Despite the stern question, Sancheng Huang remained relaxed and carefree, “That’s me,” he answered in a casual, offhand manner.
The Resolution Department member tapped on his Realm Pass and said, “You’re an islander. Why did you come to the Great Shun Republic?”
“You’re being unreasonable, sir. Hasn’t the Great Shun Republic always claimed that the island nations are part of the country? If that’s the case, us islanders are also from the Great Shun Republic, so why can’t I come?”
“Mr. Sancheng, please cooperate. If you refuse to give us a concrete answer, we can deny you entry into the land,” the Resolution Department member said sternly.
Sancheng Huang fell silent for a moment. “My grandmother and mother are both from the Great Shun Republic, but I’ve never visited their hometown. That’s why I came here this time.”
The notetaker recorded his answer with her Realm Pass.
“Where is it? How long do you intend to stay here?”
“My grandmother and mother are both from Jibei Road. Their house is on Greenpeak Hill. I intend to stay for forty-five days, and here’s my travel pass.”
Sancheng Huang searched through his pockets before producing a green booklet. Then, he handed it over.
The Resolution Department member took a step back and grabbed the booklet cautiously before opening it. On it were the official stamps from the Customs Inspection Department and the municipal government of Jibei Road’s Central City. He frowned.
Then, he noted the customs ID and the customs officer in charge of clearing Sancheng Huang, tapped on his Realm Pass, and sent a message.
At the same time, he ordered, “Mr. Sancheng, please connect to the signal. While you’re in the Great Shun Republic, please do not turn it off, or we will view it as you doing something dangerous and immediately chase you out of the country.”
Sancheng Huang did as he was told and nodded. “Thanks for the warning. I can understand that.”
This wasn’t out of the ordinary. Any Third Limit martial artist as famous as he was would need to report to the local government whenever they crossed the border. His movements and all the places he went to would be recorded. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was under close scrutiny while traveling.
The only way he could avoid it was to hide his identity, but Sancheng Huang didn’t believe that he needed to do that. After all, he came here because he wanted to. It had nothing to do with anyone else.
After the inspection team left, he was finally allowed onshore. When he walked out, the originally lazy and harmless look in his eyes vanished. It was replaced by a sharp gaze.
Why did he come? Aside from visiting his grandmother and mother’s birthplace, he had come to look for an opponent.
Around an hour later, he walked the streets of Central City while dressed in traditional clothes. Everything here was a novel experience to him.
He didn’t use his Realm Pass to check the location. Instead, he closed his eyes to listen. While the streets contained a jumbled wealth of information, he soon found what he needed.
An hour later, he took the city tram to the Arcane Palace.
“This is the most outstanding martial arts school in Jibei Road? Wait, no. They call it a university here. Martial Valor University, yes! The place where the new era teaches its martial artists. How majestic!” His face was full of awe and lamentation as he stared at the building.
The grand spectacle and towering building weren’t the only things that filled him with respect. The responsibility the establishment it held also made him regard it in high esteem.
He watched it for a little while before leaving. He didn’t linger.
In the afternoon, he took the city tram to Greenpeak Hill in the southwest. There were plenty of residents living at the foot of the hill in the past, and his grandmother and mother were among them. Apparently, there was a foreign god worshipped on Greenpeak Hill. What was its name? The Strange God?
It sounded like it.
His grandmother and mother had heavy accents, and Sancheng Huang wasn’t sure whether that was really the name of the god.
With the help of some old photos, he followed the terrain and paths to find his grandmother and mother’s place, though it had long since become the house of scavengers.
When he walked over, the scavengers stared at him warily and fiercely.Their dogs ran over and barked at him, though they whimpered and ran away with their tails between their legs after he gave them a casual look.
Sancheng Huang didn’t get any closer. He just sighed with feeling, took some photos, and left.
***
At the Arcane Palace, Chen Chuan had received a call from Ni Qianqian that Sancheng Huang of Fierce Wave School had come to Central City.
Gu Haiting had mentioned him a few days ago, but Chen Chuan wasn’t expecting him to arrive so soon.
“I’ll send you his details later. He is Jiancheng Sheng’s senior brother, who became famous years ago. He has stated before that he’s interested in you, so he most likely came to Central City to challenge you.
“He’s staying here for forty-five days with a travel pass issued by the Customs Inspection Department and the municipal government. If he doesn’t commit any crimes or break any laws, we won’t be able to chase him out, but we’ll be keeping an eye on him the whole time. If you have any requests, tell us.”
“Thanks, Officer Ni, but if he’s here for me, then I’m fine with it. I won’t turn away a worthy opponent,” Chen Chuan said with a smile.
***
Sancheng Huang returned to Glowing Dew District and ate noodles in a noodle restaurant.
There were plenty of foreigners here, so instead of standing out, he blended in with the people around him.
Just then, someone sat down in front of him and met his eyes. “Are you Mr. Sancheng?”
Sancheng Huang observed him for a bit. “Yeah, that’s me.”
The man gave him a nod. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Guanchi Kang. I work for the External Operations Department in Ferris Wheel.
“We’re the ones who pulled the strings to help you get your travel pass and clear the customs at the port.”
When Sancheng Huang heard this, he stopped eating and used his handkerchief to wipe his hands before saying in a laidback manner, “I’ve heard about you guys. You asked my junior brother to come here. Why didn’t you ask for me right from the start?”
“We admit that we underestimated our target, but Master Fenghe recommended Mr. Jiancheng back then, and we didn’t have room to choose,” Guanchi Kang answered.
“You could have come straight to me, though. Then, you would’ve paid for my ticket here and even my food,” Sancheng Huang declared.
Guanchi Kang was taken aback for a moment, then shifted forward and said earnestly, “We can still be a good host to you.”
Sancheng Huang watched him for a moment before shaking his head. “The timing isn’t right anymore. Now, I should be the one approaching my opponent rather than letting someone else control my actions. This is all part of the experience.”
He lifted his bowl, picked up his chopsticks, and continued eating the noodles.
Guanchi Kang observed him a little more before saying tentatively, “Forgive me for asking, is he the opponent you’re looking for?”
Sancheng Huang slurped his noodles and rubbed his belly. He exhaled in satisfaction. “It’s Mr. Chen, obviously.”