Chapter 152: Snowflakes

"Then, besides meeting with Father Chelman, we need to prepare for one more thing," Brenna said, tapping her fingers on the tabletop.

"Are we dragging others into this?" Edward guessed, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Well, that's about the gist of it." Hearing his words, Brenna rubbed her forehead and said, "Regarding that Scarlet Messenger, this matter clearly shouldn't be borne by us alone."

"With Mr. Leinuode at the Guard Hall, I imagine there shouldn't be any problems there, but as for the Church..."

Pausing for a moment, Brenna began, "I intend to make a trip to the Royal Capital."

"The Royal Capital?" Edward raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

And Yun Mu, upon hearing this word, immediately pricked up her ears.

"Yes." Brenna nodded and said, "I am going to the Winter Cathedral in the Royal Capital to discuss this matter with Bishop Muse."

"As for my father, there is no point in going to him."

Shaking her head, Brenna continued, "I have always known that there are my father's people around me; he surely knows everything that has happened here."

"As far as I know, he used an exercise as an excuse to have the Fifth Mechanized Infantry Regiment stationed near Frostfall City."

"I imagine that was meant for a critical moment, but beyond that, I am not quite sure what other arrangements he has made."

"And my purpose for this trip to the Royal Capital is singular: to persuade Bishop Muse to provide us with help."

"I hadn't considered doing this before because local bishops are theoretically equal; even if I persuade Bishop Muse in the Royal Capital, it would be difficult for him to reach into Frostfall City."

"And as for the Pope, who is far away in the depths of the Dixia Shijie, not to mention whether I could even meet him, the travel time alone would exceed several months."

"But last night, I realized that the Lady of Dark Night likely knows what is happening here."

"If Bishop Muse can obtain the approval of the Lady of Dark Night, even Bishop Land would have no reason to stop him."

Brenna stopped there, took a sip of water, then looked at everyone and said, "Does anyone have anything to add?"

"No." Yun Mu was the first to shake her head.

Brenna had already explained it very clearly; even someone as inexperienced as her could understand it.

She truly did not think there was anything that needed to be added.

"Um, I have a question..." Lita spoke up at this moment.

"Please, go ahead." Brenna looked at Lita.

"During the time the Princess is away at the Royal Capital, what should we do if an accident happens in Frostfall City?" Lita did not show timidity, but frankly stated her thoughts.

"Hmm, I have actually thought about this." Hearing Lita's words, Brenna said:

"Frostfall City is not far from the Royal Capital; a round trip by Steam Train takes about 28 hours."

"And that is just the time on the train. Even if I go and return as quickly as possible, leaving for the Royal Capital on the afternoon of the first day, meeting with Bishop Muse on the morning of the second day, it would still be the early morning of the third day by the time I return."

"During this time, if any accident occurs, we can only rely on how the Guard Hall handles it, and..."

Brenna stopped there and cast her gaze toward Edward.

As the only Fourth Order Master Transcendental among them, it was clear that if an accident occurred while Brenna was away at the Royal Capital, it would be up to him to bear the burden.

"Don't overwork a middle-aged man," Edward said, raising his hands upon noticing her gaze.

"I won't only be troubling you." Brenna chuckled, then asked, "Do you know Mr. Sixin, the president of the Painter Association?"

"I know him, but we aren't close." Edward guessed something and asked decisively, "You don't intend to have me go find him, do you?" "That guy," he frowned slightly, "if he finds out about the existence of the Scarlet, his first reaction probably won't be to help, but to leave this city immediately."

"If it's that President Sixin, perhaps he really would do that..." Hearing Edward's words, Yun Mu nodded in agreement.

This was indeed very consistent with her impression of President Sixin of the Painter Association.

"It doesn't matter. You can tell him that if he dares to run, I will dare to issue a warrant for his arrest on charges of treason; let him run if he dares."

"That wouldn't be very good, would it?" Edward said.

Although he said that, the corners of his mouth, which he couldn't stop from rising, clearly betrayed his true thoughts.

"What's not good about it? The royal family has been supporting the development of the Painter Association for years. They've consumed so many resources, yet when it's time for them to contribute, they just pack up and run? Where is the logic in that?"

Brenna took a medal from her bosom—imprinted with a Black Iron Eagle on the front and her name on the back—and handed it to Edward, saying, "Show him this medal when the time comes, and he will understand."

"Oh, right." Brenna thought of something, looked at Edward, and said, "Actually, I have always had a question."

"What question?" Edward asked, somewhat puzzled as he took the medal from Brenna's hand.

"Hmm," Brenna thought for a moment and said, "Just as I said earlier, the Painter Association has been supported by the royal family for years, which is why I have a reason to make him help at a critical moment."

"But Mr. Edward, you are different." Brenna looked up, her pair of azure pupils watching him quietly, and said, "For what reason did you choose to stay here?"

"If I said it was out of justice, would you believe me?" Edward thought for a moment and answered with a serious expression.

"No," Brenna said without hesitation.

"You make me very embarrassed, you know."

Edward chuckled and said, "Then let's talk about something realistic."

"I have witnessed the destructive power of Legendary creatures with my own eyes, and I have seen the impact caused by the invasions of those Outer Gods in various ancient texts."

"I am very clear about what those guys mean for the world."

"Even if I ran away today, I fear it would be difficult to stop the subsequent impact, so I might as well give it a try now."

"Of course," Edward waved his hand and said, "this isn't actually the only reason, but the remaining reasons involve some of my private matters, so I won't speak of them here."

"That's fine, this is enough." Brenna shook her head.

She turned to look out the window of the cafe, only to see that, at some unknown time, a light snow had quietly fallen onto the street.

The snowflakes formed a thin layer on the ground, but near the outdoor heaters, they were quickly melted into slush and dissipated.

Thus, the ground formed circles upon circles surrounding the heaters.

This scene would likely last until about four in the afternoon, when the white-collar workers of Liuli Street finished work and returned home, at which point it would be ruined.

And the remaining snowflakes would disappear without a trace at night once the Energy Tower began to operate.

PS: Edward once made a promise to his wife, Karin, to meet in Frostfall City.

So he will not leave this place, not even if he dies.

——Forgot to mention it, let me add a supplementary explanation now.

Now you know why the cafe uses his wife's surname as its name.

(End of chapter)