said to Gao Ming, "Gao Ming, there's a matter I need you to attend to, which is why I asked you to come."
He gave Gao Ming a detailed account of turning one of the secret vaults over to the Cao family, adding, "I need you to make a trip to Mount Motie, explain this clearly to Senior Cao, and reassure him that he has nothing to worry about. The former imperial household has already fallen; there is no possibility of a restoration. Whatever pressure comes from various sides, I will resolve it for him. He may accept it with peace of mind."
Gao Ming pushed up his spectacles. "Understood, Cousin. I'll take care of it."
Seeing that Chen Chuan had finished briefing him, Gao Ming added, "Cousin, on my way here, I received a notice from the Martial Artists Council urging you to sign the agreement as soon as possible. This is already the third time they've pressed for it this year."
Chen Chuan said, "Ignore them for now. If they have objections, tell them to take it up with Great Shun Central Command."
Gao Ming smiled. "Understood, Cousin."
After the airship returned, Gao Ming chose not to stay long; the environment of the convergence zone was genuinely hostile to ordinary people, and the New Year was fast approaching. He prepared to depart after lunch.
Chen Chuan had him take along the gifts he had prepared for his aunt's household. Once he saw Gao Ming off, he returned to his quarters carrying the Xuejun Saber and resumed his practice. Meanwhile, the army continued to expand outward from Youdu according to the plans laid down by the general staff.
After all, Youdu was surrounded by numerous towns and local officials appointed by the fallen dynasty. Some of them were still gathering armed forces, and all of these remnants had to be thoroughly cleared away.
At the same time, the garrisons of the various center cities were advancing into the fallen dynasty's heartland. In particular, the center cities where the Conservative Faction held sway might have dragged their feet before the dynasty fell, but now everyone was eager to tear away more flesh from this dead behemoth.
Once the core of the former imperial household collapsed, the vast majority of local forces lost their will to resist.
Some surrendered directly to Great Shun, while certain regional lords and officials of Xuanji martial artist background simply abandoned their manors, troops, and civilians, leading small armed escorts in an attempt to flee to the Western Continent before the Great Shun army took full control of the territory, hoping to seek refuge with the former imperial house there.
Yet the exits leading out of the convergence zone had long since been blocked by Great Shun. Thus, they had no choice but to push through the convergence zone's treacherous interior, an endeavor that offered barely one chance of survival in ten.
Though successful precedents were not unheard of, they were extraordinarily rare. Great Shun therefore did not bother pursuing them, simply allowing them to depart.
Naturally, there were also those who resisted to the bitter end. Some sought to secure better negotiating terms through displays of defiance, while others genuinely wished to remain loyal martyrs to the fallen dynasty. Yet amidst the surging tide of history, these were merely fleeting ripples on the surface, gone in an instant.
Meanwhile, at the Administration Council Operations Command, after repeatedly verifying and confirming all frontline achievements, the Great Shun government formally announced the fall of the former dynasty through official channels.
Media outlets controlled by the Progressive Faction linked this triumph directly to the Skyline, asserting that it was precisely the Skyline that had unleashed such immense power, enabling the swift suppression of the former imperial household.
Looking to the future, they declared that once every Center City across the nation joined the Skyline, Great Shun would become the world's leading power.
The announcement caused an uproar not only within Great Shun, but also sent shockwaves through major nations and corporations worldwide. They were well aware that Great Shun had been waging war against the former dynasty, and their assessment reports had largely viewed it as a domestic conflict initiated by Great Shun's Progressive Faction.
The fallen dynasty's forces were formidable, and because the conflict had erupted rather abruptly without nationwide mobilization and preparation by Great Shun, foreign powers had estimated the war would not last long.
Given the international and domestic landscape, most believed Great Shun could maintain the campaign for one or two months at most.
Yet they had never imagined that in less than half a month, this former imperial household, which had plagued Great Shun for nearly a century, would be entirely wiped out.
This dealt an immense shock to high-level leadership in every nation and corporation, prompting them to reevaluate the extraordinary power unleashed through the Skyline.
Synthesizing intelligence from all fronts, the turning points of several crucial engagements had rested primarily on top martial artists like Chen Chuan. His personal strength was the single most decisive factor shaping the course of the war.
Yet they also recognized that without the Skyline's highly efficient transmission of intelligence and seamless coordination among multiple center cities, advancing the campaign so smoothly would have been utterly impossible.
Nations and corporations alike began to sense that, through the Skyline, Great Shun was steadily transforming its traditional mode of rule, developing into a reinforced political structure unlike its own past or any contemporary nation.
This led foreign leaders to consider whether their own nations ought to pursue corresponding adjustments and reforms.
To some degree, this even swayed the internal political struggles of the Linakes Federation.
The Federation's upper echelons suddenly realized that Great Shun might well have taken the lead in embarking on a new path ahead of the Great Impact, compelling them to accelerate their own internal consolidation.
As for the nations of the Western Continent, an urgent sense of pressure gripped their leaders, leading them to contemplate whether they should follow the East Continent's example and hasten the destruction of their own former imperial house.
Before doing so, however, they first had to deal with Emperor Cleopatras I.
While the global geopolitical landscape shifted in the wake of the fallen dynasty's demise, Great Shun's Old Continent remained remarkably serene.
On the evening of the twenty-ninth, Gao Ming, traveling aboard a dedicated military airship, finally arrived back in Jibei Dao ahead of the New Year.
Disembarking from the airship, he first returned to Golden Maple Villa, delivering the gifts Chen Chuan had entrusted to him into the hands of Nian Fuli and his family. After having dinner and passing along the messages Chen Chuan had asked him to convey, he departed to meet up with Lu Fang, who was waiting for him, and set off by car toward Mount Motie.
As Chen Chuan's cousin and personal advocate, Gao Ming's security naturally required attention.
Since Chen Chuan had granted leave to Yuan Qiuyuan, Wei Chang'an, and the others, Lu Fang had taken over protective duties for now.
After driving for a little over an hour, they arrived at the Cao family estate at Mount Motie. Uncle Ding had received a telegram beforehand and had been waiting at the entrance since early on. Once they arrived, he respectfully ushered them inside.
Upon meeting Cao Guixi, Gao Ming relayed Chen Chuan's message in detail.
Listening to the account, Cao Guixi was somewhat astonished, having never anticipated such a turn of events.
He knew there was a sizable branch of Cao relatives in the convergence zone, though he had actively avoided contact with them in the past. He had never imagined they would place a secret vault into his hands.
After a moment's contemplation, he asked the two of them to wait briefly, saying he would write a letter for them to deliver.
Back in the study, Uncle Ding said excitedly, "Young Master, supporting Mr. Chen back then truly was the right choice."
Cao Guixi shook his head. "Uncle Ding, did I ever do so expecting a return?"
Uncle Ding hurriedly ground ink for him and replied, "Of course. You treat others with sincerity, Young Master, and never harbor thoughts of using kindness to demand repayment."
Cao Guixi's brush moved briskly across the paper. Once the letter was finished, he waited for the ink to dry and said after some thought, "Uncle Ding, send another telegram to Junior Brother for me. Tell him there is no need to bring the secret vault back. I entrust full authority over it to Junior Brother Chen. Whether he keeps it, gifts it, or turns it over to the government is entirely up to him; there is no need to consult me."
Uncle Ding paused, taken aback. "Young Master?"
Cao Guixi said, "The Cao family's possessions were, in the end, wealth extracted from the people by the former dynasty. Returning them to the people is a good thing.
"Moreover, if it is placed in my hands, many will covet it, and Junior Brother Chen would have to go out of his way to look after me. That is not worth the trouble. Leaving it to him is the best choice. Uncle Ding, just do as I say."
"Yes, Young Master."
Uncle Ding offered no further dissuasion.
They had no shortage of wealth, but using this to secure the enduring favor of a powerful figure was well worth it.
A moment later, Cao Guixi folded the letter into an envelope, walked out, and handed it personally to Gao Ming, who then took his leave. Uncle Ding departed to send the telegram.
Back in the convergence zone, Chen Chuan successively received telegrams from Gao Ming and Uncle Ding, learning of Cao Guixi's stance.
He considered the matter. Since Cao Guixi had entrusted the third vault to him, he would not be needlessly modest.
Once the New Year passed, he would go have a look to see what was hidden within that third secret vault.
He had previously reflected that neither on Emperor Wenguang's person nor within the first two vaults had he found a certain item of immense significance to the former dynasty. He suspected that the object might well be resting right there.
Chapter 1465