Chapter 651 - 2: The Quota

At the entrance to the Patrol Bureau’s family residences, Nian Fuli and his wife waited at the mouth of the alley with their two little ones. Other neighbors from the residential area craned their necks to watch from a distance, their eyes filled with curiosity and envy.

Nian Fuli’s family had just gotten a call from Chen Chuan, who told them he had left the Processing Bureau. If he was fast, he would be there in under ten minutes.

They had only been waiting for a short while after coming outside when they saw a vehicle turn onto their road.

His cousin, Nian Lu, hopped in place. "Cousin is back!" Then she felt Yu Wan squeeze her hand.

After turning onto the street, the vehicle immediately slowed down and came to a steady stop in front of them. A door opened, and a service member got out, briskly walking over to open the back-seat door.

Chen Chuan stepped out of the car. He took off his hat and walked toward Nian Fuli and Yu Wan with a smile. "Uncle, Auntie."

"Yes!"

Yu Wan replied.

Nian Fuli looked at the uniform Chen Chuan was wearing, then at the armed vehicle parked behind him. Feeling the envious gazes of the neighbors on his back, he immediately straightened his posture, cleared his throat, and said, "Xiaochuan, that Processing Bureau chief’s uniform fits you well."

He didn’t say it too loudly or too softly, but a wave of hushed gasps and murmurs immediately broke out from the onlookers behind them.

Yu Wan paid them no mind. She looked Chen Chuan up and down, noticing he was even taller than he had been a few months ago. She couldn’t help but recall the day her second sister passed away, when she had led his little hand home, just as she did now with her own two children. It felt like only a blink of an eye had passed, and now he was old enough to stand tall and shelter them from the storm. "Chan’Er is all grown up," she murmured.

Just then, Chen Chuan felt a tug on the corner of his clothes. He looked down to see the two little ones, Nian Lu and Nian Mo, staring up at him. Nian Mo said, "Cousin, Cousin, where’s Jiu-jiu? Didn’t Jiu-jiu come back?"

Chen Chuan smiled and glanced up at the sky. A sharp CHIRP echoed out as a small black dot rapidly grew larger. With a rush of beating wings, Chaoming descended from the sky, flapped a few times, and landed beside him.

At the moment, it was wearing something on its head that resembled a Realm Token but was shaped like a Mushroom Crown. It was a complimentary item from the Wing Blade Company, used to communicate with other Domain Creatures in a convoy when outside the city.

While it was hard to tell from the sky, once it landed, the growth of its Mutated Organization became apparent. Its magnificent feathers were supple and glossy, and now, with its chest puffed out and head held high, it looked incredibly majestic.

The two little ones let out a "Whoa!" and immediately crowded around, stroking its soft feathers nonstop.

Chen Chuan glanced at the neighbors behind him and gave them a nod. Then he said, "Auntie, Uncle, shall we talk at home?"

"Right, the sun is too bright out here," Yu Wan said, rubbing the corner of her eye. "Let’s go home first. We can talk at home."

Nian Fuli grunted in agreement, though he felt a slight twinge of regret. ’It wouldn’t have hurt to stay outside a little longer,’ he thought.

Just then, the two service members from the Processing Bureau who had accompanied him helped carry the things Chen Chuan had brought from Central City and followed the family inside.

Once inside the house, the two men set the items down, hastily refused the cigarettes Yu Wan offered them, gave Chen Chuan a salute, and departed swiftly.

Chen Chuan took off his uniform, went to wash his face, and put some of his things away. When he returned to the living room, he took out the gifts he had bought.

The two little ones bounced around excitedly. Their cousin always brought them fun things whenever he came back, something they looked forward to for a long time.

After the gifts were handed out to his aunt’s family, the two little ones ran outside to play with Chaoming. They were supposed to be in school today but had been allowed to come home early because their cousin was returning. They couldn’t have been happier.

After sitting down, Chen Chuan told Nian Fuli and Yu Wan about how he’d been, carefully picking out the good parts and leaving out any mention of the dangers he had faced. At the same time, he also asked about how things had been since he left.

However, Central City was populous, with convenient information networks and communications. Companies from every nation were based there, and it was on the front lines of defense. The pace of life was fast, entertainment was abundant, and all sorts of incidents occurred frequently—something new happened almost every day.

But Yangzhi City was different. It was still the same as when he had left before the new year; almost no change could be seen in over half a year.

After they had finished catching up, Chen Chuan looked up at Nian Fuli and Yu Wan and said, "Uncle, Auntie, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about on this trip back."

Seeing his serious expression, so different from his earlier casual demeanor, Nian Fuli also sat up a little straighter. "Xiaochuan, go ahead. We’re listening."

Yu Wan said, "Chan’Er, we’re family. Just say whatever is on your mind."

Chen Chuan nodded. "It’s like this." He looked at his aunt and uncle. "I’ve been promoted to Investigation Chief. According to regulations, I can grant my family members citizenship in Central City."

"Auntie, Uncle, you raised me. Now that I have the ability, I can bring you both to Central City to live."

He looked at Nian Fuli. "I can help arrange a position for you in Central City, Uncle, one that won’t be any worse than your current one. Xiaolu and Xiaomo can also be enrolled in schools in Central City. I was wondering what you two think?"

Nian Fuli fumbled around in his clothes and pulled out his pipe. Chen Chuan moved to light it for him, but he waved his hand, indicating he would do it himself. "Let me think about it," he said.

After lighting it, he took a few puffs. After a long while, he said, "Xiaochuan, I’ve been with the Patrol Bureau for half my life. My home is here. To just leave all of a sudden..." He shook his head.

Chen Chuan understood.

After retiring from the army, Nian Fuli had been at the Patrol Bureau ever since. His superiors, his comrades, and everything and everyone he knew was here. Suddenly moving to a new place would indeed be a difficult adjustment.

And to be honest, Central City was no paradise. Although Yangzhi was small, it had at least been a more stable place than Central City before the Great Collision.

Yu Wan wrung her hands. "Chan’Er, besides a few long trips with your uncle, I’ve never lived anywhere else. In Central City, we wouldn’t know anyone or anything..."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Uncle, Auntie, this is just a suggestion. The final decision is up to you. Besides, there’s no rush. As long as I’m around, that spot will always be available."

Nian Fuli nodded silently.

In truth, Yu Wan had been tempted for a moment—not for herself, but for her children’s education.

Even if they felt Yangzhi was wonderful in a thousand different ways, they knew its educational opportunities couldn’t possibly compare to Central City’s.

"Chan’Er, for Xiaomo and Xiaolu’s education... is Central City the only option?"

Chen Chuan smiled. "Not necessarily. Even if they don’t go to Central City, I can hire good tutors to come here and teach Xiaolu and Xiaomo."

Yu Wan hesitated. "Chan’Er, that... won’t be too much trouble, will it?"

"No problem."

Chen Chuan replied with certainty, "Auntie, it’s truly a small matter for me."

Nian Fuli knew that many Patrol Bureau captains and other colleagues had hired private tutors for their children. And with Wuyi Academy increasing its enrollment, many were also starting to teach Fighting Skill. He and Yu Wan had actually been discussing this very thing for the past few days.

He said decisively, "We’ll do as Xiaochuan says."

Yu Wan sighed. Seeing that the water in their teacups was almost untouched, she stood up and said, "This has all gone cold. Let me get you both another cup."

Chen Chuan then asked, "Uncle, has Instructor Wen been around these past couple of days?"

Nian Fuli said, "Instructor Wen has been here the whole time. When you called to ask, I even paid him a visit. He’s usually at the Patrol Bureau in the afternoon and evening, and at home in the morning. Xiaochuan, if you want to find him, you’ll have to go in the morning."

Chen Chuan nodded.

Aside from visiting his family, the main reason he had returned this time was to find Instructor Wen. ’The booklet Instructor Wen gave me probably wasn’t for no reason,’ he thought. ’It was likely an invitation in itself.’

With their business concluded, the family chatted idly for a while. After they had dinner together that evening, Chen Chuan returned to his room.

The sky had already darkened. The room’s layout hadn’t changed; everything was still placed exactly where he had left it.

The books his predecessor loved to read and the movie posters on the wall were still there, just as before.

The Snow Monarch Blade stood propped up in the corner. The blade was currently dormant, and he didn’t know when it would awaken. However...

He glanced upward. The Pure Essence that had been descending these past days was still scattering outward, so he could still sometimes capture a tiny bit of it at night.

’It seems the breach in the World Ring is truly difficult to seal,’ he thought. ’It’s been months, and they still haven’t succeeded.’

’Could it be that something on the other side is obstructing them, causing this situation?’

’And the Pure Essence scattering across the world will probably be sensed and acquired by more and more people. Those who were originally unable to advance might be able to reach higher realms with this.’

’Perhaps in the past, the higher-ups restricted this access to screen Fighters at this stage and prevent uncontrollable individuals from emerging in the local regions. But now, it has very likely become a means for certain factions to monopolize the Upper Layer and obstruct others from advancing. If so, it’s only natural that people from below would emerge to try and break through these barriers.’

He reached out, drew the curtains, and sat on his bed. He focused his senses, trying to perceive the Pure Essence. As long as it was still scattering outward, he would use breathing meditation to replace sleep at night.

Originally, his physical cultivation was gradually approaching its limit, but after consuming the Pure Essence, he felt that his ceiling had been raised slightly. His spiritual cultivation had also improved greatly after being nourished by the quintessence last time. His Spiritual Mark had reached an extremely high level, and after being further supplemented by Pure Essence, its growth was also very rapid.

A bright, determined light shone in his eyes. ’Once both of these aspects reach Perfection, and once the Second Self has been integrated, I might be able to truly surpass a limit that has never been broken before.’

...

...