Arno was not at his quarters.
Ida led Luo Jiuge down into the valley, passing a row of sheds stacked with firewood before stopping at the entrance to a large building.
Voices came from inside.
Arno stood beside a table, holding a thin wooden tablet as he listened to a man report what remained in the storehouse. Several more tablets were already piled on the table, densely covered in figures.
Ida poked her head in for a look, then pulled back.
Luo Jiuge stood beside her and straightened the little cart in Kaka's arms. The little one had carried it all the way here, unwilling to put it down, though its wheels had nearly scraped Luo Jiuge's face several times.
When the man inside finished speaking, Arno added a few strokes to the tablet and spoke without looking up.
"Come in."
Once the others had left, Ida went inside and placed the book in her arms on a corner of the table.
Arno's brow twitched at the sight of the cloth wrapped around it.
"What is it this time?"
"I want to ask about a place."
Ida turned to the page with the drawing of ice and pushed the book toward him.
"The Azure Blue Rift. Have you heard of it, Dad?"
Arno looked down at it, set aside his wooden tablet, then turned to Luo Jiuge.
He did not think his daughter would have dug up that name for no reason.
Luo Jiuge immediately understood his look, so she briefly explained what had happened while she was mending clothes.
After listening, Arno pulled over a stool and sat down, murmuring:
"Heard of it. Never been."
Ida's face had been full of anticipation, but the corners of her mouth fell at his answer.
"Even you haven't been there, Dad?"
"The