Volume 2: Empire Chapter 22 First Meeting
The cabinet meeting in front of the emperor, which had just been full of heated arguments, suddenly turned into a family-like meeting between the emperor and his subjects.
The eunuchs removed all unnecessary items from the conference table and spread a map on it. This was a strategic map of Tedega Hills, which detailed the deployment of fortresses and troops on both sides of the border between the Empire and Tedega Hills.
From the detailed figures above, it can be seen that this map was definitely not made on the spur of the moment. Everyone in the empire was mentally prepared for this war, but no one dared to start it easily.
Once a war breaks out, victory or defeat is no longer determined by the war initiator.
Emperor Augustine did not know what role Gabriel played in this, whether he had real foresight and was keeping an eye on the Celtic Archduke, or whether he was afraid that the knife would hit his neck and so shifted the disaster south.
Anyway, since we have to fight, there is no need to think too much. It is better to lead the conflict in the imperial capital out than to have it explode around us.
Emperor Augustine listened to Gabriel's analysis of the war, glancing at Agatha from time to time.
She listened very carefully, and there was no fear of the war in her eyes. It was as if she was her younger self, with endless fighting spirit to face any difficulties.
This Augustine eagle has hardened its wings.
How great it would be if she was a son!
Augustine let out a long sigh in his heart. He did not punish Agatha this time. After he died... there would probably be another bloody storm in the imperial court.
A drizzle began to fall over the city of Saint Lun. Luke sat on the balcony on the second floor and admired the city in the rain.
The imperial capital is located deep in the interior of the empire, surrounded by heavy industry and the exhaust gas emitted by the factories, making the sky above the city always gray. Even the rain cannot wash away the smog, but instead adds a poetic feeling of misty rain.
Luke drank tea and let the raindrops brought by the wind hit his clothes. He knew that his leisurely days were numbered. The civil war in the Golden Shield Empire started ahead of time in his hands, and the plot was changed to be even more serious.
Will this empire, which is already plagued by internal and external troubles, be torn apart as the plot shows?
Fortunately, Augustine the Great is still alive.
Fortunately, I snatched .
The future is just like this hazy city, becoming more and more exciting!
"Chief Inspector!" Kylena hurried to the balcony and said in an excited tone: "Her Royal Highness invites you to Tulip Manor. You have waited in the imperial capital for so long, and you can finally meet Her Royal Highness.
Captain Shelley is assembling the troops, and we can set off at any time."
If it weren't for the need to show modesty in front of the Chief Inspector, Kylena would have clapped her hands and jumped for joy. The Chief Inspector had been in the imperial capital for so long, and His Majesty and the Princess had not summoned him, which inevitably made people think of some bad things.
Now the princess not only summoned the chief inspector, but also used the word "please" when she sent the female official.
Although I don’t know why the eldest princess is so grand, it must be a good thing.
Luke took a deep breath after hearing the news, then stood up and said in a loud voice: "Let's go, it's our turn to go on stage!"
"Yes, Chief Inspector."
Shelley has already prepared the convoy with his men.
Since arriving in the imperial capital, they have been strictly prohibited from going out at will, and these days have made them feel very suffocated. This time, the princess summoned the chief inspector, which was a sign of hope and relief.
The imperial spies from Fury City stood arrogantly beside their vehicles, waiting for Luke to come out, and then everyone drew their swords and stood in front of them.
"Chief Inspector, please give me a lecture!"
In the rain, all the imperial spies stood in standard military posture, motionless.
Sister Shelley just confessed.
Let all those who are monitoring around see the power of our chief detective and the majesty of the Nutao City Secret Affairs Bureau.
Sure enough, these imperial spies who had killed the Abyss Mage, the Sheriff of Raging Wave City, and the rebellious new nobles were full of murderous aura, and their momentum spread along the streets against the rain.
Luke stopped and Kylena held a black umbrella for him.
His eyes swept over his subordinates. At the end of the team, there was a truck carrying boiling water. Sandpaper was also aware enough to stand in the rain.
What they experienced in the past few days made them realize that this trip to the imperial capital was not as good as they had imagined. Although they didn't know what happened, they knew that they could only rely on the chief inspector and this group.
Luke's head hurt.
Those who knew the inside story understood that they were going to pay a visit to the eldest princess, while those who didn't thought they were going to attack the palace.
Shelley, Shelley...you've followed me for so long, don't you have any brains?
Luke looked at Shelley.
The woman stood there holding the gun, and was very satisfied and proud of her subordinates' performance .
"Ahem..." The morale of his subordinates is so good, so he has to say something: "Very impressive, you are worthy of being the imperial spy who has solved many major cases in Nutao City. This time we come to the imperial capital to serve the empire, and I hope you can still show the spirit you had in Nutao City and eliminate all enemies that endanger the security of the empire."
Pisco shouted: "Serve the Empire! Serve the Princess! Serve the Chief Inspector!"
"Serve the Empire! Serve the Princess! Serve the Chief Inspector!"
Luke looked at Kylena, she was shouting so vigorously...it must be her who taught her.
What kind of team am I leading?
"open circuit!"
At the chief inspector's command, all the imperial agents got on the bus together.
The motorcade led the way, whizzing forward on the street in the rain. On the front of the motorcade, the imperial flag and the Secret Service's blindfold flag were flying, and the whistles were blaring all the way. The motorcade of the Chief Inspector of the Secret Service of Nutao City was rushing towards the Tulip Manor in the Imperial City District with great momentum.
At this time, Agatha was also standing on the terrace of the dormitory, admiring the city in the rain.
Her heart is extremely complicated.
There is concern for the sister who is still missing.
There are thoughts about the impending war facing the empire.
He was confused about his future position in the palace.
There are expectations and speculations about the person with whom I have been exchanging letters but whom I am meeting for the first time.
What kind of person is he? What does he look like?
What kind of future will he bring to the empire?
"Your Highness!" The personal attendant called Agatha softly, "The spy on Copper Mulberry Avenue has sent a message. Chief Inspector of Meteorite is on his way here... He looks very impressive!"
Agatha turned around to look at the lady-in-waiting and found that she seemed to be holding back a laugh, so she asked, "Imposing? How so?"
The female official repeated the spy's statement to Agatha, and finally said, "Based on the performance of Chief Inspector Meteorite in Raging Waves City, he should not make such a mistake. I guess he must have other intentions for coming here in such a high profile."
Agatha couldn't understand why Meteor was so high-profile. He must know that such arrogance would bring a lot of unnecessary trouble and make His Majesty, who was already suspicious, even more suspicious.
"Meteorite must have his reasons for doing this! It's always his style to do things unexpectedly. What kind of clothes do you think I should wear to meet him?"
Agatha went to the dressing table and sat down.
The maid took off the hair accessories on her head, untied her bun, and carefully combed Agatha's smooth and beautiful golden hair with a horn comb.
"Your Highness, you would never ask me such a question before. Your heart is... a little panicked."
Agatha looked at herself in the mirror. She tilted her chin up to show her dignity, but her eyes showed an unconfident astigmatism.
"If you knew what he really did, you would be like me. I...can't treat him as a subordinate; nor can I let him feel that I have to rely on him.
This guy can make the empire look like this without even leaving his house. Didn't you see Gabriel at the Imperial Cabinet meeting? He is just a puppet, playing with the fate of the empire under the control of the meteorite. "
Agatha became more and more angry as she spoke.
The female official smiled and said, "Your Highness, I don't understand the affairs of the palace, but I know that Inspector Meteor's loyalty to you made him refuse your Majesty's recruitment. Your Majesty has taken out Princess Dale...
sorry!
We will find Princess Dale."
"Loyal? He's very loyal!" Agatha knew what Meteor's loyalty was, but she couldn't say anything. She had to go back to the question just now: "What do you think I should wear?"
"The Secret Service uniforms are too formal, and the court dresses are too formal, so it's better to wear casual clothes. More casual and elegant, less cold and sharp.
Chief Inspector Meteorite is not even afraid of His Majesty. Since we cannot intimidate him, let’s just make this meeting a little more ordinary. Even if Chief Inspector Meteorite says something offensive, it will be easy to deal with.”
Agatha considered the lady-in-waiting's suggestion.
When I meet with Meteorite, it is possible that we will talk about something that neither of us can control. The more casual the atmosphere of the conversation is, the easier it is to turn around.
"Okay, I'll listen to you. The meteorite will arrive soon, so hurry up."
"Yes, Your Highness." The lady-in-waiting asked the maid to prepare clothes and continued to comb Agatha's hair.
When Luke's convoy arrived at Tulip Manor, the rain had just stopped. After informing them, he led Kylena, Shelley, and Pisco inside with the guards.
The manor surrounded by high walls was full of tulips. Water drops after the rain remained on the petals and leaves, making the flowers more beautiful. When the humid water vapor with the fragrance of flowers was inhaled into the nose, the whole person would be more energetic.
Shelley and Pisco were whispering in the back, occasionally laughing in a way that they understood each other.
So embarrassing!
Luke regretted bringing them both in, but Pisco had begged all the way to see the princess.
Enter the main building, pass through the hall, go up to the second floor and walk through the winding corridor.
After waiting for a while while having tea , Agatha finally came in.
Luke and his men saluted Agatha.
Pisco almost cried out when he saw Agatha's clothes, but Shelley poked him secretly from behind. He kept hinting to Shelley with his mouth open...
This was the dress the princess was wearing in the magic image he played when she first met the Chief Inspector.
We finally meet this time, and you are still wearing this... You really don't treat us as outsiders.
Shelley smiled and gave Pisco a small look in return, indicating that she had seen it a long time ago.
The two of them were still saying some polite words, pretending to be very similar. They were probably eager to get rid of us as soon as possible so that they could hug each other.
Hehehehehe…
Shelley and Pisco stifled their laughter, and then...
"Chief Inspector Meteorite and I have some important national affairs to discuss, so all of you please get out!"
The followers who came with Agatha immediately withdrew.
Shelley and Pisco winked at Luke and went out with Kylena.
The door is closed.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
After a while, Agatha picked up a random topic: "Just now, Shelley and... the spy named Pisco, they looked very strange. And they made strange expressions when they left. Isn't that the code of the Secret Service... is it your internal code?"
"This..." Luke secretly made up his mind that he would discipline these two talented people after returning. They were too troublesome. Luke made up a reason: "Their affairs are a bit complicated. Shelley is a supernatural species, and he has some defects, especially the way his brain thinks about problems is very different.
Pisco is also a guy with some mental problems.
Sometimes they do things that are difficult to understand. If they offend Your Highness, please do not blame them."
Agatha knew Shelley. When she first took over the Secret Service, she read Shelley's cases and thought he was a talent. After recruiting him, she found that he was indeed a talent.
So Shelley was thrown into the secret agency in the Cape District of Nutao City, and she was asked to disgust the people of Nutao City.
Agatha invited Luke to sit down. Thinking of what Shelley had done, she couldn't help but smile and said, "It's hard to imagine that Shelley would be so important to you. You may not know what she did to the first case I asked her to handle..."
"I can imagine it, and I've experienced it myself." Luke was very relaxed in front of Agatha. He picked up the teapot on the table and poured tea while talking about his own experience: "When I first arrived at the City of Raging Waves, I was captured by Shelley. At that time, I was tied to a chair, and the people around me who were also captured had their heads blown up.
I had to tell a lie to save my life."
Agatha didn't expect that the topic she casually brought up to ease the atmosphere would actually lead to such crucial information. She didn't make any sound, for fear of startling Meteorite and stopping her from talking.
"I said I was their new chief inspector, and so I became the falling star."
Luke filled his tea and said nothing more.
Agatha couldn't help but ask: "Where is the real meteorite?"
"Shelley shot him on his first day in office."
"Ah? No one doubts you!"
"No, so far everyone thinks I'm the real Falling Star. Except for you and Miss Clear Sky."
"This... is amazing. What did you do afterwards, and why?"
"What happened has already happened. There is no point in asking why. I told you how I became a falling star so that you know that I was forced to do so. I had no other intentions.
Just like I am sitting here now, and you are meeting me in this way. Neither of us wants to do this, but various factors force us to do this and face each other in this way.
Your Highness, I want to know, are you ready?"
