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Chapter 734: Hiberrian is Getting Closer
Chapter 734: Hiberrian is Getting Closer
The small carriage was winding its way along the mountainous roads of the Noxus Mountains.
Hiberrian gazed quietly out the window, noticing that whenever the carriage approached a dead end, there would be a traffic sign on the side of the road: "Curve Ahead" or "Sharp Turn Ahead." And after every turn, the path ahead would invariably open up to reveal a pleasant surprise.
"Winding mountain roads, with peaks and twists," Hiberrian murmured to herself, her appearance altered.
The large characters of "Curve Ahead" kept flashing before her eyes, just like how Lanchi had once knocked on the door to her heart.
It turned out that it wasn't the end of the road but rather a time to step on the brakes and slow down.
Whenever she felt she had reached a dead end, Lanchi would appear like a hero and tell her that it wasn't the sky falling but an opportunity arising.
"Hiberrian, you're thinking about Lanchi again, aren't you?"
Antanas, sitting beside her, suddenly poked her.
"No, no," Hiberrian shook her head, coming back to her senses.
"..."
Antanas sighed helplessly and smiled, no longer saying anything.
Hiberrian's eyes laid her feelings bare.
It was just that she was shy by nature and unwilling to admit it.
Now they had reached the border of the Krissy Empire. To facilitate their protection of Hiberrian during the journey, Florence had gone to great lengths to arrange identities for the four of them, aside from Hiberrian herself.
While crossing the border was not an issue, and no one would detect them if they wanted to keep a low profile, they would have to turn the four great demon tribes into magic cards to bypass the dense inspections when infiltrating core main cities like Brillada.
Antanas followed Hiberrian's unfocused gaze out the window once more.
The Krissy Empire, south of the Hutton Kingdom.
In the north lies a city called Granwyrm, one of the most prosperous main cities in the far eastern border region.
Every autumn, the city exudes a unique charm due to its natural scenery and cultural attractions, drawing tourists in a steady stream.
Granwyrm is surrounded by majestic mountain ranges to the north, with peaks reaching into the clouds, forming a natural barrier that separates the city-state from the Noxus Mountains to the north. The upper stratum of the city is built on several intersecting peaks, suspended in mid-air, with most of the architecture featuring a classical style in deep gray or pristine white.
Stone arch bridges span the peaks, connecting the structures into a grand and imposing whole.
"Hiberrian, have you been here before?"
Sinnora, who seemed to be able to read Hiberrian's thoughts, observed her face and asked.
"I've been here as a child. We came by ship from the South Ventina region," Hiberrian nodded.
To the east lies the boundless ocean. The waves crash against the reef by the shore, creating a constant roar. During the peak season, the docks are always bustling with merchant ships coming and going, their sails fluttering in the sea breeze. Seagulls circle above the masts, their cries filling the air.
But now, with Granwyrm located near the eastern war zone's frontline, it has become a main city tightly guarded by the Imperial Army, akin to a formidable fortress.
"I heard that Lord Noe's Wilfort Chamber of Commerce used to be based in Granwyrm," Antanas remarked.
Compared to Granwyrm, the Hutton Kingdom seemed somewhat distant.
The two kingdoms were separated by the lengthy Noxus Mountains, which hindered communication between them.
Even when transporting large quantities of goods from the southern border of the Hutton Kingdom to the northern border of the Krissy Empire, they had to detour to the east and use the sea route and merchant ships, increasing the cost and difficulty of transportation.
However, it was this secluded geographical location that gave Granwyrm a unique commercial advantage.
It shone like a dazzling pearl, nestled in the northern fringes of the Krissy Empire.
And it was because of this that the Wilfort family had become wealthy, even during wartime, they had special freight channels. It was said that over a decade ago, a mysterious merchant had left them with these channels. He had not only invested in the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce but also helped establish a secret route between the Hutton Kingdom and the Krissy Empire.
This secret was so well-guarded that even Lanchi was not privy to it. Only the family head, Noe Wilfort, and the mysterious merchant's butler, Hans, knew of it, as a safeguard for the chamber of commerce's benefactor.
It was only now, with the decline of the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce, that butler Hans had mentioned the past in casual conversation with Pranai.
Sinnora, sitting on Hiberrian's other side, twitched her eyes at the mention of this.
She had heard that Lanchi had once been a rich second-generation.
And with Lanchi's disdainful efforts, the Wilfort family had finally succeeded in bringing themselves to the brink of bankruptcy.
"Don't worry, you don't have to worry about money. He can spend all my money if he wants to. After the war is over, if Wilfort Chamber of Commerce wants to resume its business, the Duke's family will invest in the Wilfort Company."
Hiberrian assured generously.
"Rich lady, don't forget about us when you become a duchess in the future."
Antanas hugged Hiberrian's slender arm and looked at her imploringly, gazing at her confident demeanor.
"Don't forget about us, our two good friends."
Sinnora also leaned her head against Hiberrian's.
"You're welcome to stay with the Duke's family for as long as you like."
Hiberrian replied shyly, embracing them both.
As she often brought Antanas and Sinnora back to the Duke's mansion to hang out, she now felt that she might not be able to get used to living alone there in the future.
As they chatted, the carriage slowly approached a checkpoint guarded by the Seventh Border Defense Army's Third Division of the Krissy Empire.
When the vehicle slowed down for inspection, the imperial soldiers immediately approached for questioning.
The man in the driver's seat rolled down his window and presented an official document bearing the bright red seal of the "Chaos Chamber of Commerce" from the northwestern Nixasende region.
"We are trade representatives from the Northwestern Border Chamber of Commerce. We are here to take inventory of the final trade goods on the eastern coast, and now we're heading to the capital to discuss acquisition business with the company there."
He was polite and calm in his tone.
The soldiers carefully examined the document and then asked the passengers in the car to get out for inspection.
This was followed by a thorough search of the vehicle.
Moments later...
"Everything alright, sir?"
Pranai asked respectfully.
"You'll have to stay here for another twenty-four hours, re-declare, and have your security information reconfirmed by us and the province before you can pass."
Once everything was done, a soldier led Pranai to a nearby sentry post and handed him several documents to fill out.
Inside the sentry post, a young officer with the rank of captain was reviewing the documents.
"Yes, sir."
As Pranai replied, he sharply glanced at the captain, who seemed to be a "suitable" target, and approached him.
Just as the captain looked up at Pranai in confusion.
Pranai took out an exquisite cigarette case from his briefcase and offered it to the officer.
"This is a specialty from the Northwestern Nixasende region. If you've been to the Northwest, you'll surely recognize that we're from there."
Pranai said in a slightly lowered tone.
The captain hesitated for a moment but still accepted the cigarette case.
He immediately realized that something was off about the weight as soon as he touched it.
It was too light.
The officer gently opened a corner of the cigarette case and found several rolls of large denomination bills inside. He naturally closed it back up.
"We are always grateful for the support of the Chamber of Commerce to the Army. Please accept this box of cigarettes."
Pranai said sincerely.
The officer nodded in understanding and directly took the documents from Pranai's hand.
"You are clearly virtuous merchants serving the Empire. We must not delay you any further. I wish you a safe journey."
The officer replied in a matter-of-fact tone, his eyes conveying a subtle message.
Pranai bowed to the officer and turned to stride out of the sentry post.
Soon after, the vehicle started up again and slowly passed through the checkpoint, heading toward the station that led to the city-state of Granwyrm.
"Pranai, how did you become so knowledgeable?"
In the back seat, Antanas leaned forward, full of curiosity.
Technically, their documents were in order, but they might have been delayed for a longer inspection, causing some inconvenience.
With Pranai's help, their journey had become much smoother.
"It's simple. If you can't even understand the thoughts of ordinary humans, it will be difficult to comprehend Lanchi's heart."
Pranai replied without turning his head as he drove.
As the possessor of a unique magical eye, he could somewhat discern that the captain was the type of person who could be influenced in this manner.
If he hadn't had this ability, he wouldn't have agreed to let Hiberrian go to the Krissy Empire. Instead, he would have made the safest decision to fulfill Lanchi's request and keep Hiberrian safe in Ikelite.
Of course, danger lurked around Lanchi, who always liked to push things to the limit. For Pranai's safety, he had no choice but to try to understand Lanchi's thoughts.
"Pranai, you've really changed a lot. You've learned to observe humans carefully instead of approaching them with a purely academic attitude."
The Ice Witch, seated in the front passenger seat, commented.
One might even say that it was a miracle that someone had managed to get Pranai out of the Helrom Underground Prison back in the Northern Continent.
"Being part of human society isn't so bad after all. The fact that we are among the surviving Demon Tribe can also be seen as a natural selection process, right? Perhaps we are the demons most suited to coexist with humans."
Pranai mused as he gazed ahead at the road.
Having passed through the border and completed the transfer procedures to the capital, Brillada, they were now on their way to the station.
Pranai drove while the Ice Witch sat in the passenger seat, perusing a map and a newspaper.
In the back seat, Hiberrian was sandwiched between Antanas and Sinnora, her companions.
Hiberrian listened quietly to the conversation between Pranai and the Ice Witch.
In her eyes, Pranai and the Ice Witch seemed like elders, while Antanas and Sinnora were more like peers.
However, among the long-lived demon tribe, age and generational gaps were not as important, as it could get confusing. It was possible that someone with a lower generational status could actually be older in age.
Therefore, when interacting with long-lived beings, the first thing to do was to set aside the human concept of generational hierarchy and just interact naturally.
Logically, being surrounded by four powerful demons should be a terrifying experience. A year ago, before she had experienced the trials of the Inferno Corridor Academy, she would have been scared to tears. But now, these powerful demons seemed more like her close companions.
"Teacher, how is the situation on the front lines?"
Hiberrian couldn't help but ask, her worry evident.
She fretted about it every day and was especially concerned that Lanchi might be at the southern front of the Bosen Kingdom.
Lanchi had mentioned in his last communication that he would be enlisting in the army and would be out of contact for a while.
Of course, according to Pranai's speculation, Lanchi might have enlisted on the other side.
But Hiberrian still worried about him.
"The battle for control of the large energy strategic points in the west was about to reach a critical stage, but then the Tenth War God, the Ruby Seat, fired a shot and potentially changed the course of history."
The Ice Witch shook her head,
"However, these are still manageable situations for both sides."
Her expression grew solemn as she continued.
"......"
Without the Ice Witch needing to elaborate further, Hiberrian's gaze followed the newspaper in the Ice Witch's hands, and she too saw the potential immense threat to the Empire.
In early October, the outbreak of an all-out war in the Southern Continent drew the Empire's military attention to the potential of magic-powered fission weapons.
Kresey Empire magic engineer Landley Washington, in Brillada, demonstrated the fission phenomenon of magic cards embedded within matter and magical bodies through magic bombardment experiments.
They observed that the magic cards split into lighter primordial elements, sharing the same origin as the natural magic cards of the Shadow World, or perhaps this was the very essence of the Shadow Weaving World. This discovery revealed the possibility of magic fission.
He explained this phenomenon at the Saint Kresey Abbey and introduced the term "magic fission," even calculating the immense energy released during the fission process.
The Allied Kingdom Parliament quickly received this information through their spies within the Empire's territory.
Initially, the Allied Kingdoms did not pay much attention to this research.
Then,
Bolao and Alex Wolson, along with other magic engineers, sent a joint letter to Western Hub Zone Kingdom United Parliament Alliance Speaker Rossmont, warning him that the Kresey Empire might be developing an extremely dangerous destructive weapon.
This prompted the Allied Parliament to take the research seriously.
In the Cambela Kingdom, magic engineers began preliminary research on magic fission.
Magic engineers, including Alex Wolson, Quentin Hayes, and others, conducted important experimental work at Western Hub University and Sloveny University.
"Fortunately, our spies in the Allied Kingdoms are reliable, and we always get our hands on the Empire's core research findings quickly. According to our current intelligence, the research progress in the Kresey Empire is still quite slow, and it seems that there are serious internal disagreements. This cake is big enough that they haven't been able to decide on a leader yet."
The Ice Witch flipped through the newspaper as she explained.
Her eyes eventually landed on a particular photograph.
In the photo, several special operations officers were cordially receiving a young Imperial professor wearing a gray coat in front of the administration building. They exuded an air of collusion and power, and it seemed that everything was written on the banner hanging behind them, which read: [Loyalty and Courage, Iron Blood Guards the Country].
And he seemed proud of it, his back straight and his thumb raised high.
"This Imperial lapdog..."
Hiberrian gritted her teeth as she looked at the photo.
Anyone in that photo could be scheming, but this professor, in particular, seemed to exude a natural warlord aura.
(End of Chapter)
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