Chapter 23

The wooden hut on the edge of the town of Retokash offered only a brief respite. Mara traded her last remaining valuable possession—a silver clasp—for two worn-out Kador commoner women's dresses, some easily stored dry rations, and vague information about a relatively safe route to the interior of the Federation.

“We can’t stay here long,” Mara handed Serena a brown-grey coarse cloth dress. “There are too many informants in the border towns. Imperial gold coins can buy a lot of information here.”

Serena changed her clothes silently, the rough fabric rubbing against her skin, but she no longer cared. She carefully concealed her striking blonde hair under her dark headscarf, and gave the small backpack one last check—it contained Lim's map, the little food left, the Nightingale badge, and a sheathed dagger that Mara had somehow acquired.

“The letter…” she looked at Mara.

“It’s already been entrusted to a reliable person to take to the capital. It will be delivered through unofficial channels, which will take time, but it’s safer than the official post stations.” Mara tightened her boot laces, her movements swift and efficient. “Let’s go.”

They left the town of Retokash in the darkest hour before dawn, once again venturing into the desolate and vast borderlands of the Kador Federation. This time, unlike their previous escape, they didn't flee aimlessly. Instead, guided by information obtained by Mara and Lim's map, they chose a route leading to the inland town of Lucatene. It was said to be a place where people made their living through mining and handicrafts, with a relatively small and isolated population.

The journey remained arduous. The Kador border region consisted mostly of barren hills and arid valleys, where water was precious and sandstorms were frequent. They traveled by day and slept by night under sheltered rocks or along dry riverbeds. Mara taught Serena how to find water more effectively, how to identify edible desert plants, and how to conceal their tracks in open areas.

Serena possessed exceptional learning abilities. She quickly mastered these survival skills and even began to share the night watch duties. Her silence held a newfound keenness, and her blue eyes reflected the desolation and resilience of the wasteland. Like two wary sand foxes, they moved silently across the vast and harsh land.

A few days later, they arrived in the town of Lucatene. The town sat beside a murky river, backed by barren mines. The air was thick with dust and the clanging of metal. Most of the residents were dark-skinned and expressionless, seemingly uninterested in the arrival of strangers.

Mara used her last few copper coins to rent a nearly abandoned old stone house on the edge of town. The roof was drafty and the ground was uneven, but at least she had a stable shelter from daily worries.

The pressure to survive immediately became concrete. They needed a stable source of food, money to pay the meager but necessary rent, and to integrate into the community without being excluded.

The main livelihoods in the town of Lucatene depended on the mines and the workshops attached to them. Mara, with her excellent tanning and repair skills, quickly found odd jobs in a leather goods workshop. Serena, on the other hand, went to work at a small laundry in town. Her job was to wash the heavy clothes, stained with oil and mine dust, brought in by miners and townspeople by the river.

The river water was icy cold, the alkaline soap solution burned her skin, and the heavy, wet clothes drained her strength. After a day's work, Serena often had a sore back and aching muscles, her fingers white and wrinkled from being soaked in the water. The pay was meager, barely enough to buy the most basic black bread and beans.

At night, they returned to their cold stone house. Mara would mend leather goods by the dim light of an oil lamp, earning extra income. Serena, exhausted, would practice the common script and arithmetic of Kador on discarded parchment using scavenged charcoal by moonlight or firelight.

Life was heavy and monotonous, day after day. Like the town of Lucatern itself, they gradually lost their bright colors in the dust and toil, becoming rough and resilient.

Occasionally, Serena would stand at the door of the stone house, gazing at the distant, layered mountain silhouettes in the direction of the empire. The prosperity of the capital and the luxury of the ducal mansion seemed like a dream from a past life. She wasn't surprised that her father's letter hadn't arrived; it hadn't been intended to elicit a response.

Sometimes she thought of Lucien, that obsessive hunter. He was now the emperor, presumably busy consolidating his power and controlling that vast territory. Perhaps the passage of time and the distance between them would gradually wear down his obsession… or perhaps, it would only deepen his resentment. She didn't dwell on it, but suppressed this worry in her heart, transforming it into a more cautious approach to her actions.

In the small town of Lucatene, no one knew their past. They were just two silent, hardworking women from afar, struggling to survive. The name Serena Wilde, along with the identity and suffering it represented, seemed to have truly remained within the Empire.

Time in the town of Lucatene seemed tinged with the color of mineral dust, flowing slowly and heavily. The two seasons alternated, the dry wind bringing coolness before sweeping away the dust. The old stone house on the edge, still drafty, had been fortified by Mara with salvaged leather and planks, gaining a touch of warmth and life that could be called "home."

Serena's transformation was silent yet profound. The work in the laundry room remained arduous, but she had grown accustomed to the icy river water and the stinging sap. Her arms had developed strong, defined lines, allowing her to effortlessly wring out heavy work clothes. Her fingers, once only used for strumming violin strings and flipping through poetry collections, could now skillfully pound clothes and deftly process the rabbits or river fish that Mara occasionally brought back with a small knife, cleaning their fur and entrails thoroughly.

Her Cador was spoken with the distinctive, rough accent of the town of Lucatene. Though not perfect, it was sufficient for everyday conversation and bargaining. She had even learned to identify several common ores and could roughly determine what kind of mineral dust was stained on the clothes brought in by the miners, thus allowing her to use different methods when washing them.

Inside the stone house at night, the oil lamp still shone dimly. But Serena no longer merely practiced reading and writing; instead, she used her meager savings to learn more complex arithmetic and basic legal knowledge of the Cador Federation from the daughter of an old miner in town, a woman who had once worked as a bookkeeper for a federal caravan.

Mara watched her, occasionally catching a barely perceptible flicker of emotion in that silent, serious face. Serena's growth had exceeded her expectations. She had not only adapted to survival but was also actively seeking to take control of more of her life.

That day, the owner of the laundry, a grumpy middle-aged widow, planned to sell the shop at a low price and move to a neighboring town to stay with relatives because her son was in trouble and urgently needed money. The news spread throughout the town, but no one was interested. Lucatene was too poor; the laundry business had meager profits, and no one was willing to take it on.

Serena heard the news. That evening, she and Mara sat by the fire, sharing a simple bean soup.

“I want to take over the laundry,” Serena suddenly said, her tone calm but carrying a sense of certainty after careful consideration.

Mara paused in her soup-scooping motion and looked at her: "We don't have enough money." They had indeed saved some money, but it was still far from enough to buy a shop, no matter how dilapidated it was. Besides, "running a business and doing the work are two different things."

“I know we don’t have enough money.” Serena put down the wooden bowl, her gaze calm. “I can talk to Tana and pay a portion upfront, with the rest in installments. As for the business…” She paused. “I’ve observed that her methods are too outdated, wasting soap and not getting clothes clean enough. Many regular customers complain. I can improve the methods, and maybe… I can even take on some mending jobs. Mara, your skills can come in handy. There aren’t any dedicated mending shops in town.”

Mara listened in silence, without immediately refuting her suggestion. Serena's plan didn't sound far-fetched. She saw the problem and offered a direction for a solution.

“The risk is huge,” Mara finally said. “If we fail, we will lose all our savings.”

“I know,” Serena met her gaze, “but staying here will only allow us to barely make ends meet. If we want to leave Lucatene and go somewhere safer and better, we need more money, and we also need… a more secure identity.” The identity of a business owner provides more protection and mobility than that of a simple laundry worker.

Mara stared at the flickering fire for a long time, then nodded. "Go and talk to them. What do you need me to do?"

Serena breathed a sigh of relief, a glint of light in her eyes. "First, help me figure out the maximum amount of money we can come up with, and how to draft the installment payment agreement to our advantage. Also, some basic sewing tools and thread..."

Over the next few days, Serena revealed a side of herself that Mara had never seen before. She approached the anxious Tana, and instead of rushing to lower the price, calmly analyzed the shop's predicament and her own improvement plan after taking over, proposing a detailed installment payment scheme. Her composure and understanding of business surprised Tana, but also earned her a degree of trust.

Meanwhile, Mara used her early travel experience to carefully check the contract terms to ensure there were no traps. They used almost all their savings to pay the down payment and signed a one-year installment contract.

Serena's palms were slightly sweaty as she took the rusty keys from Tana.

She gave the dilapidated laundry room a new sign, simply writing "Cleaning and Mending" on a wooden board with charcoal. She improved the washing process, saving materials and paying more attention to the cleanliness of the clothes. Mara set up a small workbench in the corner, taking on leather repair and simple garment sewing.

At first, business was slow. The townspeople were hesitant. But gradually, they discovered that this new young woman was meticulous in her work, her laundry was exceptionally clean, and her prices were fair. Mara's craftsmanship was also outstanding; the leather goods she repaired were virtually undetectable. Word of mouth slowly built up, and her clientele gradually increased.

Serena became even busier. She not only had to work, but also keep accounts, make purchases, and deal with customers. At night, as she checked the income and expenses under the oil lamp, she would still think of the Empire, of Lucien, and of her father.

Meanwhile, in the council chamber of the Royal Palace of Corovia, the tall arched windows let in the pale autumn light, yet could not dispel the somber atmosphere. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment, wax seals, and a cold, authoritative aura of power.

Lucien sat at the end of the long table. He was not wearing the elaborate formal attire that symbolized royal power, but rather a well-tailored dark casual suit. The only change was the simple yet dignified crown on his forehead, inlaid with dark metal and obsidian.

Before him lay a mountain of intelligence and documents from all over the empire. His fingertips unconsciously traced a report on taxes on the southern border, but his gaze was not focused on it.

Duke Wilder sat at the middle of the long table, his posture respectful, his brow furrowed with a perfectly measured focus—the focus required to serve the new emperor. He had just finished reporting the latest developments in stabilizing the emotions of the nobles in several northern provinces, his words cautious and watertight.

Several other high-ranking officials were also in the hall, exchanging hushed opinions, occasionally glancing cautiously at the young emperor on the main throne. He had been on the throne for nearly a year, his methods swift and decisive, quickly quelling all potential rebellions in the early stages and firmly grasping the empire in his hands with an iron fist. Lucien's gaze slowly swept over Duke Wilder, calm and composed, yet it caused the latter's hand resting on his knee to tighten almost imperceptibly for a moment.

“The trade routes in the Southern Territory need further restructuring,” Lucien said, his voice not loud, but clear enough to reach everyone’s ears, carrying an undeniable determination. “The loose agreements of the past should be re-examined.”

A minister in charge of finance quickly responded, "Yes, Your Majesty. We have drafted several plans, mainly focusing on increasing tariffs and regulating border trade with the Cador Federation..."

As Lucien listened, his fingertip paused very slightly on a note in the report about "small-scale smuggling at the Cador border." The pause was so brief that it went almost unnoticed.

"...especially the outflow of mineral products from the town of Lucatene, which requires stronger supervision..." the minister continued.

Lucatene. A small, insignificant mining town on the border of Cador.

Lucien's face remained expressionless, his deep purple eyes like two frozen ancient wells, reflecting no ripples. He didn't even look at Duke Wilder, but simply interrupted the minister's report: "You are fully responsible for the specific details; submit them."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The meeting continued in an efficient yet tense atmosphere. Lucien handled government affairs with remarkable speed and decisiveness, almost never hesitating. He was like a precise and cold machine, methodically controlling every aspect of the empire.