Gardener of Eden

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Swiss Confederation

After two weeks of focused farming across the fertile fields of Sunny Vale and the primordial expanse of [Domain: The Virgin Soil], the official day of the Global Awakener’s Tournament arrived.

Rowan and the elite delegation representing the empire boarded a massive, runically shielded private aircraft—a luxury sky-cruiser normally reserved strictly for Emperor Aurelius himself. Lifting off smoothly from the capital runway, the vessel climbed into the clouds, heading directly toward its destination across the ocean: the Swiss Confederation.

The Global Neutral Zone

Diplomatic Haven: The Swiss Confederation stands as the world’s absolute neutral haven, serving as the universal mediating ground where rival super-states, sovereign dynasties, and trade conglomerates resolve conflicts without open war.

The Five-Year Stage: Free from all military alliances and geopolitical pacts, the Confederation hosts the Global Awakener’s Tournament every five years on completely neutral ground.

The Absolute Pact: Security is enforced by an unyielding global treaty: any power or individual that commits violence or covert attacks within Swiss territory automatically opens themselves to an immediate, joint military strike by all other participating powers combined.

Sitting in the plush leather interior of the Emperor’s private cabin, Rowan looked out the window as the shimmering, snow-capped alpine peaks came into view over the horizon.

Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, he checked his spatial storage one last time. Packed inside were the purest harvests of his domain, pristine Primordial Spring Water, and the exact botanical formula needed to wake the extinct Silphium.

Surrounded by international rivals, high-stakes political posturing, and strict global oversight, Rowan remained completely unfazed. As the private aircraft descended toward the pristine Swiss airfields, he was ready to put on a show that the world would never forget.

The grim tale of The Extinction of House Beckett was etched into the mandatory briefing files of every global diplomatic corps. Decades prior, a tyrant king from a sovereign warlord state had attempted to covertly assassinate the star prodigy of a rival empire inside a Swiss diplomatic pavilion.

The breach of neutrality was instantaneous—and the retribution absolute. Within six hours, the combined armies and ancestral vanguards of eleven allied superpowers converged upon the tyrant’s home domain. His stronghold was reduced to glass, his regional throne dissolved, and every direct member of his bloodline was permanently erased from existence.

Since that merciless demonstration, the absolute sovereignty of the Swiss Confederation had never been tested again. Not a single monarch, guildmaster, or ancient elder dared so much as flare hostile mana within its borders, knowing that breaking the peace meant triggering their own total annihilation.

As the Imperial sky-cruiser’s landing gear settled onto the gleaming runic tarmac of the Zurich Sovereign Airport, the heavy anti-conflict suppression arrays hovering over the valley hummed softly in the cold mountain air.

The atmosphere outside was thick with latent power, yet strangely tranquil—a heavy, enforced peace maintained by the collective terror of global extinction.

Stepping down the boarding ramp into the crisp alpine breeze, Rowan adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, his posture as relaxed as if he were taking a morning stroll back at Sunny Vale. Walking alongside the Imperial delegation, his eyes swept across the vast tarmac where dozens of private state transports were arriving simultaneously.

To the left, a gilded, dragon-carved airship from the Ding Dynasty touched down, with Master Cultivator Tian Yu stepping out, surrounded by senior elders carrying stasis cases of high-altitude mountain flora. To the right, an ornate French luxury transport unloaded Gabriel Bernard and his high-society entourage, their servants meticulously guarding velvet-lined truffle vaults.

Sharp, calculating glares flashed across the tarmac as international contingents recognized one another. Tian Yu’s eyes locked briefly onto Rowan, narrowing with intense scrutiny after analyzing the pristine crops sent to his dynasty.

Gabriel offered a cold, aristocratic nod toward the Imperial delegation, his arrogance barely concealed. Yet despite the simmering tension and continent-shaking rivalries present on the runway, not a single individual dared to let their mana leak outward.

Rowan offered a quiet, amused smile as he walked toward the grand reception hall. On this absolute neutral ground, politics and brute force were rendered completely useless. Victory would be decided purely by skill, domain mastery, and true botanical supremacy. And when the Council of Nations presented the extinct Silphium, the world would see who truly held the power of creation.

***

Jeremy grinned, his weathered knuckles knocking firmly against Rowan’s in a warm, solid fist bump.

”To the success of the Empire,” Jeremy echoed, his voice carrying genuine warmth and deep professional respect. ”I’ve been working high-tier soil for over fifteen years, Rowan, but the produce from Eden International... that’s something else entirely. You’ve given all of us in the senior division a reason to walk into this colosseum with our heads held high.”

”High-grade produce speaks for itself, Senior Jeremy,” Rowan replied with a calm smile, tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat. ”We might be competing in different age brackets, but on this stage, we’re both representing the same crest.”

Jeremy let out a rich chuckle, glancing toward the far side of the reception hall where the other international delegations were congregating. ”Too true, brother. Look at the crowd out there. The French delegates are treating Gabriel’s truffles like sacred relics, and the Ding Dynasty elders are hovering around Tian Yu as if he’s holding the sun itself.”

Jeremy’s eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the foreign harvesters, his posture shifting into that of a seasoned veteran preparing for battle. ”The 21-and-above division has its fair share of old monsters, but the international media is completely fixated on your Under-21 bracket. The global outlets think foreign prodigies are going to sweep the botanical events.”

”Let them keep that assumption for a few more hours,” Rowan said smoothly, his eyes relaxed yet steady. ”When the Council of Nations brings out their extinct specimen, they’ll realize there’s a massive difference between forcing crops with aggressive arrays and actually knowing how to cultivate life.”

”Well said.” Jeremy clapped Rowan on the shoulder, his face lighting up with quiet pride. ”Go show those hotshots what true Imperial cultivation looks like. Let’s make sure our realm sweeps every single podium.”

With a shared nod of mutual respect, the two harvesters fell into step side-by-side, joining the rest of the Imperial contingent as they cleared the Swiss Confederation’s security threshold and moved into the central hall of the global stage.