Mohadi Domain.
Ban Ze leisurely watered the flowers in his backyard. His former killing aura had faded, and he looked like an ordinary man.
"My lord." A voice suddenly sounded from the shadows in a corner. "News has arrived from the Gray Layer. The army has suffered a setback. Unidentified Card Adepts attacked them, inflicting heavy casualties. The Year-End Family and the Xiu Family suffered the worst losses."
"Oh." Ban Ze set down his watering can and asked unhurriedly, "Card Adepts? So the Federation got there first. Now things are getting interesting. What about the King? Anything unusual lately?"
"The King doesn't seem anxious. He's quite relaxed, and even has time to instruct the cooks in making a dish called Fragrant Noodles. The King seems very interested in things from the Federation. He personally inspects all the supplies captured from the enemy."
"Fragrant Noodles?" Ban Ze's gaze flickered, but he immediately said in an even tone, "All right. You may withdraw."
Standing in the courtyard, Ban Ze's expression shifted repeatedly. A breeze blew past, chilling his back. Only then did he realize that it had become completely soaked in sweat. He had always half doubted what Wei'a had told him. After returning, he had therefore shut himself away while secretly investigating the matter, but until now he had made no progress. Today, however, he finally knew that Wei'a had told the truth.
Someone was impersonating the King.
Others might not know what Fragrant Noodles were, but Ban Ze had been fortunate enough to taste them while in the Federation, and they had left a deep impression. The King had never visited the Federation, and Ban Ze himself had received the Desert Camp's envoys. The King could not possibly know about Fragrant Noodles, much less how to make them.
After standing