NOVPUBThe city wall of Chinston City caught the pale light of four o’clock in the afternoon, deepening the chill of the snowy plains.
Trudging along the path, the entire edge of the city wall was still covered with a thin layer of white snow. This long-lived silvery coat brightened the patterns of the stone bricks in the daylight.
The meeting between Lanci and a group of lords was almost over.
By making final arrangements tomorrow on matters only he, as governor, could accomplish, he would leave the Xue Yuan Province and head for the more distant North Border Province.
"Speaking of which, I did hear about the investigation team that arrived from the imperial capital with regards to Professor Mei Qi’s case," Lanci said, turning to the city-state lords with a question. "I’m a bit curious about what they said specifically to you which led you to misidentify me."
The expressions on the lords’ faces suddenly became awkward.
Accord to a final investigation, Professor Mei Qi was actually a cadre of the Phantom Gang. He used to teach at the Protoss Royal Magic Academy and settled in Hezishan Province after leaving his post. By leveraging the current state of affairs, using misinformation, and his strong incitiveness, he seized an opportunity and almost infiltrated the upper echelons of the Xue Yuan Province.
If Professor Mei Qi and Viscount Bonn had colluded and taken over the Xue Yuan Province, the consequences would have been unthinkable, and they probably would have paid an irreversible price before they could uncover the truth.
No matter how the governor punished them for this matter, they would not complain.
The lords exchanged glances briefly before Viscount Levin Chinston finally spoke.
"There’s a recent rumor that the northernmost city of Bonn has received an unidentified immigrant claiming horrific things happened in the north. But when we contacted the North Border Province, we found no such incident, and we couldn’t find any identification from this self-claimed migrant. It’s as if this person had been conjured up from nothing. His mental state was obviously not normal and was quickly sent to the hospital, where he ended up committing suicide."
"Did you send anyone to the north to investigate in person?"
Lanci stroked his chin and nodded.
He could tell from his conversation with Viscount Chinston that the task force had been ordered not to disclose any information. Therefore, he asked directly since the lords might not disclose everything or reveal key information.
Lanci guessed from the path of the investigation team that it was likely related to the North Border Province. This was the final destination Cloris had asked him to investigate, and her father, the holder of the [Original Slabstone - Undead], Duke Morotian Berenhald, had gone missing in this north region.
"The story was so absurd that not only our Xue Yuan province, but other northern city-states have also been receiving similar migrants, which finally drew the attention of the imperial capital and made them send an elite investigation team headed by Major General Fan Leiku."
Said another lord.
"Major General Fan Leiku..."
Lanci murmured.
Lanci had heard of this general in the imperial capital. Born into a noble family of the Protoss Empire, he had received rigorous military training and strategic education from a young age. His outstanding command and combat capabilities shone through in his youth. Now, at only 35 years old, he is a renowned seventh-order entity and a major general in the empire.
If the Empire sent Major General Fan Leiku, the potential threat of the situation would be much bigger than it looks.
"It’s now terribly scary, with residents unable to make contact with the south while traffic to the north has also temporarily stopped. The north communication points are often unstable, and we worry that an enemy we can’t resist will surge out from the north at any time. The main forces are stationed in the North Border Province and Northwest Province, and the imperial capital would hardly put force in the Xue Yuan Province which is mainly snowy and has relatively small urban construction."
"At that time, the railway was still operating, and our spies who were sent to investigate were indeed no problem when they arrived."
Another lord said with a sigh during Lanci’s contemplation.
There shouldn’t be too big a problem, because the war hasn’t yet started, and there’s enough defence in the north border to prevent anything from going wrong. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
After speculation, it was more likely that enemy spies tried to spread panic and suspicion in the north.
"What terrifying thing could make you so concerned?"
Lanci asked again.
Now that they were all together and the matter was tied to the incident with Professor Mei Qi, they dared not to shirk their responsibilities. Seeing someone breaking the silence, they weren’t afraid anymore and began to open up.
The piercing question was like an icy dagger, making everyone present feel the tense atmosphere in the air.
The nobles looked at each other, their eyes filled with anxiety and hesitation. Some swallowed nervously, while others subconsciously smoothed their clothes.
In this silence, only faint breaths and exchanged glances could be heard.
Finally, it was Viscount Levin Chinston who took a step forward. His eyes became determination, and the wrinkles on his face and his silver-grey hair added a touch of composure and majesty to him.
"That migrant claimed..."
Viscount Levin Chinston paused, struggling to find the words.
"The North Border Province has been annihilated and turned into a bloody land."
He said to Lanci.
Even though nobody would easily believe such an absurd statement, the chilling tale, particularly in the current wartime atmosphere, could trigger panics even if its authenticity was low once news got out.
"..."
Lanci fell silent once again.
He stood on the city wall, looking afar. The ice and snow mountains could hardly be outlined amidst the snow frost.
The place where even Cloris’s father had disappeared was unmistakably dangerous.
If he went there alone, he was likely to die.
He had initially thought he would be perfectly safe with the Bishop of Hegemony but now it seemed that even the Bishop of Hegemony might not be able to handle the danger posed by going further north.
Something was brewing in the remote north and it appeared to be nearing the tipping point.
"Asksan, are you plotting against the empire?"
Lanci murmured to himself, staring into the frosty intertwine of the north. His bright green eyes glowed like a beacon in the wind.
The problem in the north subdued by Bishop of Nirvana was primarily Bishop Asksan’s responsibility.
As Lord Lanci McCarthy, he would investigate everything and reveal all the crimes committed by the perpetrators in the imperial capital Hadamboshai!
