Chapter 479 — Fermentation

"Be careful when you use it—the mechanical scholars went to great lengths to make it this small," Amber said with a nod. "This is the key to crushing those zealots. Our aim is not merely to dismantle Frostgate, not merely to drive them out of the great cathedral, but above all to drive them out of the Southern Marches. And whether we achieve that... depends on what we do next."

The agents rubbed their hands together, morale blazing. "Yes!"

"Good. Then here are your assignments—Skinny, you and Hound keep working the outer districts and record every scene that damages the Daystar Church, then send it back to headquarters. Bucktooth, you and Rat keep spreading word near the cathedral district that the Frostgate sect has long behaved bizarrely, but mind your own safety. The rest of you, come with me into the Shadow Realm to move cargo."

The well-trained agents sprang into action at once, and one of the team Amber had named for the Shadow Realm asked casually out of curiosity, "Chief, what cargo?"

"Leaflets and picture books," Amber grinned. "Twenty thousand more came through—and more are on the way."

"Whew—" The agent could not help but whistle, a delighted grin spreading over his face. "They can't burn them as fast as we print them..."

...

After more than ten days of hard travel, day and night, the witch Jipuli had finally returned to this land she had left so long ago.

She still remembered the sight that had met her eyes days ago when she passed through the gates of Boulderhold in the north—the mighty fortress had seemed transformed into one vast construction site, scaffolding and engineering machines everywhere, the whole stronghold undergoing thorough renovation and rebuilding. Workers labored day and night reinforcing the northern walls with steel plates and shock-absorbing frames; magitech technicians and mechanical soldiers mounted magitech cannons great and small onto the rails and mounts atop the walls; brand-new magic-net arrays and all manner of magitech devices she had never even seen filled her vision, until Jipuli and Pierce beside her were nearly dazzled.

After seeing the state of Boulderhold, the two agents—who had been on assignment abroad for more than half a year—realized this return journey had been the right one: the pace of development at home was simply inconceivable. Living in that slow, backward Ans capital, watching nobles hold balls and social engagements day after day, one could never imagine what one's homeland was becoming each day. Stay in the capital three or five years, and by the time one returned, one would likely be worse off than a child.

Yet even with that realization, when they actually walked into Xuanyao City, capital of the Duchy, the two agents fell into a long stupor.

The city... had not only doubled in size since their departure, but the street layout in many places had changed as well.

The temporary workshops and sheds had been moved to the industrial zone in the east and built up into vast factory complexes, while the streets that once held only brick-and-tile cottages, at most a few small brick buildings, had become bustling blocks. Residential buildings in the Ans style, with an emphasis on practicality, stood arrayed through every district like the city's guardians, and between these districts lay commercial quarters that had grown swiftly with the ever-thriving economy...

The two agents could scarcely have imagined that on the north bank of the Whitewater River, an even grander plan for a new urban district had already entered its foundation-laying stage—because of the ongoing population migration and village consolidation in the Southern Marches, Xuanyao City's population was about to double again...

And so Jipuli and Pierce entered the city, their astonishment mixed with pride, and successfully reported in at the Military Intelligence Bureau building—thank heavens, at least they had not gotten lost in the military district.

"Director Amber is out on assignment," the intelligence bureau receptionist said as she registered the two field agents. "But she knew you would be returning soon, and she has already arranged your next assignments."

After completing their registration, the young woman serving as receptionist handed new identity papers and document folders to Jubilee and Pierce, then straightened up and said solemnly, "Thank you for your contributions to Cecil—thank you for your hard work!"

Pierce and Jubilee were caught off guard for a moment: they had been away far too long, and had missed too many crucial stages of the organization's development, so that for a moment they did not know how to react and could only smile with a touch of awkwardness and restraint. Fortunately, the receptionist seemed to have anticipated the reaction of these two seniors, and smoothed over the brief awkwardness with a smile of her own: "Please don't be formal—this is your home. Agent Pierce, you may disband and rest now. As for Agent Jubilee... there is a somewhat special assignment for you."

Jubilee's eyes widened in surprise: "An assignment?"

Inwardly, she could not help muttering: No leave at all...

"Please relax, it doesn't require fieldwork; the assignment is fairly light," the receptionist said, seeming to have read Jubilee's thoughts. A faintly mysterious smile crossed her face. "This assignment comes from the lord—you may rest for half a day, and please report to the lord's residence punctually at four in the afternoon."

(Shock! Joy!!)