In a sense, gathering intelligence was even more dangerous than going to the front lines. Once exposed, he would be better off dead. But from another perspective, high risks brought high rewards. His previous missions had successfully made Machu Philip a core member of the department. If this mission succeeded as well, he would likely become one of the candidates for a managerial position.
Would he live out his life safely as a mediocrity, or take a gamble and risk becoming someone important? Machu chose the latter.
The opportunity had been given to him. He could not let it slip away so easily. He had to give it everything he had... Thinking this, Machu narrowed his eyes at the eastern horizon. His target lay there.
According to some vague intelligence, Ash Forest City—the city established after the collapse of the Soma Alliance—had developed rapidly because it had received support from the Truth Society. It might even have been planning an attack on Shalin alongside several other major cities.
Was this intelligence true? Had the Truth Society already taken control of Ash Forest City? What exactly was the attack plan? Would the Truth Society's steward, Burning Wind, appear again and personally lead the attack? In addition, he needed to determine whether the threat to Shalin would be Ferocious Beast Level or Raging Tide Level. If it was Ferocious Beast Level, it could basically be ignored, with perhaps only a warning sent to the surrounding cities. But if it was Raging Tide Level, it would have to be reported to a higher department so military forces could be redeployed. As for anything above that... he would strike it rich, but he would also be very likely to die directly in Red Stone City...
*Hopefully, this trip won't bring me too much bad