Rock Box Mountain was one of the transportation hub city-states in the northern part of the Protos Empire.
Surrounded by rolling mountain ranges, a meandering mountain stream wound through the city, breathing boundless vitality into it whenever spring arrived.
Its architecture was deeply influenced by mountainous elements, constructed primarily of stone and wood to blend artfully into the surrounding natural landscape.
Yet the weather this year had been bizarre and exceptionally frigid.
Even the cities in the southern empire, warm year-round, were said to have seen flurries when winter had barely begun.
Now that it was already early March, there was still no sign of the cold wave receding. Heavy snow even fell from time to time, painting most of the city's buildings white to meld seamlessly with the surrounding snowy landscape and icy peaks.
The mana rail station of Rock Box Mountain was situated on the city-state's westernmost edge. Known as the "Rock Confluence," it was one of the busiest transit hubs in the entire city-state—and indeed across the whole north. The structure itself was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, combining modern technology with traditional stoneworking methods to make it both sturdy and impervious to the freezing wind.
Upon the station tracks, the screech of brakes and the friction between wheels and rails grew louder.
A mana rail train arriving from the south sped smoothly onto the platform level.
Inside a carriage, by a window seat in the front row.
"From the looks of it, we've reached the restricted zone."
Lanqi closed his book with one hand, put it away, and murmured to himself as he watched the scenery slowing outside the window.
According to their itinerary, the two of them were to disembark at this city, pass inspection, and transfer to their next train.
Or rather, for all passengers arriving at this station, once their permits cleared identity inspection, there were only two choices going forward.
Continuing north led straight to the northern border front line.
Turning west led to the Northwestern Province, the province bordering the Kingdom of Asethelan.
"To tell you the truth, even I haven't been here before," Side said, covering her mouth as she yawned.
Back when the three bishops chose where to proselytize, the Bishop of Domination had chosen the relatively orderly South Bank where conservatives predominated; the Bishop of Extinction had chosen the most chaotic area west-northwest of the Imperial Capital near the front lines; and the Bishop of Mourning had chosen the region east of the Imperial Capital, which was comparatively wealthy yet embroiled in the most intricate web of aristocratic factions.
Each essentially held a third, with Herrom, the Imperial Capital, serving as the nexus.
From the moment Lanqi and Side had started heading north, silver-armored clerics of the Domination branch were nowhere to be seen. In their stead were Extinction clerics clad primarily in dark gray and Mourning clerics primarily in dark blue; farther north upon reaching the restricted zone, only Extinction clerics remained.
"Why didn't you choose the east?" Lanqi asked curiously.
Although these were matters that shouldn't be casually discussed in public, precisely because nobody else could possibly understand what they were talking about, it posed no problem.
"The nobles in the east hold immense power, and there are many strong figures among them. Their relationships and factions are deeply entrenched. Going there means either fawning over those high aristocrats or having to negotiate countless partnerships with them," Side said, crossing her arms.
With a little over a month left until the public election in the Imperial Capital, a substantial portion of the votes lay in the hands of the nobles in the House of Lords and the officials in the House of Commons.
Choosing the east would have offered an obvious advantage in the total count of key votes.
However, she clearly wasn't the type to speak pleasantly with the Empire's power players. If someone dared push their luck, she might end up slaughtering a noble before she knew it.
Regardless, even for a family guarded by an eighth-tier protector, if she wanted to kill them, she could, and no one could stop her.
It was just that doing so would completely ruin her chances of becoming the Resurrection Church's head authority in the Protos Empire.
She would rather choose the north than the east.
"I see." Lanqi nodded. It made sense to him as well.
As it stood, with his help as the Forerunner, the Bishop of Domination could simply sit back and reap the support of numerous southern nobles and officials without lifting a finger.
The crucial part was finding out how the northern Extinction branch and the eastern Mourning branch were actually faring.
The east was easy enough; informants from the Domination branch were investigating and reporting back in real time.
As for the north under information lockdown, even though intelligence clerics from Domination had been dispatched, the transmission of information suffered severe delays.
Thus, Sigrid, as the Bishop of Domination, had simply decided to come and see for herself.
More importantly, if the two of them could stir up trouble, they might deal a heavy blow to the Extinction branch's prestige in the north.
"By the way, what exactly is the stance of those eastern imperial noble factions toward the war?"
Lanqi wasn't certain if his understanding of the eastern situation was accurate; after all, some inside information couldn't be gathered merely by asking around.
Sigrid was, after all, someone who had surveyed the Empire before picking the south, so she ought to have a clearer grasp of the differences among the three regions.
Lanqi had heard that some great nobles relied on war to solidify their standing, as certain families had built their status entirely on martial prowess. He had also heard that some high aristocrats tried to undermine one another until none could back down, and that other families had long been invested in military industries, just waiting for war to erupt.
"A bit of everything. But once war breaks out, most nobles in the east are the type who completely drag their feet. For them, self-interest always reigns supreme, so calling them anti-war in essence isn't wrong either."
"..."
"I didn't feel like dealing with that bunch of high nobles, so I just went with the firmer-willed conservatives in the south."
Sigrid clearly looked down on those eastern oligarchs, caring nothing for their influence or riches.
Then, turning something over in her mind, her eyes took on a spark of liveliness as she glanced at Lanqi beside her.
"Logically speaking, before long, the nobles in the east might come to know the name Luoqi McCarthy."
"Why is that?"
"Quite a few nobles want their children enrolled in Protos Royal Magic Academy, the premier institution of the Protos Empire."
If they heard that this Luoqi McCarthy was the current headmaster, they would grant him some face, if nothing else.
"I've always kept public and private matters strictly separate. Don't expect me to use my official position to do you any favors," Lanqi warned.
He didn't want his sacred profession abused by Sigrid.
Public was public, and private was private.
Protos Royal Magic Academy was his personal property; it shouldn't be used for the Domination branch's official business.
"Tsk, favorability decreased," Side clicked her tongue.
"Hey, didn't you say the character 'Side' is separate from your true self? Why would Side's favorability go down?" Lanqi asked with wide eyes, astonished.
"Because Side is a very capricious girl."
"..."
Lanqi held back his urge to retort.
He really wanted to ask about the Bishop of Domination's actual age, but he feared that the moment he posed that question, Side would quit the party.
Chapter 305