For most people, the night of this day was a rare moment of relaxation.

Although the demons' floating city was still moving towards Hermes day and night, at least this scene could not be seen in the Morning Light Capital. Being far away from the front line gave everyone a brief moment of tranquility, especially since they would be rushing back to the battlefield and going their separate ways again the next day, making this tranquility even more precious.

As Andrea entered the family mansion courtyard, Hoford Quinn was already waiting for her at the door.

"Welcome home, daughter."

"Hmm..." Andrea nodded slightly. This was the first time in a year that she had returned to the family mansion, and not as an intruder, but entering it with the welcoming of servants on both sides. Honestly, she would rather spend this time with Tilly, but when she received the invitation, she felt a touch in her heart, and inexplicably agreed.

This kind of thing could have been said directly to her after the meeting.

Maybe... he was also afraid that she would refuse.

But when she really faced him, she didn't know what to say.

After all, this was different from the last meeting, when she came with a mission, but now it was just a slightly awkward reunion.

"What do you want... to talk to me about?" Andrea asked as they walked in the aisle.

"Many things, such as what you experienced on the front line, your partners, and that Mr. Roland Wimbledon..."

"He's just a fool, there's nothing to talk about—" Andrea replied casually, then realized it was a bit inappropriate, "Uh, I mean..."

"It seems he is a tolerant king." Hoford smiled. "Don't worry, I know you're a little uncomfortable. If it's just the two of us talking, this evening might be very difficult, so I've made some special preparations."

"Preparations?"

"You'll understand when you go in." He stopped at the entrance of the main hall.

Andrea pushed open the door with some suspicion, and before she could see the situation in the room clearly, a figure rushed straight towards her—

"I missed you so much, Sister Quinn!"

So that's how it is...

She opened her arms with a slight smile, letting the other party hug her tightly.

It was Belinda Loxi who had pounced on her.

In addition, there were two other people at the long table—Otto Loxi and Oro Tocat. The latter two also seemed quite excited, and Otto even looked a little at a loss.

This scene instantly made Andrea feel as if she had returned to more than ten years ago, before she awakened as a witch.

Belinda's chattering and Oro's enthusiasm quickly resolved the initial stiffness, and her father, who almost never joked with the younger generation, also sat down with them, which was quite rare.

He really put a lot of effort into talking to her... Andrea suddenly realized that the hatred in her heart was almost gone.

"By the way, after the war is over, we're also going to Neverwinter City, so we can see each other often." Belinda winked at her.

Andrea raised her eyebrows in surprise and said, "You mean..."

"Of course, the three of us together!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Oro nodded vigorously.

"Wait... Otto and Oro are family heirs, right? Can your two old Earls agree to leave the territory for a long time?" Andrea looked at Otto with a suspicious expression. Could it be that this guy was instigating in secret? That would be too irresponsible.

"N... not like you think," Otto quickly waved his hand, stammering, "Although I also hope so, but that, that's only part of the reason... In... in short..."

"Let me explain it." Belinda patted her elder brother's shoulder with pity, and then said to Andrea, "You rarely stay in the Morning Light, so you don't know the recent changes. Nowadays, in big cities, especially in the noble circles of Glow City, a saying has gradually spread, that is, if a family knows nothing about natural science, then it is destined to decline."

"Natural science? Could it be..."

"That's right," Belinda nodded with a smile, "At first it was indeed the *Foundation of Natural Science Theory* published in Neverwinter City, but now it has been refined into multiple disciplines. Some call it Neo-Scholasticism, while others think that alchemy and astrology are just part of it, but in any case, such a trend has indeed emerged in the noble circles, and any natural science books from Neverwinter City will be bought by merchants at high prices."

"Father was also affected, so when we brought up this idea, he didn't object too much—after all, self-study is always better than not having someone to guide you." She continued, "Besides, several families have already taken the lead, and Father probably doesn't want the Loxi family to lag behind. So this is not an irresponsible approach! In my father's words, he can still hold on for a few more years without any problem."

"They were just stimulated by airplanes and steel sea ships," Oro shrugged indifferently, "Of course, I'm all for being able to go out and travel around."

"What I want to say... is exactly this." Otto breathed a sigh of relief. "And, we plan to start a reading club."

"What's that?" Andrea asked curiously.

"There's so much natural science content, it's really too little with just the three of us." Belinda spread her hands. "So we want to select some merchants and commoners with good aptitude and give them a chance to come into contact with natural science. If they perform well, we will include them in the family, which can be regarded as killing two birds with one stone. What do you think?"

Andrea didn't know what to answer for a moment.

She suddenly realized that whether it was her father or other people, changes were taking place.

In the past, witches who were regarded as taboo, and the evil kingdom of Greycastle that sheltered witches and revoked the aristocratic enfeoffment, would never be a target that the upper echelons of the Morning Light were willing to emulate and learn from, and incorporating ordinary people with ordinary bloodlines into the family was also contrary to tradition. But now, these once clear boundaries have begun to blur.

She couldn't help but look at her father, Hoford Quinn.

There was no doubt that he must have guided it as well.

He was indeed trying to make amends.

What has happened can never be erased, but the subsequent changes can at least prevent it from happening again.

That's what you want to express, right, Father?

……

In the following days, Greycastle and Morning Light jointly launched operations.

The nobles set up nearly a hundred reception points on the traffic arteries in the northwest, providing food and tent accommodation for the panicked refugee tide. The First Army medical team, under the protection of the God's Punishment Witches, treated the sick and wounded. In the most densely populated places for refugees, extremely soft and beautiful singing could often be heard—even the most manic and restless people would quickly calm down under such voices.

Under the leadership of the new Pope Isabella, the Hermes Church also launched a tour to appease those who were forced to evacuate their homes—even after experiencing all kinds of turmoil, the Church still had a certain influence among the people. For them, the only ones who could fight the demons besides the people of Greycastle were the churches that served the gods.

Thanks to the efforts of all parties, this wave of panic was finally brought under control before it caused irreversible damage. Although refugees could not return to their original towns for a period of time, those places that had not been affected were finally stabilized.

And the First Army's air raid rehearsal was also ready at this moment.