Chapter 991 — The Rear

After her condition had improved somewhat and she could endure the jolting wear of a long journey, this scarred wolf general was moved out of Winterwolf Keep. She was first taken to Longwind Fortress, and after a strict handover was secretly put aboard a magic-powered train bound for Cecil territory. At this very moment, she had passed the last checkpoint of the Eastern March.

An Luo had never imagined she would set foot on Cecil soil in such a manner.

The magic-powered train raced along the tracks. Beyond the windows lay the bleak winter wilderness—trees stripped of their last dead leaves and rivers fallen to their dry season dotted the gray-brown land, receding ceaselessly as the train advanced. In the distance, the silhouettes of cities and villages came into view—vast stretches of man-made structures, towering spires, a landscape unlike Typhon's.

An Luo leaned back against a "seat" that was almost a soft couch, gazing somewhat absently at the scenery beyond the window. She shifted her posture slightly, and the cushion beneath her gave a faint rustle.

This seat had been prepared especially for her; it could relieve the fatigue of travel to the greatest extent and also prevent any strain on her wounds, which had only just begun to heal. Clearly, the Cecil forces were doing their utmost to keep this special prisoner of war alive and well—she was of great use to them.

An Luo twisted the corner of her mouth. She was rather grateful for the Cecil forces' meticulous care, and even without it, she would have fought to stay alive herself.

A young woman's voice came from beside her, interrupting An Luo's thoughts: "How do you find the scenery outside the window?"

An Luo glanced at the person beside her—Sister Marianne was sitting in the nearest ordinary seat, watching her with a gentle smile. The sister was still wearing her "priestess robes," which were almost a battle uniform, and her combat staff (or was it a warhammer?) leaned within easy reach. A thick tome lay open on her knees; clearly, she had been absorbed in reading until she spoke.

"Winter landscapes look much the same everywhere," An Luo said offhandedly. "It is a season that has nothing to offer in itself."

"I hope you will hold on to that thought, so that you will be all the more astonished when we reach our destination," Sister Marianne said with a faint smile. "This is Cecil. The common sense you know will not be of much use here."

Sister Marianne was a person of abundant pride and confidence in her homeland, and over the past few days of travel An Luo had come to realize this deeply. So she did not pursue the topic further, but said with a trace of sincere gratitude, "Sister Marianne, thank you for your care these past days."

"It is my duty; there is no need for thanks," Marianne smiled. "And I will not be caring for you only these few days—for some time to come, I will be at your side until you have basically recovered."

To be looked after by a familiar face—this too was plainly a special "arrangement" on Cecil's part.

An Luo was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "Is there still a chance for me to return to Winterwolf Keep?"

"...That I couldn't say. I'm only a nun," Marianne shook her head. "But you may as well hold on to a little hope. After all, hope itself is free."

As she spoke, the war nun lowered her head again, her attention returning to the thick tome that seemed to have no end.

It was probably a holy scripture of the Dark Sun Church.

Word had it that in Cecil the Dark Sun Church had been completely reorganized, and even its doctrines turned upside down. What this nun had been reading all along... was it the new doctrine?

As An Luo thought this, a flicker of curiosity stirred in her despite herself. Through the stray hair over her brow, one eye drifted toward the book on Sister Marianne's knees, and after a moment's hesitation she spoke. "You've been reading that book all this while... is it the doctrine of your 'New Luminary Sect'?"

"Doctrine? Of course not," Sister Marianne shook her head and casually raised the great book in her hand. "This is *The Emperor's Holy Words*. To me... it's about as important as doctrine."

"The Emperor... *The Emperor's Holy Words*?" An Luo chewed over the strange phrase with some effort. She had never heard of such a book. "What is it about?"

"It records some enlightening remarks of His Majesty Gao Yang Cecil. It's constantly being updated and expanded; what I have is last month's newest edition. Would you like to take a look?"

Records of Gao Yang Cecil's remarks? And constantly updated and expanded?

An Luo's expression turned strange at once; she hardly knew how to face such a thing. She had meant to say she had little interest in the book, but the enthusiastic Sister Marianne had already thrust the heavy volume before her eyes. "Take a look. It's quite interesting, and quite enlightening. You can see another side of His Majesty, full of wisdom and humor. And I should warn you, this book isn't publicly distributed. You can only get it through special channels..."

Not publicly distributed?

An Luo found the book all the more suspicious, yet the words had caught her attention too. Even without much interest, curiosity drove her to take the book Marianne held out. She flipped it open at random, and the words on the page met her eyes:

"Your eyes will deceive you. Your ears will deceive you. Your imagination will deceive you as well. But mathematics will not—if you can't do it, you can't do it. If you truly can't, I suggest you consider a talent for music or athletics..."

An Luo: "???"

So this was what the war nun had been poring over day and night, forgetting food and sleep, devoted to studying all these days?

An Luo raised her head with a look of astonishment, staring blankly at Marianne. "Did... did Gao Yang Cecil really say these things?"

Sister Marianne shrugged indifferently. "Who knows? I don't think so either, but there is some sense in these words. Don't you find it rather interesting?"

For a moment An Luo did not know what to say. She glanced at the words on the page again, and this time could not help reading them twice more—mathematics, if you can't do it, you can't do it...

Suddenly the young wolf general felt this book might have a bit of value after all. At least some of its words made sense...

She smiled, handed the great book back to the nun, and asked casually, "Where exactly are we going?"

"A place most suited to your recuperation and recovery, Cecil's land of life's miracles," Marianne said, taking the book, a smile and pride on her face. "We're going to Soren Keep."