098 Untitled

After several clear days, Cervantis City finally received the longed-for spring rain, as precious as oil. For the city itself and for the empire’s northwest, which had already endured a full year of untimely winds and erratic rains, the downpour came as a most welcome and much-needed blessing. So although the rain cooled the recently warmed air once more, most people did not complain.

Because of the rain, the three little ones, Mumu, Kaka, and Jiujiu, did not wander idly through the garden. Instead, they all lay obediently inside the house, watching the rain and wind beyond the bright windows. The dim light and damp weather left the three of them especially languid.

The spring rain had first arrived with tremendous force. After an initial torrential burst, it settled into a steady patter, and when the cold wind swept through it, the fine strands interwove into a gauzy curtain, giving the world outside a misty, hazed-over look.

Peering through the window, one could suddenly see a black figure appear in the gray rain. Tall and gaunt, it seemed to drift through the woods as though hovering several inches above the ground. At first sight of such a strange spectacle, Kaka and Jiujiu sprang upright at once. Kaka’s feathers bristled all over, while Jiujiu’s flames flickered in and out. Both were plainly startled. Mumu, however, recovered quickly after the initial shock and immediately restrained the pair from attacking.

The shadow floated gently to the window, paused just outside for a few seconds, and then passed straight through the glass, entering the house.

Mumu advanced first with elegant feline steps, stopping about two yards away before lifting its head slightly in greeting. “What brings you here?”

The shadow did not remove its rain cloak. From within that dark hood, where no light could penetrate, there came a string of strange syllables. If Theresa had been present, she would have recognized them at once as the purest form of Elvish, graceful and musical as song.

At the sound, Mumu lowered its cat head slightly and stepped aside. Kaka and Jiujiu followed suit, clearing a path. The shadow drifted on into the house, then drifted upstairs.

When the door was quietly pushed open, two magical circles were slowly turning and drawing closer in Mu’s room. One was a brilliant gold, the other a glacial blue. As they touched, immense forces collided. The more the two circles overlapped, the more violent the clash of energies became. Within the chaotic ring of power, a gray-white mass slowly took shape. Then, as the two circles canceled each other out, all that energy fractured into countless particles and was gradually absorbed by the cloud-like mass. Before long, only a tuft of cloud remained suspended in the air. Now and then, one could see streaks of blue-gold energy racing beneath its pale gray surface, like lightning flashing across the sky.

“Master Mu, I trust you are well.”

A respectful greeting sounded from the open doorway. Mu gave a slight flick of the hand, and the tuft of cloud drifted obediently into the wide sleeve of his robe. Only then did the visitor step into the room and bow.

“A member of the Anka order?” Mu eyed the newcomer with narrowed lids, unable to hide a trace of surprise. “What could possibly require your people to come in person?”

The man wore close-fitting beast-hide clothing of black with blue patterns. Two delicate tattoos marked his handsome face. Tall and slender, he stood by the door with such a spare frame that he looked as though a strong breeze might sweep him away. On closer inspection, under the glow of the magic lamps, it became clear that he cast no shadow at all, not the slightest trace of one.

“A message has come from the order,” the man said. “There is a domestic matter on which Master Mu’s assistance is requested.”

A domestic matter? Mu was even more astonished. He stepped around the desk and came to stand before the man, asking gravely, “What has happened to the Anka order?”

“The order is well. Recently, word has reached us that one of our bloodlines may have leaked beyond the order. We ask Master Mu to help us determine the truth.”

“Oh? If that proves true, it would still count as good news.” Mu raised his brows slightly, his expression brightening with interest. “Which bloodline is it? What exactly is the situation?”

The visitor did not answer in words. Instead, he extended a hand and offered a pale-white, translucent flame.

As soon as the “flame” appeared, it fluttered toward Mu’s arm and, with a soft whoosh, vanished entirely into his body. A few seconds later, Mu’s expression changed to one of unmistakable shock. He blurted out, “Impossible!”

Seeing this, the visitor inclined himself slightly, as though the question had now been delivered into Mu’s hands. Almost at the same instant, a blue-white flame rose beneath his feet. It burned soundlessly, climbing upward. In only a few seconds, it consumed him completely. Then the flame slowly faded, leaving no trace in the air, as if nothing had happened at all. Only Mu remained in the room, wearing a strange expression as he frowned in deep thought.

...

In a room that was empty of both people and objects, gold light suddenly flared to life. Along the four walls, as well as across the ceiling and floor, countless intricate magical formations emerged from nowhere. When the light receded, two men and one woman now stood in the room. They were none other than Theresa’s group, just returned from the auction. Their faces were all lit with the easy delight of a rewarding outing, so it was clear they had done very well indeed.

In high spirits, Ines took an exquisite pocket watch from his chest and glanced at the time. “It’s late already. Why don’t you two stay here for the night?”

Archil had no mind to worry about where he slept. All he cared about now was trying the precious sword he had bought at great expense from the dwarves. He called out, “Sleeping is sleeping, wherever it is. I already told Father and Mother I’d be out with Tess today. Uncle Ines, you’ve got a practice yard here, right? Let me try the sword. My hands are itching to go!”

Ines laughed heartily and clapped him hard on the shoulder. “I’ve got everything here. Forget a practice yard. If you want ten or eight of them, I can still have them built for you! Go find someone to show you the way. If you want a sparring partner, call for one yourself.”

At that, Archil was overjoyed. He shot through the door in a flash and vanished without a trace.

Ines shook his head with a smile, then turned to Theresa. “And you, Tess?”

“Find me a safe room,” she said. “I still owe you thirty or forty vials of drifting fire. If I don’t replenish them soon, I’ll feel terribly uneasy.”

“It’s nearly midnight. You’re not going to sleep?” Ines raised a brow. “Lack of sleep is the greatest enemy of women, you know.”

“I just got something good today, and I’m too excited.” Theresa’s eyes gleamed brightly, her green irises shining like gemstones. She was clearly in a highly charged state. “If I don’t do something, I won’t be able to sleep anyway!”

Seeing that he could not dissuade her, Ines said no more. He led the way himself, guiding her toward the safe room.

Even in his castle, finding a room that could withstand the full chaos of an alchemist’s experiments was not easy. It had to be sturdy and well protected, yet also properly ventilated and soundproofed. Most important of all, it could not endanger any other part of the castle, lest innocent bystanders be harmed.

As they walked, the surroundings gradually grew livelier. Though it was the middle of the night, for the people who had come here seeking pleasure and revelry, this was the hour when they were at their wildest. Some had even reversed day and night, growing more energetic the later it became. Though Ines was the master of the castle, not everyone here recognized him—or rather, only a handful knew his true face. Not to mention that both he and Theresa were still wearing the masks they had used at the auction.

As they proceeded, the air was thick with decadence and dissipation. Some people were behaving so wantonly that they were openly engaging in indecent acts right beside the corridor, forcing Ines to shield Theresa’s eyes with his body. At the same time, he explained a little awkwardly, “This is the shortcut. If we went around the outside of the castle, it would take at least an hour, and the weather’s not very good today either...”

“It’s fine.” Theresa was not truly an innocent twelve-year-old girl at heart. She blinked at him with a look that was both naive and worldly. “I’m blind and deaf right now. I won’t hear what I shouldn’t hear, and I won’t see what I shouldn’t see.”

At that, Ines grinned, rubbed her little head, and continued to lead the way. They had not gone far before Theresa, who had just declared herself blind and deaf, suddenly changed direction, quickly moving to the edge of the corridor and staring without blinking at a brightly lit stage below.

Ines hurried after her, face darkening awkwardly red, and when he saw the girl standing in the center of the stage, being auctioned off like merchandise to the highest bidder, all the words of persuasion he had prepared vanished back down his throat.

“That’s Nance,” Theresa said, her voice utterly flat, giving no clue to her true feelings. “How did she end up there?”

“That’s the Lovers’ Stage,” Ines explained. “Some girls who need money, or need a patron, use it to find one. The deal is made only if both sides agree willingly. We just take a cut for brokerage.”

Theresa noticed how pointedly he emphasized the words “willingly,” and her mood sank. After a long while, she finally said, “I only wanted to punish her a little. I never meant for her to end up like this...”

Hearing the loss in her voice, Ines slipped an arm around her shoulders and patted her head soothingly. “She has only herself to blame for ending up this way. Faced with this glittering world, it was her own lack of restraint that brought her here. It has nothing to do with you. Look at her—she’s smiling. She came of her own free will!”

Theresa did not want to turn and look. She pressed her forehead against Ines’s chest and gave a long, heavy sigh.

...

Distracted and in a whirl of thoughts, Theresa was quickly led away by Ines. By the time she came to herself again, she was already inside the solitary tower he had arranged for her. Rubbing her face, she gave herself a faint, self-mocking smile.

So it was true: time was the best medicine for hatred. Once, she had despised Lilyan for her thoughtless mouth, and hated Nance for her constant stirring up of trouble and framing others. Yet a year had passed. She no longer felt much of anything toward Lilyan, and her feelings toward Nance had changed from hatred to mere disgust.

And yet, no matter how much she disliked her, seeing someone familiar fall so far still stirred a trace of pity in her, and guilt as well.

“Enough. Don’t go pretending you’re some saint. Whatever happens, happens. We didn’t force any decent girl into prostitution.”

Theresa pinched herself twice, then kept brainwashing herself for a while longer before forcibly making her attention settle back on the alchemical experiment. After a few early mistakes, she gradually immersed herself completely in the work and no longer let her mind wander.

To be continued.