Katharine's Return

The radar suddenly sounded an alarm. Su Ming checked and found that a group of people had appeared 15 kilometers away. He immediately dispatched a drone to check the situation. When the drone was halfway there, another group of people entered the radar range from another direction.

The two groups were the same size and their modus operandi was extremely similar, which immediately gave Su Ming a bad feeling. Sure enough, the drone camera footage showed two squads of White Graupel Cavalry!

"What are they looking for?" Katharine deduced. On the screen, soldiers could be clearly seen spreading out in a dispersed formation, searching back and forth on the snow, maintaining a certain distance as they searched northward.

As they were talking, two more teams appeared on the radar, with the exact same composition and behavior patterns.

"It's a large-scale search," Su Ming said. "Is it aimed at our train?"

"No," Katharine refuted Su Ming's guess, "This linear, dispersed formation and the intermittent, rotating method are used to search for personnel and small targets."

Su Ming about it and realized that it made sense; a large group of people hunched over, digging through the snow, searching for the Youth Civilization" was just too comical.

"It's more like they're looking for me," Katharine said hesitantly.

"I think so," Zijin said, dissatisfied. "We can't have another important figure from the Northern Lands disappear!"

Katharine didn't argue. After her disappearance, Xialike must have threatened the Cold Mountain Kingdom quite a bit, so it was normal for them to search for her with all their might. The only question was, "This place is far from Galloping Horse Slope, why would they come here?"

Zijin suddenly picked up the milk powder that Su Ming had bought and poured it all out. Sure enough, she found a tracking magic circle at the bottom of the can.

"Truly well-hidden!" Zijin sensed it. "The fluctuations in output are extremely low; it's completely undetectable without careful observation!"

Katharine took the milk powder can and examined it. "It's a strategy of trading low output for concealment; it can only indicate very vague locations."

"Tracking the milk powder, it's definitely looking for you!" Zijin released her Magic Power, destroying the magic circle. "The Cold Mountain Royal Family really thinks highly of you, sending out special forces like the White Graupel Cavalry to search for someone!"

The possibility that someone else would happen to go missing, and that they would also happen to have a child with them, is extremely low.

"Your Excellency Katharine," Su Ming suddenly had a thought, "Could it be that the attack on you was orchestrated by the Cold Mountain Royal Family, with Princess Dafulin as a pawn? White Graupel Cavalry were sent here to—"

He made a gesture resembling a decapitation strike.

"That's impossible," Katharine categorically denied. "I'm not worth trading Dafulin for!"

"Huh?"

Zijin explained, "She's right. The agricultural conditions in the Cold Mountain Kingdom are very poor; mining is their pillar industry. Dafulin is a top geological expert, the most valuable asset of the Cold Mountain Kingdom. Her value cannot be compared to that of a queen."

"Princess Dafulin represents the development and future of this country, while I am merely a politician and a middleman," Katharine said with a self-deprecating tone. "How can a player in a zero-sum game compare to a pioneer!"

"And," she added, "If I die here, King Xialike won't care who did it; he'll make sure the Cold Mountain Kingdom suffers a severe blow first!"

Su Ming nodded. The actual relationship between Katharine and Xialike was irrelevant; she was the nominal queen. Killing her was a losing proposition—limited value but maximizing hatred. "Since Princess Dafulin is so important, how come your guards were so easily defeated?"

"Our defenses are strong," Katharine sighed, "But a large group of Plateau Bearfolk are among the attackers."

"You guys are so lucky!" Zijin exclaimed in surprise.

The Plateau Bearfolk People have lived at the highest points of the ice plains for generations and are very well adapted to the environment. Encountering these savage orcs in a snowy battle is a truly terrifying prospect.

Even Zijin wouldn't want to face a well-organized Bearfolk Clan. They are huge, thick-skinned, and slow to react to damage. A small number can be dealt with, but a large number would make your hands hurt just from casting spells.

"Wait a minute, now that you mention it, it makes sense that the Cold Mountain Kingdom sent White Graupel Cavalry to investigate," Su Ming said, suddenly realizing.

Ordinary troops are ineffective against the bear-men, making the deployment of high-level special forces inevitable.

****

On the screen, the White Graupel Cavalry searched methodically, their lines gradually extending and advancing.

The Youth Civilization was hiding behind the earthen slope, and had set up snow walls and illusions so they wouldn't be seen for the time being. But if things continued like this, they would be exposed sooner or later.

"I'll go meet these people." Katharine picked up her winter cloak. "If they're really looking for me, I'll go with them. We can't let them find out!"

Katharine fastened her cloak, summoned her spellbook, and immediately flew away.

Su Ming and Zijin did not stop her. Since the Cold Mountain Royal Family could not be the murderers, Katharine's actions were indeed a decisive and straightforward method.

Su Ming was about to continue eating the fish cakes when he discovered that a certain beast had already swept up all the fish cakes on the table while everyone was discussing things.

Helpless, Su Ming picked up a pair of earphones, tossed one to Zijin, and the two of them put them on.

"You planted a listening device on Katharine?"

"Yeah," Su Ming said, "I learned that from her daughter."

Since the last time he eavesdropped on Yise, Su Ming felt like he had unlocked a new world. These technologically advanced eavesdropping devices had no Magic Power fluctuations, making them difficult for people from other worlds to detect anything unusual.

Covering a distance of over ten kilometers, Katharine flew at full speed and quickly approached the search party. The White Graupel Cavalry sensed the magical fluctuations and stopped searching. But when the officer in charge recognized Katharine, he even cheered.

Upon discovering that Katharine was safe and sound, the captain's excitement was palpable. Not seeing the little Tuanzi, he cautiously inquired about the prince's whereabouts.

The captain only relaxed when he learned that Prince Stars was unharmed and had simply been left nearby.

"Alright, you wait here for me," Katharine said. "I'll go get the baby."

"Your Majesty," the captain hurriedly said, "Let us accompany you."

"No need, I'll be right back," Katharine said. As she left, she remembered a question, "There's something I need to know. Why are you monitoring the milk powder supply?"

Although the other party traced their location here through baby formula, upon closer inspection, this whole thing seems a bit strange.

"We hadn't found you for so long, sir, we thought you'd been kidnapped!" the captain explained. "We suspected the kidnappers would target the prince, so we started with the baby powder."

The little Tuanzi is ostensibly a descendant of the Stars Emperor Xialike. Regardless of the attackers' motives, kidnapping this child would be highly profitable. From the kidnappers' perspective, milk powder is much more convenient and safer than finding a wet nurse. The icy plains are bitterly cold, and the supply and demand of milk powder are both low here, making it easy to set up.

"That's clever, I suppose," Katharine said, turning and leaving.

****

Things went more smoothly than expected. While Katharine was back on the Youth Civilization, the White Graupel Cavalry stopped their search and actually waited obediently in place. Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll head back to Bubing City now," Katharine said to them. "That's good. I'll quickly make arrangements regarding the Divine Might Prison and investigate the mastermind behind my assassination attempt."

"Take care on your journey," Zijin said.

They agreed on contact information and a meeting place. Hansite took out a large backpack and, together with Younier, helped pack their things.

Katharine, holding the Tuanzi, bowed to everyone, saying, "Thank you all for your help and care during this time!"

"You're welcome," Su Ming said. "Just remember to keep your promise."

"Don't worry, I'll do my best," Katharine said. "You want to save people, I want to clean up the mess; it's a win-win situation."

One backpack wasn't enough, so Hansite brought two more, and only then could he barely fit everything in.

During this period, Su Ming Summoning of All Things, Younier hand-sewn them, and with the recent purchases in Tukuman, no one expected that the little Tuanzi would have so many odds and ends.

It seems we need to send someone off. Right now, there seems to be only one person on the bus who is mobile, popular, and can appear openly and legitimately.

All eyes turned to the unicorn as it drank the last sip of soup.

"What?" The unicorn's hair stood on end.

"Could you take Katharine with you?" Su Ming suggested.

"I'm full, I'm tired!" Qiluo refused decisively.

"I seem to remember, you still owe me a snowfall." Su Ming Mingdao turned Qiluo's head to the side and snorted.

"The sledding will be offset by a reduction of ten hours of penalty labor," Zijin offered.

"Forty hours!" Qiluo demanded, raising her price on the spot.

Eleven hours.

Thirty-nine hours!

Su Ming interrupted, "Average price, twenty hours!"

Qiluo snorted, "Deal."

She jumped off the dining chair, transformed back into her original form, and Hansite piled all the packages on her back.

"Trying to use a unicorn like a mule will bring divine retribution upon you!" Qiluo muttered.

Su Ming inserted the in-ear communicator, specially made for unicorns, into her ear. "Keep in touch."

Katharine bowed again, bid farewell to everyone, then took off with the little Tuanzi in her arms, disappearing into the snow with the unicorn.

"Is Qiluo not very good at math?" Su Ming asked.

"That's not bad, nobody here practices mental arithmetic," said Zijin.

****

After seeing Katharine off, Su Ming finally felt relieved.

With a heavyweight inside man and helpers, the scope of the prison break plan has expanded considerably. His current priority is still to successfully get the Youth Civilization to the foot of the Sacred Mountain.

Su Ming turned on his computer and began organizing his recent work. Hansite reported that the boiler preheating was complete. Su Ming checked the radar; Katharine and the unicorn were already halfway there.

He decided to wait a little longer, let the White Graupel Cavalry's search party get away, and then start the train.

Through the earpiece, Qiluo grumbled a few words. Katharine thanked her, and with a few words, she soothed the unicorn, improving Qiluo's mood considerably. Su Ming took off the earpiece and handed it to Zijin, "You keep an eye on things for a while, I'll contact Miao Xin."

"Good."

The scene shifts, Miao Xin is controlling the Little Spiky Head, walking through a bustling market. Su Ming looks around and realizes that they are at a rural market on the border between the city and the countryside.

The crowds thronged, and steam and fumes rose from the unnamed food stalls. Various toys, ring toss games, and New Year's gifts were sold, and many stalls were simply tricycles or small trucks set up on the spot.

Miao Xin was wearing a down jacket, wrapped herself up tightly in a scarf, and wore sunglasses, making her appearance completely undetectable. She was already carrying quite a few things in her hands, and several preserved geese were hanging on the back of her backpack.

"Good morning," Su Ming said.

[morning.]

"Why did you buy the preserved goose?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

[These animals were supposedly sleeping in their cage when the water pipe above the cage froze and burst, causing them to freeze to death.] Miao Xin explained, [I could feel tiny Resentment Mark on them.]

"[Even geese can harbor Resentment Mark?]" Su Ming found it very strange. "[Then wouldn't slaughterhouses have tons of them?]"

[No, I've already gone there, it's not there.] Miao Xin also expressed her incomprehension, [What exactly is this "Resentment Mark System" you gave me?]

First, there was Gao Boyang, the strange young man I met at the cemetery, and then there were these geese that suffered.

Su Ming also began to have doubts. "Could there be something wrong with the translation of 'The Plundering Clock '?"

"I'll buy these geese and cook them to see what changes," Miao Xin said.

Su Ming was speechless. What kind of research method is this?

He controlled the Little Spiky Head, took out his phone to search for something, but found some strange interference in his vision. Sensing it, he discovered that the left Little Spiky Head for disguise had a gem embedded in it. It was this gem emitting a faint fluctuation that was distorting his Spirit Vision spell.

"[What's this?]" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

"I found it in my Little Spiky Head," Miao Xin replied. "I thought it was almost Chinese New Year, so I took it apart and washed it, and that's when I found this."

During the New Year's cleaning, dismantling and washing the skull, Su Ming felt there was something odd about the scene. He shifted his gaze, [It's probably placed in the eye sockets to interfere with Spirit Vision, right?]

Miao Xin adjusted her sunglasses to completely cover her eyes, and at the same time ignited her soul fire. The prosthetic eye in her left eye immediately faded and crumbled into powder, revealing a round gemstone. Its surface was covered with swirling cracks, from which numerous strange colors seeped out.

Su Ming's Spirit Vision flickered, as if something had changed. But upon closer inspection, he couldn't find any difference.

"In this state, my detection range becomes wider, and I can capture more ripples," Miao Xin explained. "But it seems you can't see them?"

"Of course," Su Ming said.

After activation, various colored dust particles slowly drifted out from the gem, making it look anything but ordinary. Su Ming began to wonder, was Saint Magus Galio just too wealthy? Why would he be so willing to use such a small thing?

But he couldn't figure it out right away, so he simply continued searching for information online.

Miao Xin looked at the content on her phone screen. "[Are you looking for fire extinguishers again? The set you had the studio make is also related to fire extinguishing, right?]"

"They have different uses," Su Ming replied. "The one is for small targets, while this fire-fighting rocket is for wide-range engagements."

"[War?]" Miao Xin asked, puzzled. "[Will the fire-fighting equipment be usable?]"

"Sure," Su Ming replied. "If you put dry powder in it, it's a fire extinguisher; if you put explosives in it, it's a life-threatening device!"