Chapter 279 — The Magitech Research Institute
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Distinguished in bearing, formidable in strength, and renowned throughout the mercenary world—so much so that he bore the title "the Golden-Haired Suojilin," a name that at a glance evoked the style of a battlefield aristocrat—Suojilin Frostleaf, a high elf ranger who had wandered the northern reaches of the continent for a full seven centuries, was, behind that flawless prince persona, fundamentally a bald cross-dressing deviant, as Gao Yang Cecil had written in his final testament.
All right, Gao Yang Cecil had never actually written such a testament back then, but Gao Yang, who had inherited those memories, was certain that the Grand Duke of the Southern March had more than once passed such judgment on his elven friend in the privacy of his own mind...
But that appraisal existed only in Gao Yang's own private musings. Suojilin himself seemed entirely oblivious to any oddity in his "disguise" techniques—this elven ranger calmly regarded them as an exceedingly useful skill for traveling the world. A deviant utterly free of ulterior motives—you could say he was a genuine master in his own right.
Fortunately, Gao Yang had lived through the shock of the information-explosion era in his previous life; otherwise, he might not have been able to keep his expression under control at this moment...
After a strenuous effort to compose his features, Gao Yang asked Suojilin about his plans with an air of complete nonchalance: "When do you intend to set out?"
"Today," Suojilin replied. "Ideally, I'd like to depart before evening."
"You're certain you want to leave at dusk?" Gao Qi frowned. "To avoid drawing attention, your best route is to skirt the major noble domains of the Southern March and return to the Typhon border through the wilderness between the south bank of the Whitewater River and the Dark Mountains. That's no easy road—not long after you leave the city, it'll be dark."
"To an elf, traveling the wilderness is the same by day or by night. And departing at dusk actually helps me evade certain eyes."
Gao Yang pondered briefly, then accepted Suojilin's reasoning. "Very well. I'll issue you a pass. It will remain valid until you leave the borders of Ansu. Though you'll be bypassing most noble domains, a pass can still forestall a great many problems."
A faint smile crossed Suojilin's lips. "Then I thank you in advance."
And so, on the evening of the very day the Second Defense of Cecil concluded, a mysterious and beautiful golden-haired huntress departed the territory with little fanfare. Pass in hand, signed by the Duke himself, she headed east the moment she left the domain. No one knew her origins—mystery upon mystery...
Before nightfall, Gao Yang received Betty's report: Rebecca seemed to be waking.
Rebecca's room was on the second floor of the lord's manor. As a noble of pure bloodline, a young lady bearing a glorious surname, this "Viscountess" had a boudoir that showed not the slightest decoration or atmosphere befitting her station. The vast majority of the furniture in the bedroom had been made by carpenters Gao Yang commissioned when the manor was first completed; beyond that, Rebecca had added no furnishings of her own whatsoever. The dressing table beside the bed was perhaps the only object in the entire room that hinted at a girl's presence—and yet half of its crystal mirror was plastered with manuscripts and shorthand formulas...
One could well imagine that this Viscountess had to carefully angle herself among that mountain of drafting paper every morning before she could manage her post-waking toilette. It was probably the limit of this girl's ability just to remember to wash her face and comb her hair each day—could she ever learn to put on makeup for herself the way a normal noble lady would?