The One Who Infiltrated the Caravan

Fortunately, the portly merchant didn't keep them waiting any longer. Perhaps it was his nature as a merchant, or perhaps the value of the goods he received in this exchange exceeded his means, but the portly merchant guarded the goods almost as if they were his own life. He was meticulous not only about the horses that pulled the goods, but also about the carriages, axles, and guards. He not only gave the mercenaries more pay to ensure they could work with peace of mind, but also unexpectedly went to Li Lin, hoping that he or Nia could cast a spell on the goods for preservation and protection.

"I said, Mr. Businessman."

Li Lin watched the portly merchant who was about to recount the goods and had to speak up.

"If you continue like this, I'm afraid we won't be able to set off. You should understand that everything has its limits."

"Oh, sir, I certainly understand that."

The portly businessman rubbed his hands together, but his expression of excitement and unease remained completely unchanged.

"But please forgive my bluntness, these goods are truly too precious. There's even black crystal among them! Oh my god, black crystal! I bet those wealthy folks in the South will spend a fortune to acquire these items. Just thinking about the profits makes me unable to resist..."

"Dead people don't need profit."

Suddenly, Angela appeared behind the fat merchant and spoke with a cold laugh, startling the fat merchant so much that he jumped up instantly.

Are you preparing to set off now, or do you intend to become a corpse here?

Angela's bloodshot eyes clearly revealed murderous intent, which immediately sent a chill down the fat merchant's spine. His fervent desire for wealth was instantly extinguished by the threat of death. He quickly regained his composure and realized the true nature of his business trip. He had almost forgotten that the acquisition of so many valuable goods was entirely due to Li Lin's treatment of that mysterious figure (whom the fat merchant still didn't know). Just now, Angela's unmistakable threat reminded the merchant of his duty—while they didn't mind sharing profits with merchants, that was contingent on the merchant not hindering them. Once that foundation was broken, the outcome was easily predictable.

Watching the merchants leave, Angela shouted at the mercenaries, and began directing the caravan as it prepared to move forward. She snorted coldly, then revealed a smug smile and walked to Li Lin's side.

"Master, the task you entrusted to me has been completed."

Are you sure?

Li Lin gazed longingly at Angela's smooth, silky hair, and asked with a smile.

Before leaving, Li Lin planned to play one last game. He wasn't willing to let such a rare opportunity slip by, making the conflict between the Church and the Five-Nation Alliance merely an unforeseen incident. Before that, Li Lin certainly hadn't forgotten that his original goal was to throw these five countries into chaos. Being able to get so close to the Grand Duke of this country was no easy feat. Although he had already begun to influence the Grand Duke's mind and body using the Caseli Magic Core and Angela's blood, given the current situation, Li Lin absolutely didn't mind taking it a step further. Therefore, after Angela returned last night, he asked Angela to make another trip to the castle to ensure things went even more smoothly.

"Of course, Master."

Angela giggled and climbed into Li Lin's arms. She wrapped her arms around Li Lin neck and whispered in his ear. A faint fragrance wafted through the air as the little one moved, giving him a sense of peace.

"While that idiot was asleep, I gave him the order: to let his son marry that little girl. And, according to your instructions, Master..."

Angela's voice grew softer and softer, but her expression became increasingly excited. Clearly, the orders given by Li Lin were pure pleasure for Angela.

"I can hardly wait to see this wonderful drama."

"Unfortunately, we don't know how much power the Caseli Magic Core will actually unleash. After all, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I've already suppressed its power to a minimum. However, it will definitely yield results."

Li Lin firmly believed this.

After receiving Angela's "death threat," the fat merchant quickly sprang into action. He organized the caravan as fast as he could, while also making sure to check it again. A merchant's cautious nature couldn't be changed by one or two death threats. However, since this time there wasn't much delay, the caravan soon set off and passed through the city gate checkpoint smoothly—after all, such caravans were commonplace in Blackwater City every day and didn't warrant much attention.

Although the portly merchant had originally planned to transport goods directly to Kudel via the Blackwater City, news from the docks forced him to abandon the idea. Due to the continued deterioration of relations between the two countries, trade between commercial cities had almost completely ceased. To transport these products directly, he would have to find ports that were not considered major hubs. Moreover, the merchant sadly learned that Kudel was implementing the same policy, whether out of fear of spies or something else, in any case, relations between the two countries were becoming increasingly tense.

"This means I have to find a not-so-reliable dock here, then a not-so-reliable ship, and then take a not-so-reliable sea route to reach that not-so-reliable hellhole of Kudel."

This explains why the fat businessman looked so melancholy when he sat down in front of Li Lin and Angela.

"God help us, who knows if they've set up some kind of checkpoint over there! And how much in toll will we have to pay..."

"But during wartime, merchants always make the most money."

Li Lin smiled and said to the portly businessman.

"You have enough huge profits to recoup your losses."

That's true...

The portly businessman sighed helplessly, seemingly unable to think of any other good solutions.

"Actually, if that's the case, I'd rather choose the land route. Hey, if I'm lucky, I might even be able to get through the 'Black Road' of the Snowfall Mountain Range, then I wouldn't have to pay a single penny..."

"Then let's take that road."

Li Lin, however, remained calm and unhurried.

"While there may be danger, we are capable of protecting this caravan safely. Of course, I mean within our capabilities."

"You saying that makes me feel much more at ease... but..."

The portly businessman hesitated, clearly unable to make up his mind.

"Let's go check out the situation at the dock ahead first; after all, that Black Road is still too dangerous."

It seems the businessman has run out of other good ideas.

"Master, I feel something is wrong."

Shortly after the fat merchant left, Angela, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. She twitched her cute little nose, revealing an obvious expression of disgust.

"A mouse has infiltrated our ranks."

"The disguise is quite good."

Li Lin opened the Eternal Library in his hands. Without him saying a word, Nia understood his idea. Soon, detailed information about the Snowfall Mountain Range and the "Black Road" appeared on the previously empty pages.

"Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles." This saying is thoroughly and perfectly embodied in "The Eternal Library." Li Lin didn't even doubt the authenticity of the information provided by Nia. He knew very well that Nia was a very responsible person, and she would never add this detail without making a special note when adding rumors.

Of course, he didn't forget Angela's reminder.

In fact, Li Lin had sensed something was wrong ever since the caravan set off. One of the magical signals he secretly sent to the caravan was missing, but judging from the fat merchant's expression, no one was missing. That meant someone had killed one of the mercenaries and impersonated him. Clearly, since this person could blend in with the mercenaries undetected, he possessed considerable strength. Unfortunately, he didn't know what kind of group he had infiltrated— the Arcane Mage's magic and the Vampire Species's senses were not just for show.

However, he did not intend to act immediately. Regardless of the other party's purpose, Li Lin planned to observe the situation. Since the other party did not know that he had revealed his true strength, why should Li Lin deliberately cause trouble for him? Just now, he had already used Nia to relocate a new magical signal to that uninvited guest. No matter what he still wanted to do, it would not escape Li Lin's eyes.

"Perhaps he's just passing through; let him be."

Li Lin turned a page and began to carefully examine the changes in that mountain range over the past thousand years, while simultaneously contemplating the rules of action in his mind.

The two sisters have been strictly ordered to leave the carriage. Angela was furious with Fina's foolish behavior, so she announced that Fina would be confined to the carriage for ten days, during which time she was not allowed to leave even a step—something that would be unbearable for an ordinary human, but for Vampire Species, it was only a mild punishment. Mina, on the other hand, was implicated as an accomplice; Angela had no concept of laws that only punish the ringleader.

"I am the rule, I am the law."

Li Lin didn't need to think much to guess the little guy's smug expression when he said those words.

Now that they had entered the country, the caravan's safety had significantly improved. The defenses of Blackwater City and other cities allowed the caravan to travel unimpeded along the trade routes. After all, large bandit groups couldn't possibly survive an army attack. And small groups of mountain bandits didn't dare to attack such a large caravan.

The mysterious figure who had infiltrated the caravan was completely unaware that three pairs of eyes (including Nia's) had already seen through his disguise. He continued to walk among the mercenaries, chatting and laughing loudly with them. But when he was alone, he would hide himself in the shadows, making himself unnoticed and unnoticed. Such a person was highly suspicious, and after discussing it, Li Lin and Nia concluded that he must be a wanderer; only such people would engage in such behavior—infiltrating other caravans and waiting for an opportunity to kill and destroy. However, Angela had a different opinion.

"I can't sense any fighting spirit from him."

Even though her eyes were closed, she was completely aware of everything around the carriage.

"Perhaps that rat was just using us as cover. What audacity... I won't let him get away with this."

"Perhaps not. If it really was just a cover, then he should have left long ago, but..."

Li Lin thought about it carefully.

"Now that he's here, he can't just slip away so easily."

Thus, the poor creature was completely unaware that his fate had already been decided by someone else.