A line of people was already waiting beneath the airship mooring tower. Farther away, over a hundred armed guards in Great Shun uniforms stood in two perfectly straight ranks.
Chen Chuan had not notified the Khanate of Rur's upper ranks of his arrival. His status was unusual; not only would it be easy for word to leak, but the commotion it caused would also be immense.
Thus, those who had come to receive him were the personnel Great Shun had dispatched to support the Khanate of Rur after the global external invasion began.
The leader was Song Nong, a Longevity Observation Fighter from the military. He was accompanied by two Fighter subordinates.
The Khanate of Rur had only two Fighters due to its small territory and limited resources. However, with Song Nong and his two companions added, this force was ordinarily more than enough to defend the area.
Chen Chuan stepped out of the airship and looked around. The mooring tower stood atop a plateau, with magnificent snow-white peaks in the distance setting off the deep, pristine blue of the sky behind them.
Looking down, he could see a slender, shining silver line beneath the sunlight. It was the Tatulie River, winding onward into the lush green river valley in the distance.
When the people waiting below saw him emerge, they immediately shouted, "Salute!" The Great Shun military personnel, including Song Nong, all raised their hands in salute with perfectly uniform movements.
Chen Chuan returned the salute from above, then descended from the tower and came before Song Nong. The latter stood at attention again and greeted him, "Greetings, Chief Chen!"
Chen Chuan nodded and asked, "General Song, while you came here, who was put in charge of the rift's defense?"
Song Nong replied, "Reporting to you, Chief, the Khanate