It took Aevernan quite a while to figure out the route to Guru Mountain in Gaga County.
If not for the seal of Governor Rostov, Aevernan wouldn’t have bothered to examine the travel route to that minor frontier county. Despite the continuous flow of people to Guru Mountain every year, the Government Administrative Office did not see the need to develop an official steam railway there.
What good is there in such a disorderly place? Aevernan murmured to himself.
Indeed, Gaga County, situated in the southeast corner of the Yuweien Continent, was seen by many as an uncivilized land. No respectable Wizards, Scholars, Alchemists, or even Fighters had ever emerged from there. If it weren’t for the White Cloud Fruit, it’s likely no one would even know such a place existed on the Yuweien Continent. Aevernan believed that the soil and water there were only suitable for sustaining a bunch of unruly peasants who used the illusory White Cloud Fruit to deceive people.
If the White Cloud Fruit were real, why didn’t those troublemakers offer it as a tribute? Just look at Rostellum from Gaga County to see how disgusting that place is. Aevernan thought. That sleazy goatee, that time he’d guzzled a large basin of pumpkin soup for a single gold coin, and that wicked smile on his face afterwards...
Ugh, Aevernan tried to push away that unpleasant memory, but Rostellum’s detestable face, as if enchanted by a Wizard’s spell, kept flashing in his mind.
Wait, the man was only a county head, after all. Whereas I, a dignified minister of the Government Administrative Office, can’t seem to get him out of my mind. Damn it, I simply met him once at Babasha’s birthday banquet! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have attended. A large basin of pumpkin soup... my God, how did he manage to drink all of it? Is he even human? He must be a monster. After all, aren’t there rumors of monsters there? Many who visited did not return. Although the place is remote, no one really came back. No wonder the previous minister categorically refused to approve the steam railway to Gaga County. His predecessors didn’t agree either. Naturally, I wouldn’t agree. Regardless of how many people go there. But then again, don’t those who visit such places claim to be distinguished individuals of the Yuweien Continent? They don’t need common rail transport. Their Alchemist skills allow them to effortlessly reach their destinations aided by Flowing Water Beasts. As for those troublemakers... Hmph, they won’t leave that place. Because they are all uncivilized miscreants.
It was as if ten thousand horses—no, ten million steam carriages—were rampaging through Aevernan’s mind, a chaotic mess.
No matter what, he finally figured out a route. Following the Governor’s directive, processed by the Government Administrative Office, he identified the fastest route from Yonder Travel Academy to Guru Mountain in Gaga County. The steam carriages would depart directly from Yonder Travel Academy, take Ros Avenue, and bypass the Bess Mountains into Beiya County. From there, they would head south from the county road in Beiya County directly onto Haino Avenue. Taking Haino Avenue would allow them to avoid the Star River and make it straight to Liuli City. As for getting safely from Liuli City to Guru Mountain in Gaga County, that would now be Babasha’s problem.
Phew, Aevernan heaved a long sigh. These wealthy young masters are so troublesome. Instead of enjoying their wealth, they rush to mix with vagrants. The monsters and White Cloud Fruit are ultimately just rumors; they don’t provide any survival skills. Choosing your side wisely—that’s the real skill! If they chose the wrong side, their only recourse would be the Bess Mountains and the Star River, to a life of fighting and killing.
Aevernan understood this philosophy of survival, as did Governor Rostov, Lady Rostov, and even Governor Rostov’s enemies.
Only Governor Rostov’s son did not understand. He adamantly desired to go to Guru Mountain, grandly calling it an adventure, when in reality, it was an utter waste of time.
Governor Rostov, however, only had this one precious son, who refused to listen no matter what was said and kept insisting on going to Guru Mountain for an adventure.
Having no alternative, the resigned Governor Rostov shook his head and said, "The boy has grown up; I suppose it’s time he ventured out a little." Thus, he commanded his close aides and Housekeeper to arrange everything.
His close aides, without hesitation, selected a four-person protection squad to protect the young master, while the Housekeeper sent letters everywhere under the name of the Government Administrative Office’s Mail Bird.
Aevernan received one of these letters under these circumstances.
The governor’s son was departing on a journey—a piece of news that spread around Luona like wildfire, propagated by Crows in the night and rats in the street corners.
This rumormongering exasperated Lady Rostov. Although her husband had arranged a four-person protection squad, she still felt it inadequate and hired some mercenaries under her own name to discreetly protect her dearest child.
Similarly, news of Young Master Rostov’s solo journey also alarmed Rostov’s political adversary, Louvkat.
Louvkat paced back and forth in his office, hands clasped behind his back. What should I do? he pondered.
With Rostov currently at the zenith of his power, the possibility of besting this old rival in political accomplishment is slim. The man is now the favorite of the King of the Kayne Empire! Favoritism means endless resources and information. For a Politician, information and resources are life itself! Even if my abilities are superior, without information and resources, I’ll always be trampled underfoot by that old fellow Rostov. Aren’t I now being trampled under his feet? He’s the governor, and I’m merely an administrator. I have to listen to him in everything. How can I ever make it to the King’s Council Hall of the Empire at this rate? I must do something!
Louvkat had been pacing for nearly an hour now.
To scheme against the young master departing from Luona... it seems somewhat despicable. Yet, the thought of letting this information go to waste... he couldn’t reconcile himself to that!
He continued pacing... I must do something... He paced again...
After several such internal debates, Louvkat finally resolved to do something despicable for the sake of his own advancement.
He summoned his personal guard and murmured some plans. For a Politician, analyzing information, making connections, and formulating plans was the most fundamental skill.
(For example, Elder Rostellum from Gaga County had once made a detailed plan regarding a piece of information about a stone...)
Compared to Rostellum’s plan, Louvkat’s was much more complex and, moreover, far more meticulous.
Louvkat ordered his men to disseminate the news of the governor’s son traveling alone. This information was to be spread via the Crows of the Underground World to those who "needed" it. Then, by linking these individuals through the network of the Underground Spiders, the rats and Earth Wolves of that hidden realm would find their way to him without any direct orders from Louvkat himself.
It was all about benefits. Once those denizens of darkness captured the governor’s son, he would instruct the Spiders to convey an opportunity to increase the ransom. Surely, people would come flocking to him then. At that point, the leverage he held would allow him to negotiate with Rostov. After the transaction, any talk of baseness or shamelessness would seem flimsy; no one would pay it any mind. More importantly, if the plan failed, the culprits would be those scheming individuals lurking in the darkness. He himself would not be implicated in any trouble whatsoever.
As for who should receive this message, the Underground Spiders would naturally know. The list of enemies Rostov had made on his path to becoming the Governor of Luona would not be short.