Gathering in the University District

Meidici? Xialuote searched her memory for a moment, but found no clear recollection associated with the surname. She only knew that the Kingdom of Feineibote had been ruled by the Castiya family since the Fifth Epoch, and that only the Church of the Earth Mother was permitted to spread its faith openly—a stark contrast to Yindisi, which venerated both the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Craftsmen. Perhaps Meidici was simply an ancient family that had intermarried with royalty... She did not dwell on it further. Led by Xierweiya, she walked through the mirror-lined corridor to the other side of the main palace. The decor here was brighter and softer than in the king's quarters. Murals of bountiful harvests across fields and vineyards adorned the walls, dominated by gold and red tones that brimmed with vibrant life. Before a set of double doors, Xialuote was granted entrance, while Xierweiya was stopped outside. *An audience for me alone?* Xialuote felt her heart tighten and instinctively glanced at her aunt. The latter showed no surprise. She merely adjusted Xialuote's collar and murmured, "Follow the etiquette from before. Don't be nervous." Xialuote had no choice but to follow the maid into the reception room. She curtsied by the door, walked over to a window overlooking the palace gardens, and lifted the hem of her skirt once more, bowing her head. "Raise your head. There's no need to be so restrained." A woman's voice tinged with amusement came from ahead. Xialuote looked up as bidden, finally getting a clear look at this queen who had come to Yindisi from another country. Maliya Suolun did not look to be of the same generation as Louis VI. Instead, she seemed like a young woman around the same age as Luoshali and Hengli'aite. Her skin was fair, her facial features striking, and her thick orange-red hair was simply tied behind her head, with a few stray locks draping past her ears. What surprised Xialuote even more was the queen's attire. Rather than the voluminous gowns typical of the royal court, this noble lady wore a form-fitting white shirt, a brownish-red vest, and dark trousers. On her feet were knee-high boots, and on a small table beside her lay leather gloves and a riding crop, making it look as though she were preparing to head to the equestrian grounds. The outfit gave her a remarkably dashing air. Combined with a stature that stood half a head taller than Xialuote, had she tucked her long hair beneath a tricorn, she would have looked very much like a well-groomed, somewhat androgynous young nobleman. *No wonder noble ladies in Yindisi have begun trying men's-style clothes for riding and hunting in recent years, with some even wearing trousers in their private manors. So the trend started with the queen...* Xialuote could not help lingering on her a few seconds longer before swiftly averting her gaze. Maliya clearly noticed her gaze and strolled over from the window until she stood before her. "I merely wanted to see what Baron Lawuer's daughter—the young lady with hopes of inheriting the title—actually looked like," she paused, smiling with satisfaction. "Fortunately, you have not disappointed me." Xialuote could only manage an awkward smile in response. Her becoming the heir was entirely due to the fact that her father had no other surviving daughters. No matter how she answered, it would easily weigh down the conversation. Fortunately, Maliya seemed to have made only a passing remark without probing into the past of Baron Suolun's family. Instead, she opened her arms and spun around lightly, showing off her attire. "What do you think of my outfit today?" "It suits you very well." "Merely suits me?" The queen raised an eyebrow slightly. "Your eyes lingered on me just now. I thought you felt a lady shouldn't dress so boldly." Xialuote hurriedly shook her head in denial. "No, I merely think such clothing is very practical. Young noblewomen in Suxite are learning to wear it too, though it hasn't gained widespread approval yet... I mean, approval from conservative gentlemen." She stammered through her explanation, feeling no more at ease before this queen than she had while facing the king moments earlier. "That is good." The queen nodded slightly, as if letting her off the hook. She walked back to the table and picked up the leather riding gloves, then added offhandedly as if something had suddenly crossed her mind: "Besides, I've heard that recently in Telier, there is a young lady who likes to go out at night in trousers. "The night before last, for instance." *The night before last?* Xialuote froze. She really had sneaked out of the manor that night, and to move about easily through the streets and alleys, she had changed into a shirt, coat, and trousers suited for running and climbing. *So the royal secret agents Father mentioned really do exist. What's more, even though I avoided the neighborhood around the manor and deliberately operated in another district, my movements were still tracked.* *Yet Louis VI didn't mention this at all just now... Did the king think it was a minor matter and leave it to the queen to offer a casual warning, or does the queen herself control a portion of the secret agents, perhaps even overseeing the entire royal intelligence apparatus? But why tell me deliberately?* Thoughts raced through Xialuote's mind, but not daring to stay silent for long, she forced herself to remain calm and explained in a low voice, "Perhaps dressing like that makes moving around at night more convenient." "So it was for convenience," Maliya slipped on the gloves, an enigmatic smile appearing on her face. "I thought she was simply pursuing Telier's fashions and refusing to be bound by tradition." This left Xialuote at a loss for words, making her all the more certain that the other woman already knew about her nocturnal activities and was simply choosing not to lay them bare. Fortunately, the queen did not press further on where she had gone or what she had done. Picking up the crop from the table, she resumed her gentle tone: "I am quite pleased to have met you today. "However, remember to be more careful in the future. Don't let others discover you so easily." "I understand, Your Majesty." Xialuote bowed her head at once and offered another curtsy. She backed slowly out of the reception room, only realizing once the doors clicked shut before her that a cold sweat had broken out across her back. *** After returning from Baifeng Palace to the Telier townhouse, Xialuote stayed home quietly for several days. It was not until her father, Lawuer, began giving her suspicious looks—as though suspecting his daughter of brewing some grand conspiracy—that she quietly slipped out of the house once more on a reasonably sunny afternoon. Naturally, heeding the queen's counsel not to let others discover her so easily, she first slipped out through the back garden's small gate into an adjacent street. Near a tailor's shop, she donned a cloak to conceal her figure, mingled with other pedestrians along the main thoroughfare, and changed directions several times. Only after confirming she was not being followed did she make her way to the University District south of the Sailunzuo River. This was home to the largest university in the Kingdom of Yindisi, Telier University, which comprised faculties of Arts, Letters, Law, and Medicine. Surrounding it were specialized institutions of higher learning dedicated to architecture, fine arts, natural history, and more, housing tens of thousands of students living and studying here long-term. Because of this, young people were noticeably more numerous on the streets here than in other districts. Some wore neat uniforms, others deliberately went without the tricorn hats favored by nobles and respectable gentlemen, and some stood outside cafés engaged in fierce debates over law, philosophy, and royal policy, indifferent to the glances of passersby. *No wonder a covert Beyonder gathering would be hidden here. If these university students dare openly criticize the king's policies, it's hardly surprising that a few eccentrics among them would study mysticism and dabble in ritual magic... Besides, holding the gathering in the afternoon makes blending into the crowd much more natural than sneaking around in the dead of night...* Following the address Walunting had provided, Xialuote arrived in front of a street-facing building directly opposite a newly constructed grand theatre. This was a bustling area. In the display window of the bookstore on the ground floor, newly published collections of poetry and essays were laid out, with young people dressed as university students pushing through the doors from time to time. Xialuote did not join them. Instead, she took the adjacent alley to find an inconspicuous side door, climbed a narrow flight of stairs, and arrived before a door at the end of the second-floor hallway. Pulling her hood up to conceal most of her face, she raised a hand and knocked. A small wooden panel slid open near the top of the door, revealing a narrow slit. Hesitating for a second, she took the gold coin bearing the image of the inverted hanged man from her pocket and slid it inside. A pale hand took it, and moments later pushed it back through the slot. Immediately after, the lock clicked softly, and the heavy wooden door swung inward of its own accord. Stowing the coin away, Xialuote peered cautiously inside, only to find the area behind the door completely empty. There was no one in sight to check the token. *A mechanical device, or some kind of extraordinary ability...* Quietly heightening her vigilance, she continued along the corridor beyond the door and entered a modest-sized room. The curtains were drawn shut, with only a few slivers of sunlight leaking through the gaps. Several oil lamps burned along the walls, keeping the interior from being too dim. Tables and chairs were arranged casually, lending the space a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. A figure draped in a voluminous black robe with a hood concealing their face sat in an upholstered armchair. Around them were already seven or eight participants, some wearing masks, others hiding their faces behind hoods and scarves, all waiting in silence for the gathering to officially begin. Xialuote chose a stool in a corner and sat down. Before long, two more people arrived one after another, nearly filling all the seats in the room. The robed figure in the armchair looked around, and once satisfied that no one else was coming, finally spoke: "It seems everyone is here. The gathering officially begins." *A woman...* Hearing the rather high-pitched, somewhat brisk voice, Xialuote was taken aback. She could not shake the feeling that the voice did not quite match the organizer of a mysterious, perilous Beyonder gathering. "Since we have a new member joining us this time, I shall explain the rules once more," the cloaked woman said, her gaze beneath the hood seeming to settle on Xialuote. "First of all, you may address me as 'Madam N.'"