Rumors of Lanqi Spread Through the City

"Huh? The cat can talk?" Elsa looked down in surprise at the little black cat cradled in her arms. "Of course! Take a look at what tier of spirit cat I am!" Boss Cat declared, holding its head high with pride. "..." Resting one hand against the doorframe, Lanqi merely looked at it with pity and said nothing. That gentle gaze seemed to tell it: *Better not embarrass yourself.* "Wuwu, meow! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Boss Cat curled into a ball of black coal and whined resentfully. *Cats good, humans bad!* "Elsa, is there anything else you wanted to say?" Lanqi asked gently, looking at her face. From the moment he first saw Elsa, she had seemed hesitant. "Brother, I heard you've grown very close to the Imperial Special Operations Department lately, becoming their honorary consultant, and Duke Dex even regards you highly. Is that true?" Elsa hesitated for a moment, a trace of worry in her purple eyes, before finally speaking up. Though what she truly wanted to discuss with her brother was the changes happening in her body, she felt unable to bring herself to say it, not wanting to burden her busy brother. Instead, she voiced the concern for him that had been weighing on her mind for a long time. "Yes. It's a rare opportunity for me to do my part for the empire," Lanqi admitted readily. "What is it, Elsa? You don't seem entirely in favor." He bent down slightly to meet Elsa eye to eye, ensuring he wouldn't put any pressure on her. "Brother, I know you've always wanted to serve the empire, but the Special Operations Department... isn't a simple place, after all. I'm just worried you'll get dragged into dangerous affairs." Elsa sighed softly, speaking her mind. "I know my limits; I won't put myself in danger," Lanqi answered with certainty, meeting Elsa's gaze unflinchingly, as if reassuring her that he had matters he had to accomplish. "Brother, I trust your judgment." Elsa pursed her lips. "Still, you must take care of yourself. If anything happens, tell me anytime, all right?" "All right, I promise," Lanqi nodded solemnly. "In any case, just remember not to go into the gray areas of Brierda that aren't fully covered by the city defense barrier." Lanqi reminded the girl and the cat standing outside the door. Whether in a major kingdom or an empire, once combat erupted on the streets of a core settlement, security alerts and suppression fields would trigger. Most potent, destructive combat magic was prohibited, whereas utilitarian everyday magic enjoyed broader leeway. Only in certain specialized zones could high-tier magic be unleashed without restraint—such as within the Sacred Silver Vine Arena back in the Kingdom of Posen, or unadministered zones like the borders of the Posen Demon Realm. The capital, Brierda, had similar areas as well. They were divided into legal combat zones and gray areas. For instance, the Midnight Council, frequently discussed by Brierda's citizens of late; the Mist Watchers, long an urban legend; the Dawn Order, responsible for maintaining order in the Pantheon; the Voice of Truth Group, the news media company controlling Brierda's most authoritative broadcast channels; and established powers like the Brierda Mafia based in the moat port—they either held permits for legal combat zones or staked claim to gray areas. Compared to public information, more real-time intelligence could be gathered from the mysterious organization's group chat Landry belonged to, and among these factions, the one most active recently was undoubtedly the Brierda Mafia. It was an organization with a long history, as well as the largest criminal syndicate in the city of Brierda, controlling most of the city's underworld operations. Their primary activities included smuggling, black-market trafficking, assassination, and other illicit operations. The syndicate had a strict hierarchy and set of rules, placing great emphasis on loyalty and discipline among its members. The mafia's headquarters was located in a sprawling warehouse district by the Brierda River port, serving as both their administrative center and their base for various covert operations. They possessed vast resources and advanced magitech equipment to support their criminal enterprises. They operated sizeable ventures, and Brierda's nobility sometimes turned to them for assistance, needing an organization that observed strict rules of conduct. Now that war had broken out on the external fronts, the military police of the Capital Garrison Command had even less time to bother with them. Even Section Chief Kestrel Nicola of the Imperial Special Operations Department wouldn't go out of his way to cause trouble for the Brierda Mafia unless necessary. This counted as an unspoken rule: so long as neither side crossed the other's bottom line, neither the Imperial Special Operations Department nor the Brierda Mafia had any desire to fight to the death. "Don't worry, Brother, I'll only stay in completely safe districts of the city," Elsa promised. She understood her brother's concerns. With his academic achievements, Professor Landry had become a highly celebrated magic engineer in Brierda. Many eyes were on him—some valued his talents, some coveted benefits, and others harbored ill will, wanting nothing more than to eliminate him. Fortunately, her brother was strong himself. Not only had he resolved the danger aboard the Brierda mana train, but he had also successfully assisted the Imperial Special Operations Department in cracking a major case involving hostile sleeper agents, earning praise from Duke Dex not long ago. At tier 6, he possessed more than enough ability to protect himself, and he also enjoyed the dual protection of Saint Creti Monastery and the Imperial Special Operations Department. Yet as a tier 2, she was undeniably his vulnerability. "Let me give you a few more magic cards," Lanqi said after a moment's consideration, deciding it would be better to provide Elsa with some potent defensive magic cards. His own original magic cards weren't suitable to display, as they could easily reveal his identity as a kingdom citizen, but after arriving in the empire, he had also purchased some high-performance magic cards from various high-end exchanges. "You don't need to worry about me. Headmistress Violet secretly gave me a life-saving spell once." Sensing her brother's worry, Elsa smiled faintly and unguardedly took out her magic cards and jewelry for Lanqi to see. "You're a priest, and your entire deck is life-saving spells?" Without standing on ceremony, Lanqi took the magic cards, examined them, and looked up at Elsa. Among them was even a Pink Sacred-rank accessory card, [Mirror of the Moon Goddess]—surely the life-saving magic gift from Headmistress Violet. Magitech devices and ancient relics related to the Moon Goddess were all irreproducible treasures. In addition, Elsa carried stealth and acceleration spells. "Headmistress Violet said my healing output is specialized at night, so I don't have to worry about running short, and my physical constitution is far superior to that of ordinary spellcasters. Stacking magic power would only lead to overhealing, so she suggested investing entirely in tankiness instead. That way, the front line won't have to worry about protecting me during team battles," Elsa replied. "Whew." Lanqi returned the cards to her with a relieved smile. Back then, he had taught Hyperion the exact same way, ultimately turning Hubao from a fragile magic assassin into an evasion tank. "What are you smiling at, Brother?" Elsa asked, puzzled by his expression. "You just reminded me of an evasive beauty," Lanqi murmured relaxedly, glancing toward the north. "..." Elsa studied her brother's expression, thought for a moment, and asked inquisitively, "Is she your fiancée?" "Cough, well, that's..." For a moment, Lanqi was at a total loss for words. His hand slipped away from the doorframe, and he shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. Lately, rumors had indeed circulated that he would be bringing his fiancée to Brierda. But Elsa's mind was wandering too freely—she had no idea Talia was right here, and asking such a question in front of her was lethal. "Lanqi, go on, tell her." At the same time, Talia's voice echoed in his mind. Her tone seemed light, yet distinctly emphasized each word. Although she knew Lanqi and Hyperion were somewhat fond of each other, she could hardly bear to imagine the future image of Hyperion being carried off by Lanqi. If Lanqi and Hyperion were simply in a healthy, wholesome relationship, she would certainly support it. But if they were fast-forwarding straight to talking about marriage, Talia felt it was far too early. If the process truly couldn't be stopped, she would first need to test this man on Hubao's behalf to see whether he could be a worthy husband. "Say what can I?" Lanqi asked her in his mind. He could feel that, in an instant, Talia's thoughts had been thrown into complete disarray. "Aren't you babbling incoherently as well?" Talia countered. "In the midst of a national crisis, how could I indulge in romance? Even if a girl has taken up residence in my heart, I wouldn't bare it now. Once the mission is over, I'll face it all head-on!" Lanqi responded with righteous conviction. "..." Talia fell abruptly silent. She didn't know which girl Lanqi meant. Yet in the most literal sense, she was the only girl residing in Lanqi's heart. Her thoughts seemed even more flustered now, but unusually, she pretended to fall asleep and ceased telepathic communication with Lanqi altogether. Lanqi breathed a sigh of relief. Before the fate of home and country, personal feelings were secondary; Tata was evidently very sensible. He seemed to have relaxed a bit too much. Chatting with Elsa had been so devoid of pressure that he hadn't wanted to maintain his guard around this girl. Yet Elsa was entirely without guile—any casual question from her was a death trap. In the future, he couldn't be so careless around her. "After all, Brother, you've always been popular, and you've been shining so brightly here in the capital. Everyone says you must have more than one fiancée. No need to be shy—no matter how many you marry, I'll support you." Seeing Lanqi flustered and bordering on panicked, Elsa chuckled helplessly. "Who spread that rumor?" Before Lanqi could finish exhaling his sigh of relief, his eyes went wide. A terrible premonition surged in his heart. As everyone knew, words often warped the further they traveled. Originally, during an interview, he had merely said he would bring his fiancée over from the northwestern border territory of Nixasend to fulfill Duke Dex's behest. He definitely hadn't said fiancée in the plural! "Well..." Elsa stammered, seemingly unable to name anyone specific. "Tell me, what version did you hear?" Lanqi pressed seriously, recognizing the gravity of the situation. "They... they say your relations with several women back in the northwestern border of Nixasend have been thoroughly ambiguous from the very start. Coming to the capital, Brierda, ostensibly suspended your engagements with them, but in reality, you keep in contact with every single fiancée. Taking advantage of geographic distance to run multi-threaded romances, not only are you deeply in love with each of them, but your sweet words have charmed them all into complete bliss. You're practically hailed as a 'Master of Romance.' However, high-wire acts come with high risks—the next time you meet, either you conquer them, or they conquer you." Elsa hesitated for a moment, hugging the cat tighter before answering. The rumor had already spread among all the students at Saint Creti Monastery. Precisely because her brother spent all his time dealing with external affairs and poured all his energy into official business, he hadn't noticed that he had become the center of campus gossip. "What in the world is this nonsense?! Is there even a single word of truth in that rumor?!" Lanqi's mental state collapsed completely. He found it utterly ridiculous. If this made its way back to the Kingdom of Posen, Nigel would probably lose his composure completely. He was a magic engineer dedicated to academic research—why did he have to be buried in so many tabloid scandals? Gossip truly was terrifying. "Meow, you've finally become like him..." Dropping out of its coal-ball mode, Boss Cat looked at Lanqi speechlessly. *Lanqi-boy, your day has finally come.* *Call upon the gods too often, and a backlash is bound to strike.* "Heh." Lanqi looked back at Boss Cat with defiance and scoffed. When Dean Loren had been swallowed by scandal storms back then, it was ultimately because one tenth of the rumors were actually true, which was why he could never wash himself clean. Lanqi was different. No matter how many fiancées showed up, his expression wouldn't flinch in the slightest. Watching her brother and the little black cat trade sharp glances, Elsa felt her worries ease slightly. Her brother was livelier than she had imagined, and he had an energetic cat to keep him company. It seemed she didn't need to worry about him being lonely. "Then I shall take my leave first. I'll bring Little Black Bread back later," Elsa said, cradling the cat and curtsying slightly in thanks. Perhaps there was no need for such politeness between siblings, but having not seen each other in years, she subconsciously felt a hint of unfamiliarity with her brother. "Have fun with Ursula," Lanqi waved. He watched Elsa depart. The autumn wind blew past, fluttering the hem of Elsa's clothes. Her figure gradually faded into the golden shadows of the trees, leaving Lanqi standing alone in the doorway. "Lanqi, don't forget that you are a kingdom citizen. Although Elsa is a good girl, you aren't the real Landry either. Strictly speaking, she belongs to our enemy nation." Talia seemed to sense Lanqi's inward reluctance at having to eventually reveal the truth of Landry's death to Elsa, so she offered comfort in a different way. This kid could be remarkably decisive at times, yet at other times harbored unwarranted compassion. Even she knew it was best to draw as clear a line as possible with Elsa, rather than catering to her feelings and acting the part of a dutiful elder brother. "I suppose I can't save everyone. Even so, I still want to save as many people as I can," Lanqi murmured to himself, leaning against the doorframe once more as he gazed up at the sky.