Inside the Decision Room, people sat on both sides of a long table. They were the true core and brains of the Order Bureau, the silent cornerstones supporting this massive machine. At this moment, everyone’s eyes were focused on Rex at the front of the room and the giant screen behind him.
On the screen was a man dressed in an exquisite suit, his face hidden in the shadows of a luxurious office.
Rex did not look at the file in his hand; it was merely a prop. His voice was steady yet carried an indisputable weight as it reached the other side of the screen.
“Duke. According to our intelligence, a new storm is brewing and fermenting in your Lower City. Once it erupts, everything you have painstakingly built could turn into ruins tonight.”
“A supernatural disaster is descending upon the Lower City. Our reports even suggest that an Angel might be resurrected.”
He paused for a moment, allowing the chill of those words to fully sink in.
“Now, you have two choices. First, you handle it yourself and bear all the consequences. Second, the Order Bureau intervenes.”
The man on the screen, known as the Duke and the uncrowned king of the Lower City, leaned forward almost imperceptibly. In the shadows, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke in a hoarse, low voice.
“The price?”
He knew the Order Bureau too well. They never played the role of selfless saviors. Every bit of help already had a price tag attached in secret, and it was often more expensive than one could imagine.
Rex’s face showed no surprise or extra emotion, as if he had long expected the other party to ask those two words. He spoke clearly, providing the answer.
“The Order Bureau requires a seat on the Lower District Council.”
As soon as he said this, not only did the Duke on the screen fall silent, but the expressions of many within the Decision Room also shifted. The Lower District Council was the symbolic core of balance and autonomy for the various factions in the Lower City. The Order Bureau’s hand was reaching directly into the heart of power in that lawless land.
“Of course,” Rex continued, his tone remaining flat, “you have the right to refuse. The Order Bureau respects the right to self-determination in all regions. In that case, we will still send people to resolve the crisis in the name of maintaining the city’s overall security. However, afterward, the Order Bureau will have to formally request that the Holy Moon Empire and the Rhine Alliance form a joint investigation team to collectively assess and assist in the long-term security governance of the Lower City.”
He looked up slightly at the screen, his gaze seemingly able to pierce through the virtual light.
“By then, what we will need to discuss will likely be far more complicated than a single seat.”
Silence.
A long silence stretched between the Decision Room and the distant office, broken only by the low hum of equipment. The man on the screen remained motionless, like a frozen statue. Invisible pressure was transmitted through the electronic signals, squeezing every inch of the air.
This was not a choice at all. It was blatant coercion.
After a long time, a soft sigh that seemed to drain all his energy came from the screen, followed by a single, dry word representing compromise.
“…Fine.”
“You have made the right choice, Duke.” Rex smiled, pulling out the card he had previously shown to Canary.
“Then tonight will surely be a peaceful night.”
“And you will also witness the Order Bureau’s greatest reliance.”
***
[Event Card: Full Speed Ahead]
[Event Card: Attacked]
[Event Card: Resource Replenishment]
…
Numerous cards were flipped over in succession, like falling dominoes of fate.
Jiang Ming and the other three sailed the Argo, stumbling through this Treacherous Sea governed by dice and rules.
The setting sun was like blood, splashed across the horizon where the sea met the sky.
At the bow of the Argo, four figures stood quietly, like four sculptures that had just been pulled from a furnace in hell, not yet cooled.
Beneath their feet, dark blood slowly meandered through the cracks in the deck’s wood grain, dripping into the deep seawater below and blooming into fleeting clouds of dark red.
Everyone was covered in a layer of filth and blood. It was impossible to tell which parts came from the twisted deep-sea monsters and which parts were from their own or their companions’ wounds. Their clothes were torn, reflecting a dull light under the slanting rays of the sunset.
The heavy scent of blood, the saltiness of the sea, and the scorching air of gunpowder and ozone mixed together, weighing heavily on the cramped space.
They simply stood there, without talking or even moving much. Elvira’s giant shears were stuck diagonally into the deck beside her, the blades chipped in several small places. The Violet Halo at Lillian’s fingertips had completely vanished, and the hem of her long dress was burned with holes by corrosive liquid. Elvia’s face was pale, and the golden light of the Branch Insignia on the back of her hand was weak, yet she still struggled to keep her body upright. The barrel of the Raven Gun in Jiang Ming’s hand was still slightly hot, and the throwing knife case at his waist was half empty.
All the intensity, the roaring, the struggling, and the survival had been exhausted in the series of encounters they had just faced. All that remained were these shells soaked in blood and sweat, along with a numb exhaustion.
They looked into the distance together.
The massive, burning sun was slowly sinking into the ink-blue horizon, dyeing the sky in a magnificent and tragic shade of crimson and gold.
That light also splashed across them, illuminating the dried blood on their cheeks, the bloodshot veins in their eyes, and the stubborn Glimmer that still refused to go out beneath their wretched state.
The sea breeze continued to blow, carrying a chill. The ship rose and fell slightly on the calm surface of the sea, carrying this vessel of silent scars toward the direction where the sun set—toward the Isle of the End, which was marked on the map but still seemed unreachable.
The setting sun stretched their shadows very, very long across the bloodstained deck, as if seeking to merge them with the boundless and cruel deep blue that swallowed everything and gave birth to everything.
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