novelraw #190 - Section 190
#190 - Section 190
In a corner of a certain reading room, Shana had a thick tome open in front of her, muttering as she watched the snowflakes outside:
"Boring humans, always adding these inexplicable holidays to time. I definitely don't want to celebrate the New Year!"
At that moment, looking at the empty tables, she felt loneliness for the first time in her life.
Chapter 166: Angel, Cat, and Cicada
Harm is always revealed through comparison.
On normal days, it wasn't so obvious since everyone was just reading, but during this New Year when happiness was spreading to the vast majority of the empire's people, Shana, all alone, only felt even more isolated.
The whole world is happy, but my joys and sorrows are not connected to theirs.
During the day it was still bearable, but as evening approached, the shops on the street closed early, and pedestrians braved the wind and snow to return home early. Even the most diligent mages in the grand library put down their books to indulge themselves for half a day.
Even if someone forgot the time, there would be relatives, friends, or teachers to remind them.
Like after school, when the blizzard was so low that the sky seemed to touch the top of their heads, all the students were picked up by their parents, except for her, who was left alone and unclaimed.
She told herself countless times that she didn't care about this loneliness, that a proud little angel could live well on her own.
But in the entire reading room, only her shadow intertwined with the table, constantly reminding her that the world was so big, and only she was single...
The automatic magic puppet responsible for cleaning the entire venue patrolled as usual, stopping strangely for a moment when passing Shana.
Then, a hatch opened on the puppet's chest, and it took out a large plush bear doll, placed it opposite Shana, and slowly continued cleaning.
Shana: "..."
Even the magic puppet thinks I'm pitiful, and sent a doll to cure my loneliness?
Aww!
She let out a sound like a wounded lone wolf!
It's all Roger's fault, that idiot. He doesn't know how to treat a little angel and messed everything up...
The book in her hand hadn't been turned for a long time.
So, this is what loneliness feels like. So, she craves friends.
In her memories as an angel, she didn't need friends. Dedicating everything to God was the meaning of her existence.
In her memories as a princess of a fallen country, she didn't need friends either. The mission on her shoulders weighed her down, and everyone around her was a bargaining chip to be sacrificed.
But now, as a free projection, seeing this prosperous world, seeing ordinary people walking in the mortal world with liveliness and relaxation, she couldn't help but envy them, no matter how unwilling she was to admit it.
Shana closed the book in her hand, pushed it in front of the plush bear, and walked out of the grand library with her head held high.
Screw reading. Tonight, I'll just wander outside until dawn, and not be laughed at by a magic puppet here!
At this time, Shana was wearing a light yellow windbreaker and a black and red plaid scarf, looking no different from the young and fashionable girls of the City of Mysteries.
She was already beautiful, and the pout she made when sulking made her look quite lovable.
She wasn't some peerless powerhouse at all, but clearly just a stubborn girl arguing with her family.
Walking slowly out of the grand library, she stretched out her hand, and snowflakes fell on her palm, melting into crystal clear water droplets with the heat of her palm. When the wind blew, she only felt particularly cold.
Hateful weather, hateful city!
The usually bustling commercial district was so desolate and quiet that it made her feel as if she had been abandoned by the world. The constantly falling snow covered the traces of others, and her own footprints stretched endlessly as she looked back...
"Meow—"
A soft cry attracted Shana's keen senses.
She followed the sound and walked slowly, seeing a broken hole in the wall hidden by a trash can, forming an extremely crude and drafty little nest.
The scene in the nest, on this peaceful and joyful night, seemed particularly miserable:
A calico mother cat had its hind legs and abdomen bitten off by some wild beast, but it still relied on its perseverance to return to the nest. Several kittens less than a month old surrounded their mother, trying to draw the last warmth and milk from her.
But it was ultimately a fatal wound.
The mother cat's body was already cold and stiff, and most of the kittens had also died from hunger and cold, leaving only the last one, a completely black kitten, still trembling.
It was very cold and very hungry, biting the mother cat's shriveled nipples, trying to make a final effort, and meowing anxiously because it got nothing.
"You're also lonely, aren't you?"
Shana squatted down, reached out and picked up the black kitten, then put it in her arms, warming it with her body temperature.
She raised her head, her gaze swept over the buildings in front, and on a certain abundant dining table, a shallow layer of cream soup suddenly disappeared.
White liquid appeared in Shana's palm, quickly blown by the cold wind to a temperature close to body temperature.
The black kitten was attracted by the smell of food, poked its head out, looking at her palm with anticipation, but dared not go forward.
"Eat, eat. Even if you can't digest it, I know healing magic!" Shana encouraged it, but she wasn't sure what this newborn fragile life should eat after being separated from its mother's milk.
The black kitten raised its head, looking at this two-legged beast with doubt, feeling that she was a bit unreliable.
But it still couldn't resist the temptation of food, tentatively licked the cream soup close to its face, and then became uncontrollable, licking it clean with hunger and thirst.
A gust of wind came, pushing the accumulated snow to cover the mother cat and those kittens' corpses. Shana walked away with the black kitten.
The black kitten clung to her, drawing warmth, but not fully trusting her, instinctively trembling with fear of the unfamiliar environment and people.
This made Shana feel a little itchy, and also feel its heartbeat, which was much stronger and more powerful after replenishing food.
It also made her feel less lonely.
It's still so small, relying on me, unable to leave me. Without me, it would definitely not be able to survive in this world, right?
So before it grows up, I must live well and not have any accidents!
Shana suddenly found a support for her future life in another life.
Even a cat can become my friend, right?
The one person and one cat walked further and further away, soon leaving the alley.
The mother cat's corpse in the snow flickered a few times, turning into a handsome boy in a small skirt.
Those kittens' corpses turned into spots of light and merged into his body, recalling the warm scene just now, and couldn't help but reveal a smile: "It seems like Afu was helped, but actually Afu healed someone else's heart~"
Suddenly, Shana's whisper came in the wind:
"Seeing that you are completely black, without a single stray hair, then I'll call you Little White from now on, okay?"
"Meow?" The black kitten raised its head as if understanding, instinctively feeling that this cat owner might be really unreliable.
Afu's face changed slightly after hearing this.
If you can't come up with a name, you don't have to. Do you still have Lady Xia Ti's poison on you?
……
……
Xinghan Palace, side hall.
The ball belonging to the true ruler of this empire was continuing, and among them were many like Dio, who entered the empire's political stage after conditions matured as commoner officials.
However, only a hundred people were involved, covering various fields such as the empire's internal affairs, military affairs, and scientific research. They were all subjects that the Eternal Night Empress was focusing on cultivating.
What's quite interesting is that the members of the council, who are regarded by the empire's people as a check on imperial power, are not a mandatory requirement for attending this ball.
This shows from the side that the Imperial Council does not have the power that outsiders imagine. This is the opposite of constitutional monarchy—giving centralized power a democratic veneer, doing things for show, and using propaganda to make the people in the surrounding areas believe that the Qing Teng Empire is progressive.
If it weren't too troublesome to change the name, even the name 'Empire' could be changed.
Anyway, it's just a propaganda slogan. As long as I still have the power in essence, the Eternal Night Empress said that we can also slowly claim the throne.
This gathering has also become an exchange meeting for the empire's young talents.
Many of these young and promising people in the empire are not yet the top leaders in charge of military and political affairs, but given time, being appreciated by the Eternal Night Empress is the fast track to rising in this country.
Getting to know such colleagues and making friends will make it more convenient to handle affairs in the future.
However, even the most talented geniuses, in today's occasion, restrain their posture and maintain a low profile.
No matter how talented you are, can you compare to Duke Roger?
He is a ruthless person who killed back and forth within the territory of the Qing Teng Empire.
Compared to his peers, even young officials who are appreciated and intentionally cultivated by the Eternal Night Empress are mostly still in the stage of enriching their wings, accumulating qualifications in their positions, and honing their abilities.
Putting Roger into the cabinet before was to play the catfish effect, stimulating some lazy subordinates to cheer up.
As a result, in less than a year, this catfish grew into a shark, created the empire's intelligence system, and stared at all the officials with vigilance. The deterrent power was quite sufficient.
But the atmosphere was still quite relaxed. After removing the nobles from the ruling class, the empire's atmosphere became more pragmatic, with fewer formalities. Everyone's interactions did not value titles, and ability and character were more important.
If the empire continues to exist, one day this world will no longer value bloodlines and origins. Mastering knowledge is the only standard for measuring progress.
Roger also met many new faces and learned about the direct descendants that the Eternal Night Empress had quietly developed.
Of course, when it comes to background, there are actually more nobles. There are many younger sons of small families and declining collateral branches. Originally, in the empire's customs, unless they made military achievements, they would never have a chance to enter the political center in their lives.
Fortunately, now the Eternal Night Empress has established an official assessment similar to the civil service exam in later generations. A group of administrative officials with a higher level of education and more flexible minds have been selected.
Although commoners and nobles are not limited to participate, nobles still took a big advantage in such selections because of the literacy rate.
However, because the base number of commoners is high enough, and there are also many magical apprentices with average talent, after discovering that they can't go far on the path of cultivating magic, they choose to serve as administrative officials.
In a fall and half a winter, four months, these officials quickly adapted to their roles, and most of them did well in their positions.
To some extent, it is also because the ruling level of this era is really too poor.
Replacing those confused nobles, and randomly replacing them with an official with brains and not so much selfishness, can make some achievements compared to the past.
At this time, the empire is like pioneering for the officials. The newly divided provinces, prefectures, and counties need to supplement a large number of officials, and opportunities to make meritorious deeds are everywhere.
What officials should pay attention to is, instead, not being too greedy for success, and leaving room for progress for next year and the year after.
When the Dark Night Guard conducted performance spot checks, they found many such cases: obviously made a 200% increase in production, many people only reported 150%, fearing that the assessment indicators sent down next year would be numbers they could not complete, or that this year's good year was just a flash in the pan.
Roger was noncommittal about this conservative phenomenon, and did not pursue it.
Just waiting for next year, as the empire's technology continues to be updated, to give these officials confidence with faster growth figures.
When the people's enthusiasm for production is released, and productivity is also constantly upgrading technologically, what it brings is the speed of development that subverts the empire's inertial thinking.
Looking at the colleagues who came up to clink glasses today, he did not mention these pictures that will look good in the future, chatting and bragging to get to know each other with a smile, and at the same time encouraging them to continue to shine and generate heat.
Roger has a young face, but his actual age is definitely the youngest here.
The 'young talents' in the officialdom, those who understand, understand, those under forty are promising young people.
So encountering Roger, a real young man, encouraging those who can be his uncles with a serious face to perform well, this picture is very strange to say the least.
But his position as the head of the East Factory and the Minister of Personnel is here. Few officials dare to talk back when he trains people, let alone this kind of auspicious words full of encouragement?
Not strange, not strange at all. After all, the Empress is only in her twenties, and everyone is used to this world belonging to young people (no joy or sorrow)
"Relying on youth to sell old age" can only praise the empire's officials for being young, with a promising future, and a young team, right?
Just when Roger was in the center of the crowd, being flattered by officials from all walks of life, a pair of resentful eyes always followed her.
The air pressure around Margaret was very low again, so low that the subordinates of the military department were eager to try.
If it weren't for the New Year, I really wanted to listen to the Prime Minister's crisp scolding, to ensure a comfortable feeling!
But considering that the Eternal Night Empress was still in the venue, receiving the blessings and statements of duties from the true feudal officials, stimulating the little devil to make some inappropriate remarks would be pursued afterwards.
So Margaret once again put on an isolated and helpless mode in this imperial officialdom, constantly drinking silently, looking at the liveliness on Roger's side, quite unhappy.
These idiots don't know that this guy is the most ruthless and ungrateful. No matter how good the relationship is, he won't give you any chance if you don't handle things well...
Instead of wasting time on this kind of social interaction, it's better to think about how to do your job well!
The main thing is, you are all surrounding there, blocking the way of the little grandmother!
Yes, Margaret also wanted to say hello, and by the way, ask about Dio's recent situation.
After Roger's main body was stationed in the capital, Dio found an excuse to temporarily go offline.
Anyway, his Minister of History is just cooperating with the Eternal Night Empress to vote and make up the numbers in the cabinet meeting. There are no actual responsibilities, and being invisible will not have any impact on the empire's situation.
But the impact on Margaret is great.
This is her only friend. Although he occasionally sends postcards saying that everything is fine, it makes the little fan feel even more uncomfortable.
Some people always feel cherished after losing them.