By late September, the wine grapes grown at the major wineries near Backlund had entered harvest season. Though anxiety gripped the city and prices soared, the vineyards along the Tussock River in the outskirts presented a busy yet peaceful scene.
Angel drew her gaze away from the hardworking laborers outside the window, who continued earning Gold Pounds for her, and sighed wistfully before looking at the exquisite stationery bearing the royal crest on the table.
It was a letter delivered to the Iris Flower Winery from the residence of Duchess Georgina Augustus. Naturally, it was not addressed to Angel, but to the "Golden Queen," Angelica Zaki. Sent by the duchess's butler, it conveyed Georgina's apologies for being temporarily away from her residence due to pressing military duties.
Angel already had some suspicions about what the duchess was doing. Previously, she had been eager to contact her, yet now she had quietly left Backlund for parts unknown.
From Bernadette, Angel had learned that one of Loen's three ironclads currently in service had disappeared. Only two remained along the coast to confront the Feysac fleet, leaving the combined forces of the Loen Navy and the Church of Storms, which had previously held an overwhelming advantage, barely able to maintain their lines.
With a long-retired Arbiter demigod now missing as well, Angel could all but confirm that Georgina had accompanied—or rather, was leading—that ironclad in search of the legendary "Ghost Empire."
Such a move seemed rather incomprehensible while Loen and Feysac were at war, but on closer consideration, this was also the perfect opportunity to search for that ancient ghost ship.
Under normal circumstances, pirates infested the seas, Feysac's fleets patrolled the Sonia Sea, and ships secretly controlled by the Church of Storms reported every anomaly to the Church. There was very little