460
While Klein successfully collected his payment and made his getaway, in Intis on the Northern Continent, where the time difference was only one hour, the youthful-looking War Bishop Traynor sat at his desk.
He held a cigarette between his fingers and had another tucked behind his ear. Unneeded documents burned fiercely in a metal wastebasket, lending the luxurious, spacious office the air of a heavenly palace.
Faced with a mass of disordered documents, he wore a solemn expression and a deep frown. Anyone could tell at a glance that he must be handling important intelligence.
This greatly pleased his superior, Medici, who loved exploiting employees and had only sauntered in at eleven. He approached Traynor, intending to improvise a few words of encouragement, only to discover that the man was playing five-in-a-row against himself.
Medici sneered. "Does the Iron and Blood Cross Order pay you to slack off on company time? And you didn't even wait for me to join you?"
"Oh, morning, boss." Traynor perfunctorily turned his head and leaned back with equally perfunctory deliberation. "I thought you wouldn't be here until lunch."
"So, you brought something?" Medici looked at him.
Traynor pulled a steaming pancake wrap from his pocket.
"An Intis court specialty, crayfish jianbing guozi, with tenderloin and lettuce inside. We're still adjusting the flavor. It's a new product developed by the Food Company I invested in, and it's selling very well in Loen. I got you one to try."
Medici accepted the fragrant food with interest. "Why add 'guozi' after 'jianbing'?"
"No idea. One of Emperor Roselle's peculiar tastes."
After seeing so many foods that matched the Aurora Order's aesthetic, this normal pancake wrap seemed particularly precious. Medici stood on no ceremony, tearing open the greaseproof paper and taking a large bite.
"Delicious."
After chewing