A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 98 Visitors from Afar

America.

From a once undeveloped, primitive land to a synonym for advancement and power, everything that has happened on this land has taken less than two hundred years.

The original landscape here has long been drastically altered by human activity.

The vast base built on the side of the mountain seems to be the most prominent symbol of these man-made transformations.

Here live thousands of capable Americans, scattered in all directions, coming and going. Armored vehicles patrol back and forth, and there are flat, open airstrips.

On the grass beside the runway, a lazy man, wearing a green multi-pocket shirt and with his hat pulled over his face, lay idly with a blade of grass between his teeth.

Until a reserved young man came and disturbed his leisure.

"General, this is a new message received by the communications room fifteen minutes ago regarding a potentially dangerous individual."

"Oh? What level?"

"Yan Du, one of the twenty-seven S-class targets."

The man sat up abruptly, the hat covering his face slipping off to reveal thick, platinum-colored hair and jewel-like blue eyes.

He looks much older than he is, but his hair color and eyes seem to glow, making people overlook speculations about his real age and assume that he is definitely in the prime of his life.

After taking the document, he glanced at it and read out a name: "Guan Luoyang?"

Their previous conversations were all conducted in English, but when they pronounced the name, they used Chinese, speaking clearly and fluently.

This American even has a Chinese name that he has been using for thirty years—Situ Dianluo.

The information on the few pages could be browsed through in less than ten minutes. The last page of the document contained an aerial view.

It was early morning, and the well-known East Kalimantans and young Chinese sat at opposite ends of the courtyard.

"Yan Du's proactive challenge, personally clearing obstacles in advance, and this..."

Situ Dianlu flicked the newly printed documents; the glistening, rosy fingernails of his bionic robotic hand made a crisp, symphony sound as they struck the paper.

"Judging from their appearance, they're preparing for a debate before September 19th. Interesting."

"It's a rare holiday, and it's so much fun. If I don't get involved in this kind of thing, I'll really turn into a block of wood in this base."

He leaped up, flicking his hat off the grass with his toes and holding it in his palm. "Make a call to the Galilean Allies. I need to use their airport."

The young man hurriedly chased after him for a few steps. He was also a modified warrior, but even with all his might, he couldn't close the distance with that seemingly casually striding figure. All he could do was shout.

"General, General, wait, should we report this to...?"

"I'm on vacation, I'm free to come and go as I please."

A moment later, the plane piloted by Situ Dianlu roared up from the runway, climbing rapidly at an extremely dangerous angle before disappearing into the clouds.

………………

Fuso.

Beneath the magnificent and immortal volcano, in the bustling and ancient Kodokan, 1,600 young people with mechanical limbs learn ancient swordsmanship and undergo tedious training.

The training here isn't rigorous, but it's incredibly monotonous.

Day after day, year after year, they repeated those old sword techniques, seemingly wasting the precious time of these martial artists. Yet, not a single person uttered a complaint.

Everyone here has gone through a rigorous selection process to qualify for further studies, and from the moment they step into this place, they are immersed in glory and reverence.

Someone once modified only one arm and used the concise and efficient ancient swordsmanship to defeat thousands of fully armed self-defense forces in the forest.

From that day on, no one dared to question whether the swordsmanship of this kōdōkan had been abandoned by the times.

The swordsman who accomplished that feat did not follow the example of his ancient legends and fight against the waves or cut down waterfalls.

It is said that he spends at least fourteen hours a day in the dry landscape garden in his backyard, contemplating the deeper mysteries of swordsmanship.

In the nearby countryside, there are rumors that even invitations from ghosts and gods would be ruthlessly rejected by that swordsman, and unless the Immortal Volcano were to erupt in fury, no one would ever see him leave the preaching hall again.

But today, as the disciples continued their daily training, a sense of shock and bewilderment quickly spread among the stiff disciples in the last row.

Everyone remained in awkward postures, holding bamboo knives, turning their heads to watch the barefoot, disheveled swordsman walk from the back to the front and take the knife that was offered in front.

That was originally his sword.

Sanada Sengun's famous sword, "Hyakushi".

No disciple dared to speak recklessly in his presence, but after he had completely left the preaching hall, the voices of discussion surged forth like a swarm of bees disturbed.

Everyone rushed to the door to see the figure.

It wasn't until another senior figure who ran the Kodokan came and explained it to them.

"Sanada is going to sea for a country even smaller than Japan, where a grand feast is taking place, which has caught his attention."

The senior with the scar on his face had a look of longing in his eyes when he said those words, but he had more important responsibilities and was not a strong person who could act willfully.

The legendary swordsman who refused invitations from gods and spirits sailed away across the sea, based solely on a few brief pieces of information and photos.

………………

This September, the heatwave in Singapore and Malaysia is still lingering.

There are many Chinese people here, and naturally there are many business people who take advantage of this and use the antique style to make money.

"Nian Jiangnan" was created for this purpose.

The area, which is about 750 square meters in size, was built entirely in the style of an ancient water town in the Jiangnan region.

Although the interior is still a reinforced concrete structure, the exterior, with its blue brick paths, green waters with boats, crisscrossing lanes, flying eaves and brackets, black tile roofs, and red-lacquered beams and pillars, truly has a touch of ancient charm that seems to have come from a hundred years ago.

Even in such hot weather, being in "Nian Jiangnan" makes you feel refreshed.

But even sitting in the dark, air-conditioned room, gazing out the window at the courtyard, Lao An still had to take out his handkerchief every now and then to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

That terrible enemy and their boss have been sitting there for days and nights, drinking only water at most.

Their debates and thoughts are often difficult to understand, but sometimes the sudden, chilling atmosphere they create serves as a warning that needs no words to convey.

However, this afternoon.

During their conversation, the two people suddenly looked up at the same time.

A white streak flashed across the sky.

(End of this chapter)