“I can’t believe it.” Tucker stared at the results. His hands trembled as he analyzed the pattern on the sheet. “We’re already this close to solving it?”

  “Don’t get your hopes up. After this many years, I’m sure they’ve improved their methods.” Alex let out a puff of smoke and leaned back. “We’ll need to be prepared in case there are changes.”

  “But how would they know that we’ve solved their secret messages?” Tucker asked.

  “They don’t. However, I reckon they have some tricks up their sleeves.” Charles smiled and copied the results onto three separate pages for the other two. “Now, let’s solve this final piece before we call it a day.”

  Tucker read the results over and over in his head. As of now, the following were true. Between two individuals, there was the same offset if the days were identical. This meant that the individuals had to be assigned a certain value. The only issue was identifying it.

  If it’s a cipher from back then... Most likely, the formula they used wouldn’t have been that complicated or advanced. It would have to be something simple and easily solvable.

  He looked around the chamber and then turned to Charles. “Is there anything we could use to help solve this?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  Tucker scratched the back of his head. “There has to be something, like the Empire's history or at least who these people were?"

  “Well we don’t really have any records of their personal history besides their houses. But if you want to see the history of the Empire from the start of the war to now, you could check that corner over there beside the fairytale section.”

  “The fairytale section?” Tucker’s eyes narrowed once he heard this. “Why is it beside the fairytale section?”

  “Because I don’t like them.”

  The rookie eyes widened in shock once he heard Charles’ response.

  “He’s being petty. Don’t worry about it.” Alex watched the swirls of grey smoke float into the air. “Charles probably hates the Empire more than me. He just shows it differently.”

  “Shows it differently? Wait…how do you show it?” Tucker asked.

  “How would anyone else show it? I curse them out,” Alex replied.

  Tucker was at a loss for words. Were all his elders like this? “Right… so where in that corner is the books on the Empire’s history?”

  “I believe it’s in the second row on the first shelf. But if you want to know about the Empire’s history, you have an expert right here,” Charles said.

  “An expert? You’re an expert on the subject Charles?” Tucker asked.

  “No no, not me.” Charles cupped his hands beneath his chin and rested his elbows on the table. He then tilted his head towards Alex, causing Tucker’s gaze to shift.

  “Alex? He’s the expert? What would he know about the Empire’s history?” Tucker asked.

  “I’ve lived it,” Alex replied.

  “And he’s still living it. In his free time, he returns to this chamber and records every bit of detail from his missions regarding the Empire into the archives,” Charles added with a smirk. “Alex may not look like it, but he’s the type of person to hold grudges straight into the afterlife.”

  Tucker stopped for a moment and thought about it before nodding. “Honestly, I can see it happening. It’s not surprising either.”

  “Shut it,” Alex said.

  Charles chuckled. “Your new rookie's not half bad. He has a good sense of humor.”

  “Glad to see someone gets along with him,” Alex said, placing his blowpipe on the wooden table with a heavy sigh. “Now, why are you bringing this up?”

  “Well, in my opinion, their encryption method has to be simple. Something that could easily be solved just like this.” Tucker snapped his fingers with a smile. “It can’t be something that takes too long since it’ll cause a delay in executing orders.”

  “That… does make sense,” Charles replied. “It would have to be something simple in that case.”

  “Right, so out of all the pages we got. At least from this crate, we know that if the dates are the same, then the offset would be the same between the two individuals,” Tucker said, pointing at the stack of pages. “So if we assume there’s some sort of formula, it’s likely that it’s the same format for all the pages or at least follows a similar structure.”

  “That means… the encryption isn’t so random after all,” Alex said with a grin.

  “Right, so if we assume the formula is the same, then we just need to figure out the format that they used.” Tucker slid the paper to Charles, who raised a brow. “If we all give it a shot, we could probably find something.”

  “Trial and error?” Charles asked.

  “Trial and error,” Tucker replied.

  Both of them nodded at each other as a silent gesture of agreement before going back to work. While Alex simply stared at the page and shook his head tiredly. The old man thought to himself while reluctantly playing with the numbers. Logically, it made sense for the Empire to have a form of formula that was hidden in plain sight, but he was highly skeptical about it. If so, then the Empire was far more careless than he thought.

  Meanwhile, Tucker carefully organized the numbers and analyzed the table he had drawn. If he factored in the receiver and sender along with the date, then there were four variables to work with. Since the offset was the same when the date, receiver, and sender were all the same. His base formula was something like this.X = Offset, A = Date, B = Sender, C = Receiver

  [ X = A +/- B +/- C ]

  Assuming it was basic arithmetic, obtaining the offset had to be something very quick and simple. After all, there were more individuals sending these letters than just generals, so it had to meet some form of basic requirement. This meant that commoners had to find the offset as well.

  Tucker rearranged the formula and tried a series of numbers.

  First, there was [ X = A + B + C ]. A formula that instantly failed in the first row.

  Then there was [ X = A - B - C ]. Another formula that failed in the second.

  His pencil frantically scribbled across the surfaces of the pages. After several more attempts, he had finally reached a conclusion, a formula that was accurate enough to solve the table.

  [ X = A + B - C ]

  He stared at the formula and looked at his result sheet with a slight frown. There was only one case where his formula failed, and after finding the culprit. He grinned while staring at Alex. It was done. This was the key to the Empire’s offset, and after double-checking his findings. Tucker looked at the veterans and waved his hand to get their attention. Once their gaze was on him, he slid the results over to them.

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  “Guys, I think I found it,” Tucker said, barely holding back his excitement.

  “You solved the puzzle?” Charles asked.

  “Yeah, look at the table; by using the formula, it’s just plug and play.” Tucker pointed to the numbers with the end of his pencil. “You just need to add the date and sender values together, then subtract the receiver’s value to get the offset.”

  Charles stroked his beard with a puzzled expression before looking at Alex, who leaned forward. Both of them were in disbelief for a moment, but after checking with the other records in the table, everything seemed to play out nicely. Everything except for the second last row.

  The old man stared at the result. “It seems like it passes all cases except for this row.”

  Tucker grinned once Alex said this. “It does. I was stuck on this for the longest time, but after double checking with the encrypted letter, I realized that you made a mistake.”

  The words that came out of Tucker’s mouth caused the old man to frown. “I made a mistake, you say?”

  “Yep, I even decrypted the letter myself to be sure.” Tucker slid another page towards them. “Take a look.”

  Both of them stared at the letter and quickly put Tucker’s method to the test. After a few moments, Charles quietly chuckled while covering his mouth. They turned to Tucker, who wore a smug grin. Even though Alex didn’t want to admit it. The rookie was right. He had made a mistake in the offset, and the correct value for the second last row was actually thirty-five.

  “I’ll be damned,” Alex muttered in a low voice.

  If there was one thing they were certain about at this point, it was that Tucker had done it. He had solved their encryption and devised a formula for them to use.

  “Charles, what do you think? Is it concrete?” Alex asked.

  “It would seem so from our current results. I’ll have to check with some more examples, but right now, I would say that this… this is it,” Charles replied.

  Alex stared at Tucker and nodded his head in approval. “Well done.”

  Tucker smirked. “What can I say? It’s just that easy.”

  The veteran let out a tired sigh, knowing that the rookie’s ego was through the roof. “You really don’t know how to take a compliment, do you?”

  “Right now? Nope, not at all,” Tucker answered, waving his hand to the side. “Besides, just because this formula works doesn’t mean we’re done. If it’s the Empire, I doubt they would make everyone try to brute force the offset. So there’s probably some quick way to deduce it.”

  “Some quick way to deduce it? How so?” Alex asked.

  “Right, I mean, to me, it would make sense because commoners are typically slower when it comes to arithmetics,” Tucker replied. “It wouldn’t make sense for them to guess the values like what we did. They would already know the values for the sender and receivers.”

  Charles gazed at the numbers before him and nodded. “He’s right. They would need a way to quickly reach a conclusion. It wouldn’t make sense for them to be left in the dark, especially if they’re important enough to receive an encoded message.”

  Alex crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Gently setting aside his blowpipe while staring at the numbers. Soon, he released a subtle laugh while shaking his head. “Well, if we’re going off what Tucker is saying, then it’s likely that the number for General Ironguard’s value is a six because he led the sixth army.”

  “Then that would mean General Windsor’s value is an eleven because he led the eleventh army,” Charles added.

  “It’s highly possible for that to be the case. As for the other names, we’ll have to figure that out later.”

  They all looked around the room, then at the countless pages that were scattered in the area except for Alex’s side. Charles felt an overwhelming amount of joy in solving the puzzle, and he knew Alex was the same. The countless days they spent locked up in this ancient chamber filled with nothing but weathered tomes and antique furniture were beyond miserable. However, that was all in the past, and now they had a counter to the Empire’s encryption.

  The librarian smiled while clapping his hands together. “It seems we’re in agreement.”

  “Indeed, we are,” Alex replied.

  “Then, in that case! It seems it’s a job well done, gentlemen. We’ve done a great bit of work today, so I believe it’s best for us to take some time off and rest. That’s why we should head to the tavern—”

  “No no no,” Alex immediately cut Charles off. “We still have a lot of work to do, and we need to be coherent to carry them out.”

  “You sure? I may never make an offer like this again,” Charles replied.

  Alex stared at him with skepticism. “Let’s not kid ourselves here. We both know you’ll make the same offer the next time we visit.”

  The librarian happily chuckled with warmth, unbothered by his friends’ accusations while stroking his beard. He turned to Tucker. “Well, what about your promising little rookie here? Perhaps he would be interested in joining me. This field does seem to be his calling.”

  “Uh… I’ll have to pass,” Tucker answered, the corner of his mouth twitching in an awkward half-smile. He felt bad seeing Charles’s tragic expression but knew that if he stayed in the scholar’s chamber for too long—eventually, he would lose his mind.

  “A shame,” Charles said dramatically. “I’ve seen many promising rookies in my time, but you might be one of the best.”

  “Um, thanks?”

  Charles shook his head. “Well, if you ever change your mind. You know where to find me.”

  Alex rose from his seat and walked over to Charles, patting him on the shoulder. “Take care of yourself Charles. We’ll visit when we can.”

  “I know. You tend to come and go like the wind,” Charles replied with a grin. He picked up the blowpipe from the table and handed it to Alex. “Try not to get into too much trouble. We’re not as young as we used to be.”

  Hearing this, Alex smirked. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He slipped the blowpipe into his pouch after smothering the embers. Then adjusted his hat and strode past Tucker, who seemed to be in a daze with a wide grin on his face. “You going to follow or just stand there?”

  “I’m following!” Tucker shot back, hurrying after the old man. “Can’t I just have a moment to savor the praise I just received?”

  “You can, just not now,” Alex replied, walking past the steel doors.

  Tucker blankly stared at Alex once he heard this. He followed in the old man’s footsteps, but for some reason, the veteran’s back seemed lonelier than before.

  The old man gazed down the hall and gestured at the rookie to follow. As they walked down the hall, several watchmen moved out of the way and saluted the veteran. Tucker followed behind and quickly saluted each one as they passed by, but Alex continued down the hall. Soon after several minutes, they were standing before the entrance to a large, well-maintained courtyard.

  Along the edge of the courtyard, the trees stood tall and still, their branches gently swaying in the breeze. Tucker could feel the cold air brush past his face as he stepped into a puddle, sending small ripples throughout the surface. Distorting the simple reflection of the moon that proudly lit up the night sky.

  “Why have you brought me here?” Tucker asked.

  “For a change of scenery,” Alex replied, removing a cigar from his pouch and passing it to Tucker.

  “You know I don’t smoke.”

  ”Who knows, maybe you would change your mind.” Alex sat down at a nearby bench and slumped forward while rolling the cigar in his palms. “What did you think of being a librarian?”

  Tucker took a seat beside Alex and leaned back with his arms spread out along the top of the bench. “Honestly, it was boring at the start.”

  “Heh, can’t deny that, but there are rewarding moments,” Alex said, holding the cigar between his fingers as Sally peeked out of his pocket and ignited the end. “Well, you saw the current state of the scholar’s chamber. It’s not what it used to be. Besides Charles and his apprentice, there aren’t many of them left.”

  “So, is that why you introduced me to him?”

  “Yeah, he’s a good reference to get you in.”

  Tucker tightly clenched his fists. “Are you saying this because you don’t think I have what it takes to work in the field?”

  “No, not in the slightest. I’m just giving you an option. One that many don’t get the chance for.” The old man turned to face the rookie. “I’m not saying this because I don’t think you have what it takes. It’s so you know there are more choices. Choices that weren’t available in the past.”

  “Alright, and what if I wanted to go back to the field? Would I be able to change my mind?”

  “Not if the war starts.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you wouldn’t have a partner, and most teams would already be deployed.”

  Tucker felt his heart sink. He knew about what the watchmen did in the past and barely had time to come to terms with it. Everything was moving so fast that he could hardly follow along. “It’s a lot to think about.”

  “I know,” Alex whispered.

  “I don’t suppose I’ll have much time to think it through then.”

  “No, you won’t. I thought you would have more time, but I was wrong. The administrators could make the call any second now.” Alex closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh. “I noticed things were wrong when we first returned. There wouldn’t be so many of us stationed at the platform. Not unless we were already planning for a full-scale war.”

  Tucker’s smile was brittle, hardly moving upwards as he forced the words out of his mouth. It was clear to Alex that the rookie hadn’t fully processed the situation yet, and he empathized with him. They were born too late to enjoy the golden age of the Kingdom and too early for days of harmony. Just like him, the rookie was right on time for an age of strife.

  “Ah fuck it.” Tucker took the other cigar from Alex’s pouch and held it towards Sally. The salamander ignited it for him, and with one big puff, he slowly exhaled. “Tell me, if I were to remain a watchman, would I even make a difference?”

  ”You would.”

  The rookie leaned his head back and stared at the swirls of smoke that drifted into the sky. “Are you messing with me?”

  “I’m not.”

  “Then I don’t suppose I can ask you to promise me something, can I?”

  “Depends on the promise.”

  “If I were to remain a watchman…” Tucker’s voice faltered for a moment, shaking as if it was carried off by the wind. As if his words were barely holding themselves together. He closed his eyes, knowing that his question was unreasonable—maybe even foolish. But still, he had to ask. He needed to hear it, even if the answer was a lie. “Would you promise… never to order me to take an innocent life? Even if it could cost us the mission?”

  The veteran thought about it but soon nodded. “That much I can do.”

  The flames from the embers flickered as Alex spoke, carrying a weight that Tucker had never seen before. He was mesmerized by the glowing characters that seemed to dance in the air. They were slowly converging into a sentence. Each one was so fragile yet resilient, like a promise that was meant to last a lifetime.

  Alex held the words before his heart, swearing an oath that was as ancient as time itself. Tucker couldn’t hold back his shock; it was something he had read about in books, but he never thought he would witness it in person. The flames represented each word that Alex uttered, forming an oath that was bound to his soul through his spirit. To break such an oath was to sever the thread of life itself. Something no sane mortal would ever dare to do.

  “You didn’t have to go that far,” Tucker said.

  “I didn’t, but sometimes words aren’t enough.” Alex brought the cigar to his mouth and inhaled before slowly letting out a cloud of smoke. “Think of it as my sincerity to you.”

  Tucker tapped the cigar, letting the ashes fall to the ground, and smiled. “Well, I appreciate it.”

  The old man nodded and touched the wound that was on his chest. Even though the potions had healed the injury, he knew the Empire had grown stronger. Much stronger in fact compared to the past. They may have foiled one supply depot, but odds are there were many more hidden along the borders.

  Countless mist hawks soared above the keep, their wings beating rhythmically as they delivered a constant stream of orders and messages. The night had yet to end, but Alex knew they would make an official call to arms by daybreak. Armies would assemble at the borders and hoist banners above the horizon.

  An era of strife had begun, and all that was on Alex’s mind was how many of those in the Order would survive. How many lives would be lost once more?

  Day 2:

  It's a bit of a long chapter, clocking in at 3.5k~ words, but this will be important later on.

  If you managed to figure it out from the table in the previous chapter, good job! The little mistake in the 2nd last row was to throw you guys off.

  I thought about making a more complex cipher, but then I was worried it would be too much.

  I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

  If you're enjoying the story so far, it would mean a lot to me if you could follow, favorite, or leave a review!