Chapter 151: Luring the Snake Out of the Hole, Part I

“It is Baron Defendi!”

After entering Dean’s room, Huck immediately spoke impatiently.

“Baron Defendi? Hmm… here to look for Churde Defendi?”

Dean was stunned for a moment, but then he felt relieved—he had not forgotten that Churde Defendi and Baron Defendi were ostensibly uncle and nephew, but in reality, father and son.

“Yes, and also to attend this ‘Knight’s Baptism’—Baron Defendi, Baron Janel, Baron Jandu, and Miss Lily were invited as guests. For the others, there is no problem, but that guy Defendi attending your ‘Knight’s Baptism’, Regiment Commander…”

Huck nodded, and then a trace of worry appeared in his words.

“If it were only against me, I think this would be a good thing! What I am worried about is the others…” Dean could not help but shrug his shoulders at his deputy’s worry, and then, with a very serious expression, he said: “You arrange it in a moment. Aside from the training personnel, add an extra patrol group. Outside Miss Lily’s room, there must be two groups of guards at all times, one in the open and one in secret!”

“Yes!”

Facing Dean who gave the order so solemnly, Huck felt a chill in his heart—although he did not quite believe that Baron Defendi would be bold enough to directly harm the Miss Baron, but if it really happened…

Thinking of the possible consequences, our Vice Regiment Commander could no longer stay in the room with peace of mind. After reporting to Dean, he hurriedly left the room to rearrange the guard duties.

“Erri Defendi…”

Dean muttered in a low voice.

Regarding killing intent and killing aura, Dean, who was once an Assassin, was naturally extremely sensitive.

The feeling of having a target on his back when he stood on the playground earlier was enough to explain that Erri Defendi’s hatred for him. And in his subsequent observation, that Baron Defendi’s hatred was not only directed at him alone—the Miss Baron was also included; after all, the other party’s gaze was sweeping back and forth between him and the Miss Baron.

As for why?

Apart from the original grudge with the Tier Territory, it was naturally because of Churde Defendi’s disappearance.

Although Dean thought he had done it flawlessly, this did not prevent others from shifting their anger—just like Baron Defendi, who would not care about evidence or anything like that. The other party would only identify the murderer, or the potential murderer, according to his own ideas.

And then… kill them all.

Undoubtedly, such an opponent had to be nipped in the bud.

However, the other party’s status made Dean have a bit of scruple, so he had to plan it out carefully.

Of course, compared to Baron Defendi, he had something more important—

To lure Madel out and kill him!

To completely take over Goth’s intelligence network in the entire Vauban County.

For Dean, this was the primary task to complete.

After all, unlike an opponent like Defendi whose Territory was in Vauban County, Madel, who had already exposed his identity, could truly disappear without a trace at any time.

And finding a Spy who had vanished into thin air was definitely not an easy thing, especially under the premise of limited time.

Therefore, Dean had to find the other party before he truly disappeared.

And for Dean, this was not difficult.

…

The day passed once again. When the night shrouded Vauban County, the entire Vauban City entered a state of curfew—because of the Thieves’ attack on Vauban Castle days ago, the curfew in Vauban City was advanced by three hours.

And for the shops in the Lower District, this was naturally a significant loss.

Therefore, people cursed those detestable Thieves one after another.

Zimo was the same.

As a middle-aged man, his figure had become portly, but his complexion was ruddy, showing that he was very healthy. His loud, full-voiced cursing naturally attracted the gazes of the surrounding shop owners. Whenever the surrounding shop owners looked over, he would just happen to reveal a bitter smile. After exchanging glances with those shop owners who had the same expression, he continued to clean up the shop helplessly.

Everything was no different from an ordinary shop owner.

“Keep a good watch tonight. If anything seems wrong, shout to attract the patrol guards, understand?”

Before leaving his shop, Zimo gave these instructions to the two assistants living in the shop for the night.

Then, he waved his hand to several shop owners nearby who were doing the same thing. After signaling his farewell, he boarded his carriage and left the Lower District.

Every boss who had a shop in the Lower District would not truly live in the Lower District.

They not only had carriages, but also had residences in the Upper District.

In fact, there were also three or four Guards dressed as assistants, but because of their status, these Guards could only be treated as assistants.

Just like the two stay-behind ones in Zimo’s shop.

After all, although they were wealthy merchants, they were not Nobles who could enjoy various privileges.

Just like the carriage Zimo was taking now, it was also the narrowest and slenderest kind, only able to be driven by a single horse. It was far inferior to those spacious and comfortable Noble carriages with complete carriages, and even compared to a single-person travel carriage, it merely had a more complete canopy.

However, the existence of this canopy could just perfectly conceal most of the situation on the carriage—

At least, Zimo did not notice anything unusual.

And when he pulled open the carriage door, facing a Hand Crossbow aimed at his glabella, this man with the double identity of a shop owner and a Spy very cooperatively boarded the carriage.

Because, besides the Hand Crossbow, he also saw a Gold Coin stamped with the head of the Conqueror King.

The Gold Coin shimmered, and the head of the Conqueror King was extremely clear, showing its difference from ordinary Gold Pulton.

Perhaps, it would be hard for ordinary people to discover.

But… for those who had undergone training, it was too obvious.

“My Lord!”

After boarding the carriage, Zimo addressed the person opposite him who was covered tightly, even hiding his eyes under the hood.

And after an instinctive observation, Zimo gave up identifying him in his heart, because the other party even wore leather gloves on the hand holding the crossbow. After blocking the skin, he could not even tell if it was a man or a woman.

“Have your coachman proceed according to the usual route, everything as usual!”

Dean lowered his voice and said gloomily.

“Yes, My Lord!”

Zimo did not object at all and just commanded his coachman like this.

Rumble, rumble…

Pa, with a crisp sound of the Whip, the wooden axle crushed the gravel path, and the carriage drove towards Zimo’s residence in the Upper District.

“Zimo, do you know where Silver Goose is?”

Dean asked in a very direct tone.

“My Lord, both you and Lord Silver Goose are my superiors…”

Zimo had a bitter smile on his face.

“Is that so? Then, are you willing to continue serving a superior who treats you as a discarded pawn, and offer your loyalty?”

Dean’s gloomy tone carried thick mockery, and Zimo, sitting opposite Dean, changed his expression, and that bitter smile quickly retracted.

“My Lord, you already know everything, don’t you?”

Zimo’s tone carried a trace of coldness, and his appearance was evidently more in line with the identity of a Spy.

“No, apart from the fact that you were summoned by Silver Goose that night and treated as a discarded pawn, I don’t know much!”

Dean shook his head.

And the Zimo before him was naturally the merchant Dean saw that night being summoned by Madel—as for how to find him, the Lower District of Vauban City was not truly large to Dean, and there was only one street where merchants gathered; therefore, finding him was not difficult.

“This might be a trap against you!”

Zimo retorted coldly.

“If Silver Goose’s identity had not been exposed, this might be a trap against me, but now… even if it is a trap against me, we have a new choice—are you willing to follow Silver Goose and eventually be thrown out as a discarded pawn to appease the anger of Lord Marquis, or are you willing to follow me and hand over Silver Goose’s Corpse to satisfy Lord Marquis?”

Dean slowly and methodically gave the other party two choices.

And the trap in the other party’s mouth?

Dean would never deny that this was a trap to ‘lure’ him out.

After all, Madel had made it too obvious before, nearly openly summoning the merchant before him.

However, with the sudden change in the situation—the seemingly perfect plan of the ‘Brotherhood’ and Ytil, which was bound to succeed, unexpectedly failed, a flaw appeared in Madel’s confident arrangement. The original role as ‘Bait’ remained, but it became mutual.

It was both for Dean and for Madel.

As for whom it was really for?

That naturally depended on the will of the ‘Bait’ itself.

And some necessary factors would influence the will of this ‘Bait’—

“Are you worried about those two subordinates of Silver Goose?”

Dean, with his eyes hidden in the Shadow, looked at the silent other party and asked directly.

“Of course!”

Zimo answered very affirmatively.

Neither side mentioned who those two subordinates were, but both knew in their hearts that they were the two Grand Knights beside Madel.

“Perhaps I can show off the power around me… you only need to provide an address!”

Dean’s voice began to drawl. His eyes hidden in the Shadow stared unblinkingly at the other party, causing Zimo’s pressure to double.

Finally, this Zimo seemed to give up and raised his hands as if surrendering—

“Alright, alright, My Lord, you will get an address—but I won’t promise you anything, it might still be a trap… however, you need to guarantee my safety. I don’t want to be assassinated by Lord Silver Goose’s subordinates, nor do I want to be hanged in front of the city gate tower of Marquis Vauban!”

The cold expression on Zimo’s face did not change, but his speaking speed accelerated.

“You need to show your value!”

Dean did not give any definite answer and just said this.