Book 3: Chapter 125 |
Rebecca had said Claudia had been at the Mid-District’s library these past few days.
There was only one library in the Mid-District, so Leon and Roswitha headed there immediately.
At the library entrance, just as Leon was about to enter, he heard a newsboy nearby shouting enthusiastically,
“Mid-District Morning Post, Mid-District Morning Post!”
“District border, arch bridge collapse—who’s to blame?”
“Massive warehouse finally unveils its mystery—what’s inside?”
“With Thousand Lanterns approaching, crime rates remain high—hundreds of ** stolen, is this a twist of human nature or a fall of morality?”
“All in the Mid-District Morning Post!”
Leon, focused on finding Claudia, had no interest in these *clickbait* headlines. He waved the boy off and hurried past.
The newsboy, undeterred, continued hawking on the street.
The couple entered the library, searching for a while until they found Claudia at a window seat in the second-floor reading room.
She sat by the window, sunlight spilling onto her sea-blue hair, making the mature woman’s skin glisten like flawless jade.
Claudia sat upright, her desk covered with thick ancient texts and a stack of newspapers.
The couple approached.
Hearing footsteps, Claudia looked up, glancing at the “unfamiliar black-haired couple.” She paused briefly but quickly recognized them.
“Not bad disguises. But I still prefer silver-haired Roswitha.”
The couple took seats across from her at the desk.
Leon glanced at the books on the table, all about human history and culture.
As Rebecca had said, Claudia was deeply interested in foreign cultures. Even with a revolution looming, it didn’t stop her from studying diligently before the big fight.
“What’s up? Time for war?”
Claudia asked leisurely, flipping through the ancient text in her hand.
“Soon. Two days from now, at the Thousand Lantern Festival,” Leon said.
“Thousand Lantern Festival…”
The mature woman’s blue eyes flickered slightly, then she spoke slowly,
“It’s a traditional human festival, dating back over nine hundred years. Originally established to commemorate the first magic sorcerer in human history, it evolved over the centuries into a major annual event.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, “Wow, looks like you’ve done your homework, Senior.”
Claudia tapped her temple, “*Know yourself, know your enemy, and you’ll never lose a battle*.”
She closed the ancient text, looking up at the couple,
“So, two days until the official move. Have you finalized your plan?”
Leon nodded, explaining the plan to use paper lanterns and the resonance of recording stones to Claudia.
Claudia pondered for a moment, then said,
“A solid plan. But the prep time’s too short. Can you gather enough paper lanterns and recording stones?”
“That’s exactly why we came to you with this problem.”
Leon said, “We’ve got enough recording stones, but we’re still short on paper lanterns.”
The mature woman blinked, teasing, “What’s that got to do with me? Do I look like someone good at making paper lanterns?”
Leon grinned, “Come on, Senior, you agreed to be my ally. You can’t just fight—you’ve got to pitch in with the logistics too.”
“Hey, you little punk, don’t push it. We agreed I’d help you declare war on the Empire, not hunt down paper lanterns.”
“…Then, Senior, you—”
“I’m raising the stakes.”
“Raising the stakes?”
Claudia nodded, “Our original deal was that if Helena could visit your house to play with Noah, I’d help you. Now you’re asking me to help with paper lanterns, so I need a bit more compensation.”
“Name your price, Senior.”
Claudia smiled contentedly—*youngsters are so easy to deal with*.
She leaned forward, beckoning the couple closer with a finger.
They leaned in, and Claudia whispered something in their ears.
After hearing it, Leon and Roswitha’s expressions turned slightly complicated.
“This…”
“What? Not agreeing?”
“No, no, no, it’s just… I didn’t expect you to be into *that kind of thing*, Senior.”
Claudia crossed her arms, saying leisurely, “It’s Helena—she seems to like that stuff. So, your answer?”
“Sure, no problem. Once this is over, we’ll take care of it.”
“Excellent.”
“So, Senior, can you offer some advice on the paper lanterns now?”
“Mm.”
Claudia nodded, “You’re on the right track looking for lantern suppliers, but the Empire’s suppliers are too scattered, and collecting lanterns that way is inefficient.”
“But to ensure enough lanterns for the Thousand Lantern Festival, the Empire’s royal family built a warehouse specifically to store tens of thousands of paper lanterns—enough to cover from the Royal District to the Lower District.”
“If you sneak into the warehouse, place the recording stones in the lanterns beforehand, and use illusion magic to conceal them, you can make the recording stones’ footage appear across the entire Empire on the festival day.”
After Claudia’s explanation, Leon froze.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t get it?”
“No, no, no.”
Leon scratched his head. “It’s just… if there’s a warehouse like that, why don’t Rebecca and Nacho, who’ve been active in the Empire for years, know about it?”
Claudia had only been in the Empire for less than a week, while Rebecca and the others had been operating here for five years.
Yet they’d never mentioned anything about a paper lantern warehouse.
This left General Leon a bit baffled.
Claudia picked up the stack of newspapers on the table, waving them lightly,
“Because it was only announced this morning. To put on a show for the masses during the Thousand Lantern Festival, the Empire built a warehouse this year to store paper lanterns. It’s all detailed in the newspaper.”
“…Huh?”