Chen Bitong fell silent for a moment. "We can finally have a proper talk," he said. "And this is the perfect place for it."
Their position was right on the dividing line between the two sides, so they didn't have to worry about anyone interrupting or overhearing them.
Chen Chuan said, "I'm listening."
Chen Bitong looked at him earnestly. "Captain Chen, you have a bright future. I never wanted to involve you in this, but you've convinced me with your strength."
He leaned back against his Long Spear, gazing toward the front of the Rift.
"I've been a Guardian at the World Ring for twenty years. I've lost count of how many invasions from the outside I've repelled. In my younger days, I had a terrible temper. I saw myself as a man of principle—extremely strict with my subordinates, unwilling to curry favor with the powerful or my superior officers, and my relationships with my peers were strained.
