Chapter 272 - Scattered Thoughts

Earlier that night, as the sun set and Nilya was just entering the Trial of Requirement, a rented hansom was making a journey up the side of a hill that overlooked Noga City. 

The coral light of the setting sun glinted off the river that wound its way peacefully through the city as gas lit lanterns twinkled to life in the streets below.

Finn’s eyes were shadowed as he looked out at the picturesque view, his chin resting against his arm that was propped up against the open side of the vehicle.

“It should be about now…” He muttered to himself, thinking about the operation that was taking place in the southern part of the province.

The capture of the head of the Cloud Peak monastery would be the crowning achievement of his nearly two-month long campaign to round up the monks responsible for the attempted God of Life’s resurrection. This was the last task for the two members of his team that had worked closely with him in this campaign. Castille Wren and Man Hong Leung were capable Apprentices, with good intuition and the ability to make on-the-spot decisions. 

Though he would have liked to be part of the operation himself, he was dragged away by his numerous other responsibilities. Still, he was confident in their plan. Taking out a Disciple was tricky, particularly since their goal was to capture the Abbott if possible. Therefore Finn had decided to make use of his connection with Colonel Gwynn to bring in a Disciple-heavy military squad to assist Wren and Leung.

From a telegram sent in the morning, Captain Shu Xing Ran and his men had already engaged twice with the Abbott and weakened him. They were planning to launch the final operation in the evening before the Abbott had a chance to recover.

Finn nodded to himself, trusting in the capability of the military and his officers.

Overall, this went fairly smoothly. The monks haven’t appeared to be willing to fight, they only seem to be fleeing the province to avoid being charged for their crimes. Even the operations against the Abbott have had no casualties. Finn had received many a glowing review over the past few weeks, and yet somehow he couldn’t relax. Something bothered him. He couldn’t repress the feeling that he’d missed an important fact about the entire situation.

He felt a pang of regret at not being able to be present in the final operation.

“Or maybe I’m just tired…” Finn muttered, rubbing his eyes and the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, “Perhaps we’ll learn something once we have the Abbott in our custody…”

He had now been awake for a day and a half without more than a few minutes to close his eyes at a time. Earlier in the afternoon he had really felt the exhaustion seeping into his muscles, but sleep was the last thing on his mind.

“Speaking of custody…” Finn frowned.

Is this the last time I’ll see this view? Finn finished the sentence in his mind as his thoughts took a morbid turn. His serious eyes sparkled from the reflection of the city lights as he took in the beauty of the city below. The cool mid-summer breeze brushed through his hair and birds chirped in the manicured trees as they passed through the peaceful surroundings of the well-off neighborhood. No, not just this view. This could be the last night of my life.

The official decree from the Ministry of Security hung loosely in his hand. He had read over it multiple times, trying to glean any bit of information from it that might help him in the task detailed within.

The language was simple and straightforward. Char Char Zhao was to be brought to the Cathedral before midnight to be held in custody of the Ministry. As her official caretaker, Finn was tasked with fulfilling this request.

Following the orders, a caveat had been added that this was a matter of national security and that Finn had authority to arrest or charge any parties which resisted Char Char’s return to the Ministry’s custody. 

“The charge is high treason…” Finn muttered, “If it’s revealed that I’m the reason that Char Char isn’t at the Zhao Manor, I’ll definitely suffer the full extent of punishment.”

That punishment more than likely being death. And possibly not a swift one. High treason was the most severe crime, a crime that affected the safety and security of Lord Noga or the nation. This was reasonable, actually, given the White Maiden’s suspected involvement in the sabotage within the Cathedral.

“No… They wouldn’t let me off that easily…” Finn’s eyes darkened as he considered this point. ‘Assisting’ Char Char was equivalent to assisting the White Maiden. If Finn was associated with the White Maiden due to this matter, they wouldn’t get rid of him so easily. He’d be locked up, interrogated… tortured even.

How ironic would it be if he ended up sharing a cell with the Abbott?

“Damn it…” He grimaced, shaking his head. A few weeks ago the sentiment around the White Maiden was not positive, but it wasn’t bad. After all the White Maiden had definitely had a large part in stopping Prince Deka’s resurrection, and there wasn’t hard evidence linking her to the sabotage in the Cathedral. When he’d asked around to get a feeling of the higher ups’ sentiment, what he understood was that they were taking a ‘wait and see’ approach. Cautious toward the White Maiden, but not antagonistic.

He hadn’t anticipated that the situation with the White Maiden would escalate in this fashion. 

Thinking about it, he could only assume that more evidence had been found that definitively linked the White Maiden to the crime. But hadn’t the White Maiden also stopped Prince Deka’s revival? Why would the White Maiden simultaneously save and attack Lord Noga?

Finn could only conclude that the critical information was above his pay-grade. Pity that having that information could mean the difference between saving his skin or having him locked up for life.

He found himself staring idly at the moon as the vehicle pulled up to the iron gates of the Zhao manor, his thoughts meandering as exhaustion prevented him from forming any coherent plans.

The Prince of Life. Abbott Deacon Glass. The Marked Devout and the Cloud Peak monks. Markus Gantt.

Chief Bear and Vox. The secret team of Exalted. The smuggled shipments of catalysts. Pirates on the Altic Sea.

Sansen Zhao. The Pearl Lotus Society. Zwei Xing and his growing obsession with the Calamity Mandate. 

Zwei’s sister Yuzu Xing, the blessed of the White Maiden that had disappeared. Char Char Zhao, who he had enlisted to investigate the White Maiden.

Somehow these were all connected. Or was that just his sleep deprivation talking?

The Ministry wanted Char Char back, but in doing so they were also going back on the agreements that Finn had painstakingly arranged with Sansen Zhao. Things like the investigation into the trade guild and the smuggled shipments and other things. 

Even if he hadn’t gone behind the Ministry’s back and sent Char Char off, reneging on the deals would set back the progress he’d made on his other investigations. The whole situation was just a mess.

His mind drifted to his promotion to National Inspector and his team which was finally starting to come together. 

From there his thoughts drifted to Minnie Kim. Capable, intelligent, considerate, kind. Pretty.

Of course, he had ruined it already. He covered his face in embarrassment as he remembered her disappointed and ashamed look when she left his office. She confessed to him, and the best he could say was ‘I already knew you liked me’?

Well, it was probably better this way, now that he was about to be branded as a traitor to the country.

“Damn it, I must really be tired.” He muttered, pressing his palms against his eyes until he saw spots in the darkness.

A short while later the gates opened and the hansom started down the road that led to the front doors of the manor. 

He dismounted from the carriage, paid the driver. One of the maids was waiting for him and escorted him in.

He was led to a luxurious blue-carpeted room in the middle of the manor where Sansen Zhao was waiting for him. The old tycoon wore a dignified silk gown and was reading a paper from an organized pile of documents. He stood, shaking Finn’s hand and gestured for Finn to sit.

“Good evening, Officer.” Sansen smiled warmly, as he always did.

“Good evening.” Finn replied.

The maid bowed politely, “Officer, would you like any refreshments?”

“Coffee, black.” Finn said, “Make it extra strong.”

“Long day for both of us, I see.” Sansen nodded, “Have you had dinner? I can request something from the kitchen.”

“I appreciate it.” Finn nodded, “I don’t think I’ve had a bite to eat all day. Anything is fine.”

“Let’s have a light meal over our catch up, then.” Sansen briefly instructed the maid and sent her off. His eyes glanced down to the papers on the table next to him and he sighed, “The export business is really booming lately, we can hardly keep up with the demand from across the sea.”

“Is that so?” Finn obliged in making small talk, as was usual at the start of his meetings with the tycoon.

“Machinery and parts from the factories, raw iron and coal from the mines.” Sansen riffled through the papers, “Demand has been growing steadily from the capital. We can’t send out shipments fast enough to satisfy our clients. My old friend Reza was here earlier nearly begging me to find space on my ships for his goods.”

The capital city that Sansen was referring to was not Noga City, which was the capital of Kumin, but Tenyuan which was both the capital of Banbajan and the NianXing as a whole.

The beverages arrived, as well as a few appetizers to start. Hot water flavoured with citrus for Sansen, black coffee for Finn.

“Funny thing, war is.” Sansen quipped as he took a sip.

“War?”

“Not us, thank the Lord. Let’s hope it remains that way.” Sansen placed his hand over his heart in a quiet prayer to Lord Noga, “The lands around Banbajan have been full of unrest over the past few years, but now it seems that the powder kegs have started to ignite. Lord Shah apparently captured and executed the leader of one of the tribes in the Cracked Lands, and now the whole region is preparing for conflict.”

“Since I have connections overseas I’ve known this was coming for a while. The ministry tried to keep the news quiet, but now Lord Shah is mobilizing his troops the situation is escalating. Rumours are spreading amongst the sailors. Give it a week or two, I think the news will be everywhere in the city.”

“Does it affect our agreement?” Finn asked.

“No.” Sansen said. His gaze darkened as he looked at the papers next to him, “The shipments have been coming in and out without an issue. In fact, it’s likely that this war is the direct cause for the shipments in the first place.”

“As long as you’re getting paid…” Finn said.

“Yes, we’ve been paid.” Sansen only shook his head, “But if it weren’t for our agreement, I would never agree to it. It’s not worth the risk, Finn. You understand.”

Finn nodded.

The shipments they were referring to were for Exalted materiel transported between Kumin and Banbajan. They took place every other week alternating between exports and imports. The contents of the crates were confidential, a matter between Lord Noga’s Ministry and Lord Shah’s royal court, and there was a great deal of care and paperwork required in their transportation to ensure that they not only arrived intact, but also unexamined.

Of the several agreements that Finn had arranged with Sansen Zhao, this was the one that the tycoon was least eager to fulfill. It not only subjected his ships and crew to a greater degree of scrutiny and oversight, but shipping government goods also took away his a portion of his autonomy as an independent merchant.

In addition (though Finn had only heard rumours to this affect), there seemed to be a nontrivial increase in risk from transporting Exalted goods, which were considered ‘cursed’ cargo. There were many superstitions amongst sailors around carrying cursed goods, and how they attracted sea monsters and natural disasters.

Even with the modest monetary compensation provided by the Ministry for transport of Exalted goods, Sansen was loathe to agree to the deal.

It was only that it involved the release of Char Char from the Cathedral’s cells that persuaded Sansen to give in, in the end.

“About those shipments.” Finn said with a wry smile, “I don’t think you’ll need to do them for much longer.”

“Why is that?” Sansen frowned.

“It seems that the Ministry has suddenly decreed that Char Char is to be returned to the Ministry’s custody. Since they’re going back on their part of the deal, you won’t have to worry about fulfilling your side either.” Finn said with a self-deprecating smile.

Sansen’s eyebrows furrowed as he said with worry, “You mean Char Char’s already been sent back to the Cathedral?”

 “Ah, no. I believe she’s still in Plunes with Corbin. Out of reach, though I suppose once I turn myself in the Ministry will make moves to bring her back.” Finn shook his head regretfully,  “It’s my fault, I didn’t expect the Ministry to change their mind after all the trouble we went through to get her out, too.”

A subtle glint in Finn’s eyes gave Sansen pause. He rubbed his moustache for a moment before saying, “Tell me more about the decree.”