Silvervein City, Twin Towers.
The Azure Sky King sat in the long hall on the top floor of the West Tower. Spread before him were three rosters, seven reports from the patrol, two emergency petitions from the Mining Bureau, and an urgent letter brought from the Royal Capital.
The long hall was high-ceilinged, its walls inlaid with a ring of narrow silver-patterned magic arrays. A faint glow flowed slowly along the engraved lines, clearly illuminating the tabletop, the documents, and several messaging silver plates.
A soundproofing talisman nail was pressed into each of the four corners of the long table. A faint blue-white film hovered above each nail, containing all sound within this temporary council chamber.
Outside the window lay the layered rooftops, spires, mining smoke, and canals of Silvervein City. This was the place with the best view in the entire city.
Unfortunately, the person sitting here was in no mood to enjoy the scenery.
“The manor under Elizabeth's name has been confirmed as destroyed by fire. The land deeds, warehouse receipts, and debt contracts are all missing.”
“Of the seventeen nobles who were in close contact with her, six cannot be reached personally, the stewards of three families have vanished, and two are attempting to transfer their ledgers.”
“Additionally, when the South City Alchemy Street went to extinguish the fire at Elizabeth's mansion, they discovered that all the servants and maids had been burned to death inside. The rosters have been cross-referenced, and her personal maids were burned beyond recognition.”
Each time the clerk finished reading a line, a messaging silver plate on the table would tremble slightly, projecting the corresponding patrol report as a line of faint silver text.
“Not a single survivor?”
“No. The entire household was exterminated.”
Hearing this, the Azure Sky King’s brow twitched.
A noble.
From the master to such a large staff of servants, all of them had been wiped out.
Cruel and efficient—this was definitely not the work of a rival family.
More troublesome was that Elizabeth was no minor noble.
She had operated in Silvervein City for many years, and her connections with the banks, chambers of commerce, the middle management of the patrol, and the old church were incredibly deep.
Now the person was gone, the mansion was gone, and the noble leaders who had stayed close to her were fading away one by one.
Could the New Moon Sect have done this? Had they experienced a resurgence after all these years of suppression and begun exterminating the kingdom's nobility to shake the foundations of the state?
Silvervein City could be considered the second capital of the kingdom, and the silver ore it produced was the pillar of the entire nation's economy.
A headache-inducing pile of factions had originally been sitting at this table to divide the cake, but now, when the others looked up, they found the diners had vanished.
Having fewer people to share the cake was certainly a good thing, but the most important thing was ensuring the other party wasn't coming for the food on the table.
“Seal all of Elizabeth's public assets,” the Azure Sky King said. “Don't rush to touch the secret accounts; keep a close eye on the banks first. As for those in the patrol who were too close to her, temporarily transfer them away from the core districts of Silvervein City. Do not alert the enemy.”
“Your Majesty, if the main family in the Royal Capital asks...”
“Tell them to ask the Green Mist King.”
Several officials in the long hall looked at each other.
The Azure Sky King’s expression remained unchanged.
When in doubt, throw the trouble to the other king.
As for whether the Green Mist King would accept it...
That was the Green Mist King’s problem.
Just then, a very faint moonlight lit up the long hall.
Moonlight as thick as blood drifted through the air, and red light slid into the room.
The Azure Sky King’s fingers froze.
In the next moment, a barefoot, black-haired girl peeked half her body out from the light, looking left and right.
“Little Kong~”
Her tone was light and cheerful, overly familiar.
Everyone in the long hall froze at the same time.
A petition fell from a mining officer's hand and hit the floor with a thud.
Another patrol captain gripped the hilt of his sword, but the moment he saw the girl's face clearly, his face turned whiter than the petition on the floor.
Within a single breath, the Azure Sky King completed the arduous transition from King to victim of childhood shadows and back to the reigning King.
He stood up.
“The meeting is adjourned for today.”
“Your Majesty, but Elizabeth’s family—”
“It is adjourned.”
The Azure Sky King didn't raise his voice, but the people in the hall understood immediately.
This was not a negotiation.
Several officials, patrolmen, and the clerk bowed their heads in salute, clutching their rosters and petitions as they hurriedly exited the long hall. As the doors closed, someone even accidentally bumped into the doorframe.
Three of the soundproofing talisman nails went dark one by one, leaving only the one by the Azure Sky King’s hand still glowing. This time, the soundproof area only covered a small space in front of the desk.
The guards outside the hall immediately understood this meant a private conversation and stepped back several paces.
“You all go out too,” the Azure Sky King told the guards.
“But your safety...”
“Out.”
“As you command.”
The guards ran off one after another.
Miaoyue watched them leave and blinked.
“Why are they running?”
The Azure Sky King was silent for a moment.
Because the way you entered made it look like you were about to overthrow the government of Solitude.
But he couldn't say that.
“They have other duties to attend to,” the Azure Sky King said.
Miaoyue gave an 'oh' and naturally walked over to the long table, looking down at the documents on it.
She couldn't understand them.
So, she naturally looked back up.
“It has been a long time, Lady Witch.”
“Is that what you used to call me?” Miaoyue tilted her head, thinking.
The Azure Sky King was silent for a moment before speaking again.
“After all, we have all grown up. So much time has passed that the old way of addressing you is... no longer appropriate.”
By status, she was the New Moon Witch.
By the old years, she was indeed that big sister who would pop out of the moonlight, crouch on the tower window sill to watch them practice their writing, and occasionally swipe some of the kingdom's sweets.
Going deeper, she couldn't really be called a sister.
She had been there for too long.
Long enough that generation after generation in Solitude had been born, found partners, grown old, and lived in such fear of the moonlight that they dared not walk alone—yet she remained exactly as she was in his memories.
Rate on N.U.
