Craterus saw that they were both unharmed and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miss Feng Jin... Lord Tiba, I'm glad you're both all right."
"Some citizens told me you were nearby, so I thought I'd stop by."
"All... right?" Tribbie caught the implication. "Did something happen, Craterus?"
Craterus sighed.
"Another violent incident broke out in the market. A shop was vandalized and looted. It's the seventh time this week."
Feng Jin looked surprised. "This week? But today's only Monday, isn't it?"
"Yes. All seven happened today." Craterus blinked.
Feng Jin: "..."
"How... did things get this bad?"
"I always thought Okhema would remain peaceful and secure as long as Lord Aglaya was here..."
"That was true in the past." Craterus looked troubled.
"But lately... forgive me for saying so, I fear her senses aren't as sharp as they once were."
"Even with the two Nameless sharing much of her burden through their electrical signals, her Golden Thread has begun to loosen."
"I'm afraid someone with ill intentions noticed something was wrong and started plotting to throw Okhema into chaos!"
Tribbie could hardly believe it. She rose and looked out beyond the courtyard.
"The Citizen Assembly only ended recently... Why would anyone still want to cause trouble?"
"Xiao Huan's ability shouldn't have left them questioning the vote..."
The ability to alter people's minds, even their thoughts, was terrifying anywhere.
In many situations, it was far more useful than brute force.
Someone could even take Okhema without losing a single soldier and turn every citizen into a puppet that praised Royal Authority.
"Of course the citizens won't doubt their choice. But those Purifiers are another matter," Craterus said gravely.
"They won't doubt it, but they will regret it."
"To be frank, although the Citizen Assembly approved the Journey of the Spark,