Currently, all the injured were temporarily placed in rooms on the east side of the embassy's second floor.
Healers sent by the Kingdom and warlocks accompanying the Empire were busy providing treatment. The glow of healing magic flickered repeatedly, casting shifting shadows along the corridor.
When Venus pushed the door open and entered, several healers immediately stopped their work and bowed.
“Continue.”
She simply waved her hand.
Only then did the healers lower their heads again to tend to the wounds.
Several beds were arranged in the room, occupied by injured imperial students and investigators. Everyone was unconscious and wrapped in bandages, with healers constantly casting recovery magic on them.
Venus walked straight to the innermost area—to the beds of Noah and Leah.
The condition of the siblings was clearly worse than the others.
Noah had suffered a puncture wound that went straight through his chest. Fortunately, it had missed his heart, but a section of his right shoulder had been sliced off. He was only breathing now with the assistance of magic.
Leah’s situation was slightly better, but half of her internal organs were ruptured, and she had fractures across her torso and limbs.
The two had been on the brink of death when they were brought back. The accompanying warlocks had nearly exhausted their mana just to stabilize their vital signs. After receiving further help from the Kingdom’s healers, they were finally out of immediate danger.
Venus stood by the bedside, looking at the two in silence.
The healer responsible for their care stepped forward and explained in a low voice.
“The external injuries of these two have been controlled, but the residual mana inside them is very troublesome. It continuously erodes any magic we input from the outside, so our healing magic is having difficulty taking effect in the short term.”
Venus silently raised her hand, her fingertips hovering over Leah’s forehead. A wisp of purple mana descended from her finger, instantly sweeping through Leah’s body.
A moment later, her brow furrowed slightly—the mana lingering in Leah’s body was strange.
The residual mana wasn't particularly strong, but it was violent. Her own mana was devoured as soon as it entered. If she forcibly increased the mana input, it would inevitably cause a larger reaction, which would undoubtedly be fatal for the already weakened Leah.
More troublesome was that this mana felt vaguely familiar...
It felt like she had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where at the moment.
She checked Noah’s injuries as well, and the result was the same.
These two had the heaviest injuries and the most residual mana. Clearly, the attackers' true targets were not the ordinary exchange students, but the Allen siblings.
Venus withdrew her hand and asked, “When will they wake up?”
The healer hesitated for a moment.
“If there is no further interference, it will take about a month at the earliest. Currently, we don't dare use any aggressive treatment methods, as that would be counterproductive. We can only wait for the residual mana in their bodies to slowly dissipate.”
Venus’s expression remained calm as she gave a curt reply.
“Find a way to wake them as soon as possible.”
“Yes.”
She didn't ask anything else and turned to leave the room.
The further she walked, the colder her expression became, her mind replaying the mana traces she had felt in the Allen siblings.
It was definitely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it—this feeling of something being out of her control made her exceptionally irritable.
By the time she walked out of the embassy gates, it was already noon. Due to the attack, there were significantly more guards here than yesterday.
Seeing her appear, the guards on both sides prepared to step forward, but she raised a hand to signal them back to their posts.
“Stay alert. I’m going out to take a look.”
The Royal Capital during the day was as prosperous and bustling as the Imperial Capital.
Venus walked slowly along the street, looking up at the sky and letting out a long breath. She was in a foul mood, and the fact that she had no way to vent it only made her more frustrated.
The people who attacked the Empire clearly knew the identities of the Allen siblings... or rather, they knew their abilities.
That was why the two were prioritized as targets, with the intent to eliminate them directly, though the attempt had failed.
The siblings were lucky to be alive. Venus felt a slight sense of relief about that—if the pair had actually died in the Royal Capital, it would have been difficult to explain things to Oslama.
It could be inferred that this attack was likely just the beginning. Once the enemy confirmed that the Empire had lost its Time Retrospection ability here, incidents similar to last night would surely follow one after another.
She wasn't afraid for herself; in fact, she wished the enemy would just jump out into the open.
But the people accompanying her couldn't handle it. Faced with an ambush by one or more high-level practitioners, they wouldn't even have the basic ability to protect themselves.
As a result, all exchange activities outside the palace had been halted.
Furthermore, this matter didn't seem like simple retaliation, nor was it something ordinary bandits could pull off... Targeting imperial personnel so specifically—was the goal to sour relations between the two nations?
At this thought, Venus shook her head and dismissed the possibility. It wasn't realistic unless the rulers of both nations were complete idiots.
She walked street after street. Unknowingly, the surrounding buildings began to grow sparse and low, and the streetlights became fewer.
When she snapped out of it, she had already reached the Outer City.
Venus looked up at the road sign ahead and suddenly realized she was near the Twenty-First District.
She froze for a moment, then remembered that strange Midnight Teahouse.
However, it was still early, well outside its business hours. After thinking for a moment, she still headed toward the teahouse.
There was no special reason other than the fact that she was currently very irritable and wanted a place where she could relax.
That teahouse happened to meet that requirement. Although it was early... getting an ordinary person to open a bit ahead of schedule was an easy task.
As for the owner’s wishes, they weren't within her scope of consideration for the time being... though perhaps she could give some extra compensation once her mood improved.
With that thought, she began walking toward the teahouse and arrived at the door shortly after.
Seeing the closed wooden door and the sign hanging on it that said 'Closed,' Venus chose to ignore it. She stepped forward and began to knock directly, using quite a bit of force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The noise drew the attention of many passersby, but no one dared to look for long. Judging by her imposing manner, she was likely there to cause trouble. As for the story behind it, they were left to their own imaginations.
A few minutes later, Venus’s face was full of impatience. Had she not been mindful of being in the Royal Capital, she would have sliced the door open long ago.
Furthermore, according to her senses, there was clearly someone on the second floor of the teahouse... Were they sleeping? Most likely, as it was normal to sleep during the day when operating at night.
But she didn't care about any of that. She put a bit of strength into her hand, intending to smash both the door and the lock together. At worst, she would just pay him for a new door.
Just as the thought arose and she was about to act—the door opened.
An annoyed Li Yuan appeared behind the door with a frown. Looking at this rule-breaking new customer, he said with a rare seriousness:
“Madam, did you not see the sign on the door? The teahouse is not open for business. If you wish to have tea, please return later.”
Venus didn't care about any of that. She pushed the door open, brushed past Li Yuan, and entered the teahouse. She walked straight to the bar, sat down, and tossed a bag of gold coins onto it carelessly.
She spoke directly.
“I want milk tea. Iced, and make it sweet.”
Li Yuan walked behind the bar and looked at the bag of gold coins on the table. He hesitated for only a second before shaking his head.
“It is not business hours. I’m afraid your request...”
“I’ll pay extra.”
Hmm... pay extra...
Li Yuan hesitated again.
He looked at the bag of gold coins again, estimating there were about a hundred or so inside. It wasn't a small amount... but after receiving tens of thousands from Lanqiu, he wasn't exactly short on cash.
He stood his ground and continued to shake his head.
“It’s not a matter of money. If you want a drink, just wait until the shop opens normally tonight.”
“And if I insist on drinking it now?”
Having been rejected twice in a row, Venus’s temper flared. Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze toward Li Yuan carried a hint of a threat.
How long had it been since she was rejected so many times in succession? At least in the last sixty years, it hadn't happened. Even the Emperor didn't dare to refuse her so bluntly—and twice at that.
If the fellow in front of her didn't know how to be flexible, Venus didn't mind teaching him a lesson. At the same time, she would make him understand that being able to serve the Empire’s Sage was an honor in itself.
Rate on N.U.
