When she recalled his ominous words, a chill crept into her heart. Her plans for a nice and relaxing evening were ruined! She cursed and quickly headed for the front door. She needed to find Elizabeth and tell her everything. Elizabeth should know what to do next.
Her mother walked out upon hearing the clamour and asked, "Where are you going, Shirley? Dinner is almost ready."
"Something came up. Sorry."
"I see… Be careful," she replied weakly.
"I will. Did Inari say anything to you?"
"No, I haven't seen him recently. I honestly don't know where that man has been."
Shirley squinted. "Never mind, it's nothing. I'll be back in a few hours. You can eat without me."
"That won't do. We promised to eat together."
The girl smiled. "Then I promise to be quick."
She hailed a carriage and departed for the central district where Elizabeth's mansion was. When she arrived, the moon had risen in the sky, casting a gloomy white glow on the city. Torches were lit throughout the vast mansion grounds, as guards patrolled the perimeter. The security was many times greater than Shirley's residence. On a cursory glance, there were more than a hundred guards! These were not any normal guards either, for their strength floated around Fundamental Realm Adept or Expert. Shirley was easily stronger than them, but do not look down on them. They could handle most threats with ease. And there were more people, hidden away, watching her every movement with interest. These guard captains were the real assurance, being Half-Perception Realm or Perception Realm Novice! With their senses, nobody could sneak by. Elizabeth's mansion was arguably the safest place in the capital!
Shirley's carriage was stopped and investigated, but upon seeing who it was riding it, they did not obstruct her. They immediately let her in! It was somewhat funny. Originally, these guards had stern, ice-cold expressions, emanating a thick killing intent. They had trudged through life with a blade in one hand, and heads in another. They had stomped through battlefields and carved out names for themselves! These were the types of people who would gladly lay down their lives in a heartbeat. Soldiers and knights, they were heroes! However, their current expressions as they regarded Shirley were filled with foolish admiration, bordering on fanatic worship. That was because in their eyes, Shirley was a true hero who could swim through a sea of blades, battle a thousand, and stand atop a mountain of corpses! The stories of her exploits in the empire had grown so embellished that she was almost a mythical figure, a goddess of war! Shirley was lost for words. When did she become that impressive?
"Shirley, why are you here?" Elizabeth raised her head in her study. Confusion was written across her face. They had just said goodbye to each other not too long ago. She was preparing to tuck into bed herself.
"It's like this…"
"Protector Avin is planning to do something?" Elizabeth's brow furrowed. "I can see that, except it isn't much to go on. Did your teacher tell you anything else?"
"No. He ran away before I could ask him."
"Hm… Since there is no real emergency, we can always ask Freon or Nassandra tomorrow."
Elizabeth shrugged. To be honest, she expected Protector Avin to act sooner or later. His appearance at the banquet party was simply to light the flames of war. He must have been plotting for a while now. The power struggle between him and the Engelsheft Families was about to boil over! However, Elizabeth was not particularly worried. Protector Avin had his plans, the Engelsheft Families must have theirs as well. She did not support either side, but she knew these fights were normally done out of sight. They would never clash openly in a big battle. This was the Zino Kingdom after all, where law and order reigned. Therefore, she did not take her friend's warning to heart. That aside, her attention was placed elsewhere.
"Your teacher… Inari was his name? Who is he and how does he know what Protector Avin is planning?" Elizabeth focused on this point. She could understand the two sages or the Engelsheft Families keeping track of Protector Avin. That was normal. Except, why was Shirley's teacher involved? That puzzled her.
Shirley nodded. "Inari is my teacher, and my former neighbour from Lour Island. He… should be a Perception Realm Expert. I don't know the exact realm though."
"Don't you think that's strange? Lour Island isn't anything special. It's a small island with a smaller village on it. There are thousands of islands like that in the Alzar Kingdom. Yet, somehow, on this small island, your neighbour happened to be a Perception Realm Expert? That standard is already enough to stand near the pinnacle of this world! How can there be such a coincidence?"
Shirley frowned. She never thought about it until now, but Elizabeth was right. It was very strange! But despite thinking about it, she could not fathom any other answer besides, "Maybe I'm just lucky? I don't know."
"Did your teacher and Protector Avin meet before?"
"No… He's always running around. I never know where he is, or what he's doing. I don't think they've met before."
Elizabeth squinted. There must be a hidden story between Inari and Protector Avin. She made a note to investigate Inari later. For not only her safety, but also for her friend's safety! A hidden blade was the most dangerous. She moved on. "I asked for some information about the Arcellius Family's history and downfall fifty years ago. The investigation will take time, but I can say it's related to this." She raised an old, torn piece of paper, written fifty years ago.
Reading through it, Shirley exclaimed, "This… There was a large-scale explosion in the Celestial Court. The exact cause remains unknown, but it was powerful enough to destroy the twentieth floor, causing the ten floors above it to fall."
She was stunned. This was a way bigger deal than Freon's battle with Lord Kel and Lady Vivian. Freon might have blown a hole in the wall, and scared a few people, but this incident destroyed one-third of the Celestial Court! That was ludicrous!
She continued tensely, "Despite the destruction, there were few people in the Celestial Court at that time. Fifteen people were wounded, but nobody was killed. It was seen as a miracle. The Conquestian declared that the Zino Kingdom will rebuild and grow stronger through this ordeal…"
Elizabeth said, "Oddly uplifting, isn't it? That's the official story they shared. The real story isn't as pleasant though." Her mouth curved downwards. "One hundred and ninety people were found dead. Sixty people were recovered from the wreckage, heavily wounded. While they were being treated, thirty-five of those sixty succumbed to their injuries. In total, two hundred and twenty-five people died, including three Ten Dawns, and six Ten Auroras. It was a cataclysmic loss for the Zino Kingdom. The Conquestian survived without any injury, but… the Three Sages were not as fortunate. Sage Pannark was at death's door, Sage Alana lost her legs, and Sage Serana Arcellius, the last matriarch of the Arcellius Family, passed away shortly after. A few months later, and the Arcellius Family would be no more."
"So, that's why," Shirley remarked. She was always curious how Sage Alana got crippled. As it turned out, there was this story behind it. "Did they find out what happened?"
"No, the cause was never discovered."
"That's strange! There's no way they wouldn't investigated an incident as big as this!"
"I agree. Even the official court documents don't mention it. They're clearly hiding something. It will take some time to get to the bottom of this, I fear. Not to mention, it happened over fifty years ago," Elizabeth sighed. "There's a high chance the people involved either forgot the details or passed away already."
The girl felt depressed because all the sudden, there were many things that required her attention. She needed to find the source of the Nebulous Star Core and hopefully find a Nebulous Star Root or any other useful materials. Next, she needed to research and create new equipment that suited their newly developed strength. There was also the matter of creating a communication array and repairing the airship with the Featherwind Sect's help… These tasks were somewhat related though. Then, there was Freon's duel with Lord Kel and Lady Vivian. That had to be handled prudently. The power struggle between Protector Avin and the Engelsheft Families was also looming overhead. And of course, she had her usual Royal Ambassador duties to deal with. She almost forgot, but she needed to train and improve her combat system too. She aimed to reach Condensed Drop before the end of the year! Everything needed time. She felt the pressure.