After receiving direct confirmation that Mr. Ryujin had been dropped off at the apartment, Shinso and Losalzo finally left the room. They walked into the dimly-lit hallways, the faintly glowing candles castling entangled shadows off the stone walls of the manor. In the dim lighting, the portraits of various scenes and people couldn’t help but appear all the more eerie.

  Shinso internally shivered, looking to the black-haired vulpur beside him. While waiting for their reply, he and Losalzo had remained alone in the room for an unknown amount of time, but neither had launched an attack on the other—Losalzo even let him keep the Sword of Judgement on the terms that he wouldn’t harm him.

  At that moment, countless thoughts echoed within Shinso’s mind. Losalzo had confirmed that Isaac was indeed alive, but the boy's appearance was borderline unrecognizable aside from his face. His hair had darkened and grown longer, and his clothing made him look more like a farmer than a city-goer.

  Shinso silently clenched his fists and suppressed a cough, finally speaking up in a bid to slice the silence of their walk.

  “Will I ever get to see him again?” Shinso had known Losalzo would’ve been monitoring his actions the past few minutes, silently scanning him for any traces of betrayal or disdain. Utilizing this information, he deduced Losalzo would know exactly who he was talking about.

  The black-haired vulpur’s tail twitched behind him, silently coiling around his inner leg like it had a mind of its own.

  “With time you will. At this moment, preventing cataclysmic effects is our goal.”

  Although Shinso simply nodded in response to his words, he still feigned palpable disappointment.

  “May I ask where we’re going?” Shinso made a bid to change the subject, inquiring on their current trajectory.

  “The head of it all. From our intelligence, Francis and Fatima have already ventured to the Agricultural District, presented their technology and formulas, and have begun collaboration in regards to the current situation.”

  Shinso couldn’t help but chuckle dryly, swinging a foot out. “I thought they’d be kicked out, isn’t Seraphis Kingdom a highly conservative place, not… really liking vulpurs like you?”

  Losalzo bit his lip with his two fangs, his eyes narrowing into contemplative slits. He thought back to the reactions the border garrisons had given him and his friends as they entered the kingdom, noticing their sharp eyes and permeating glares.

  “Honeslty, I’m just coloring ourselves lucky we didn’t stumble into somewhere like Lowhang—that village quite literally tossed vulpurs out.”

  “Damn.” Shinso gawked, trying to hide his subtle amusement with the situation.

  Losalzo suddenly placed his warm, paw-like hand on the back of Shinso’s neck, guiding him forward.

  “Anyways, we can take a carriage there.”

  …

  “By the heavens…”

  Half of the Agricultural District was already gawking at the duo as the potion began its processes on a spare piece of fruit. An apple—once a grain-sized seed—had grown to the size of a watermelon in under five minutes!

  Francis grabbed the large piece of fruit as Fatima reached into her dress pocket, taking out an animal-skin covering for her neckline. She wrapped it around herself and sat down at the nearest bench, gesturing for utensils.

  “We’ll need to conduct a quality test before this. That way, we can ensure it's safe to eat.”

  As a few workers disappeared into other rooms to search for the required items, the blonde-haired man working within the building scoffed lightly.

  “But there is a flaw in your logic. We don’t know how vulpur immune systems work. Who knows, you could digest pure magma and walk away as if you had a Sunday brunch.”

  Fatima shook her head, twirling her dark-blue hair in between her paw-like fingers. “One of Emperor Katsuki’s servants, Demetrius, has lived and worked in the palace for as long as he can remember. When we came here and got situated, Demetruis—while giving us tea—recalled a time he attended a ball. There were lush, leafy salads, hearty meats, and the finest, most succulent wine the tongue could touch.

  “Unfortunately, after sampling some with his fellow servants, he rushed away to the bathroom and threw up violently. Emperor Katsuki was repulsed by both his smell and his stained attire, but the other emperor was concerned about what happened. When asked, Demetruis told him about the food poisoning, and a quality inspection was enacted shortly after this.”

  Francis chuckled. “While everyone was pretty in a twist for having to leave so quickly, they did find… mold in some of the beef that had been eaten.”

  “H-how long ago was this?” The blonde-man asked, crossing his arms.

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  “From what Demetruis told us, approximately about a year or two ago, before the current situation.”

  The front doors of the Agricultural District head building suddenly opened, and Losalzo, clad in formal black attire, alongside Shinso, entered the room, approaching the two vulpurs and the blonde man. Seeing the duo, Losalzo flaunted a small grin and growled.

  “Have they been giving you trouble, sir?” He turned to the blonde man, asking a question.

  The blonde man gulped, running a hand through his hair—a small sheen of sweat coated his now crimson face; his voice carried a subtle tremble as he replied.

  “None at all, sir.”

  Without waiting for a reply, he continued speaking. “How may I address you?”

  “Mr. Losalzo, a worker from the Indun Empire, commissioned by an advisor of Emperor Katsuki himself to help around here.”

  He nodded in response, shaking his hand. “It’s great to have you here.”

  Seeing the peculiar change in reaction, Shinso raised an eyebrow. “He didn’t look too friendly when we entered the room, why’s he all giddy now?”

  Losalzo looked down at Shinso, chuckling deeply. “Maybe it’s my grandeur, or everyone here lacks balls. After all, I am a towering vulpur, and I don’t look like I’d attend a banquet.”

  Losalzo suddenly cleared his throat, speaking in a more formal manner. “We’re here to discuss the current implications of this crisis, so if you would lead the way to somewhere more… confidential?”

  He nodded. “You may address me as Harry.”

  Harry left the room, with Shinso and Losalzo trailing behind him. They navigated a few chambers and tunnels within the agricultural building. On either end of the hallways, Shinso and Losalzo would often see lush botanical gardens, the glass often dripping with condensation and humidity. Shinso felt his face heat a little as he naturally unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt.

  Noticing this, the blonde man sighed with amusement. “I take it that the temperature here isn’t that enjoyable?”

  Shinso nodded. “Indeed.”

  “Well, the plants need it to flourish and survive; it’s Mother Nature’s bidding after all.”

  They walked in silence for a few more moments before stopping in front of a wooden door. Harry pushed it open and stepped inside. Losalzo’s eyes widened upon seeing the interior of the room. The circumference of the room was decked head-to-toe in plants, lush bushes, and colorful flowers. A small stone fountain was positioned in the center of the room, and numerous wooden tables were scattered leisurely across the garden-like expanse.

  “We usually use this as a game room, but it’s often closed on holy days such as this,” Harry explained as he stepped into the room, looking back at them once-more.

  Shinso and Losalzo stepped into the room, looking around at everything present. Shinso habitually flinched the moment a small cardinal landed on his shoulder.

  “You have… birds in here?”

  Harry nodded. “We call this gameroom the Oasis.”

  “Ah.” Shinso nodded, clicking his tongue deprecatingly.

  The trio got themselves situated on a bench overlooking a small man-made pond in the corner of the garden. Inside the dark-blue, murky depths of the water, Shinso watched as countless small fishes swam around, either remaining within eye-shot or fleeing to darker corners of the enclosure. The edges of Losalzo’s lips twitched, a sliver of drool escaping his mouth.

  “No, you can’t eat them.” Harry sat down across from them, the only thing separating them being a wooden table.

  He reached into his pocket, taking out a deck of playing cards and laying them out. “Mind if I fancy a game?”

  “There’s no need for that—”

  Before Shinso could finish his sentence, Losalzo slammed both hands on the table as he smiled. “I’d love that!”

  Everyone fell silent, palpably taken aback by the vulpurs eccentric eagerness. After a moment, Harry laughed and adjusted his collar, spreading the cards out whilst shuffling them, before giving one half to Losalzo.

  “Now, about this crisis… What do you need information on?”

  “Pretty much everything,” Shinso replied as he crossed his arms, his voice taking a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Right.” Harry cleared his throat as he mentally began to recall countless details. “The crisis stemmed from… An unknown cause from what we could gather.”

  “Elaborate.” Losalzo immediately stopped shuffling his deck, shooting the blonde-haired man a skeptical look.

  Harry nodded. “This crisis stems from about a month back. When we were analyzing a bustle of vegetables coming from border-residing farmers, we found the vegetables to contain strange qualities.”

  “Strange qualities? What exactly was wrong with them?” Shinso asked.

  “They were hollow on the inside, except for an… eerie red-colored powder and darkened seeds.”

  For reference, Harry extended his palm, emerald-colored light diffusing into the shape of two seeds. One of them was brown-colored, while another was a deep shade of black.

  “These were the samples harvested from our markets. One, as you see, looks normal. While the other… doesn’t.

  “And before you say it would be a defect with this one seed, this is the case with the entire batch.”

  “What exactly makes you think the seeds are not safe to plant?” Losalzo questioned.

  Although he now knew the state of the vegetables in terms of interior materials—a strange crimson-colored powder—he still held suspicions on the probability of these issues bubbling if they were to grow during another season.

  Harry replied with an ambiguous expression. “We acted rationally, sending these strange samples over to the Pollinators for inspection, but we never received a reply from them on this matter… they haven’t even paid us a visit.”

  “Really? I thought Humphrey would know details regarding this matter.” Shinso tensed a little.

  “We can only assume two things: either they did and they’re so engulfed in research to receive a reply, or—”

  Crimson blood gushed from Harry’s throat as Losalzo’s claws dug deep into the tender, thin skin. The vulpurs claws dug deeper, locating the man's windpipe and crushing it in between his tender, furry fingers. Shinso watched, pale and unable to move. He looked at Losalzo, sputtering.

  “W-what… why?”

  Losalzo, on the other hand, looked different. His eyes, previously a black color, were now crimson red. The vulpur spoke slowly as he watched the man bleed out, crimson blood pooling into the small pond behind him.

  “The Lord calls upon thee, bringeth him back from the ashes and rejoice as a phoenix.”

  Harry’s eyes suddenly shot open, his previously green pupils now a deep, eerie red. The blood slowly stopped flowing from his throat as he stood up, skin, muscle, and tissue overlapping and stitching over the wound. Soon enough, the previously horrifying gash on Harry’s throat appeared as if it never happened.

  The man sat down and sighed, grabbing his deck of playing cards and smiling. “Due to the urgency of this matter, I’ll send a small division over to the Mother Nature cathedral for a proper investigation.”

  Shinso suddenly felt his thoughts turn hazy and muddled, making him slump forward and take deep, shaky breaths. The moment he blinked, everything returned to normal. They were still in the botanical garden, playing cards with Harry. Losalzo tapped him on the shoulder, chuckling.

  “Kid, did you really fall asleep just now?”