Haili Koni, leaving the courtyard where the tree shadows swayed, walked under the watchful gaze of the gaunt-faced guard at the door to the black sedan that had brought her, her mother, and the others. She retrieved a small handbag from the back seat.
Several figures walked in through the side door, their voices faintly drifting over:
“They really lit a lot of campfires last night. “
“I heard it was a suggestion from the Hellfire Sect. “
A helpless, low murmur brushed past her from behind.
“And as it turns out, today is a dreary, windy day. ” The discussion faded into the distance.
Haili Koni, who was touching up her rouge and powder in a small mirror, pressed her lips together, smoothed the lipstick evenly, and examined her face in the mirror—now fair and rosy, with altered eyebrow shape and eye makeup. She then placed the mirror and lipstick back into Xie Lin’s small, elegant bag.
Glancing back, she looked at the guard at the door standing beneath the outstanging tree branches; he was also watching her.
Koni smiled at him. This bloodline warrior of the family straightened his expression. Koni swung her bag over her shoulder, walked over, and said:
“I need to go to the nearest telegraph station. Can you take me there? “
“I… I need to protect this place, I can’t leave. You should go into the house, miss. Governor Lanni is waiting for you. “
“I see. All right. Oh, by the way, did Governor Lanni mention how I got back? “
“Back? ” This bloodline warrior frowned in confusion.
“Miss Finnie, Governor Lanni just told us that you’ve returned from the King’s Academy Special Training Program, so… “
Haili Koni immediately straightened her expression. “If that’s the case, then you also know that things in Talco are at a critical and dangerous juncture right now. “
“Yes. ” The bloodline guard by Governor Lanni’s side at the door immediately stood at attention, making eye contact with Haili Koni to say. “But… “
“Stop with the ‘buts.’ “
Haili Koni swung her dainty handbag over the man’s arm, crossed her arms, and chuckled:
“You’re so rigid. Now, I need to take some important information learned by Mr. Hobbes Wincer to our academy’s appointed outside experts for joint discussion. Guard this bag for me. I have already graduated; I can’t possibly get lost. “
“Heh, Miss Finnie sure has a sense of humor. ” Amidst the scent of flowers, feeling the lady’s bag hanging from his arms, her arm draped like soft silk, he nodded and his embarrassment smoothed into enthusiasm, the guard then directly said cheerfully:
“Please go quickly then, and come back, miss. The public telegraph station is just two blocks away from our neighborhood. It’s not far. “
“Alright, I figure it’ll take maybe a quarter of an hour, as long as it’s not too busy there. “
Koni smiled and waved her arms, then turned and strode away on her vigorous legs, her long hair swaying as she headed for the street corner.
Rounding a corner, she swiftly and nimbly unbuttoned her clothes with her fingers, shrugged off her coat as she walked, took out a headscarf and wrapped it around her head, then quickened her pace toward the end of the street.
……
Although the Fogfolk had used some means to neutralize the anesthesia and force him awake quickly, Kiven still found it difficult to muster any sensations that could be under his control.
The door was pushed open, and hurried footsteps quickly crossed the brick floor to the bedside where two men stood guard.
“Gentlemen, please step outside for a moment. “
Wearing a black coat and holding a cane, Viceroy Lanni pulled up a chair after the room was left with only the recovering man and himself.
“Kiven, this information you’ve obtained—does it mean you’ve already entered the inner circle of their Fogfolk, as far as the leaders of the World Ark are concerned? “
“V-Viceroy… “
“Fenny… Haah, it’s Koni who’s gone missing. “
A look of disappointment and anger appeared on Viceroy Lanni’s face. Sitting in his chair, he pressed both palms down on his cane, thumping it hard against the floor with a dull thud.
“I never should have let her out. If she goes off on her own to find Yang Buchen, it will gravely tarnish our family’s image. Tsk. “
Viceroy Lanni’s gaze fell upon his face, which bore a faint smile, his eyes lingering on the governor’s slightly upturned mustache.
“Koni… has she gone missing?“
Viceroy Lanni looked at the man’s face, his expression unreadable.
“I had high hopes for you, and I had some expectations for her as well. Alas.“
At this, Viceroy Lanni cast a brief glance at Huikewen, a slight frown creasing his brow as if lost in thought.
……
Upon the shifting, misty clouds.
The dark five-propeller aircraft hummed softly, streaking across the sky at a speed no ordinary plane in any nation could match.
A cloud was left behind, revealing the landscape through the clear air.
Ang Pailisi, clutching a file bag in both hands, turned his head to gaze below.
Beyond the somewhat translucent canopy, the ground was a patchwork of mottled forests and fields, with distant silhouettes of city buildings.
The pilot’s voice came from the front cabin:
“Sir, according to my latest intelligence, this Science Demon aircraft we’re on is about ten minutes from our target destination.“
“Ten minutes… You can finally tell me the name of this plane.“
The staff officer in the back opened the file bag, pulled out a notebook and a fountain pen, and with a slight tremor of the aircraft, unscrewed the pen cap.
The pilot’s voice came through from the front, “Mr. Brown Lion, the aircraft we are currently aboard is the ‘Prayer’. “
The tall, straight-nosed man whose pen tip touched the notebook paused his fingertips, then began to scribble on the paper.
—If we abandon the World Ark, consequence “1 “…
“Is he in the capital? ” The colonel code-named Brown Lion asked while writing.
The pilot in front, wearing a headset extending from the nightmare plane’s cockpit, said loudly, “No, but not far. “
“Then where is he? “
“In an old castle town further north, called Fort Marlenlint. We received word that a large-scale hostage situation just occurred there nearly an hour ago. The hostage-takers are threatening to demand something called a ‘Key’ from the target. “
Upon hearing this, Ang Pailisi felt the severity of the issue.
He glanced at the plane. Its radio was an after-installment; what was once relatively advanced signal transmission and relay technology for the Empire was now riddled with vulnerabilities. Some hidden ground signal stations had already been destroyed amid the appearance of Iron Vines.
The colonel, having learned that Heiwen Nazi tentatively possessed many special pieces of intelligence from last night until
“Completely shut down the radio. Report to me the messages you have received so far. “
“Sir, there are still ten minutes left. Could we miss some important upcoming news? “
“No, but there’s something off about your state. ” The w1, Brown Lion, replied without lifting his head.
“Me? What! ” The pilot was startled.
Ang Pailisi continued to speak with his head down:
“It seems spending too much time with the Science Demon’s planes can still affect some people’s mental state. I remember you, Mr. Elfer, used to be a very decisive and seasoned pilot, but now you don’t match the image I have in my memory. “
“Well, I just asked, maybe just to be a little more cautious and safe. “
“Yes. But the flight path you took along the way, and the speed of the plane, shouldn’t have been the optimal solution for you. Based on the route you just took, I’ve already spotted at least two missing radio station locations. Like that mountain range we just passed; you should have been faster. “
“Well… I, yes, Colonel. I think I’m starting to understand. “
This pilot seemed to snap out of it, as if suddenly realizing. “I relied on this thing too much. The creations of the Science Demon… even if defunct, they’re still somewhat dangerous. “
“Brown Lion ” Ang Pailisi looked up, smiled from behind the flight seat, “It’s okay, start reporting to me now. “
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