Chapter 1 The mountain breeze gently caressed the scarlet and golden interwoven forest. In this season of falling leaves, the Brillar magic-powered railcar once again traveled through the rolling Langar Mountains near the Kretia capital.

Lance was sitting in compartment 404, undergoing investigation.

He looked a little tired, but still calm.

Of course, he was now sitting opposite his original seat.

Which was Landry Washington’s seat.

"Yes, it was me who defeated the enemies on the train."

Lance honestly answered the questioning of the investigating military officer sitting across from him.

"Under the circumstances, I can only say that forbearance has its limits. Where is this? The capital, Brillar! And someone dares to openly provoke our Empire's authority! I couldn't tolerate her running rampant for even a second longer. I had to let her know the meaning of unparalleled imperial power, the Empire's faith."

He couldn't help but tap the table lightly.

This upright, hateful-of-evil, yet deeply hidden meritorious demeanor caused the officer opposite him to nod repeatedly.

Because what the young man opposite him said didn't sound like a lie at all.

His attitude was enthusiastic and sincere. Sitting across from him, one would feel ashamed for being an Imperial citizen—his own love and faith in the Empire as an Imperial soldier was not as firm as this young man's.

"Well then, Mr. Landry, my superior may want to ask you some questions later. It's not meant to be difficult for you, but as the central figure in the incident, we need your cooperation so that we can obtain more clues about the enemy."

The investigating officer closed his notebook, stood up, and said to Lance.

"No problem."

Lance nodded, watching the investigating officer leave.

The corridor of the carriage was covered with scorch marks. If it weren't for the sufficiently solid protective barrier covering it, the train would probably have derailed long ago and been buried among the towering mountains.

Capital Garrison soldiers shuttled back and forth in the carriages, comforting the panicked passengers and collecting evidence for investigation.

As an elite force guarding the center of the Empire, the Capital Garrison was renowned for its strict selection and brutal training, specializing in the security and defense of the capital.

Among the departments under the command headquarters, the "Imperial Guard" served as the Emperor's personal guard and also guarded important places such as the Imperial Palace and government agencies.

The "Military Police Department" was responsible for maintaining social order in the capital area, suppressing resistance activities, and supervising the words and deeds of officials and the people.

The "Air Defense Force" managed the air raid warning system, operated the capital's air defense forces, and resisted enemy air raids, while the "Fortress Garrison" garrisoned several large fortresses on the outskirts of the capital, forming the first line of defense for the capital.

This time, an accident occurred on the Brillar magic-powered train, and the Second Brigade of the Military Police, responsible for the capital's outer districts, was in charge of responding.

Fortunately, most of the passengers were safe and sound, but in other carriages, the bodies of the Imperial guards who accompanied the train were everywhere, their blood staining the shattered glass windows and twisted metal.

"Extremely dangerous elements are no longer on the Brillar. Passengers, please rest assured. The Brillar magic-powered railcar has now been taken over by the Imperial Capital Garrison. Please actively cooperate with the military's investigation. The train is about to arrive at its final destination, Brillar. Please wait patiently for a moment."

The train's broadcast was still comforting the passengers.

The vast majority of passengers were not as calm as Lance.

Perhaps acting a little panicked at this time would be better.

But the Landry that Lance was portraying emphasized naturalness and innate confidence. This meant that for him, many aspects didn't require deliberate acting.

"Lance, are you sure you haven't defected? ...I'm a little scared."

Talia started chatting with him in his mind again.

As Lance's "back spirit," her fate was basically tied to Lance's, and she could only watch his story unfold every day.

Now she was gradually feeling something was wrong.

The ability to quickly integrate into an environment was certainly a superb talent for a spy, but Lance seemed to have become a native in the blink of an eye.

"Tata, just put your heart in your stomach. Accidentally helping the Empire capture an Allied spy at the beginning was just a coincidence, an accident. It won't happen again."

Lance showed a firm gaze and replied to her with certainty in his heart.

He could never help the Empire again, and he would never become a rogue ninja.

This time, unlike the Protoss Empire in the Northern Continent, he was very clear about his position and camp.

"That's good."

Talia reluctantly breathed a sigh of relief, her voice with a hint of laughter.

She figured that even if Lance wanted to thrive within the Empire, he didn't have the ability.

The Empire was not that simple.

"It seems like we're almost there."

Lance sat in the compartment, quietly looking out the window.

Although there had been some twists and turns, it was generally good.

He had obtained a new identity, and the Allied spy, Miss Unity, had also escaped. The only one who was injured was Landry.

But Lance would carry out Landry's last wishes, using his identity to strive to change this Empire. This would be a way to let Landry rest in peace in the afterlife.

The train gradually left the golden mountains and entered an endless expanse of green plains. On the distant horizon, the magnificent outline of the Holy City became increasingly clear.

Finally, they were about to arrive at the legendary capital of the Kretia Empire—Brillar.

The spire-filled city walls pierced straight into the clouds, the steel-cast high-rise buildings shone brightly in the sunlight, and huge airships shuttled through the flowing clouds. The entire city was outlined with a magnificent outline by the surrounding canals.

Brass mechanical boats and magic-guided beasts traveled back and forth on the water. Advanced mechanical engineering and modern magical engineering were perfectly integrated here, creating miracles different from the magic engineering of the Kingdom system.

The Imperial system of magic engineering, independent of magic-conducting devices, vigorously developed mechanical innovation, aiming to develop a technological route without over-relying on magic, and to one day defeat magic with machinery.

Correspondingly, professions such as mechanics, gunners, and snipers almost all originated in the Kretia Empire.

For Frey, who called himself a "back row ranged output," he had once told Lance that he must visit the Kretia Empire if he had the opportunity.

Only gunners with sufficient strength could control the terrifying recoil of high-level Imperial firearms.

"Are you alright, sir?"

Just as Lance was staring intently at the increasingly clear outline of the city, a male voice came from his side.

The voice was steady and powerful.

Only then did Lance notice that a neat military officer in his thirties or forties, with a well-ironed uniform, was standing by the door of his compartment.

He was tall and straight, with a strong physique, golden-brown hair combed meticulously, and slightly graying temples, giving a sense of majesty and steadiness.

The officer had a short beard on his face, a slightly pointed chin, a high nose bridge, and a pair of blue-gray eyes that were slightly weathered but with keen insight.

"I'm fine."

Lance looked over with a smile and replied.

Compared to Lance himself, who was usually introverted, Landry's personality seemed to be more confident and outgoing.

"I am Burke von Arnold, the commander of the Second Brigade of the Military Police in the Capital Garrison Headquarters."

The officer did not enter the compartment but stood at the door and introduced himself.

"Colonel, please have a seat."

Lance recognized the other party's rank from his uniform at a glance, took the initiative to stand up and return a salute to the other party, and gestured for him to sit opposite him. Although this officer was neither warm nor indifferent and was courteous, this would not affect the Imperial soldiers' enforcement of their duties.

Once the Imperial Military Police discovered any signs of disloyalty or resistance, they would immediately take action with swift and decisive measures.

If he went to work at the St. Kretia Monastery located on the outskirts of Brillar, if there were a safety accident at the school, he would probably have to deal with this Commander Burke of the Second Military Police Brigade.

"I heard that you repelled the enemy. Are you injured?"

Burke von Arnold sat down, clasped his hands on the table, and asked Lance unhurriedly.

He could tell that the black-haired, blue-eyed young man opposite him was a noble, and a very powerful one at that.

For most people like them who have not yet entered the realm of transcendence, the sixth rank is already a dominant force in the frontier territories, and even in the capital it is not very common.

Fortunately, there was such a strong person on this train, otherwise it might have turned into a major safety accident.

"I wasn't injured. My battle with the enemy was only a matter of stopping short of a real fight."

Lance replied modestly.

Upon hearing this, Colonel Burke hesitated for a moment and took the investigation record from the soldier who had followed him.

"But I heard from passengers in other compartments that you had an overwhelming advantage when facing that female enemy warrior."

Colonel Burke looked at the paper and asked, looking up.

"If I had pushed her too hard, I might have been injured."

Lance smiled amiably.

"Is that so."

Colonel Burke muttered to himself, then looked at the black-haired, blue-eyed young man again, scrutinizing him without concealment.

The composure of this strong person was unmistakable, but the young man opposite him was stronger than he had imagined, with a sense of mystery that was somewhat hidden.

"According to passenger information, your name is Landry Washington. May I ask what your purpose for coming to the capital, Brillar, is?"

Colonel Burke continued to ask while recording.

"Because of work, I received a letter of appointment from Brillar."

Lance bent down and was about to take out the documents in the suitcase from the luggage he had at his feet.

But when he looked up again, Colonel Burke had already turned his head to look out the window.

It seemed that they were almost at the station.

They were in no hurry at this moment.

Arriving in Brillar only meant that they could talk more comfortably.

As the train gradually slowed down, the bustling station came into view.

Having heard the news that the Brillar train had been attacked outside the city, crowds of people and reporters had crowded the platform.

They were discussing it, and although the Military Police were trying to maintain order, sure enough, as the political and economic center of the Empire, even the train station in Brillar was lively enough.

"Mr. Landry, I may have to delay you for some time, but rest assured, I will get you to your desired destination as soon as possible. Shall we talk while walking, or just finish the conversation here?"

Colonel Burke added.

"Let's talk while walking."

Lance picked up his suitcase, stood up, and suggested to Colonel Burke.

"A wise choice. I believe it won't be easy for you to get rid of the wall of people and reporters by yourself later."

Colonel Burke didn't delay, and started chatting with Lance while walking.

Just as they were waiting at the carriage door, as the sound of the car door opening, another group of Imperial soldiers in different uniforms were already waiting outside the door of the fourth carriage.

Strangely, there weren't as many people on the platform as they had just seen, as if they were actively avoiding these Imperial soldiers.

They were far fewer in number than the Military Police of the Capital Garrison Headquarters.

Or rather, there was only one action squad.

The leading officer's hat brim was very deep, almost blocking his forehead.

"Section Chief Nikola, why are you here?"

Colonel Burke was the first to speak, asking the officer with the codename Red Falcon outside the door.

He obviously knew the other party.

Lance observed silently, and only then did he realize that only the fourth carriage was opening the door at this moment. Obviously, passengers in other carriages were also not allowed to disembark. The significance of opening the door was only to allow these officers to board the train.

Long before coming to the Kretia Empire, Lance had done sufficient work. Nigel's information gave him a detailed composition system of the Kretia Empire's capital military.

From the uniforms of the officers standing at the carriage door, it could be seen that they were officers from another department independent of the Capital Garrison Headquarters—the Imperial Special Operations Department, also known as the Imperial Magic Special Agent Force.

Among them, there was the Foreign Intelligence Section, which sent intelligence personnel to infiltrate other countries to gather military and political intelligence, and there was also the Sabotage Operations Section, which would formally appear on the battlefield and carry out terrorist activities such as assassinations, kidnappings, and destruction in enemy-occupied areas to disrupt the enemy's rear.

More inclined towards Imperial internal affairs was the Domestic Intelligence Section, which was responsible for monitoring dissidents in the country, identifying anti-war elements and spies, and maintaining political stability. Finally, there was also a secret laboratory, which developed various silent and special weapons, such as poisons, alchemical creatures, and high-performance explosive devices. The research institute was also located in the capital, Brillar.

The director of the Special Operations Department was directly responsible to the Emperor and could directly mobilize resources from all parties without going through the military system.

Relatively speaking, the Imperial Special Operations Department had extremely high authority in the Empire.

"We suspect that this attack may have been a collusion between internal and external forces, with an inside mole involved."

Red Falcon Nikola standing on the platform said.

Compared to Colonel Burke, he was much younger and had a handsome face, with sharp features and deep reddish-brown hair neatly trimmed, with the neatness and competence that a soldier should have.

And the Domestic Intelligence Section One, which he led, was responsible for monitoring dissidents in the capital area and maintaining political stability.

"In my opinion, I need to focus on investigating the personnel related to this accident. Whether they are dead or survivors, they may be suspected. For the sake of caution, I need to personally cross-examine them again."

Red Falcon Nikola had a shallow smile on his face, but it gave people a sense of undeniable coldness.

"No problem."

Colonel Burke's expression was solemn. He often dealt with the Imperial Special Operations Department because of cases, and he trusted Section Chief Nikola's judgment.

Colonel Burke agreed readily, then turned to Lance, patted Lance's shoulder lightly, seemingly to comfort Lance not to feel pressured.

Because the investigation by the Imperial Special Operations Department would definitely be more rigorous, and as the young man at the center of the incident, he would definitely be subjected to more questioning and investigation.

"..."

Talia was already panicking in Lance's heart.

She felt that Lance was really a troublemaker.

He had to replace Landry's identity and then portray the accident as Landry repelling the enemy!

Although he had obtained a seemingly better identity, correspondingly, once he was targeted by the Empire's real hounds, he would probably never have peace in the capital, Brillar, let alone be able to do anything he wanted to do.