Chapter 116: Midnight Envoy

In every city of the Eternal Alliance, large or small, there stands a Council Mansion. Similar to the local governments of the ancient civilization era, these institutions are responsible for managing the city's economy, politics, and regulations, ensuring the normal operation of urban life. Any major undertaking must be discussed and approved by the Council Mansion before it can be executed.

Given its function, the status of the Council Mansion within a city is self-evident. The Council Mansion of Miracle City is located in the very heart of the metropolis, surrounded by a cluster of imposing, majestic buildings. The architecture features a stark, angular style that emphasizes the authority of the Council.

Beside the main gate, several bodyguards in suits and dark sunglasses stand guard like evergreen pines. Within the mansion, numerous other bodyguards are concealed throughout the premises. These elite security personnel, tasked with protecting the staff, possess formidable strength; anyone attempting to cause trouble at the Council Mansion would surely face dire consequences.

Though it is now night, the gates of the Miracle City Council Mansion remain open. Since its establishment, the gates have never been closed, as emergencies may arise at any time, requiring the Council to operate twenty-four hours a day. However, while open, entering requires following formal procedures—especially at night, when the councilors have finished their duties and do not receive visitors unless under exceptional circumstances.

Cases requiring urgent attention at night are rare, occurring perhaps only a few times a year. Tonight, however, was an exception.

A hunchbacked old man emerged from the heavy night air like a ghost, walking slowly toward the gates. The guards on duty immediately heightened their vigilance, stepping forward to shout, "Halt! Who are you, and what business brings you to the Council Mansion at this hour?"

The hunchbacked man did not look like a city official, making his intentions highly suspicious.

The old man’s voice was raspy: "I have an urgent matter. I must see your Chief Communications Councilor!"

The Chief Councilor is the highest-ranking official in the mansion, the head of the city’s various sectors. For instance, the Chief Commercial Councilor is the head of commerce, responsible for drafting business decisions that are then discussed and ratified by the councilors below him before being enacted.

"You want to see the Chief Councilor?" The guard frowned. "That is no ordinary request. Do you have a permit to see him?"

The old man shook his head. "No."

"No?" the guard pressed. "Without a permit, you cannot see the Chief Councilor. That is the rule. Are you unaware of that?"

The old man replied calmly, "Rules, at times, have exceptions." He took out a jade pendant and handed it over. "Give this to your inspector. He will understand everything."

The guard took it, half-believing. The jade was warm and smooth, engraved with a flame pattern that, strangely, seemed to flicker within the stone itself. What was this? Though the guard could not identify it, the artifact’s nature proved the old man was no commoner, and he hurried off to find the inspector.

The inspector, having been roused from sleep in the middle of the night, was naturally disgruntled. However, upon seeing the shape and properties of the jade, he instantly sobered up. He hurriedly dressed and went to the laboratory, placing the pendant into a scanner. Within moments, a vast array of data appeared on the screen.

It was authentic—a product of the Saint Martial Hall’s research department. The pendant was imbued with the spiritual energy imprints of those supreme powerhouses; it was unmistakable. No one in the world could forge such a thing.

The Saint Martial Hall is the supreme institution of martial arts. It played an immeasurable role in helping humanity survive the Great Catastrophe and rebuild, developing rapidly over just a few hundred years. It holds a transcendent status within the Eternal Alliance, respected and beloved by all. Simultaneously, it possesses power equal to its status; if the Saint Martial Hall has a demand, it can be decided without the Alliance's interference, and cities large and small must provide full cooperation.

The bearer of this pendant was clearly an envoy of the Saint Martial Hall. Not daring to delay, the inspector told the guard, "Quickly invite the guest into the VIP room and have him wait. I will notify the Chief Communications Councilor immediately!"

Returning to the gates, the guard, perhaps realizing the old man's high standing, was far more respectful. He personally escorted the man to the VIP room and served the finest hot tea, treating him as an honored guest.

This hunchbacked man was none other than Sean, the Saintly Servant. His attempt to warn Luo Chen earlier that night had failed; the boy’s attitude was too stubborn, and he clearly wouldn't be coerced. Sean could not simply kill Luo Chen, as Zhuo Yuqing would undoubtedly follow through on her threats. Now that Dean Ulysses had intervened, he would likely keep an eye on Luo Chen, which complicated matters significantly. While his masters could leverage the reputation of the Saint Martial Hall to pressure Ulysses into minding his own business, Zhuo Yuqing was a secret—a secret that the Saint Martial Hall preferred to keep in the shadows. Furthermore, Ulysses was a notorious busybody who could watch two dogs fight for hours with great interest; if he learned of the secret hidden within Zhuo Yuqing and began to dig deeper, it would be troublesome.

Regardless, it was best to notify his masters and wait for their decision. Zhuo Yuqing's sudden defiance—even to the point of disregarding her own life—was surely something they had not anticipated. Sean dared not act on his own, which was why he had come to the Council Mansion tonight.

Although the lack of base stations meant that convenient, instant communication tools like mobile phones no longer existed on Earth, there were still ways to send information quickly: via hyper-pulse magnetic waves. Discovered after the collision of Earth with an alien dimension, these waves allowed for long-distance signal transmission. With enough energy to amplify the signal strength, one could transmit information across the globe in an instant.

However, the energy cost of these waves was staggering. Even for small data transmissions within two hundred kilometers, it required dozens of kilograms of high-grade crystal cores per second. It was an expense far beyond the reach of ordinary people and a massive luxury even for the wealthy. Moreover, cross-continental transmission could not be achieved by small, private equipment. To relay information back to the Holy Light Continent, Sean had to rely on the Council Mansion. The Pearl Tower, the tallest building in Miracle City, housed the massive transmission equipment needed for such feats.

Before long, a portly middle-aged man arrived in the VIP room. This was the Chief Communications Councilor of Miracle City, Alcibas. Despite his heavy frame and difficulty walking, he hurried to Sean’s side. "Greetings. I am Alcibas, the Chief Communications Councilor of Miracle City."

"Ah, greetings," Sean replied coldly. "You likely know my identity. I have urgent news to send back to the Holy Light Continent and need to use your communications equipment. Furthermore, I may need to return periodically in the near future. Do you foresee any issues?"

"None at all, absolutely none," Alcibas hurried to say, knowing no one dared offend the Saint Martial Hall. "Our Council Mansion is entirely at the service of the Saint Martial Hall!"

The answer was expected. Sean nodded. "Very well. Take me to the transmitter."

Soon, the Pearl Tower in the center of the Council Mansion lit up. While the city occasionally sent messages, they were usually within the Canglan Continent. This cross-continental transmission required immense energy, and the brilliance radiating from the Pearl Tower was blinding, appearing like a small moon in the night sky. Many citizens looked up, wondering what had happened.

The radiance lasted only a few seconds before fading, but in that brief moment, hundreds of kilograms of crystal cores had been reduced to ash.

Zhuo Yuqing was watching the scenery from her dormitory balcony. The Blue Emperor Academy was built atop a mountain peak, offering a high vantage point overlooking the city’s myriad lights. Her heart felt as expansive and comfortable as the view. Since the day she had risked her own life, she felt an unprecedented sense of lightness. The heavy shackles that had pressed upon her heart were gone. Never before had she felt so free; even the distant view seemed exceptionally beautiful.

As the giant Pearl Tower lit up, Zhuo Yuqing saw it all. Perhaps others did not know what was occurring, but she had a fair guess.

If nothing went wrong, Sean had already contacted those "old immortals." Very well, then—she would wait for the final verdict. Whether they agreed or not, she was free. The worst that could happen was that she would return her life to them, but they would never again have the power to control her destiny.

Thousands of kilometers north of Miracle City lay a vast metropolis. From a view above Earth, one would see that this city was several times larger than Miracle City. It was the largest city on the Holy Light Continent and the most famous in the world: Hope City.

At the heart of Hope City stood a complex of halls as grand as the palaces of the ancient civilization. Anyone who beheld them felt an instinctive sense of awe, for this was the world-famous birthplace of martial arts—the Saint Martial Hall.

In the center stood the most imposing structure, the Saint Martial Grand Hall, standing firm like a guardian deity upon the earth. Atop the hall was a tower, the Saint Martial Tower, which stood over two hundred meters tall, even higher than the Pearl Tower of Miracle City.

Almost at the same moment the Pearl Tower flashed in Miracle City, the top of the Saint Martial Tower emitted a white light—the sign of receiving a hyper-pulse magnetic wave. The transmission had been keyed to a specific frequency that only the Saint Martial Tower could receive.

The light vanished as quickly as it had appeared, but the Saint Martial Hall soon buzzed with activity. They had received a message of the utmost importance. The high-level officials of the Saint Martial Research Department—the department responsible for developing and perfecting spiritual heart techniques and combat skills—gathered in the Grand Hall. Composed of the world’s supreme powerhouses, these elderly figures were all of the "Heaven-Man" level; they were the very "old immortals" Zhuo Yuqing spoke of.

The message they had just received concerned a project they had focused on for decades—a project into which they had poured their collective life's work. The test subject of this project was a girl named Zhuo Yuqing.