Ten days later, in late March of the Protos Empire.
Frost and snow swirled through the air, and the vast snowfield stretched toward the horizon, blurring into the ash-white sky. Every original contour of the terrain was smothered under a heavy blanket of snow.
Over a hundred kilometers outside Bandera City, a front-line city-state near the Northern Border Province, there was still no trace of human habitation—only a desolate expanse of snow.
The further north one ventured, the more frequent freakish, harsh weather became. Being grounded for two or three days on end due to storms was commonplace, and the scattered snowfield city-states and villages grew increasingly sparse.
Amid this vast expanse of white, a sled suddenly crested a hillside, slicing through the frost and kicking up a blinding white tempest.
"Woohoo, we're flying!"
"Faster, faster!"
"Meow, meow, meow! Slow down, you two, or we're going over a cliff!"
The sudden laughter and frantic, childish cries rang out with startling clarity against the wind and snow.
Despite the biting cold hanging in the air and the sharp sting of frost, nothing could dampen the sheer exhilaration beaming on the faces of the two people sitting in the sled.
Lanqi and Side sat side by side as the large black fox harnessed at the front raced ahead at full throttle. Golden flames danced on the tips of its ears, and powdery snow sprayed from beneath its powerful paws. Each stride drove deep into the drifts, leaving behind alternating shadows of golden light.
Boss Cat clung desperately to Lanqi's coat.
It could tell that Lanqi and Side were truly having the time of their lives!
If Tata had been by Lanqi's side right now, she would have kept a stern face and ordered him to slow down. If it had been Hubao, she probably would have gently reminded him to mind their safety on the snowfields. Only Side would egg him on, shouting for him to go even faster.
"Meow, meow! Don't go so fast!"
Boss Cat knew it had long lost any ability to keep Lanqi in line, yet it still shrieked with all its might.
"What? Not fast enough?"
Lanqi dipped his head in the howling wind and asked the cat huddled in his arms.
In the next instant, he leaned low and snapped the reins, signaling the great fox to pick up the pace even more.
"Meowww!"
The moment Boss Cat opened its mouth, it swallowed a mouthful of snow.
Only after the sled rocketed down the hillside and steadied onto level snow did the crimson-lacquered chassis begin to slow down, still standing out vividly against the white expanse.
"Haha, even if we crash, it's not like I'll get hurt. As for him... doesn't he still have that wind-attribute wheelchair?"
Side doubled over with laughter, turning her head to look at the little black cat resting on Lanqi's lap.
She was well aware that Lanqi carried a bizarre assortment of equipment magic cards.
Given the need for secrecy in investigating their final destination, the two had changed their identities and appearances once again after leaving the Snowfield Province.
Instead of continuing to use their identities from the Protos Royal Magic Academy as Luoqi and Side, they had reinvented themselves as a magic artificer and a merchant from the Snowfield Province heading to the Northern Border Province to conduct business.
This ensured that if anything went wrong during the investigation, they would not be backtracked on their return journey.
That said, Lanqi genuinely possessed an absurd number of sealed, unused high-tier purple magic cards, looking more like an authentic magic card merchant than a real one. The advantage of cards being sealed was that, without an owner, their effects were easy to identify.
Yet when it came to the quality of these cards, Side found it hard to put into words. Most of them were miscellaneous junk cards meant for salvage and dismantling. They came in all varieties and didn't look like they were meant for the little black cat, leaving even Side bewildered as to why he had brought so much useless clutter.
All she knew was that Lanqi had secured nearly all of these magic cards by pulling strings in the Imperial Capital before departing. Lady Cloris had been of immense help in that regard. Side had no idea what kind of deal they had struck for her to advance Lanqi such a hefty payout.
"Meow, meow..."
Boss Cat sniffled and offered no reply, once again turning into a tearful cat meme.
It didn't want to hang around these two anymore.
"If we can dig up some major scoop this time and expose it, the imperial prestige we'll gain will be considerable."
Lanqi eased the sled's pace, releasing one hand from the reins to cradle Boss Cat snugly as he spoke with conviction.
The sled glided on, its runners grinding against the deep snow with a steady clatter, churning up a long, unbroken plume of snow like a trailing tail in their wake.
Though the wind roared around them, the two on the sled paid it no mind, thoroughly enjoying the rush of acceleration pressing into their backs.
According to the map, a flat plain lay ahead, free of rugged mountain trails and frozen lakes. At their current speed, they would soon reach their destination: Bandera City on the northern border.
"Didn't that investigation team led by Major General Fanleiku head up ahead of us? If there's an issue, he'll probably be the first to find it,"
Side remarked nonchalantly.
"Not necessarily. If there's danger on the level of Tier 8 up north, an ordinary investigation team still won't be enough."
Lanqi pondered aloud. Setting aside the secret Cloris had shared—which he had promised her never to reveal to anyone—he still hoped Sigrid would fully grasp just how perilous the Northern Border Province truly was.
"Anyone who reaches Tier 7 has already stepped beyond the realm of mortals. Defeating them is easy enough, but killing them is another story entirely."
Side shrugged, as if recalling the strength she possessed when she had first attained Tier 7.
"..."
Lanqi's eyebrow twitched as he glanced at the abnormal woman beside him.
A Tier 7 combatant at full strength would be a nightmare to handle even for an entire squad of Tier 6s, yet to the person beside him, that was merely at the level of 'easy enough to defeat.'
Most of the time, Side felt entirely approachable and surprisingly good-tempered, a stark contrast to a certain other unmarried woman he knew.
Only when the topic turned to other powerhouses did the sheer gap in perspective make it glaringly obvious that all his past experiences existed in an entirely different dimension from her might.
"Don't worry, Holy Son. Even if your tier stays low forever, I won't look down on you. With me covering for you, just do good work on my behalf."
Side grinned with a touch of childish flippancy, yet her words carried the reassuring weight of an empress's solemn pledge.
"..."
Lanqi fell silent for a moment.
"If one day I want to retire and step down, would you let me go?"
In truth, he had long resolved to disappear back to the Southern Continent when the time came. But after chatting with Side every day without the slightest distance between them, he found himself unexpectedly reluctant to lose her as a friend.
If at all possible, he didn't want to become enemies with Cardinal Sigrid, the Bishop of Domination, in the future.
"..."
Side hesitated for a brief moment before answering, "That depends on the circumstances."
"For instance?"
"If my favorability toward you is very low, I'd treat it as betrayal and help you retire permanently."
Side squeezed her knuckles with a chilling gesture.
"..."
Lanqi couldn't tell whether she was jokingly illustrating the consequences of low favorability or delivering a genuine threat.
In Lanqi's arms, Boss Cat shuddered, trembling all over. It knew Lanqi should never have gotten tangled up with this female devil in the first place!
There was no way in hell she would ever let you part on amicable terms!
"Honestly speaking, though, under most circumstances, if you wanted to leave, I don't think I'd let you go easily either. I made an exception to choose you as my Holy Son, so naturally, you ought to serve me forever."
Side candidly gave Lanqi her true answer.
"Understood."
Lanqi nodded, having anticipated as much.
He looked down and smiled at the shivering Boss Cat, not the least bit anxious.
"!"
Boss Cat started, instantly catching on to what this absolute menace had in mind.
It could already guess that when Lanqi eventually decided to run, he would resort to faking his own death at the very least. He would stage a demise for 'Luoqi McCarthy,' ensuring Sigrid would never even consider tracking him down!
Then, this bastard would turn right back into 'Lanqi Wilfort' of the Southern Continent, cutting all ties with Sigrid forever!
Boss Cat was just terrified that if Lanqi actually pulled that stunt, it might trigger an unpredictable chain reaction.
"What if... your former Saintess had wanted to leave?"
Boss Cat swallowed hard, plucking up the courage to squeak the question in its tender voice.
Sigrid had lost a Saintess before. If forced to choose between a subordinate 'leaving' and 'dying,' Boss Cat had no idea how ruthlessly Sigrid would handle a deserter.
If she was truly that extreme, then faking his death would indeed be Lanqi's only way out!
Upon hearing this, Side froze for a moment, looking as if she had never even considered such a possibility.
At last, a helpless smile crept onto her lips.
"I'd probably let her go, so she could live the life she wanted."
Her voice carried a rare hint of guilt and gentle warmth.
"..."
This time, neither Lanqi nor Boss Cat uttered a sound.
The cat looked up at Lanqi.
It had a sinking feeling that if Lanqi truly went through with faking his death, things might evolve into an entirely different kind of devious disaster...
Chapter 327