Night.
Hoofbeats rang out along Wildfire City's broad central avenue. The residents who had long since gone to sleep were jolted awake by the sound. At most, they cursed a few times, turned over, wrapped their blankets tighter around themselves, and fell back into a deep sleep.
It was the eve of the Winter Solstice Festival, the time when all of Wildfire City was at its least guarded.
Xu Nan sat in the carriage, silently listening to the sounds in the darkness. The light ahead of the carriage occasionally fell across his face, revealing countless shadows.
Barnes, seated opposite him, was clearly in a good mood. He had even taken out a goblet and was savoring a glass of fine wine.
The scent was strangely familiar, much like the fragrance Eileen gave off.
"You don't seem to be in a very good mood."
Barnes looked at Xu Nan meaningfully and smiled calmly. "I've never heard that Lord City Lord had a habit of going to bed on time."
Those words bluntly exposed how relentlessly this most powerful man in the Sai Ba Long Family had been monitoring Xu Nan. By this point, he had no intention of concealing it.
"This isn't the road to the theater."
Xu Nan tried to remain calm. "Where are we going?"
"Twin Moons Square." Barnes had no intention of hiding it. Perhaps by now, he believed everything was under his control.
Though he was tasting wine, his gaze remained clear, without the slightest hint of intoxication.
"A rehearsal should naturally be held where the performance will take place, shouldn't it?"
Xu Nan nodded as if in agreement, then suddenly asked:
"Where's the City Defense Force?"
"I remember Wildfire City has a partial curfew. Why haven't we seen a single patrol after making this whole circuit?"