The message intended for the General was swiftly transmitted via a dedicated line to his office.
With a click, the black telephone was placed back on its desktop cradle.
Seeing the General with a slightly more relaxed and weary expression after hanging up, the female adjutant beside the desk asked softly with concern:
“Mr. Roth, would you like to rest for a while? “
“I’m fine. “
Leaning back against the black lacquered chair, Roth, dressed in a dark green General’s uniform, turned his rugged face with a faint smile.
“Help me prepare—well, get in touch with the gentlemen of the World Ark committee. We need some screen time. About ten minutes or so. “
“Alright, sir. “
The female adjutant glanced at Roth, who seemed in much better spirits, then turned and headed for the door. But she paused.
“Mr. Roth, if we contact the World Ark now and they inquire about our flight formation, should we give them any response? “
Roth pondered—tonight, the “Lady ” who had guarded Heivenzike since ancient times had suddenly granted the “World Ark President ” the code name “Golmes, ” thereby mobilizing the aircraft for an immediate top-secret mission.
At this moment, even though the aircraft was executing the mission under the Heivenzike Kingdom’s own orders,
if the World Ark, through its official channels, brought up inquiries now, they would have both a special and legitimate reason.
Although… this was likely part of the Great Prince’s intentions as well.
Should Yang Buchen, the “Fogfolk” of the World Ark, still be informed about the ongoing transport operation?
The female adjutant, perceiving General Ross’s contemplative expression, chose to wait.
The reason she hadn’t continued with her previous directive—leaving the office to convey the orders—despite the General not responding, was that her judgment, based on the subtle signs of his deep reflection, told her that the General would provide her with an answer after he had finished thinking.
“If someone on the committee’s founding members list asks, you may inform them that we have information about our citizens being taken hostage.“
This adjutant, already well-versed in the deeper secrets of this world concerning the Fogfolk and the like, immediately grasped the General’s implied meaning.
“Yes, General Ross.” She turned and walked out the door, her mood lightened with relief that General Ross had not fostered any discord by withholding command from the Great Prince.
That was too close for comfort, the adjutant thought to herself as she closed the door.
After securing for the command center the authority to mobilize the Army, the city defenses, and reserve resources on the one hand, the Prince himself, through the intervention of Mrs. Goerless that evening, also obtained the authority to mobilize the Air Force.
Fortunately, General Ross unhesitatingly accepted whatever directive the Prince gave him.
The officer was genuinely happy for the General gaining these expanded powers. But she also knew it would mean more gossip and malicious tongues.
She hurried down the spiral staircase, thinking to herself that the pressure would only mount.
However, just as it was hard for the Prince to find another person who would help without ulterior motives like the Fogfolk, General Ross, already overwhelmed by changes in the external environment, struggled to find anyone else to help him withstand pressure from all sides.
The female adjutant sidestepped to avoid passersby while glancing at the hurried expressions and postures of the officers and soldiers around her. She quietly pondered if her brothers or cousins from home could join the office and whether they might become people who could share the General’s burdens.
But with a faint sigh, she pushed the thought aside for now. Those kinds of ideas had no real meaning except to get herself promptly reassigned by General Ross. After all, unlike the General, she was hardly irreplaceable.
Clatter, clatter.The young, attractive woman with long, slightly wavy hair reaching her shoulders quickened her steps down the stairs, arriving at the heavily guarded secure communications room on the second floor.
Several security-cleared operators inside the room turned their heads to look at the woman as she stepped in and began issuing orders.
“Connect me to World Ark Headquarters. “
The tall woman strode with a firm gait toward the sealed glass-windowed room at the back of the aisle past the operators.
The two female operators glanced at her retreating figure, pursed their lips, and busied themselves with the communication relay equipment.
The secure call quickly went through to World Ark Headquarters.
— “Hello, this is the Headquarters of the World Ark Stateless Rescue Committee.“
Hearing the voice she had already heard once through the receiver, the lady’s heart relaxed a little.
It was a gentleman from the Haili family, ranked very high on the list drawn up by the office.
“Mr. Huikeven, ” the lady said, holding the flute-shaped microphone, “This is Lindana from the General’s Office. “
The voice of the lady inside the glass window did not leak out even a trace through this door.
Among the operators, a girl who seemed to be about seventeen or eighteen years old listened calmly to the telegraph sounds coming through her earphones. But whenever footsteps passed her door, her gaze would shift slightly with them, as if she could tell from the footsteps alone how many anxious people had passed by the corridor outside the door and the stairs leading to the neighboring corridors.
……
At the World Ark headquarters, the sounds of the nearby residents had gradually faded away.
In response, huge campfires were lit in the squares scattered throughout the refuge area, crackling as they burned wood dragged out from houses, charcoal, and old sheets stained with sweat.
Haili Huikeven strode out of the communications room, hastily emerging from the door enclosed by a thick soundproof covering. While slipping his arms into his coat sleeves, he spoke in a low voice to the protector following closely beside him.
“Come back with me immediately. “
“Right now? ” asked the gentleman by the door, the one whom Governor Lanni had instructed to stick close to him at all times recently.
“We have to inform our Mist People gentlemen of something first. You know, today our communication line with Krupp was cut off. “
“Yes, it should be some communication base stations between the two countries. They’ve either been destroyed by the erupting Iron Vine or damaged by those who seized our signals earlier. “
Following closely behind Hallice Fairstone Swiftcloud-Crane, this guard proceeded with quick steps through the corridor illuminated by wall lamps while analyzing the situation aloud:
“For the coming period, communications will rely on our friends from the Mist Man tribe themselves. I hope the messages can reach Kraun’s group safely and intact. “
“Hmm, ” Swiftcloud muttered, glancing briefly at the man beside him as he walked.
“Mr. Rayne, will our journey be safe? “
The atmosphere here tonight had already said it all.
“I think we’ll be watched from the moment we leave this building until we return home. Mr. Swiftcloud, you may not have truly grasped what level the events unfolding here tonight really belong to. “
Upon hearing this, Reinforcer of Noble Arcs immediately began reevaluating his plan with a renewed sense of caution.
There was indeed something unusual about tonight: signal interference, the inexplicable urge to set fires like the Hellfire Sect, and even General Langour’s brief visit before his hasty departure.
Clearly, if there truly were some hidden secrets of importance that Swiftcloud himself was unaware of, the scheme he had crafted moments ago—to secure a few solid supporters as leverage for his/3.Sora named attribute Narrator Light Character Redactor Cursor Not In/Soraown sisters earlier—****it could bring benefits-to wouldn’t succeed.
……
The pair’s footsteps passed through the courtyard wall, across a small yard left behind by an old factory, and into the compound wall of the adjacent building.
The moment they entered here, one could feel that the air was somehow different around you which felt knotted in the atmosphere and far heavier somehow an atmosphere woven markedly tighter or–its caution already a-thal fully with realness now settled-bool worth feeling— It’s truly intense!
Haili Huikewen’s gaze swept over the two figures beneath the left and right courtyard walls before landing on a man of the Mistfolk, with an exceptional poise, standing guard at the courtyard entrance.
“Mr. Huikewen. ” The young man at the gate, with short brown hair and a triangular scarf wrapped around his collar, fixed his eyes on this founder of the World Ark.
He knew this man had been on duty at the headquarters all evening and hadn’t gone out since the afternoon.
“I received a call from the Defense Command; His Highness is to deliver a ten-minute public address to the world. “
“Hmm? That news— “
The brown-haired young man at the gate noticed that the two people under the left and right courtyard walls had both turned to look over.
He gave a soft hiss. Normally, hearing this news would fill him with joy, but tonight… what was happening now surely mattered more.
Not to mention that this was merely passing along a message about the Prince. Given how long he had been with the World Ark, dealing daily with communications among top-tier international figures, handling such matters had become rather routine.
Relying solely on the delivery of this one message, it was rather difficult for it to independently give birth to a complete, glorious radiance.
Yet, to abandon it felt like a waste to leave to waste.
“Hmm, regarding this, the Special Defense Command will later send a dedicated person with the relevant details. ” Haili Huikewen said.
Not far behind him, by the courtyard gate, Rayne was pacing restlessly back and forth.
The guard knew that the atmosphere in the small yard was completely different from usual, and was unwilling to approach a place that might cause misunderstanding.
“Is it direct delivery of video tapes? ” The short-haired young man at the door thought for a moment and decided he had nothing better to do, so he asked about some irrelevant matters.
“The General’s office didn’t say, but I think that’s the case. “
Since not long ago, when the live broadcast image, a novel concept for the people of this world, was born, the related video and tape recording equipment had already become another permanent team within Hazel Palace, apart from the broadcasting team. This was something known to all members of the World Ark stationed here.
However, Haili Huikewen was unsure whether the members of the Kruen branch in front of him knew this.
That is, State Preceptor Steffen might have other methods.
I heard that one of the headquarters’ airships often hovers near the Capitol, allowing for very convenient communication with the Prime Minister and recording of speeches.
“We will relay this news as soon as possible. ” The man leaning against the wall outside the door clicked his tongue.
A pity, he thought to himself.
These couple of days, he had no idea how much similar information would have to be transmitted. If it continued at the same pace, he would have to stay at this door for at least a couple of days.
The responding man skillfully exchanged glances with the two guards to his left and right in the courtyard. Both returned a look of equally deep regret.
Honestly. The short-haired young man grumbled inwardly, his gaze falling critically on Rayne. He knew that this man was a guard of the Haili family.
Haili Huikewen on the stone staircase let out a long breath. The communication about the prince’s pending message had already concluded.
But… he couldn’t help but glance toward the night sky in the distance.
Over the other end of the city, there was still an airship.
Having already received word, he knew that aboard it was… the image of one of his sisters.
“Do you have something else? ” The reclining man withdrew his gaze.
“Ah, I… ” Haili Huikewen faltered.
As for the matter of the military transport carrying goats, it was likely linked to something very serious.
The unfair treatment of his own eldest sister was likely known by very few in the entire clan, and if Chairman Yang Buchen ever found out about it in the future, he would surely be furious; at the very least, if it were him, it would create a massive rift with the family.
But Viceroy Lanni has always been this way; he could never possibly offer the Viceroy any advice.
For the sake of the family’s future, and also to avoid unnecessary rifts that might arise if Chairman Yang were to discover the identities of the “Conies ” later on.
He had originally thought to hand over this situation, which might concern the safety of the world, to the real Conie, who was under house arrest, to inform him.
That way, even if her identity weren’t exposed now, when Chairman Yang discovered any clues later, he would at least know that both Conies had made contributions to his safety and interests.
And most importantly, Conie would not develop an extra sense of frustration because of this.
After merely thinking for a second or two, Haili Huikewen felt an unabashed gaze from the man in front of him fall upon his face.
“Well, I do have another piece of news, ” Huikewen had no choice but to say. “But this matter… “
“Ah, friends! ” a breathless voice came from behind.
Haili Huikewen, the man at the corridor door, and the others in the yard all turned their heads to look at the figure gasping heavily at the entrance of the passageway.
“Who are you…? ” asked Rayne, the courtyard guard.
“I am Ma Shuo. ” The parched man propped himself against the courtyard wall with his arm, his clothes nowhere to be seen.
Rayne at the door suddenly remembered this person.
After all, he was one of those whom Chairman Yang had taken into the meeting room; by now, practically every clan knew of this gentleman’s existence.
“Ah, it’s Mr. Ma Shuo. “
Upon hearing the name and matching it with his appearance, the young man guarding the door immediately recognized him. His eyes then lit up with joy.
“Mr. Ma. You’ve arrived just in time. “
Ma Shuo, sweating profusely, walked forward with heavy breaths.
“What happened to you? ” Rayne asked, making a supportive gesture.
“Oh, nothing. I… I just finished a long run. “
Ma Shuo said. “Good heavens, you have no idea how many bonfires have risen in the city! “
Then, as if he had just caught on:
“Oh, right, old friend. What did you mean by ‘just in time’? “
“There’s some information here that needs you to relay. “
The man standing guard in the corridor said, “I’m here to deliver, on behalf of our side, the prince’s wish to make a public speech at the sea station. You ought to be a bit interested in that, right, brother? “
Overhearing this, Ma Shuo’s face lit up with joy as he turned to look at a man of notable presence in the courtyard.
Haili Huikewen said very naturally, “I was the one who took the call from the Defense Office. “
“Oh, great. Let’s go inside and talk. ” Ma Shuo approached and said to the man at the door, “Chairman Yang is out at sea? “
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