With the sun setting, Milla lies in the makeshift hammock she built hidden in the dense foliage of a tall tree in a large wood a few miles from Gyelsa. Normally, she'd build a shelter on ground level, but with the Nine Tails hunting her, she needs to take every precaution she can, hence the hidden high hammock that will minimise the chance she's found overnight as much as possible.

As the light fades and the stars begin to appear, Milla looks up at what little of the sky she can see through the dense foliage and allows her mind to roam over the course of her life since arriving in the Western Empire. This of course brings up terrible memories, but Milla doesn't let them get to her: instead, she analyses each situation, working out where the right choices were made, and more importantly where mistakes happened.

The last event she analyses is her duel with Mipham. The last time I hurt anyone was when I first transformed on the Dreadnought… Once I was well again, I promised myself I would never harm them or another soul ever again, but I hurt Mipham very badly… I felt so guilty over what happened on the Dreadnought even though it wasn't my fault… but somehow, I feel less guilty about what I did to Mipham. I know she tried to kill me, but that doesn't excuse me hurting her as badly as I did. I should have found a way to… what's the word… incapacitate her without harm.

That thought triggers a sudden spark within her mind. Maybe I don't need to get into combat. Maybe… Maybe I can take down the Nine Tails without any fighting whatsoever! That just leaves the how…

But that will have to wait until the morning. For now, sleep.

Meanwhile, in their HQ under the Jade Vixen casino in Gyelsa, the Huxian is addressing the rest of the Nine Tails. However, Xia Nuhu Mipham is absent, as she's being kept in hospital overnight for observation.

"As you are all no doubt aware, while we have dismantled the Order of the Phantom, the Tiāngǒu remains free," Huxian Dolma informs. "I assume I do not need to stress how serious this situation is."

"I feel I must share some of the responsibility for Xia Nuhu Mipham's failure, my Huxian," Husan Tainai Pemma apologises. "I failed to adequately instil upon her the discipline required to pursue our venture."

"I appreciate the gesture, but Xia Nuhu Mipham's failures are hers and hers alone," Dolma replies. "I expected her to be our weakest link, therefore I have planned accordingly."

"We already have multiple GSPU fireteams searching for her, my Huxian," Husan Taiye Chogori informs. "It won't be long before we find and eliminate her."

"Especially as public support has allowed me to divert funds from the Empire's less popular social security programmes to the GSPU, allowing them to expand," Pemma adds, referring to her public role as the Imperial Treasurer.

"And you know you and Shang Nanhu Nawang have my full support, Husan Taiye," Dolma directs to Chogori. "However, I see no reason not to tip the balance further in our favour and expedite the process. And that is where Zhong Nanhu Shigara and Zhong Nuhu Choden come in."

Both Shigara and Choden are pleasantly surprised by this.

"We shall not fail you, my Huxian," the salmon‑furred violet‑haired Shigara vows.

"We will deliver the Tiāngǒu alive," his azure‑furred ultramarine‑haired sister adds.

"Be sure you do," Dolma replies. "She has information I require."

Milla wakes with the rise of the sun, happy to see that she's still in her hammock. I slept surprisingly well, given what happened yesterday… It may be the last peaceful sleep I have for a while. After waiting a few moments for the last mists of sleep to fade away, Milla sits up, slings the baldric holding Tiāngǒu's piandao over her shoulder, climbs out of the hammock, and descends to ground level. Breakfast first.

An hour later, Milla finishes her light breakfast of a couple of small fish caught in a nearby river complemented by a handful of berries foraged while the fish cooked over a small fire. With her immediate needs addressed, her attention finally turns to the day ahead. OK, so, what do I know so far? I know that the Nine Tails are hunting me down, that Mipham and Major Nawang are both members, and that they will capture me and force me to tell them everything about the Fire Crystal before killing me. I also know that the Order of the Phantom can no longer protect me, meaning I'm entirely alone… I've never been more scared in my life.

Milla closes her eyes and takes several calming deep breaths the way Spade taught her before opening her eyes again. Right… A plan. I need one, and I don't have one. What would Lilac and Carol do? Milla thinks for a few moments. Lilac would probably rush in and make a mess of things, like she did during the Brevon Crisis… Still can't believe we got away with that… Carol though, she kept her head when everything was at its worst… What would Carol do if she was here right now?

Carol's voice suddenly pops into Milla's mind: Who's the Huxian?

Milla blinks in surprise, then checks all around her for any sign of the wildcat. I could have sworn I heard her voice…

You did hear my voice, Carol's voice replies. You asked yourself what I would do, and I would start by trying to work out who the Huxian is.

Milla is a little weirded out by holding a dialogue with Carol entirely in her head, but she decides to run with it and see where it goes. Of course! But where do I start?

Good question. Carol is silent for a moment. Jampa told you about how the Nine Tails worked their way into positions of power, you know Shang Nanhu Nawang is a Major in the GSPU, and you know that the top rank in the Nine Tails is the Huxian. Therefore, it follows that the Huxian holds an even more powerful position than Nawang. An obvious guess would be a General, but an army cannot easily seize power alone while also keeping the public on its side.

That makes sense… Why do I feel like I know this already?

You do; you're just using my voice as an aid.

Oh. Heh… Milla thinks hard for several moments. So… A more powerful position than the highest army rank… The Empress? No, that doesn't make sense: that would mean they've won already, and they clearly haven't… I'm out of ideas.

No, you're not. In fact, the answer is obvious, because you've seen it before.

But I haven't‑ Milla has a sudden epiphany. The Huxian is one of the Empress's advisors!

Just like how Brevon acted through King Dail, the Huxian is acting through the Empress, Carol confirms. Get proof before you act however: you need to be certain before you try to take her down.

Of course. Thanks, Carol.

This was all you; I'm just a voice in your head. And you're welcome.

Milla can picture Carol's cheeky smirk in her mind's eye as the wildcat's voice fades away. Proof that the Huxian is one of the Empress's advisors… This is going to require all the skills Maria taught me, and more. Milla takes a deep breath, then looks down at herself to find her shirt and shorts are badly damaged. …a new outfit… Yeah, a new outfit. One that disguises who I am… and that means shoes. Milla sighs to herself. If I need to sacrifice a little comfort to save an Empire, then I will sacrifice a little comfort.

With her first goal decided, Milla makes her way out of the wood and begins the journey to Gyelsa.

Meanwhile, Shigara and Choden have arrived at the end of the emergency escape tunnel Milla used to avoid capture by Major Nawang and the GSPU. Putting their finely‑honed tracking skills to full use, it still takes some time to pick up Milla's trail, but they eventually find it and begin to follow it.

A few hours later, unaware two of the Nine Tails are now following her trail, Milla finds what she's looking for: a place to get an all‑new outfit. Granted, a scarecrow in the middle of a field of crops is an unusual place to find a new outfit, but it's close enough in size to Milla to work, and it saves having to steal from a store, or worse, from a charity donation point. Of course, the owner of the farm won't be happy about the outfit disappearing, but that doesn't worry Milla: by the time the farmer finds out, she'll be long gone.

After quickly changing into the checked shirt and loose denim dungarees, Milla resumes her journey to Gyelsa, thankful that the long loose sleeves and legs of her new outfit easily hide her bangles. However, the new look is not yet complete: she still needs to find some footwear and a way to hide her distinctive ears.

Meanwhile, Shigara and Choden have arrived at the wood where Milla spent the night, where they also find the hammock hidden high in the foliage.

After a quick search of the surrounding area yields no further clues, they relocate Milla's trail and resume their hunt.

Milla's search for footwear comes to an unexpected end half a mile from the imperial capital. As she's following the river that flows through the centre of Gyelsa, she spots two piles of clothes on the bank a few feet from the water's edge. Worth a look. Ducking into the tall grass on the riverbank, Milla carefully approaches the piles of clothes, doing her best to follow Maria Shanmao's advice on how to make as little noise as possible.

Once the piles of clothes are within reach, Milla quickly assesses if there's anything suitable to take. Two pairs of boots… I really don't want two‑inch heels, but the other pair are too small, leaving me no choice. And is that a headscarf? That's perfect for hiding my ears! Just need to make sure no‑one's looking…

Milla looks up and down both riverbanks to find no‑one approaching. However, she does see the likely owners of the clothing: two naked snow leopards enjoying some intimate company in the river itself. Having never seen such activities before, Milla is understandably confused. What on Avalice are they doing to each other?

Focus! Carol's voice hisses in her head.

Milla shakes her head to clear her confusion and restore focus, snatches the boots and headscarf, and scurries away as quickly as possible, stopping behind a nearby hedge to put the boots on and find that they do indeed fit her well. I hope whoever owns these boots isn't too angry they'll be going home barefoot.

Milla quickly ties the headscarf in place, ensuring her ears are fully hidden, then sets off once more for Gyelsa itself, doing her best to quickly adapt to the boots' two‑inch heels. I've had these boots on for less than a minute and I already hate them: the heels make it tricky to balance, and I just know my feet are going to hurt. How anyone can wear heels like this all day I'll never know.

As Milla crosses the city border, Shigara and Choden find the hound's damaged former outfit dumped next to the scarecrow she stripped for replacement clothing.

"Does she really think a disguise is going to fool us?" Choden asks her brother.

"She doesn't know we're tracking her," Shigara reminds. "She probably thinks we're just looking for her instead of following her trail."

"A trail that's making it rather easy to follow her movements," Choden agrees.

Shigara checks his watch. "I estimate she'll be crossing the city border about now."

"Think she'll return to that building she was hiding in before?"

"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest."

"Then let's get moving."

A couple of hours later, Milla is once again in the heart of Gyelsa, on the top storey of the abandoned building that used to contain the compact apartment she was using the first time she was in the capital. All this mess… all because of me.

All because Nawang tried to kill you, you mean, Carol's voice reminds in her head.

Milla sighs to herself. …yeah, I guess that's true.

You mean you know it's true, Carol's voice corrects. Now, remember why you came here.

Milla takes a deep breath. Yes: to try and find anything I left here when I escaped.

Good. Let's get started.

Milla carefully picks her way through the wreckage, looking for anything salvageable. Of course, none of her notes are present: the few that survived were destroyed by Shang Nanhu Nawang after she'd escaped. Fortunately, she does find the small hemp bag of money she'd received from Champo. Huh… Strange how they didn't take this. At least I have money again, and that means I have more options.

Milla places the bag in the large front pocket of her 'borrowed' dungarees, then turns her attention to her next move. How to confirm who the Huxian is… First step: find out who the royal advisors are, and if any of them are foxes.

Milla makes her way out of the abandoned building, but instead of heading into the city centre itself, she remains in the much quieter inner‑city residential area, returning the grocery store she used the first time she was here. Wanting to keep her visit as brief as possible to minimise the chances of being recognised, she heads straight for the newspaper racks and selects a newspaper with a photo of the Empress with a vixen by her side on the front page.

All Milla needs is to read the caption of the photo to confirm the identity of the vixen. Chief Imperial Advisor Dolma… Can she really be the Huxian? I need to be sure before I act.

Knowing she needs time to think, Milla quickly finds something to eat, pays for the food and the newspaper, and exits the store hoping that the cashier didn't recognise her. Initially, she turns towards the abandoned building she previously hid in, but quickly thinks better of it. It was risky enough going back there once: not gonna risk it again.

Wondering where she's going to shelter for the night, Milla heads in the opposite direction, figuring that for now, it's best to keep moving.

In the grocery store, a burgundy long‑eared owl wearing a black ulsterette overcoat over a plain black shirt, black jeans, and black bluchers finishes paying for his groceries, exits the store, and heads the same way Milla did just moments earlier. I'm surprised she came back… I should follow her. Last thing we need is a repeat of a year ago.