Rulu made his way to the vicinity of the mansion and hid in a dark corner, surveying the building. He noticed that numerous armed soldiers were standing guard around the perimeter, and several humanoid armored soldiers were patrolling the area.
"With this many guards surrounding the pce, Prince Suwen must be inside. I need to find a way to slip in." Rulu thought to himself. He spotted a courtyard at the rear of the mansion with a rge, leafy tree growing in it, and an idea immediately took shape.
Rulu reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bck sphere, which he hurled toward a pile of garbage about fifty meters ahead of the mansion's entrance. With a soft thump, the bck sphere transformed into a small orange-red fireball and sailed into the garbage heap, which instantly burst into a crackling bze.
"What's going on — how did that catch fire?!"
"I think I just saw something like a shooting star fly into it."
"Hurry, put it out! His Highness is resting — whatever you do, don't disturb him."
The burning garbage heap drew the attention of the guards around the mansion. As many of them rushed toward the fire, Rulu seized the moment. He rode the wind into the air, rising six or seven meters off the ground, cleared the ring of guards encircling the building, and flew toward the courtyard at the rear of the mansion, nding silently in the rge tree.
Hidden among the branches, Rulu carefully surveyed the dark courtyard below. Once he confirmed no one was there, he dropped from the tree, approached the mansion's back door, and slipped inside.
The interior of the house was dark and quiet, and appeared to be empty. Making no sound at all, Rulu moved cautiously through the darkened mansion until he reached the reception hall on the ground floor.
Suddenly, voices drifted through the crack of a door that had been left slightly ajar. Rulu crept silently toward the door and pressed his eye to the gap, peering into the room within.
The room inside was brightly lit, and appeared to be a study. Two people occupied it. The man seated in the chair was someone Rulu had already seen — Prince Suwen himself. The other was a powerfully built, bald man wearing a purple uniform. The bald man stood roughly three meters in front of Prince Suwen, engaged in conversation with him.
"This wretched pce is absolutely revolting. It makes my whole body crawl. I've aged ten years just being here, and now I have to look at these lowly curs every single day. I'd love to sughter every st one of them." Prince Suwen said, his facial muscles twitching with a nervous tic, his eyes full of malice.
The bald man's face broke into an ingratiating smile, and he said in a gentle tone: "Your Highness, please don't let it upset you too much. You mentioned just now that you've come to Blue Sea City to serve as Governor because His Majesty the Emperor has an important task for you. If you can complete it successfully, perhaps you'll be able to return to the Sanctuary quite soon."
"Hmph. If only it were that simple." Prince Suwen's face darkened as he said coldly, "This matter was originally to be handled by the Court Mages, but a short while ago, the Court Mages were found dead in an underground tunnel nearby. His Majesty had no choice but to dispatch someone new to handle the affair."
The bald man said: "I've heard something of this matter as well, Your Highness. As I understand it, the two Court Mages encountered Rebels in the underground tunnel and were unfortunately killed in the ensuing battle."
Suwen nodded. "Yes. At the time, the Court Mages had already located the person His Majesty was looking for and were preparing to bring her back to the Sanctuary, when something went wrong along the way. Now the person His Majesty wants has gone missing. His Majesty was absolutely furious over the matter — he very nearly stripped all of Blue Sea City's military commanders of their positions."
Beads of sweat broke out on the bald man's forehead. He chose his words carefully: "Although I am responsible for commanding Blue Sea City's military forces, the situation at the time was sudden and unexpected, and there was no way to mobilize a rge number of troops on such short notice — which is how the Rebels managed to succeed. Your Highness, could you tell me who exactly it is that His Majesty is looking for? Please tell me, and I will do absolutely everything in my power to find her, and make up for the mistakes I have made."
Prince Suwen studied the bald man with an extremely guarded look, then said: "This matter is of the highest secrecy. Now that you know of it, you must not let a single other person find out — no one besides yourself. If even the slightest whisper of this leaks out, not only will your life be forfeit, but I too will face severe punishment."
The brawny man was inwardly startled and said hastily: "I will guard this secret absolutely. Not a single word of it will leave my lips."
Prince Suwen gave a quiet "mm" and said softly: "It is a woman. The person His Majesty is searching for is a young woman with green hair."
"A young woman with green hair?!" The bald man was taken aback upon hearing this — and Rulu, eavesdropping from outside the door, was equally startled, for the woman Prince Suwen was describing was unmistakably the same woman he had encountered in the underground tunnel.
Prince Suwen continued: "This woman escaped from our Sanctuary not long ago and made her way to this region. His Majesty says she is of the utmost importance. Not only does she possess a strange power, she also knows every secret of our Sanctuary Empire — secrets that concern the very survival of the entire Sanctuary. Therefore, she must be found and brought back at any cost."
"I see." The bald man nodded gravely. Then, as though a thought had just occurred to him, he said: "In this subordinate's humble opinion, since the Court Mages were already killed by the insurgents, it's possible that the woman His Majesty is looking for may also be dead. If that is the case, no matter how hard we search, we will never find her."
Prince Suwen pondered and said: "General Feihu, you raise a fair point. In fact, that is precisely what I said to His Majesty at the time. Care to guess what His Majesty said in response?"
General Feihu replied: "This subordinate is too dull to guess His Majesty's words."
Prince Suwen said with a grave expression: "His Majesty said that this woman cannot be killed. Even if she were torn to pieces — even if her body were reduced to ash — she would not die."
"How can that be possible? How could such a person exist in this world?!" General Feihu went pale with shock. Outside the door, the eavesdropping Rulu was so astonished he nearly cried out.
"Those are His Majesty's own words. Are you saying you doubt His Majesty?!" Prince Suwen fixed General Feihu with a displeased gre.
"No, no, that is not what I meant." General Feihu shook his head and waved his hands frantically. "If the woman is still alive, then she is very likely hiding somewhere in Blue Sea City. I will immediately issue an announcement and mobilize every resource to hunt down this green-haired woman, so as to help Your Highness complete the task His Majesty has entrusted to you."
"You fool!" Suwen snapped harshly. "Have you already forgotten — this matter is of the highest secrecy. His Majesty said that no one is to know anything about this woman, not even what she looks like. If you go and do that, won't the whole thing be completely exposed?!"
General Feihu said with great difficulty: "Then what are we to do? If we can't even describe her appearance, how are we supposed to find her?"
"Hmph. If it were that easy, His Majesty would not have sent me to handle it. I'll tell you this — if this matter cannot be resolved, I will never be able to return to the Sanctuary, and your future, General Feihu, will be finished right here and now. But if it is resolved, not only will I be able to return to the Sanctuary, but you will be able to come with me, cim credit before His Majesty, and perhaps — if His Majesty is pleased — be granted permission to remain in the Sanctuary permanently, to live in immortality and enjoy an eternal life there."
