125 Auntie’s Little Class
Two days until the Lantern Festival!
In the Lionheart Association, while there are no suppliers for paper lanterns, a few members can definitely pull some strings in the Empire’s business world. Getting a few favors for paper lanterns should be a piece of cake.
But relying on that alone probably won’t cut it.
Leon’s plan for the Lantern Festival is to broadcast messages stored in the Shadow Stones across all five districts of the Empire on the day itself.
If they only act in the Royal City or Upper City, the residents in other areas would be completely oblivious.
That’s not the result Leon wants.
He wants everyone who has suffered under the Empire’s oppression to see the true face of their high-and-mighty ruler;
He also wants them to personally experience one of the most significant transformations in human Empire history.
On the other hand, the more people who learn the dark truths of the Empire, the better it is for Leon and the Lionheart Association.
They need the power of the masses to fight against the corrupt and decaying rulers.
Therefore, the paper lantern problem needs to be resolved quickly.
After some thought, Leon decided to seek help from Claudia. Who knows, maybe his clever “aunt” could come up with a solution.
Rebecca mentioned that Claudia had been spending her days at the library in the Central District.
There’s only one library in the Central District, so Leon immediately took Roswiser there.
Arriving at the library entrance, just as Leon was about to step inside, he heard a newsboy enthusiastically shouting beside him:
“Central City Morning News! Central City Morning News!”
“Bridges at the District Boundary Collapse—Whose Fault Is It?”
“Large Warehouse Finally Reveals Its Secrets—What’s Inside?”
“As the Lantern Festival Approaches, Crime Rates Remain High—Hundreds of Hounds Stolen! Is this a Twisting of Human Nature, or a Moral Decay?”
“All this and more in Central City Morning News!”
“Sir, care for a newspaper?”
Leon, focused on finding Claudia, waved his hand dismissively and hurried past.
The newsboy, undeterred, continued peddling on the street.
The couple stepped into the library and after searching for a while, finally found Claudia sitting in a reading nook on the second floor.
She was perched on the edge of a desk, sunlight streaming over her azure hair, making her skin glow like polished jade.
Claudia was engrossed in a few hefty old tomes and a stack of newspapers.
As they approached, Claudia lifted her gaze, slightly surprised by the “strange black-haired couple” in front of her, but quickly recognized them.
“Nice disguise. But I still prefer the silver-haired Roswiser.”
The couple settled into seats across from her.
Leon glanced at the books on the desk—they were all about human history and culture.
Just as Rebecca had said, Claudia had a keen interest in foreign cultures, studying hard even with revolution looming.
“What’s up? Are we gearing up for war?” Claudia asked lazily, flipping through the ancient texts.
“Soon. In two days, at the Lantern Festival,” Leon replied.
“The Lantern Festival…”
Claudia’s blue eyes flickered as she said slowly,
“It’s a traditional festival in human society with a history of over nine hundred years—originally set up to commemorate the first magician in human history. Over the years, it has evolved into a significant annual celebration.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, “Oh, looks like you’ve done your homework, dear senior.”
Claudia tapped her temple, “Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.”
She closed the ancient book before her and looked at the couple.
“So, are we officially kicking things off in two days? Have you made your plan?”
Leon nodded and explained his idea of using paper lanterns and Shadow Stones in harmony.
Claudia pondered for a moment before saying, “Good plan. But is the prep time enough? Can you get enough paper lanterns and Shadow Stones?”
“That’s why we came to ask you for help,” Leon said. “We have enough Shadow Stones, but we’re short on paper lanterns.”
Claudia blinked playfully, “And what makes you think I’m good at making paper lanterns?”
Leon chuckled, “After all, you promised to help me. You can’t just charge into battle without handling the logistics too.”
“Hey, you little brat! When we agreed to help you declare war on the Empire, we didn’t say anything about gathering paper lanterns!”
“…So, senior, you—”
“I need to up the ante.”
“Up the ante?”
Claudia nodded, “Initially, we agreed to have Helena go play with Noia at your place while I helped you; if you want me to help with paper lanterns now, I’ll need some extra compensation.”
“Go on, senior.”
Claudia smiled with satisfaction—young people really understood the deal.
She leaned forward and beckoned the couple closer.
They huddled up, and Claudia whispered something in their ears.
After hearing it, Leon and Roswiser wore mixed expressions.
“This…”
“What? Not in?”
“No, no, no—just… didn’t realize you had an interest in that kind of thing, senior.”
Claudia crossed her arms, leisurely saying, “It’s Helena—she seems to have a liking for that stuff. So, what’s your answer?”
“Sure, no problem. Once this is over, we’ll take care of it.”
“Great.”
“Can you provide some tips on where to source paper lanterns?”
“Hmm.”
Claudia nodded, “You want to find suppliers for paper lanterns, which is a good approach, but suppliers in the Empire are pretty scattered, making it inefficient to gather lanterns.”
“And the Imperial Royal Family has built a special warehouse to ensure there are enough paper lanterns for the Lantern Festival—housing thousands of paper lanterns, enough to cover the Royal Family to the Lower District.”
“All you need to do is sneak into the warehouse, place the Shadow Stones in the lanterns ahead of time, and use illusion magic for cover, and you’ll be able to project the images from the Shadow Stones across the entire Empire on the day of the festival.”
After listening to Claudia’s explanation, Leon was momentarily stunned.
“What’s wrong? Not following?”
“No, no, no.”
Leon scratched his head, “It’s just… if there really is a warehouse, then why haven’t Rebecca and Nacho, who’ve been active in the Empire for years, ever mentioned it?”
Claudia had only been in the Empire for less than a week, but Rebecca and the others had been around for five years.
Yet they had never brought up the existence of a paper lantern warehouse.
This left General Leon scratching his head.
Claudia picked up the stack of newspapers from the table, giving them a little shake.
“Because it’s news that just came out this morning! The Empire built a warehouse this year just to stockpile paper lanterns to make a show for the masses at the Lantern Festival. It’s all detailed in the newspaper.”
“…Huh?”
“Leon, you and your Lionheart Association have fallen into a misconception that ‘to get information, you must work really hard.’”
Claudia explained patiently, “But in special circumstances, the most crucial information often hides in the most inconspicuous corners.”
Leon pondered Claudia’s words seriously.
At the same time, he suddenly recalled what that newsboy had been shouting just before they entered the library:
“Central City Morning News! Central City Morning News!”
“The border between two districts, bridge collapse—Whose fault?”
“Large warehouse finally reveals its veil—What’s inside?”
“As the Lantern Festival approaches, crime rates remain high, hundreds of hounds stolen! Is this a twisting of human nature or moral decay?”
It turned out… that large warehouse was precisely the paper lanterns Leon had been desperately searching for.
And he had dismissed it all because those headlines felt so sensationalized—
Wait!
Wasn’t that headline actually sensationalized?!
There was no way Leon would buy a newspaper with the headline “Hounds Stolen” on it!
Hmm, so it’s all the newspaper’s fault—
“Ah!”
Lost in thought, he suddenly felt a thwack on his forehead.
It was Claudia; she had rolled up the newspaper into a tube and playfully tapped his head.
Just like an elder teaching a naive child.
Roswiser was about to chuckle when she got smacked too.
The couple rubbed their foreheads, their actions and expressions oddly synchronized.
“When you look up at the vast starry sky, don’t forget to watch out for the puddles at your feet, okay?”
What an interesting phrase.
Leon wanted to clear his name, to expose the Empire’s decay to the world, to free the common people from suffering, yet he lacked the time to buy a newspaper.
People pursuing their distant goals often overlook trivial details.
Those little details might just be the key to turning the tide.
“Alright, I didn’t mean to throw those life lessons at you, just sharing some experience. I believe it will help your future.”
The couple nodded appreciatively.
“Hmm, then… if this plan succeeds, don’t forget what you promised me.”
“Don’t worry, senior! This task is entrusted to the Melkway family!”
