Lanqi's Journey Home

Two weeks later. It was late December. On a winter morning in the south of the Creti Empire, Brierda First Station gradually stirred to life in the dawn light. The station stood on Duke Osseta Square in the northern part of Brillda, near the central district. Built a hundred and thirty-four years ago, it had been designed by Urti Stechini, an Imperial craftsman of half-demon descent. Due to reconstruction and municipal planning issues at the time, it had taken more than ten full years to complete and put into service. "When I first arrived at this station, Nikolai was the one who received me," Lanqi said, strolling across the plaza outside the station and recounting the story to his companions, Iphatia and Migaya. "How impressive," Iphatia said, clapping her hands. "The Chief of the Imperial Special Operations Division personally welcomed your arrival in Brillda." "As expected of our little brother-in-law," Migaya chimed in with praise, just like Iphatia. "Wait, Lord Duke, what on earth is this 'little brother-in-law'?" Lanqi asked. Lanqi had noticed that over the past few days, Migaya's way of addressing him underwent adaptive shifts depending on the situation. In front of Hyperion, Migaya put on the air of an elder and addressed Lanqi directly by name. If Sigrid was present, Migaya would treat Lanqi like a colleague, standing a bit closer and getting along with him the way the Cardinal of Dimensions, Toriado, did. And at moments like this, with only Talia around, Migaya simply called him brother-in-law. Lanqi even suspected Migaya was a master actor deliberately messing with him. While Iphatia was still agonizing over what to call him, Migaya had already developed an adaptive seniority system. "Nikolai almost slapped silver handcuffs on you back then, and you call that receiving you?" Talia, walking behind them, tartly exposed the truth before Migaya could even respond. She had been possessing Lanqi that day, watching him match wits against Nikolai the entire way. Her own heart had pounded incessantly, while Lanqi's hadn't beaten at all. "Meow, meow, back to this station again," Boss Cat muttered in Lanqi's arms, looking toward Brierda First Station at the far end of the plaza. The station's towering walls were built of pale gray sandstone, with neatly tiered stone steps connecting them to the plaza. Across its facade stood eight immense arched windows inset with Cyros royal stained glass; their motifs shifted with the movement of sunlight, depicting legends of the Twelve Hours. Flanking the heavy metallic doors of the central entrance stood two imposing pitch-black stone lions, guarding the station's peace. Bronze-colored copper plates covered the roof, their sleek contours sweeping continuously from the lofty clock tower to the main structure. Stepping into the concourse, now that the hour of departure had truly arrived, there was a touch of reluctance to leave. Today was the day they departed Brillda, finally embarking on their journey back home to the Hutton Kingdom. However, because everyone had arrived in Brillda by different means, their returns to Hutton were split into three main routes. Hyperion and several Great Demons were taking the official Allied corridor for their return. They had already set off the previous night for Nistro City in Thuringen Province, in the northeastern Creti Empire, following a different route from Lanqi's. Lanqi and Talia's visas were still tied to the Kingdom of Posen, and many of their identification documents remained in the custody of their friend, Lieutenant General Nigel, in the City of Flowers, Palieu. They had to return to Palieu first to report back to Lanqi's handler, Nigel, before making a triumphant return home. Sigrid also had visa considerations: if she wanted a legitimate customs entry record for Hutton Kingdom, she needed the Cardinal of Dimensions, Toriado, to escort her back along her original route to the South Vantina Territory. "Sigrid is leaving the latest, but she might arrive the earliest," Talia said as she walked through the concourse with Lanqi and the others. By her calculation, Sigrid would probably reach the Boss Cat Restaurant first. Boss Cat had already written a move-in letter; Sigrid just had to hand it to Asna to move into the second floor with her bags. Toriado and Abigail, along with others from the Dimension Branch, also had plans to travel to Ikerite, though for reasons related to their stage play, so they would likely arrive a bit later. "After all, the Dimension Express arrives the moment an order is placed. Since she's taking a spatial gate straight back, she can leave at any time and arrive whenever she wants." Lanqi had actually considered taking the Dimension Express back himself, but the Cardinal of Dimensions had vetoed it, adamantly refusing to sell any more long-distance Tier 8 tickets. "I told you we should have had Toriado send us all back. How convenient that would've been," Iphatia said with utter conviction. "Then he really might have fled," Migaya said, shaking his head as he checked the signs for their platform. Toriado was only guaranteeing Sigrid's return to Hutton out of respect for the Dimension Branch's commercial obligations. If Iphatia seized Toriado and insisted that he teleport everyone back one by one, he wouldn't agree even on pain of death. "Toriado is a Cardinal Bishop, after all. In military engineering, those spells are top-tier strategic resources; turning them to everyday civilian use is a bit too extravagant. Besides, taking the train won't delay us by that much," Lanqi remarked, thinking it would be quite pleasant to enjoy the scenery along the way. In any case, they had no urgent duties now; wherever they went, they could essentially rest. Over the past few days, touring Brillda had more than made up for the vacation time they had missed before. Though the Wargods who knew them well were also on leave, having Wargods come to the station would attract far too much attention. That was why they had visited Saint Creti Monastery the night before specifically to bid them farewell. "We probably won't see everyone so easily in the future, meow," Boss Cat said, feeling a touch nostalgic about these temporary comrades-in-arms. They had shared life and death to overcome the final crisis together. The one that had left the deepest impression on it was that feline beastfolk big sister, who had treated it with inexplicable warmth, making it feel quite embarrassed. Now that it was certain the Wargods were no longer enemies, it wasn't so afraid of them anymore. "Uh..." Lanqi looked at Boss Cat, roughly guessing its thoughts. Bianca, the Twelfth Wargod on leave, had been peering around Saint Creti Monastery frequently over the past days, only to leave with an expression of confusion and regret. It was as if she were searching for something she couldn't find. According to Lanqi's deduction, even though he hadn't seen Boss Cat in human form, he could guess that Boss Cat had transformed into a beastfolk during the Moon God Festival and ended up captured. "Lanqi, what is it, meow?" Boss Cat didn't understand why Lanqi was staring at it without speaking. "Nothing." Lanqi had forgotten to mention to Boss Cat that once Loren received his leave and returned to Hutton Kingdom, his primary destination for family leave would be his hometown, the Crantel Territory, and after that he would likely visit Ikerite at least once. Some Wargods might accompany him during that time, but since it was unconfirmed news, Lanqi wouldn't spread rumors. It was very likely to be the few Wargods who were relatively free at the moment. Under the pretext of protecting the Emperor, their real concern was probably that the Emperor might run away. If Emperor Loren suddenly decided not to return from Hutton Kingdom and declared he was defecting to Hutton, the Wargods would be driven out of their minds—and they couldn't even accuse Loren of treason. "To be honest, meow, it's truly miraculous that they didn't insist on traveling with you, meow," Boss Cat murmured, tilting its head up and whispering to Lanqi. It remembered that first day when Talia and Sigrid had met in Brillda; Boss Cat had been fighting desperately to save Lanqi. Even after Lanqi managed to survive the ordeal, Talia and Sigrid had still clung to Lanqi without letting him out of their sight. "Thank you, Boss Cat. With you around, I have nothing to fear." Lanqi looked down at the little black cat, his eyes filled with trust. Only at the very end had he realized that he could have crashed catastrophically, and Boss Cat had always been his most dependable friend. "Don't look at me like that, meow," Boss Cat muttered, ducking its head. Having seen Lanqi go through such a harrowing life-or-death scenario, it had assumed he would finally learn fear. It had never imagined that it was the one giving him courage, which immediately stirred an ominous foreboding in its heart. Chatting along the way, the four of them and one cat soon arrived at the platform of Brierda First Station and sat down on a bench. The train they were waiting for had not yet arrived. On the track opposite them, a magic-powered rail train had already pulled in. Sitting on the bench, Lanqi instinctively gazed at his reflection in the train's reflective window, scrutinizing his attire thoroughly. Only after repeatedly confirming there were no flaws did he feel completely at ease. "Wait, Lanqi, why do you look like you're heading off on an espionage mission now that you're returning to the kingdom?" Talia asked, turning her head and staring at him in surprise. "Do I?" Lanqi asked Talia. "When you first came to Brillda, you blended in seamlessly. You'd never been a spy, yet when Kestrel Nikolai from the Imperial Special Operations Division caught you, you didn't show the slightest guilt or flaw. Back then, I thought you were some ace secret agent, completely unruffled in the face of danger." Talia didn't quite know how to put it, gesturing with her hands. "Don't get me wrong, though. I definitely didn't mean you looked handsome, and my heart wasn't fluttering at all. In any case, I wasn't praising you just now!" They chatted as they sat on the bench. The benches in the platform waiting area were classic wood, their backrests carved with divine scion patterns that allowed travelers to appreciate Brillda's classical charm while waiting. The idle chatter of fellow travelers waiting for trains, the parting words of those seeing off friends and relatives, and the announcements of arriving and departing trains over the broadcast blended into the distinct melody of the space. "..." Sitting on an adjacent bench, Migaya quietly watched Lanqi and Talia talking, lost in thought. Brother-in-law, son-in-law, or colleague—that was the question. By now, he had somewhat guessed the contents of the agreement between Hyperion, Sigrid, and Talia. At first, the strategy the three of them had chosen seemed to exist in a kind of equilibrium—a combination of strategies found in non-cooperative game theory where, regardless of what the others chose, each would make the choice most advantageous to herself. Whether an opponent jumped the gun or not, choosing to jump the gun yourself was always the right move. It was just like hearing news of a bank run: whether the bank run was real or not, it effectively had already happened, and if disaster struck, whoever ran late would bear the brunt of the damage. Later, at some turning point, Hyperion and the others had tacitly shifted strategies, beginning a truce of mutual non-interference, ending the internal rat race and mutual depletion. In theory, this was the Pareto-optimal strategy for all three of them. However, this required immense mutual trust. The moment any party altered her strategy, the other two would end up with the worst possible outcome. "Hubby, what are you thinking about?" Iphatia observed Migaya's face and looked up to ask. "Analyzing the stock market," Migaya replied, raising a hand to shield his cheek. Romance is finance; both belong to the realm of game theory. Calling this stock market analysis was not inaccurate in the slightest. In that moment of brief quiet, a hazy silhouette appeared at the far end of the tracks, accompanied by the blare of a whistle. Soon, the vibrations along the rails strengthened, carrying a low rumble as the outline of the train grew distinct. Morning sunlight bathed the carriages, and the locomotive's headlamp flared brightly, piercing the layers of early morning mist to guide the steel beast toward its destination. The fine snow upon the tracks vanished beneath crushing iron wheels as the train smoothly decelerated, coming to a steady stop alongside the platform. Passengers surged toward the doors. For a time, the platform bustled with crowds, footfalls and voices rising in waves. At the very rear of the crowd, Lanqi picked up his dark brown leather suitcase, leisurely standing up alongside Migaya and the others. "Are your tickets for Compartment 501?" Lanqi asked, eyeing the tickets in Migaya's hand. "Yeah. It looks close on paper, but Iphatia and I actually have to board Car 5," Migaya said to Lanqi and Talia, looking toward the carriages farther down the left side of the platform. There were private single compartments as well as double compartments. This train was of the relatively upscale variety—the very Brillda Express Lanqi had taken upon his arrival. Since Iphatia insisted on being with Migaya, her older sister Talia had no choice but to begrudgingly share the journey with Lanqi. "I see. See you later, then," Lanqi said, waving farewell to Migaya and Iphatia. "See you in a bit!" Iphatia held her hand high, waving back at them. They would meet again at the transfer station later; this was merely the first train departing Brillda. "Our carriage is actually quite close." Lanqi waited quietly until the bustling crowd ahead had cleared before stepping forward, with Talia following right behind. "The two of us rode a train together at the very beginning, too," Talia murmured, recalling when she had first met Lanqi. After spending a short time with him in South Vantina Territory, she had boarded a magic-powered rail train bound for the royal capital of Ikerite alongside him. This moment felt just like that one. "Back then, you wouldn't talk to me at all, okay? You were super cold," Lanqi said. He remembered that throughout the journey, unless he asked her a question, Talia would just sit there, staring at him coldly as if he owed her money. "You did owe me money," Talia stated, reading Lanqi's thoughts with undeniable justification. "Hiss... we're so close now, do you even remember how much I currently owe you?" It had been so long since Talia brought up the debt that Lanqi had almost forgotten. He truly hadn't made much money. Whether serving as Headmaster and Governor in the Northern Continent, or working as a professor and advisor in the Creti Empire, he had always remained honest and incorruptible, taking only his base salary. Expenses were reimbursed strictly by the book, and all funding was poured into campus construction and research. The only substantial money he spent on himself was for household expenses and the like. "Back then, the agreed production cost for the Poet of Great Love was 75,000 pounds. Because the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce could hardly come up with that much liquid cash at the time, you had to pay Talia back gradually as you earned money. Calculated at an annual compound interest rate of 4%, to pay it off in fixed installments over ten years, you need to pay me at least 9,247 pounds each year. If you default, late fees kick in, and both principal and interest snowball even faster. You've paid two installments on schedule so far, which means if you want to settle the debt within this year, you still need to give me 62,256 pounds," Talia calculated in a split second. "...Wait, Tata, when did your math get so good?" Lanqi had always assumed Talia wasn't terribly bright, but now he discovered that as soon as debts were brought up, she produced the exact numbers instantly. "What do you mean by 'not terribly bright'? I can teach you magic engineering—do you think I wouldn't know how to keep accounts?" Talia accurately caught Lanqi's inner thoughts. And that was just a rough estimate using the simplest method; if calculated down to daily accrued interest, it would be even higher than sixty-two thousand. "Oh, by the way, if you think disrespectful things about me like that again, I'm going to raise your interest rate." A smile surfaced on her face, as if she had just struck upon an idea. Among the clauses they had signed was one stating that interest could be adjusted through mutual consultation based on future interest rate fluctuations set by the Federal Bank of the Southern Continent United Kingdom Council. "No, no, Sister Tata, you're the smartest of all. Please don't raise the interest," Lanqi said hastily. "Then again, if you want to wipe out this debt completely, it's not like there are no legal means..." Talia murmured, lost in thought. "What kind of means?" Just thinking about that sixty-thousand-plus pounds gave Lanqi a headache. The Wilfort Chamber of Commerce probably couldn't produce that much cash right now, and if Lanqi remained an upright and honest headmaster without side businesses, he couldn't earn that much either. Worst came to worst, he could craft cards or sell paintings, but to be honest, he didn't want to turn art into a mere cash grab. "Think about it yourself," Talia gave an imperceptible huff and turned her head away, offering no further hints.