As Rebecca said, Claudia was very interested in foreign cultures. Even though a revolution was about to break out, it didn't stop her from studying hard before the great war.
"What's wrong, is the war about to begin?", Claudia asked lazily while flipping through the ancient book in her hand.
"Soon, two days later, during the Lantern Festival," Leon said.
"Lantern Festival...", The beautiful woman's blue eyes trembled slightly, then she slowly spoke,."It is a traditional festival of human society, with a history of more than nine hundred years. At first, it was created to commemorate the first human magic sorcerer in history. Over more than nine hundred years of evolution, it gradually became an important annual festival."
Leon raised his eyebrows, "Oh, looks like you've really done a lot of homework these past few days, senior."
Claudia tapped her temple, "Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles."
She closed the ancient book in front of her, raised her eyes, and looked at the couple, "Then, in two days, the operation will officially begin. Have you made the plan?"
Leon nodded and told Claudia about the plan involving using the resonance between paper lanterns and memory stones.
Claudia pondered for a moment, then said, "Not a bad plan. But the preparation time is too short. Can you gather enough paper lanterns and memory stones?"
"That's exactly the problem we came to you for."
Leon said, "We've already collected enough memory stones, but we still lack quite a few paper lanterns."
The beautiful woman blinked and teased, "Then why come to me? Do I look like someone good at making paper lanterns?"
Leon smiled, "After all, senior, you agreed to be my assistant. You can't just fight, you have to take part in logistics too."
"Eh, you brat, don't push your luck. We agreed that I'd help you declare war on the Empire, not help you find paper lanterns."
"...Then, senior, you—"
"I want to raise the stakes."
"Raise the stakes?"
Claudia nodded, "We originally agreed that I'd help you if Helena went to your home to play with Noah. But now that you want me to help you find paper lanterns, I need more compensation."
"Senior, name your price."
Claudia smiled in satisfaction, young people who know the rules are always pleasant to deal with.
She leaned forward and hooked her finger toward the couple.
The two leaned in as well. Claudia whispered something into their ears.
After listening, Leon and Rossweise's expressions became somewhat complicated.
"This..."
"What? Not agreeing?"
"No no no, it's just... I didn't expect senior to be interested in that kind of thing."
Claudia crossed her arms and said calmly, "It's Helena. She seems to really like that kind of thing. So, what's your answer?"
"Okay, no problem. After this is over, we'll take care of it."
"Very good."
"Then can senior offer some suggestions regarding the paper lanterns?"
"Mm."
Claudia nodded, "You're right to look for lantern suppliers. But the suppliers within the Empire are very scattered, so the efficiency of gathering lanterns is low."
"To ensure there are enough lanterns on the day of the Lantern Festival, the Imperial Royal Family built a warehouse that stores tens of thousands of paper lanterns, enough to cover the area from the royal district to the lower city."
"You just need to sneak into the warehouse, insert the memory stones into the lanterns in advance, then use illusion magic to conceal them. On the day of the Lantern Festival, the images from the memory stones will appear throughout the entire Empire."
After Claudia's explanation, Leon was momentarily stunned.
"What's wrong? Didn't understand?"
"No no no."
Leon scratched his head, "It's just... if such a warehouse really exists, then why don't Rebecca and Nacho, who have been active in the Empire for years, know about it?"
Claudia had only been in the Empire for less than a week, while Rebecca and the others had been operating there for five years.
Yet they'd never even mentioned anything about a paper lantern warehouse.
This left General Leon scratching his head.
Claudia picked up the stack of newspapers on the table and waved them, "Because this was only announced this morning. To put on a show for the public during the Lantern Festival, the Empire built a warehouse to store the lanterns. It's all written in detail in the newspaper."
"Huh?"
"Leon, you and your Lionheart Society fell into a trap, thinking 'to obtain intelligence, you must go to great lengths.'"
Claudia patiently explained to Leon, "But in some special cases, the most crucial intel is often hidden in the least conspicuous corners."
Leon seriously pondered Claudia's words.
At the same time, he suddenly recalled the newspaper vendor's shouting before he entered the library, ("Morning City Times, Morning City Times!")
("Bridge collapse at district border, who is responsible?")
("Mysterious warehouse finally unveiled, what surprising contents lie within?")
("Lantern Festival nears, but crime rates stay high, over a hundred pets stolen! Is this the distortion of humanity, or the fall of morality?")
'So... that large warehouse... Holds the paper lanterns I have been desperately searching for?'
And he'd ignored it because the headlines were too clickbaity—
'Wait a second!'
'They were ridiculously clickbaity!'
How could Leon ever buy a newspaper with a headline like "Pets Stolen"?
"Ah!"
While thinking, a sudden smack landed on his forehead.
It was Claudia. She'd rolled the newspaper into a tube and knocked it against Leon's head.
Like an elder scolding a naive child.
Rossweise was just about to snicker, but she got hit too.
The couple rubbed their foreheads, their actions and expressions remarkably synchronized.
"When you look up at the vast starry sky, don't forget to watch for puddles at your feet."
An interesting phrase.
Leon wanted to expose the Empire's rot to the world and free the people from suffering, yet he didn't even make time to buy a newspaper.
Indeed, when people race toward distant goals, they often overlook small, seemingly trivial details.
But those trivial things may be key to changing the situation.
"Alright, I'm not trying to lecture you two on grand principles. Just consider it experience-sharing. I believe it'll help your future."
The couple nodded respectfully, accepting the lesson.
"Mm, then... if this plan succeeds, don't forget what you promised me."
"Don't worry, senior. Leave it to the Melkvei family!"
———
Temporarily bidding farewell to Claudia, Leon and Rossweise planned to return to the Lionheart Society to discuss matters with Rebecca and the others.
After all, even though they could freeload off the Empire's paper lanterns, they didn't yet fully understand the situation of that warehouse.
Like the warehouse's exact location, the surrounding environment, the number of guards, whether royal forces were stationed there, all were key pieces of information.
If they rushed in blindly and something went wrong, the entire Lantern Festival operation could fall apart.
Walking along the streets of the central district, Leon scratched his head, looking slightly annoyed.
Rossweise noticed his subtle emotional shift and gently asked, "What's wrong?"
Leon let out a light sigh, "The Lantern Festival is the day after tomorrow. If we can't finish preparations tonight or tomorrow night, the whole plan is doomed."
As the team leader, one must shoulder more pressure than others at critical times.
Though Leon used to be the head of the Dragon-Slaying Army, leading warriors across countless battles, the current situation was completely different from back then.
Back then, General Leon had a natural Dragon-Slaying Divine Body. When facing dragons, the ones under pressure weren't him, it was the enemy, the award-winners.
But now, he was leading a group of oppressed people who had no choice but to stand up and rebel, this was his first time.
On one hand, he feared failure. A war hero who only fell due to betrayal and never lost a single battle for a decade, it was hard to accept failure.
On the other hand, he feared letting down the expectations of everyone in the Lionheart Society.
They gathered here, waiting and hoping for so long, just so Leon could return and lead them to overthrow the corrupt Empire.
But if everyone's efforts went to waste in the end, the consequences would be unbearable for Leon.
He had to be responsible for those who believed in him, those who depended on him. He couldn't let his mentor and everyone else down.
So that pressure felt like an invisible mountain, pressing heavily on his shoulders.
Rossweise quietly glanced at his side profile.
She knew what Leon feared, what he was worried about.
And she also knew, at times like this, any comforting words would seem weak.
What Leon truly needed wasn't comfort, nor a way to vent.
What he really needed, only Rossweise knew.
The queen withdrew her gaze, looked forward, and said in a light tone, "Before doing something in the past, you rarely worried about 'what if it fails,' you know."
Leon smiled bitterly and shook his head, "This time is different, Rossweise."
"What's different?"
"This time I'm leading everyone. If my decision leads to failure, then—"
"Then I'll bear the consequences of failure with you."
Rossweise's tone remained calm, like stating an ordinary fact, "Whether it's disappointment and blame from the Lionheart Society, or the Empire and dragons retaliating together, whatever it is, I'll face it with you."
Simple words, calm tone, but filled with unshakable resolve.
Leon's step faltered for a moment. Almost unconsciously, he murmured, "Why..."
Rossweise took a few more steps, then turned back. She wasn't smiling, her gaze and expression were deadly serious.
"Because you're my prisoner. If I fail to train you properly, I also bear responsibility."
'What the heck? Seriously.'
Leon scoffed and walked up to her, opened his arms, and before Rossweise could react, pulled her into a bear hug.
By the time she came to her senses, it was too late.
"Eh? What are you doing? In broad daylight, on a busy street, so many people are watching, let go, you idiot!", Rossweise struggled symbolically for a couple of seconds.
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