Harassment and Discussion

"Those two are also Profession. Although they don't seem to be very good at combat, they have a kind of ranged attack that glows."

"These attacks hit my leather armor, and they didn't hurt me much either."

As he spoke, the Knight Attendant pointed to his shoulder, where a large dent appeared as if he had been struck by a hammer.

"I was no match for them at all. I pretended to surrender, and when one of them approached, I suddenly attacked, trying to take him hostage, but he was also very strong."

"So I turned and punched him in the stomach, and then I took the opportunity to slip into the woods."

Morris tapped his armrest, then asked:

"Did those people wear gray robes with any patterns or anything? Something you could easily recognize as a pattern..."

The Knight Attendant thought for a moment, then shook his head and slowly said:

"No, I remember they were only wearing gray robes, that's all I saw, they weren't even carrying any weapons..."

Generally speaking, weapons manufactured in different regions will have certain differences. In many cases, the identity of the other party is determined by looking at the markings and specific manufacturing process on the weapon.

This time, however, the Gray Robes didn't even bring weapons, rendering this previously effective method ineffective.

Morris lowered his head, thought for a moment, then looked up and said:

"Here's what we'll do: you go out with the guards, and you'll guide them. I'll add five Knight Attendant to the group."

The Knight Attendant nodded; he felt the lord's arrangement was sufficient.

Although most of the guards are not Profession, they have received training and their combat capabilities should not be underestimated.

In addition to the five Knight Attendant like him, there were also one or two Profession in the guard.

This level of capability is sufficient for exploring a mine; after all, no one would be foolish enough to devote a large amount of resources to the defense of a mine.

He felt that, apart from the two Gray Robes, there were at most three other Profession, and using such a lineup to attack a not-so-important mine was somewhat wasteful.

The Knight Attendant nodded, and just as he was about to get up to take his leave, he suddenly thought of something very strange.

"My lord, I actually saw some strange things near the mine, but I don't know if they're related to the mine."

Morris raised his head, then waved his hand and said slowly:

"Go on."

The Knight Attendant swallowed hard before continuing.

"When I first arrived near the mine, I could see what looked like a cleared area in the bushes."

"But this place doesn't look like the kind of quadrilateral built for camping; it's long and narrow, about the width of two carriages on each side. I couldn't see anything further ahead because the bushes blocked my view."

"And in the middle of this place, there is a very strange, long, narrow object."

"This thing looks like a ladder placed on the ground, but it's made of a mixture of iron and wooden strips, and I also see what looks like nails holding it in place."

"Then, just as I seized the opportunity to leave, I suddenly heard a strange sound coming from that area."

"The sound was very short, like a 'hum.' It was initially very soft, but I could feel it getting louder. However, I was only thinking about escaping and didn't see anything."

Morris was puzzled after hearing this, as he had expected to hear descriptions like red things floating on the water like dye.

Or perhaps you see strange weapon marks near the tree, such as an inverted triangle suddenly appearing on the trunk.

Morris was actually planning to try and guess which side the person was on based on their description.

He only came to his senses after he finished listening to the Knight Attendant's account.

"What is this all about?" That was his first reaction after hearing it. What the Knight Attendant was saying didn't match up at all in his mind, as if he were hearing it for the first time.

"Say it again... Fine, go find the guards as originally instructed. I'll arrange the Knight Attendant. You'll depart tomorrow."

The Knight Attendant rose and gave a slight bow.

"Yes."

He slowly got up, carefully listening to the volume of his footsteps, and walked towards the door.

Morris watched his retreating figure, his brows still furrowed in a messy frown.

"I don't recall Duke Theodore having anyone like that. There's no reason for the Duke to send someone here without prior notice..."

"He wasn't a spy from the Kahn Kingdom either. There was no mark on the tree, and he was wearing a grey robe. How could he possibly drive away a trained Knight Attendant?"

Suddenly, Morris seemed to realize something and understood.

"So that's how it is... When the Kingdom of Lorinvik declared war on us, wasn't it through that Shadow Cult? It's very likely they are..."

Morris remembered that the Shadow Cult in the Kingdom of Lorinvik was most skilled at infiltration, intelligence gathering, and assassination.

Their names are known even in Antir.

And this is a Sect that has only been established for less than five years, yet its reputation is already comparable to that of the secret agents of the Kahn Kingdom.

It's important to know that the Kahn Kingdom's spy network was built up over a century through various events.

It's truly remarkable that the Shadow Cult has earned such a reputation.

Most importantly, this occurred when the Shadow Cult of the Kingdom of Lorinvik declared war on Antir, proclaiming that Prince of Antir was the true heir to this land.

Neither Morris nor Grand Duke Antir believed this to be the individual act of the Shadow Cult, but rather the opinion of the entire kingdom.

The reason lies in the fact that the founder and current leader of the Shadow Cult, they all know that the Sect was founded by Prince Darian.

Furthermore, the situation in Lorinvik is now quite clear: Darian has effectively become the heir to the Kingdom of Lorinvik and has even obtained a significant amount of power from the king.

In this situation, even if Prince Darian was not yet a true king, to outsiders, it made no difference.

"But it's still a bit strange. What are the Shadow Cult members doing at that mine? They're good at infiltration, but they're not good at capturing or defending areas!"

Thinking about this, Morris began to doubt his own opinion again, and ultimately he put the idea aside.

"Never mind, we'll know what's going on the day after tomorrow. If they find anything amiss, they'll send someone back to tell me immediately."

"If they don't return, report it to Duke Theodore and see if he has any new ideas... But it seems Duke Theodore is completely busy right now; his main attention is on the Royal Capital and Horn Pass..."

"Never mind, we'll see when the time comes."

Morris didn't mention the Ore at all, because the Ore had been sitting in his warehouse for half a year, and he usually thought there was too much of Ore.

He thought the matter would be resolved quickly, so he didn't consider it at all.

In White Flower City, after Lord Finley heard that another mage had arrived, and that he was a mage of considerable status, he immediately vacated a house.

The house has not been completely cleared yet. Because the fighting was quite intense, a large part of the house collapsed, and there are many cracks inside.

Finley arranged for repairs to be completed within two days and provided servants, fearing that the new mage might be dissatisfied.

What puzzled him was that after Lucy moved in, a full ten days passed without any news coming out. The sorceress Lucy neither expressed any dissatisfaction nor made things difficult for Finley.

In front of Lucy's house, a maid, upon seeing the two people knocking on the door, was so frightened that she led them inside and then called for help from the other maids.

"Welcome, Count Ian and Maeve."

In order not to offend these distinguished guests, Finley made a point of providing them with training when he arranged for them to be here.

Nothing much, just explained the characteristics of the people they needed to get to know. When dealing with these people, mere politeness and courtesy are definitely not enough; more thoughtful service is also required.

Therefore, the servants dared not slack off at all and were busy running around.

Five minutes later, Lucy appeared in a room. She was expressionless, but her eyes flickered when she saw Maeve.

She had heard that the mage Lai had been completely candid in answering Maeve's questions.

Although Lucy had already made arrangements for Maeve, if the investigation was too strict, she would have to push Maeve out to divert attention.

If the investigation isn't too strict, then everyone will be happy; Maeve can go to the Ocean Society, and she can avoid trouble while receiving a substantial reward.

But no matter what, Lucy was ultimately using pushing Maeve out as a last resort.

She didn't think Maeve was a fool, assuming that after being wrongly accused, Maeve would do nothing but go to jail.

She believed that Maeve would definitely turn on her then, but she was well prepared, and specifically, the punishment would be much lighter than simply making her confess.

However, after Maeve's contact with the sorcerer Lai, Lucy began to consider another possibility.

What if that sorcerer Lai takes a liking to Maeve and wants to take her as his apprentice?

Although Maeve didn't seem to have any Talent in her eyes, otherwise she wouldn't have been waiting so long without finding someone willing to take her in.

However, the mage Lai was completely honest with her, which was a rare occurrence among mages.

Lucy suppressed her thoughts, looked at the two people in front of her, and slowly said:

"You've come to me about the Territory Destroyer, haven't you?"

"Yes."

Count Ian nodded.