Petrus (5)

Qi Luda led Mi back to the small courtyard on Garden Street at sunset, and Mi then realized that they had spent most of the day at the Adventurers' Guild.

Qiluda warmly invited Mi to dinner. His chef was excellent; the bread was soft, the roast chicken tender and juicy, and the dessert fruit was sweet. The meal was a delight for both host and guest. After dinner, Qiluda took Mi to his study. Inside the spacious study was a small, enclosed room with only a small table and two chairs. A small shelf on the wall displayed various souvenir-like bone knives. Even more remarkably, the light in the room wasn't an ordinary oil lamp, but a fist-sized bead that shone like a gemstone, illuminating the small room brightly.

"Sit down," Qi Luda personally brought over a pot of wine, poured a cup for Mi, then poured one for himself, gulped it down, and poured himself another full cup: "Did I scare you today?"

“It’s alright,” Mi said cautiously, holding up her glass. She couldn’t smell the alcohol and decided not to drink it. “Are they human?” Mi couldn’t help but feel a chill when she thought of the two people she had met at the Adventurers’ Guild earlier that day.

"Of course they're people," Qi Luda laughed heartily. "In the human world, non-humans are..."

You need to act like a decent human being.

Mi silently observed the kind-faced old man, whose every move in the room fueled his laughter. Thinking of the last wisp of smoke, of some unknown substance, Mi felt a pang of anxiety and couldn't help but ask, "Is there anything special about the royal family?"

“The Derek family,” Ziruda put down his cup, crossed his hands on the table, and tapped his thumbs together as if deep in thought. “Legend has it that Derek I’s queen was from out of town, though there’s no clear record of where she came from. But since Derek I, the royal family has possessed a skill: if you touch them without their permission, they automatically emit a tracking smoke—the kind you saw today.” Ziruda leaned back in his chair. “However, it’s strange that the Adventurers’ Guild didn’t receive any notification or send anyone to arrest you.” Ziruda stared at Mi. “This tracking smoke is meant to catch anyone who misbehaves against the royal family as quickly as possible; they usually don’t wait until the smoke is this thin before catching someone. Unless—” Ziruda shook his head again. “You might have accidentally picked up the royal tracking smoke, but you also killed two hounds; the royal family probably doesn’t want the Adventurers’ Guild to know about it.”

"Can I still go into the palace?" Mi hesitated. "After all, I've been asked to do this."

"As long as you don't harbor any hostility towards the royal family, simply put, as long as you don't intend to kill any members of the Derek royal family, the Derek Smoke won't stick to you."

"Does this smoky smoke have its own consciousness?" Mi shook her head. She had no problem with members of the royal family, and she would never kill anyone.

"Hmm, Princess Danis still can't control her sleeping potion. You mentioned you've encountered her," Ziruda said nonchalantly. "It's been a long time since the royal family has had someone this stupid. No wonder they didn't notify the Adventurers' Guild." Mi couldn't understand Ziruda's words at all, so she could only listen to him continue: "Princess Danis is spoiled by the king and doesn't know any skills. But don't worry, once Princess Danis gets married, the Derek sleeping potion on her will lose its effect."

"Isn't this sleeping gas supposed to protect members of the royal family? How come a princess isn't a member of the royal family anymore just because she gets married?" So even sleeping gas can be this mercenary?

“No, that’s not it. Although it’s called Derek’s Smoke, it was actually used to protect the succession to the throne.” Seeing that Mi was completely unfamiliar with Derek’s Smoke, Ziruda continued, “The reason it’s called Derek’s Smoke was originally because Queen Ness used it to protect King Derek I from those around him who were hostile to him. Derek I was a man of great achievements, but he also had many enemies.” Mi nodded. A great political figure must have many enemies; it is his enemies that make him great and accomplished.

Ziluda continued, "After Derek I passed away, Derek Smoke became Derek Royal Smoke, mainly used to protect the royal family. Princess Denise was also an heir who could wear the crown, and as long as she did not leave the Derek family, she was protected by Derek Smoke."

Mi hadn't expected that Princess Denise had indeed worn a pearl crown that day; so the sleeping gas was meant to protect the powerful and influential. She asked curiously, "The princess is protected because she's unmarried, does that mean she loses her right to the throne if she marries?"

“Actually, the Flower Kingdom doesn’t have a clear rule about the heir,” Qi Luda stroked his chin. “Because there’s a legend in the Flower Kingdom about a queen who will eventually end the Derek Dynasty, the default is that males have priority in inheriting the throne.” If the Derek Dynasty didn’t only have one girl left, the throne shouldn’t be hers to inherit.

"Huh?" Mi was a little confused. "The Queen's child isn't Derek's bloodline?"

“You come from the border, so you should know that bloodlines are not that important to the Flower Kingdom.” Qi Luda poured another glass of wine. “But for the royal family and nobles, bloodlines are the most important thing. Even an idiot would not give his family property to an outsider.”

“Family property?” Mi put down his wine glass. “These nobles have taken the Flower Kingdom as their own property.”

"The Flower Kingdom is not a good inheritance, and being its king is not an easy task." Qiluda shook his head. "These things are none of your business. In the future, you should avoid Princess Denise. Queen Angus is such a smart person, how could she give birth to such a stupid daughter?"

"Intelligence isn't hereditary. Princess Denise is just a pretty little girl, why is she so disliked?"

Qi Luda advised her, "You don't know, but the Adventurers' Guild has an agreement with the Royal Family. The Adventurers' Guild protects the Royal Family's safety, and the guild investigates the reasons why anyone is being tracked by Derek's Smoke and deals with those who are hostile to the Royal Family. To avoid unnecessary disputes, the first thing all princes and princesses learn from birth is to control Derek's Smoke and not let it affect those around him. Generally speaking, three-year-old children can already distinguish between good and evil intentions, and members of the Royal Family are even more sensitive. Princess Denise couldn't control Derek's Smoke well even after she turned five, and the Adventurers' Guild handled many embarrassing incidents for her. Now Princess Denise is ten years old, and she still can't control Derek's Smoke, acting entirely on her whims. The Adventurers' Guild no longer cares about those who have come into contact with Princess Denise's Smoke. You being tracked this time might be because you're an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire."

What will happen to those who get contaminated?

"The Adventurers' Guild will find out and take care of the sleeping gas problem for her. As for the royal family," Qiluda thought for a moment and said, "she'll probably get a few lashes, just some random punishment to please Princess Denise."

"Huh?" Mi Yi was speechless for a moment. "Why would Princess Denise do this?"

"Actually, Princess Denise is very easy to please. She only likes fancy clothes and jewelry, and she's a bit too vain. In her position, there are plenty of people who would offer her jewels and ask her to do things. King Derek never refuses the princess's requests," Ziruda said with a smile. "It's all just little girl tricks. She has no say in matters of state."

Does she have a chance to ascend the throne?

“No,” Ziruda said definitively. “Not only is her brother Prince Ryan intelligent and capable, but the Adventurers’ Guild will not recognize her because she cannot control Derek’s sleeping gas; the Queen will end Derek’s royal bloodline, and Duke Delgado will not let her ascend the throne; the only one who supports him, King Derek, has no influence whatsoever.”

"King Derek has no influence whatsoever?"

"Queen Angelis is handling state affairs now; the King is just a figurehead," Ziruda advised her. "Princess Denise is indeed a nuisance; you'd better not go to the palace anymore."

“However, I need to deliver a letter to Zara’s daughter.” Qi Luda had a good impression of Mi and knew that she had come all the way from the Seventeenth Border Garrison City of Redstone Town. She told Qi Luda her real purpose for going to the palace: she definitely wanted to see Bai Cuisi.

"Zara, what a pity," Qiluda couldn't help but feel sentimental. "How's the border now?"

“The Shali people harass us frequently,” Mi asked after a moment of silence, “Why are there so many recording stones in Tai*Sun City, but not a single one in the border area?”

“Well,” Qi Luda pondered for a moment, “Sun City needs stability, and the situation on the border is not something everyone should know.”

"Who made this decision?" Mi felt that this Flower Kingdom was very divided. The suffering on the border was a joke compared to Sun City. One city after another used their entire population to ensure the romantic, extravagant, decadent, and dissolute life of Sun City.

“Child, we all know the situation in Bian Suo Wei City,” Qi Luda turned his head, avoiding Mi’s gaze: “If Tai*Yang*City also enters a state of war, the whole country will fall into chaos. You also know that the Shali people cannot be wiped out.”

Mi fell silent. The lives of those who lived on the edge of the city, enduring wind and sand, were so insignificant. They might never see the prosperity of Sun City before they died. Similarly, the people living in Sun City would never see the man-eating monsters in their entire lives. It was a chaotic world.

Mi bid farewell to Qi Luda and walked alone towards the Flower Fate Inn. The blue moon was beautiful tonight; its cool light cast clear outlines on the houses and long shadows of pedestrians on the street. Sun City seemed particularly quiet tonight; the occasional whispers from the houses along the way were indistinct, like a mother singing a lullaby. This tranquil atmosphere reassured Mi. Perhaps Qi Luda was right; people couldn't live in constant fear. Some gained, others lost; life was never truly fair.

* * *

Qiluda led Mi out of the secret room. The skull-headed Seg looked at the blank envelope in front of him and said, "Anma, what do you think?"

Grandma Anma picked up the envelope, which was quickly frozen solid. She shook off a layer of ice and said, "This is Anne's work. I'll send it to the Queen."

"Why did you let her go?" Skull-headed Seg put the oil lamp back on the table.

“Seg, don’t tell me you can’t even catch a little girl now.” Anma put away the blank envelope and opened Janda’s letter.

“I smell the scent of the Sand People on her,” said Skull Seg. “Why would you, if the Adventurers’ Guild doesn’t arrest its own people?”

“Qiluda is protecting her,” Anma stared in the direction Qiluda had left. “Qiluda hasn’t been involved in anything for a long time. If it weren’t for this little girl, he wouldn’t have come to the Adventurers’ Guild. I have to give him face.”

“Qiluda’s good intentions have backfired. I don’t think that little girl believes him either.” Skull-headed Seg suddenly let out a piercing laugh. “Go to the royal family and find out what’s going on. Derek has been making too many moves lately, and I can hardly keep him in check.”