Silent Operation

(The author was drowsy and not quite lucid when writing the previous chapter. Thank you to the readers who pointed out the errors.)

"Shocking! Street magician Lyney's assistant Lynette, has mysteriously disappeared!"

A line of smaller print was also added below:

Anyone with information is welcome to contact Mr. Lyney or Mockingbird. A reward of 114,514 Mora will be given for providing valid information.

Passersby were shocked and incredulous upon hearing this, repeatedly asking, "Who is Lynette?"

"You guys didn't know? She and her brother often perform magic tricks in the square, and they even give us bags. I just wonder when they'll give us eggs..."

"Huh? What magic? Weren't they performing magic over there?"

"Hehehe, kitty, kitty ears, I want to pet them, I want to rub them, I want to kiss them, hehehe..."

"... Where are the people from the Maison Gardiennage?"

"Which newspaper is 'The Mockingbird '...? This news doesn't seem true."

"What's this 'anti'? What's this 'tongue-out'? Never heard of it."

Whether it's diners chatting at the Hotel Debord or locals drinking tea at street stalls, this novel topic is always inevitably brought up during afternoon tea conversations.

Whether true or false, this report adds a Chlothar to the afternoon tea time for Fontainian —a rather amusing pastime.

Xingsu held the newspaper, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

The bait has been thrown; proceed in silence.

As dusk fell, the damp air from the Fleuve Cendre, carrying the stench of decay, clung tightly to this deserted, dilapidated alleyway.

A crooked, dilapidated low house stands alone at the end of the alley, its walls mottled and peeling, covered with black moss, its doors and windows tightly shut, as silent as an abandoned haunted house.

Xingsu stood alone in front of the mottled wooden door, his fingertips lightly lifting to tap the door with precise rhythm.

Da, da, da da da.

The moment the sound subsided, there was no sign of the door opening, and no one responded.

A chilling sensation came from behind.

The cold, hard muzzle of the gun was pressed firmly against Xingsu's lower back.

Through the narrow gap behind the door, a pair of sinister eyes quietly opened.

The hidden guards lurking inside the room peeked through the crack in the door and took in Xingsu's unfamiliar face. Instantly, they went on high alert, their killing intent rising.

"An unfamiliar face."

A hoarse, rough male voice drifted from behind the door, carrying a gloomy and violent tone that had been hidden from the light for years. "Who sent you? The code was right, but the person isn't right."

The gun barrel pressed even tighter against his lower back, the cold metal penetrating his clothes and clinging firmly to his skin.

Faint footsteps could be heard from the shadows all around, indicating that there was more than one person. A net had already been cast around the entire dilapidated hut.

Xingsu's expression remained unchanged as he raised his hands, holding a neatly folded letter between his fingertips. He had carefully aged the paper beforehand, with slightly curled edges and a faint yellow tinge.

"I'm here to take his place."

The man in black behind the door gave a wink to his henchman lurking in the shadows beside him.

Immediately, a short, thin subordinate stepped forward, warily eyeing Xingsu, took the letter of introduction, and quickly read and verified it by the dim, flickering candlelight in the room.

The handwriting, signature, and hidden markings on the paper were all checked and found to be correct. He turned to the boss at the door and reported in a deep voice, "Boss, the handwriting is fine, and the markings match. It's an internal letter."

But the black-clad leader's suspicions hadn't subsided. He narrowed his eyes, his sinister gaze fixed on Xingsu's face, scrutinizing his expression inch by inch, trying to find the slightest flaw in his eyes. "He was just arrested not long ago, and you've already taken his place. How can I be sure you're not an undercover agent?"

"I also brought you a gift." Xingsu gestured with her chin towards the newspaper in her other hand.

He grabbed the newspaper, spread it out in the dim candlelight, and quickly scanned it word by word.

"Famous Fontaine actress Jeswo Bendja is pregnant? Did you do it?"

"... the column above."

He stared at Xingsu, his eyes filled with a sinister and suspicious light, and slowly said, "Lynette is missing? Did you do this? If I remember correctly, that little girl has the Vision."

Xingsu's face remained completely expressionless. "You mean... you don't believe in my skills?"

The leader chuckled, "An ordinary person and a holder of the Vision..."

Before he finished speaking, Xingsu suddenly exerted his strength. No one could see Xingsu's movements clearly; they were so fast that only a blur remained.

He twisted his waist suddenly, using the momentum to exert force, and precisely grabbed the gun barrel of the person behind him. With a swift movement, he snatched the gun that had been pressed against his lower back and instantly locked the muzzle firmly onto the enemy's forehead.

At the same time, a cold glint flashed from the sleeve of his other hand, and a dagger nimbly sprang out, its icy, sharp blade pressed firmly against the neck of the stronghold leader. The force was precise, enough to instantly kill the man in the blink of an eye.

In just half a second, the situation completely reversed.

The leader, who had just been in a dominant position, was instantly subdued and unable to move.

The group of henchmen around him instantly turned pale. Almost instinctively, they all raised their hands and drew their muskets from their waists. A dark mass of gun muzzles were all Xingsu. The air instantly became so tense that it seemed about to explode. If there was the slightest movement, a barrage of gunfire would follow.

A deathly silence descended upon the dilapidated hut.

The leader, with a dagger pressed against his neck, swallowed hard. Feeling the biting cold against his neck, his hand, which had been hovering in his right holster and was about to reach for his gun to retaliate, slowly fell to his sides.

A low, tinged voice, laced with a hint of apprehension, escaped from between his teeth:

"... Put down your guns, sir. Let's go inside and talk."

The dilapidated wooden door was gently closed, shutting out the night wind from the Fleuve Cendre. In the small, dimly lit room, only the crackling of the candlelight could be heard.

The leader led Xingsu to a seat at a dilapidated wooden table in the room, cautiously sizing him up. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke first, tentatively asking, "May I ask your name?"

"Morningstar, you can call me by my code name, Morning Star." Xingsu crossed her arms and looked at him calmly.

"Morning Star..." the leader murmured the code name, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table as he continued his interrogation, "I'm curious, with your exceptional skills, why would you stoop to a shady corner like Fleuve Cendre and get involved in our clandestine business?"

"It's very simple, it's all about money, lots and lots of money."

What do you need so much money for?

"... raising children."

"Pfft--How many children do you want to raise? It's unbelievable that someone as skilled as you would willingly crawl into the muddy swamp of the Fleuve Cendre to earn a living on the edge?"

"108."

"Seize the young master?"

108?

Is your wife's mother just throwing things around at home?

"... Those weren't my biological children; they were all adopted."

"Oh... I see... I understand."

... No, I was just talking nonsense. What do you know?

"I have only one request: I want to give that cat-girl to Valerius."

"They're quite ambitious," the leader grinned lewdly.

"Understood. From now on, we're brothers, so naturally we should help each other."

The leader believed he understood everything.

Fontaine has been cracking down hard lately, and many minor nobles have been arrested. The man in front of them must have been one of the nobles' former subordinates, bringing these so-called "children" to pay homage and seek protection. However... since they've entered someone else's territory, some things are no longer up to them.