The Current Situation

"So you invited Helena to be your consultant when you used life magic to reshape your body, just for this?" Luo Wei asked.

Tilis nodded vigorously.

Luo Wei muttered, "Seems like Helena was still too conservative..."

"W-was it still too small...?" Tilis fretted. "Should I... die again?"

"No, no, no..." Luo Wei quickly stopped her. "This is perfect. Big wouldn’t suit you."

"Oh, really...?" Tilis’ face flushed even redder. "I thought you only liked big ones..."

"Big has its merits, small has its charm," Luo Wei said with mock seriousness. "Besides, I like you for who you are, not your chest."

Honestly, the witch’s unique strength was something else entirely—why did she always compare her flaws to others’ strengths?

Tilis smiled sweetly, inexplicably happy.

"Then keep reading your paper. I’ve got things to do~"

"Tinkering with that steam engine again?" Luo Wei asked.

"Yep!" Tilis nodded. "The trip to the vampire castle wasted so much time. You know how precious and tight my schedule is! You have no idea what groundbreaking research I’m about to unveil!!"

Seeing her so earnest, Luo Wei couldn’t resist teasing her. "Ah yes, so precious you don’t even have time for your favorite... physiology lessons~"

Tilis seemed to recall something unbearably embarrassing and immediately covered her face. "Aahhh! What nonsense are you spouting?! Who even wants those kinds of lessons?!"

"Just read your paper! I’m busy! Leaving now! See you later!"

The witch vanished in an instant, fleeing as if chased, the newspaper fluttering lightly in the breeze.

Helena, who had just finished cleaning the room, walked over curiously, wiping sweat from her brow. "Brother, what happened with Miss Witch? Did you two fight?"

"It’s nothing," Luo Wei picked up the fallen newspaper. "Just reading the news..."

"Oh..." Helena nodded obediently.

The past two weeks’ headlines had been quite dramatic. Luo Wei first glanced at the front-page lead:

"Dangerous Infiltrators in Church Delegation Plot Against the Empire!"

After Eleya’s conspiracy was exposed at Thornflower Castle, the Church delegation—the first in a century to visit Wegnar—was immediately detained.

Of course, "dangerous infiltrators" was likely just an excuse. With war looming, the Church members wouldn’t be released so easily. The delegation was now held in a mansion near the consulate—effectively under house arrest.

As a firsthand witness to the Thornflower Castle rebellion, Luo Wei knew the deeper truth: the delegation was a front. Eleya’s real goal was the northern border, where she’d secretly allied with the Duke.

Though her direct plan failed, the damage to the northern situation was severe. Flipping the page, the next headline detailed how the Frostpeak Kingdom was stirring—raiding a Wegnar merchant convoy and massing troops along the border, sparking constant skirmishes.

With the Thornflower family’s power shift in the north, it was the perfect time for invasion. Public outrage was mounting, and the Northern Legion had fortified key strongholds. Rumor had it some were urging Emperor Charlton II to restore the Thornflowers’ wartime authority to command private armies.

Luo Wei, privy to the past, recalled how Wegnar’s rise had been marked by General Abraham’s legendary special forces—an entire army of supernatural beings. The vampires’ nocturnal assassinations had struck terror into enemy commanders.

But could the younger vampires today shoulder that legacy? He imagined Professor Evelyn must be tearing her hair out in her office...

Amid these major events, one smaller report caught his attention:

The Empire’s Industrial Exhibition was in full swing at Crystal Palace in Whitechapel District. Despite the northern tensions, the annual spectacle went on—a testament to Wegnar’s industrial dominance.

Universities, research institutes, and corporations showcased their wares, with Emperor Charlton II set to attend in a week, celebrating the Magical Industry’s progress...

"From Haiglitze Palace to Whitechapel—quite the trek..." Luo Wei sensed something amiss. "With things this volatile, why’s the old man leaving his palace?"

Call it paranoia, but if he were Eleya, the best way to destabilize Wegnar would be to replay the Thornflower chaos. Kill the emperor, let the three heirs battle in Saint Callen, and watch the empire burn...

An assassination at the exhibition was perfect. Countless Magical Industry machines, weapons, and Magic Crystal Stones on display—one spark, and boom...

With that thought, Luo Wei stood and headed for the door, slipping on his shoes.

He didn’t much care if the emperor lived or died, but he wanted to talk to Ophelia—hear her thoughts.

And maybe discuss Eleya too...

---

Meanwhile, in Weston Holy City, Priestess Feilin strode briskly toward the Cathedral of Holy Light.

Returning to the Church for debriefing always meant crossing this vast square, built to hold a hundred thousand faithful.

Though she knew every inch of this sacred city, its grandeur never failed to awe her.

White walls soared skyward, encircling the sprawling metropolis where everything gleamed immaculate. Ahead, at the square’s heart, stood a hundred-meter statue of Bader, the God of Light.

Carved with divine compassion, Bader gazed down upon mortals as the cathedral’s choir sang ethereal hymns, their voices blending with the deep toll of the bell tower. The entire city basked in solemn, hallowed air.

Feilin took a deep breath, letting the sanctity steady her hurried steps.

Entering the cathedral, weaving through the faithful, she finally saw her again—the Holy Maiden presiding over the mass.

Elya Christine.

Clad in pure white vestments, a platinum tiara engraved with Bader’s likeness crowning her head, she held the papal scepter—radiating such sacred authority that none dared meet her eyes.

Feilin bowed deeply, waiting in silence until the mass concluded.