"Under the escort of the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment, you and Mr. Luoqi will travel to the northern border at top speed. From there, we must trouble you to escort Mr. Luoqi across the snowfields. Please ensure his safety at all costs."
Inside the study of Lanqi's private residence, the secretary was briefing the bodyguard, Xigelei, on the upcoming itinerary.
Xigelei nodded, casting a glance at Lanqi, who was leisurely sipping tea by the table.
Generally speaking, unless one was in an extraordinary rush, nobody would hire the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment to whisk them across the country to the empire's northernmost edge.
Taking that route shortened the domestic journey several times over, cutting it down to less than half a day, but the cost of air transport was many times higher than traveling overland.
Further north, wyverns could not fly safely through the pitch darkness, extreme cold, and blizzards, so they would have to switch to ground travel when traversing the Land of Eternal Night.
"The route across the snowfields requires strictly passing through several independent city-states..."
The secretary gave directions to Xigelei according to the schedule.
Lanqi opened a small pocket map booklet with one hand, idly browsing through it while he waited.
He had made it a habit by now to always keep a children's edition map on hand, even when he had a guide.
Under normal circumstances, the Land of Eternal Night was already treacherous—a vast, unending snowfield teeming with vicious beasts, plagued by rampant lawlessness, and hostile toward humans.
Now, it was wartime.
The situation in the surrounding nations meant that hidden Blood Clan scouts might also appear on the snowfields.
For a journey that was perilous enough to begin with, this was truly adding frost to snow.
As for the path across the snowfields, it had long been planned out. In fact, there was only one optimal route—
Lanqi had taken on a job to repair the sacred statues worshipped by the orc city-states along the way.
The orc city-states held the gods in immense reverence. They believed that their enduring prosperity across generations was due to the protection of the divine, and the sacred statues in their city-states were indispensable objects for their worship rituals and ceremonies.
Unfortunately, the orcs were not skilled in such crafts and had generally hired artisans from neighboring human nations to maintain and restore their statues. However, prolonged hostility between humans and orcs had escalated in recent years, and combined with the appalling public order in the Land of Eternal Night, reputable master craftsmen were no longer willing to travel to the snowfields.
Moreover, it was said that certain hot-tempered orc high lords might even assault an artisan in a fit of rage if the repairs were poorly done.
As a result, not even half-baked charlatans dared to risk their lives to swindle them.
Even Little Stone City—the closest to the Polant Empire and on the friendliest terms with humans—had repeatedly sought artisans from the Polant Empire, yet no master had been willing to accept such a thankless, high-risk job.
After all, no one could guarantee they would satisfy the orcs.
On the other hand, if one did a fine job of repairing the statues, one would earn considerable goodwill and favor, as the orcs were straightforward by nature.
This time, having heard that a royal master craftsman from the Polant Empire was willing to take on the task—and had accepted the restoration of six city-states in succession from south to north—the orc city-states were filled with great anticipation and pledged to do everything in their power to protect Master Luoqi's safety throughout his journey.
Lanqi knew full well that as the corridor connecting the Demon Realm and the Polant Empire, the Land of Eternal Night was even more vital in this wartime environment.
Securing the support and aid of the native orcs offered immense convenience. Likewise, this was territory that could never be ceded to the Blood Clan.
Lanqi intended to do his utmost to convey the Horning Empire's aggressive ambitions to the orc high lords.
Although the orc city-states still harbored deep prejudices against humans, someone had to take the first step before any change could occur.
"This gentleman is of noble standing. When you guide him through the Land of Eternal Night, please follow this red booklet, and ensure he suffers no harm or unpleasantness in the orc city-states."
The secretary handed a red-covered book to Xigelei. She flipped through it with slight reluctance, then nodded.
If not for the money, she had no desire whatsoever to escort such an overly delicate grand lord.
"Damn, what a hassle," she muttered to herself.
"Shh!"
The secretary shuddered in fright.
"You must not use such vulgar language in front of this gentleman!"
He hastily admonished Xigelei, praying that the Prime Minister had not overheard.
"What do you mean, 'vulgar language'?" Xigelei knitted her brows in confusion.
"It means you must choose more refined, polite phrasing," the secretary explained patiently.
Though he knew this driver had her quirks—such as easily offending the Prime Minister out of sheer ignorance and boldness—she was indeed an expert at handling trouble. Entrusting the Prime Minister to her care brought the greatest peace of mind.
"I never went to school. I don't know how to say those so-called refined words," Xigelei said, spreading her hands.
Most of the clients she had escorted previously were merchants heading to the snowfields for trade. She had rarely heard of high-and-mighty lords willing to personally go to the Land of Eternal Night. Even if there were essential official duties, specialized military units would escort them, rather than making it so secretive through a private commission.
"Miss Xigelei..."
The secretary felt the words lodge in his throat.
He could not tell Xigelei that this gentleman was the Prime Minister, who also shouldered a unique, critical mission and needed to assume another identity as he headed north.
"It's fine. There's no need to make things hard on a child,"
Lanqi spoke with a light chuckle from where he sat by the table, setting down his teacup.
While he did not swear himself, he would not force others to change their habits.
Besides, the child simply didn't know better.
"Very well, sir," the secretary replied gratefully to Lanqi, then proceeded to explain the rest of the details to Xigelei.
The Prime Minister had never made things difficult for him either, always remaining remarkably considerate of his subordinates at work.
Xigelei looked at Lanqi once more.
She seemed a bit surprised by this client, who was rather different from the haughty, aloof aristocrats she had imagined.
***
That afternoon.
Several hours of travel slipped by in a flash.
On the silvery snowfield at the northern border of the Polant Empire, a young girl wearing a beret drove a sled. Her posture was calm and capable, seeming to blend seamlessly into the beauty of this frigid world.
Ahead of the sled, two Snowfield Nether Deer sprinted across the snow, their hooves kicking up plumes of powdery mist from the thick drifts, tracing nature's route across the frozen expanse.
After setting out with Lanqi this morning, Xigelei had swiftly reached the northernmost reaches of the Polant Empire by air.
Once they rented magical beasts capable of traveling fastest in the Land of Eternal Night, they crossed beyond the border.
The girl's cheeks flushed faintly in the biting wind as she lightly snapped the deer-driving whip in her hand, letting out intermittent cracks.
Behind her, in the rear seat, a man sat quietly.
His gaze was fixed intently on the small pocket map in his hands.
The wind ruffled the map, fluttering the corners of the pages as the young man appeared lost in thought about the road ahead.
"We've actually covered most of today's journey. Once we arrive at tonight's lodging, the first thing I'd like you to do is find as spacious an inn as possible, and help me purchase ingredients. I will give you a list; just try to buy according to what's written on it."
Lanqi's brown hair drifted slightly in the cold wind, his face showing clear anticipation for the journey north.
"Can't we just find a restaurant to eat?" Xigelei turned her head slightly and asked.
She found these clients exceedingly fussy.
During their journey across the Polant Empire, they hadn't spoken much. He seemed exhausted from his work over the past few days and spent most of the time resting with his eyes closed.
"I thought so too, but my chef recommended that I cook at home," Lanqi said with a sigh, glancing down at his shadow.
Boss Cat always insisted on eating out less.
Back when he and Boss Cat were on the Northern Continent, whenever they embarked on a journey, it was the cat who took on the chef's duties most of the time.
"Fine then."
Xigelei pulled out a pen and jotted it down on a notepad.
In any case, according to the contract, these basic expenses were covered by the client.
The better the client lived, the more good food she could legitimately hitch a ride on.
She usually pinched pennies, but now that lodging and meals during the job didn't cost her a copper and the employer didn't mind the spending, all she had to do was carry a bit more luggage.
Watching the crooked, scrawled handwriting from the front row, Lanqi couldn't help letting a faint smile touch his lips.
Even if she was slightly reluctant, her professional standard was quite solid—she had written down every word.
Chapter 543