https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-708-Lanchi-and-the-Chosen-People-of-the-Kreise-Empire/12585137/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-709-Lanchi-s-Perfect-Integration/12585139/
Chapter 709: Lanchi's Perfect Integration
Chapter 709: Lanchi's Perfect Integration
In the Krexe Empire, on the mountainous tracks of the Botswana Province, less than an hour's journey from the capital, Brierda.
The Brierda Magic-Powered Train had been stationary for a while now, with smoke rising from the front carriages, especially the severely damaged fourth carriage.
The brief outburst of battle had subsided, and silence had returned once more.
A gaping hole in the roof let the sunlight stream in unabashedly, but it couldn't penetrate the black mist, only managing to illuminate the aged figure standing amidst the wreckage.
The old man stood like a twilight emperor upon a dark reef, his body shimmering with a brilliant light, and his eyes, flickering within the mist, shone with a strange radiance.
"Can we have a proper chat now, Miss Unity?"
His voice was complex, and as he looked down at the female assassin on the ground, his tone took on a pleading note.
Within this soundproof barrier, their conversation would remain private.
"..."
Unity lay on the cold, hard wooden floor, her teeth clenched tightly.
Despite her body being hers, she felt no sense of control over it.
The Imperial officer before her looked down at her condescendingly, and with her night vision ability, she could clearly see the mocking, sickly gentle expression on his harsh face.
She had never encountered such a terrifying mental manipulation art. Once caught in his grasp, he could deduce personal information from her dreams.
Although the content of dreams was vague and uncontrollable, they were hidden deep within memory and the psyche, and they would always indirectly reveal some clues.
By repeatedly probing her dreams, he could eventually unearth the critical intelligence she was unwilling to expose!
Stubbornly, she raised her head and glared at him, her phoenix eyes blazing with fury beneath her mask.
"You're worse than a beast! An invader like you dares to put on such a benevolent facade!"
Unity squeezed out the rebuke through gritted teeth, her hoarse voice echoing in the silent carriage.
She felt nothing but enmity and hatred for this Imperial who had invaded her dreams.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Lanchi held his head, feeling a throbbing pain in his brain.
"That's also true," Talia prompted within Lanchi's mind.
"I don't need your help fact-checking right now!"
Lanchi felt that Talia was taking the opportunity to scold him!
But he didn't have the mind to arrest Talia, who had been increasingly rampant lately.
The most troublesome part of espionage was that you couldn't always tell who was on which side, and when you entered a new area, it was quite possible that your own people would start fighting each other.
Nevertheless, he couldn't keep the Allied spy pinned to the ground like this.
After Lanchi ordered Talia to release the mental bond on Unity, the Allied spy.
Unity suddenly felt like her control over her body had returned.
She gripped her palm in disbelief, then instinctively moved away.
It wasn't that she didn't want to escape from this carriage of the Brierda train.
But a psychokinetic magic wall blocked the fourth carriage, preventing both other passengers from opening the compartment door and her from leaving.
Although this psychokinetic force didn't feel strong to her, probably around the fifth-stage level, she knew that against this old man, who was at least seventh-stage, she had no chance of escape. The opponent had confidently released her bindings merely to make her more aware of the gap in their strength.
"Shall we talk, Miss Unity? It'll take at least ten more minutes for the Imperial Army from Brierda to arrive."
Lanchi raised his hands in a gesture of peace, indicating to Unity that she could rest assured of her safety.
"..."
Unity remained silent, her eyes like an unquenchable flame in the darkness. Despite her disheveled state and the mental and physical abuse she had endured, she still exuded an air of inviolability.
It was common sense not to communicate with illusionists and mental manipulators.
Such people were masters of mind games.
At any moment, they could be deceiving you.
"Lanchi, don't you think that the more friendly you are to her right now, the more you're acting according to your usual instinctive habits, and in the eyes of the enemy, your nonchalant, carefree, and often self-deprecating demeanor is what makes you look like the most oppressive villain?"
Talia spoke in Lanchi's mind, sounding like she was enjoying the show.
"..."
Lanchi was left speechless.
So, no matter what he did, he was the villain?
"Let's go," Lanchi said, after much hesitation, finally shaking his head.
Their encounter had been too disastrous, and words alone would hardly build trust at this point. Only through actions could he gradually change her perception of him.
It would be unwise to continue entanglement with this female assassin. He couldn't harm her; he could only set her free, and perhaps they would meet again in the future.
Most likely, this Allied spy's usual disguise was also in the capital, Brierda, and they would likely cross paths again.
If she saw him as an Imperial officer, she wouldn't need to report him to the Empire, otherwise, it would be suicidal.
For the time being, she should get as far away as possible, and he would also need to come up with a new identity in the capital of Brierda; this old man's identity was not very convenient.
"?"
Unity's eyes flickered with confusion, then immediately returned to a vigilant state.
"What do you mean?"
She asked, her eyes sharp and piercing.
After probing her memories, he was going to let her go, as if humiliating her.
Even though he could have simply waited for the military committee's search team from the capital to arrive and take her back to be interrogated in the military headquarters, never to see the light of day again.
"Anyway, I'll let you go, I won't kill you."
Lanchi sighed softly.
"..."
Unity studied the old man before her, who appeared to be an Imperial officer, her gaze filled with suspicion.
Although, from Unity's intuition, he seemed like a traditional imperialist, she was well aware of the internal issues within the Empire, knowing that there were various hidden forces and factions at play.
Even within the Central Executive Committee and the Military Committee of the Krexe Empire, there could be imperialist forces plotting something.
"You should be able to judge for yourself whether we are more like friends or enemies."
Lanchi replied concisely.
Even if they were allies, he couldn't expose himself unnecessarily. Besides, the identity Nigel gave him belonged to the most secretive Military Intelligence within the Bosson Kingdom, not the Allied Assembly of the Kingdom, and Nigel was his only contact. The Western Hub's Canberra Kingdom was not part of the same system, so Unity wouldn't be able to match any codes with him.
Unity hesitated.
Logically speaking, if this person had the ability to probe her spirit without the need for interrogation, but chose to let her go at this time, it indicated that he was not trying to play a long game.
Because if he really wanted to dig out her intelligence, there was no reason to let her go now.
Perhaps she was incredibly lucky today.
Or maybe the spirits of her deceased comrades were watching over her.
Allowing her to survive, even if it meant enduring humiliation.
Unity decided not to linger any longer and headed straight for Landri's body, intending to take his belongings and magic cards.
Lanchi suddenly reached out and stopped her, causing her to pause once more.
"Why did you kill him?"
Lanchi asked.
If Unity had just left, he wouldn't have done anything, but since she seemed interested in Landri's belongings, it suggested that killing Landri might not have been a coincidence but a premeditated act.
In Lanchi's opinion, Landri was a decent imperialist.
He needed to understand the reason behind this.
"..."
Unity's eyes held a hint of disgust.
Initially, she didn't want to explain, but considering that if this Imperial mentalist really wanted to investigate, she couldn't hide anything from him, and prolonging this encounter would only make things worse for her.
"Do you know why he was valued by the Saint Krexe Monastery? This man has unimaginable talent in magical engineering, and his family has a history of researching demon magic texts for centuries. He could combine imperial magic engineering with the lost demonic magic engineering and might bring about an innovation."
Unity looked at Landri's corpse and let out a cold laugh.
Her mission was to assassinate this border noble named Landri Washington and steal his research materials.
Her operation would have gone smoothly if it weren't for this exceptionally capable imperialist who got in her way.
The fact that he dared to pry into her secrets meant that, as an intelligence agent of the kingdom, she should have had no qualms about fighting him to the death. Now, her decision to withdraw was already an act of enduring humiliation.
However, even after her explanation, he still didn't allow her to take Landri's belongings, indicating that her previous answer had given him something to consider.
"Don't you think that since I let you go today, you should do me a favor in return?"
Lanchi said, as if he had found a solution after some thought.
"..."
Unity's attitude was filled with reluctance.
"You must realize that the fact that you were discovered on the train by the Empire suggests that there is a traitor among your companions, which means that your original organization may be in danger and no longer reliable. At this point, if you want to turn the situation around on your own, you'll need a new friend, preferably a third party that has never had any interests conflicting with yours."
Lanchi believed that he didn't need to elaborate further.
The mental pressure Unity was under was probably even greater than he imagined.
"...What do you want me to do?"
Unity remained on guard against Lanchi, her clenched jaw trembling slightly, her chin stiff.
Despite the possibility of cooperation with the enemy's enemy, it did not prevent her from hating the other party.
Or rather, she hated the Imperials.
The smoke of war shrouded the entire southern land. Now, her hometown had been occupied and shattered, and countless comrades had also died at the hands of the Imperials.
The deep-seated hatred and vengeance ran deep.
In her eyes, she could not accept any faction of the Imperials, and every moment she spent lurking in the Krexe Empire was torture.
But for victory, no matter how much she despised them, she would find a way to do what was beneficial to the Kingdom.
"Do me a favor and take his body away for burial. His identity temporarily belongs to me. A living Landri who can cooperate with you must be more valuable than a dead one, right?"
Lanchi proposed to her.
He remembered Landri mentioning that as a border noble, he had never been to the capital, Brierda, and had no acquaintances to rely on. So, as long as he disguised himself as Landri, he should be hard to uncover.
Moreover, it would be easy for Lanchi to impersonate Landri with just simple makeup, and later, in the capital, he could create a [Polymorph: Human] magic card to transform into Landri, making the disguise even more convincing.
"You've got guts. Do you know who the principal of Saint Krexe Monastery is?"
Unity instantly understood his plan and looked at him incredulously.
This guy was clearly an insider in the Empire, yet he wanted Landri's identity to infiltrate another department of the Empire!
"...Yes."
Lanchi nodded slightly and began to squat down to pick up the items on Landri's body.
The principal who had been stationed at Saint Krexe Monastery for many years was Violet Water Jade, also known as the Sixth War God. If she were to be exposed by her, it would basically be the end.
In the heart of the Krexe Empire, exposing one's identity was tantamount to a death sentence. This formula was almost unchanging unless one could amass enough power to directly confront the city's defenses, similar to the Flower Capital Incident instigated by Perlman. This would require not only opportunity but also people, and theoretically speaking, causing trouble in the capital, Brierda, would be far more difficult than in Flower Capital, Pariyah, as the scale and level of these two cities were completely different concepts.
"Moreover, Landri is a genius in magic engineering and is proficient in Demon Magic. What kind of ability do you have to replace him without being discovered?"
Unity supplemented her question with a hint of contempt.
She felt that this man was a bit too arrogant.
If he turned out to be a fool, not only would he die, but Landri's belongings would also be lost to the Allied forces.
"You're right to trust me."
Lanchi replied simply, exuding the confidence of a professional.
"..."
Unity felt that this man had probably pulled off similar stunts before.
This confidence was not solely derived from talent but was also steeped in extensive experience.
He seemed like a repeat offender!
Not to mention his audacity, she couldn't even sense his heartbeat, as if he didn't find this high-risk behavior the least bit frightening.
There was a sense of calm madness, powerful and sinister, shrouded in mystery, and utterly untrustworthy.
The crucial problem was that she couldn't defeat him in a fight, and agreeing to his proposal might not lead to a win-win situation.
However, if they continued to drag things out, it would undoubtedly result in a loss for both sides, with only the Krexe Empire benefiting.
"You mark my words, you despicable dream peeper. I hope you can survive a few more days in Saint Krexe Monastery."
After a brief hesitation, Unity made her decision, shouldered Landri's body, and disappeared.
She didn't believe for a second that this man could successfully impersonate Landri in Saint Krexe Monastery.
However, if he wanted to commit suicide, she had no reason to stop him.
Imperial officers were her mortal enemies, and betrayal was only a matter of time. She didn't expect this Imperial officer to help her to the end.
As the black mist dissipated, the broken furniture, shattered glass, charred metal, and other debris lay strewn about the carriage, resembling the aftermath of a doomsday catastrophe. Flickering flames still danced among the ruins, emitting tendrils of black smoke and a pungent, throat-tightening scent of blood.
Lanchi returned to Compartment 404 and breathed a sigh of relief, beginning his swift transformation.
After a long while, perhaps ten minutes or more, when the compartment door was opened once again by the incoming Imperial officers, they found only a young man with black hair and blue eyes, his hands raised in a gesture of peace, indicating to the officers that he was not an extremist responsible for the train attack.
(End of Chapter)
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