Chapter 2: Handling the “White Witch” Incident
Lu Manqing’s face was full of anticipation, while Cen Xiangyun’s eye twitched.
Luo Ling considered for a moment, then, stroking her chin thoughtfully, said, “That would solve the identity problem, and it’s convenient since we all know each other… Plus, with the Company’s funding, I wouldn’t need to find a job.”
“Hey, you’re actually considering this ridiculous idea?!” Cen Xiangyun exclaimed.
“But it’s logical, isn’t it?” Luo Ling countered, her serious expression silencing Cen Xiangyun.
It… wasn’t that ridiculous. She couldn’t be swayed by these weirdos.
“Don’t underestimate me, I’ve impersonated a warlord’s wife before, when I was sixteen! Just like Miss Luo Ling now!” Lu Manqing said excitedly, pulling out a notebook and pen, scribbling furiously. “I’ll work out the details! Miss Cen, you can join us too, as the abandoned lover! We can create a whole soap opera!”
“Remember the student part for me,” Luo Ling reminded her, still lamenting her lost high school years.
Cen Xiangyun sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Don’t drag me into this, you lunatics…” She didn’t need a fake identity; her family was Victorian “new nobility.”
The discussion was mostly for fun. In that chaotic era, undocumented people were common.
The three-day journey passed quickly. As the darkness outside faded, replaced by a hazy gray and glimpses of Baroque architecture, Luo Ling felt a shift in eras.
The train itself had transformed from an ordinary train to a steampunk locomotive, bearing the inscription: “East India… Company?” Luo Ling read aloud, puzzled. She knew of the historical company.
“That’s the Company headquarters,” Cen Xiangyun explained. “‘Huaxing International’ was just a branch.”
Luo Ling nodded, turning her gaze to the magnificent Victorian station, a stark contrast to Jiangcheng County’s, a testament to a bygone era.
Even the station felt like an art gallery. Although briefed by Li Shaoheng, Cen Xiangyun still gawked at the unfamiliar sights.
“Miss Cen, and everyone, we’ve been expecting you.”
A man in a suit with a neat mustache approached. With his deep-set eyes, hooked nose, and curled hair, he looked like a figure from a history book. He showed Cen Xiangyun his insignia and greeted them.
“Welcome to Victoria, the Company’s golden age. I’m Enoch Edward, Company HR. Please, call me Enoch.” He spoke fluent Chinese, his gentlemanly demeanor reminding Luo Ling of Artist.
“Your carriage awaits. It might be a bumpy ride.”
Enoch gestured towards a horse-drawn carriage.
Luo Ling found the empty, quiet station strange, but stepping outside, the noise of the city hit her, figures appearing in the previously empty station.
“Platform Nine and Three-Quarters,” Enoch explained with a smile. Cross-Boundary vehicles were rare, even within the Company. The Spirit Walker, captured from Scientist, was now in the Company vault, the merit points awarded to those involved in the battle, including Luo Ling, if she joined.
Luo Ling gazed at the city, shrouded in fog, people in simple clothes, soldiers patrolling, a tense atmosphere. They had changed into period clothing: Luo Ling in a black trench coat, boots, gloves, and a wide-brimmed hat with a bow, chosen by Cen Xiangyun; Cen Xiangyun in a fitted dress; Elsa in lolita fashion; and Lu Manqing in men’s clothing, claiming it was for her “harem.” They looked like nobles, and ordinary people avoided them.
The carriage ride was bumpy. They arrived at a secluded, luxurious manor, its iron gates towering.
“Welcome to Wellington Manor, a Company office,” Enoch said. “Miss Luo Ling, please, disembark. You’ve arrived.”
“Just me?”
“Yes, the others need to report to headquarters, but you haven’t officially joined,” Enoch explained. “The Fate Society and Torchbearers are also here. They prefer not to enter Company headquarters.” This neutral meeting place was a gesture of goodwill.
Elsa tugged on Luo Ling’s sleeve, her green eyes showing reluctance, but she reassured her. “We’ll come find you later,” Cen Xiangyun added. Lu Manqing just chuckled.
Luo Ling nodded and stepped out. The carriage departed, and servants, wearing insignias like Enoch’s, led her inside. The manor was a disguise; the staff were Company employees, mostly Awakened Ones.
Inside, the manor was surprisingly modern, an office building with a time clock and meeting rooms.
“They’re probably arguing about Friday’s dinner,” the maid explained, seeing Luo Ling’s gaze linger on a meeting room. “Cheese macaroni versus dry-fried beef hor fun. I’m on team soba noodles.”
The Company’s image in Luo Ling’s mind crumbled slightly. “Are all your meetings about dinner?”
“Sometimes breakfast or lunch, but most specialists aren’t here then,” the maid replied.
“No Grotesquery strategy meetings?”
“That’s the Hillman branch. We at Wellington just charge in.” The maid, usually quiet, was now quite talkative.
Reaching a door on the third floor, the maid bowed and left. “Such professionalism,” Luo Ling thought.
Then, she overheard hushed voices.
“…Got the photo?”
“Yes! A clear shot!”
“We’re rich! Vienna will pay well!”
“No, Venice offered more!”
“She’s so popular! Why are they so interested in a minor…?”
“…Sounds dangerous…”
Luo Ling paused. The maid was selling her photos! As for their interest, it was likely her ability to traverse the Realm of Nothingness… but she hadn’t expected it to cause such a stir. She would demand a cut.
Opening the door, she entered a modern conference room, a projector and whiteboard in place. Those who could perceive the Realm of Nothingness could enter, no risk of information leakage.
Three people were present: Fiona and Cheng Jianming, and, unexpectedly but understandably, Lu Fangling, Lu Manqing’s mother. Retired and a veteran of a High-Risk Grotesquery disaster, she rarely took missions anymore. Unfortunately, she’d encountered another one. As the highest-ranking Company member present with experience in such matters, she was conducting this “interview.”
“That outfit suits you,” she greeted Luo Ling warmly.
“Thank you,” Luo Ling replied, slightly nervous facing three adults.
“No need to be nervous. This is more of you interviewing us,” Lu Fangling chuckled. “Shaoheng told me about you, but I have some questions.”
“Miss Luo, what path are you on?”
“…Judgment?” Luo Ling hesitated. Her current form had no path.
“No, your hesitation tells me otherwise. You don’t even know your true path, do you?”
The others seemed to know this, watching Luo Ling expectantly.
“That’s right,” Luo Ling admitted.
“I see. Have you… heard of the Seventh Path?”
Luo Ling shook her head. Six paths were common knowledge.
“The Harbingers call it the Original Path. We believe it’s simply outside the six,” Lu Fangling said. “There’s a theory within the Company that it’s connected to the Realm of Nothingness.”
“Are you saying… I’m on the Seventh Path?” Luo Ling asked, surprised.
“Uncertain. We need more information. You’ve shown traits of Myriad, Judgment, and even Oneiric. We need more battle data,” Lu Fangling smiled.
“So… what do you want?” Luo Ling frowned, confused.
“The Company isn’t that interested in your ability to traverse the Realm of Nothingness. But if it involves the Seventh Path…” Old Madam Lu’s meaning was clear. The Seventh Path was the selling point.
“What do I need to do?” Luo Ling asked, composing herself.
“A commission,” Old Madam Lu said. “Handle the ‘White Witch’ incident.”
“Me?” Luo Ling was taken aback.
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