After Goris died, the fog in the village did noticeably thin. The strange smell also faded considerably. Zhao Si had no desire to linger at Windmill Pasture. He disguised his eyes again, cleaned up the battlefield, and collected the Glintstone Bullets that were still usable. He took none of the macabre weapons, then hurried back toward the village.
Dealing with Goris had only treated the symptoms. He was still some distance from the true culprit. By this point, the culprit's identity was all but obvious.
Zhao Si raced through the fields toward the village. Before he even reached it, he heard a commotion. Rather than immediately investigate, he hid behind a wooden house and peered out. He saw villagers holding torches and weapons pinning someone down.
It was an outsider with an "eye" emblem on his clothing. He was a spy working for Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing. That spymaster's agents were scattered throughout the Lands Between, and this one had slipped into Windmill Village just as the fog dispersed.
What he had not expected was that every villager in Windmill Village was a lookout. Whenever a stranger entered, they notified one another. The villagers watched out for each other and shared common interests, presenting a remarkably united front against outsiders. They quickly caught the spy, then slit his throat.
Blood spurted out, splashing onto the ground and his chest. The spy died before he had a chance to send his information to Bagralim.
"Hehehe, the village chief was right. Do this, and outsiders really will come," a village woman said.
Another villager said, "Yes, yes! We were worrying about this year's sacrifices. There were already so few newborns, and even fewer young girls. We thought that would displease our god. Who knew following the chief's plan would bring us