There were only two days left until the Lantern Festival.
Although there were no suppliers of paper lanterns within the Lionheart Association, there were still a few members who held some influence in the Empire’s business circles. Calling in a favor to get a batch of paper lanterns wasn’t out of the question.
However, relying solely on this wouldn’t be enough.
Leon’s plan was to use the message stored in Recording Stones to cover all five districts of the Empire on the day of the Lantern Festival.
If they only acted in the Imperial City or the Upper District, residents of other areas would remain in complete ignorance, and that was not the result Leon wanted.
He wanted everyone who had suffered under the oppression of the Empire to see the true face of their ruler with their own eyes.
He also wanted the people to experience firsthand the most significant transformation in the history of the human Empire.
On the other hand, the more people who uncovered the dark truths of the Empire, the more leverage Leon and the Lionheart Association would have.
They needed the power of the masses to counter the corrupt, decaying rulers.
Thus, the issue of paper lanterns needed to be resolved immediately.
After much consideration, Leon decided to ask Claudia for help. Perhaps his erudite “aunt” might come up with a solution.
Rebecca had mentioned that Claudia had been staying at the library in the Central District these past few days.
There was only one library in the Central District, so Leon and Roswitha headed there immediately.
When they arrived at the entrance of the library, just as Leon was about to walk in, a newspaper boy nearby enthusiastically called out:
“Central District Morning News! Central District Morning News!”
“Bridge Collapse at District Borders! Who is to Blame?”
“Mystery Warehouse Finally Revealed! What’s Inside Will Astonish You!”
“Crime Rates Soaring as Lantern Festival Approaches! Over a Hundred Sows Stolen! Is This the Depravity of Humanity or the Decline of Morality?”
“All in this edition of Central District Morning News!”
“Sir, care to buy a paper?”
Leon was preoccupied with finding Claudia and had no interest in such clickbait headlines. He waved the boy off and walked briskly past him.
The newspaper boy wasn’t discouraged and continued shouting down the street.
The couple entered the library and searched for a while before finally finding Claudia at a window seat in the reading room on the second floor.
She sat by the window, sunlight falling on her sea-blue hair, making her noble countenance appear radiant and flawless, as if carved from the purest jade.
Claudia sat upright, surrounded by several thick ancient manuscripts and a stack of newspapers on the table.
The couple approached her.
Hearing the sound of their footsteps, Claudia lifted her eyes to glance at the “strange black-haired couple” before her. She froze for a moment but quickly recognized them.
“Not bad, the disguise is decent. But I still prefer the silver-haired version of Roswitha.”
The couple sat down on the opposite side of the table.
Leon glanced at the books on the table, all of which were related to human history and culture.
As Rebecca had mentioned, Claudia had a deep interest in the culture of other races. Even on the verge of revolution, it didn’t stop her from studying diligently before the big confrontation.
“What is it? Is it time for war?” Claudia asked in her usual unhurried tone as she skimmed through the ancient texts in her hands.
“Almost. Two days from now, during the Lantern Festival,” Leon replied.
“The Lantern Festival…”
The noblewoman’s blue eyes trembled slightly, and then she spoke slowly:
“It is a traditional human holiday, with a history spanning over nine hundred years. Originally established to commemorate the first human mage in history, it evolved over centuries into an annual major festival.”
Leon raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Looks like you’ve been studying hard lately, senior.”
Claudia tapped her temple lightly. “Know your enemy and know yourself; you’ll emerge unscathed in a hundred battles.”
She closed the ancient tome in front of her and looked at the couple with calm eyes.
“So, the day after tomorrow marks the commencement of your plan. Have you finalized everything?”
Leon nodded and shared with Claudia the plan to use the resonance between paper lanterns and the Recording Stone.
After a moment of contemplation, Claudia said, “A good plan—though the preparation time is far too short. Can you secure enough paper lanterns and Recording Stones in time?”
“That’s the difficulty we came to discuss with you,” Leon replied. “We’ve already gathered enough Recording Stones, but we’re still short on paper lanterns.”
The noblewoman blinked and playfully said, “Why come to me? Do I look like I’m particularly skilled at making paper lanterns?”
Leon chuckled. “Well, you did agree to be my helper, senior. You can’t just be in charge of fighting; you should chip in on logistical preparations too.”
“Hey, brat, let’s not twist our agreement here. Initially, I only promised to help you declare war on the Empire. I didn’t sign up to find paper lanterns for you.”
“...So, senior, you—”
“I’m raising the stakes.”
“Raising the stakes?”
Claudia nodded. “Yes. Initially, we agreed that if Helena visited your home to play with Noa, I’d help you. Now, since you want me to find paper lanterns, I’ll need additional compensation.”
“What do you want, senior?”
Claudia smiled in satisfaction, enjoying the young man’s cooperative attitude. She leaned forward and beckoned the couple to come closer.
The two leaned in, and Claudia whispered something softly into their ears.
After listening, Leon and Roswitha felt a little complicated.
“This…”
“What’s the issue? Unwilling to agree?”
“No, no, it’s just… I didn’t expect you, senior, to be interested in something like that.”
Claudia crossed her arms and, with a leisurely air, explained, “It’s not me—it’s Helena. Apparently, she’s quite fond of that sort of thing. So, what’s your answer?”
“Alright, no problem. After this is over, we’ll take care of it.”
“Good.”
“Now, senior, do you have any suggestions regarding the paper lanterns?”
“Hmm.”
Claudia nodded. “You’re on the right track looking for suppliers, but the suppliers within the Empire are highly decentralized, so collecting enough lanterns would be inefficient.”
“To ensure there are enough lanterns for the Lantern Festival, the Empire’s royal family built a warehouse specifically for storing over ten thousand lanterns—enough to cover the Imperial City all the way down to the slums.”
“All you have to do is infiltrate the warehouse, embed the Recording Stones into the lanterns in advance, and use illusion magic to conceal your actions. Then on the day of the festival, you can display the messages from the Recording Stones throughout the Empire.”
Leon paused, stunned by the revelation.
“What’s wrong? Don’t understand?”
“No, no, it’s not that…”
Leon scratched his head in bewilderment. “It’s just… if such a warehouse existed, how come Rebecca and Nacho—who’ve been operating in the Empire for years—never mentioned it?”
Claudia had only been in the Empire for less than a week, yet neither Rebecca nor Nacho—who had been active there for five years—had any information about it.
This left General Leon feeling completely baffled.
Claudia picked up the stack of newspapers on the table, waved it in her hand, and said, “Because this information was just announced this morning. The Empire built a warehouse this year specifically to stockpile paper lanterns for the festival display. All the details are laid out in today’s paper.”
“…What?”
“Leon, you and your association are stuck in a misconception, that "obtaining intelligence always requires elaborate efforts.’”
Claudia patiently explained, “But in some cases, the most vital information is often hidden in the most seemingly insignificant corners.”
Leon pondered Claudia’s words seriously.
At the same time, he suddenly recalled the newspaper boy’s cries before he entered the library:
“Central District Morning News! Central District Morning News!”
“Bridge Collapse at District Borders! Who is to Blame?”
“Mystery Warehouse Finally Revealed! What’s Inside Will Astonish You!”
“Crime Rates Soaring as Lantern Festival Approaches! Over a Hundred Sows Stolen! Is This the Depravity of Humanity or the Decline of Morality?”
Could it be that… the mystery warehouse in that headline was actually the exact place he’d been searching for to find paper lanterns?
And yet, back then, he’d disregarded it entirely because the content sounded so clickbait. Wait a second…
This was blatantly clickbait!
How could Leon ever have bought a newspaper with headlines screaming about “stolen sows?”
So… this was all the pigs’ fault —
“Argh!”
Lost in thought, he suddenly felt a light “thwack” on his forehead.
It was Claudia. She had rolled the newspaper into a tube and tapped him on the head—like an elder teaching an inexperienced child.
Roswitha was about to snicker, but quickly got a tap of her own.
Now both of them, rubbing their foreheads, shared the exact same expression and movements.
“When gazing at the vast starry sky above, don’t forget to also watch out for the puddles at your feet.”
A rather fascinating phrase.
Leon wanted to expose the Empire’s corruption, make its decay known to the world, and free the oppressed. Yet, he didn’t have the time to purchase one small newspaper.
When chasing distant goals, people do often overlook the seemingly trivial, everyday details—details that hold the power to change everything.
“Alright, I didn’t mean to lecture you with grand philosophies—it’s just some advice born from experience. Hopefully, it’ll benefit you in the future.”
The couple nodded earnestly, clearly taking her words to heart.
“Well then… once this plan succeeds, don’t forget the favor you owe me.”
“Don’t worry, senior. The Melkevi family always keeps its promises!”
