Oh? A sly smile appeared on William's lips.
"Uncles, I take it you have a solution?"
"Yes, we do..."
"But we need help from our most trusted ally."
Baymard?
"Yes, nephew."
"Now, here's what you will do."
Everyone leaned in attentively.
The more they listened, the lighter their hearts became. And by the time the duo became quiet, everyone had a broad grin on their faces.
Hehehehehehehe~
The wise duo delivered as expected.
"Remember Nephew. You only have limited time to get the job done."
"Yeah." The now-relaxed William replied lazily.
"Once we make our move on the chess board, they'll be forced to change their route."
"Good nephew… By then, we will see what other tricks they have up their sleeves."
Now, things are really getting interesting. Just like that, a war between those in the shadow and those in the light began. But who will win... Who will emerge victorious?
For this, only time will tell. After all, nothing was always as it seemed... Even if some had a clear advantage. But all this was for the future to tell.
On the other hand, things in Baymard were taking yet another explosive turn.
.
- District G, Royal Capital City, Baymard -
.
The district was bustling with people, moving in all directions, with umbrellas in hand.
The rain fell heavily, exactly as the forecast predicted.
District G...
The district was filled with regular hotels, bars, bank branches, malls, and all sorts of fun activities, enticed those who ventured.
This was the district that had the Baymardian national park and Baymardian Botanical Gardens in it.
Ah yes... Fall was here with a mighty woosh, as it had been raining heavily nonstop for the past 5 days. But unlike the many people passing by, Mathew couldn't hear a thing.
He thinned his lips and distracted himself from the mesmerizing lines of rain streaming down the glass walls.
He was at the Grizzly Cafe on Elmo Street, waiting for his sister. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long.
Mathew watched a vibrant blue-haired girl hastily close her umbrella at the cafe's entrance.
Closing her umbrella, she hurriedly took out 1 Bay and slotted it into a distinct vending machine.
~Plop.
10 peculiar red tokens fell, and the girl moved to another machine and inserted one of the red tokens to dispense a plastic card-type key.
There was the number 233 on the key.
Great.
With this, she looked around the massive entryway space, determining that the left was for odd numbers and the right was for even numbers.
On each side were several umbrella lockers, designed not to occupy space.
The lockers weren't tall, reaching waist level.
With not a moment to spare, the girl slid her umbrella down through the narrow opening in the space labeled 233. And once her umbrella was in, a thick metal bolt pinned the umbrella at its neck.
If she wanted to take it back she had to slip the card through the reader to release it.
Once again, the girl was amazed by Baymard's crazy ingenuity.
The young girl quickly took off her raincoat and hung it over her arm. Thanks to the umbrella, only the bottom half was soaked.
Where was he? Where was her brother?
Emily darted her eyes across the cafe severally, until her focus landed on the waving youngster at the far end.
Her eyes turned crescent and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but swell with warmth. And without knowing it, she subconsciously walked faster too.
[Little brother...]
Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Yet, Mathew could understand her lips.
"Sister... You should take something warm before we go." Mathew excitedly suggested.
He couldn't believe he was seeing his sister again.
He was the only direct relative he had alive. And since she sent him here last year, he hasn't seen her again.
Baymard was really amazing. Who would've known there were schools for those with disabilities?
Even if you can't hear, or you can't speak, there are schools designed to teach people like him. Of course, he could also attend to regular schools for classes.
After all, provided he read people's lips, he would be able to make out what they were saying. Despite that, Mathew, at 10, still lacked confidence in himself and was very timid to attend a regular school.
He thought he would remain like this for the rest of his life, but suddenly Baymard released a revolutionary technology that caused the entire Pyno to shake.
Mathew didn't know how to act after getting the news. And at the time, it was everywhere.
Newspapers, TV channels, magazines, the internet, billboards... Everywhere!
At that time, Mathew recalled his visit to the Cathedral, offering his sincere prayers to his ancestors, as well as to his Majesty Landon.
He prayed for his majesty's help, and once again raised his fan-tier level towards his majesty Landon.
Honestly, if Landon was seen as the founder of a new religion himself, Mathew felt he might pray in Landon's temple and become a devoted follower.
The blue-haired siblings warmly greeted each other, while having a light but hasty meal. After all, they have an appointment at the hospital!
"Sister! When you called my school, I almost thought it was a scam! How did you get here so fast? From your last letter, I was expecting you in another month or 2."
Emily nudged Mathew's now playfully. "When I wrote last I was already on my way to see you. So do you like my surprise?"
Mathew nodded vigorously. "Sister, I'm so happy you're here!"
Although Emily gave him the go-ahead to visit the hospital, he has been doing so without an immediate family. Just friends. So it feels good to have her here.
In the hospital, he always listed the ambassador as his guardian. All international students use their empire's Ambassador as their emergency contact number.
Should something happen to them on foreign soil, the embassy would reach out to their families far away.
Of course, the embassy won't be paying their bill. They had to pay for whatever it was they needed.