NABC Chapter 4280 A Sultry Morning
Chapter 4280 A Sultry Morning
Chapter 4280 A Sultry Morning
Kingdom flags fluttered on every pillar of the platform, and people crowded together discussing Princess Margaret's performance during her inspection of the front lines, while plainclothes agents were clearly observing for any suspicious individuals.
As the de facto controller of Grayrock Pass Fortress, Vigo was naturally involved in the formulation of the security plan, so Shad was not surprised by the scene. He did not push his way to the front of the gentlemen and ladies in formal attire and evening gowns, but instead stood at the back of the crowd, using his height advantage to look ahead.
Local nobles, city hall officials, and Vige were all in the front row. Vige was wearing a dignified black-purple long dress that Shade had never seen before. Considering the bright sunshine and the fact that Vige was wearing such a heavy dress in early summer, Shade was quite worried about her.
But what worried Xia De even more was Margaret. He had encountered many assassination attempts against members of the royal family in the past two years. Although Margaret was certainly not afraid of bullets or steam bombs with her current abilities, she was, after all, the girl loved by a stranger, and he still did not want Margaret to be in danger.
So while waiting for the "Princess Train," which was indeed delayed, Shad fulfilled his duty as a "Grey Hawk," looking around to see if anyone in the crowd looked like an assassin. He then discovered that most people were just feeling the heat; unfortunately, today was the hottest day in recent times.
Flora and Adelina were naturally not present, nor was Eve; only the housekeeper, Miss Lorraine, accompanied Viggo. Viggo was engaged in conversation with the important figures in the front row and did not turn around to look for Shad. However, Miss Lorraine did see Shad, but the two did not speak. Shad noticed that Miss Lorraine was dressed quite warmly today.
"It feels like summer has arrived all of a sudden."
He thought to himself, while "she" responded with a smile:
With the arrival of summer, the sun's power is amplified. Having passed through the burgeoning spring, summer is the season for life to flourish.
"I feel like you're talking about a riddle."
Shad responded, already thinking about finding a suitable day to bathe the cat again soon. The last time he bathed Mia was before spring. Although the cat had always been soft and fragrant, as Mia's owner, Shad still felt he had to fulfill his duty.
"I'm coming!"
The train, which was scheduled to arrive at 10:00, finally appeared in the distance at 10:20. The crowd stirred, and the band, dressed in heavy uniforms, hurriedly began to play. Wei Ge and the people standing in the front row adjusted their clothes and expressions, preparing to be captured by reporters' cameras.
The train roared in, and amidst the whooshing sound, Shad heard Viggo cough again. When the train came to a smooth stop, and the royal attendants filed out, lining both sides of the red carpet prepared beforehand on the platform, Margaret finally appeared.
The princess was not wearing a formal gown today, nor was she wearing a puffy skirt or a corset. Instead, she was wearing the women's military uniform that she had been frequently seen wearing in the newspapers recently.
This was the first time Shad had seen Margaret in this style of clothing, and she looked even more dashing than usual. The crisp, dark green military uniform was tailored to fit her figure perfectly, the cinched waist making Margaret appear even more tall and slender. The epaulettes on her shoulders were adorned with delicate gilded patterns, and her long hair, styled in a bun, was tucked inside her military cap, with only a few stray strands falling at her temples.
Margaret certainly wouldn't wear this outfit and put on makeup, but her natural beauty made her appear even more authentic than usual. Her increasingly refined features, enhanced by her status as a witch's apprentice, paired with this smart military uniform, gave her both the innate elegance and dignity of a princess and the decisive, sharp spirit unique to military attire. At this moment, everyone would admire Margaret's presence.
Do I need to remind you on some future nights to have Margaret Anjou wear this dress?
Despite the surrounding cheers and music, "her" voice still clearly reached Shad's ears. Shad instinctively wanted to respond, but immediately realized it was a trap:
"What are you saying? I'm not that kind of person. But Margaret really does look elegant in this outfit."
No assassins appeared. Xia De suspected that even if there were assassins, they would be forced to leave the station temporarily and go outside for some fresh air due to the sweltering weather.
The trains parked on the platform blocked the largest airflow path, and as Margaret stood on the red carpet giving her short speech to a barrage of flashing lights, Shad felt the temperature rise by at least five degrees.
He could see the sweat on the neck of the gentleman in the black top hat in front of him, and he could smell the increasingly foul air around him. In fact, the outsider had already learned his lesson: in the summer after arriving in this world, he should never stand in crowds unless absolutely necessary. The mixture of body odor and various perfumes made him feel nauseous.
"Therefore, the efforts of the great Kasenrik and his loyal soldiers together forged in this era a name that is..."
Margaret paused during her speech as the baron standing to her left rear swayed and then collapsed, but was quickly caught by others nearby; he had clearly suffered heatstroke.
However, this did not cause a disturbance, and Margaret quickly continued her speech, though she was clearly worried that more people would suffer from heatstroke, so she spoke a little faster.
After her speech at the train station, Margaret and the key figures in her observation group went to the banquet hall in the Grayrock Pass fortress, the same place where the two commanders of Grayrock Pass had hosted lunch for Shad and Viggo a few days earlier.
Shad did not see Sylvia. As the princess's tutor and private physician, Sylvia should have gone ahead with the others to the White Cliff Manor where Margaret was staying to settle her luggage. After all, Shad and Vigo were there, so she didn't need to worry.
Margaret will have lunch in the banquet hall and deliver a formal speech. The formal welcome banquet will be held the day after tomorrow, Saturday evening.
Instead of following the crowd to the old banquet hall, Xia De rested outside the train station for a while. He also had an invitation to the banquet hall, but it seemed there was no major problem with the welcome event, so there was no point in him attending the midday event.
"Why don't we go find Sylvia? She's packed her bags and should be heading to Fragrant Mansion. But Viggo said she'll be taking me to check on the patients with narcolepsy later."
Shad's eyes turned towards the eastern side of the Grayrock Pass fortress:
"Wait a minute, now that I'm here, I can go and check the situation myself."
Most of the victims of narcolepsy were refugees from other places. Instead of being resettled in the city, they were transferred to the Gray Rock Pass Wounded Soldiers Hospital, which was under construction and in use at the time.
The number of victims was large, and the church used an entire floor specifically to house them. Although the church guarded that floor, Shad still managed to sneak in.
There was a pungent smell in the newly built hospital building, but Xia De didn't pay it any mind. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he casually walked into a ward. The room was even more stuffy than outside, and there were six beds in total. He found a bed in the corner of the ward, lifted the curtain and rushed in, placing his hand on the forehead of the unconscious old man.
Xia De frowned slightly:
“There were indeed whispering elements, but I also felt the power of a curse.”
The souls of these patients with narcolepsy are not the problem; their mental energy fluctuates like that of someone in a vegetative state. The vibrant life force within their bodies is even more exaggerated than what Viggo described to Xia De yesterday.
These are normal life forces, but in a place like Arcadia, the sheer volume of these life forces will inevitably attract abnormal life sparks. If the problem of narcolepsy cannot be resolved, the lives of these people are not the most serious issue; what is more terrifying is that all of them have the potential to become special beings manipulated by these abnormal life sparks.
However, the vigorous vitality also had its advantages; at least the church didn't need to worry about the comatose patients suffering from malnutrition. Life force continuously replenished their bodies from an unknown source, and Shad even felt they weren't like humans, but rather like thriving trees.
The root of the problem lies in dreams, and the best way to solve it is naturally to investigate what exactly is happening in these people's dreams. The church should be making preparations and will likely take action soon.
Shad decided to first see if the church could resolve the issue, or rather, he wanted to find out who was behind this. After examining the victims' conditions, Shad was almost certain that this was not a natural phenomenon.
He then examined several other patients with narcolepsy, and the results were largely the same, with no significant differences. This was the best conclusion one could reach based solely on perception in the real world.
Speaking of entering dreams, Shad thought of the doctor again, and speaking of the doctor naturally brings to mind the demon. Shad had considered whether this matter was related to the demon; he even took out the [Demon Hunter's Seal] and tested it on the victims, but neither Shad himself nor the relic could sense the demon's power.
"Let's wait for the church's investigation results."
The "visit" to the patient went even more smoothly than Shad had expected. When he left the hospital, it was still noon. Shad recalled Margaret's schedule; she should have been preparing to give a public speech at this time.
He thought for a moment and decided against going to the banquet hall. Instead, he sat down at an outdoor table outside a roadside restaurant. The location was very conspicuous; if anything happened, the girls could easily find him.
What should we eat for lunch?
This was the biggest problem that Schade thought of when the waiter approached him.
PS: Image 1 is the original Margaret, and image 2 is the military uniform skin Margaret.
The original Victorian military uniforms weren't very attractive, but after some modifications, they look alright.