At the top floor of Topstar Tower, within the Mayor's office.
Secretaries and public officials were busy dealing with various problems and impacts brought about by the city lockdown in a black glass partition not far from the crowd, three people were having a conversation.
"Mr. Mayor, the notice has been sent out," said the young secretary in a gray suit, coming to the side of a middle-aged man to report.
"Mmm, let's leave it at that for now," he nodded slightly, after which the secretary left the room, leaving only the middle-aged man who served as Mayor and another lady of distinction.
"Lady Isabelle still has such a heart for the children, I'd almost forgotten this matter."
"It is only that my attention is more focused in that regard, Mr. Mayor. You have too many things to worry about," the distinguished lady said, picking up the coffee before her, blowing on it gently, then taking a small sip.
"I am indeed a bit tired." Unlike his serious demeanor in front of others, the Mayor was quite relaxed in front of this lady, leaning back in his chair, his voice filled with exhaustion.
"I thought it was just some rats causing trouble, but I didn't expect to find biting sharks in the water below," he sighed.
"It was also thanks to Prin holding her concert the other day; we had quite a military presence already, which prevented the situation from escalating."
"The issues with the Underworld have been accumulating for a long time, and successive former mayors have put it off. I also lack the energy to focus on these, I thought maintaining the balance like in the past would be enough, but now it seems it won't do."
"We don't know how many labs and bases that dangerous fellow has hidden underground, maybe all have been discovered, or perhaps there are still some that slipped through. But we can't risk gambling on that."
"Therefore, cleaning up the entire Underworld is imperative."
"Relying solely on the city's police and armed forces won't be enough, we'll have to ask for additional forces from higher-ups, I expect it will be quite an expense," he said, rubbing his forehead.
"We should think positively, if it weren't for this early discovery, by the time the situation became serious, I'm afraid neither of us would be sitting here," the lady shook her head.
"That's true," he sighed, then sat up.
"Lady Isabelle, you still know how to comfort people as in the past. When I first met you, I was just a clueless college student." He was human, while she was a hybrid of Elves and humans, with a much longer lifespan.
He then talked about some past events, during his studies in the Central Star Domain, he had seen Lady Isabelle as a guest speaker at the academy.
"You probably didn't recognize me then, after all, there were too many students present."
"Xuanxinzi Academy, it truly is a distant memory," the lady reminisced.
Before secluding herself here, she had been a high-ranking committee member of the Federal Artists Association and an honorary professor at many prestigious schools. Even now, no longer holding a practical position, she still had significant influence in the educational and performing arts circles.
Although she had Elf blood and came from a distinguished family in the Central Star Domain, because she was a half-blood and did not get along with many pure-blood Elf relatives, she chose to seclude herself and moved to a remote place to live.
She came to Payin City because an elder in her family had named the city, signifying "the musical chapter of steel striking," full of poetic resonance and fate, and with her status, wherever she went would not be too bad.
'Dream of Glazed Glass' was a venue she invested in and managed with a few local acquaintances, as a place for her to frequent and pass the time, after all, even the best scenery feels lacking without someone to appreciate it with.
It was also because of her presence in the city that former songstresses and performers like 'Botis' and 'Andusia' came to work in this establishment after retiring from the performing arts scene, and as for 'Vurowus', he was a younger relative of a friend who chose self-exile to avoid participating in complicated family politics, so he was introduced to live here.
The two chatted for a while longer, talking about the memories of the past and a few junior songstresses of today.
"Yulanduoja taught Prin for a while, and their styles are quite similar, but compared to 'Green Serpent' Yulanduoja, 'Flame Sugar' Prin Coco is much more endearing to the public."
"However, Yulanduoja has recently discovered a promising new talent; her luck has always been good."
"A promising new talent? A new songstress?" Hearing this, the mayor became interested.
"It can't be hidden from you for long, that's right, a young songstress, only 16 years old, named Hexia Tilan, currently working at 'Dream of Glazed Glass'."
"That is indeed a pleasant surprise," the mayor pondered, stroking his chin, thinking about how to leverage this songstress to promote and create momentum for his city.
"You better put those thoughts aside for now, that kid is still young, not ready for public exposure yet; otherwise, it could disrupt her growth trajectory," the lady advised, shaking her head.
"Very well, if Lady Isabelle says so." The mayor thought of waiting for the songstress to mature, which would probably take several years, and by then, whether he would still be in office was uncertain, so his interest waned.
"It's always good news, though; if she achieves great success in the future, even the Governor of the Star Domain will have to heed her advice, and the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain could regain some vitality and vigor." The mayor quietly pondered, occasionally tapping his fingertips on the table.
"We should protect her for now, by the way, where does she live?"
"It's said to be in the lower residential area."
"How can that be? It's too dangerous there." After the recent incident, the mayor had become quite distrustful of the lower layers.
"Don't rashly disrupt someone else's life trajectory," Lady Isabelle said helplessly, shaking her head.
"Besides, she'll be going to high school soon, so she won't be staying in the lower layers much longer."
"Since she managed to struggle and flourish from that darkness before, she won't be trapped there in the future. We elders should just silently appreciate her. Hurrying along is not a good thing; I've seen too many talented individuals, who because of their early recklessness and arrogance, ruined their future and couldn't continue in the arts," she added.
"Providing her with a fair and stable platform is enough; she will make her way up step by step," the lady stirred her coffee slowly.
"You truly are Lady Isabelle, having nurtured several Moon Level songstresses. Yulanduoja should have listened more to your teachings back then; that child is also a regret of our Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain," the mayor said, slightly shaking his head.
"As for her, even though she quit performing, she must be quite happy with her life now. There are more paths in life than one might expect, don't be too quick to judge," Lady Isabelle explained.
"Just like me, my sisters at home all advised me to stay in the Central Star Domain, but in the end, I grew tired of it. Actually, since moving far away, my relationship with my sisters has improved. Now, I can take a superluminal spaceship to visit them several times a year; not like before when we didn't quite suit each other."
"Let's end our conversation here for today. Mayor, you probably have a lot on your plate, so I won't keep you," she said.
Afterward, the distinguished lady exited the top-floor office and stepped into the adjacent vertical elevator, overlooking the night view of this underground city.
"Although it lacks the splendor and glitter of the Central Star Domain, the echo of steely resolve here in the darkness, like a giant beast moving slowly, perhaps this kind of industrial city is indeed the backbone of the Federation," she mused.
"Golden Flame Flower, Isenisha, the wish you left behind has bloomed in many Star Domains across the starry sea. We, the Elves, will also follow your will, turning each barren, iron-gray planet into one covered with forests and grasslands, where a myriad of flowers bloom."
She pressed her hand to her chest, where a golden Rose ring on her knuckle shone brightly in the darkness, as if it were a real flower.