Chapter 1430: Farewell Party

The garden was already covered with snow, and due to a shortage of manpower, coupled with its unimportance, the old housekeeper didn’t send anyone to clear it away. The snow piled up, threatening to bury everything.

Arthur wandered amidst the whiteness, found the stone bench, brushed off the snow, and sat down.

The garden was quiet, with a faint echo of a commotion from the surrounding buildings. Some of the sounds were familiar; sounded like Lorenzo. When this guy goes crazy, his voice is always loud, akin to actors on stage eager to capture everyone’s attention.

“Aren’t you going in?”

A voice came, followed by Selyu approaching from behind.

“No, you and Lorenzo can handle these things. My presence would only spoil the fun for everyone.”

Arthur grinned, knowing well that he wasn’t suited for such joyous occasions — at least, not for others.

In Bola, Blue Jade, and others’ eyes, he was a stern supervisor; to Eve, an old-fashioned father; and to Lorenzo… well, better not to mention that despicable guy for now.

With various thoughts, Arthur chose to wait here.

“The house is filled with youthful air, not something this old fossil can adapt to.”

He glanced at the window where the sounds came from, then spoke to Selyu.

“Alright then.”

Selyu didn’t try to persuade him further and stood beside him.

“Won’t you sit down?”

Arthur pointed at another stone bench he had cleared.

“No, it’s quite cold.”

Selyu replied indifferently. Hearing this, Arthur paused for a moment, then laughed louder.

“Alright, alright. Anyway, these are things we find hard to interfere with, aren’t they?”

Arthur gazed helplessly into the accumulating snow and spoke.

“The young ones are excellent; you’ve done well. Mechanical Deity is faultless, and it’s time for me to step down and leave these matters to you.”

Selyu nodded, offering no additional comments.

“Watson’s report has already circulated among the Nation-Builders. Her timely report suggests an anomaly at Seven Hills. Our preliminary suspicions…”

As she spoke, Selyu’s voice faded, hiding the unspeakable nightmare.

“Have you talked to Lorenzo about these things?” Arthur asked.

“No, it’s a rare holiday; I don’t want him to feel too much pressure.”

“Yes, perhaps it’s the last holiday,” Arthur acknowledged Selyu’s concern. “You know you can’t stop him.”

Selyu was silent for a few seconds, then nodded reluctantly.

“Indeed.”

“It’s inevitable, and you know well he’s a stubborn guy,” Arthur said. “Apart from that, we’re speeding up coordination with you, and we have some new information on our end.”

“What information?”

“News from Gaulunaro. I’ve sent spies long ago, and now they’ve finally unearthed useful intel,” Arthur boasted, “Old dogs like us aren’t completely useless.”

“What’s up?”

“Lawrence took action; he’s rallied a fleet and left Maruri harbor in the dead of night, destination unknown.”

After Arthur finished, he asked Selyu, “Where do you think he’ll go?”

“I don’t know… but I think someone might.”

With that, Selyu turned and left hurriedly, while Arthur shouted towards her retreating figure.

“Little lady, the Purification Mechanism is ready. Now, it’s in your hands!”

Selyu’s silhouette faded as Arthur withdrew his gaze.

“So, you’re explaining this to them? Not me.”

[Yes, I should do this.]

“That’s good; I’m too old now. I used to have the energy to participate, but now I only feel tired.”

Arthur murmured to himself, soon feeling that eerie sensation dissipate. He could sense that Watson had left.

…

With the encouragement of alcohol, the temperature indoors gradually grew warmer. Nothing strange was going on; people were merely sitting together, chatting about ordinary things.

Bola shared the news of his promotion, surprisingly revealing his drunkenness, stating that everyone counted as his trusted allies and suggesting future cooperation.

Seeing this, Eve was thrilled, wrapped her arm around Bola’s head, and they stood shoulder to shoulder like good brothers.

“We must communicate more then, Bola!”

Eve said conspiratorially to Bola.

“Naturally, naturally.”

Bola reiterated, aware that Eve was Arthur’s daughter, a direct relative of his boss. Although the Purification Mechanism, due to its nature, lacked common workplace culture, it didn’t mean it was absent.

“I will support you well.”

Possibly due to the alcohol, Bola became somewhat playful and winked at Eve, shedding his usual serious demeanor.

“Let me tell you, I’m planning…”

Seeing this, Eve leaned into Bola’s ear, whispering secrets.

Bola nodded as he listened, quickly sobering up with surprise on his face.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Eve?”

“Of course, I’ve been planning for a long time,” Eve affirmed.

“But… isn’t it bad? After all, he’s your father.”

“You know our father-daughter relationship is poor, right? And isn’t retirement a good thing?” Eve enticed Bola, “Think about it, Bola, once he retires, the Purification Mechanism will have changed hands. Then we can do as we please…”