Chapter 3521: The War of the Griffons (Part 2)

"She says she doesn’t want to wait. She wants to grow up now." Kamila translated the different inflections of no for the rest of the family.

"Kids can’t wait to get older while adults don’t want to." Raaz sighed. "Youth truly is wasted on the young. Come to Grampa, Valeron."

"It’s a story as old as time." Elina chuckled as the boy rushed to her husband and Elysia glared at him. "Anyway, I’m more worried about you, sweetie. Be careful out there."

"Don’t worry, Mom." Lith replied. "I’m not going to Kandria and there is no plague this time. On top of that, I’m not just a rogue Awakened kid anymore. If I can’t deal with whoever is pulling the strings in Kophar, I have plenty of people I can call for help."

***

Two days later, Lith, Solus, and Menadion walked through the Warp Gate in Kophar.

The Royals had gifted the First Ruler of the Flames a deep violet Magus robe in the hope of rekindling her past love for the Kingdom and appealing to her pride.

"I must say, we make quite an impression dressed like this." She pointed at Lith’s gold and white robe and Solus’ deep green robe.

The sudden appearance of two Magi in the local branch of the Association was enough to make most apprentices faint on the spot. Older mages stuttered, their mouth disconnected from their brains from the fear of saying something inappropriate.

"You do, Magus Menadion. Great Mage Verhen. I’m Major Amia Yerna, at your service." She gave them the salute the moment the group emerged from the dimensional corridor.

"At ease, kid." Menadion offered Yerna her hand which the major shook under the envious gazes of the mages.

"Nice to meet you, Major." Solus shook Yerna’s hand as well. "What’s our first move?"

"Nice to meet you too, Great Mage Verhen. I’d start by taking off those robes." She replied. "They draw too much attention."

"I know, but since our names are in the log, anyone with access to it would have spread the news of our arrival even if we didn’t wear them." Lith shrugged. "Still, I’ll follow your suggestion."

The Voidwalker armor absorbed the robes and shapeshifted into civilian clothes.

"True. We can only hope the clerks follow protocol and keep their mouths shut." Yerna threw a stern look at the people in the hall. "Please, follow me. There’s a stagecoach waiting for us."

As soon as the wooden door of the Association’s branch closed behind them, Yerna’s lips curled up in a smile.

"You haven’t changed one bit since the last time we met, White. You are still as sly as I remembered you."

There was no right to privacy inside the Mage Association.

Any call departing from the local branch would be tracked and listened to. Even if the mages of the current shift maintained the information blackout as ordered, any access to the Warp Gate log would trigger a flag in the system.

It was a ruse Lith had suggested to smoke out potential informants inside the Association.

"Please, it’s nothing much." Lith dismissed her praise with a sweep of his hand. "I just provided you with shock and awe. If there are spies and they keep their cool we won’t gain anything from this."

"Still, it was worth a shot." Amia Yerna was a woman in her late forties with chestnut-brown hair with a few grey strands and hazel eyes.

Age and fatigue showed around her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Her fingers were stained with ink from the many reports she compiled every day. Her deep blue military uniform was immaculate and without a wrinkle, creating a stark contrast with its wearer.

"Good gods, Kophar is nothing like I expected from a city riddled with heinous crimes." Solus said in amazement as she stared through the stagecoach’s window.

The streets were wide and clean while the buildings looked freshly-painted and well-maintained. Traffic was light and orderly, without the rush Solus had gotten used to while visiting big cities.

"That’s normal, Solus." Menadion said. "If there is a branch of the Association, this must be one of the high-end districts of Kophar."

"You’re right, Ripha." Solus sighed. "Where is our headquarters, Major?"

"In the popular district." Yerna replied. "I can’t have you stay here and risk someone recognizing you. Also, by observing first-hand how our enemy works, you might notice something I’ve missed."

Soon the stagecoach reached the merchant district and Solus’ jaw hit the floor. The middle rim of Kophar was filled with green areas and delicious smells came from all corners along the way.

Bakeries, restaurants, and shops were all packed with people who chatted without a worry in the world. The roads were as clean as in the noble district and albeit smaller the buildings showed no sign of neglect.

"Good gods, how can the local guards practice such blatant discrimination?" Solus said in outrage. "If they ignore the needs of the poor people and protect everyone else like this, I’m surprised the Royals didn’t call for Lith’s help sooner.

"How come there was no mention of riots in slums in the reports?"

"Because there is none." Yerna replied. "Wait and see."

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When they crossed into the popular district, Solus couldn’t believe her eyes. There were lots of green areas there as well and perfectly maintained at that. The roads were still clean and the lively people of the "slums" were well-fed and dressed.

The outer rim of Kophar was bustling with activity. Buildings and houses were simple in design but nice. Children played happily in the parks with no apparent supervision.

"Is this really a city riddled with crime or is it all an elaborate prank of the Royals?" Solus was flabbergasted. "Wait a second. Why don’t I see any beggars or homeless people? What happened to them?"

"The War of the Griffons happened." Yerna replied.

"The War of the Griffons?" Lith echoed in disbelief. "This makes no sense. The Solman region was away from the conflict, deep into the area under the control of the Royals. How could Thrud’s forces cross the frontlines and kidnap so many people?"

"You misunderstood me." Yerna said with a sad smile. "Thrud isn’t directly involved. After the end of the War of the Griffons, many cities on the traitor side had a surplus of resources due to the conscription of prison inmates and the least fortunate.

"The death of so many people because of Thrud’s war efforts is a tragedy but it left half of the Kingdom with empty prisons and no need for welfare"

"The Royals employed those extra resources to help the poor people from the loyalist side by creating job opportunities and helping those who wanted to move to the reconquered side of the Kingdom to start a new life.

"Not everyone took up the offer, but most did. There are plenty of cities like Kophar that have entered a golden age after poverty, not the poor, was eradicated. It’s one of the few silver linings in the aftermath of the War of the Griffons."

"I see." Lith nodded. "Yet this makes the current crisis seem even more absurd. If poverty has been eradicated, how could the organized crime in Kophar become so dangerous?"

"As I said, because of the War of the Griffons." Yerna sighed.

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