Chapter 774: The Empire's Intelligence Division
Chapter 774: The Empire's Intelligence Division
"Where should I begin my investigation?" Wendy wondered aloud, her large eyes reflecting her thoughtful expression as she gently touched her chin with her slender, emerald-hued finger, looking utterly adorable.
Feng Ye stood by her side, a smile playing on his lips as he waited for her to ponder the matter. Only after she had considered it for a while did he speak up, his voice laced with amusement, "Since we're dealing with merchants who traverse the continent, they must have a branch here in Alvarez. You should start your inquiries there."
"Oh! Of course!" Wendy exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as the realization struck her. A hint of embarrassment flitted across her face; this challenging S-rank mission was indeed a test for her.
After all, while her strength was more than sufficient, she was still not yet thirteen years old.
"It should be around... here, I think." Feng Ye casually pulled out a map and pointed to a marked area.
Wendy took the map from him and studied it for a moment before determining the location. Mustering her courage, she said, "Then I'll be off!"
"Mm-hmm, I'll follow you from a distance," Feng Ye replied with an easy smile.
...
Half a day later, Wendy arrived at the branch office of the commercial guild that had posted the mission in Alvarez.
She quickly learned that a group of pirates had been very active near Alvarez in the past six months. This group was exceptionally powerful, and their victims weren't limited to the guild's ships; other cargo vessels and even local Alvarez guilds had suffered at their hands.
The affected guilds had joined forces to request an investigation by the Alvarez Empire, but for some unknown reason, the empire had been extremely slow to act, and no progress had been made.
Out of desperation, the guilds had resorted to posting the mission, seeking the assistance of mages.
"We still don't have any leads," Wendy frowned, rubbing her temple in frustration after hearing the information provided by the guild. "What should we do now?"
Feng Ye chuckled. "On the contrary, don't you think this has already given us a clear direction for our investigation?"
Wendy turned to him, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Alvarez is a magical empire," Feng Ye explained, "In this country, almost all mages are governed by the official empire, and the system is far more tightly knit than in Ishgar."
"The Magic Council of Ishgar doesn't have absolute authority over the numerous mages' guilds, but Alvarez is ruled as a magical empire."
"In other words, within the entire Alvarez Empire, any incident involving mages cannot be hidden from the official empire."
As Wendy listened to Feng Ye, her confusion turned into astonishment. "Are you saying, brother Feng Ye, that the empire is deliberately concealing something about this matter?!"
"Of course," Feng Ye replied with a soft laugh. "Within Alvarez, whether on land or at sea, nothing escapes the empire's notice if they wish to investigate. They couldn't possibly fail to deal with a mere group of pirates, so there must be a connection between this incident and the empire. You can start by following this lead and investigating their intelligence division thoroughly."
"Yes!" Wendy's eyes sparkled with determination as she nodded, her small fists clenched.
Having Feng Ye by her side bolstered her courage.
Wendy wasted no time in taking action, and her initial attempts at a direct investigation met with the same response the guild had received—cold shoulders and excuses—whenever she tried to interact with the empire.
Faced with this situation, Wendy quickly made a decision: she would conduct a covert investigation and try to infiltrate the empire's intelligence division under the cover of night to search for documents related to the incident.
"A bold plan, and worth trying," Feng Ye encouraged her decision.
Feng Ye did just one thing: he temporarily disabled all the magic arrays in the Empire's intelligence division, rendering all alarms and defensive magic arrays ineffective.
In this situation, although there were guards patrolling, Wendy, after all, was a Dragon Slayer, with keen senses of hearing, smell, and sight. She was very young but extremely agile, easily dodging the guards and infiltrating deep into the intelligence division to begin her investigation.
Feng Ye stood outside, his gaze casually drifting over the building.
He had never bothered to probe, for to him, there were no secrets in this world that could hide from his eyes. A minor incident like this was naturally something he could see through at a glance. However, he found this particular mission uninteresting and only cared about Wendy... Well, he was interested in nurturing her growth, so he hadn't bothered to look too closely until now.
As he assisted Wendy in infiltrating the Alvarez Empire's intelligence division, he glanced at it casually, his gaze piercing through the veils of the past and future, quickly understanding the cause and effect.
"It's still a boring story," Feng Ye yawned after figuring it out.
His guess was mostly correct. Within the Empire's intelligence division, there were individuals colluding with the group of pirates who had been plundering ships. That was why those pirates had been able to act with impunity, and the Empire had always made various excuses, claiming that their investigations were ongoing.
However...
Just as Feng Ye was about to retract his gaze, he paused, then shook his head with a wry smile as he looked into the depths of the intelligence division. "This kid..."
Wendy had stumbled!
Yes!
As she was searching for intelligence documents related to the incident, she tried to pull open a tall cabinet, but she tripped and ended up pulling the entire cabinet down on top of herself.
While her strength as a Dragon Slayer meant that she wouldn't be hurt by a mere cabinet, the noise she made was enough to alert the nearby patrolling guards.
"Who's there?!"
Someone shouted, rushing towards the source of the sound.
Wendy panicked a little and, forgetting about the cabinet, tried to escape through the window. She climbed out the window and attempted to flee, but before she could get far, a group of guards surrounded her.
Feng Ye watched this unfold with a hand covering his forehead, feeling both helpless and amused.
"Who are you?! How did you get in?!"
"How dare you infiltrate the Empire's intelligence division?!"
The patrolling guards, each holding a magical weapon, glared at Wendy and shouted at her, showing no leniency just because she was a little girl.
After all, infiltrating the Empire's intelligence division was an extremely serious matter, and the magical power emanating from Wendy clearly indicated that she was no ordinary child but a powerful mage!
(End of Chapter)
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