Chapter 109

"The Federation Prime Minister was diagnosed with kidney failure last week and is currently hospitalized. Don't you think that's too much of a coincidence?" Reynold slammed his fist on the table. "This all happened quietly while we were out of the capital or under a cursed coma. And what kind of idiots are the journalists having, constantly replaying videos of the kidnappers torturing me? It's been like this for weeks! Is it interesting? Why aren't they paying attention to the Prime Minister!"

"Because Speaker Madam Christine has been in charge, and the Federation's political system is so well-established—it's not like a major crisis would erupt just because the Prime Minister skips work for two days. Didn't even you notice someone was missing from the Prime Minister's office?" The Crow woman sneered, arms crossed. "On the contrary, the images of you being whipped and having a knife stuck in your thigh are more exciting..."

"Only you would get excited about that kind of scene!" Reynold yelled back, grabbing his hair.

Uh... I was dumbfounded, completely at a loss for words. Mel and Luolan next to me were also staring blankly at the sky, their minds completely elsewhere.

Anyway, I have no idea what was in those long string of roaring sentences that made them so agitated. I initially thought it was the marshal's passing that made them so grief-stricken, but now it seems that was just the trigger. What they meant—it's too coincidental—was to suggest that someone was plotting something?

I couldn't help but sigh. Sure enough, everyone has areas they're not good at. I really don't understand politics at all; it's giving me a headache.

However... I was taken aback. So, Lady Crow ... she likes to whip and stab Reynold with a knife? I was completely shocked. I looked at Reynold and confirmed that he didn't have any serious external injuries, and seeing him roaring so energetically, Lady Crow ... the excitement Reynold mentioned earlier... it couldn't be that kind of excitement, could it?

Well... but anyway, that's their business, what right do I have to interfere?

Suddenly, there was another loud bang... and the whole room fell silent.

This...

--Why did we get a triple bomb?

Lusien's face was contorted with rage. The Federation capital, Holy Light City, under the protection of the Shield of the New Star, boasted world-class security. Unfortunately, Lusien's reputation was ruined. His past diligent work and remarkable achievements were suddenly shattered, and three times in a row...

What happened this time? Mel and I were almost numb with surprise.

"The hilly terrain in the northern part of the capital has subsided, revealing a large mothership that has been hidden for a long time!"

What the heck?

Mothership? The mothership I'm thinking of?

Even if I'm completely out of touch with the world, I still know what a mothership is! How could something like that be hidden underground in the hills? Upon hearing the communications officer's report, Mel, Luolan, and I almost immediately cast a calming spell on Lusien, which we overdid, causing Lusien's pupils to dilate.

A mothership, you know, is the legendary mobile fortress, a city in the sky, a modern steel monster—these are all the reporter's terms. In short, it's a super-modern, high-end weapon, not some toy car that you can just dig a hole and hide underground. It needs a base to operate!

--Oh, I see. So, the enemy secretly dug a base outside the city and hid a mothership there! No wonder Lusien almost went berserk just now!

"I won't—" Lusien struggled to speak, "The four characters from the north, 'I won't' are not even close to..."

"Yes, Northern Cross had an energy node destroyed this morning. It's impossible that it didn't detect a large enemy hiding nearby." Lady Crow also looked stunned. She paced around the room like a black thundercloud.

Mel looked at me and said, "Perhaps there's a high-level mage on that mothership? Xipei and I have used high-level spells and Black Magic illegally in the city on several occasions without being detected by the Northern Cross Barrier. This magical defense system is a wide-ranging, long-term monitoring system, so it's not difficult for a high-level mage to slip past it."

"That's even more impossible." Lady Crow said, handing over a new screen with a photograph on it. "High-resolution photography from the outpost. Look, this is a mechanically powered mothership—only the Osite Republic —that emerging nation that harbors Machine Zealots —could produce a purely mechanical mothership that doesn't use magic or have any magical power. Which archmage has gone mad and colluded with a mechanical maniac? That mage must have been possessed by a warlock!"

Well... as of now, in any magical theory, it's impossible for a warlock's soul to seize a mage's body—real life isn't the kind of unscientific, unmagical nonsense Anna would write. Souls can certainly transfer between bodies, but that's a forbidden technique in Black Magic. Not only can only mages perform it, but the body must also be a mage's. Cross-class transfer between warlocks and mages is impossible because magic belongs to different schools; moreover, the body being seized needs to be prepared as a vessel from childhood to perfectly accommodate the new soul, so it's impossible for a warlock to do that.

But when I objected, Lady Crow looked at me, then rammed her head into Reynold's chest and shouted, "By the God of Light, I was just joking! You're the only one in this room who's time-traveled, you don't even know the latest trendy jokes!"

Forehead...

I blushed with embarrassment, Mel smiled and leaned in to kiss me, a kiss so sweet it made my ear feel hot.

... I'm no longer going to participate in political discussions; it'll only cause trouble. They can just call on whoever they need to attack.

Reynold turned his head abruptly and said to us, "I'm going to the parliament building. I need to see what those people in the Federal Congress are doing. Even in this situation, they still won't allow the main force of the Magitech Corps to go into battle? If all else fails, I'll have the Magic Council activate its emergency response authority and appoint Miss Alessia as acting marshal to lead the troops against the enemy."

Lady Crow grabbed Reynold's arm and said, "I'm starting to agree with your doubts from last time. You can't go alone; it's too dangerous."

What suspicion? I looked at them questioningly. Ms. Crow turned to me and explained, "The deputy director of the research institute was kidnapped and switched at the Federation Hospital, which was surrounded by multiple layers of security. Later, the two of them were ambushed again. We suspect that there are spies within the Federation, among us."

Ah, that makes sense. I've thought about that too. Looking at it this way, I'm not in the worst situation. I've also thought about it. Who would carry around a green slime around for no reason and then get kidnapped? I think normal medical staff would definitely not just take a slime out for a walk on a whim. Someone must have deliberately stolen it and sent it to the kidnappers!

"Therefore, we need to trouble the two archmages to continue their help. On one hand, regardless of how the mothership deceived Northern Cross, one of you will have to go to the scene to investigate. On the other hand... please help protect Reynold," said Lady Crow.

"No problem." Mel nodded. "Leave Reynold to me. Xipei will take on the mothership. Xipei's magic level is much higher than mine, so he'll definitely be fine taking on the mothership."

Um... Mel, you... you have to promise me first that you won't turn him into something weird, like a green alpaca, before I'll agree.

Besides...

A mothership? I've never seen a real mothership before. I have no idea how to fight one. Come to think of it, am I supposed to dismantle a mothership with my bare hands?

Chapter 109

With this conflicted feeling, I went out, and Lusien even offered to find someone to drive me... I'm telling you, your hovercars... they have to wait at traffic lights, there are speed limits, and a whole bunch of complicated traffic rules like having to use turn signals when turning. It's so troublesome, and it's nowhere near as fast as us mages flying.

So once the freedom of flight permit was granted, crossing the capital was no problem at all. Flying higher solved everything. There were no tall buildings in the way, and no fear of colliding with flying cars.

Why?

I'm flying so high, how come something still swoops past me? A big blob, it doesn't even look like a bird...

Oh no! Why does it look like a person?

I quickly descended and, sure enough, saw the parabolic object that had just grazed past my ear—it was indeed a person who had fainted! He was wearing a jetpack on his back, which, judging from the current situation, had been blown up; it was blackened and looked like a charred brick.