Chapter 951: Chapter 16: Inside and Outside the Ship
“Ti always marches forward until the present becos the past.” The old mage stroked his beard, no longer reminiscing about the past, and shifted into a stern tone, “And Your Majesty, we must discuss the present matters. I strongly oppose your visit to the Union at this ti; everyone knows Gaius is about to make a move. Your visit now is akin to walking into a lion’s den.”
“But am I a little lamb?” Grey blinked, her eyes lively. The office suddenly transford into a vast ocean, and the two were seated on the deck of the Kingdom’s famous battleship “Vansheng,” cutting through the waves. Her world unfolded for only a few seconds before being retracted, never once affecting the area outside the office. Even the well-traveled old mage couldn’t help but nod in acknowledgnt.
“Impressive control, Your Majesty.”
“I think I’m not too shabby among the Creator Realm Mages,” Grey said proudly.
“But practice is different from real combat!” The old man raised his voice, “The trans-ocean highway plan is just a minor card in comrce and diplomacy; the Queen should not take risks for it.”
“I understand, please relax, Chief Mage.” Grey reassured, “From the Impermanence Law Enforcer’s perspective, there is certainly danger. But from a politician’s view, this is the safest and most beneficial support for action. Gaius Otimis would never dare let face any danger in the Union; it would beco a catalyst for war. So not only would they avoid harming , they would send elite forces to protect —or rather, to limit my actions—to prevent any ‘incident’ I might cause from providing an excuse for the Kingdom to formally intervene.”
The old mage pondered deeply and said, “You’re planning to use this visit to divert Gaius’s attention and his resources…”
“The Northern Continent is vast; I’ll visit the east, giving Knight Alandia the chance to make big moves elsewhere.” Grey clasped her hands, “What do you think, Your Excellency Mage?”
“Too impulsive, radical, and risky!” The old mage huffed and glared, “I often told your mother to be daring in making decisions. Now, I must tell you, learn from your mother, do not be too rash. I have a better idea: invite the Union to visit the Kingdom! This way, their Creation Realm must also follow, making it even safer!”
“You see, this is Gaius’s brilliance. He uses his puppet president to block all these affairs. He doesn’t need to protect Klein at all; if sothing happens to the president, he would imdiately declare a state of war and temporarily take over the presidency himself.” Grey curled her lip, “He even saves the trouble of an election.”
“Serves those Union bastards right with their sheep-chewed beards!” Loninles cursed.
After cursing the Union people for quite so ti in front of the Queen, Loninles left the palace and returned to his museum. He sat once more in that chaotic office, rummaging through the clutter to find an old telephone. It was a secret device once used by royal spies.
For a Spiritual Image Mage adept at manipulating thoughts and illusions, slipping a small item unnoticed from under the agents’ noses was never a difficult task.
Loninles took a piece of paper from his robe pocket, sothing Knight Gafri had slipped into his hand while shaking earlier, Shiyu Lianyi’s investigation results in the Celestial Capital. The Resurrection Skill Enforcer glanced over the contact tis recorded there, tapping his finger on the old phone. A spectral, shadowy figure floated out from within the telephone.
“Tell your undoubted mory,” the Resurrection Mage murmured, “August 14, 2007, at 14:16, who spoke to you.”
The specter recited the mory buried within the object. Four years is a long ti for humans but very short for inanimate objects; everything was as clear as yesterday. The old mage posed the next question: “Next, August 10, 2007, at 9:08…”
Human mory can be easily altered, but traces of their actions will always remain in the world. Those traces are on the floor, within the walls, inside phones, at pen tips. Loninles chuckled coldly, taking notes, inscribing nas one by one with his pen, connecting them like a web. It was a list from four years ago, guiding him to those who had extended their tentacles into the Kingdom to interfere with the struggle for representation in the Celestial Capital. He couldn’t verify the true mastermind in a single day, but he had the patience for a gradual approach. Patience was sothing old people were never short of.
After making his records, Loninles pushed open the window, letting the gloomy, damp air flood the room. The southern hemisphere’s Kingdom of Morton was ushering in the end of winter, and today’s weather, a sleet mix loathed by every kingdom citizen, with its cold, damp air perating through the unfrozen rainwater, seed to seep into everyone’s bones.
On the other side of the city, Knight Rakael closed his umbrella, brushed the snow from his shoulders, and entered the third floor of number one Eping Street’s office. As usual, he poured himself a glass of strong liquor to warm himself before anything else.
“Good morning, everyone!” Rakael greeted his colleagues, raising his glass, the liquor reflecting his amiable and composed smile, “Any good news?”
Knight Akuya, holding today’s morning paper, read the headlines in her lively voice: “The eastern district water project was completed yesterday, which locals view positively… The third day of the White Stone District’s avant-garde art exhibition, showcasing new works based on royal family mbers, highlights the capital’s patriotic spirit… The cross-ocean roadway project nears completion, and there are reports Queen Grey will soon visit the Union…”
“Excuse ?” Knight Blana asked softly. This new mber, a slender, lancholic black-haired man, “We’ve only just begun discussions on the diplomatic visit; how did the newspaper get wind of it?”
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