Chapter 31: A Meeting in the Shadows

The nights in Tier Territory always came earlier and were colder than in other parts of the Emerald Kingdom. As a result, once Tier Town entered the night, no one appeared other than the patrolling guards.

However, compared to other nights, there were quite a few more patrolling guards in Tier Town tonight.

Because a murder had just occurred in this usually peaceful town—although the identity of the victim had not been confirmed, the case involved that respectable Tax Officer, Mold. Therefore, the number of patrol guards had doubled from two squads to four.

These nearly doubled numbers of patrolling guards carefully examined suspicious people or objects.

In fact, such searches had begun as soon as the Tax Officer called for the guards; however, from the afternoon until dark, there had been no substantial results. The Tax Officer had not found either the real murderer or members of the local Thieves Guild.

Instead, after a long search, even the most focused guards began to lose their attention.

It was not that they were not diligent, but merely that fatigue forced them to do so.

Many of the guards in this night patrol had participated in the afternoon search, so in this cold night filled with chilly winds, they could only try their best to keep their eyes open, follow their comrades ahead, avoid falling behind, and hope to return to the sentry post quickly to get close to the slightly warm brazier.

So, one could imagine how little use these patrolling guards, though doubled in number, actually were.

Taking advantage of the time gaps in the guards’ patrols, Dean, who was moving through Tier Town, did not mind at all. In fact, he was quite grateful for that unintentional ‘guidance’ provided by the Tax Officer in the afternoon. Dean was on the second floor of Snow Bear’s Home, watching everything the Tax Officer was doing through the window.

Clearly, the other party wanted to eliminate all the Thieves who had already made a move against him but were ‘unhappy with the share of the loot,’ thereby ensuring their own safety.

Undoubtedly, Dean’s arrangements had taken effect.

However, those local Thieves certainly had sharp ears and eyes and a strong sense of crisis. Before the Tax Officer could make his move, they had all fled.

The two sides would definitely have a fierce battle.

Dean firmly believed in the retaliation of the Thieves Guild, just as he believed in the Ruthlessness of the Tax Officer. He must add fuel to the fire to ensure that the latter would die and stay dead.

However, that was a matter for later. Right now, Dean was just relieved that if it were not for their fatigue, it would have been impossible for him to move through Tier Town so easily; it would have definitely required a lot of effort.

Compared to Captain Mark in Horn Town who was ‘devoted to his duties,’ although the guards of Tier Town did not have an ‘outstanding’ leader, their individual skills were definitely not something a ‘Sheriff’ located in the hinterlands could compare with. After all, every year when fighting against bandits and robbers deep in the Snowplains Dense Forest, besides the Knight Order, these guards were one of the main forces.

Fights with bandits and robbers were definitely struggles on the edge of life and death. Surviving for just a few consecutive years, even an ordinary person would eventually become a qualified soldier.

And undoubtedly, there were quite a few such soldiers in Tier Town.

Therefore, in his previous plan, Dean had never ignored these guards; he had just not expected that a small ‘accident’ would temporarily put these guards aside for him.

In a gust of cold wind mixed with Frost, taking advantage of the flickering flames in the brazier, Dean smoothly passed through the fence on one side of the gate of Tier Town.

Then, he ran toward the agreed location.

It was a Dense Forest located about two kilometers from Tier Town. This was a secret place Dean had found near Tier Town, originally intended as a backup hiding spot.

However, now using it to meet with spies from Goth was also a good choice.

After all, as the ‘spy chief’ taking over Vauban County, he had to show his ‘capabilities.’

Although as undercover agents, spies from various countries were undoubtedly the most loyal group, as long as they were humans, conflicts would arise.

And in order to make his subordinates ‘loyal and willing to work,’ Dean had to make them genuinely convinced, even if in his heart, he would prefer to kill them all.

After all, he currently had ‘thin forces’ and could not afford to abandon a ‘power’ that covered the entire Vauban County and possessed a complete intelligence network.

Dean arrived almost half an hour earlier than the agreed time, giving him enough time to once again check the location he had chosen. After confirming that no one had come early and that there were no ambushes, Dean found a shadowed corner sheltered from the wind and quietly waited for his meeting partner.

As for the possibility that the other party might not see it and not show up?

Such an assumption did not exist at all.

As a Goth Spy, Dean believed that the other party had sufficient professional skills. Snow Bear’s Home was the only inn in Tier Town, and there was no reason for a Goth Spy not to keep a close watch on it.

And once they kept a close watch, they would definitely discover something.

As long as they discovered something, they would definitely come back.

As spies, the rewards might not be high, but the punishments were definitely severe enough.

Every organization had corresponding punishment methods for its spy members to make them obedient and dare not rebel.

Perhaps it was family members, or perhaps it was hatred.

But no matter which one it was, Dean knew that one of them would be very effective.

This time was no exception—

Ten minutes before the agreed time, a Black Shadow appeared in Dean’s vision. The other party’s speed was not fast, but it was cautious enough. After walking a certain distance, they would carefully observe. Although the other party had concealed themselves, the shape of the Hand Crossbow at their waist could not hide from Dean.

The Hand Crossbow rare in Tier Territory and the proximity in time, when added together, made the other party’s identity obvious at a glance.

However, Dean did not anxiously step out. Instead, he quietly waited for the other party to approach.

His past career as a secret agent and spy told Dean that as a head of secret agents and spies, one might not be better than others in other aspects, but one’s patience must be better than others.

The other party did not notice Dean hiding in the corner.

It was not that the other party was careless, but rather that the place Dean chose was the easiest to overlook. Because, at a glance, it was just a pile of stones.

And what about the person hiding in it?

You simply could not discover it without walking up to it.

The ten minutes passed quickly, reaching the agreed time. The other party did not rush. Instead, they waited quietly. Similarly, Dean, hiding in the dark, was not anxious either.

The two parties seemed to be competing in patience, one standing in the open and one hiding in the dark.

Time passed: more than ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes…

It was not until an hour had passed that the person standing in the open finally could not endure it anymore. They spoke out: “Your Excellency, have you arrived?”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The sound of the cold wind quickly drowned out these words, as if no one had spoken at all.

“Your Excellency, have you arrived?”

The other party shouted again.

“I am here!”

Dean responded this time. However, before the other party could hear it and react, Dean spoke very quickly: “Just stand there, don’t move, don’t turn around—I don’t want any misunderstanding between us. You know… what you have, I also have!”

Hearing Dean’s implied words, the other party stiffened, forcibly stopping the urge to turn around, and stood in place saying: “Your Excellency, I have always heard of your caution, but… we need to confirm each other’s identities!”

“Don’t you think this is something you should have done first?” Dean asked with a low voice. “Remember, I will remind you again. I do not want any misunderstanding… So, skip those probing tactics. The fact that I could invite you out is sufficient proof of the reliability of my identity!”

“Of course!”

The other party answered, and at the same time, made some hand gestures.

Seeing these gestures, Dean sneered in his heart. These gestures were those used among Goth Spies. There was absolutely no mistake about it; Dean was sure of this himself.

But, this was exactly the problem.

Although these gestures could be considered secretive, they were definitely not top-secret. Some top-tier dark forces knew their meanings. Using gestures with such a risk of being known to confirm identity was clearly… a test.

For a spy, this was naturally understandable.

As for Dean’s previous words?

Anyone who believed such words could never become a spy.

However, some necessary measures were still required—

Click!

Whoosh!

The sound of the spring snapping, the arrow of the Hand Crossbow flew straight past the other party’s knee joint and shot into the land in front of them. Even the hard frozen soil was penetrated more than halfway by that powerful arrow.

“I hope this is the first and the last time!”

Dean’s voice became increasingly gloomy, expressing his displeasure.

“Very well, Your Excellency!”

The other party was not frightened. On the contrary, there was a bit of relaxation in the conversation with Dean. Obviously, Dean’s actions had increased the other party’s trust slightly.

Along with the words, a copper Conqueror King coin appeared between the other party’s fingers, held by the index and middle fingers, raised above shoulder level, allowing Dean to see it more clearly.

“You can turn around now… but slowly… good, even slower. I don’t want us to cause any trouble!”

Seeing the copper Conqueror King coin between the other party’s fingers, Dean’s heart stirred. He immediately took out a gold Conqueror King coin, held it between his fingers, so that the turned-around other party could see it clearly.

Obviously, after seeing this coin, the other party completely relaxed. He bent down and bowed to the person who had completely obscured himself in front of him, saying: “Pine No. 1, pays respects to My Lord!”

“Uh-huh!”

Dean nodded expressionlessly, while once again weighing his words in his mind. Although he had a draft in mind, it was not easy to find a suitable reason. Even for Dean, some ‘pretext’ was needed; otherwise, the spies would not go to die for nothing.

Just as Dean was preparing to use the excuse that ‘Mold discovered his secret and must be silenced’ to persuade the other party, a reason that would lower his ‘own evaluation.’

The spy codenamed ‘Pine No. 1’ suddenly said: “The Tax Officer in Tier Town wants to join us!”

At this moment, Dean was stunned.