The Great Rift Valley, Origin City.
Trailing a pale blue arc of light, a gleaming silver aircraft descended slowly onto the spacious tarmac.
Compared to the diverse settlements scattered across the wasteland, this settlement nestled deep within the valley looked unassuming.
A towering, colossal gate stood across the valley's center. Along the cliff face behind the gate rows of dwellings clustered tightly together, while a seemingly endless glass curtain wall draped over the crest of the slope.
The people living here were like hermits sequestered from the world. Clad in cloaks, they moved in hurried steps, their unperturbed expressions hovering somewhere between pious solemnity and sheer numbness.
The survivors residing in the Great Rift Valley were just like the rift itself—most of the time, they were utterly indifferent to anything that occurred beyond the Aegis.
Unless the time came for them to honor an ancient covenant.
And that time was now.
Escorted by a squad of soldiers, the elderly yet majestic king of the Lion Kingdom slowly stepped down onto the tarmac.
At his side walked an elegant queen whose charm had survived the years, trailed by a flock of blossoming maiden beauties.
Thin veils concealed their tender, exquisite faces, though it was plain to see each was a beauty of the first order.
They were his court maidens, but also his personal ornaments.
At Charlie Lion's age, indulging in worldly pleasures had become a rather difficult chore.
An array of ornate gold trinkets clinked and jingled with his unsteady steps, while the Great Rift Valley warriors in high-tech power armor acted as if they saw nothing at all.
They cared for nothing else, minding solely the safety of the summit's attendees.
Standing nearby, Absaik watched the aged king, taking a lingering glance at the covey of court maidens before remarking with a tinge of envy,
"That old codger sure knows how to enjoy himself."
If Duvata were here, his legs would probably have been rooted to the spot.
Just as Absaik was musing to himself, a voice from the side broke his train of thought.
"...I hear the Lion Kingdom hasn't been peaceful lately either."
"Oh?" Absaik raised an eyebrow in intrigue and looked back. A tall, impeccably dressed man in a sharp suit was watching him with a polite smile.
Absaik recognized the face: it was the mayor of the Free State.
Although the Free State was merely a single settlement whose population couldn't even match Golden Gallon Port in Brahma Province, anyone who could carve out a foothold in the tumultuous River Valley Province could certainly be considered a formidable regional power.
Turning his gaze toward the decrepit lion in the distance, Audo narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"The ministers want to name the eldest son as crown prince, while the common folk support Hal. If the Alliance hadn't stationed a garrison there, they probably would've beaten each other's brains out by now."
Hearing this news, Absaik immediately understood why the old king had brought such a massive harem on his journey.
It was, after all, a way to escape the heat under the sheltering shade of the Great Rift Valley.
"Hal... the founder of *Survivor Daily*?"
"That's him." Mayor Audo offered a faint smile. "Few know that the Workers' Association originated with *Survivor Daily*. When the inner-city nobles cracked down on the press, a bunch of barely literate laborers decided to keep the paper going... If I may use an improper analogy, a fool stomps on a cockroach and thinks he can sleep easy, only to find the entire wasteland crawling with roaches now."
By comparison, the Flint Group was vastly more sophisticated.
Unlike those parochial feudal lords who suppressed progressive voices, they actively manufactured them, submerging the citizens of the Free State in a sea of fragmented data.
This was also why they looked down on Boulder City.
The nobles there were still on the ground floor; they had barely grasped the truth that "poverty and wealth can coexist," but had yet to realize that "ignorance and knowledge can coexist" as well.
The shareholders of the Free State, on the other hand, were already operating in the stratosphere.
Not only could they make the human fuel both poor and rich, but they could also make them know everything under the sun while cherishing laughably absurd radical opinions as sacred truth.
Truly idiotic...
Yet as Audo smiled, the humor faded from his face.
Because this was precisely one of the reasons the Flint Group could order elites like him around like dogs.
Though Absaik had no idea why Mr. Audo's face had suddenly fallen, his emotional intelligence prompted him to shift the conversation away from *Survivor Daily* and back to the "hale and hearty" Charlie Lion.
"Why did he thrust Hal into the spotlight then? From his perspective, that wasn't a smart move. Even our Wutuo wouldn't have done something like that."
"He never did. It was Hal who showed his face, intentionally or otherwise, and then the kingdom's reformists pushed him into the forefront... A classic case of dropping a rock on one's own foot."
Looking at the receptive, inquisitive leader of Brahma, Audo continued smoothly,
"Back then, the old king thought he had too many sons, so he sent them out into the wasteland on expeditions, intending merely to lighten the burden for his eldest... Who could have guessed that his most unremarkable youngest son, Hal, would actually bring back an extraordinary treasure?"
Absaik sighed.
"An accidental willow growing into shade... I heard that back in the Old Era, navigators discovered the New World only because of a commercial hoax concerning Brahma Province."
"Haha, quite true! While I wager he must be regretting it now, he's old, and the future won't be dictated by a geezer with one foot in the grave." Audo joked with a chuckle before extending his right hand, offering a formal introduction at last. "Mayor of the Free State, Audo. Pleased to meet you, Grand Marshal of Brahma Province, your Excellency Absaik. You are just as striking in person as the rumors say."
"Haha, an honor!" Feeling somewhat flattered, Absaik shook his outstretched hand, lowering his head slightly.
It was purely an instinctive reaction.
After all, barely a year ago he had been nothing more than a dockworker in West Sail Port. Joking and chatting with the mayor of the Free State would have been unthinkable, let alone standing alongside so many titans to discuss the future of the wasteland.
Audo, however, spared him any embarrassment, nodding slightly and patting his shoulder with his left hand.
"You know," Audo said, "there's an air about you that reminds me of someone. Even though your personalities and looks are completely different, and your scope and stances are worlds apart."
Giving Audo a grateful look, Absaik raised his head, regaining his usual composed demeanor.
"Who?"
Raising his head as well, Audo smiled and said,
"Sigma. CEO and chairman of the Flint Group, and the true master of the Free State."
*The true master of the Free State...*
As Absaik turned the phrase over in his mind, Audo gave no further explanation. He merely gave Absaik's right hand a final shake and took his leave with a smile.
"Keep up the good work. I can see a bright future ahead of you! The war will be over soon, and we're very bullish on your post-war development. May you overcome your hardships swiftly."
On such a rare occasion, Audo couldn't waste all his time on a single person; he needed to network with a few more.
For instance, King Menggote of the Falcon Kingdom, who was currently stepping off an aircraft.
Recently, the Eastern Empire had been preparing to establish a new development zone in the southwestern corner of Sunset Province. The Falcon Kingdom would likely see decent growth from it, and perhaps he could negotiate a few overseas contracts for Free State corporations.
Watching Audo walk away with easy grace, Absaik couldn't help sighing inwardly.
*Now that's what a damn leader ought to look like.*
A mud-footed clodhopper like himself still fell somewhat short.
Even so, he didn't sell himself short. As the saying went, the times made the hero; for a capable figure to emerge, both timing and momentum were indispensable.
Present-day Brahma needed someone like him, and so he had disposed of Janusz and become Grand Marshal—even if the methods he had employed were far from glorious.
Perhaps once the Wasteland Era drew to a close, when he grew as old as Charlie Lion, Brahma would see the rise of a "professional grand marshal" no less capable than Audo.
That person would surely be far superior to someone like him, who knew only warfare and political maneuvering. At the very least, they wouldn't devolve into another Wutuo, who knew only the latter and was utterly clueless about everything else.
That person would lead the people of Brahma toward a brighter future.
For a fleeting second, Absaik's desire to become an emperor waned, especially after laying eyes on the "wealthy yet impoverished" Charlie Lion.
Compared to a creature like that, there were far more dignified ways to live in this world.
Dreams changed.
Standing at the pinnacle of his life, Absaik felt a surge of ambition, to the point where the thought of having a chat with Laxi crossed his mind.
Pity the man couldn't pull away from the front line, having only sent his confidant, Assault Detachment Captain Shawa, in his stead.
"It would've been great if Laxi were here. A shame I couldn't share a drink with him."
Following behind Absaik, Internal Affairs Commissioner Wadia shook his head, baffled.
"Who knows what Laxi was thinking, passing up such an opportunity."
"Eh, can't put it like that. To each their own, as they say," Absaik said with a grin. "I recall the Alliance had a historical romance novel about the Chu-Han contention. This Laxi is just like the Chu Hegemon-King—playing both king and supreme general, so naturally the front lines can't do without him. And me? I'm that Bang fellow. Fierce generals as thick as clouds under my command, brilliant strategists pouring like rain. Things run the same whether I'm there or not... Just watch, beating him will be easy as pie."
*What kind of nonsense comparison is that...*
Watching his Grand Marshal talk out of his hat, Wadia gave a wry smile.
He had actually read that novel.
After all, as an internal affairs commissioner, knowing the Grand Marshal's tastes was part of the job.
Still, governing a massive survivor faction by the logic of historical romance was hardly a promising omen.
Pausing, Wadia asked,
"Do you intend to divide the territory along the river and rule separately?"
Absaik squinted and smiled.
"A step back for each of us. They want to control the flooding of the Tasang River, which is why they asked to borrow half of Bird State and Sheep State. Pretext or not, yielding half of the Northern Three States isn't out of the question. When the time comes, let the people of Brahma vote with their feet. Those who favor the north can head north; those who prefer the south can head south. It beats running off to block trains outside and making fools of ourselves for all to see."
The contest between a hypocrite and an outright villain was about to begin.
Naturally, favoring peace above all, he was likely holding the card of the "hypocrite."
Let posterity brand him hypocritical or cowardly; he simply didn't want to fight any longer.
If it could be fought with words, then let it be so.
Enough of their people had died already...
The average age in Tiandu had plummeted by ten years, to the point where child soldiers were being thrown in to plug gaps in the battle lines. If an all-out civil war erupted, it wouldn't be some romantic "Chu-Han contention," but the bloody chaos centuries later—the "Wei, Jin, and Sixteen Kingdoms."
Though Commissioner Kabaha constantly criticized him for being uncultured and ignorant, Absaik did, in fact, read books.
He was even half an "Alliance expert," having bought many of his volumes from Dawn City.
Even if most of them were novels.
Hearing the Grand Marshal's decision, Wadia had mixed feelings.
He always felt that if it came down to war, crushing Laxi like a bug wouldn't be particularly difficult.
No matter how strong that man was, he was still only one person.
Besides, inside the Mammoth State were veterans of the Moon Clan Resistance—an opposition faction that had clashed with Laxi since the era of Wutuo.
Those people were a political force in their own right.
While Laxi and his assault detachment had them suppressed for now, and their ambitions had been held in check by the Southern Legion's invasion, whether Laxi could keep a lid on them once an external war turned into a civil war was anyone's guess.
So what if he had the Alliance at his back?
Having fought the Southern Legion for this long, who didn't have some ties to the Alliance?
In terms of seniority, when the Moon Clan was already thick as thieves with the Alliance, Laxi was still tasting the slave master's lash in Golden Gallon Port! Furthermore, due to the Mammoth State's stance on labor and his coziness with Alliance conservatives, Laxi had never been popular with the Alliance radicals.
Brahma, however, was different.
Whether radical or conservative, factions within the Alliance leaned heavily toward sympathizing with the State of Brahma from their respective standpoints.
For that very reason, their odds of winning were remarkably high.
Even so, he understood Absaik's reasoning. Brahma needed time to recuperate, and the people of Brahma deserved a period of peace and prosperity.
Wadia said with a smile,
"True enough... Once we build the whole State of Brahma into something like Golden Gallon Port, survivors north of the Tasang River will probably be weeping and begging to come work for us. When that time comes, not even ten Laxis could hold them back!"
"Haha!" Picturing the amusing scene, Absaik chuckled. "When that day comes, we'll set our cannons along the riverbanks. If those bastards dare fire on our fellow Brahma folk, wiping them out will finally be justified!"
As the two spoke, another roar resonated across the tarmac.
This time, what landed wasn't an aircraft belonging to the Great Rift Valley, but a VTOL transport of the Alliance.
They appeared to have modified the "Overlord" transport, replacing the fixed wings with tilt-wings, resembling an "Orca" transport fitted with an extra pair of wings and engines, while boasting exponential leaps over the latter in tonnage, payload, and range!
The Alliance had named it the "Kunpeng"!
Absaik happened to know the origin of the term, but what excited him even more was the figure stepping down from the plane.
Chu Guang!
Manager of the Alliance!
Flanked by exoskeleton-clad guards—every single one of them rumored to be an Awakened!
Not only that, word often went around that Chu Guang himself possessed Awakened-tier power, even able to physically bear the weight of power armor with his bare body alone.
Looking at the man who was far younger than he had envisioned, Absaik involuntarily held his breath, an eager gleam flickering in his eyes.
Long had he wanted to pay his respects to this legendary wasteland figure, but the opportunity had never presented itself.
Now, that wish was finally fulfilled!
...
At that moment, Chu Guang had no idea that such a little fanboy stood among the crowd nearby, for far too many pairs of eyes were locked onto him.
There was the old king of the Lion Kingdom; Ade, brother of the Honey Badger princess Avni; King Menggote of the Falcon Kingdom; Mayor Audo of the Free State; the speaker of Garbage City... as well as countless others he had only seen in Slime Mold Consortium assemblies, or had never met at all.
These individuals, or the factions behind them, had all been influenced by him to some degree.
For better or worse.
Though the display wasn't overly ostentatious, the Great Rift Valley had accorded ample respect to the wasteland's survivor factions, inviting everyone they deemed necessary.
The major survivor factions were just as obliging. Even leaders who ordinarily shunned public appearances chose to dispatch confidants or attend in person.
After all, with the Great Rift Valley and the Aegis acting as guarantors, they had zero reason to fret over their personal safety.
Furthermore, Origin City was among the earliest survivor settlements on the wasteland.
As the headquarters of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, paying homage here was a privilege in itself. If one could foster goodwill with a few powerhouse big brothers and secure some foreign aid to take home, wouldn't their fortunes take off overnight?
The vast majority of representatives and heads of small-to-medium survivor factions thought precisely that.
And for that exact reason, the way they looked at Chu Guang was as though they were staring at a walking gold mine!
Regardless of what the gathered wastelanders thought, Chu Guang, accustomed to grand spectacles, remained perfectly poised. With hardly a ripple in his composure, he simply waved to those watching him and walked calmly across the tarmac.
A soldier clad in power armor stepped forward, bowing his head slightly in salute.
"We have prepared lodging accommodations for you. Your subordinates have already inspected the quarters. Please follow us."
Chu Guang nodded.
"Lead the way."
Representatives from Enterprise and the Academy had not yet arrived, and several "former legion commanders" who might or might not attend had yet to show their faces, so lingering here held little purpose.
Casting a glance over the area, Chu Guang spotted no one he particularly wished to see. He murmured a few instructions to Cheng Yan at his side, leaving him behind to socialize with the other faction delegates while he and his guards followed the Great Rift Valley soldiers to their lodgings.
Yet just as he was about to depart, a young man suddenly pushed through the crowd, striding forward with a beaming, enthusiastic smile.
"Respected Manager, you really came! Haha, we meet again!"
That fanatic expression was like a fan laying eyes on a superstar, or a zealot beholding a living deity.
Chu Guang looked at him. The face was familiar, yet slightly different from what he remembered. Unable to recall his identity on the spot, he hesitated before speaking.
"You are..."
The young man took no offense, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's Xiao Zhou! Zhou Xianlin! You truly have an aristocrat's forgetfulness, sir. I even sent you a cart full of gold back at the victory celebration for Sunset Province!"
*A cart of gold... was there such a thing?*
Chu Guang stared at the lad, completely baffled.
He did recall that the Golden Lizard Kingdom had melted down dinars to cast a statue of him, which was currently on display in a case at the Dawn City Museum.
As for what gift Dam City had sent back then, he genuinely couldn't remember—after all, Dam City appeared at Slime Mold Consortium assemblies even less frequently than Garbage City.
Nevertheless, after the fanboy rambled on, the name Zhou Xianlin came back to him.
This person was the son of Zhou Changxiao, the lord of Dam City; the family all bore refined, scholarly names.
Dam City was a survivor settlement in Steed Province with a population of around six to seven hundred thousand.
At that victory celebration, the young man had clutched his hand, singing his praises to high heaven and claiming he would reform Dam City into a "Dam Alliance" to unite the surrounding survivors.
At the time, Chu Guang had noted the fanaticism in his eyes and advised him to take things slow, warning him not to copy the Alliance's blueprint blindly—certain things could serve as references, but never be copied verbatim.
Seeing him alive and kicking today, he seemed to have taken the advice to heart.
Wearing a smile of slight gratification, Chu Guang held back the Great Rift Valley soldiers who stepped in to pull the man away, speaking in an amiable tone:
"I remember now. It's been quite a while... Did your father send you here this time as well?"
Zhou Xianlin chuckled sheepishly.
"Not really. I killed that old geezer."
Chu Guang: "...?"
Seeing Chu Guang struck speechless, young Zhou continued with relish,
"The old geezer sent me to the Alliance to learn from your experience, then turned around and scolded me for picking up bad habits, whining that all I thought about was squandering the family fortune, and planned to make my older brother city lord instead. How could I let him do that? So I applied your methods—rallied the scavengers inside and outside Dam City, united them, and slaughtered every single person around the old geezer, along with that good-for-nothing brother of mine."
"Oh, and the marauders he kept on a leash outside scattered like rats. Those clowns were no match for us at all. I heard quite a few fled to Haiya Province. Heh, guess that caused a bit of trouble for you."
Chu Guang was rendered completely speechless.
Xiao Qi, who had been listening quietly all this time, couldn't resist muttering in his ear:
"Talk about filial piety..."
Massaging his temples with an index finger, Chu Guang asked in utter disbelief,
"And... what about the scavengers? They let you stay on as city lord?"
Zhou Xianlin grinned bashfully, continuing,
"Why wouldn't they? Anyone with ideas of their own has already been killed by me! They love me to bits—even call me their savior! Though I told them I'm nothing, and that you are the true sun of the wasteland... Anyway, I'm the leader of the Dam Alliance now. Trouble is, I'm a bit lost on what to do next. The Great Rift Valley folks said you'd be coming, so I followed along. You've got to teach me, sir!"
Looking at this lunatic, uncertain whether the man was truly deranged or merely playing dumb, Chu Guang sighed.
"If you're willing to listen to me, go bury your father first."
Zhou Xianlin froze, then scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Uh, that might be tricky... I already scattered his ashes to the wind."
Chu Guang: "..."
Just as Chu Guang was at a complete loss for words, a deep, weathered voice rang out from nearby:
"Manager, I am glad you could come..."
"I have wanted to meet you for a very long time."
Chapter 949