Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 134 - 121: The Ceremony

Once outside, Chen Chuan saw Luo Kaiyuan also emerging from his dorm. Among the students in the two rows of dorms in District One on the seventh floor, both he and Luo Kaiyuan had been chosen for this event.

In terms of skill, Feng Xiaochi wasn’t bad either. He was usually proactive and enthusiastic about these kinds of activities. However, this foreign affairs event likely had another criterion: appearance. Feng Xiaochi’s looks were rather plain, and he was perhaps a bit on the short side, so he was left out this time.

Just then, Zhuang Zhi and Feng Sheng from the dorm across the hall also walked out. They showed no intention of speaking to each other, and once inside the elevator, they remained silent, keeping their distance.

After exiting the elevator and the dormitory building, they saw that quite a few students had already gathered below.

As time went on, students from the other dormitory areas arrived in trickles. In total, there were just over twenty of them. Most were freshmen, with a minority of upperclassmen. All of them had pleasant features and none had any particularly extreme body types.

This time, a good number of female students were also participating.

Among the female students, Chen Chuan spotted an acquaintance, Guan Xinyin. She saw him too and raised a hand in greeting. He responded with a nod.

At that moment, the exchange students from Maka Country came out of their dormitory building, led by Teacher Duma.

Chen Chuan had been away for the past few days, so he hadn’t had any contact with these students. This was his first time seeing the whole group.

A Fighter could get a rough sense of a person’s strength from their build and gait. He gave most of the Maka Students a cursory glance, his eyes lingering only briefly on Nali and Shani before quickly moving on.

Chen Chuan thought to himself, ’These students are a step below Wuyi Academy’s. Considering that these exchange students are supposed to be the elites from Maka Country, their nation’s overall skill in fighting really isn’t that high.’

’The only exception is Teacher Duma. He’s a teacher, after all, so I can’t see his true depth. But I’m certain his level has surpassed the First Limit.’

After a short wait, the female Maka Students also approached, led by a female teacher from Wuyi.

They were equal in number to the male students. They wore vibrant Maka shawled coats that resembled half-capes, draping down past their knees at a slight angle and revealing only their toned, slender calves.

This time, a few teachers from the executive department were leading the group. The head teacher was Teacher Han, a man in his late forties with a stern, square face and a humorless expression.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, he took out a roster to call roll. Each person responded as their name was called. When the roll call was finished, two passenger buses pulled up and stopped in front of the dormitory building.

Teacher Han briefly went over the rules they needed to follow, then instructed everyone to board the buses in an orderly fashion.

The Maka Students and their teacher boarded one bus, while the Wuyi Students boarded the other. As the buses began to move, the supervising teachers tirelessly reminded them once more of the rules they would need to observe.

The Foreign Affairs Bureau ranked very low among the departments of the Administrative Affairs Hall. After all, it hardly handled any business all year. This was evident from its location—it wasn’t near the administrative buildings of the central city square, but rather in a more southerly area, a bus ride of more than ten minutes away.

It was also adjacent to a museum from a bygone era, which had a large square in front of it. However, the square wasn’t normally open to the public, only for a few days during holidays. Even though Chen Chuan was a local, he had only been there a few times.

Around eight-thirty, the two buses stopped in an open area in front of the museum square. By now, some staff from the Foreign Affairs Bureau had already arrived and set up the area with stanchion ropes. A few carpets were laid out on the ground as a token gesture, with balloons and colorful streamers hung to the side.

A band was also waiting there, but they were all holding traditional Maka instruments—mostly leather drums, whistles, flutes, and mouth harps.

Numerous security personnel from the Foreign Affairs Bureau were stationed in the surrounding area. They were all carrying pistols and short batons, but they looked very relaxed. After all, they’d been receiving exchange groups from Maka Country for years and were quite familiar with the routine.

In addition to officials from the Foreign Affairs Bureau, a council member from the Advisory Council was also said to be attending. Since the two nations had a long-standing tradition of friendly exchange, there was no harm in making an appearance at a safe event that offered good publicity.

After the students disembarked, the Maka Students were arranged to wait on either side, with a line of stanchion ropes behind them. Further out were the security personnel.

The Wuyi Academy students, on the other hand, were arranged together at the front, forming two horizontal rows facing the speaker’s platform.

Chen Chuan was positioned on the far right, quite close to the Maka Students. Coincidentally, the person standing across from him was the very same Maka Student who had introduced himself as Qiu Chengzu last time. Their eyes met, and they exchanged nods, but Chen Chuan noticed a hint of nervousness in the other student’s gaze.

He didn’t think much of it, simply chalking it up to the student not being used to such occasions.

He glanced up. The sunlight today was bright, almost glaring. According to the schedule, the ceremony was set for ten o’clock, so there was still some time to wait.

Teacher Duma and all the Maka Students stood waiting in silence. Despite this being a friendly exchange, the atmosphere was somewhat solemn.

Although the mood felt a bit heavy, no one thought anything was amiss. They reasoned that since this was the first time in Dashun for most of the Maka group, it was only natural for them to act this way in an unfamiliar environment.

The square opened onto a major road with heavy traffic and footfalls. The large gathering soon attracted a crowd of onlookers.

As time passed, more officials arrived, including the council member from the Advisory Council. The crowd of onlookers also grew, forming several layers deep, but they were all kept back by the stanchion ropes and security guards. The more they were held back, however, the more people tried to push forward for a better view.

Around nine-thirty, three black sedans and an armored vehicle drove into the square. Several security personnel disembarked from the armored vehicle first. After carefully scanning the surroundings, they stepped forward and opened the door of the middle sedan.

Director Liu of the Foreign Affairs Bureau stepped out. He was a man in his fifties who, despite a portly figure, had a refined and scholarly air about him, with well-defined features.

Escorted by security personnel, he first shook hands with the visiting Maka official, exchanging a few warm words. He then shook hands with the council member from the Advisory Council and a few other officials from the Administrative Affairs Hall who were present for the ceremony. Finally, he ascended the central platform and delivered a speech praising the friendship between the two nations, their friendly exchanges, and so forth.

His voice was sonorous and his enunciation was crisp, so even the citizens watching from the outside could hear him clearly. Led by the Foreign Affairs Bureau staff flanking the stage, his speech was met with periodic rounds of applause.

After about twenty minutes, Director Liu brought his speech to a reluctant close.

And then, it was time for the main event of the day.

The doors of the museum opened. The curator himself, along with several attendants, emerged carrying the gift the Maka People had presented to Dashun long ago, which had been preserved in the museum ever since.

The Wuyi students’ spirits lifted. Once this ceremony was over, the day’s events would be more or less finished.

The sun was pleasant, but being forced to stand still as a backdrop, listen to officials speak, and not even be allowed to whisper among themselves was something no one found particularly enjoyable.

Chen Chuan looked at the box resting in the curator’s hands. He’d learned from Cheng Zitong that it contained the "Evergreen Oak Leaf."

It was a gift from the Maka People to Dashun, a symbol of the friendship between the two nations. The leaf was said to have the ability to restore the body and invigorate the spirit, but its effects could only be unlocked through a special ritual involving spices brought by the Maka People. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The officials from Wuyi who attended the event each year could sense that the object was indeed somewhat effective. They couldn’t describe it precisely, but after the ceremony, they would at least feel a bit more energetic than usual. For this reason, quite a few people showed up just to be near the ritual. The citizens in the crowd were now craning their necks, pressing forward to get a better look at it.

The curator had a female attendant hold the box while he took out a key and unlocked it. He slowly lifted the lid, revealing what was inside: an oak leaf the color of lapis lazuli, its veins perfectly clear. The moment it was opened, a fresh, natural energy seemed to wash over the area.

Chen Chuan glanced at it. The leaf was about ten centimeters long. Aside from its unusual color, there wasn’t much else to see. ’Still, it was gifted to Dashun over fifty years ago,’ he thought. ’The fact that it’s been preserved for so long is a testament to its extraordinary nature.’

Teacher Duma’s eyes were fixed on the Oak Leaf, and he involuntarily clenched his fists, trying to suppress his excitement. His students, however, were less restrained and began to lean forward. Their purpose for coming to Dashun was to retrieve that object, and they would not hesitate to do so, even at the cost of their lives.

Although their reaction seemed a bit extreme, everyone understood. The object was, after all, a gift from the Maka People and held extraordinary significance for them.

Director Liu was surprised by the Maka People’s reaction, but then he magnanimously waved his hand, allowing the female attendant to display the object to the crowd for a few moments. Only then did he take two steps back, smile, and yield the stage to the Maka official with an inviting gesture.

The Maka official responded with a traditional gesture from his home country, then reached out and carefully cupped the Sacred Object in his hands.

Next was the Maka ritual. The Maka official signaled for Teacher Duma and several selected students to come to the front.

By now, Teacher Duma had paradoxically grown calm. He stepped forward, took the Oak Leaf from the official’s hands, turned around, and raised it high. In that instant, a soaring emotion emanated from him, as if his very being had been elevated. The eyes of the surrounding Maka Students gleamed with excitement.

Teacher Duma stared ahead with determination and began to walk forward, step by step. A long, drawn-out tone began to issue from his throat. At the same time, the Maka musicians started to play. The melody was vast and ancient, with a raw, primeval quality.

The Maka Students began to harmonize with him. Their voices were filled with emotion, their gazes resolute. They were completely engrossed, as if they were about to fulfill a great and sacred mission.

Even the onlookers in the crowd were infected by the intensity of their emotion, their gazes fixed on the scene.

But at that very moment, a faint gunshot cut through the sound of the drums. On the platform, Director Liu’s body jolted. The security guard beside him reacted instantly, rushing forward to shield him. A second shot followed quickly, striking the guard.

Not far away, the council member from the Advisory Council was yanked aside by his own guard, stumbling away just as a bullet hole appeared in the ground where he had been standing.

Almost simultaneously, several cylindrical objects were thrown into the square. They quickly began to spew thick black smoke, and anyone who inhaled it began to cough, their eyes watering.

When Teacher Duma saw Director Liu get shot, his eyes narrowed. ’The local resistance said they’d create an opportunity for us, but they never said anything about assassinating an Administrative Affairs Hall official.’ But there was no time to dwell on that now. Seizing the opportunity amid the chaos, he slammed the box shut and bolted.

The Maka Students beside him immediately followed, charging out with him. At the same time, all the other Maka Students, both male and female, sprang into action as if on command, rushing toward the Wuyi Students who stood in their path.

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