The Gala

Hogg glanced at her, said nothing more, and turned to leave the room.

The corridor remained quiet. Most of the doors on both sides were tightly shut, with only the occasional sound of light footsteps or the rustling of pages. As Hogg passed those overly silent rooms, his pace slowed for a brief moment.

Several rooms were still empty, which matched his earlier suspicions.

On the surface, the imperial delegation was behaving perfectly, meeting the people they were supposed to meet and discussing the matters they were supposed to discuss. However, the people truly responsible for their mission had long since left the Foreign Embassy.

Claiming to be searching for someone while refusing to tell the Kingdom who it was... this was inherently unreasonable.

After leaving the Foreign Embassy, Hogg looked toward the Outer City, his brow remaining furrowed.

If it were merely a private imperial matter, there would be no need for Venus to come in person. If it were just an ordinary person, the Empire wouldn't have bothered to mobilize the Inquisition, Intelligence, and members of the Allen family.

In fact, the moment Venus mentioned finding someone, an answer had already surfaced in Hogg's mind—they were likely after Li Yuan.

That was the only possibility. As for the reason, it was most likely due to the previous incident in the City of Divine Grace... the master probably had some contact with the Empire, though whether it was good or bad remained unknown.

Upon returning to the Magic Tower, Hogg did not immediately go to see the King. Instead, he went back to his office. He stood by the window in silence for a while before taking the transmission talisman from his drawer.

The talisman paper was lit by spirit light, and a response came quickly.

"Royal Preceptor?"

Li Yuan's voice came from the talisman, his tone as gentle as ever, sounding as if he were in a very good mood. Hogg briefly explained the news of the imperial delegation's arrival before getting straight to the point.

"The true purpose of the imperial delegation is likely to find you."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the talisman.

"Find me?"

"It cannot be fully confirmed yet." Hogg looked out the window, his voice lowered. "But given the current situation, the possibility is high. Venus is leading the team, and even people from the Inquisition and Intelligence are here... Have you had contact with the Inquisition before?"

The soft sound of a teacup being placed on a table came from Li Yuan's side.

"I have had some... I see."

Hogg asked tentatively, "Do you find this troublesome, sir? Perhaps the Kingdom should step in directly—"

"It's fine." Li Yuan's tone didn't carry much of a ripple. "If they can find this teahouse, there's no harm in them coming for a cup of tea. If they can't, then we'll act as if it never happened."

Hogg was silent for a moment. This attitude was simply too casual.

But then he thought—with Li Yuan's strength, even if the Empire did find him, they might not be able to do anything. On the contrary, if the Kingdom overreacted, it might only make things more complicated.

However, if the Empire were to take direct action... just the thought of it made Hogg's skin crawl. This wasn't a minor skirmish like the one with the Blood Moon Cult.

Thus, he spoke in a low voice that was half-consultation and half-plea.

"If they do something that crosses the line, I ask that you stay your hand, sir... If there is a need, you can notify me at any time."

"Then I shall trouble the Royal Preceptor," Li Yuan chuckled. "But if they truly find this place, you don't need to be too nervous. All who come are guests; it's just a few cups of tea and some conversation. I don't think... any trouble will break out."

Hearing those words, Hogg felt somewhat relieved.

As long as Li Yuan didn't intend to make things difficult for the Empire's people, there was room for a buffer.

"I understand." Before putting away the talisman, Hogg added, "If there is any abnormality on this end, I will contact you immediately."

"Very well."

The light on the transmission talisman slowly faded.

Hogg put the talisman away and stood by the window, deep in thought for a long time. Ultimately, he abandoned the idea of going to see the King.

Over the next three days, the imperial delegation did not make any out-of-line moves.

All negotiations, exchanges, and studies proceeded very smoothly. During this period, the two countries even reached several trade agreements. Everything seemed normal—so normal it felt somewhat deliberate.

On the evening of the third day, the palace hosted a joint gala.

This gala was ostensibly to promote exchange between the two sides and to ease the slightly tense atmosphere of the past few days. The palace banquet hall displayed its luxurious and grand side for the first time in a long while.

The long tables were filled with various pastries, drinks, and roasted meats, while the court orchestra played soothing music on one side of the hall. Kingdom nobles and members of the imperial delegation stood together in small groups, conversing. Occasionally, a bold young noble would invite a partner to the central dance floor for a dance.

The atmosphere seemed harmonious... at least on the surface.

The only exception was the area where Venus was located; no one dared to approach her voluntarily.

She sat near a floor-to-ceiling window, holding a wine glass and slowly swirling it to the rhythm of the music.

Her long blue hair hung loosely by her side. Her deep blue formal gown was much more formal than her usual riding attire, yet it lacked the complex decorations common among the palace's noblewomen.

Even so, no one would truly mistake her for an ordinary female guest—that was Venus Basal Polivik.

The weight of that name alone was enough to make many who had intended to approach her pull back their steps.

At this moment, only Noah, Leah, and Baron were by her side.

Baron wore the dark formal uniform of the Inquisition. His posture was slightly more relaxed than usual, but his mental state remained highly strung.

The siblings, Noah and Leah, stood on the other side. Both had changed into formal attire, but their expressions remained largely unchanged, as if the gala had nothing to do with them.

"Speak." Venus swirled her glass, though her gaze did not fall on them. "What have you gathered over the past few days?"

Baron was the first to speak.

"The Inquisition's people have already split up and checked more than half of the royal capital. We've conducted covert investigations of inns, merchant guilds, and residential areas in the Outer City, as well as foreign populations registered in the Inner City, along with various teahouses and shops."

He paused here, his tone dropping slightly.

"We found nothing."

Venus did not speak, only taking a sip of her wine.

Seeing that she didn't intend to scold him, Baron felt a sense of relief and continued, "Security on the Kingdom's side has been very tight recently, and the Outer City has just undergone reconstruction. We cannot search for someone with portraits in a grand manner. Furthermore, people from the Kingdom's Intelligence Department have been watching us; any large move would immediately arouse suspicion."

"In other words, nothing at all?" Venus asked.

Baron lowered his head. "...Yes."

Venus glanced at him. She didn't look displeased, only saying calmly, "Continue."

Baron took half a step back and remained silent.

Noah took over the conversation. "On our end, we have primarily been active at the Royal Magic and Martial Arts Academy. The pretext of an academy exchange is quite convenient, and the Kingdom hasn't placed too many restrictions on us."

"Any discoveries?"

"There are some strange points," Noah said. "During the academy exchange, we heard the name 'Li Yuan' several times."