"Gilbert, Emma! Something's changed — the Moebius Ring may be colluding with the Fire Worship Empire. Be careful with everything!"
After half a day of fruitless investigation, Leilin specifically notified Gilbert and Emma, then immediately returned to the Chancellor's residence without showing the slightest hint of anything unusual.
Just yesterday, he had only recently gone out with Burns when Red Eye returned to the official residence, which secretly put Leilin at ease.
If he had chosen to act at that time, even if he had subdued Burns, he would still have run into the returning Red Eye, which would have been quite troublesome.
Moreover, before understanding the situation clearly, he didn't want to act rashly.
"Officer Shick! Where's Locke? I haven't seen him around lately?"
Leilin asked with a look of confusion, and when that name was mentioned, the muscles on Shick's face twitched violently. It took a long while before he said in a deep voice: "He's been selected to carry out a classified mission and will be away for a while!"
"I see!" Leilin replied, somewhat understanding, then sidled up to Shick. "Instructor, what happened with that night's affair in the end?"
"What else could happen? Of course the Chancellor won a great victory, killing two Star-level experts from the other side and capturing one. The Foreign Ministry is now genuinely negotiating with the Fire Worship Empire!" A trace of adoration flickered through Shick's eyes, while Leilin's heart sank.
"Paying such a heavy price and still getting nothing in the end — those people from the Fire Worship Empire certainly won't let this go!"
"And if it was a trap, then losing three Morning Star-level combatants in one stroke was far too foolish. What exactly is the truth..."
Combining this with the intelligence he'd received from Emma and Gilbert over the past two days, Leilin suddenly felt as though the future was shrouded in a layer of mist.
"My previous plan will probably need to be revised. And this Sacred Star Day definitely won't be peaceful — the Fire Worship Empire, the Thunder of Jupiter, even our own Moebius Ring will all be making moves. It's sure to be incredibly chaotic..."
"Perfect — I'm actually looking forward to it!"
Leilin gazed at the nearly full progress bar on the Chip and couldn't help but let a smile spread across his face.
The tenth level of the Fire Feather Technique was the Star realm, and Leilin had already condensed a singularity. If these two power systems could be successfully merged, the resulting power would be far more than simply adding one Morning Star to another — there would be a terrifying qualitative transformation and amplification!
On top of that, Leilin had long since used up all the fire source stones he'd obtained from robbing Clinch, and his own spiritual power had made considerable progress. When the time came, he would definitely give his many enemies a pleasant surprise.
A blood-red light flickered in the depths of Leilin's eyes, and a sinister smile curved his lips.
The apex predator bloodline of the Komoin Giant Snake was urging him to kill! To destroy! To annihilate everything!
This was the emotional affliction of warlocks. And after advancing to Morning Star, Leilin — whose soul had merged with that of the Komoin Giant Snake — had inherited all of these violent emotions, making them his own inner feelings.
This made the episodes even more troublesome, potentially even causing profound effects on a wizard's personality.
Leilin had always been very careful to restrain himself, avoiding being eroded by these inner emotions. But now, with a great battle imminent and unprecedented pressure bearing down, a few subtle changes had finally begun to surface.
...
No matter what the people outside were thinking, time still trickled by. Finally, the Fire Feather Tribe's festival — the Sacred Star Day — arrived.
Whenever Leilin went out recently, he could see that the streets and shops outside had grown much livelier. Many young Fire Feather men and women walked the streets openly, playing without any reserve, filling the air with a boisterous atmosphere.
Representatives from various regions of the Atlan Federation, along with self-motivated tourists and other visitors, had also been arriving one after another in Tranzas City, packing it to the brim. The consequence of this overcrowding was a frequent outbreak of all manner of public security incidents — even military attachés like Leilin from the Military Affairs Office sometimes had to go out on field duty, which showed just how stretched thin the security forces had become.
According to private intelligence from Gilbert and Emma, a large number of elites from the Moebius Ring and the Three Serpent Cult had also infiltrated Tranzas City. Much of the chaos was being stirred up by them.
Moreover, the Atlan Federation's mortal enemy, the Fire Worship Empire, had sent a massive diplomatic delegation this time as well, adding fuel to the fire.
"Something tells me this is going to get really messy!"
Leilin groaned inwardly, though his face remained perfectly composed. He was currently wearing a crisp, handsome military attaché uniform, standing alongside his colleagues on one side, while Red Eye stood before a large full-length mirror, adjusting the butterfly-shaped bow tie at her collar.
"Your Excellency the Chancellor! Your schedule for today is as follows: first, an address to the Parliament, then a meeting with the Fire Worship Empire's envoys, the noon banquet..."
Beside Red Eye stood several secretaries holding paper and pens, chattering away about something, while a few maidservants smoothed out the folds in the train of Red Eye's formal gown.
Shick and Burns, among others, were also standing to one side, neatly dressed. Through the window, one could see a large number of fireworks and salutes, with colorful streamers dancing through the sky, filling the air with a festive atmosphere.
"Enough! I have my own arrangements for today!" Red Eye frowned and waved her hand, dismissing the still-chattering secretaries and the rest.