As a new city-state, Free City had its advantages, but it had its disadvantages too. It lacked deep roots, for one thing, and its reach was limited—
Free City had plenty of overseas businesses, but they focused on local trade and weren't good at uncovering secrets...
The Street Sweepers had their ears to the ground. They could fill that gap.
The Centurion started digging with a huff, huff, and handed Annan a spare shovel. Annan found her too slow, so he contacted his friend, the Earth Elemental Elder, and temporarily borrowed several Greater Earth Elementals to help.
"You even have connections in the Elemental Planes?" the Centurion asked in surprise.
"It's nothing..."
Annan couldn't resist showing off. Back when he was a Street Sweeper recruit, he had only been a level-one or level-two Sorcerer.
"What's your talent?"
Annan fell silent for a moment. He absolutely refused to admit his talent was charm. "Money."
"I don't believe you unless you lend me some."
"I don't feel like using my talent right now."
Earth Elementals were natural miners. Hard rock was as malleable as clay to them, and before long, they had carved out a spacious underground hall.
They were at least several hundred meters below the Castle, so they didn't have to worry about being discovered.
About a dozen meters from where the Street Sweepers had been digging, the elementals found the "secret passage" the Street Sweepers had mentioned. Years of neglect had left much of it collapsed.
The Earth Elementals began clearing the passage. As the Centurion followed Annan up the steps, she told him it had once belonged to the Castle's mistress and her lover.
"Wasn't this always Morel Family territory?"
"It was, but the head of the family used to be a woman who held the title of