The Empire's Chrysanthemums

Buzz!

After taking the members of that "merchant caravan" prisoner, John and the others set off once more toward Stone Village.

Inside the slowly moving jeep at the center of the convoy.

Feeling the vibrations caused by the vehicle's movement, John, in high spirits, no longer felt the dissatisfaction from before.

At that moment, he stared unblinkingly at his "ally," Reddick, beside him. Seeing that the man remained taut all over, sitting ramrod straight as though awaiting torture.

After considering Reddick's state, he felt that rashly probing into topics related to the Allied Forces in such a stifling atmosphere would probably only make him more wary.

Therefore, he decided to start with casual conversation first and help the man relax.

With that in mind, John immediately cleared his throat twice, then spoke with a smile.

"Cough, cough. By the way, Mr. Reddick, while conducting the inspection earlier, I noticed quite a few elderly people and children in your caravan. That is somewhat unusual for a merchant caravan. Are they your family members, or members of your trading company?"

It was here!

This damned demon really wanted to interrogate him!

Reddick's heart tightened, but fortunately, he had anticipated this situation before getting into the vehicle. He calmly produced the explanation he had prepared.

"Ah, it's like this, Warrant Officer John. The elderly people and children in the caravan are unfortunate souls I took in along the way. I'm a rather kind person and can't bear to see others suffer, so I thought I should save whoever I could. That's why I brought them into the caravan. I don't know them well, so please don't misunderstand."

Kindhearted?

Would a profiteer from the Kingdom suddenly become kindhearted? Especially while transporting a pile of gold?

Weren't you afraid there might be bandit informants among them who would wipe you all out in one stroke?

Reddick, Reddick. As a soldier of the Allied Forces, how could you make such a low-level mistake in your cover story?

It was only because you had run into a friendly that you were still alive. If it had been any Imperial interrogator, you could have declared the run over on the spot.

Once I successfully switch sides, if you don't send me a few pounds of gold, I won't let this go!

Listening to that answer riddled with holes, John could not help shaking his head inwardly.

By then, he was already eighty percent certain that Reddick was no merchant at all, but a genuine "friendly."

However, he did not pursue the matter on the surface. Instead, he proactively covered for Reddick and immediately echoed him with a smile.

"Indeed. When I see these ordinary civilians oppressed by the Allied Forces, I sometimes cannot bear it either. But I find it difficult to help them as you do. Your kind character truly earns my admiration. That is something I should learn from you."

"You flatter me, Warrant Officer John. It is merely what I should do. After all, doing good deeds also helps build the caravan's reputation, making our products more popular!"

Having confirmed that he had survived the demon's opening interrogation, Reddick did not relax. Instead, he grew even more tense.

He knew that this was merely the opening appetizer of the other man's interrogation. The real trouble still lay ahead!

Sure enough, as soon as he said that, the damned Imperial demon raised an eyebrow and spoke to him.

"I see. Your wisdom is truly astonishing. No wonder you have amassed such wealth. I need to remember that carefully. Also, I am somewhat interested in the goods sold by your caravan. Would it be convenient for you to tell me about them?"

"Of course it would be convenient, though I may disappoint you. Our caravan sells ordinary goods, mainly jewelry and accessories. We also do some clothing business."

"If you are interested, when you have time later, I can have someone tailor some clothes for you as a gift. What do you think?"

"Really? Then I'll thank you in advance for your kindness."

John smiled faintly, then deliberately spoke in a troubled tone.

"However, it is a pity that, as an Imperial soldier, I can only wear this uniform most of the time. I rarely have the chance to travel in ordinary clothes. I must say, such restrictions are rather unpleasant."

"I have also imagined that if I had not joined the military and were merely an ordinary civilian, perhaps I could travel with a merchant caravan like you, Mr. Reddick, and see the sights of other places, such as the Victoria Kingdom." "I hear that is where tulips originate. Now that it is spring, it is the perfect season for tulips to bloom. If one could walk through that golden sea together with a beloved person, merely imagining the scene would make one's heart stir, wouldn't it?"

After saying that, John gave Redek a meaningful look.

He felt that the implication hidden in his words was already obvious enough.

As an Imperial citizen, he yearned for the Golden Tulips of the Victoria Kingdom.

And aside from symbolizing friendship, the Golden Tulip was also the national emblem of the Victoria Kingdom.

Wasn't that clearly saying that he intended to defect to the Allied Forces?

No matter how foolish Reddick was, John felt that under his sincere gaze, the man should be able to understand what he meant!

That's right, I'm a friendly. I'm your friendly, Comrade Reddick!

Quick, respond to me with the code phrase! I swear I'll offer my loyalty to the great Allied Forces!

John looked at Reddick with eager anticipation. He could hardly wait to hear the Allied Forces code phrase, "Tulips Are One of a Kind," and complete their rendezvous.

Sure enough, I knew this damned Imperial dog was frighteningly vigilant!

Even after I passed the first test, he still deliberately steered the topic toward the Allied Forces.

He was clearly forcing me to reveal whether I had any connection to the Allied Forces!

The moment I showed approval for those damned tulips, that demon would definitely decide that I intended to betray the Empire and use it as an excuse to charge me!

How utterly despicable. Fortunately, I am naturally brilliant and won't fall into your Imperial dog's verbal trap!

While inwardly cursing this Imperial dog for being sinister and cunning, Reddick's mind raced as he hurriedly replied.

"Indeed, fields of tulips are certainly beautiful scenery, but that is only relative. In my view, the Empire's chrysanthemums are also quite lovely—no, they are far superior to Victoria's tulips."

"After all, the beauty of tulips is merely superficial, a shallow, ignorant sort of beauty. The Empire's chrysanthemums, however, possess not only outward beauty, but also profound meaning and rich sentiment. They are worthy of being deeply remembered and cherished by every Imperial citizen."

"Therefore, compared with tulips, I personally prefer the Empire's chrysanthemums."

After speaking, Reddick looked uneasily at John, trying to judge from the other man's reaction whether his answer had aroused this damned Imperial dog's suspicions.

This idiot really hadn't understood what I meant!

Seriously, how did this guy become an Allied Forces spy? His professional ability was absurdly terrible.

He was nothing but a stupid pig!

Seeing that Reddick's answer was completely beside the point, John immediately felt both furious and exasperated.

But he also knew that no matter how useless Reddick was, the man was currently his only hope for switching sides.

He had to communicate properly with him in order to contact the upper ranks of the Allied Forces and carry out his grand plan of defecting.

Thus, John suppressed the irritation and anger in his heart, then replied with a false smile.

"Yes, I also like the Empire's chrysanthemums. Very, very much. It seems Mr. Reddick and I have quite a few things in common. I think we must have many topics to discuss."

"However, let us set aside the subject of flowers for now and talk about something more practical. For example, the business activities you plan to conduct during this trip to the Victoria Kingdom. How about it?"

(End of Chapter)