From Li Wei's perspective, this incident was both easy and difficult to deal with.
The easy part was that, thanks to Little Mermaid's unexpected discovery, they had learned the enemy's objective early and taken some precautions. They had also captured Curly Head.
The difficult part was-dealing with the aftermath.
"So we now have a pretty good idea that something nasty is sealed in here. Once released, it'll spread a plague, with devastating consequences for the entire district."
Standing before everyone, Li Wei explained the situation.
"So... what do we do now?"
Katie asked in confusion. Li Wei shrugged and looked at Ovelia, who fell silent for a moment.
"As the lord of this territory, I'd like this problem resolved as soon as possible."
"Can't we just bury it?"
Kia offered her suggestion, but Li Wei shook his head.
"It's not the theft you need to worry about, but the thief who won't give up. They have a way to break the seal. If they fail once, they can try again. We can't wait until they succeed to start worrying about it."
"But if we open the seal, the plague will spread, correct?"
Old Butler had not come in person, but he was participating in the meeting through the Communication Machine.
"That's right. It's a possibility."
Li Wei spread his hands. Discovering it in time was a good thing, but dealing with it afterward was difficult. This thing was like a biological bomb that could not be moved. They could neither leave it there to go off nor recklessly open it. If they ended up accomplishing what the enemy had failed to do, they would be a laughingstock.
The best solution would actually have been to move it somewhere else... unfortunately, that was impossible.
The Empire's steam-powered machinery was impressive, but