Shade was momentarily taken aback by the pale man's answer. He had no idea what the man was thinking at that moment, but after only a brief pause, the other man said:
"The people who attacked us were most likely Delin Orr Restorationists. We discovered that they were connected to thieves from Wilundell, but before we could submit the relevant intelligence and evidence, those people came for us. Do not trust any local agents. I suspect there's a mole among us."
Agents and moles were common tropes in stories like this, as far as the Outlander was concerned. He was not surprised in the slightest.
The man continued:
"The thieves are not Delin Orr Restorationists. They merely contacted the thieves and are negotiating to buy the stolen goods from them. Yes, those Restorationists have already found out who took the missing Printing Plate Masters, but we still don't know the thieves' identities. We originally intended to wait until the transaction and arrest both sides at once. Who would have thought that we ourselves would become the first prey to be captured?"
"Printing Plate Masters?"
Shade thought of the two pieces in his possession, but his were masters for Gold Pound notes. The ones stolen here had to be for crown banknotes.
"Did anyone else escape besides you?"
Shade asked again. The man sitting on the ground shook his head. He could feel that he was probably not going to make it.
"Lord Gray-headed Eagle, please take this intelligence to Princess Margaret. You must warn Her Highness about the local Gray Gloves members stationed here. Someone among the local members must have betrayed us long ago. The first team sent from Wilundell to investigate the theft may also have a problem. An informant I cultivated sent back very bad news.
"Please