"Mr. Kazama, you say you have reservations?"
Of the two men from the New Light Cult, the one wearing a gold brooch on his lapel spoke first, sounding somewhat displeased.
"We put in quite a few good words for you in the state council. Recommending you this time is also an opportunity we are granting you. I hope you aren't looking for an excuse to shirk your duty."
"That was not my intention."
Unlike many from the Outer Ocean, Kazama Kagetora did not assume an apologetic posture in response to the harsh tone. He continued speaking in an unhurried manner:
"I have followed the Skyline Project closely ever since I first heard of it. It concerns the national policy of Great Shun's centralist faction, so they will certainly dispatch their most capable personnel to protect it. Fenghe Shou of the Langtao Arena has thrown his lot in with Great Shun, and Great Shun's newly established Haidong Circuit will most likely send him out. His abilities are on par with mine. Handling him wouldn't be difficult, but killing him would be hard. Meanwhile, Great Shun's Jibei Circuit will very likely dispatch Defense Department Chief Chen Chuan."
He grew even more solemn as he spoke. "This man's strength is extraordinary. Both Fenghe Shou and Xiaoyuezhai were defeated at his hands."
He straightened slightly and said with utmost gravity, "Pardon my bluntness, but if I were to face this man alone, I do not believe I would have much chance of winning. That said, if you two gentlemen insist, I will carry it out. I simply cannot guarantee the mission's success."
The two men from the New Light Cult exchanged glances, and the other spoke:
"Mr. Kazama, we have already considered this beforehand. We won't make you act alone, nor send you to do what cannot be accomplished. We assure you that suitable people will operate alongside you. We recognize what you have accomplished in the past, and we will send you the dossiers on your collaborators. From here on, all you need to do is prepare to depart."
Kazama Kagetora bowed slightly. "I shall prepare myself."
The man added, "Mr. Kazama, once this is accomplished, we will hold an initiation ceremony for you into the New Light Cult. Then you will truly be one of us."
Kazama Kagetora bowed low. "My deepest thanks." Then he added, "Pardon me." Standing up, he looked at the two. "May I ask in advance for the names of my collaborators?"
"We can give you one," the man answered. "His name is Ian, head of our branch on the Fuluo Peninsula."
"Ian? The master of the New Twining Style?"
Kazama Kagetora's expression turned slightly more solemn. Bowing once more, he said, "Thank you for informing me. I shall take my leave." Having spoken, he walked out.
After he left, the man wearing the brooch looked sullen, seemingly quite dissatisfied with Kazama Kagetora's attitude—polite on the surface, but proud and stubborn underneath.
The other man clearly cared far less. Martial artists all had temperaments and earned the right to speak like that. As long as he was willing to do their bidding, nothing else mattered.
He said, "Jibei Circuit Center City has two martial artists, and at most they can only spare one, which should be Chief Chen. For Kazama Kagetora to be so wary of him, his strength must indeed be formidable."
"Indeed. We don't understand the ways of martial artists, but this man's past record is enough to prove Kazama Kagetora wasn't exaggerating."
The battle in Bainiao District had made a massive impact on the world: an active conscious entity crafted with cutting-edge technology had been slain in actual combat by a martial artist for the very first time.
Granted, that active conscious entity had merely been an infant form whose combat power hadn't reached its theoretical zenith. Yet most people judged strictly by results. This had compelled nations across the globe to upgrade their technology without prior coordination, and Chen Chuan, the catalyst behind it all, naturally entered the sights of nations worldwide. Many might not know how many members sat on Great Shun's supreme governing council, but they had an impression of Chen Chuan.
The man with the brooch said irritably, "All we need is to sabotage the Skyline, not have them fight a pitched battle. Can't they even manage that?"
The other replied calmly, "The Skyline is a web painstakingly woven over many years by Great Shun's centralist faction. We cannot look merely at the surface. Two people?" He shook his head. "Not enough. We need at least three to ensure the operation succeeds."
"Are you saying we should bring in the Guard of the Cult?"
"No need. We cannot let people know our cult had a hand in this—at least not on the surface."
The other picked up an application report from the side. "This man has continually submitted petitions to the state government. I noticed him a long time ago."
The man with the brooch took it and looked. The applicant was one of the First People dressed in formal Federation attire. "A martial artist?"
The other nodded. "A Sacred Land Warrior. You should have heard of them. When we first arrived on this continent, we were almost driven into the sea by these people."
The brooch-wearing man's eyes turned slightly menacing as he looked at the photograph. "Use him? Is he reliable?"
"He yearns for acceptance and wishes to lead his settlement in becoming Federation citizens, while we need someone willing to risk everything for faith. This is his opportunity, and ours as well, isn't it?"
"Fine, count him in then. That makes three. That should be enough, right?"
The other said, "If it's purely for sabotage, I believe it's plenty. When the time comes, we will hire additional personnel to support them."
What they needed to do was not kill the opposing martial artists, but disrupt the Skyline's connection. Along such an extensive network, the other side could not possibly guard every point; a single surprise raid would suffice to destroy a critical relay station. Thus, three martial artists should be enough.
Once the Skyline was sabotaged, the newly thawed relations with Great Shun would certainly suffer a fresh fracture.
Furthermore, none of the three were Linax Federation citizens, and the states of the Federation possessed a high degree of autonomy. Even if the East Coast Party realized it was their doing, without evidence, they could do nothing about it.
***
Arcana State, settlement of the First People.
Roughly fifty thousand First People lived here, leading a semi-agricultural, semi-nomadic existence, largely unchanged from hundreds of years ago.
In reality, however, the land where they had survived and propagated since ancient times had shrunk repeatedly. Compared to twenty years ago, their territory had diminished by another two-thirds, leaving them pinched onto the very last plateau.
Inside the tribal chieftain's oxhide tent, a First People man who looked to be in his thirties stood in the center, speaking with confidence and poise. He wore his hair in the Federation style and was dressed in a tailored formal suit, his voice resonant and forceful. Yet the tribal elders among the First People shook their heads repeatedly.
No matter what he said, not a single person spoke up.
When he finished, an old man seated in the middle pointed to his cheek and said, "Takoda."
"Takoda" was this First People man's name, but in the tribe it also meant "war mark." Anyone who became a Sacred Land Warrior bore such a mark.
Takoda was the strongest Sacred Land Warrior on this land in decades—perhaps even a century—so he had once borne two war marks on his face.
Yet now, they were gone.
The elder repeated with utter seriousness, "Takoda." Then he shook his head again.
Takoda understood. Without the war marks, these chieftains, who strictly adhered to tribal traditions, did not wish to speak with him. He felt disappointed, but he did not lose his temper. Placing his top hat against his chest, he offered the elder a Federation bow, put it back on, and walked out of the smoke-filled tent.
"Takoda!"
A young man in his twenties, dressed in the hunting garb of the First People, came running toward him. Grabbing his arm, the youth lifted the bow and arrows in his hand and said with eager anticipation, "Come back! Hunt with us! Prey is so hard to catch now. If it were you, you'd surely bring us tents full of furs and game!"
Takoda looked at the bare-chested tribal children watching him from a distance. He shook his head and said, "No, Awan. There isn't that much game left on this land. If we want everyone in the tribe to live well, we cannot keep carrying on this life day after day."
Awan looked puzzled. "Didn't the ancestors of the Dakola live just like this?"
"But we can no longer carry on the ways of our ancestors," Takoda said heavily. "Our land can no longer sustain another cycle of years. The only solution is to open a dialogue with the Federation. Only by joining the Federation can our tribe's survival be ensured."
"No! We will never join them!"
Awan flared with anger. He was a typical warrior of the First People: loyal to tradition, valiant in battle, warm and helpful toward his tribal kin, clear in his love and hatred, and utterly unsparing in his disgust and hostility toward the Linax Federation.
"My father, my father's father, and your father, Takoda—they all died fighting against them! How can you forget that? They are our enemies! We have blood feuds across generations!"
"No! It isn't like that!"
Takoda looked intently into his eyes, placing a hand on his shoulder to soothe his agitation. "Listen to me. The hatred belongs to the past. We cannot drown in hatred any longer. We have to let it go. Once we prove our worth, we can make them accept us."
Awan wrestled violently out of his hold and raised his bow and arrows in agitation. "That's wrong! We must fight like our ancestors did! We must take back the land we lost from their hands! We must fight like Akhtawa!
"Only by fighting will they fear us and not dare return! Akhtawa said that begging will only make them unscrupulous. Only when you are covered in thorns will they fear you and not dare bully you at will! We must let them know that even if only one of us remains, even if we lose our weapons, we will tear their throats out with our teeth!"
Takoda shook his head. "It isn't like that. Hatred will only perpetuate without end; there is no future in it. Akhtawa is too extreme."
He said solemnly, "Our past way of life and customs were backward and savage. We should discard those outdated practices and strive to integrate into civilization, into the new world. Awan, open your eyes and look at the world! We cannot stand against them. This is a war doomed to fail.
"Integrating with them is the only path."
Just then, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from afar. His assistant rode up on horseback, excitedly waving a sheet of letter paper in his hand as he fought to calm the steed beneath him. "Sir, a reply from the state government! They responded to our petition!" he cried ecstatically. "Sir, there's hope for the tribe!"
Chapter 974