Chapter 259

Chapter 259

The smooth, four-beat waltz flowed, tinkling like a stream cascading from a mountaintop—lively, yet elegant. Amidst the perfumed silhouettes and rustling silks in the hall’s corners, Eve and Lorca once again found themselves in an awkward silence.

Finally, Lorca broke it, his voice flat as he asked, “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

What was he trying to do?

Eve wasn’t sure if Lorca truly intended to be open and honest. Unconsciously tapping her toes to the music, she found nothing worthwhile to say. Staying together too long might draw unwanted attention, so she decided to keep her identity concealed for now.

“Uh, well, not really,” she offered a dry chuckle, subtly hinting that Lorca should get to the point—she had another important appointment today. “I just returned to the capital planet after handling some business outside the galaxy, so I’m a bit unfamiliar with the social conventions here. What I mean is, if you have something to say, just say it directly.”

To be fair, this wasn’t entirely untrue; returning from the divine realm could certainly count as a business trip outside the galaxy.

Her tone, however, was far gentler than her words suggested, almost as if she were coaxing a child. It was clear that her time babysitting at the Grand Princess’s residence had left an indelible mark on her soul. Across from her, Lorca listened quietly, unblinking, as if he were actually taking her rambling seriously.

...As if.

Lorca was recalling something relatively unimportant, something he had to search through his memories for a while to clearly remember.

It was several months ago, on their way to "Flying Bird" to find Qin Mengde, when he accidentally overheard Eve speaking with Qi Ying. Eavesdropping wasn’t a good habit, so Lorca had intended to slip away unnoticed. But the two had touched on a certain topic, and Eve’s casual remark, “People drift apart as they go—that’s just the way life is,” had rooted him to the spot.

Qi Ying seemed equally stunned by the cold indifference beneath the girl’s smiling face. After a long pause, he asked gloomily, something too low for Lorca to hear. But Lorca knew Qi Ying had mentioned him, because Eve then laughed and said that she and Lorca were only temporary partners and would eventually part ways.

Lorca didn’t believe Eve was completely unaware of his feelings, but he also had no doubt that her words were sincere—she was, after all, someone whose reason always trumped emotion.

Eve showed him some favor, more than she did others—certainly more than those like Murphy Garcia, who were attracted by looks alone. It might even be more than what she showed Luo Lin or Alice. Aware of this, Lorca had tested the waters a few times, but the results were always more show than substance, all bark and no bite. At times, he even fell into the delusion common to those with a secret crush—surely Eve must feel something for him too?

She couldn’t be completely indifferent, right?

But those questions no longer mattered. Lorca stared unblinkingly at the face hidden behind the black veil, calculating the likelihood that he, like the carefully nurtured Qin Mengde, would be ruthlessly cast aside.

The calculation suggested that his outcome would probably be no better than Qin Mengde’s.

He wasn’t like the members of the Medici family, bound to Eve by blood and shared interests no matter their mutual dislike. Nor was he like Alice, who had always enjoyed Eve’s utmost favor, even more than Qin Mengde. Alice’s recent misfortunes had only deepened Eve’s pity for her, to the point where Eve risked exposure to visit her at Master Oliver’s estate. But Lorca had long lost the ability to play the victim, a tactic he once excelled at.

The seemingly casual remarks about parting, the ambiguous attitude, and now this pretense of not knowing each other—all of it gnawed at Lorca. He agreed with one of Eve’s views: happiness had to be seized by oneself.

So he quickly calmed down, even managing a genuine smile as he said softly, “There is something I wanted to tell you. I’m going to be engaged.”

“......”

Wait, why was he telling her this?

Eve gave him a strange look. Though she tried to act relaxed, her discomfort was too strong to hide. Fortunately, the veil Unica had given her concealed her expression.

She ultimately attributed her inexplicable irritation to Lorca’s slip of the tongue. On one hand, if Lorca hadn’t recognized her, why would he tell a stranger he was getting married? That was just weird. On the other hand, if he had recognized her, it was even weirder.

The identity of Eve Medici was still listed as missing by the authorities. There was no way he could be engaged to her, so why come and tell her?

It felt like he was explaining things to an ex-girlfriend.

So Eve replied woodenly, “Oh, congratulations.”

...It sounded even more like the classic, reluctant blessing from an ex-girlfriend forcing a smile.

She wasn’t the only one who thought so. Lorca chuckled softly, seeming about to say more, but a waiter holding a tray approached just then, interrupting the undercurrents between them.

“Apologies for interrupting, esteemed guests, but another guest insisted I deliver this drink to the young lady,” he said, lifting the tray to show a single glass of silver liquid, tiny bubbles rising slowly from the bottom like moonlight and its glow. “It was a young man dressed in traditional attire, seemingly for religious reasons, with no hair. Do you know him?”

The Cavendish family’s waitstaff were quite responsible—or perhaps it was simply unusual for a young man to send a drink to a young lady. Instead of just handing it over, the waiter made sure to ask if Eve knew the sender.

No hair? Traditional attire?

Eve could only think of one acquaintance who fit that description—the person she had a formal appointment with tonight.

It seemed Long Quan had already arrived at the meeting point.

Holding the slender stem of the glass, she dismissed the waiter with a thank-you, then turned to Lorca, clearly expecting him to finish what he’d been about to say. But Lorca now seemed in no hurry, even politely extending his left hand, palm up, in a gesture of invitation.

“If you have matters to attend to, please go ahead,” he said with a smile. “I feel we’re quite fated to meet. Perhaps we’ll see each other again soon.”

Eve: “...No, if you mean at another banquet, there probably won’t be a next time.”

She was busy and had no time for such flashy, empty gatherings.

“You speak with such certainty.”

Eve had no idea what he was scheming, his fox-like eyes crinkling with amusement. She had no time to play word games with him, so with a nod, she took her leave. After she left, the waiter who had delivered the drink quietly approached again. “Master Oliver.”

Without turning, Lorca asked, “Who sent me a drink?”

“Not a drink,” the waiter said, slightly embarrassed but quickly regaining his professional composure. “It’s our young lady, Isabella. She wishes to see you. She said she’s caught someone quite interesting whom you might be interested in.”

What kind of person would Isabella catch that he’d find interesting?

Lorca instinctively felt it had to do with Eve. With the main subject of his attention gone, standing around alone was rather dull. Curiosity piqued by Isabella’s invitation, he set down his glass and said, “Very well, please lead the way.”

-

Meanwhile, Eve followed the agreed-upon location to the front courtyard of the Cavendish estate, where she found Long Quan. Countless ribbons and jewels hung from the branches of an ancient tree, shimmering under the night lights like a mythical treasure tree from a fairy tale. It was a landmark of the Cavendish estate, making it easy for a first-time visitor like her to find.

Most importantly, the courtyard was open and unobstructed except for the tree, allowing those beneath it to easily observe their surroundings and stop talking if anyone approached—perfect for private dealings.

The Luna Butterfly continued to work its magic, and aside from Lorca, no one else had noticed Eve along the way. She breathed a sigh of relief—at least the problem was with Lorca, not her Spiritual State.

As the night breeze swept through the courtyard, lifting the black veil of her wide-brimmed hat to reveal a plain, unfamiliar face, she turned to see Long Quan standing under the tree, waving eagerly.

Eve walked toward him.

“Long time no see,” Long Quan said warmly. “Should I call you Lu Qing or Eve?”

“The way you say that makes it sound like everyone knows my identity was exposed.”

Eve’s tone was teasing, but Long Quan, after a moment of surprise, explained seriously, “Not exactly. Ordinary people probably don’t know yet, but the news of your trip to the divine realm has been circulated among all Senior Alchemists. Every newly promoted Four-Star and Five-Star Alchemist deserves serious attention. For now, it’s only known among us.”

Eve hadn’t really been concerned—it was just a joke. She acknowledged his explanation with a hum and got straight to the point, extending her hand. “Where is it?”

Long Quan placed a metal cylinder, no longer than a young girl’s forearm, into her hand. It felt cool to the touch, its surface seemingly studded with gems, textured and solid.

“This is the inspection-exempt weapon Luo Wenzhou promised you. I finished it not long ago,” he said with a light laugh. “Now it’s finally returned to its rightful owner.”

During the military training evaluation competition, Luo Wenzhou, hoping to secure Tachibana Maki’s ranking through showing favoritism, had told Eve that the Luo family had the ability to create special inspection-exempt weapons. These weapons were essentially Alchemical Tools, personally crafted by the Luo family’s chief weapons master, Long Quan.

Given their extreme value, even Eve hadn’t expected the Luo family to gift her such an item for something as minor as military training. But to her surprise, Luo Wenzhou had honored his verbal agreement. When Long Quan completed the weapon and Eve was taken to the divine realm, he even considered sending it back, only to be casually dismissed by Cionanado.

Cionanado told Long Quan that Eve had already returned to the capital planet with the God of Death Butterfly.

Long Quan was just as surprised as Eve. Honestly, he had never seen Cionanado show such concern for a junior—it almost surpassed the attention given to Agnes back in the day.

Someone with connections, definitely someone with connections. Good thing he’d taken the friendly approach from the start.

He decided he didn't want to make an enemy of Eve, but unexpectedly, she was hesitant to take it. Her hand hung in the air for a long moment before she asked with some doubt, "Really, for me?"

Long Quan: "I only produce custom-made artifacts."

He implied, "If not for you, then who else?"

"I just feel it's too valuable. At the very least, that vague promise from Luo Wenzhou back then certainly isn't worth this. There must be instructions from Luo Wenqing or the head of the Luo family behind it, right?" Eve said frankly, "If you have any other conditions, just say them directly. I won't take things for nothing."

Long Quan: "Huh?"

He blinked slowly, not quite understanding where Eve's politeness was coming from. Regardless, the fact that she was soon to enter a marriage contract with Lorca was undeniable. After all, Lorca also carried half the bloodline of the Luo direct line. Preparing some artifacts for one's own family—the Luo family wasn't so stingy as to fuss over that.

Could it be that Eve was truly this strict about separating business from personal matters?

Long Quan didn't understand, yet he felt a surge of respect. As expected of someone specially noted by Cionanado—it was rare to find someone so principled among high-level alchemists.

Since she offered to take on tasks, Long Quan didn't mind giving her something to do. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Have you looked for Agnes since you returned?"

Eve said calmly, "I barely made it back alive. I have no plans to seek death anytime soon."

"Pfft, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask if you know anything about Agnes's whereabouts," Long Quan chuckled at her dry humor and added, "I thought since you just returned from the Divine Realm, you might know a bit about her movements. But if you don't, it's fine. It's just that recently Louis caused a major incident by exposing the issue of Zerg venom. We need someone to resolve this—at least to prove that the venom can be neutralized. Otherwise, I'm worried certain parties might exploit this."

Louis, who knew the most about this, ended up detained by the Medici family. Unlike the accommodating Oliver Family, the Medicis have always been arrogant. If they dig their heels in, they won't listen to anyone. From the moment Louis was taken away by those cold-faced silver-haired beauties, no one expected him to come out alive.

Agnes could handle it—mainly because she has high resistance to Zerg venom—but now she's nowhere to be found. Long Quan was at a loss. Besides those two, who else could take on such a troublesome and highly specialized task?

While Long Quan was still pondering, Eve suddenly realized, "You're looking for an alchemist capable of researching Zerg venom? Then you can ask me."

"I did consider you," Long Quan had a good memory; he recalled that this young alchemist had relevant successful experience before. "But originally, we thought you were still in the Divine Realm. Seeing you tonight, you're actually serving Princess Unica now. She doesn't seem to like alchemy or alchemists much? I don't want to put you in a difficult position."

Eve said, "It's fine. Her Highness isn't that narrow-minded. She's very open to alchemy."

Open-minded? That's an understatement—she even sent her own daughter to study alchemy!

Long Quan still had some reservations, as if suspecting Eve might be sugarcoating things for Unica. It wasn't that he distrusted Eve, but this person had previously insisted that the Fourth Princess, though seeming unapproachable, was actually a very good person. And then this "very good person" went and caused a huge incident, nearly getting Gu Zhaoxi suspended—so much so that Gu Zhaoxi recently threatened to poison Qin Mengde.

Of course, poisoning was out of the question—unless she wanted all alchemists to become wanted criminals by the Empire.

"Alright, don't worry too much. After all, you don't have many better options, do you? I can continue Louis's research for you. The research on Zerg venom isn't just about antidotes; it has other important applications. But I need more experimental data to verify. Remember to send the necessary materials to Gu Zhaoxi's bar; I'll pick them up there," Eve didn't have time to dawdle with Long Quan. She couldn't understand why an AI would be more indecisive than a human. Her movements were swift; she quickly took the gem-encrusted cylinder and tucked it into her sleeve, a slight smile curling her lips. "As for Agnes, I don't know where she is, but there's someone who should know how to contact her."

"Who?" Long Quan looked puzzled.

"Confidential."

Eve snapped her fingers. They had been standing outside for quite a while; it was time for her to return and report to the Grand Princess. As for Lorca, judging from his performance in the league, his collaboration with Agnes back then must have been very close—he likely had a way to contact her.

But thinking back to Lorca's confident demeanor earlier, sure that they would meet again soon, Eve felt irritated again.

Forget it—the more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. Better not to dwell on it.

She changed the subject: "Louis had a student—not officially, but in practice. Have you thought about asking her for help?"

"Alice Lane," Long Quan recalled upon hearing this. He had a good impression of Alice, but— "She won't be staying on the capital planet for long," he said calmly. "Soon, Frigga will take her to the front lines. Why do you think Frigga was in such a hurry to snatch her from the Olivers?"

Eve raised an eyebrow in surprise, but Long Quan's words were merely a warning. He didn't elaborate nor reveal the source of his information.

After the banquet, which could be considered a good time had by all, deep in the night, Unica was startled awake by an urgent message. Eve finally got the full story from her:

Thirteen coordinates across the Empire simultaneously showed signs of Royal Zerg awakening overnight, including the Gamma star system of Ursa Minor, the β and θ star systems of Canis Major, and the companion star system T7723 of Aquarius. All were in remote star systems far from the capital, with weak military defenses, vulnerable as paper against the Zerg swarms.

The legions near the disaster points had already been dispatched by Frigga's orders to provide support separately. Even the Third and Ninth Legions, among the top ten legions, had left their original stations and headed respectively to the awakening sites of the Royal Zerg in Sagittarius and Ursa Minor. According to intelligence from agents sent by the Empress to monitor the Fourth Princess Chris, Chris had received orders in the middle of the night and left the capital planet with Frigga's personally signed wartime deployment orders and her personal guards.

An unprecedented, harsh winter had descended.