A Pawn's Passage

The next day, Qi Xuansu once again went to the Morgan Brotherhood and met Sadie.

Sadie handed Qi Xuansu a thick kraft paper envelope. “This contains the movement patterns of Sun Zhongnu and the Evangelical Ministry.”

Qi Xuansu opened the envelope, took out the documents inside, and skimmed through them.

The materials were quite detailed, almost like an academic document. They did not merely present conclusions but also included supporting evidence explaining how those conclusions were reached. Some were even accompanied by corresponding images. If the client did not accept the conclusion, they could review the compiled information and make their own judgment.

Qi Xuansu surely got what he paid for. With such a large sum spent, the service was indeed excellent.

He sighed. “I’m afraid even the Evangelical Ministry is not as capable as you.”

Sadie shrugged. “It can’t be helped. As you Easterners like to say, they live off public funds, with guaranteed income regardless of circumstances. So they don’t need to push themselves too hard. But our Brotherhood operates on its own profits and losses. If we don’t perform well, we’ll be left starving, so of course, we must work hard. On a larger scale, the Evangelical Ministry is responsible for the entire New Continent, including the Southern New Continent, so their efforts are inevitably spread thin. But we only need to manage our small patch of land, which is much simpler.”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “You’ve got quite a collection of Eastern sayings. You must have dealt with Easterners quite a lot.”

Sadie only smiled without answering.

Qi Xuansu did not press further. He put the documents back into the envelope and decided to study them carefully after returning.

Sadie added, “By the way, this intelligence is time-sensitive. The Evangelical Ministry plans to transfer Sun Zhongnu to San Francisco on the West Coast. I’ve included the approximate itinerary at the end.”

Sadie deliberately emphasized the West Coast, which was on the opposite side of St. York. Due to the gold rush, San Francisco was also known as “Gold Mountain.” It was a place where Easterners gathered in large numbers.

Qi Xuansu’s expression grew serious. “Why is the Evangelical Ministry transferring Sun Zhongnu to San Francisco?”

Sadie scoffed. “You’re asking a question you already know the answer to. San Francisco has the largest population of Easterners. Clearly, they want Sun Zhongnu to continue identifying heretics and then carry out another purge.”

“I understand.” Qi Xuansu stood up to leave.

After leaving the Morgan Brotherhood, Qi Xuansu carefully went through the materials once more.

It did not take him long to determine the place to strike, which was somewhere along the route from St. York to San Francisco.

St. York was on the East Coast, while San Francisco was on the West Coast. Between them stretched an entire continent, with vast stretches of desolate land.

In fact, the Central Plains also had many such places. Qi Xuansu’s first ambush happened under similar circumstances. Though the Kunlun Pass was within the territory of the Kunlun Daoist Mansion, it was a vast wilderness, with no temples, Spirit Guards, or even a trace of human habitation. It was also there that Wu Luo destroyed the flying ship that he was on.

What Wu Luo could do, Qi Xuansu could do as well.

......

“Sun, once you resolve the issue in San Francisco, I will petition to have you made an archbishop. After all, Easterners can also bathe in the divine grace of the Supreme Will.”

“I dare not hope for much. I just want to spend the rest of my days in peace.”

“Are you worried about retaliation from the Easterners? There’s no need. We will ensure your safety, as well as that of your family.”

Sun Zhongnu chuckled. “There is an old Eastern saying that when the birds are gone, the good bow is put away. When the cunning rabbit is caught, the hunting dog is cooked. I only hope not to be the hunting dog.”

Dennis stared straight at Sun Zhongnu. “Sun, are you doubting my friendship?”

Sun Zhongnu chuckled softly and shook his head. “Mr. Lopez, I have never doubted your friendship or sincerity. But I know that our fate is in the hands of others. You may wish to be a good man, but those above you may not allow it. Since the blame cannot fall on those above, it must ultimately be borne by those below. At most, Sun Zhongnu will suffer a little, while Dennis bears the infamy. Is that not so?”

Dennis’s gaze softened. “Sun, you need not be so pessimistic. You will be a model for the future. Isn’t there an Eastern saying about those who understand the times are the true heroes? We need such heroes. We can build trust with the public.”

As exchanges between East and West deepen, Easterners and Westerners learned each other’s anecdotes and sayings.

Sun Zhongnu let out a soft sigh and changed the subject. “I was born in Jinling Prefecture. Even across the entire East, it is considered one of the most prosperous places. Yet my family did not live well. My grandfather fell gravely ill, and my father, being a filial son, spent everything to treat him. In the end, my grandfather endured about half a year of suffering before passing away, and my father not only exhausted the family fortune but also incurred massive debts, forcing him to cross the ocean to the New Continent.

“I grew up in the New Continent and have lived in St. York for as long as I remember. To me, this is my homeland. Yet at the time, I didn’t understand why I was different from others and why they were hostile toward me and saw me as a jinx. Even so, I still loved this place because it allowed me to pursue my ideals.

“I do not deny that I liked Old Qian very much. He’s almost like a teacher to me. But he had one flaw. He was too self-righteous, always adopting that Eastern patriarchal attitude. His word was absolute, and no dissent was tolerated. He saw me as a disciple and a subordinate, always forcing me to do things I disliked under the pretense of acting for my own good. Still, out of respect for his past kindness, I endured it for as long as I could. There would come a day when I would have the final say.”

Dennis studied Sun Zhongnu. “But you still betrayed him. Though I would like to dress it up by saying you’ve abandoned darkness for the light and repented, that’s the reality.”

“Yes, I did.” Sun Zhongnu smiled calmly. “Because he crossed my bottom line. Everyone ought to have something to hold onto—a hope, an expectation. The reason I could endure was because I still had hope. As long as hope remained, I could persuade myself to yield. What is most frightening is when hope is gone. Once hope is gone, there is no reason left to endure or compromise.

“My hope disappeared because Old Qian suddenly told me he believed my thinking was flawed and wanted to send me thousands of miles away to the Central Plains for ‘education,’ to correct my ideology. That is equivalent to denying everything I have been. He is an adult, and so am I. Neither of us is a child. What right does he have to use his views to negate mine?

“To me, going to the Central Plains means starting all over again. Everything I painstakingly built in the New Continent would be reduced to nothing. Why should I leave the place where I grew up and go to a completely unfamiliar ‘homeland’? It’s as absurd as abandoning adoptive parents who raised you with hardship for decades just to recognize biological parents you have never met. Why can I not remain in a more prosperous and free city? Why must I return to the backward East and bow before its emperor?”

Dennis reached out and patted Sun Zhongnu on the shoulder. “Sun, you’re right. The East’s autocratic authority is like a giant cage. Only we in the West are the light of freedom. We are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. We shall be like a city upon the mountaintop, admired by all. Therefore, if we deceive the Supreme Will in the work we have begun, if we bribe it into granting us protection, we will become a laughingstock and a scandal to the world.”

Sun Zhongnu smiled. “St. York is the city upon the hill.”

......

In the early morning, sunlight first illuminated the floating island of the Upper District.

A flying craft was docked at the port of the floating island, with an exquisite church not far away.

The Central District belonged to the City Council, while the Upper District was the domain of the Steam Evangelical Sect.

Only clergy and those recognized by them were allowed to live there.

Sun Zhongnu, Dennis, and Milton walked out of the church and headed toward the flying craft.

The Paladins had already formed ranks beneath the flying craft.

Sun Zhongnu said, “I actually don’t like traveling by flying craft. The chances of something going wrong are too high. I’ve heard that the Lotus Seat has already encountered aerial danger twice. The tree that stands out in the forest is the first to be blown down by the wind. In our line of work, some people call us rats in the gutter, so it’s better to keep our feet on the ground. Soaring high doesn’t suit us.”

Dennis, who would also be boarding the flying craft, laughed. “There’s no choice—the higher-ups are pressing hard. We’re on a tight schedule to complete a big task. Flying crafts are much faster than steam trains, so we can’t worry about that. Don’t worry, this flying craft is reliable. It’s maintained independently by the Evangelical Ministry, and everyone aboard is one of our own. It’s nothing like Chairman Sophia’s.”

Sun Zhongnu said nothing more.

Milton saw them off. The group boarded the flying craft via the lowered ramp. Besides Sun Zhongnu and Dennis, there were also many other members of the Evangelical Ministry.

The pursuit of the Lotus Seat had already been handed over to other members of the Evangelical Ministry and was no longer their responsibility. After all, the Lotus Seat had left St. York, and given the relative divisions among the various states, the Evangelical Ministry operated in separate factions.

This left Sun Zhongnu quite regretful. If he could have captured the Lotus Seat himself, it would have brought him fame and success. Unfortunately, such credit would not fall to him. In this regard, he rather envied the Lotus Seat for being entrusted with major responsibilities each time and always receiving the credit he deserved. That was truly rare.

Still, being transferred to San Francisco could be considered a form of consolation from the Evangelical Ministry. It also meant significant merit, just not on par with capturing the Lotus Seat.

Sun Zhongnu intended to pave his rise in the Holy Court with the blood of his fellow Easterners.