Chapter Eleven: The Free Zone

Federation of Earth, First District, Jingyang City: the official headquarters of humanity’s forces. In this world, the direction of mankind's future is decided by the Parliament, and naturally, the most distinguished individuals in District One are the parliamentarians.

The exclusive conference room for parliamentarians sits atop the headquarters. It is reserved solely for their meetings, though gatherings are rare, for each parliamentarian shoulders vital responsibilities, representing the future of humanity's powers.

This room holds eight seats year-round; the chairperson’s seat remains perpetually empty, while the other seven symbolize the parliamentarians themselves, each backed by colossal family dynasties.

But today, a ninth seat has been added.

The chairperson's seat is still vacant, but there are now eight vice seats, the extra one marking the arrival of the eighth parliamentarian.

Some parliamentarians are quietly thrilled, others remain composed. They have all gathered, save for one, whose presence will commence the session: Miyako Aoi.

As Miyako Aoi pushed open the door, all seven parliamentarians turned their gaze upon her.

Besides her, the youngest was a man of thirty-seven, while the eldest had surpassed a century of age.

She walked to her seat, sat calmly, her demeanor unremarkable.

Soon, the meeting's theme began. This was Parliament’s monthly routine session, where they must deliberate the next course for District One and report matters requiring attention. The meeting lasted most of the day, and as it neared its end, Miyako Aoi finally spoke.

"Patriarch Nangong, has your family uncovered anything from the intelligence I entrusted to you?"

Patriarch Nangong, a man in his fifties with an imposing presence befitting a leader, replied quickly, "Miss Miyako, so far, nothing has surfaced. Our informants unanimously believe that Xia Yan is dead. While there may be doubts, at the very least, he has not appeared before anyone since his supposed death."

Miyako nodded and shifted the topic. "Regarding the Winged Tribe, the demon research of the Wilber family is approaching its final stage. Thirty-one years ago, we planted a pawn, who has now penetrated deeply within the Wilber family and occupies a core position in this experiment. As soon as he accesses the central area, he can obtain the research data."

The seven parliamentarians, well aware of the Wilber family's demon research, remained puzzled about the identity of this pawn. Miyako Aoi, however, had no intention of revealing further details.

A female parliamentarian asked, "Miss Miyako, what is your purpose in sharing these matters? From what you describe, it seems the plan could proceed smoothly even without our knowledge of this intelligence."

"The central area is by no means easy to access. Entering recklessly will result in one being consumed by negative emotions, losing all sense of self," Miyako replied matter-of-factly. "According to our intelligence, a certain artifact from another world is required—a chain called the Purity Chain, which will be auctioned in the Free Zone in a few days. Only by acquiring this item can my agent complete the final step and steal the research data."

"Free Zone, auction?" a male parliamentarian queried with interest.

"Such items cannot be bid for with ordinary currency; diamond coins are required," Miyako said with a mysterious smile. "Coincidentally, I am running low on diamond coins, so I’d like to use this meeting to ask everyone to contribute a little."

"How many do you need?" Patriarch Nangong inquired.

"At least a hundred diamond coins; if each of you offers a dozen or so, that should suffice," Miyako answered with a smile.

"Miss Miyako, do you mean you don’t even have a hundred diamond coins?" a female parliamentarian asked, puzzled.

"I can't be expected to cover it all myself," Miyako met her gaze. "After all, this research data is crucial for the future of District One."

"A hundred diamond coins?" An elderly parliamentarian was confused. "The Purity Chain is worth no more than twenty diamond coins—not even that!"

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed," Miyako replied earnestly. "From what I know, the Winged Tribe is very eager to obtain this artifact. Their funding cap should be around fifty coins. To outbid them, we must be prepared with at least a hundred."

"The Free Zone prohibits individuals with over fifty percent brain domain development from the Six Great Powers. Who will Miss Miyako send?" another male parliamentarian asked.

For Miyako, Xia Yan would be the optimal choice; he is among the strongest fighters under fifty percent brain domain development. Unfortunately, Xia Yan is neither at her side nor in District One.

"This time, the agent is one of my subordinates, whose abilities surpass even the most seasoned guardians. His brain domain development is just shy of fifty percent, and his physical development is half that, specializing in combat abilities," Miyako replied.

The seven parliamentarians raised no objections. Such a minor sponsorship of diamond coins was hardly something they would refuse—especially since it was Miyako who made the request.

That morning, in the second-floor lounge, Emilia and Xia Yan were in discussion.

She handed Xia Yan a briefcase. "Xia Yan, inside is the auction fund I’ve prepared. It should be sufficient."

"Why not use credit points?" Xia Yan wondered.

"Given the wealth of the Six Great Powers, if we used credit points for bidding—even if the item itself isn't highly valuable—it could easily fetch an astronomical price. So we forge diamonds into coins, called diamond currency, for auctioning," Emilia explained earnestly. "Diamonds are a rare gem in the Earth Federation, extremely limited in number. You must understand, Xia Yan, that items auctioned with diamond currency are extremely rare, and only the Free Zone occasionally employs such gimmicks."

Xia Yan pondered—the Purity Chain was indeed a precious item.

"In the case, I’ve also prepared some advance compensation: one vial of Potential Potion, and one vial of Limit Potion," Emilia continued, her expression serious. "But Xia Yan, I warn you: the interval between doses of these two potions must be more than half a year. It’s been barely ten days since your last dose. Do not take them lightly, or you risk instant death. This is merely a backup."

"Alright," Xia Yan nodded.

"There are also a few small surprises, but I won’t disclose them unless you find yourself in a life-or-death situation," Emilia added. "Xia Yan, the Free Zone is home to humanoid mutants, and you are already wanted there. If your identity is discovered, you will surely die."