One-Eyed Monster

Luona, Twin Star Grand Hall.

Governor Rostov sat alone in the conference hall, resting his chin on his hands, deep in thought.

He had just received a mail bird from Guru Mountain.

This mail bird brought him a lot of information, which made him feel a little anxious at the moment.

Of course, he could immediately tell that the information reported by this mail bird did not originate from his League Guard, but was relayed and written by someone else.

He could see that his League Guard were very careful to please him, fearing him.

However, those were not the main points; the main point was the content of the information itself.

This information contained several layers of meaning, and basically answered all his concerns, but the only downside was that it did not bring him any gains.

Although he got some answers, he didn’t get what he wanted.

This Guru Mountain ultimately could not be brought under his control, which was a regret.

Governor Rostov sat quietly in the chair, the empty conference hall occupied only by him, so silent it was surprising, with only the flame of the oil lamp flickering in the wind from who knows where.

Resting his arm on the table, hand supporting his chin, Governor Rostov analyzed the reasons that led to this regret.

Upon reflection, he concluded that his inability to grasp the situation at Guru Mountain immediately was due to the information imbalance.

He lacked a powerful intelligence structure.

This was his first reaction, and then, in his mind, he began planning to establish his own intelligence agency.

Intelligence peddlers were his main target because he knew that his current strength was not enough to establish an agency on his own, and he could only rely on existing systems, particularly in the civilian domain, to develop his influence.

This was rather special for him.

Establishing his intelligence network was Governor Rostov’s first decision.

Secondly, he felt that their speed needed improvement. Whether it was the Black Crow or the Alchemy Workshop, they both reached that Guru Mountain before them, which indeed left him slightly embarrassed.

This Guru Mountain fell under his Luona jurisdiction, yet there wasn’t even a steam car accessible, which was a major failure.

Even though installing steam cars now held no significance, it served him a reminder that no matter how remote the area, steam tracks should extend throughout his domain.

Only this way, could his people reach the scene quickly, rather than being delayed for nearly half a month like they were now.

The League Guard he dispatched was Nakasha, that fellow was a White Robe. Although not yet reaching the level of a Holy Robe, he still had certain advantages in speed.

Yet, even with those advantages, by the time he reached the scene, everyone had already evacuated Guru Mountain, which was rather frustrating for him.

Thinking back to the time when Nakasha’s first mail bird arrived, it had been about ten days since this detailed report.

Altogether, nearly a month had passed by already, and if it dragged any longer, the extreme winter might come to an end, with the Torch Festival approaching and footsteps of early summer nearing.

Rostov couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that such a significant event happened within his territory, yet he was completely unaware of it, what a failure it was.

The entire Luona’s Political System was due for an overhaul, what was with that mayor of Liuli City, how come no reports were made about all the strange occurrences in Guru Mountain? Now that guy had even lost his life in Guru Mountain, perhaps it was a form of punishment for him.

If it weren’t for his son Hustace wanting to go to that godforsaken place, perhaps the mountain wouldn’t even have crossed his mind.

What was really happening?

It seemed that everything was connected to his son.

If it weren’t for his son’s adventure there, that Black Crow guy wouldn’t have come knocking.

The messenger of the Black Crow, what was his name again, seemed like Hughes, the subsequent work must start with Hughes.

The thoughts churned in Governor Rostov’s mind, clearly, he wasn’t prepared for Guru Mountain, nor did he anticipate so many oddities there.

What happened at Guru Mountain made Rostov resolve to rectify his team.

Ring-ring-ring… Rostov shook the bell, he had instructions to give.

The housekeeper hurriedly entered before the bell stopped ringing, seemingly with other matters to report.

”Call Aevernan for me, I have important questions for him.” Without minding the housekeeper’s breathless state, the Lord Governor instructed directly.

”Yes, Lord!” The housekeeper bowed to take the order but didn’t leave.

”Hmm? Anything else?” Seeing the housekeeper linger, Rostov knew there must be other affairs.

”Lord, a group of unexpected guests have arrived outside, they are... from the Alchemy Workshop!” The housekeeper hesitated but eventually disclosed. Given their current strength was insufficient to deter people from the Alchemy Workshop.

”Alchemy Workshop?” Rostov appeared slightly surprised but quickly regained composure, thinking, these people really came fast.

”Yes, judging by the cloaks and insignias, they are undoubtedly from the Empire’s Alchemy Workshop, and most of them seem to be from the Golden Seat!”

”Oh, what are they doing at Twin Star Grand Hall? We don’t have dealings with them.”

Apparently, everyone was quite aware of the opaque grudges between the Alchemy Workshop and Luona, including Governor Rostov himself, hence he directly asked his housekeeper what the matter was.

”Not exactly clear, they were polite and merely stated a request to see the Lord Governor,” said the housekeeper.

”Oh?” Rostov was intrigued, what could the Alchemy Workshop be up to?

”Yes, there are four in total.”

”Let them in.” Rostov instructed, he wanted to see what the Alchemy Workshop was up to indeed.

”But, Lord!” The housekeeper looked a bit uneasy, after all, the Alchemy Workshop wasn’t aligned with them.

”Rest assured, if the Alchemy Workshop wanted to harm me, they wouldn’t request to see me. True animosity isn’t concealed, we just have different pursuits, with no significant conflicts.”

”Lord, I’ve summoned Roots, you can be at ease; he absolutely won’t appear, we can’t take risks.”

”Heh, no need, don’t let the Alchemy Workshop mock me, let Roots stay outside the hall.” Rostov rejected the housekeeper’s kind arrangement.

”Lord…” The housekeeper wanted to insist.

”No more of that, cleanly call Aevernan for me.” Rostov instructed.

”Yes!” The housekeeper retreated.

The Alchemy Workshop’s first visit to Luona, this was bound to be big news.

Governor Rostov’s first encounter with the Alchemy Workshop as well.

What indeed was the purpose of the Alchemy Workshop, Rostov was quite eager to find out too.