A Difficult Problem

Two months later, when the first snow of early winter drifted down from the sky, the special envoy from afar finally set foot on Tanba soil after passing through Kyoto Customs.

Holding the insignia of the Roman Lineage, the hurried agent was allowed straight into the increasingly heavily guarded campus. He reached the office floor of the main building and met the young man wearing a kindly smile.

"You want to see the teacher..."

Lin Zhongxiaowu turned the documents over and over in his hands, inspecting them with curiosity. "A Roman?"

"Yes, that's right."

The agent behind the desk showed no discomfort at being challenged and answered calmly, "I am merely here to relay a notification. My identity can be guaranteed by the Mercury Agency under the Roman Papal Hall. You may verify it on the spot."

Lin Zhongxiaowu shook his head. "What is it? You can tell me instead."

"My apologies, but I must see him in person."

The agent raised the case in his hand and displayed the chain locked around both his wrist and the case. "Including what is inside, everything must be delivered to him personally."

"...To be honest, I believe you're not some small fry in disguise." Lin Zhongxiaowu scratched his cheek and said bluntly, "But your organization doesn't have a very good reputation. You understand what I mean, right?"

The agent nodded calmly. "Therefore, I can understand your side's caution."

To put it simply, although the Papal Hall was the central core of the Roman Lineage and looked utterly grand and respectable, that suffix was another matter entirely.

—The Mercury Agency.

Named after the traveler among Rome's twelve chief gods, it appeared to be a messenger department. Yet apart from handling the postal system, its other duties were fundamentally different from those of an