Chapter 166: Angels, Cats, and Cicadas
Hurt has always been compared with something else.
During weekdays, when there was no apparent feeling, everyone just kept reading books. But on this New Year when happiness spread to the vast majority of the empire's people, the lonely Shana felt even more isolated.
The whole world may be happy, but my joy and sorrow are not in harmony with theirs.
During the day, everything was fine. However, as the evening approached, the small shops on the street closed their doors early, and pedestrians braved the wind and snow to return home. Even the most dedicated wizards in the great library had set down their books and allowed themselves a half-day of indulgence.
Even if someone forgets the time there will always be family friends, and mentors to remind them.
Just like after school, during a blizzard when the sky was so low it almost touched their heads, all of the classmates were picked up by their parents, leaving her all alone and unclaimed.
My heart has told me countless times that I don't care about this loneliness, and that a proud little angel can live very well alone.
In the entire reading room, only her shadow kept entwined with the table, while constantly reminding her that the world is so vast and she was the only single person present.
The automated puppet responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the entire venue continued its routine patrol, but inexplicably paused for a moment upon passing by Shana.
Then the chest of the puppet opened and it took out a large stuffed teddy bear, placing it in front of Shana and then leisurely continued with its cleaning.
Shana, "
Does even the enchanted puppet pity me? Can you please bring a doll to cure my loneliness?
Ow!
She let out a wounded and lonely wolf-like sound!
It's all because of Roger's incompetence; he couldn't even receive the little angel properly, and made a mess of the situation...
The book in her hands hadn't been flipped through for quite some time.
Originally, this is the feeling of loneliness, originally, she yearned for a friend.
As a memory of once being an angel, she didn't need friends. Her devotion to God was the meaning of her existence.
Once a memory as a princess whose country had been destroyed, she didn't need friends. The duty upon her weighed so heavily that it left her breathless, and everyone around her was a pawn that could be sacrificed.
But now, as a free and unrestrained projection, she could see this prosperous world, and although she walked among the ordinary mortals in the mortal world, she could still be lively and relaxed. Despite her unwillingness to admit it, she was still envious beyond measure.
Shana closed the book in her hand, pushed it in front of the teddy bear, and walked out of the grand library with her head held high.
Reading NM's book tonight, let's take a walk outside until dawn, and not be ridiculed by puppets here!
At this moment, Shana was wearing a pale yellow windbreaker, adorned with a black and red checkered scarf, seeming no different than a young and fashionable maiden from the mysterious capital.
She was already beautiful, but when she pouted out of stubbornness, she looked quite endearing.
Where is this unparalleled powerhouse? She's clearly only a stubborn girl who's angry with her family.
She walked slowly out of the grand library and extended her hand, upon her palm were snowflakes falling gently. The warmth from her palm melted the snowflakes into crystal clear water drops, and the blowing wind made her feel even colder than before.
Hated weather,and a hated city!
The bustling commercial district that is usually lively and hectic is now desolate and quiet, making one feel as though they have been abandoned by the world. The continuously falling snow covers up the footprints left behind by others, and looking back, one's own footprints seem to stretch on endlessly.
"Meow"
The faint call beckoned to Shana's keen senses.
She walked slowly towards the sound and saw a trash can in front of a damaged wall which formed an incredibly crude and drafty nest.
The scene inside the den appeared particularly dismal in spite of this peaceful and joyful evening.
A calico female cat had had her hind legs and belly bitten off by some wild animal, but with perseverance, she managed to return to her nest. Several young kittens who were not yet a month old crowded around their mother, trying to extract a last bit of warmth and milk from her.
It was ultimately a fatal blow.
The mother cat's body has already grown cold and stiff, and most of the kittens have also died from hunger and cold. Only the last remaining black furred kitten, is still left trembling.
It was cold and hungry, gnawing at the mother cat's dry withered teat in a last ditch effort, frantically mewing in desperation due to the lack nourishment.
"Do you also feel lonely?"
Shana squatted down and picked up the black kitten, embracing it to warm it up with her own body temperature.
She lifted her head and scanned the buildings in front. On a sumptuous table somewhere, a rich cream soup suddenly lost a shallow layer.
A white liquid appeared in Shana's palm, swiftly cooled by the cold wind to a temperature approaching that of a question.
The black kitten poked its head out, lured by the scent of food, and looked eagerly yet hesitantly at the liquid in her palm, hesitant to come forward.
"Eat, eat. Even if you can't digest it, I can use healing magic!" Shana encouraged her, but she wasn't sure what this fragile newborn should be eating without access to its mother's milk.
The black kitten looked up, gazing at the biped in front of it with confusion and a sense of distrust, as if she was not quite reliable.
Still unable to resist the temptation of food, I tentatively licked the thick soup in front of my face, then I couldn't control myself and licked it clean due to insatiable hunger and thirst.
As Shana walked away with the black kitten, a gust of wind blew and toppled snow, covering the bodies of the mother cat and her kittens.
The black kitten snuggled up against her to feel her warmth, yet couldn't fully trust her, instinctively trembling with fear towards the unfamiliar surroundings and people.
This made Shana feel a bit itchy, and she could also feel its heartbeat becoming stronger due to the added food.
It also made her feel less lonely.
It is still so small, relying on itself, unable to leave itself. Without itself, it must be unable to exist in this world, right?
So before it grows up, I also have to live well myself and not have any accidents!
Shana suddenly found a means to center herself during the next phase of her life from another existence outside of her own.
Even a cat can friend itself, can’t it?
One person and one cat walked away together, and quickly left the alleyway behind.
The corpse of the mother cat in the snow flickered a few times before transforming into a handsome boy in a skirt.
The bodies of the kittens turned into dots of light and merged into his body. Remembering the warm scene just now, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face. "It seems like Afu was the one being helped, but in reality, Afu healed the hearts of others"
Suddenly, a whisper from Shana was carried by the wind.
"As you are entirely black without any stray hair, how about calling you Little White from now on?"
"Mew?" The little black cat raised its head, seemingly understanding but not quite. Instinctively, it felt that this human may truly be unreliable at its job of cleaning the litterbox.
Afu's face subtly changed upon hearing it.
If you don't know how to give a name, you can just not give one. Do you still have the remaining poison of Her Highness Shady with you?
...
...
Xinghan Palace, side hall.
The ball, truly under the control of the rulers of the empire, was still in motion. Many common officials, like Dio, only entered the political stage of the empire once the conditions were ripe.
However, the few hundred men who were involved in various fields such as domestic affairs, military affairs, scientific research, etc. are all ministers trained with great attention by the Queen of the Eternal Night.
Quite interestingly being a parliamentary member, viewed by the Empire as a check on imperial power, was not a mandatory criterion for attending this ball.
Indicating from a lateral perspective, it is shown that the Imperial Parliament doesn't possess the power that outsiders may have imagined. This is the opposite of constitutional monarchy, as it clothes centralization of power with a democratic mantle, merely putting on a show, and spreading propaganda to persuade the people in the surrounding areas to believe that the Green Vines Empire is very progressive.
If it wasn't too much trouble to change it, even the name of the empire could be changed.
In any case, it's just a propaganda slogan. As long as the substance is still in our hands, the Queen of Eternal Night says that we can temporarily call ourselves the ruler.
This gathering has also became a platform for the exceptional young talents of the empire to exchange ideas.
The young generation of the empires, many of whom are not yet the top leaders in charge of military and politics, will rise quickly in this country with the favor of the Queen of Eternal Night over time.
Getting acquainted with colleagues like this, making friends with them, would make it more convenient to work with them in the future.
However, even the genius who relied on their talent and looked down on others, would lower their posture and maintain a low profile in today's situation.
Are you, even as a great genius, comparable to Duke Roger?
He killed a wolf within the territory of Green Vines Empire.
Compared to his peers, even the young officials who are appreciated and motivated to grow by the Eternal Night Queen, most of them are still at the stage of strengthening their capabilities, enduring in their positions and gaining experience.
In the past, putting Roger in the cabinet was with the intention to create a domino effect, to stimulate the bored subordinates and boost their morale.
In less than a year, the carp had grown into a dragon, establishing the empire's intelligence system and setting its sights on all officials, exhibiting an astonishing degree of deterrence.
However, the atmosphere remained quite relaxed. After removing the nobles from the ruling class, the Empire's culture became more pragmatic, with fewer formalities and emphasis on rank. People no longer placed great importance on titles, but rather on one's abilities and character.
If the empire continues to exist, there will come a day when this world will no longer value bloodline and background, and the only standard for measuring progress will be the acquisition of knowledge.
Roger met many new faces and also learned about the secret lineage of the Eternal Night Queen's quiet and unnoticed development.
Of course, when it comes to lineage, nobles make up the majority. Throughout their entire lives, many younger sons from minor families or impoverished offshoots would never have the opportunity to be involved in politics unless they distinguished themselves in military service as was the custom in the empire.
Fortunately, now that the Queen of Eternal Night has established an official assessment similar to the civil service exam of later generations, a group of highly educated administrative officials with agile minds have been selected.
Although there was to be no distinction between commoners and nobles, due to the inequality of literacy rates, the nobles still held a significant advantage in this selection process.
However, commoners, due to their large base and many mediocre magic apprentices, choose to become administrative officials when they discover they cannot progress far in the path of practicing magic.
In one and a half seasons of autumn and winter, within a span of four months, these officials had rapidly adapted to their respective roles; the majority of them performing exceedingly well in their assigned positions.
To some extent, it was also due to the fact that the ruling level of this era was truly lacking.
If those confused aristocrats are replaced with some intelligent and less corrupt officials, in comparison to the past, a significant achievement can be made.
At this time, the empire was a land of opportunity for officials, with newly established provinces and county systems to develop. There was a great demand for officials to fill these positions, offering abundant chances for them to achieve success and make contributions.
What officials need to pay attention to is not to be too eager for success, but rather to leave room for progress in the coming years.
During the performance inspection, the Dark Night Guard found numerous cases where even though a 200% increase in production was achieved, many people reported only 150%. They underreported because of the fear they might not be able to achieve the assigned targets next year or that this year's favorable conditions were only temporary.
Regarding this phenomenon, Roger remained noncommittal and didn't investigate further.
Just waiting for next year's continuous improvements of imperial technology gave these officials confidence with faster growth numbers.
When the productivity of the people unleashed and the high-yielding forces continued to get upgraded technologically, it inevitably brings about a development speed that subverts the imperial mindset.
Today, as he watched his colleagues raise their glasses for a toast, he didn't bring up the terrible future scenarios in store. Instead, he jovially chatted with them and encouraged each one to continue to shine their brightest.
Roger has a youthful face, but his actual age is definitely older than those of the youngest generation here.
The "young talented individuals" in the bureaucratic circle, were well aware that only those below forty are deemed as promising youths.
Therefore, when he encountered Roger, an incredibly young man, and heard his strangely mature encouragement as if he was an uncle, it created a very dissonant image.
However, his positions as the leader of the East Factory and the imperial censor of the Ministry of Personnel are firmly established, so few officials dare to talk back to him, let alone those auspicious words full of encouragement.
Nobody disagrees at all, everybody is accustomed to this world being controlled by the young, after all, the queen is only in her twenties (without joy or sorrow).
"Relying on old tricks to sell things" allows us to admire the youthfulness of our imperial officials. The future is promising with the younger generation being allowed into the workforce, don't you agree?
As Roger stood in the midst of the crowd, being flattered by various officials, a pair of melancholic eyes remained fixed on her.
The atmospheric pressure around Margaret suddenly dropped again, so low that even the military personnel were eager to take action.
If it weren't for the New Year's celebration, I would really love to hear Lord Zuo's crisp and refreshing scolding, guaranteed to make me feel relaxed throughout my whole body!
However, considering the presence of the Eternal Night Queen, it would be unwise for the mischievous demon to make untimely remarks. Not while receiving blessings and reporting on their duties to the true frontier officials, as they may face repercussions and be held accountable for their actions afterwards.
Therefore, in this imperial bureaucratic scene, Margaret once again adopted her old stance of isolation and loneliness, constantly drinking in silence and feeling rather jealous while observing the liveliness on Roger's side.
These fools don't know that this guy is the most ruthless person. Even if you have a good relationship with him, if you don't get things done properly, he won't give you any chances...
Instead of wasting time on socializing like this, it's better to think about how to do one's own work well!
The most important thing is that all of you were standing there, blocking the way of the little miss.
Yes, Margaret also wanted to greet Dio and ask how he was doing.
After Roger settled in Odor, Dio found an excuse and temporarily went offline.
Anyway, as the minister of history, he just went along with the Eternal Night Empress in cabinet meetings, adding votes while having no actual responsibilities. Even if he went into hiding, it would not have any impact on the empire's situation.
But the impact on Margaret was significant.
This was her only friend, although she would occasionally send postcards to say that she was doing well, it made Little Fan feel even more uncomfortable.
Some people only feel the significance of things after they have lost them.
Although he had already made up his mind to accept Dio's peculiar orientation, ever since the day he stumbled upon Dio and Roger's relationship, Dio had never appeared in front of him again.
Was it a coincidence, or did he intentionally avoid her?
The absence of such an important person in her life inevitably led Margaret to indulge in fanciful speculations.
What she couldn't accept was that Dio the god of rock disappeared completely until New Year's, and didn't show up for a full four months.
Her longing didn't diminish, but rather grew stronger.
Observing Roger's effortless state, he must have been in constant communication with Dio the god of rock, right?
So, should we approach and inquire about Dio the god of rock's situation with the younger brother of the blue-furred Saint?
"In any case, he is also someone whom Dio likes... I have said that I will accept it, and I wish them the best."
The little fan took a deep breath, hiding all of their grievances and discomfort. They walked toward Roger with a clever smile.
