ILLEGAL SOLUTIONS

After returning to the main hall of Tainia castle, the four of them gathered around the desk to brainstorm.

The dim light of the lantern cast long shadows across the walnut wood desk, the sky outside a deep, inky blackness that seemed to press against the windows. Yet, a restless someone kept wrecking his and everyone else's brains for the next plan.

"If Gi Gaia has left Sky Oriels, it'll be hard to get to her," Marshall said, tapping his foot.

"But if Gaia has guarded the crystal for such a long time, wouldn't it be better to let her keep it? As long as the Stygian Overlord doesn't get to it, it's fine, no?" Elysia mused, watching Marshall with tense brows.

Wyn glanced at her from the side with a mistrustful look—a gesture as brief as the flutter of a butterfly, but still noticed by the disciple.

"Both the Stygian Overlord and the tower are looking for the Smaragdine Lily..." Marshall murmured, "but neither of them know Gi Gaia has it. She might be safe for now, but what will happen once someone else finds out?"

"How about you let her keep the crystal for now so you can focus on clearing your name?" Elysia suggested. "You should worry about yourself first."

"No, I need to find Gi Gaia first. If I can study the Smaragdine Lily, I can figure out a way to use it to kill the Stygian Overlord," Marshall insisted.

Elysia was stunned, "You will try to eliminate the Overlord? The man who has lived hundreds of years undefeated?"

"It's either him or me," Marshall replied, pacing his fifth circle around the desk.

"Can we go to sleep already?" Sun Hayden whined, leaning against the stone wall like a wet clay sculpture. "We walked so much today."

"Sure, go ahead," Marshall waved. He himself had no intention to resig for the night until he figured out where to look for Gi Gaia, but he wasn't going to force others to stay up too.

Time was of essence. The more they lingered around thinking, the further away Gi Gaia was going to get.

Wyn crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Marshall with the expression of a master who had given up on advising a disciple against bad habits.

Although, it was likely the snow deity understood that they were pressed for time, which was why he hadn't made any comments about how staying up late was bad for one's health.

"I get that you're worried someone might discover us, but after the defense mechanism was broken, no guards have been sent to check on the Tainia stronghold," Elysia assured. "The tower doesn't care about it, so you can sleep peacefully."

Sun Hayden turned his head to her in a pigeon-like manner. "How do you know that the tower doesn't care about it?"

"Did you forget?" Elysia retorted. "I told you, I was a guard. None of us have been posted here for over three months."

"Oh, right—Sentinel Lichen!" The blond disciple laughed, scratching his head awkwardly. "It slipped my mind..."

"I think Gi Gaia is headed to Lou Sect," Marshall interjected, stopping.

Elysia's head snapped to him, her mouth opening in hesitation. "How... are you so sure?"

The disciple strode over to the walnut wood desk. "Here," he gestured for them to come closer before sketching a rough outline of the map of Sacral Grounds.

"There are multiple reasons," Marshall started. "Now, follow me on this—both Liangdu and Jilu share borders with Sky Oriels. These would be the first places to run to."

"However," he tapped the pencil, crossing out the territory on the north side. "Jilu Sect has strict security and they're very blunt. It would be difficult for Gi Gaia to manipulate anyone there in case she got in a sticky situation."

Sun Hayden chimed in, "Yeah, Lai Rylan doesn't fall for tricks either. Also, let's not forget that Jilu is freezing! I doubt anyone would willingly choose to run there."

Marshall moved on, "Removing Jilu, Liangdu remains. There are multiple hidden paths leading into Liangdu, so it would be easy to sneak into."

"Then why do you think she's going to Lou? Wouldn't it be easier for her to stay in Liangdu?" Elysia probed.

"Mhm. But!" Marshall raised his index finger. "There's a catch – Liangdu citizens are required to carry identification plates. Due to their lax borders, crossing through it shouldn't provide much challenge..."

He explained, drawing a line through Liangdu, "...but living without a plate for a longer time would pose a risk of getting caught. That's why she wouldn't stay in Liangdu for too long."

"That leaves her with Lou." Having circled the northwest territory on the map, Marshall glanced up to gauge their reactions.

Sun Hayden wore a pondering frown while tapping on his lip with a finger, Elysia's eyes flickered as she stared at the map, and Wyn watched them in silence with an unreadable expression.

"But why are you so sure Gaia would leave Sky Oriels in the first place? I mean, just leaving is quite the stretch. But going as far as Lou? It's a wild guess." Elysia threw a cloth of doubt over his deduction, but Marshall only grinned, the pencil spinning idly between his fingers.

"Gi Gaia has mentioned wanting to visit the Bijou Temple at least eight times while keeping me trapped in her cavern. There is a unique gemstone collection, and she's obsessed with that type of stuff."

He continued, his knowing smirk widening, "Gi Gaia's also an opportunist. If she had to run, I'm certain she would choose the most appealing destination."

"In addition," Marshall tapped the map, drawing back to the practical aspects, "Lou is a small, faraway sect with arts, crop fields and no ambition. They have weak military, but all they have are antiques nobody needs, so none of the sects pay much attention to them."

"...Rude," Elysia commented, staring at the restless hands that kept fiddling with the pencil.

"Sorry. But the point is—Lou Sect is safe, reclusive and unproblematic," Marshall simplified. "I've never heard of them being involved in any troubles. That is, except Lou Yumei... but that's a different case."

Sun Hayden agreed, "True, Lou Sect abstains from violence. Aside from Bijou Temple, the security is low. Oh, and you don't even need any identification plates! Matching the local attire and blending in will keep you undetected. Even if an illegal traveler gets caught, the most they would receive is a warning and a slap on the wrist."

"It sounds like you speak from experience," Wyn noted, pensively eyeing the blond disciple, who let out a shameless chuckle, not denying the assumption.

Marshall's eyes had lit up at the new goal. "Then it's definitely where Gi Gaia is going! We can get her!" he declared with an excited clap. As long as they kept moving bit by bit, everything would get solved.

The snow deity looked to him, eyebrows arching. "Are you suggesting we unlawfully cross two sects in search for Gi Gaia?"

"Yeah, that's the plan! But I'm not asking you guys to come with. In fact, evading Liangdu guards would be easier done alone. I can use demonic energy to travel, so I'd be able to catch up to her as long as I know where she's going," the disciple rambled, moving towards the main door.

"Marshall," the icy eyes narrowed, holding him under a scrutinizing gaze. "It is midnight. Where are you going?"

"After Gi Gaia, of course. Every minute counts!"

"Take a step back," Wyn's disagreeing tone rained on Marshall's parade. "You cannot keep making hasty plans without a second thought. Have you not learned anything from confronting Rime Herald?"