Led by the proprietor, the three military staff ascended the stairs.

In the room, the distributor, who had been reading the contract penned by Yang Zicang, suddenly lifted his head. He first frowned slightly, glancing toward the stairwell, then twisted to peer out the window at the faint interference from Gray Dove’s communicator. “Make it quick; I need to leave. “

“Huh? “

Yang Zicang looked up. Under the candlelight, the young boy seemed oddly agitated.

He tilted his head to listen. Perhaps because Tatamingqi wasn’t the real owner of this place, he could make out the footsteps of several people on the poorly soundproofed hotel corridor below, making no effort to conceal themselves as they headed upstairs.

Looking for me?

Tatamingqi snatched the contract off the small table. “Just sign your name. This means our long-term delivery and purchase deal is sealed, right? I’m out of here. “

As he spoke, he dashed to the window, twisted the handle open, and leaped up onto the sill.

— “Honored guest, sign a contract with me too! It’ll benefit you, and hurt you in no way! “

Smack!The gray dove was sent flying with a single slap from the boy.

Yang Zicang rushed to the window. The kid had already landed lightly on the ground, looked up with a grin, and tucked the contract into his coat.

“See you next time. “

The boy had just waved his hand when a “rap, rap ” knock sounded from outside the door.

• ｛Distributor February. Di’an feels unwell.｝
• ｛Distributor May. Valkyrie, through “I, the Double-Sided Golden Skeleton Gemstone Pendant, ” expresses a desire to sign a long-term contract with me.｝

Rap, rap!

“Good day, honored guest, sir. Three guests from the 47th Division wish to see you. “

“Coming, coming. “

Yang Zicang walked over and pulled open the door. Catching sight of the three smiling figures in the corridor, he forced a smile onto his own face.

“Hello, Mr. Yang Bucheng. I’m here on behalf of Senior Colonel Schneider, Division Commander, to invite you to a banquet and convey matters regarding your decoration.“

“Huh? Decoration? I… are you sure?“

The man beside the adjutant offered a kind smile. “We understand that Mr. Bucheng may prefer not to make your identity public, so this award ceremony can be conducted privately—in recognition of your contributions to the defense of our 27,600 citizens.“

A woman nearby added in a gentle voice, “Please do come. The Division Commander has also arranged a position for you concerning the upcoming operation to retake the White Violet Mountain Range.“

Yang Zicang’s expression shifted slightly.

……

Bang!

An exquisite teacup was slammed heavily onto a gold-chased saucer. Inside the elegant yet oppressively tense office, a young man with slightly wavy brown hair and sharply defined features had a face as dark as a thundercloud.

The adjutant, dressed in a sharp court uniform, stood silently with hands at his sides.

“Your Highness, please calm your anger.“

Another young man of more ordinary bearing, with a large roll of curled hair and a minor ornamental sash pinned to his chest, stepped forward to help Leonhard return the teacup to its proper place, commenting as he did:

“Just called White Violet Headquarters just now for an update— they say the situation’s even fiercer than expected. Colonel Schneider has truly played a brilliant gambit this time. To have leveraged that unexpected report and maneuver it this far…“

“Unexpected? ” Leonhard raised his eyelids to look at him. “Are you saying Colonel Schneider is the one fanning the flames behind the scenes? “

“Mm-hmm. Perhaps the Marshal silently condones it. But regardless, I believe some of them are leveraging this fire ignited by the Fogfolk, using it to fuel the blaze and spread it across the entire nation. Now, even the Grand Duke has… made his stance known. Isn’t that a brilliant move? “

“Hmph, that’s a possibility, ” the Crown Prince’s eyes half-lowered. “If that’s truly the case, it’s far more than just a brilliant move! “

Leonhard’s voice was icy as he snorted coldly. Staring at Vanderloo, the son of the Vice Minister of Finance standing beside him, he said:

“If the Marshal didn’t tacitly approve, then the Marshal’s Mansion would be caught in a bind. They’d be forced to fully support him in driving out the Telanaxian army and recovering the coastline. He’s been held at the rank of Colonel for years now; they’ll likely have no choice but to promote him to Major General. “

Vanderloo, looking somewhat worried, replied, “Yes, that would mean the Marshal gains another Major General. “

Leonhard grabbed the copy of theTranquil Watcher Gazetteon the table. “To be fair, the Fogfolk actually did quite well this time. “

Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Vanderloo’s face.

Leonhard’s eyes turned cold. “What? Wasn’t your analysis quite sharp just now? Don’t understand this all of a sudden? “

“Your Highness, I… “

The Crown Prince slammed his hands on the table, staring at him intensely. “There are so many of our people in White Violet City, all in key positions. How is it that not a single one of them saw this coming beforehand? “

“Yes, yes, we should nip this in the bud early. “

Suddenly, with a “smack, ” the newspaper was flung onto Vanderloo’s face.

The man with slightly curly brown hair turned to the palace guards standing silently nearby, and said:

“Order someone to draft an official letter of protest immediately, to condemn foreign troops that have entered our territory, and issue a final ultimatum: they have two days to leave our borders, or it will be considered an act of war. At the same time, command the Royal Axe Guard to dispatch elite forces right away to the White Violet Mountains. Ensure every newspaper prints this news and accompanies it with photographs of their deployment. “

“Yes! ” the palace guard acknowledged the order before taking his leave.

Vanderloo wiped his forehead of sweat as he looked at the newspaper in his hand, darting a glance upward to see the Crown Prince watching him; their eyes locked for a moment before he quickly averted his gaze.

“You, go prepare the awards ceremony. “

“Yes. Wait—what? “

“For that damned journalist, and that Fogfolk woman. ” Leonhard stretched his back and let out a long sigh. “And also for those members of the ‘Green Sprout Commune’ who set up some mutual aid society and run a newspaper in Precious Rain Village. They are all paragons of patriotic youth, aren’t they! “

The voice continued, utterly devoid of emotion:

“Leak the word that I greatly admire Rakan… Conrad’s courage and penmanship, and that I’m preparing to nominate him for the Court Honorary Medal. Keep in mind, make it swift and loud—we must absolutely not fall behind the Marshal’s Mansion! “

“I will see to it at once. ” Vanderloo set the newspaper down with deference, took two steps back, turned, and ran out of the office.

Leonhard watched his retreating figure, a flicker of impatience flashing in his eyes before turning to gaze at the newspaper profile wearing a naval cap.

“Well, you should be gone soon too. “

The young man tossed the paper onto the desk.

“Konrad… A fleeting opportunity like this—how could someone like Schneider, who only knows how to lead troops in battle, ever appreciate it? To have come this far… “

He turned his head to look at a photograph of a statue solemnly displayed on the bookshelf, “You must know the secret of the Saint Statue, don’t you. “

……

She Liqing drifted quietly over the vast, boundless sea, staring blankly at the sky.

No useful intelligence had come from the mainland today.

……

Bai Yuan, who had already left White Violet City, frowned as he studied several supplementary newspaper editions in his hands.

Some were only half a page, like hastily thrown-together flyers.

Many people on the street were holding these papers and talking in low voices. Some said this felt like the situation before the dissolution of “Jin Bei, ” while others thought it was an overreaction.

Bai Yuan returned to his rented quarters. He locked the door, pulled out that precious blank page, and dipped his pen to write on it.

—Is it proceeding according to your plan now?

—Will there be any surprises?

—It’s already several days into the month. Should I really not go back and check the inn?

After writing these lines, he waited anxiously.

It took a long time this time. Even after he had leisurely read a detective novel and enjoyed a dessert, the text on the book page finally changed.

Bai Yuan snatched up the book page, his heartbeat quickening as he read.

—Probably no accidents will happen. Now, he already possesses the necessary conditions to lead those commoners out. As long as he’s willing to take another risk.

“Hmm, makes sense,” Bai Yuan nodded gravely, then took a sip of tea. Setting it down, he continued gripping both sides of the paper, waiting for the text to change again.

—As for you, I was originally worried he might catch on. As long as you’re willing to spare the bullets, you can continue trying to go back to the inn. But before confirming you haven’t been exposed, do not leave that room you were invited into, just in case.

—May your undercover mission go smoothly, and may the path of espionage be ever grand.

“Phew…” A faint sense of mission welled up in Bai Yuan’s heart. “As long as I can enter first, then just don’t leave the room, I’ll be fine.“

He’d originally intended to fold the paper, but a sudden impulse made him pick up the brush and write almost as if asking after someone: “President, what have you been up to lately?“

—Preparing the feeling you like for you.

“The feeling I like?” Bai Yuan pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly brightened. “That kid’s setting me up with some base patterns?” In his mind, a vision of countless beautiful women fighting on a stage involuntarily appeared.

……

On a vast, boundless sea, on a rocking boat.

With heavy bags under his eyes, Hong Haocheng wrapped himself in a blanket, yawning as he stared vacant-eyed straight ahead. In his hands lay spread open a thick notebook filled with countless scripts from foreign lands, like the lifelong recorded journal of some researcher who had lived for hundreds of years.

“Yawning, are we?“

Beside him, the woman with hair as dark as ink yet tinged with a hint of deep blue folded the book page, tucked it into her jacket’s inner pocket, and leaned her cheek on her hand as she tilted her head to glance sideways at him.

“Aren’t you working hard? Do you really want to attract moonlight that badly?“

“Or what? Should I just sit back and wait to be hunted? I am the head of a conference, after all.“

With that, Hong Haocheng looked back at the book in his hands, then felt his mind spin. He closed the volume and tossed it away; with athump, it landed on the cabin floor.

The woman got up, walked over to pick it up, and patted the front cover, which featured a simple ink-line drawing of a dragon perched atop a tall tower. A smirk curling on her lips, she said,

“What does being hunted matter? Aren’t I here with you?“

The dark-eyed Hong Haocheng turned his dull head her way to look. Her figure seemed to overlay with the phantom of Lady Xu from somewhere in his mind; jolting fully awake, he snapped his gaze back front to one side.

The woman ambled toward him with a teasing grin, gripping the book by its spine, then rapped it sharply against his skull.

“Still thinking wicked thoughts in that head of yours?“

Hong Haocheng let out a tiny shudder, his lips falling open in a soft, drowsy moan.

“Don’t even try to deny it!“

Whack!Another swipe with the book came down on his head.