Section Nine: The Little Plush Bear (Part Two)

For the first time in his life, Wei Wuji was reprimanded by a woman, yet he found himself unable to refute Cecily’s words. Perhaps there was no one in all of Landia who could rival him, but he could not force everyone to accept him.

Cecily shouldered the bundle fashioned from bed sheets, cast one last glance at Wei Wuji, and said, “Please convey my blessings to him. Tell him to forget me.” With that, she dashed out of the room without a backward glance.

In the room belonging to Hegel and Lady Serra, Hegel had already packed everything. Lady Serra was tied up, a towel stuffed in her mouth.

“I had no choice,” Hegel whispered. “Once we’re out of danger, I’ll let her go.” Cecily could only nod in response.

“Are you all ready?” the black-robed mage Leyard entered. “The carriage is prepared—it’s stolen. We must leave quickly.”

Hegel loaded the bundle and some important documents onto the carriage, then carried the furious lady aboard as well, urging Cecily to climb in.

The beautiful young woman looked back at every step. Glancing one last time at her home, she felt as though she were living a dream. This morning, her mother had forced her to attend a ball; afterwards, she returned to find her lover after three years apart; now, suddenly, she was to leave her home tonight.

Once everyone and everything was aboard, Hegel shut the carriage door. Leyard flicked the whip, and the carriage rolled away from the street, vanishing around the bend.

Wei Wuji slowly emerged from Hegel’s house, holding the small plush bear. She had ultimately left it behind, as if she had chosen to leave her feelings for Amango in Valencia.

But how was old Wei to explain this to the young man? Wei Wuji scratched his head and looked up at the moon.

Warrenheit was awakened from a deep sleep. When the Minister of Defense and the Director of the Inspectorate stood before him like sheep awaiting judgment, he struggled to maintain his composure.

Yes, calm was needed now. The two before him were mostly afraid of his punishment; they did not truly grasp Hegel’s significance.

“This is truly dreadful news. Very well, tell me—how have you handled the matter?” Warrenheit picked up a bottle from his study, pouring three glasses for himself and the two fools before him.

“I’ve ordered all members of the Inspectorate’s secret unit near Valencia to drop everything and regroup at once. At dawn, they’ll set out to intercept Hegel’s family and wipe out those two Commynesen operatives. However, this requires your approval, since the Pope’s envoy is soon to arrive and everyone originally had their own assignments,” the Director said, wiping sweat from his brow.

“I’m considering mobilizing the army, and, if necessary, launching another assault on the Commynesen base,” the Minister of Defense replied.

Warrenheit pondered for a moment. “Grant is certainly clever, choosing this moment to take Hegel’s family. The arrival of the Pope’s envoy cannot be taken lightly, both for their safety and my own. The Inspectorate’s secret unit must leave at least three members behind; the rest can try to intercept the carriage. Be extremely careful—these are likely elite Commynesen operatives. If you can stop them before Hegel reaches the Commynesen base, do so. If they arrive at the base, abandon the pursuit—Grant is not easily dealt with. As for the army, don’t mobilize just yet. Let me first see what the Pope intends; our troops may be needed elsewhere. The most important task right now is to safeguard the blueprints he left in the Department of Ordnance, and to begin manufacturing the flintlock rifles for equipping the troops as soon as possible.”

After the Minister and Director departed, Warrenheit paced alone in the room. At last, he cast a soundproofing spell, then produced a magic crystal sphere. After a while, the sphere trembled and connected.

“Oh, Capricorn, what’s the meaning of contacting me so late? Don’t you know it’s disgraceful to disturb a woman’s sleep?” The voice that came through was cool, tinged with languidness.

“Aquarius, I’m in trouble and need your help.” Warrenheit knew her temperament and explained his purpose succinctly.

“According to parliamentary rules, I have the right to refuse any matter not proposed and approved in session. Or do you have something tempting to offer me?” Aquarius replied.

Warrenheit forced a smile. “This concerns you as well. The Pope’s envoy arrived in Herdasin yesterday and will reach Valencia tomorrow.”

“Oh? But what does that have to do with my Women's Academy of Magic?”

“He’s here to pressure Landia. If Landia refuses, war is highly likely. Don’t forget—your academy’s headquarters is still in Valencia,” Warrenheit said calmly.

“You intend to use this to force my hand?” Aquarius’s voice turned colder.

Warrenheit quickly adjusted his tone, speaking cautiously: “No, I mean no such thing. I speak in good faith. I’ll do everything I can to prevent war, but if it does break out, it could affect you as well. According to our organization’s rules, I have a duty to inform you.”

Aquarius retorted bluntly, “Landia is your domain, and you have another junior parliamentarian to assist you.”

“He will help, of course. But there’s another unfortunate matter: Grant has kidnapped Chief Engineer Hegel at this very moment. All the troubles have converged; I need your help, and in my plan, your role is irreplaceable.”

“Is that so? Very well, tell me—I’ll consider it if it’s not too troublesome. What do you intend to do with the chief engineer?”

Warrenheit’s spirits rose slightly. “I don’t need you to act directly, only to lend political support. As for the engineer, he is a valuable talent. You know our goal is to influence the world’s civilization while leaving as few traces of intervention as possible. If our desired advancements arise naturally among the natives, all the better. He is the ideal tool—I’ve reviewed his dossier. He invented the flintlock, can improve cannons, and as a factory engineer, he knows iron-smelting techniques. I’ll do my best to recover him; it’s best he doesn’t fall into Grant’s hands. But if I truly can’t bring him back, I’d rather destroy him than let him be used by Commynesen.”

Warrenheit explained his plan through the magic sphere. The other side fell silent, thinking for a long while before responding, “Such a course carries considerable risk for the Women's Academy of Magic. I cannot tie all my efforts to your war machine unless you can secure parliamentary approval.”

“Aquarius, this concerns the survival of Landia. I will demand activation of the parliamentary protection protocol at next month’s session. But for now, I can only ask your assistance. If Landia weathers this storm, your academy will thrive. If you accept my plan, I can offer Landia’s resources to support your academy.”

“Are you being generous with someone else’s property?” Aquarius’s voice remained icy.

Warrenheit saw he had yet to convince her and sighed inwardly. It was a pity that each parliamentarian’s contribution could only be used for themselves, otherwise it might serve as bargaining currency. Now, he could only resort to his last tactic.

“Do you know who the Pope’s envoy is this time?”

“Who?”

“Child, the most trusted archbishop of Salman.”

A long breath came from the crystal sphere. “Fine, deal—I’ll help you, but let me kill him.”

“No, you mustn’t kill him unless I fail to reach an agreement with him.”

“I must kill him. He belongs to Salman. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the next parliamentary session for help.”

“If you kill him, Salman may be the one delighted. It’s said his