The man looked to be in his forties. Utterly at odds with the helicopter, he wore a long ceremonial robe, a tall crown, and a loose sash.
It was formal dress in Great Chu, a modern adaptation of the robes and headwear inherited from the Ming dynasty. People generally wore it only on the most solemn occasions.
Now that such a figure had stepped out of a helicopter, everyone turned to look.
He walked toward them step by step. Somehow, his bearing lent the air a solemnity, as though he were crossing a ceremonial hall rather than a small hill somewhere in the Southern Seas.
The sight made everyone straighten up. By comparison, Ling Zheng's bearing looked dreadful.
But all eyes were on the man in ceremonial dress. No one paid Ling Zheng any attention.
"What an extraordinary man!"
"Great Chu Attire!"
Thoughts like these sprang unbidden into many minds.
Great Chu was the strongest nation in the world, and its culture exerted enormous influence on every country. With thousands of years of history behind it, its cultural heritage was unrivaled.
Thus Great Chu's culture, its clothing, its language—everything about it—held a powerful attraction for the world.
People across the world considered Great Chu's language the most beautiful, its moral code the highest, and its ceremonial dress and etiquette the most elegant.
The phrase "Great Chu Attire" had originally referred to people raised on Confucian teachings, people whose manners and bearing had sunk into their very bones.
In earlier times, such people had usually come from Great Chu's nobility. Their grace and appearance stood above all others.
Even on a screen, one could see how graceful they were.
But only by standing here today could everyone feel the almost tangible force of that bearing.
The man kept his gaze straight