Seven Luminaries Heaven.
Clement Kingdom, the capital Kaleston.
The sky above was forever gloomy, and cold winds blew through the deserted streets, picking up a few tattered newspapers.
Kerry, wrapped in a thick coat, almost buried his head in his garment, yet still felt unable to block out the pervasive chill.
Even a first-ranked professional still had the traits of an ordinary person.
For instance, he would bleed when injured, feel hungry without food, and cold when the temperature dropped.
Two years had passed since the Black Fog dissipated.
The continuation of the war had brought deep impacts and injuries to the kingdom.
Since the great defeat at the front, the troops from the mighty Eastern Empire directly counterattacked into the kingdom’s territory, occupying vast lands.
The kingdom’s young men were being drafted into the military in large numbers; the age requirement had been relaxed to include anyone above sixteen and below fifty-five years old, as long as they were not disabled, they were all approved.
The King personally called upon the nobility to contribute to the war effort, through the donation of supplies and sending their male servants into battle and their females into the factories, minimizing the use of servants as much as possible.
As for the common families, they were generally troubled by the wartime rationing system, unable to get enough food or sufficient fuel.
To obtain food, they had to flatten the gardens of their homes and plant potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other hunger-satisfying crops.
In pursuit of fuel, many disregarded the prohibitions and illegally cut down trees from the parks.
Even the pigeons that symbolized peace in the squares had long been stolen.
Churches and royal relief points had endlessly long queues, and yet, bodies of those who couldn’t survive were commonly seen on the streets.
"Even Mr. Li Wei had to dismiss most of his servants, leaving only the butler and a few personal male attendants..."
Kerry, watching a group of patrolling soldiers pass by, unconsciously shrank his neck further, "It’s said that the front is continuously retreating... Maybe in another three months, that empire’s troops will appear in the capital..."
As an ordinary citizen of the kingdom, Kerry was doubtlessly in great pain at this moment.
And, he harbored a trace of resentment toward the kingdom’s higher-ups.
Why provoke that ancient Eastern Empire, sending hundreds of thousands of young people to die at the front and reducing the kingdom to this state?
Kerry’s own hometown had now become an occupied zone.
Although he worried about his hometown, there was nothing Kerry could do.
"No, I can still make a small contribution to stopping the war."
When he turned down a street, his expression had already become very determined.
He had a little secret, he had joined a very covert anti-war circle.
In Kaleston at this time, this was absolutely politically incorrect, but Kerry, for his beliefs, willingly joined it.
He wanted to stop this damned war and make his own seemingly insignificant contribution.
"Prince Emmel, as an important member of the royal family, inevitably holds a lot of information, especially after Prince Sauron’s death in battle and the fall of the prince he supported, his position is even more crucial."
With that thought, he walked into a hidden club.
After passing the entrance, he saw several maids dressed in black and white uniforms with sweet smiles, coming forward to greet the guests.
A feigned smile appeared on Kerry’s face, "Where is the Prince?"
The maid led the way ahead, pushing open a heavy mahogany door.
A warm breath of air hit his face instantly.
As a prince, all aspects of enjoyment were clearly top-notch, even if it was just a gathering salon, there were all sorts of fancy arrangements.
In the vast conference hall, red carpets were spread throughout, and a few gentlemen sat on the couches, all of whom were fellows who gravitated around Prince Emmel from the Royal College. Seeing Kerry coming over, a trace of a smile emerged on their faces.
Some were tasting red wine, others were critiquing pastries, enjoying resources that were completely beyond necessity.
’It is said that at the front lines, some soldiers died of freezing and hunger because of insufficient heating and reduced food...’
Kerry sighed inwardly, without much hesitation he eased his mood and blended into the small circle.
Well, he was naturally very skilled at infiltrating all sorts of groups.
"Kerry, you are late,"
a young gentleman in a fancy dress uniform said with a smile.
"I went to make a minor contribution to the country," Kerry sat down smiling, and relieved the hunger in his stomach with a honey cake.
Originally, with the subsidy from the Royal College, on top of the income as someone exceptional, and the occasional rewards from the prince, he wouldn’t be in such dire straits.
However, Kerry often d money to the church, and recently another hometown mutual aid society reached out to him. It was a regional support organization, with most of the sufferers being his fellow townsfolk, hence a significant amount of his finances bled out, leaving him rather strapped.
"Haha, our dinner table destroyer has arrived..."
Another senior student joked.
Kerry had quite a talent for thick-skinned, brushing off the implied mockery as if he heard nothing.
It wasn’t long before Prince Emmel arrived in a hurry. He appeared somewhat tired, but still paid close attention to maintaining relationships with these students.
After all, this was his future team, although they were already qualified staff members and assistants now.
After a round of salutes and sitting down, they started chatting to foster friendships, with the most talked-about topic still being the war.
Although Prince Emmel was tired, his spirit was good; as he held up a glass of red wine, he said, "The battle is about to take a turn, to our great King’s health!"
Kerry raised his glass with a smile, his mind rapidly analyzing.
’Prince Emmel is in charge of diplomatic affairs; his statement probably means that the ambassadors stationed in the Enrique and Bauhinia Kingdoms have news? Will there be a favorable outcome, with the three countries forming an alliance to resist the Eastern Empire together?’
’This information — I should report it to the organization. If the armies of the other two kingdoms march into Kaleston, who knows how much longer this war could be dragged out? More importantly, it’s always the lower-class poor of the Clement Kingdom who suffer...’
Kerry didn’t know that the anti-war organization he belonged to was actually secretly founded with the support of Eastern cultivators.
The main person in charge was none other than Ms. Zhu Qingliu, who went by the alias Anna...
’An alliance between the three countries would inevitably involve a series of exchanges of interests, making it difficult to reach a consensus. If I could find out the detailed terms, that would be great.’
Kerry sighed inwardly, showing no signs of abnormality as he stayed until the end of the salon.
"Sorry, I have to go; a distinguished guest is waiting for me."
About ten minutes later, Prince Emmel stood up and left.
Kerry hurried to open the door and watched as Prince Emmel walked deeper into the club.
’If he hasn’t left, it looks like that esteemed guest is inside the club, right?’
’What are they planning to discuss?’
Kerry gritted his teeth, ready to take a gamble.
After all, he had followed Prince Emmel for a while and knew the other’s security level and certain operational patterns. There was a chance of success!