On the platform of Tivian West Station, Gregor pauses slightly upon seeing the three n before him. Recognizing the badges in their hands, he imdiately understands the situation.
A crown and a sword, surrounded by flowing wind and a crescent moon—this emblem is the insignia of the Pritt Serenity Bureau. It is a slightly modified version of the royal emblem of the Pritt Kingdom, sothing Gregor is very familiar with.
“These are people sent by the headquarters to pick up…”
Gregor thinks to himself, then smiles and responds.
"I am Gregorius Mayschoss. Thank you for your hard work. Please lead the way."
Gregor speaks politely, and the n in front of him nod, putting away their badges. One of them reaches out to take Gregor’s suitcase, and Gregor hands it over without hesitation.
Under the guidance of the n, Gregor exits the train station. At the bustling intersection in front of the station, he sees a large black carriage parked by the roadside.
Gregor follows the n into the carriage, which is much more spacious than a typical carriage. The windows are closed, so he cannot see the streets outside or know where the carriage is heading. Gregor understands that this is a precaution to prevent him from learning the location of the headquarters.
"Ha... Gentlen, I’ll soon be working at the bureau. Isn’t it a bit excessive to keep the location a secret from ?"
Gregor jokes with the n sitting across from him. The leader of the group, a man nad McFoodie, responds with a relaxed tone.
"This is just standard procedure, Mr. Mayschoss. Until you are officially appointed, you are not yet one of us. According to regulations, any outsider who is not a formal mber must enter the headquarters this way.
"By the way, let introduce myself. My na is McFoodie, and I work in the Review Departnt. I’m responsible for your in-person review. Please cooperate with later."
(T/N: This is such a comical na, but idk any better translation for 麦富迪 / Mài Fù Dí )
McFoodie extends his hand, and Gregor shakes it with a smile.
“That makes sense. I haven’t been officially appointed yet, and the review isn’t over. These asures are understandable.”
Gregor thinks to himself. As the carriage moves forward in the enclosed space, Gregor feels a bit bored. He notices a few local Tivian newspapers on the table in front of him and picks them up to read. The news and advertisents from the big city quickly catch his attention.
“Wow, the big city has so many things to offer—circuses, amusent parks, racecourses, departnt stores, art exhibitions, theaters... and even sothing called a cinema? So many things we don’t have in Igwynt. They all seem so interesting. If I have free ti while working here, maybe I can take Dorothy to visit so of these places. A girl her age would probably love amusent parks and circuses…”
As Gregor flips through the newspaper, he is filled with curiosity and excitent about the big city. His anticipation for his new life grows stronger. When he turns the page, a large photograph of a glamorous woman catches his eye.
“This woman... she’s stunning. Adèle the Dancer... is she a celebrity in Tivian? She’s really beautiful…”
Gregor can’t help but admire the photo in the newspaper. Although the photo is in black and white and the print quality is limited, it doesn’t diminish the woman’s charm. Gregor thinks to himself that the capital city truly has it all, even celebrities this beautiful.
“The capital is full of wonders, but on the other hand, the public security here doesn’t seem great. There are frequent cri reports, and the police seem inefficient, relying on detectives to solve cases. I wonder if any of this is related to the mysticism world.”
As Gregor continues flipping through the newspaper, he notices many cri reports. Ti passes, and he soon arrives at his destination.
After about an hour and a half, Gregor feels the carriage begin a long descent. The light outside grows dimr, and the only source of illumination inside the carriage is a gas lamp. Gregor realizes that the carriage has entered an underground area.
The descent doesn’t last long before the carriage cos to a stop. The n get up and open the door, and Gregor puts down the newspaper and follows them. After stepping out of the carriage, he finds himself in an underground stable. The spacious underground area is filled with empty carriages without horses. People are leading horses in and out, hitching them to carriages, and uniford Hunters are boarding carriages and heading up the slope toward the exit.
"Please follow us, Mr. Mayschoss."
After a brief glance around, McFoodie speaks to Gregor. Gregor nods and follows them. After leaving the underground stable, they enter a long corridor. They walk along the corridor, passing by others—so are clerks carrying docunts, while others are uniford Hunters.
After several twists and turns through the branching corridors, they finally pass through a door adorned with an Illuminating Beacon. Gregor steps into an expansive underground space.
This is an underground hall. Thick stone pillars, three to four stories high, are arranged in neat rows, supporting the wide do. At the center of the do is a massive, peculiar gemstone that emits a cold white light, illuminating the dark space along with countless lamps hanging on the walls.
The underground hall is bustling with activity. On the most prominent wall hangs the white and blue flag of the Pritt Kingdom, featuring overlapping crosses. However, what draws the most attention in the hall is not the flag but a towering statue of a goddess standing in the center.
This is a statue of a goddess. She wears a long robe, her hands resting gently on her chest, holding a round mirror engraved with a crescent moon. Her long hair flows down to the pedestal where her bare feet stand. The goddess’s face is intentionally blurred, making it difficult to discern her features, but her serene expression is still palpable.
As Gregor steps onto the marble floor of the underground hall, he is montarily stunned. His eyes fixate on the goddess statue beneath the do, his gaze far more intense than when he saw the celebrity photo in the carriage.
Gregor stares at the goddess statue, his mouth slightly open, feeling an indescribable sense of familiarity. His eyes linger on the statue’s blurred face, and a strange sense of recognition washes over him.
“This statue... why does it feel like I’ve seen it before? But I can’t rember where... Strange... I’ve never seen such a statue before in my life. So why does it feel so familiar…”
Gregor frowns slightly, lost in thought. At this mont, the n guiding him notice his unusual behavior.
"Mr. Mayschoss? Is sothing wrong?"
McFoodie asks, snapping Gregor out of his reverie. Gregor quickly turns to him and smiles.
"Oh... it’s nothing. I’m just curious about this statue. What is it supposed to represent? It’s not the Holy Mother, is it?"
Gregor asks, and McFoodie thinks for a mont before answering.
"This? No, this is definitely not a statue of the Holy Mother... but honestly, I don’t know what it represents either."
"You don’t know?"
"That’s right. No one in the headquarters knows who this statue is supposed to be—whether it’s a person or a god. This statue has been here for a very long ti, but no one knows its origins.”
"According to so senior staff, this statue existed even before the Serenity Bureau was established... or even before the kingdom itself was founded. Although it’s clearly a statue of a goddess, it might be so kind of heretical or pagan deity. This headquarters might even have been its temple at one point. But no director has ever ordered its removal, and the church has never comnted on it, so it’s remained here.”
"Although we don’t know the statue’s origins, we privately call it the Moon Maiden Statue... Of course, that’s just a nickna. Don’t take it too seriously."
McFoodie explains to Gregor. Listening to his words, Gregor gazes at the statue thoughtfully for a mont, as if trying to recall sothing, but nothing cos to mind. He eventually looks away and continues following McFoodie.
Under McFoodie’s guidance, Gregor crosses the hall and navigates through the underground complex for a while before arriving at the Review Office, where his formal review begins.
The in-person review lasts several hours. Even though Gregor is well-prepared, the lengthy process leaves him feeling exhausted. During the review, he can’t help but think that if the Eight-Spired Nest mber who planned to impersonate him had managed to pass this review, they must have morized his life story down to the smallest detail.
Finally, the review concludes, and Gregor lets out a sigh of relief. McFoodie smiles and speaks to Gregor, who is sitting behind a desk.
"Mr. Mayschoss, your review results are being processed, but I’ve looked over the materials, and there shouldn’t be any issues. Now, please follow to another location."
McFoodie says in the review room. Gregor, who is drinking water, puts down his cup and asks curiously.
"Another location? Is there more to review?"
"No, not a review. Soone else wants to et you."
"Soone wants to et ?"
Hearing McFoodie’s words, Gregor is montarily puzzled, but he doesn’t hesitate to stand up and follow McFoodie out of the review room.
After navigating through the underground complex for a while, Gregor is surprised to find that they are not heading deeper underground but instead ascending to the surface.
Through the windows of the corridor, Gregor can see sunlight, forests, towering walls, and soldiers standing guard. The walls are equipped with cannons, and soldiers patrol the stone-paved roads below. It seems he is inside a military fortress.
“Is the headquarters of the Serenity Bureau located in a fortress in the forests outside Tivian? Or is the fortress a front for the headquarters, like how the Igwynt branch uses a departnt store as a cover?”
Gregor speculates in his mind. As he continues following McFoodie, he notices that the people they pass are not just Hunters and clerks but also soldiers in standard Pritt red and white military uniforms.
Finally, under McFoodie’s guidance, Gregor arrives at a quiet corridor within the fortress. In front of them stands a pair of double wooden doors.
Standing before the doors, McFoodie adjusts his collar and knocks lightly. A mont later, a strong voice calls from inside.
"Co in."
Hearing the response, McFoodie pushes the door open and enters. What greets Gregor and McFoodie is a lavishly decorated office. The room features carpets, sofas, a coffee table, a large bookshelf, several high-quality oil paintings on the walls, and a few animal head trophies. The ceiling is illuminated by a large Illuminating Beacon, and behind the desk hangs a map of the entire Pritt Kingdom.
Behind the desk are two figures. Standing in front of the desk is a slightly overweight middle-aged man in casual clothes. He has a receding hairline and a thin mustache.
Sitting behind the desk is a younger man in his early thirties. He has short blond hair, a clean and handso face with sharp features, and is wearing the uniform of a high-ranking Pritt military officer. The uniform bears insignia, but Gregor, unfamiliar with the Pritt military system, doesn’t recognize the rank.
"Since the church has proposed it, we’ll proceed as planned. Apu, the sooner that person wakes up, the sooner we can get answers."
The man in the military uniform speaks to the mustached man nad Apu, who nods and responds.
"Understood. I’ll inform them right away."
With that, Apu quickly leaves the office. The man in the military uniform then turns his attention to Gregor and McFoodie at the door. McFoodie salutes and speaks.
"Director, I’ve brought him. The review went smoothly."
Hearing McFoodie’s words, Gregor’s heart skips a beat. He looks at the man behind the desk and widens his eyes slightly.
McFoodie addressed him as Director, and since this is the headquarters of the Serenity Bureau, the man’s identity is clear—he is the Director of the Serenity Bureau, the person in charge of the entire mystical affairs system of the Pritt Kingdom! The head of the nation’s covert operations!
On my first day at the headquarters, I’m already eting the top leader!?
Realizing the man’s identity, Gregor feels a bit overwheld. He never expected to et his ultimate superior on his very first day. Surely, the promotion of a small-ti operative like himself doesn’t require the attention of such a high-ranking official.
And this director looks so young... in his early thirties, much younger than Mr. Jas. How did soone this young beco the director of the entire bureau?
Gregor wonders to himself. At this mont, the man behind the desk nods and waves his hand, signaling McFoodie to leave. McFoodie complies, closing the door behind him, leaving only Gregor and the man in the office.
In Gregor’s eyes, the man stands up unhurriedly from his seat and walks over to him, his military boots clicking against the floor. He examines Gregor for a mont, his gaze making Gregor feel nervous.
"Um... Director... Sir..."
"You are Gregorius Mayschoss, correct? My na is Harold Despenser. It’s a pleasure to et you, the promising young man from Igwynt."
The man nad Harold extends his hand for a handshake. Hearing his na, Gregor is montarily stunned. The reason is simple—the surna Despenser is very familiar to him.
No, it’s not just familiar to him. It’s a na known to all citizens of the Pritt Kingdom. Despenser... it’s the royal family’s surna!
Gregor suddenly realizes that the man before him, who appears to hold a military position and is the director of the Serenity Bureau, is actually a mber of the royal family!
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