Tobi and Hannah met up for another two days to read the book. However, the two did not spend the time reading alone. They visited other places in the area. They visited the animal house, the warehouse, and the royal palace which Hannah did not initially support. Tobi had used his clan's privilege to enter the royal palace.
The Royal Palace's environment was new and different to Hannah's. The architecture was state-of-the-art. The palace was more orderly, if not too orderly. It was serene and very clean. Royal guards were patrolling the palace every minute. It would be difficult for an ordinary warrior to attack the place without getting caught.
"Wow. This place is so different. I never thought a place like this existed," Hannah said, as she looked around.
"Surprised? This is still a low-budget palace. You should see the one in Kirara," Tobi placed his right finger on his upper chin and boasted.
"What? You mean there is a place far better than this?" Hannah asked in shock as she turned to face Tobi.
"A place? There are many places better than this," Tobi replied and smiled at Hannah.
"Whoa. This is so surprising," Hannah said. "I think we should leave now. I've seen enough," Hannah said and turned towards the palace.
As they were about to leave the palace, Hannah took a last glance at the palace and her face became gloomy. She wondered how and why everything is so different outside the palace gate. It was so noisy, and rowdy, and many parts of the area are unclean.
They came across a lake that had been contaminated by toxins and poisonous substances. The lake had become dark brown. Hannah glanced at the lake and her gloomy expression became paler.
"Hannah. Can I ask you something?" Tobi asked as he stared at the lake.
"Yes. What is it?" Hannah answered.
"Was this lake always like this?" Tobi inquired. "And were you always the gloomy?" he asked shifting his gaze to her.
Hannah heaved a sigh before she answered Tobi's question.
"Toriba used to be quiet and clean. That lake used to be very clean. It was the perfect fishing spot. In addition, there was never a market square until recently," Hannah stated.
"What happened recently?" Tobi inquired with his gaze still fixed on her.
"Gold was found in this area. A mine was built to extract the gold but it only brought hardship to the people living here. Look at the lake, it was caused by the mines. Many agricultural farms have lost their fertile soil because of the toxins and poisonous substances that come from the mine," Hannah answered with a gloomy expression.
"So, it caused the farmers that managed to harvest produce to sell to meet their needs and prepare for the next planting season," Tobi remarked as looked at the sky with his hand on his lower chin.
"Nobody used to care about selling. We plant, harvest, and plant again without any issues. The worst part of it for me is that our farm is the one suffering from this the most and the royal palace refused to do anything," Hannah said angrily, frowned, and clenched her fists tightly.
Tobi could not say anything but look at her. He searched through the archives of his brain for comforting words but he found none. He stood there and watched her vent her anger on her fist.
"You know Tobi. These past two days have been the best I've had in years. Thank you so much," Hannah suddenly said.
"Y-Yeah, don't worry but why does this sound like a farewell message?" Tobi replied with his hands on his hips.
"Haa. It's late. I have to go. Bye," she smiled and waved at Tobi.
Tobi waved back but she did not look back to see him wave. Her face grew paler as she marched angrily towards her house.
"There is only one way to bring this place back to normal," she thought.
"How was your date?" Ini teased. "Did you ask her out?" Ini asked while he cheekily stared at Chioma.
"Hey. Why are you staring at me like that?" Chioma asked frowning at Ini.
"Hehe," Ini smiled.
"I didn't. More like I couldn't," Tobi replied gloomily.
"Why?" Chioma asked as she tried to hide her smile.
"Did you just smile? I thought you didn't care," Ini teased.
"I didn't," Chioma lied.
"But you do now, right?" Ini continued to tease her.
"Ini, just leave me alone!" Chioma fumed. "So, what was the reason?" she asked as she returned her gaze to Tobi.
"She had issues," Tobi answered gloomily.
"Issues like?" Ini asked intently.
"The mine is contaminating Toriba's waters and lands. They can't farm like before," Dapo cut in. He just came in from his patrols. "How long have I been out? I am tired," he continued.
He sat to join the trio in their discussion. They formed a round table and Dapo handed the three snacks he got on his way back.
"Thank you, Captain," they all appreciated.
"I met up with the Chief Supervisor in charge of the mine. He said that they have hit the gold and by tomorrow, they would begin the final phase of extraction," Dapo said.
"How long do you think the final phase will take?" Tobi asked curiously.
"According to what the man said, it could take another two to four months," Dapo answered.
"Isn't there another faster way to do it?" Tobi asked.
"None that I know of," Dapo answered. "Tomorrow, we are going to patrol the mine. So, prepare for a long day and get some rest," he said, stood up, and left for his room.
At one corner of Toriba, a girl and a woman met up. The girl covered her mouth with a cloth and was dressed in a black gown. The woman was covered in a blue jacket and a white blouse underneath. She wore a blue skirt, and she wore a blue hat to match. Her shoes were black. She carried a backpack on her back.
The girl approached the woman steadily and stopped when she was just arm's length away from the woman.
"Do you have the package?" she seared.
"Do you have my package? The woman asked politely.
The girl brought out a box and handed it over to the woman. The woman collected the box, opened it, and confirmed its content. Then, she offed her backpack, unzipped it, and brought out a parcel.
"This is the package," the woman said as she handed the parcel to the girl.
The girl collected, bowed to the woman, and left the place. The woman turned and left in the opposite direction and they both grinned as they walked away.
The following morning, Dapo and the trio left the inn and went to patrol the mine. They patrolled the inn till it was dusk. Ini had already gotten tired of patrol. Meanwhile, they were only allowed to patrol the area. They were not allowed entry into the mine itself.
"Tobi, how are you people enduring this hardship? I am so tired," Ini asked panting.
"Personally, I have endured worse," Tobi replied.
"This is nothing. It does seem like you haven't engaged in actual battle," Chioma stated.
"Well, this is my first mission?" Ini said and shrugged.
"Wouldn't this be our third mission?" Tobi asked Chioma with his right hand on his chin.
"By the way, why is Andrew not with us?" Ini asked.
"He had other priorities, I guess," Chioma answered.
Suddenly, screams emanated from the mine.
"We are under an attack. Contact the roya-," The guard could not finish his sentence before he was beheaded by a girl. The girl was dressed in a black shirt, trousers, and brown sandals. She held, in her hands, two daggers.
"This is the day it all ends," a girl said viciously.
Two guards appeared in front of her and ran towards her. She sped toward them and as she was just a metre away, she jumped up, spun herself midair, and stabbed the two guards in their chins before they could react.
"Cheap guards are nothing. I have trained three years for this day," she said sternly.
Tobi, Ini, and Chioma quickly ran inside only to find the dead bodies of the guards. Ten of the guards have been killed in a rather agonizing way. They followed the trail of the spilt blood and they kept finding more dead guards than they have lost count of.
They continued to follow the trail before they reached a three-way junction. The trio agreed to split ways. Dapo, on the other hand, had gone through the top of the mine where he encountered a young boy. Seven small black boxes rotated around the boy.
"Let's have fun, old man," the young boy said and smiled.
"Old man?" Dapo thought and grinned.