Takoda took the letter bearing the official seal of the state government. After opening it and glancing over the contents, a surge of joy welled up within him. Looking up at the young hunter, he said, "Awan, there is hope for our tribe."
Awan's eyes held only disappointment and fury. As Takoda reached out toward him, he even took two wary steps back.
Takoda sighed and lowered his hand. "I will return with hope."
With that, he walked a few paces to fetch his horse. Right then, a sharp thud sounded behind him. He looked back and saw an eagle-feather arrow embedded in the dirt.
Awan shouted at him, "Don't ever come back!" Drawing his bow once more, he snarled furiously, "I will shoot you dead, traitor!"
Takoda shook his head. He would not abandon his ideals because of this. Even if no one in the tribe understood him, it was only because they had seen too little of the world and possessed too narrow an outlook. It was not their fault; he did not blame them.
He had always striven for the sake of his entire people, striving to communicate with the Federation. To that end, he had taught himself Federation speech, could fluently recite all manner of standard laws, and embraced the noble ideals the Federation proclaimed. Even after enduring discrimination and humiliation time and time again, even with his own kin failing to understand him, he still had not abandoned his vision.
He believed that as long as he could demonstrate his worth, he would eventually earn recognition, and they, too, could become civilized people.
At three in the afternoon, he arrived at a town of over ten thousand residents. By car, it was only a two-hour drive from Center City.
The reply stated that the state government would dispatch an official to negotiate the matter with him. For this occasion, he had deliberately changed into a brand-new suit of formal attire.
Arriving at the appointed location, he checked his pocket watch and stepped into an upscale beverage parlor.
The server glanced at him in surprise, a flicker of disgust quickly surfacing in his eyes. Yet he did not voice any insults; he merely stood aside coldly. While he made no move to chase him out, neither did he step forward to serve him.
Takoda paid it no mind, waiting quietly where he stood.
Inwardly, he was delighted. Regarding citizenship for the settlement, his countless past efforts had vanished like stones sinking into the sea, but now success was finally at hand.
As a Sacred Land Warrior, he could originally have achieved this through force. Yet he believed that resorting to violence whenever trouble arose was the way of barbarians, not how a civilized person ought to think. He was willing to abide by the rules of the civilized world, even harboring a sacred longing toward them, refusing to desecrate or disrupt them.
When the appointed time arrived, a man in a server's uniform walked over, hands clasped behind his back, and asked, "Takoda?"
Takoda corrected him, "Please call me Sempar." This was the Federation name he had chosen for himself, meaning "Heart of Light."
The server maintained a proper smile. "Mr. Sempar, Mr. Escaloma wishes to see you. Please follow me."
Takoda stood and followed him upstairs into a luxurious private booth. Seated within was an elderly man wearing a bow tie, his face marked by implant seam-lines, with one hand entirely replaced by an implant limb.
At a glance, Takoda could tell that the man bore no fewer than thirty implant modifications across his body. Clearly, he was a veteran who had weathered countless battles.
Removing his hat and holding it to his chest, Takoda bowed slightly. "Good afternoon, Mr. Escaloma. It is an honor to receive your invitation."
Escaloma's green eyes appraised him. This Takoda spoke fluent, idiomatic Federation speech, and his manners and etiquette were impeccably standard. If one looked past his skin tone and dark brown eyes, he was almost more Federation than the Federation citizens themselves.
It was hard to imagine that this man was actually a powerful martial artist. Such a gentle martial artist was truly incredible.
Escaloma said courteously, "Mr. Sempar, please have a seat."
Takoda offered his thanks and took a seat nearby.
Escaloma said, "We have reviewed the materials you submitted. Under the new bill being pushed in the state, there are no procedural issues. However, there is an obstacle."
Takoda said, "Mr. Escaloma, you may speak plainly."
"Then I will be direct," Escaloma said gravely. "We have had conflicts in the past. Your tribe has clashed with us repeatedly throughout history, and hostile actions toward us persist to this day. How am I to convince the administrative clerks? And how can I guarantee that once granted citizenship, you will abide by Federation law?"
Takoda considered this. Just as he was about to speak, Escaloma raised a hand. "I have no need for hollow promises. I require practical action."
Takoda immediately responded, "What do you need me to do?"
Escaloma showed appreciation for his direct attitude. He said, "The Federation currently faces a difficult problem. We protect the natives of the Outer Ocean from invasion and preserve their local culture, yet the people of Great Shun have ruthlessly devastated the ecological environment and forcibly altered their way of life. Constrained by our ideals of peace, we chose to step back from the dispute.
"However, the local populace is unwilling to accept subjugation by the Great Shun government. They have risen up in resistance and hope for our aid, but due to pressure from the Executive Administration, the state government does not wish to sour relations with the Great Shun government and has rejected this petition.
"We cannot bear to abandon these innocent people. As matters stand, I can only rally certain civilian martial artists to support and assist them. Mr. Sempar, are you willing to accept this arduous task?"
Takoda did not agree immediately. Instead, he said cautiously, "I will need the files. I need to know who our enemies are."
Escaloma gave a gesture, and the assistant behind him brought a file before Takoda, indicating he could look through it at will.
Takoda flipped through it rapidly, memorizing the entire contents with a single sweep of his gaze. When he saw Fenghe Shou's file, he merely skimmed past it, but when his eyes fell upon Chen Chuan's file, his expression turned serious.
In particular, the hand-drawn sketch depicting Chen Chuan standing amidst the light conveyed to him with vivid clarity the excitement and shock of the artist.
He said somberly, "The opponent is formidable." He did not know Chen Chuan's exact current strength, but he could see his past record in the dossier, and records did not lie.
Escaloma asked, "Can you defeat him?"
Takoda answered truthfully, "Without fighting him, I cannot know." Yet his tone bore no hint of fear or hesitation, exuding a confidence rooted in his very bones.
Escaloma said, "If I recall correctly, you underwent an evaluation in the Federation and were awarded the honorary title of 'Dominance' as a martial artist."
"Yes. I did not expect you to know of this."
Takoda was somewhat surprised. This was the achievement he took the most pride in; at the time, he had won the recognition of many Federation citizens. He could still vividly recall the applause, cheers, and smiles from the audience below the stage. It was precisely because of that experience that he gained the confidence to seek his tribe's integration into the Federation.
Escaloma said, "Mr. Sempar, after this matter is resolved, I can persuade the councilors and push through the bill to officially grant your tribe entry into the Federation."
Takoda grew emotional. This was the first time he had received a genuine commitment. He said, "Mr. Escaloma, thank you!"
Escaloma set down a calling card on the table. "I have a meeting to attend in Center City. My contact information is on the card." He stood up, extended his hand, and said encouragingly, "Mr. Sempar, it was a pleasure speaking with you. You are a man of noble ideals, and I believe you will soon become a truly civilized person."
Takoda expressed his gratitude once more and shook his hand solemnly.
Escaloma put on his top hat and left with his security personnel. Once outside, he pulled out a handkerchief, wiped his hand without an expression, tossed it by the roadside, and after getting into the car, said, "Let's go."
Time flew by, and the early days of December arrived. Jibei Dao Center City was greeted by a bout of sleet and snow rare for this season, sending temperatures plunging.
In the office of the Defense Department, Chen Chuan was looking over the progress reports submitted for the Skyline Project. For now, everything was proceeding smoothly without any unwarranted disruption.
The connection schedule had now been finalized: operations would commence on December 17, and by December 22, the link between the two regions would be established.
Apart from the personnel needed to maintain basic public order, most of the Disposal Bureau's capable hands had already been deployed. The garrison in Jiyang District was prepared as well, ready to march into the city at a moment's notice should any incident arise.
Furthermore, he himself would head outside the city during those days to patrol and help safeguard this oceanic communications corridor.
Routine affairs within the Defense Department were now handled by the three deputy chiefs under him; only matters requiring communication with higher authorities or operations exceeding normal standards needed to be brought to him for signing. Thus, it took him only a short while to finish processing his work.
He checked the time. Planning to sit for just a little longer before heading back to cultivate, he picked up a newly delivered publication from headquarters and began reading.
Before long, an incoming call chimed from his boundary credential. Seeing that the caller was Old Feng, he immediately switched over to an encrypted channel.
"Old Feng?"
"It's me, Chief Chen. We've received some intelligence from the Linax Federation. Someone is making a move to sabotage the Skyline Project."
Chen Chuan remained thoroughly calm. "Do we know who?"
Old Feng said, "Our comrades over in the Federation put in a tremendous amount of effort this time, so the information we obtained is quite thorough. I'll transmit the file to you right now."
"All right."
After Chen Chuan ended the call, a dossier was transmitted across the encrypted channel a moment later.
He looked through it. The information in the file was indeed comprehensive—listing everything from the instigators of the sabotage operation to the specific operatives involved, right down to their individual departure times and rendezvous points, as though leaked directly by an insider on the opposing side.
A thought crossed his mind. He had once heard vague rumors that the General Affairs Bureau devoted a substantial portion of its efforts to the Federation, and that many of the disturbances there were orchestrated by them. Now it seemed there might be truth to it; otherwise, they could hardly have delivered such prompt and detailed intelligence.
He pondered the situation. In the past, constrained by unknown and uncertain enemies, they were mostly forced onto the defensive. But now that they knew in advance, he certainly would not sit back and wait for them to arrive. He could just as well resolve the matter before trouble ever had a chance to start.
Pulling up a map, he examined the geographical coordinates. The three operatives involved in the mission were scheduled to rendezvous on an unnamed islet before the fifteenth.
Tapping his boundary credential, he contacted the Government Affairs Department. "Director, it's me. I just received urgent intelligence... Yes, I need to make a trip out to sea. An airship would be too conspicuous, so I'd like the garrison to arrange a vessel for me."
Chapter 975