Inside the office of Navy Base 521, even before Yahn had returned from the castle, the little golden bird had already flown back ahead of him.
Now, lying half-sprawled on the sofa in a posture not unlike a lazy recline, Yahn stared at the ceiling and mulled over the future.
So… am I really about to start a life of carrying around a little girl wherever I go?
How decadent!
No, no, no—that's not it at all. This is a choice made for the sake of the Revolutionary Army's future. A necessary sacrifice for the cause.
Robin, after all, was the only archaeologist in the world who could read the ancient texts. Only she could unravel the truths hidden within them.
Whether it was the forbidden history of the "Void Century" the World Government feared, the location of the three Ancient Weapons, or even the final island Raftel/Laugh Tale that concealed everything—the answers all lay within those texts.
In that sense, Robin's knowledge was as important to the Revolution as Dragon's leadership itself.
"Yes, that's right. Adopting Robin was entirely for the greater good. Not even the slightest bit of selfishness involved."
Successfully persuading himself, Yahn felt the guilt of "picking up a little girl" melt away completely.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Report!"
The office door rattled with knocks.
Yahn sat upright and called out, "Come in."
A lieutenant from the naval branch stepped inside, saluted smartly, and said:
"Commander Yahn, this is the report submitted by Ensign Hope."
"Mm."
Yahn nodded, taking the report.
Then, the lieutenant produced another folder from his uniform and handed it over. "And this one comes from our comrades across the regions."
At that, Yahn's expression grew more serious. He tossed the Navy report aside and immediately began flipping through the Revolutionary Army's intelligence.
Soon enough, his eyes found the entry he had been looking for. He read it carefully, and his face hardened with a helpless grimace.
"As expected… beyond saving? The 'White City'—Flevance."
Flevance was a kingdom where almost everything—the trees, the soil, even the streets—was white. All of it came from their unique resource: "Amber Lead."
Amber Lead was an extremely rare and valuable material, treasured worldwide as a high-grade commodity. Yet what the world did not know was that prolonged exposure to Amber Lead slowly poisoned the body, accumulating toxins until one inevitably succumbed to the incurable "Amber Lead Syndrome."
The royal family and nobility of Flevance, blinded by profit, hid this truth. They drove their people to mine Amber Lead ceaselessly, using their citizens' lives as fuel to feed their endless greed.
Years ago, when Revolutionary comrades first discovered the plight of Flevance, they tried every possible method to change its fate—spreading the truth, seeking antidotes, inciting uprisings.
But aside from the slow, uncertain work of researching a cure, every other attempt had failed.
What Yahn hadn't anticipated was that Flevance was riddled with World Government officials and spies.
Later, intelligence revealed that Flevance had already been destroyed several times throughout history—yet each time, the World Government rebuilt it, reinstating its royal family and ensuring Amber Lead mining resumed.
Gradually, Yahn understood why the rulers of Flevance were so shortsighted, willing to sacrifice their people despite the looming certainty of death from Amber Lead Syndrome.
The truth was simple: Flevance existed for the sake of Amber Lead. When one kingdom perished, the Government merely propped up another under the same name, repeating the cycle endlessly.
To the World Government, it was merely a mining project. To the royals, a lucrative trade. But to the people of Flevance—it was a curse upon their very lives.
And now, according to the latest reports from his comrades, the people of Flevance were showing clear, widespread symptoms of mass death. Their hair, skin, and eyes were turning pale white—the final stages of Amber Lead poisoning.
"There's no more time. It looks like… we're too late."
Yahn let out a long, weary sigh. He knew what would happen next: as soon as the deaths spread too widely, the World Government would erase Flevance from existence once more, just as they had in history. Only after the world had completely forgotten would they quietly rebuild it again to continue mining.
Lost in thought, Yahn didn't notice when the lieutenant—his fellow Revolutionary working undercover in the Navy—quietly slipped out of the room.
"Are we really going to do nothing but watch this entire generation of Flevance's people die? Pin all hope on a cure that won't be ready in time?"
The truth was, the Revolutionary Army's strength was still a mere drop compared to the might of the World Government. They weren't ready for open conflict.
Recently, Yahn had even seen in a corner of the newspapers vague reports about an "unknown epidemic" sweeping through Flevance. Clearly, the Government was already laying the groundwork to erase the country.
BANG!
His fist slammed against the desk, frustration boiling in his chest.
"This is just like O'Hara's tragedy all over again. No matter how hard we try… we still can't stop it?"
He was so lost in his brooding that he forgot Robin was even in the castle.
At that very moment, Robin—having carefully prepared dinner and intending to call him—happened to hear those words.
Her pupils trembled as the memories of O'Hara's burning library and the rain of cannon fire surged back in her mind.
She hurried outside, her voice quivering with emotion.
"Brother Yahn… did you say—O'Hara's tragedy?"
Yahn pressed a hand to his forehead, exhaling in exasperation.
"You… heard all that?"
Robin's expression was deeply conflicted, but she nodded.
Resigned, Yahn sighed and handed her the intelligence report on Flevance.
"In that case, read this. Maybe you can give me some advice."
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