Chapter 376: Chapter 375: Integrity
In response to the Mermaid Princess’s return letter, Li Ang secretly commissioned Black Fish to write several more letters, tasking the mermaids with searching for traces of the Magic Mirror Fragments. John Joyce and Julia then hurried off with these letters to the coastal region east of the Rune Kingdom to contact the mermaids there.
A few days later, the Mermaid Princess officially arrived in Mori City. John Joyce and the others, who had returned with the sixth Mirror Fragment, arrived shortly before her. A fervent atmosphere of welcome for the Mermaid Princess immediately overtook the city. Official propaganda from the Rune Kingdom completely denied rumors that mermaids were bloodthirsty, cruel creatures. Instead, they were portrayed as a marginalized new race needing protection, sympathy, and understanding.
The inhabitants of Fairy World already had a penchant for foreign, vulnerable species and were eager to show them compassion and pity. Not to mention, the entire mermaid race consisted of females. Judging by the appearance of Black Fish (post-surgery), it was even possible they were all beautiful girls. As the saying goes, "Beautiful girls are a primary productive force." Fueled by the dual excitement of welcoming a vulnerable species and the prospect of seeing beautiful girls, Mori City transformed into a sea of joy. Colorful banners adorned the streets and alleys, and mermaid-themed balloons, toys, and promotional posters were ubiquitous.
In this cheerful atmosphere, Li Ang and his companions took advantage of a rare moment of leisure, hiding in their hotel room to discuss their next plan of action.
Inside the hotel room, the Forest Witch lay in a deep, comatose sleep, an effect of the Worm in her belly (the Witch had spent most of the past few days sleeping). The players silently observed the pile of Magic Mirror Fragments laid out on the wooden table. Six Mirror Fragments of varying sizes lay there, fitting together perfectly to form a medium-sized oval mirror, its pieces joining seamlessly.
The Special Effect of the sixth fragment was then revealed to the players:
[Temporarily Undead: By touching the Magic Mirror, the user directly suffers a non-fatal injury that might occur within the next twenty-four hours. When a similar injury is encountered in the future, the user is immune to it. Must be used in conjunction with False Prophecy.]
Amidst the silence, John Joyce spoke slowly, "This mirror... it must be the final objective of our mission."
Julia nodded silently, her hand touching the cold surface of the mirror. "The mission objective states we need to bring the *complete* Magic Mirror out of the Snow Queen’s palace. This implies that simply taking these fragments into the palace and then immediately leaving won’t be enough."
"Hmm..."
Li Ang pondered for a moment, then stood up. He took the Ruitu Military Knife 300 from his inventory and applied 502 glue from one of its attachments to the cracks between the fragments. However, the mirror seemed to be made of some unknown material, as the 502 glue simply wouldn’t adhere.
Li Ang stroked his chin. He then tried the knife’s single-sided tape, double-sided tape, soldering iron, and lighter attachments in sequence, but still couldn’t get the fragments to stick together. Just as Li Ang was about to resort to mixing urine and mud as an adhesive, his teammates desperately intervened, finally persuading him to abandon the outrageous idea.
Li Ang sat back down with a hint of regret, shaking his head. "It really seems impossible to stick them together."
I mean, isn’t that obvious?! John Joyce grumbled internally, careful not to let it show on his face. Instead, he said, "We’ve gathered all the fragments, but the information we have on the Magic Mirror is still very scarce. The only two somewhat reliable pieces of information are: first, that twenty years ago, a meteor streaked across the sky above the Kingdom of Elendale. This timing almost exactly coincides with when the Snow Queen began to exhibit her extraordinary abilities. Second, ten years ago, a mountain north of the Rune Kingdom Capital was suddenly struck by a blizzard. The once-lush forest was completely buried under ice and snow. Even in the peak of summer, the snow on the mountaintop never melts. The official explanation was a weather anomaly. However, soon after, the Snow Queen conjured the Snow Palace out of thin air on that very mountain and has resided there ever since. The connection between these two events is still unknown."
Smoker scratched his head in annoyance. "So, we have no choice but to sneak into the palace?"
"I wouldn’t recommend that personally," John Joyce said slowly. "The Magic Mirror Fragments can’t be placed into inventory slots. This means if we carry the fragments into the palace, or even just approach it, there’s a high probability the Snow Queen herself will detect us. Moreover, that snow mountain is steep, treacherous, and heavily guarded. Magical creatures loyal to the Snow Queen are on constant watch everywhere. If we’re discovered, there’ll be nowhere to run."
"It really is difficult," Bob frowned and said. "But then again, it seems the Queen hasn’t appeared in public for quite a while. Even distinguished nobles from the Rune Kingdom, when they come to the capital to report on their duties, rarely get a chance to enter and meet the Queen in person. Perhaps she’s in some kind of predicament—like an illness, poisoning, or has Lost Control of her Mana—which prevents her from leaving the palace..."
Julia nodded. "We also have to consider the possibility that Princess Anna is the true antagonist of this scenario. Since the Snow Queen went into seclusion, Princess Anna has effectively become the Leader of the major kingdoms. Perhaps she has used some method to confine, imprison, or even directly murder the Snow Queen."
"That Princess Anna..." Li Ang flipped through the intelligence reports the players had gathered. "Princess Anna supposedly resides in the Governor’s mansion in the Rune Kingdom Capital," he said casually. "She usually handles state affairs and receives guests there. Maybe we can consider starting with her..."
A glint flashed in Bob’s eyes. "Are you suggesting we pose as part of the Eastern Monk delegation, enter the Rune Kingdom Capital with the Mermaid Visiting Team, secure an audience with Princess Anna, and then trick her into taking us to the Snow Palace?"
"What? Deceive?" Li Ang looked completely baffled. "What kind of image do I have in your eyes? A villain who stops at nothing to achieve his goals?"
...Isn’t that the case? his companions thought, turning their faces away.
Li Ang watched them. Feeling a pang of sadness at being misunderstood, he sighed. "Although I don’t really care, your default assumption that I’m the villain still pisses me off."
Bob rubbed his hands awkwardly. "Then what is your plan?"
Li Ang’s expression turned serious. "Naturally, we try diplomacy before force! We’ll see if we can deal with Princess Anna peacefully. If she’s willing to let us into the palace, great. If not..." He paused, a glint in his eye.
"Then we’ll employ some necessary measures.
"For example: kidnapping her, her lover, or her illegitimate child.
"Taking secret photos of her.
"Uncovering her fatal scandals.
"Sneaking into her mansion to play ghost, driving her to a nervous breakdown until she has no choice but to hire the Eastern Exorcist Team.
"Spreading rumors in the city that Princess Anna wants to rebel and declare independence, forcing a split between the sisters.
"Poisoning the well at Princess Anna’s mansion, compelling her to hire a renowned Eastern physician for a house call.
"Or, poisoning the Mermaid Visiting Team. When the poison takes effect during their audience with the Queen in the Snow Palace, we, posing as Eastern physicians, can legitimately enter the palace to administer emergency aid.
"As long as our thinking stays flexible, there are always more solutions than problems. The best way to solve a problem is to face it head-on. Understand?"
"..."
The other teammates listened, dumbfounded. John Joyce wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow. Smoker looked on with a mixture of awe and fear, while Bob’s expression clearly said, Alright, you truly have no lower limit. I lose, and I’m not even mad.