Once our trip to Anbernel had been decided, the twins quickly got busy packing. They seemed very enthusiastic about this particular visit. Anbernel was the second city in the kingdom that had the highest population density. According to Iris, it was one of the most beautiful cities she had ever seen. Anbernel was the hotspot for innovative inventors of new machinery, which isn’t a surprise because all the major suppliers of screws, gears, and parts were based in that city. Purchasing materials from there was much cheaper with the proximity of mining sites.

“Are we taking a train?” I asked as I watched Iris arrange her clothes inside a suitcase.

“No, Aliciel. This time, we are taking the airship,” she replied and showed me three tickets bearing the company name Cunningham & Co. Air Travel.

“An airship?” I was surprised.

“Have you ever been on one?” Iris asked.

I shook my head.

“This will be your first time then.” Iris was delighted. “You will enjoy the view very much. They also have a delightful selection of pastries and refreshments.”

As I was trying to imagine how it would feel like to be aboard an airship, I noticed Adrian sitting quietly on the couch. He seemed to be in deep thought. On his left hand was the white enveloped left behind by his anonymous client.

Iris continued, “We would have taken the train, but Adrian brought up that it had been a long time since we travelled by airship. Isn’t that right, Adrian?”

“Huh?” Adrian looked up, startled by the sudden mention of his name.

“You’ve been spacing out all morning. Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m alright. I’ve just been thinking about a case.” He smiled to reassure her.

“We have to hurry and finish up packing. We should be at the airship terminal by two o’clock.”

When the twins finally had their luggage ready, they had a simple lunch of pea soup and buttered meat. Adrian arranged for a horse-drawn carriage to take us to the terminal.

The Eriden Airship Terminal was a spacious building with domed ceilings made of iron and glass. The waiting areas were lined with potted plants and benches for travelers to rest. The place was less crowded compared to the train station, probably because the price of an airship ride was thrice that of a train ticket.

Iris led us to the area where we lined up to board the large airship. I gazed in awe at the cylindrical balloon supporting the weight of a galleon-like wooden structure. Once we were on board, the staff led us to the luxurious lounge with chairs and tables made of aluminum, decorated with an elegant floral centerpiece. The fabric-covered walls had painted patterns depicting nature. The windows showed a magnificent bird’s eye view of the airship terminal and the city of Eriden.

When the airship was steadily cruising through the sky, Iris announced that she would help herself to some of the airship’s special meal sets. She left her seat to place an order at the counter.

“Please excuse me as well,” Adrian hurriedly stood up from his seat and disappeared into the next room.

He was definitely acting suspicious. I decided to follow him and see what he was up to.

Adrian made his way through a narrow corridor where the special passenger private rooms were. Only the premium passengers with purple tickets had the privilege of having their own private rooms. He entered one of the rooms.

I quietly made my way to the door and peeked inside. Adrian was seated across someone, a lady in a white dress. I shifted my position to get a better view of his companion. It was Marianne XIII. There was nobody else in the room.

“The anonymous client was you?” Adrian was in shock.

“That is correct.” Marianne XIII smiled and took a sip of tea. “Although I am not the only client. Are you interested in meeting the rest of us?”

“The other members of the Sariyan Order?”

She shook her head. “I am not here to represent the Sariyan Order. Although I am its current leader, I am here on behalf of an alliance between several parties whose sole goal is to eradicate one particular organization. The one who is highly likely behind the assassinations of high-rank mechanics, Excidium.”

“Is that why all those previous requests you’ve sent was tied to the terrorist group?”

“That is correct. We are simply uniting against a single enemy.”

“Who is ‘we’?”

“We call ourselves the Underground Council of Anbernel.” Marianne XIII had such an intense stare that it was almost like she was hypnotizing Adrian. “We would like to invite you to join us at our next meeting. It will be held at the Anbernel clock tower tomorrow at three o’clock. Your compliance with our series of requests has proven you worthy of our trust.”

Adrian remained silent.

“You can take your time to think about it.”

I was so focused on eavesdropping that I didn’t notice someone behind me. In an instant, my hands were bound behind me and a hand was over my mouth. For some odd reason, I couldn’t break free like I normally could. Master made me stronger than most humans. It was as if whoever was holding me down had the same abnormal capabilities as I had.

Cloaked people threw the door open to the passenger room where Adrian and Marianne XIII were. As Adrian stood there stunned, Marianne XIII’s reflexes quickly had her reach for the plate under her cup of tea and aimed it at the throat of one of the enemies. The unfortunate victim fell back from the impact of a spinning ceramic against human throat.

“I heard you are brave fighter. Get up and fight,” Marianne XIII’s tone of voice switched from a wide old lady to that of a military commander. She drew out dagger from underneath her sleeves and pushed back the second cloaked person.

“Yes, Ma’am!” Adrian grabbed the first thing he saw as a weapon, which was a flower vase.

I continued to struggle to break free, but it was no use. It wasn’t long before a flying vase came flying at the one holding me down. The vase fell and broke into pieces. It precipitated nothing but a flinch.

“Aliciel? My goodness! What are you doing over there?” Adrian said the moment he saw me.

“Adrian, be careful. These people aren’t normal,” I warned him.

“Of course! Nobody comes to a luxurious airship dressed tackily in suspicious cloaks. That’s just unheard of!”

That wasn’t my point, but I assumed he understood my message.

“Step back, Detective. This could get dangerous,” Marianne XIII said as she took out some strange device from her bag. She ran forward and planted the object on the person’s neck. This caused smoke to rise out of that area. After a few seconds, the ‘person’ fell.

I stood up slowly. “Thank you.”

Marianne XIII examined the body with her foot. “It’s a machine resembling a person.” She went on to examine the other two who were knocked down on the floor. “These two are human. I will have them captured for interrogation.”

“Were they after you?” Adrian asked.

“Many are after my head, Detective. That is why I always keep a weapon with me at all times.” She kept her dagger. “I’d suggest you do the same.” She walked over to me and checked for any injuries. “Are you alright? I certainly was not expecting to see you here as well. It seems that fate has brought us to meet each other once again.”

Adrian and I eventually returned to the lounge so Iris wouldn’t get worried and look for us. Marianne XIII called her knights who were aboard the airship to tie up the captives and collect the body of the machine. I could still feel the grip of the automaton holding my hands in place. I noticed a scratch on my arm.

After what happened, Adrian and I weren’t sure about what awaited us in Anbernel.