Materials

Coming out of the operations conference room, Old Feng brought Chen Chuan to the logistics requisition office of the action team. Standing before the grated window of the application counter, he passed the requisition form straight inside. The clerk inside glanced at the signature and official stamp on the form. Without any unnecessary chatter, he immediately handed it to the staff behind him, instructing them to open the storeroom and fetch the items. They worked efficiently. In less than ten minutes, they wheeled the items out on a cart. Old Feng inspected everything. Seeing there were no mix-ups or omissions, he had the staff member place it all into a compartmentalized metal case, then handed it over to Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan easily took the heavy case. "Thank you, Commissioner Feng." Old Feng waved a hand. "No need to thank me. You've earned this." Once all the paperwork was signed, he led Chen Chuan outside, saying, "Student Chen, matters here are virtually wrapped up. The rest is for the Yangzhi City Municipal Administration and the local departments to settle. We'll be heading back in a couple of days." Upon reaching the exit, he turned around. "A sum of money has already been deposited into your personal account." Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "This is...?" Old Feng said, "From dealing with Molan and raiding the various companies this time, aside from the lion's share turned over to the higher-ups, the remainder is distributed internally within the action team. As a member of the team, naturally you're entitled to a share. "Don't worry, this is all fully compliant and aboveboard. The brothers doing the legwork are putting their lives on the line at the very front. If they aren't paid adequately, who'll be willing to put in the effort next time? "On top of that, there's also the commission bonus, all disbursed together. We won't itemize the exact breakdown; as long as you understand." Chen Chuan gave an affirmative sound. The action team had seized a massive amount of Molan Company's assets this time, and presumably many people had benefited. Those directly carrying out the operations like the State Administration Bureau certainly wouldn't shy away from taking a cut. What he had received was likely only a tiny fraction of it. Old Feng said, "Over the past few days, you've probably applied for the quota to Center City, right? Center City is a place where you'll need money for everything. Don't let the size of the sum fool you—it might vanish in the blink of an eye. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities there as well. With your ability, I'm sure finding a foothold won't be difficult." He felt in his pocket and pulled out a card with a handwritten telephone number on it. "As members of the State Administration Bureau, you normally have no way of contacting us directly. If anything comes up, you can call this number." Chen Chuan looked at it, solemnly put it away, and said, "Thank you, Commissioner Feng." Old Feng clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on. I have a few errands to run anyway, so I can drop you off on the way." Chen Chuan thanked him and climbed into the car. Leaving the constabulary, they arrived at the academy. He bade farewell to Old Feng at the gates and headed straight to the Logistics Office in the administration building to find Cheng Zitong. There, he updated his personnel file, primarily adding his record of participation in state conscription. Originally, it had only contained the record from the State Administration Bureau, but now he had added the commission from the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau as well. The specific nature of the missions could not be written down, only stated in broad terms, but they could be cross-referenced against the state archives. With that, it was complete. Cheng Zitong looked over the resume with immense satisfaction. "Alright, now all we need is the new Civil Administrator's signature, and then it can all be submitted together. Well, that's usually just a routine formality." Chen Chuan asked, "Teacher, with state conscription missions on my record, can I apply for an armor license now?" Cheng Zitong smiled. "There will certainly be no problem with that. No commission carries more weight than this. Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have kept it in mind for you." He pulled a form from his drawer. "Fill this out, and I'll submit it for you." Chen Chuan took it. As he filled it out, he asked, "Teacher, roughly how long will it take for this application to yield results?" Cheng Zitong replied, "There are still a little over two months left until the end of the year. If we submit it now, at the fastest, we'll definitely have an answer within two months. Even if it takes longer, there should be word before February." Chen Chuan pondered this. "If that's the case, will I have to wait until the end of the second semester before going to the Main Academy?" Cheng Zitong shook his head. "In theory, once you secure the quota, you can go to the Main Academy. In the past, those recommended students chose to go after their third year only because their own capabilities were lacking. With your ability—having earned an unlimited defense license in your first year—staying in Yangzhi City will only hold you back. If you can go early, go early. "By my estimate, you'll be able to head to the Main Academy after the New Year—three or four months at most." Chen Chuan nodded. In that case, it wouldn't be very late at all, and he could handle a few matters in advance. Leaving the administration building, he returned to the dormitory for his daily cultivation training. Later, he flipped through the manual; it was broadly divided into three parts. At the very front was a record of the most common esoteric rituals, including analyses of their origins, brief background introductions, the necessary conditions to achieve the rituals, and which esoteric materials were used. The middle section taught how to identify specific categories of esoteric cults through cultist patterns and ritual procedures. The final section covered how to unravel rituals or establish esoteric rituals advantageous to oneself. This was likely an internal reader from the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau. Quite bluntly, if an ordinary person had such a book and channels to obtain materials, they would be able to hold an esoteric ritual with the assistance of a professional. The reason a professional was needed was mainly that esoteric drawings could not be scribbled casually. To achieve the intended effect of a ritual, considerable precision of expression was required; otherwise, the results would be severely diminished. The person drawing the designs needed to understand the specific function of the ritual being depicted, and required an abundance of emotional resonance—not only immersing themselves, but using it to infect others. This was not something an ordinary person could handle. They had to be either cultivated by the cult itself or specialists engaged in this trade. The latter were prime targets of the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau's crackdowns; as long as such individuals were kept under control, the vast majority of esoteric rituals could be prevented, or at the very least, the cost of conducting them would skyrocket while their impact was greatly reduced. Chen Chuan had always been intrigued by such occult matters, especially the final section on performing simple rituals to benefit oneself. Naturally, without authorization from the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau, private individuals were forbidden from performing them, but that did not stop him from studying the subject. This reference manual was thick, its contents extensive and dense with information. He could browse through it at his leisure over the coming days. Right at that moment, a news broadcast came from the radio playing nearby: "Following days of hard work by maintenance crews, the Mount Xie railway section has been repaired and is now back in service..." Chen Chuan's hand paused as he turned a page. The trains were finally running again. Now that Molan Company had fallen, it seemed many things could return to normal. At that exact moment, on a special train bound for Yangzhi City, the new Civil Administrator, Zhu Xian, sat in a VIP carriage. Seated across from him was a man dressed in a high-end uniform, looking like a salesman. "Administrator Zhu, I imagine you were already familiar with Yangzhi City's situation before coming here. Back when Molan Company was around, there was no way for our company to expand our business. Now that Molan Company has fallen, we hope to sell our company's implants here. This is virgin soil with plenty of untapped potential." Zhu Xian leaned back in his seat and asked, "There are so many cities surrounding Center City, and most of them haven't promoted implants. Why has your company set its sights on Yangzhi?" The man merely smiled and countered with a question: "Why did Molan set its sights on Yangzhi?" Zhu Xian understood and nodded. "It seems Yangzhi City has its peculiarities." The man smiled. "Administrator Zhu, with Molan Company off the stage, our company certainly won't be the only one looking to move in. But how to choose depends on you. Your support is vital to us. If our company can establish operations here, we will support you in all your administrative endeavors as well. "When you step down in the future, we can also arrange a position within the company that satisfies you. That is our corporate commitment." Zhu Xian did not answer. The attendant beside him reminded him in a low voice, "Administrator, it's dinner time." The man smiled, knowing it was time to take his leave. He rose, retrieved his hat from a nearby rack, held it against his chest, and bowed slightly to Zhu Xian. "Administrator Zhu, it was a pleasure speaking with you today. Well then, enjoy your meal. We eagerly await your reply." With that, he put on his hat and walked out, guided by an escort. Watching him leave, Zhu Xian sighed. "Breaking ground here won't be easy at all." With the downfall of Molan Company, a large swath of high-ranking officials in Yangzhi City had been implicated. A considerable number of officials had now been transferred in from outside to take office, but the local factions still held substantial sway. After the State Administration Bureau's visit, they had likely planted plenty of covert moles as well. Now that these corporations had also set their sights here, the situation was tangled and fraught; sorting through it would be no easy feat. Just then, an assistant entered from outside and placed several telegrams onto his desk. Although he had not yet officially assumed office, certain applications had already found their way to him. The purpose of most was nothing more than sounding him out or preemptively choosing sides. The contents themselves were of little consequence. He flipped through them, committing the names and departments mentioned to memory. When he reached the last one, he picked it up and asked, "What is this?" The assistant glanced at it and replied, "Sir, this is an application for a quota to Center City from Wuyi Academy. One student performed quite remarkably, so it was sent here for your signature." "An application for a Center City quota..." Zhu Xian thought for a moment, then frowned. "A minor matter like this can wait." Having come from a civil bureaucratic background, he instinctively harbored a degree of aversion toward martial organizations. What was more, compared to something like this, he felt matters concerning other government departments were far more important, so he casually placed it at the very bottom of the pile. Right at that moment, feeling a sudden presence, he lifted his head. Across from him sat a person—he had no idea when this person had arrived, and the security personnel outside didn't seem to have sounded any alarm. He possessed admirable composure. Without letting his expression slip, he asked evenly, "Who might you be?"