Roma fired the arrow without thinking. The magic blasted through the wooden shield, and flames burned the handle.
This will kill the person behind the shield, and even worse, it will seriously injure him. She re-nocked her arrow and aimed forward. The shield-wielding soldier fell down, revealing his bloody arm.
She let go.
The second arrow pierced his skull and disappeared in the fire. Due to the distance, Roma could not see the team behind him. Ten. Hundreds. Or thousands? She couldn't tell. From midnight to dawn, she was very sleepy, but the attacks of the undead continued. Looking at the corpses scrambling to climb up the high wall, Roma could not express her request to go out and rest for a while.
"It's shift change." The voice came from below.
A piece of silver appeared in front of me. Ennod Pike had glacier-like silver hair that was as dazzling as Roma's blonde hair, but not as dazzling as hers. This man is the most popular emissary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has countless fans among astrological apprentices. Thanks to his constant presence abroad, otherwise the enthusiasm of the girls would have spread to the women.
Ennold climbed up the ladder and huddled next to Roma. Through the holes of the arrow tower, the moonlight shines on the smooth side of his nose, and the shadows make him vivid. But Roma smelled a mixture of pine needles and sap.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I really should have come here earlier, miss. How long has it been since you've eaten?"
Roma put away her arrows: "I'm so hungry."
"You seem to be still growing, miss. That's not okay."
"I'm telling you, boy, when I change back to my original state, you will look like a lady in front of me." This was not a boast, but it was really hard for her to believe that there were still people in the Tower of Sky who had never seen her. It seems that I have been out for so long that the astrologers have become accustomed to peace. Roma decided to wait until the war was over and release the brownie goblins in the Sky Sea of the Port of Far Light. "you do not know me?"
"You are Roma, Miss Roma Penelope. Right? You are an astrologer's apprentice..."
"What does it have to do with you?" The little lion swung its tail. "And you remember wrongly, I am an apprentice in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." She squeezed past him and stretched her hind legs into the passage.
"A star in.... Many people have thought about transferring to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but only you can do it." Ennold was not angry, "Most people can't even pass the initial physical test."
"Maybe because they are not orcs." Roma didn't want to chat with him, "Am I right, Birdman Boy?"
"Birdman. Means me?"
You're missing a boy. If you dare to call me Miss again, I will remind you every time we meet. "Are you not?"
Ennold shrugged and did not continue the topic. "You have been told to come to the command post."
Roma stopped and asked, "Who is it?" Dalton, York, or Sabina? But even for them, meeting each other can be tiring. The little lion just wants to fall on the bed and fall asleep.
"A police officer."
Agatha. Roma frowned. Could it be that she found a new clue? There is no need for her to inform me now. Among the tower's reinforcements, there will naturally be people who can take charge of the overall situation. There is no need to let an apprentice make the decision.
"Thank you. I'll go right away." The little lion jumped off the ladder amid Ennold's charming smile.
After leaving the arrow tower, she plunged into the school grounds where people were rushing around. A week ago this was a market place, covered in carts and carriages, and Roma could still find broken eggshells on the soles of her boots. But after Dalton followed the detective's request and went to the detection station to look for Slug, the situation took a turn for the worse. Zhuoer fled back to the hotel with the stationmaster and told everyone about the gathering of the undead.
They started to attack aggressively. Zhuoer said. York shuddered and claimed that he had seen this scene in Yotsuba City.
After Helen's disappearance, the mysterious beings of the Garrison and Office have evacuated most of the mortals. Their decision was absolutely correct. Bansi banshees will not attack on their own initiative. They travel in groups in the streets and alleys at night, looking for dying people, and use their pitiful cries to lure the corpses into becoming undead.
If the tower's records of the dead were correct, Roma thought, these people would be more of a threat than the old bones in the cemetery. They were born as people of the night, not corpse-eaters driven by instinct. The enemy even spared no time in building a place of rebirth. This group of dead people followed the Banshee Banshee and hunted around the DC area. In just one week, they formed a terrifying undead army. Even Dalton and York did not dare to act alone.
Roma didn't even react. The hauntings of the undead were originally limited to nighttime, but hearing that they were wandering around so wildly was beyond her imagination. Yesterday she walked around the streets with her friends, searching for clues, but today she had to be cautious for fear of being discovered in turn. It is simply a fantasy that people need to hide from the undead in a city of order.
But they didn't last long. After the reinforcements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived, a defense line of order was quickly established. The undead army was forced to stop at the edge of the east city and began to blindly attack the defenses.
I wonder how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will deal with Dongcheng. Roma counted the remaining arrows in the quiver as he walked through the tent. By the count of seven, she was back in front of the hotel.
This place has been renamed the command headquarters. The door of the conference room was wide open, and Miss Detective Agatha was swaying her legs in circles on her chair. "This way." She saw the golden hair of the little lion, "Miss Roma."
Strangely, Agatha sounded much more comfortable being called Miss than Ennod. Roma believed that it was the latter himself. "Have you found Helen? Or..." She quickened her pace.
But as soon as she entered the door, Roma immediately regretted it.
Dean Rubin, the Blue Envoy, sat at the head of the long table. He was wearing a dark green robe, a pair of black gloves that he never took off, and fluffy, dense tassels on his shoulders. Seeing her rushing into the house recklessly, the man glanced back. His eyes were long and deep-set, and his nose was high and thin, giving the glance a cold majesty.
Roma felt uncomfortable and froze on one side. She considered saying hello or saying something to lighten the mood, but no matter how she said it, she could fully imagine the result: the other person would not come down her steps. Finally, the little lion decided it was better not to say anything.
"I really can't tell." When she sat down, the Qing Zhizhi said, "Who infected whom among you two? What's so difficult about behaving according to the rules?" His serious expression turned into disgust. "Especially you, Agatha, you are now really influenced by the words and deeds of McCann Johnny."
The detective lady shrugged and stopped tossing the chair, but the remaining look on her face still showed her mood. I'm afraid our detective is getting too excited.
"I just changed my shift." Roma replied, "My brain is too tired."
"According to the duty list, you should have been off duty a long time ago, Roma. The last person who didn't look at the duty list has been missing for a week. I know that she and Larsen have taught you a lot, but you'd better figure out what you should learn. .”
He can't stand me, Roma thought. This has been the case since I came to the Tower. She no longer expected to ease the relationship with him. "Can I help you?"
"The prophet thinks that Huoklin is not suitable for your outing, so you should return to the tower as soon as possible."
Roma didn't understand: "Is it the order just now?"
"No. Before I left, Lord Saint gave me the instructions alone."
Roma didn't reply. She stayed on Sky Island for nearly two weeks. It was obviously too late for the Qing Envoy to talk about this matter now.
Dean looked at her sharply. "I refused."
The answer is also given directly. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has difficulty mobilizing high-ranking officials. Most of them are garrison personnel who need to protect the security of the subject country. And you, Miss Penelope, and your friends happen to be able to come in handy." He paused briefly. "So far, the progress of the scouts has been too slow, resulting in us knowing very little about the situation in the DC area. Your fellow assassin..."
I see. "You want their help?"
"They have to be involved."
Roman had personal experience with reconnaissance behind enemy lines and knew that this type of work was extremely dangerous. What's more, Dean's tone disgusted her. "Dalton and York are my friends, not servants."
"It has nothing to do with personal connections. Croita's opponent is Gavash. There is no doubt that this is the battle of order to resist aggression. According to the ancient Grand Alliance treaty in the mysterious realm, all creatures of order are obliged to participate in the battle." Qingzhi Shi narrowed his eyes, "You have doubts about this? I'm not surprised. People like you never care about rules and regulations and act based on instinct. Maybe this is an inherent bad habit of your race."
Do you dare to say this to Ronald, Roma wanted to ask, but she wisely remained silent. If I quarreled with His Excellency at the Foreign Office, he would have reason to give Dalton a more dangerous assignment, or send York to the front. They will most likely say no, I hope so!
All in all, Dean Rubin doesn't have to pay anything for this, and we-needless to say failure, even if he succeeds, the information obtained will pave the way for his credit. Roma was determined not to let that happen.
But she couldn't think of a good way. Helen and Larsen always had her back, but neither of them were here. The Lord Prophet undoubtedly loves her very much, but since the Green Envoy has violated his personal instructions, he must have some countermeasures. After all, I'm not Uriel, and I'm terribly sleepy right now.
But regardless of the consequences, Roma was not afraid of this person. The Qing Envoy is not the leader. His pressing seemed like bluff. "Dalton is Uriel's friend, Your Excellency. During the war, they should be regarded as subordinates of the Commander." Roma said, "If you want to command them, it's best to discuss it with the Commander, Your Excellency. I can't make the decision. .”
Dean Rubin snorted. "Commander. Oh. Of course."
Suddenly, Roma noticed that the detective lady was blinking at him. She seemed to be hinting at something. The little lion's heart skipped a beat.
She didn't have time to start thinking. Lord Rubin reluctantly smiled: "Our Lord Commander is busy with many things and is receiving the envoys from the school - because they are looking for him by name."
Roma didn't understand: "Why?"
"You have to ask his priest apprentices and his alien friends." Dean stopped smiling, "When they wreaked havoc on the church, did they ever think that the Silent School would launch an attack to hold them accountable? They are reckless and lawless! Now I taste the bitter pill." His eyes looked like he was looking at garbage. "You are all in the same boat."
The little lion wanted to refute, but couldn't find a reason. At this time, she wished she had the "sharp teeth" of Bai Zhizhi. In the end, the only response she could think of was to shoot an arrow between his eyebrows and see if those wrinkles could catch the arrow.
"There is a reason for this." Agatha explained. "Lord Sterling seems to have an old relationship with the Lord Commander and insists on asking him to come forward."
"Does the commander agree?" Roma couldn't help but ask. In the final analysis, Ambassador Bai is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, although his diplomatic ability is worrying. But it is not unreasonable to do so. Now the Silent School is facing a combination of towers, parliaments and alliances, and wizards are the party that should be cautious.
No need to respond, the results are obvious. According to Uriel's personal experience, there are few true friends among the commander's "old friends". To be precise, they are all enemies. Maybe we'll be at war with wizards again soon.
Roma suddenly stopped moving. Bai Zhishi has been the commander-in-chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for two hundred years and has been patrolling the subject countries for more than a hundred years. During this period, he did not have any friends. How is this done?
She was so engrossed in thinking that her tail twitched the chair leg, earning a disgusted look from the Blue Messenger. Staying here will only get more bad news for me.
"I have to think carefully." Roma took the opportunity to jump off the chair.
"Think about it slowly. No one cares about the results of your consideration anyway." The Qing Zhizhi said, "You can only appear in front of me again after you have figured it out."
Yeah? Then I'll come tomorrow. The little lion didn't even look back.
…
Agatha followed. "Miss Penelope." She caught up with him in front of the door.
"What?" Roma glared at her angrily, "What do you want to say? I know you are with him!"
Although the logic of this girl's judgment is simple, at least the result is accurate. "Your Excellency the Ambassador of Qing was once my superior."
"So what are you going to do?" Roma said. "Uriel thinks you are his friend."
All right. This guy might really say that. But Agatha was not surprised. In Murder in the Church, she had seen through the apprentice. Unfortunately we can't just rely on personal preference.
"It's a pity. The world of adults is the workplace, and the workplace is unkind and full of competition." She said to Roma, "To be honest, the job of receiving saints has returned to the hands of the White Envoy, which makes Master Rubin very angry. … But this is the decision of the Fate Assembly.”
"so what?"
Agatha had to speak more clearly: "Your Excellency the Witch disappeared in Hokolin, and the assembly is preparing to search for her whereabouts. Your Excellency the Qingzhi Envoy assumes this responsibility. At the same time, he also needs to solve the disaster of the undead on the empty island. If you If you refuse to provide help on the frontal battlefield, Mr. Rubin will arrange you and the astrologer girl together to track the traces of Mr. Witch."
"We've helped." Roma wrinkled her nose.
"That's not the point."
"He wants us to say no, is that right?"
"If you agree, the situation will be different. Maybe it will be the result we all expect." Mr. Rubin will be very happy. "But we both know you wouldn't agree."
"You talk like riddles." The little lion accused.
Riddles. Agatha thought to herself, compared to the Commander-in-Chief, we can at least explain things clearly. Croyta is the Tower of Prophecy and Mist, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for foreign exchanges, which is straightforward enough. "It's a means, Roma, not a riddle. Talking like this will make you prefer the latter. It's a way of manipulating people. Means. Tools. Something like this."
The little lion obviously didn't like it. "I'm not interested in controlling other people. Why do you do this?"
"The reason why all tools are invented is for convenience. Mr. Rubin is not interested in finding people either. He is eager to prove himself."
"prove?"
The detective sighed. "Internal competition. What else? Look, when you mention the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you will definitely think of the Commander-in-Chief, not our Excellency the Envoy of Youth. This is the Commander-in-Chief's prestige, which involves the right to speak... and other aspects."
"Master Bai Zhizhi doesn't talk much."
Yeah? Yet when he spoke he was far more terrifying than Lord Rubin. "I'm talking about status. Think about it carefully, Roma, if you were a great astrologer, Mr. Larson wouldn't lock you up at will, right?"
Roma moved her ears. "I know that's what happened."
This girl is used to knowing a little bit. Agatha concluded. Maybe it's just that my explanation didn't suit her. As long as she reveals something, she will feel that she understands everything. "The opportunity is in front of us. To ensure that the witch and her descendants will not disrupt the situation, we must use some special means."
The little lion looked at her, as if looking for any discord in her expression.
Agatha wasn't lying. Some people can use roundabout ways, and some people need to use coercion and inducement, but for Roma Penelope, these methods will all be counterproductive. Roma is still young, straightforward and simple-minded, but she has a keen intuition like instinct. Detectives know exactly how to deal with such people.
"Only the frog cares about his chances," Roma told her, "but I guess he won't believe me."
"If you ask me, Mr. Rubin has never been known for being suspicious. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, people believe that he is the embodiment of all rules and regulations." Agatha replied, "As for deliberately assigning dangerous jobs to subordinates, to be honest, It’s even more impossible. This will damage his reputation and be detrimental to his future. By the way, it’s the commander who would do this.”
"The commander won't either." The little lion retorted uncertainly.
Why hesitate? In order to protect his friends, he dare not admit that his mentor is a sinister person? Or is it out of blind worship of power? The detective couldn't get a response from Roma's expression.
She had the answer in her own mind. The fundamental reason is that none of us understand Bai Zhishi. This person is the most difficult mystery in the tower, unintentionally attracting the curiosity of the detective, but he is afraid to explore. Agatha was convinced that the commander's treatment of his apprentice was an exception and had no reference value at all.
"Okay. I'm going to find Helen." Roma said, "Have you found her?"
In contrast, the disappearance of the Witch of Destiny lacks any sense of mystery. Agatha was not very interested: "She was found in the astronomy room, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent people to respond. My reasoning didn't help. This happened yesterday. You were busy guarding the city wall, so you didn't get the news."
"Yesterday." The little lion frowned, "Then what were you happy about just now?"
"It's another matter. Mr. Rubin's timing is absolutely certain, and his achievements are on the way."
"I don't understand. Credit? He has a way to destroy the undead?"
"No. The undead do not count as achievements, Roma. It is easy for Lord Kong Jing to take care of them. The real target is the person who commands them."
"Is it an assassin?"
"He is the master of Gavash."
