"No problem. I've also been wanting to see the brightly lit Herrom I've heard so much about."
Hyperion checked the time. It was only a little past seven, so picking up some daily necessities before moving into their new home made sense, rather than rushing around tomorrow morning to buy whatever they were missing. Besides, she also wanted to follow Mixiula around Herrom to get a little familiar with the city-state.
Moreover, though Mixiula's expression remained somewhat stiff, her eyes were burning with enthusiasm; she clearly wanted nothing more than to take a stroll through Herrom's commercial district with Hyperion before heading home.
It was said that huge, eye-catching screens spanned the facades between Herrom's skyscrapers, a style completely different from Ikerite's preference for integrating magic screens directly into buildings' glass curtain walls.
Hyperion had long been curious about this fantastical city-state.
"Let's go, Mixiula."
She rose gracefully from her seat. Her movements were smooth and orderly: first checking her attire, then reaching for the small handbag resting beside her seat.
Mixiula stood up as well. Showing no sign of haste, she checked with unhurried composure whether either of them had left anything behind, and then they stepped out of the compartment.
The train's final deceleration came with a series of mechanical release sounds. The carriage swayed gently until it finally came to a steady stop at the platform in Herrom.
The doors slid open slowly, letting in a cool night breeze mingled with the scent of mana mineral springs and metallic tang.
The passengers filed toward the exit in an orderly manner, and Hyperion and Mixiula followed the flow toward the doors.
Inside the station, where distinctive orchestral music echoed through the air, a transparent mirror-screen caught their attention. It captured the expressions of travelers who had just arrived in the Imperial Capital, holding them for several seconds before letting them fade away.
"Don't worry. That's a barrier spell that scans for disguise magic, and the one on the floor checks identification documents,"
Mixiula explained to Hyperion as they walked along the platform.
From time to time, the walkway beneath their feet lit up, emitting a faint azure shimmer that rippled outward as though they were treading on water.
"Then we might be getting back to the academy a bit late. In the sky gardens that drift overhead at night, there are singing flowers and ghosts resembling astral bodies. We must never wander into those old, eerie-looking districts, and we especially need to steer clear of the Herrom Alchemical Zoo..."
Counting on her fingers, Mixiula continued to tick off warnings for Hyperion.
Beyond its fantastical veneer, this city was rife with danger. While absolute order was maintained across many bustling districts by powerful figures and ancient barriers, chaos, violence, and crime were commonplace far from those areas.
"Actually, the first time I came to Herrom, I got scared quite a few times, and people even made fun of me..."
Mixiula mumbled, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
In this city, being without a guide was inherently dangerous.
Though she remained expressionless most of the time and appeared indifferent to everything, she was actually full of emotion inside.
"Don't worry, Mixiula. I won't get scared. You don't need to fret over me,"
Hyperion said with a smile, looking at Mixiula.
She was not only a princess of the demon race, but also a duke's daughter of the Hutton Kingdom, a cleric, and now disguised as a count's daughter. She had to remain graceful and courteous at all times. No matter what happened, she would stay composed.
On that point at least, Hyperion was completely confident.
...
Meanwhile.
In the heart of the sleepless city of Herrom, a towering skyscraper stood amidst the bustling downtown. Its exterior was unpretentious, yet it commanded an undeniable presence. Rows of marquee lights adorned its crown, projecting beams that pierced the night sky and proclaimed its status as a media giant to every corner of the city.
This was the Protos Empire's famed broadcasting tower—the birthplace of the Herrom Broadcasting Corporation's programs, and a crossroads where countless dreams and arts converged.
The studio building featured a stern, dark glass curtain wall. By day, it reflected the sky's brilliance; by night, it transformed into a gigantic projection screen, displaying the network's logo—granted under the Herrom Royal Charter—alongside clips of currently airing shows.
The ground-floor entrance was packed with people eager to be part of the studio audience. Tickets in hand, they waited for the uniformed guards at the doors to let them inside. Extra officers dispatched by the Security Department for the night wore solemn expressions, their badges gleaming as they maintained order outside the Herrom Broadcasting Corporation building.
Once tonight's show concluded, they would also be tasked with dispersing the crowds and escorting celebrities away from the congested downtown area.
Up on the twenty-first floor of the Herrom Broadcasting Corporation building, inside the backstage dressing room, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Lanqi stood before a vanity mirror, quietly stroking the little black cat in his hands while waiting for the staff to invite him onto the stage.
The dressing room's lights shone dazzlingly bright, causing Lanqi's reflection to almost fracture into countless afterimages in the mirror, each bearing an unhurried smile.
The air hung heavy with the scent of thick foundation and perfume, which made the little black cat slightly uncomfortable. Yet none of this seemed to affect Lanqi in the least. His gaze pierced straight through the bustling nightscape of Herrom outside the window, contemplating deeper meanings visible to him alone.
"Meow, meow..."
Boss Cat squirmed restlessly in Lanqi's hands, tossing and turning without pause.
"Boss Cat, don't you want to join me on the show in a bit?"
Lanqi asked with a smile.
He sensed that Boss Cat actually wanted to see the world and join in on the spectacle.
It was timid, yet brimming with curiosity.
If it missed this chance, another might never come.
The Herrom Evening Show, which he was about to appear on, had first aired on the Herrom Broadcasting Corporation in the year 1754. Under its first host, the show had established the fundamental format of late-night talk shows, featuring an opening monologue, celebrity interviews, comedy sketches, and musical performances.
Subsequent hosts had infused the show with more personal flair and emotional resonance, shifting its focus toward interviews and dialogue and ushering the show into its golden age. Powered by the hosts' unique humor and approachable charm, the program had become a late-night cultural icon of Herrom.
Covering a broad range of subjects, it spanned social issues, current politics, mental health, life stories, cultural topics, and more.
The talk show was scheduled to begin promptly at eight o'clock. A glance at the clock in the dressing room suggested that the studio was already prepared.
"Meow, meow..."
Boss Cat still wore the expression of a crying cat meme.
For some reason, the makeup artist had even tied a tiny bow tie around its neck.
The more clearly it grasped their current predicament, the more irremediable it felt; it had truly never witnessed a spectacle on this scale.
Before coming to the Northern Continent, it had never dreamed in its wildest nightmares that things would reach such a point.
It had foolishly assumed that the kid was only slightly eccentric, and that away from Ikerite Academy, he wouldn't be able to stir up any massive waves.
After these past two-odd months, it finally understood what kind of creature Lanqi was without Hyperion holding his leash.
A crushing wave of guilt nearly choked Boss Cat. Whenever it recalled how Hubao had stressed the vital importance of watching over Lanqi—words it had casually dismissed as wind blowing past its ears—it felt guilty of a grievous crime.
"Don't worry. Didn't Hyperion say so herself? If we ever got separated in the Empire, I just had to wait for her in a conspicuous spot and she'd find me in no time. Who knows, maybe I'll even see her today."
Lanqi, ever optimistic, gently stroked Boss Cat over and over.
"..."
Boss Cat raised its head, staring at Lanqi with teary eyes in prolonged silence.
Is it remotely possible she meant geographically conspicuous, not making yourself this conspicuous?!
In the end, it chose to be an ostrich cat and buried its head.
By now, its mindset had shifted completely: from praying for Hubao to return quickly to praying that Hubao wouldn't return at all.
Fortunately, security in the north was tight. With Hubao's strength, she probably couldn't slip back into the Protos Empire anyway!
They had better just meet again in the Southern Continent!!
Chapter 370