Chapter 316: We’re Off To See The Wizard

As I known as time, all of the contestants put down their cleansing provides and stepped again. A second later, I warmed up my sensors. It was time to evaluate the window cleansing competitors.

I used to be doing the judging proper on the spot for the finalists, however I had a suspicion of who was already going to win. Jared Kay was a jeweler, and his expertise at gem sharpening had transferred very effectively over to glass cleansing. He had made it to the finals with little or no competitors. However washerwoman Willow simply may need given him a run for his cash. The opposite six there knew that they actually stood no likelihood and had been largely competing for the lesser prizes and simply the delight of having the ability to clear one of the best home windows within the capital. Although I used to be pleased with them nonetheless.

Nonetheless, I remained unbiased. I’d look over every of their efforts and decide them pretty, in fact. However earlier than I used to be in a position to zip down and start, a messenger ran as much as me. The person’s face was crimson, and he was clearly out of breath.

“Lord Void,” he panted, dropping to each knees and urgent his brow to the bottom. “The woman, Susan, has requested so that you can come at your earliest comfort. Monk. Monkfish. Tibet. Rhinoceros,”

I wiggled with satisfaction on the code I had devised for passing secret messages. It amused me to no finish to make use of the seemingly randomly chosen phrases for such necessary issues, however nobody else was fairly getting the joke. Regardless, it advised me that Harold had despatched a message that required my consideration. It was regarding, however I did have to complete judging.

“Inform her I will probably be there shortly,” I advised the messenger, and he ran off as soon as once more. I’d possible beat him to the palace. Nonetheless, within the unlikely occasion that we needed to do a tie-breaking spherical this season, it might give Susan suggestions that I used to be no less than conscious of the message.

I went via the contestants from left to proper, shining my Sanitation Lamp via every pane of glass and measuring the transparency to see what proportion of sunshine filtered via unaltered. I projected the outcomes as a numerical rating, simplified to solely the eighth decimal, above every contestant. I’d have displayed the entire worth, however it tended to confuse individuals a bit an excessive amount of. Eight decimals had been ok, I supposed.

I used to be impressed by all their efforts. The quantity of polish that had gone into these performances was spectacular. The 109,823 grit material did an excellent job of placing a near-perfect shine on glass surfaces, and it got here right down to the very two favorites. They had been inside 1/10,000 of some extent of one another.

So, with such a small margin between them, I made a decision to run a tiebreaker. I produced two extra panes of glass, every equally marred with scratches and abrasions and dust, and gave them three minutes to do with what they wished. All of the onlookers cheered off to the facet with the fairly massive crowd as we noticed them scrubbing frantically, utilizing all types of expertise and ingenuity to not solely clear however repair the glass. Once they introduced their last merchandise, the jeweler bowed to his rival. “I’m certain you could have it, Miss Willow. I can solely be awed by your expertise. When you ever want a job, I’ve some connections,” he mentioned.

Positive sufficient, my sensors confirmed it. She had eked out the victory. That the opposite human may inform at a look was very spectacular. His jeweler-related expertise have to be so overpowered and well-trained that they hardly resembled the bottom expertise. I could not even think about which of them he was utilizing regardless of accessing all of them.

After handing out the awards, I headed over to the palace, the place I discovered Beatrice and Susan ready for me. My sensors picked up their dialog as I approached.

“I am shocked that Harold discovered something attention-grabbing,” Beatrice mentioned. “What may have been so pressing?”

“Effectively, Harold’s been in Barleona’s capital for a very long time. I would hope that he’d discover one thing by now,” Susan replied.

“Barleona?” Bee’s eyes widened. “I knew he was behind enemy strains, however that far again?”

“Effectively, I would not actually name them ‘enemy strains.’ Formally, we’re on impartial standing with them, however they’ve been fairly… adversarial,” Susan defined.

“What did he need to say?” I chimed in, hovering within the room with a cheerful wave. The others bowed briefly as I appeared.

Susan unrolled a slim piece of paper and started translating the coded message. “Demons management civil service. Not simply summoned labor. Cults current. Suspicious location at coordinates:” she mentioned, itemizing off some map coordinates.

I instantly plotted the place they had been on my world maps. They had been deep within the mountains in Barleona’s heart. It was a spot even Daedalus or Beatrice may need hassle attending to rapidly. I may get there, in fact, however anybody else must cross via lots of Barleona’s defenses.

We made some extra small discuss as Archibald completed his story. When the person lastly came visiting to see what I wanted, he climbed on Daedalus’s again, and we soared over to the palace. I did not take away the flowers adorning Daedalus like he’d requested. They had been far too lovely to do this. Nonetheless, I did keep my air purification the entire manner over, stopping some fairly damaging dragon sneezing.

After we landed, Susan crammed the pair in about what Harold had mentioned, and all of us lapsed into some considerate silence. “I’ve a number of concepts,” Archibald mentioned. “None of them are good.”

“Sure, none of them are good…” Daedalus huffed. “In a spot like that, nobody hides demon-summoning rituals with out good motive.”

“Then we have to cease them as quickly as we will,” Beatrice argued. “Or no less than get info. There is also many cheap explanations for one thing like this. However we have to examine, and we have to extract Harold.”

“I’ve an thought,” I mentioned. “Archibald and Daedalus, would you be prepared to assist escort a diplomatic envoy beneath emergency standing to debate the matter with their head of state?”

Daedalus thought for a second as Archibald frowned. “A diplomatic envoy? Are we the diplomats?”

“No, simply the escort.”

He tilted his head to the facet, then nodded. “Not a foul thought. Having a dragon as an escort could also be a bit of overkill…” He shot a look towards the crimson dragon beside him, “However we will at all times say he is an third celebration as effectively.”

I projected a thumbs up above my chassis. Having Daedalus alongside could be a fantastic assist. The true query is, who else ought to go?

As I posed the query and turned to Beatrice, Susan instantly shook her head.

“You’ll be able to’t go, Excessive Priestess. We’re busy right here,” Susan objected. “You are too necessary to the town so that you can simply be gallivanting round. The celebration is not even half over but,”

Beatrice sagged in defeat however appeared to just accept the girl’s phrases. “Effectively, who else then? Tony?”

Tony was a good selection. He had spent lots of time leveling and mastering his Custodian of the Past skills and had turn out to be fairly scary in his personal proper. Susan, although, wasn’t precisely glad in regards to the suggestion.

“If Tony’s going, I am going too,” she folded her arms. “No manner am I letting him go on a diplomatic mission himself. That man cannot lie or do politics to save lots of his life.”

She and Beatrice argued for a bit of bit in regards to the sensible problems with Susan leaving, however I made a decision it was okay. Nonetheless, I instructed her to cross off any necessary info to the Warden in order that he may take over her duties for some time. The person had moved nearer and nearer to retirement however nonetheless had an energetic position in wrangling the Theocracy’s politics. For Beatrice, he acted as an advisor greater than something. Nonetheless, he may run this info community for a short time earlier than he obtained exhausted.

Susan nodded, heading off to search out the Warden. Archibald and Daedalus left quickly after to search out Tony, intending to depart inside an hour. Because the group went about their preparations, Beatrice and I had been left alone.

“Are you certain there’s nothing we will do?” She requested me.

I gave her a beep of reassurance. There was nonetheless loads of alternative for her to assist round right here. Apart from, with Archibald and Daedalus gone, the sky races would wish a brand new decide.

For some motive, Beatrice groaned.