A convoy slowly rolled out of Kriss City. Leilin Farell glanced back at the city, a hint of amusement playing across his lips.
The Federation's operation had dealt a severe blow to both the entire Mobius Ring and the Three Serpent Cult.
And because they had discovered the enemy's headquarters and slain a Star-rank powerhouse, the entire Eastern Front under Shike's command had immediately received the President's commendation. Now they were heading to the Atlantic Federation's headquarters for a formal report and to receive their rewards.
Inside another vehicle, Mark's injuries had mostly healed. He watched Martin sitting upright in his seat, seemingly lost in deep thought. After holding back for a long while, he finally spoke up: "Uncle Martin, what are you thinking about?"
"Oh! Nothing!" Martin seemed to snap out of his reverie, though his face still carried a trace of fatigue. "When you get old, you just like to let your mind wander!" He smiled self-deprecatingly. "This time the opponent was a powerhouse from another world. I have a feeling their strength should be comparable to mine. If not for the injury, perhaps..."
*Hiss...* Shike drew in a sharp breath. "A powerhouse on par with Uncle Martin? Then who was it that wounded them?"
"Exactly. Those mysterious people who fought the opponent beforehand — they're a major hidden threat. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I searched afterward, I couldn't find the slightest trace of them..."
Martin rubbed the bridge of his nose.
At the same time, what worried him even more was that, as a Star-rank powerhouse's intuition, he sensed that something major was about to happen during the Holy Dawn Festival. But it was as if a layer of fog had settled over everything, preventing him from seeing clearly.
"With the President here, who would dare cause trouble? I'm overthinking this..."
Martin chuckled softly and closed his eyes again to rest, never noticing the covert gaze watching from outside.
"Tsk, tsk... the tenth level of the Fire Feather Technique! I'd really love to capture him as a research subject..." Leilin withdrew his gaze.
Martin was clearly a being who had broken through to the Star rank. To Leilin, he was like a massive specimen — of tremendous research value.
If he struck in secret, there was a strong chance he could take Martin down directly and then uncover the secrets of the tenth level of the Fire Feather Technique.
But for greater gains, Leilin forced himself to suppress the impulse.
Moreover, even through ordinary daily contact, the Chip continuously collected the energy fluctuations and aura leaking from Martin, causing the deduction progress for the tenth level to surge dramatically.
...
The Fire Feather Clan's holy land, and the capital of the entire Atlantic Federation — Transas City — materialized before Leilin's eyes.
With the Holy Dawn Festival approaching, the entire city seemed to have plunged into an ocean of joy, with colorful ribbons strung up everywhere.
In Leilin's eyes, Transas City wasn't particularly vast, but a city built along sheer cliffs carried an undeniable aura of a city in the sky.
And a kind of feather-like red fluff drifted throughout the city, falling like snow.
Shike and Martin parted ways at the city entrance, bringing Leilin and Locke to a different location.
After crossing a grand plaza and passing a memorial grove topped with massive stone statues, Shike arrived before a towering building that resembled a palace, its entire structure crafted from some kind of white jade.
"Is this the Presidential Residence?" Locke's voice trembled slightly, brimming with barely contained excitement. Leilin secretly glanced at him — this mole from the Mobius Ring, Jupiter's Thunder, had surely been aiming for this place all along. His excitement was no act.
As for Leilin himself, as he studied the residence, a subtle shift crossed his expression while a hint of gravity settled in his eyes.
Through his vision, the entire residence was covered in powerful energy auras and bristling with detection spells and the like — all perfectly normal.
Yet from within, there emanated a faint but utterly terrifying presence. The aura was scorching and intense, carrying the radiation of powerful fire-element particles.
*Buzz...* In Leilin's eyes, the world seemed to freeze. Everything turned to black and white, the architectural lines of the residence warped and distorted, and blinding red streams of light leaked from within, coalescing into an ancient fire phoenix raising its head and crying to the heavens!
*Chirp~* The fire phoenix seemed alive, its eyes brimming with intelligence, and it turned to look directly at Leilin.
Leilin's heart lurched. He immediately suppressed every fluctuation in his body, drawing his soul force tight and shrinking it into a singularity.
An immense wave of heat swept past. Red light flickered ceaselessly in Leilin's pupils, causing a brief moment of blankness on his face.
"Leilin, what's wrong?" The odd behavior was immediately noticed by Shike, who turned around with a look of concern.
After everything they had been through together, he already considered Leilin his closest confidant — even more so than Locke. Naturally, their relationship was far from ordinary.
"Oh! Nothing. I was just thinking about meeting His Excellency the Supreme President in a moment — I got a little lost in thought."