Red and Black

On Floor -51 of Louguan Tower, the former office of the Funeral Agency was now a complete wreck. Cleios, the "Weeping Red Hat," landed lightly on the balcony, the blue flames of her aerial balance boots quickly extinguishing. Although she had long been capable of soaring across the sky on wings as a Sanctuary Sorcerer, Red Hats trained in aerial balance flight from the One Wing stage. With over thirty years of balance-flight experience under her belt, Cleios naturally favored treading the sky with her own feet. Azula's number-one Red Hat strode into the living room, and operatives of the Family Harmony Agency parted to make way for her. Several Red Hats followed her inside. Seeing the operatives rummaging through desks and cabinets, one of them barked, "What do you think you're doing? According to—" "According to the Public Security Management Regulations, when citizens act courageously to pursue wanted criminals, we have the right to search items related to those criminals to obtain intelligence." On the living room's sole red leather armchair that had not been completely obliterated by gunfire sat an elderly woman. An emaciated frame, light makeup that left her wrinkles bare without concealer, dark circles beneath her eyes, dry and withered lips, a pure red shawl, a plain cloth gown... Even with her personal appearance neglected to such an extreme, not an ounce of the lady's commanding aura was diminished. Closing the Book of Gospel in her hands, she said, "Now that the Red Hats have arrived, I leave the scene to all of you. Children, put down what you're holding. Don't interfere with the Red Hats' work." "Aina Aldo." Cleios said coldly, "When you attacked the Funeral Agency, the wanted notice hadn't even been issued. Even if you were permitted to search items related to a wanted criminal, the vast majority of the property here belongs to Annan Doran. Your Family Harmony Agency is guilty of unlawful entry and destruction of private property." "Is that so?" Aina rose unhurriedly and stood opposite Cleios, the gaunt old woman tilting her head up to look at the tall Red Hat elf. The atmosphere in the living room instantly grew taut as a drawn bow. The air was thick with the reek of gunpowder. Operatives and Red Hats quietly clicked off their handguns' safeties, looking for optimal firing positions. The battered living room seemed poised for a second, even more brutal free-for-all. If anyone despised private agencies the most, it was definitely the Red Hats. To the Red Hats, agencies were vermin that constantly exploited loopholes in the Book of Gospel, specializing in dirty work unfit for the light of day and routinely leaving messes for the Red Hats to clean up—such as the orc sorcerer homicide a few days earlier, which was clearly an agency's handiwork. And Aina, the "Red Cicada Duchess" of the Family Harmony Agency, was a thorn in the Red Hats' flesh like no other. Unlike other, more discreet agencies, Family Harmony plastered advertisements all across the city. What was more, relying on their unique loophole techniques, they had committed several sensational family-slaughter murders across Azula—practically spitting directly in the Red Hats' faces. Yet the Book of Gospel failed to catch them red-handed. The law-abiding Red Hats couldn't find a single shred of evidence to pin on these slippery butchers who destroyed families without leaving a trace, leaving them powerless even to lash out. Small wonder Cleios had no pleasant looks to spare them. Yet Aina, the "Red Cicada Duchess," was also a Three-Winged Sanctuary Sorcerer. Coupled with her mastery of gospel loopholes, she had risen from nothing to dominate Azula for decades. Without holding any noble title whatsoever, she was nonetheless respectfully called "Duchess"... The Family Harmony Agency had no reason to cower before the Red Hats. In the tense standoff, Cleios did not yield an inch, yet the mist in her eyes grew thicker and thicker, as if she might burst into tears at any second. Seeing this, Aina took a step back and opened a page of her Book of Gospel. "Here is a compensation contract between the Funeral Agency and the Family Harmony Agency, overdue by twenty-six years. As such, I came to enforce debt collection, not to commit unlawful entry or property destruction." Cleios glanced at it, her expression darkening. "'Rex Doran registered for the Aslan Communications Company's Voice Message service in July 1631, and having failed to pay service fees in a timely manner, now owes...' Hasn't the Aslan Communications Company been defunct for years? It's really quite impressive you managed to dig up this debt." "Knowing the law and abiding by it is the foundation of our agency's business," Aina said. "Excuse us." "Wait," Cleios said. "Bring over the people who attacked Yaxiu. The Red Hats need them to assist with our investigation." "It is the children's honor." Aina did not refuse. She waved her hand, beckoning Maynard and Liman forward. "However, their minds have suffered severe trauma and they need to return home to rest. As such, they cannot accompany you back for interrogation. If you have questions, ask them here—unless you can produce a formal order to assist an investigation right this moment." Cleios looked at the pair and saw that Aina was not merely brushing her off. Both Maynard and Liman were draped in hot towels. The skin around Liman's throat showed a stark discoloration, clearly the result of emergency treatment, but compared to their outward appearance, the dread buried deep within their eyes was the true, bleeding wound. They didn't look at Cleios at all, their gaze locked onto the ethereal distance. Still trapped in their internal worlds, they lacked any spare capacity to register changes in reality. "What did you... encounter?" As if pricked by needles, both of them shuddered like frightened hamsters. It was not that they resisted Cleios's questioning, but that they were desperately struggling to contain the monster clawing to break free from its shell—a monster that had already corroded their thoughts, distorted their worldview, and contaminated their nerves. The dense web of blood vessels in their eyes was an SOS beacon flashed to the outside world by their remaining consciousness. Fleeing hadn't pulled them out of danger; it had only accelerated their plunge into a nightmare. "Yaxiu Heath..." "What?" "Yaxiu Heath!" Maynard grabbed Cleios's shoulders. The Weeping Red Hat did not push away the half-crazed young man. "Kill him! You have to kill him, or it'll be too late! Too late!" Liman collapsed limply to the floor, and a pungent, foul stench began to spread—she had wet herself. Cleios's expression remained unchanged. "...The effects of the Fiend Trench Coat and Distortion Mask?" "Most likely," Aina said. "Yet according to the Art Board's descriptions, the Fiend Trench Coat merely prevents others from harboring malice, while the Distortion Mask enhances first impressions and interferes with probing... As you can see, there is a vast gulf between the item descriptions and their actual effects in practice. "Perhaps the board did not fully describe the rewards. Or perhaps... the coat and mask truly possess only those functions, but their bearer's very existence caused a qualitative leap in their power. "Originally, I wasn't certain which possibility it was," the old woman said. "However, since the Empire issued a wanted notice, it means the imperial capital, Nabistin, already knows the correct answer." Cleios signaled for them to take Maynard and Liman away, and said calmly, "Aina, what are you trying to say?" "Let us cooperate." The Duchess's voice was deep without being muffled, rich without being muddy, spoken slowly yet commanding rapt attention. "The Mermaids maintain strict neutrality and will never break the rules. Miss Doran has run an agency for years; dealing with the Red Hats is a fundamental skill in our line of work... You need us, and we need you." "What do you want?" The disgust on Cleios's face was even more pronounced than in her words. "To acquire the new loopholes Annan uncovered, to secure those outlanders, and to lay a hand upon the Weaving Ceremony," Aina said. "I have no intention of concealing my motives, just as you have never hidden your thirst for ranking—yet you and I both know those are merely our private interests. "The Gospel is our shared interest." The city's most ruthless old woman articulated each word with deliberate precision: "Without the Gospel, we are nothing. We are merely children of the Gospel, reliant on its nourishment to attain all that we have today. "Now that the Gospel cries out to us for help, what reason do we have not to do our part? "Now it is our turn to repay the Gospel." The Red Cicada extended her hand to the Weeping Red Hat. "Let us save the world together." Cleios was silent for a moment, then suddenly summoned her Book of Gospel. The Duchess realized something. "I have heard Miss Doran and the Weeping Red Hat are friends..." "She is my best friend," Cleios said. "I cannot make up my mind on my own." Soon, Cleios heard the Gospel's answer. The mist in the Weeping Red Hat's eyes swiftly gathered into streams that trickled down her cheeks, yet the corners of her mouth curved slightly upward—crying as if laughing, laughing as if crying. "The Gospel said you must kill your friend?" "No." Cleios shook her head gently and took Aina's hand. "The Book of Gospel merely told me that if I complete the Empire's wanted notice, I can go straight to rank one on the National Red Hat Board. "As my best friend," Cleios sniffled, "Annan will surely understand. "Because the Gospel says she must understand me." Azula's red and black blended into a new color for the very first time.