The north had slipped out of Annan's control—and out of its control, too.
This was not how the plan was supposed to go. The Rodent Clan should never have been able to make peace with those Demon things, much less hide it from it. Unless... a power from above had made it happen.
If they could keep this from it, was it the Elder Council? Or the High Priest...
The thought left the Ratfolk Elder deeply uneasy. Had all its little schemes been discovered too?
"You're saying the Demon Rat asked for records on the Northern Frontier before he left?"
Elsewhere, after seeing the Demon Rat off, Evelyn hurried to warn Annan.
"Rus wants them to investigate for the Six-Armed Snake Demon behind him, of course."
The Northern Frontier was getting stranger by the day. Demons and Stuen Ratfolk were crowding in, and somehow the Anti-Magic Field remained in place.
"Do you know why?"
"You're asking me?" Evelyn pointed at herself. "Why not have Lilith go through all those books and extract the records?"
"Good idea. Lilith!" Annan called her over. "How long would it take you to read through that pile of minor Family records in the Newspaper Office's archive?"
Lilith's projection appeared in the archive, then vanished. "Three hours. Fifteen minutes if I devote everything to it."
"Then do that."
Lilith disappeared from before them. At the Newspaper Office, the employees suddenly saw a blinding light burst from the archive. For a while, voices across Free City kept saying, "Too many users are requesting assistance right now..."
Fifteen minutes later, Lilith returned to the City Lord's Mansion, and her service elsewhere returned to normal.
"Done?"
After Lilith confirmed it, Annan thought for a moment and asked, "Is there anything noteworthy in the Far North's past?"
"Year 103