Going Deeper

"Our surveillance targets had begun making unusual moves. These Portuguese merchants all had remarkably extensive channels. Their recent actions fully explained the situation—it was like year-end shopkeepers constantly running promotions and discounts to squeeze out one last round of business before going home for Christmas. But it was only March. Their behavior showed that some other factor had made it impossible for their business to continue."

As an East African intelligence agent, Yurika had keenly noticed the Portuguese merchants' unusual behavior. They had increased their purchases from East Africa and were hauling the goods away at maximum carrying capacity. These were all East African specialties, especially rare goods found only in East Africa, such as crocodile skins and ivory.

Of course, Mozambique itself did not lack such goods, but its output was nowhere near East Africa's. After all, they lacked manpower, so importing from East Africa was the most cost-effective option.

All they needed was cash and vehicles. They could haul the semi-processed goods directly to the eastern ports, then ship them back to Europe for sale.

"Yurika, this past year felt like our busiest year yet. But I have a feeling all this is about to end," his colleague Rice said.

"It seems the other side is preparing to lay its cards on the table. How do we keep digging deeper and send the intelligence back?" Yurika asked.

"We just need to follow them. We're Portuguese now, so as long as we follow the other merchant caravans, we can learn more about the exact reasons behind these changes." Rice wanted to unravel the mystery further, so he planned to follow the Portuguese merchant caravans through the Mozambican interior, sail out from the east, and then return to East Africa.

"This is indeed a risky operation. We are not real