Concession

"You... then you... I told you all that, and in the end you—huh?" Farn's expression froze briefly, and for a moment she was almost incoherent. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Just because I'd never been to Mother City didn't mean I knew nothing about it," Hesta replied unhurriedly. "What did you want to know?"

"If you'd never even been there, what could you possibly know?" Farn frowned deeply. "You're an old hand who's been to so many battlefields... Were you trying to coax information out of me like this?"

"Were you asking about the transfer of command over District 14's Quicksilver Needles to the United Government?"

Farn's eyes widened. "You're still fishing?"

"What was wrong with having a chat? Besides, you hadn't even shown me that report. You'd only told me a few stories about Lin Jiao and the others," Hesta said softly. "How was that fishing for information? Wasn't it just idle conversation?"

Farn's mouth tightened as she studied the person before her again, her gaze carrying more distrust. "...You knew about the transfer of command here?"

"I didn't," Hesta answered. "I only found out after getting off the ship."

"If it's just your personal speculation, don't bother telling me. I've already heard a hundred and eighty versions over this period. It's not interesting."

Hesta glanced at Farn. "You didn't care?"

"What good would caring do?" Farn said, her eyes half-lidded. "Clashes between immortals aren't something a little soldier like me should worry about. Even if command gets transferred, Office No. 2 won't just stop looking after us entirely. They'll still have to share whatever intelligence should be shared, right?"

"Deployments for missions outside District 14 might decrease," Hesta said after some thought. "It should get easier."

"Right, that's what most people think," Farn said teasingly. "After all,