"Carly!!" Perlis shouted, her voice several degrees louder, "If you do this again, I will disconnect you!"
"Ahhhh!! No!! Little White Flower, you can't..."
"Then speak nicely, alas..."
Pearlis covered her head helplessly. She already knew what the situation would be like when she talked to Carly at this time, but she had to do it.
Carly Felos, who belongs to the highest administrative body of the Akademi Federation [Academy], is Perlis's best friend who grew up with her and is also Perlis's combat logistics controller. She is the only person Perlis can trust wholeheartedly and the closest person to Perlis in the world.
As a genius in information warfare, Carly was called the "Eye of the Federation". Although she hated this title, it happened to be the title that best described her talent:
Within the scope of the continent of Ademir, she knew almost everything.
No one knew how she did it, but she seemed to have her own way of collecting information. Whether it was a lost treasure from the previous era or the hideout of thieves rampant in the Grau Yad Wasteland, she could mark the location with a very small error.
If there is any good way to sneak into the Iron Fortress, Carly is Perlis' only choice.
The voice on the other end of the channel was silent for a while, then spoke softly:
"Then...can you tell me why you want to go to the Iron Fortress?"
Hearing Carly's question, Perlis hesitated. She didn't want to let Carly know about this, but she knew very well that she couldn't deceive Carly, so she might as well tell the truth.
But the truth was too heavy for her, and she wished she could remain silent if possible:
"Carly..."
Perlis' voice trembled slightly. Even though she wanted to hide it, she couldn't help feeling wronged when she thought that the person on the other end of the line was her best friend:
"Ivar..Ivar he..."
"What happened to Ivar? That bastard, is he..."
"He killed...my father..."
Carly on the other end of the phone screamed in shock and then fell silent. Seeing that Carly stopped talking, Perlis asked:
"You..know about this?"
Perlis had long imagined a possibility: Maybe Carly also knew the truth about Edward's death, but she, like those old men in the Federation, chose to keep her in the dark so that she could be used as a tool.
This vague thought gradually turned into fear that shrouded Pearlis' heart. She was very afraid that her childhood friend and best friend was one of the liars who deceived her.
This idea also made Perlis not tell Carly even though she went to Thebeth alone. She would never hide anything from Carly.
She had almost nothing after the battle to retake Charon, and she couldn't bear to lose Carly.
Perlis closed her eyes. Carly's silence was like a silent court. The moment she opened her mouth, it would be the moment of judgment for Perlis.
However, to Perlis's surprise, Carly suddenly yelled:
"impossible!"
"If he did it, how could I not know? Laplace... No... Impossible!"
"Uncle Edward... No, that's definitely not the case... Believe me, I definitely won't..."
As if her thoughts were disrupted, Carly suddenly became incoherent. She kept muttering one name after another in a low voice, as if she was thinking about something.
No, that's enough, there's no time now.
Perlis cleared her throat and then said:
"Ivar is in the Iron Fortress, will you help me find a way to get in there?"
"I.. Of course I can, but..."
"...Or do you intend to stick to the Federation's position and refuse to provide assistance to the defectors..."
After saying this, Perlis closed her eyes tremblingly. She hated this kind of insincere provocation the most.
As expected, her provocation came true, and Carly scolded:
"What nonsense! You...oh...never mind, give me two minutes."
Then, the sound of keyboard tapping came from the other end of the channel. Perlis waited quietly, and soon, Carly gave an answer:
"From your current location, walk 200 meters east. When you reach a frozen lake, head north across it. When you reach the other side, walk along the lakeshore. There is a cargo channel built after the Unification War."
Listening to what Carly said, Perlis' heart suddenly trembled slightly.
Ice lake? Is that the ice lake?
Perlis seemed to see, on the shore of the frozen lake, the down-and-out young man and the Federation's Blade of Babel standing side by side, staring at the end of the frozen lake together.
What was Pace thinking at that time? How to quickly get away from Perlis after using her?
No, now is not the time to think about that.
Perlis shook her head vigorously to clear her mind.
"Thank you, Carly."
"Do you...must go?"
Carly's voice was full of worry, and Perlis seemed to be able to see her ice-blue eyes through the voice.
"We can have other ways, right? Come back first. As long as you come back first, I will definitely help you find a solution, definitely..."
The speed of speaking became faster and faster, and Carly's voice gradually became tearful.
Is she worried? Of course she is, and Perlis doesn't want her to worry, but she has to do it.
"Please...little white flower...don't...don't be stupid..."
"Carly."
As if comforting a good friend, Perlis' voice took on a rare gentle tone.
"I won't run away anymore."
Perlis took a deep breath and raised her head. On the top of the mountain, the outline of the steel fortress was looming in the blizzard.
"Perlis...wait...believe me...I will."
"Carly, if I don't come back, go to the flower field and pick a bunch of flowers and bury them next to your dad."
"Wait! Don't—"
Ignoring Carly's last scream, Polys decisively took the earphones out of her ears and threw them in an inconspicuous corner of the snow.
Then, she began to move forward towards the boundless icy lake.
......
6) Blood and Steel (Part 2)
"Why are there so few people guarding our house?"
In the hall of the mansion, Vance and the old butler were counting the number of prisoners and the damage caused to the family by the attack on the mansion. Most of the guys were busy cleaning up the scene and trying to restore the mansion to a slightly more decent state.
"Oh, according to that guy named Tom, most of the soldiers were transferred away to maintain the security of the Iron Fortress because of Venia's birthday party..."
The old butler was counting the accounts, looking calm and composed.
"After all, he invited all the lords of Wanren Mountain, so naturally the boy who was afraid of death..."
"Most of the wine in the cellar was also taken away. What a fucking asshole."
Vansh paced the hall, looking annoyed.
"I must seek revenge on that bastard, that Venia, and that Ivar, I will definitely..."
"These are not the top priorities right now, young master." The old butler still spoke in a calm tone, "According to the Iron Lord's trial, the young master led us to recapture the mansion. Although this follows the principles of blood and steel, the top priority is still to maintain a stable relationship with the Iron Fortress."
"I really don't want to accept this..." Vans said angrily, "We caught the [Angel of the Iron Guard], but we can't execute her..."
"That's not accurate, young master." The old butler put away the account and looked at the other end of the hall. "To be precise, she is still here because Miss Perlis saved her life."
Vans followed the old butler's gaze and saw Yelena huddled in the corner of the room silently, her eyes dull. The silver giant armor had long been removed, replaced by a bandage wrapped around her waist.
Ye Lina had a distraught expression on her face, and her original pride had long since disappeared. Without the high-handed aura, she now looked pitiful and had a more feminine demeanor.
"I don't know why Miss Pollis didn't kill her, but she would have made a great bargaining chip in my opinion."
"Even though the Angel almost killed that little white-haired kid..." Vans muttered, "What a strange federal guy..."
While Vance was talking to the old butler, the door of the mansion was suddenly pushed open, and a strong wind mixed with snow rushed in, bringing with it the distraught figure.
Pace closed the door silently, his face full of fatigue.
"Brother?" Vans saw Pace and came forward with excitement, "We have won completely! Do you know? Even the [Angel] has become our prisoner, this is..."
Vans kept reporting the current situation to Pace, the excitement on his face completely invisible, but Pace just nodded slowly and tiredly without saying anything.
After reporting the situation, Vance finally seemed to remember something and asked:
"Ah... By the way, where did that [Blade of Babel] go? Did you go looking for her?"
"she..."
When Perlis was mentioned, Pace's face became even darker.
"She has gone to the Iron Fortress to look for Ivar."
"Ah! That's great! One less trouble!" Vance patted Pace's shoulder excitedly, "You're worthy of being me, brother! You tricked her away with just a few words. We're lucky to win this time!!"
Pace sighed deeply, ignored the excited Vans, and walked past him without saying a word.
"Hey? Bro? What's wrong with you?"
Vance felt a little strange about Pace's abnormal behavior. He turned around and looked at Pace's back in confusion as he slowly walked up the stairs.
However, Pace just waved his hand without even turning his head:
"I'm fine. I'm just... tired."
Yeah...she is just a federal, why should I think so much.
I think so much... maybe I'm just... tired.
Pace dragged his tired legs. He needed to rest. No matter what, he needed to rest.
......
In the snowstorm that blurred the concept of time, the journey on the ice lake soon ended. Perlis stepped onto the frozen soil on the other side of the lake and then began to look for the cave mentioned by Carly along the lakeshore.
Sure enough, after walking along the lake for a while, an inconspicuous cave appeared in front of Perlis.
There were several cargo boxes piled up at the entrance of the cave, with white snow piled on the boxes. It looked like they had been piled there for a long time.
Perlis picked up the torch that was discarded on the cargo box, gently patted off the snow on it, and then wiped it with a butterfly knife.
"call--"
The torch started burning, and Perlis raised the torch and slowly walked into the cave.
This cave was formed naturally and probably existed much earlier than the iron fortress. When the ancestors of Thebit rushed into the belly of the mountain with torches, did they ever think about what the place would be like a hundred years later?
Perlis walked slowly in the cave. This cave was probably not a very popular delivery channel before. The cave was narrow and damp, and there was always a pungent fishy smell. Regardless of whether anyone could endure this smell and continue to work, this channel probably could not transport a large number of goods at one time. From this point of view, there was a reason why this place was abandoned.
Do the Monarch family know about the existence of this passage? This place is not far from the mansion, so they probably know about it, but they probably don't like it here.
Perlis thought of Pace again, the down-and-out young man who saved her in Loton and on Wanren Mountain, but betrayed her in the end.
He... probably has his reasons, right? Perlis wanted to deceive herself like this. She could not associate the boy who cared so much for her in the short time they spent together with a pure liar. Even if Pace deceived her, she would not deceive her true feelings.
However, Pace's betrayal is still an indisputable fact. At that time, he seemed to really care about Perlis sincerely, but it also seemed that it was just a mask he wore to achieve his own goals.
Masks and such...are so annoying. Perlis has long been fed up with trying to decipher other people's true intentions. She might as well just assume that everyone is a liar. Who wants to waste time guessing riddles?
Perlis walked silently in the cave, when suddenly, a few low humming sounds came from the darkness ahead.
"Woooo..."
Perlis threw away the butterfly knife and silently took a stance. Soon, several pairs of eyes flashing green light appeared in the darkness, followed by quietly approaching footsteps.
"Ow~"
As the wolf howled, the torchlight illuminated the hungry face of the leader. Unconsciously, the wolf pack had blocked Perlis's way. In the darkness, countless greedy green eyes were staring at her.
The wolf leader's ears stood up, with its front teeth exposed, looking extremely ferocious. Its green eyes were emitting a murderous light as it stared at Perlis.
Green eyes...same as Ivar's.
Perlis slowly walked towards the wolf pack, with a red glow attached to the butterfly knife in her hand.
