Book 11: Chapter 59: Enemy Traces

“According to intelligence from the Hand of Light, two lord mayors opposed founding the federation four months ago: the lords of Elward and Quelva.” Hill mused as he asked, “Qin Lun, which one do you feel is Zhentarim’s target?”

Although Zhentarim had found a way to infiltrate the Palace of the High during the Celebration, the number who could sneak in probably wouldn’t be large. Besides the impostor Angelo, there were at most a few outer attendants serving as support, unable to get close to the core banquet area.

That meant they likely couldn’t assassinate both lords of Elward and Quelva simultaneously. They’d have to choose one.

Elward was a large city, positioned south below the Evermoors and very close to the Supreme Forest. Within its tall protective walls, its population consisted of humans, elves, half-elves, and Half-Beings.

The city thrived on trade. During clashes with the goblin tribes of the Evermoors, it formed an alliance with Silverymoon. However, this city’s ruling body was a council of six elders. The lord position rotated among them, creating fierce internal power struggles.

In reality, most of these six elders supported Elward joining the future Silver Marches. But their constant infighting meant a minority inevitably opposed it to counter political rivals. The current ruling elder on the council was just such a case.

Elward joining was the inevitable trend. Since the city’s founding, enemies surrounded it, the environment incredibly hostile. Located on plains with roads extending in all directions, its trade flourished. But whether goblins from the Evermoors or giants lurking in the wilderness, all eyed its wealth greedily.

Moreover, the treants of Thurlang in the Supreme Forest to the south were gradually pushing the forest’s border northwards. Elward stood like a stumbling block before them. The treants claimed this move aimed to herd remnants of Hellgate Keep east. However, conflict remained unavoidable.

On one side, the treants hated city folk entering the Supreme Forest with axes. On the other, citizens’ daily lives suffered under spreading shadows of the trees. Sunlight became scarce in the city’s southern districts.

As for Quelva involved in this incident, its situation differed from Elward’s. It wasn’t a large city, merely a small woodland town.

Quelva served as a minor ally to the Silver Marches alliance. Its people were humans and half-elves who lived by brewing and logging. People of the alliance once joked Quelva must stay in the alliance because it held the best woodland inn – the Singing Stag Tavern!

“If given the choice, I believe Zhentarim’s main target will be Elward,” Qin Lun stated without hesitation. “After all, that city has more people, greater strength, and greater influence over the Silver Marches alliance. Besides, the council system governing that city means inefficiency. An assassination of the lord would surely throw them into chaos for a time, perfectly achieving Zhentarim’s goal of delaying the alliance’s federation formation. Quelva’s influence is minor in comparison. While scaring others indirectly might be possible, it’s likely only the secondary target.”

“Regardless, since we now see through this conspiracy, Zhentarim’s plan seems unlikely to succeed,” Hill smiled. “What should we do with Angelo’s body?”

“No need to test me. Do I seem so emotional? To avoid alerting them, my old friend here will probably need to stay awhile longer,” Qin Lun shot an annoyed glance at this Old Charlatan before stating gravely. “Given how meticulously Zhentarim arranged things this time, it’s hard to believe they left such a gaping hole. I don’t know why they rushed off, not even disposing of the corpse. But I’m sure once they wrap up whatever kept them busy, they could return. After all, they likely still consider this hideout undiscovered.”

“Hah, good you think that way! We got lucky, but perfectly completing this task might still require their cooperation,” Hill nodded with a smile. “A group with at least two Legendary Powerhouses or more is far beyond our ability to confront directly. Plus, stopping Zhentarim’s plot prematurely won’t yield high World Exploration Degrees for us.”

Both Hill and Qin Lun flashed faint smiles. Legendary Powerhouses! Such delightful words!

Those involved in Zhentarim’s assassination plot were all at least High Rank. Sabotaging the plan early means they call off the assassinations, leaving only minimal task completion rewards. But if they could keep some of Zhentarim’s High Rank assassins, perhaps even a Legendary Powerhouse, the final task rewards would truly maximize.

Thus, they needed helpers to block Zhentarim’s Legendary Powerhouses, allowing them to be defeated one by one. And those nobles and guards gathered for the Silverymoon Celebration naturally made the best, well… cannon fodder.

As for any significant losses this might inflict on the Silver Marches alliance? That fell completely outside the Apostles’ considerations. They just needed the Zhentarim assassins exposed at the critical moment, rendering the conspiracy ineffective to fulfill their task.

“Apologies, old friend. You’ll have to wait here a bit longer,” Qin Lun pocketed the Flesh Golem. He placed the tattered clothes back where Angelo’s body lay. After one final glance at the remains, he sighed and turned to leave.

“Subtle changes indeed. Are they solely because of Iristin?” Unseen by Qin Lun, Hill watched his back disappear, frowning slightly. That subtle probe from the Shepherd earlier held more significance. He and Rand had both sensed that Qin Lun in this world felt somehow… different from before.

Exiting the cellar, both men avoided mentioning Angelo to Iristin and Idria. Offering only brief, vague explanations, they tidied traces of their presence around the farmhouse. Then the group swiftly vanished again into the thick night.

……

After Qin Lun’s group left, around dawn, several silhouettes emerged dimly within the morning mist cloaking the fields beyond the deserted farm.

There were roughly ten figures. The leaders wore black veils, their movements utterly silent – clear proof these were shadows long accustomed to the dark underbelly of the world.

No casual chatter passed between them. Their actions were clipped, efficient. Within moments, they slipped unnoticed into the farm buildings.

“Huh? Something’s off. I smell… an unfamiliar scent,” exclaimed a shadow stepping into the cellar, his voice hushed with surprise.

“Could it be rats or something?” a companion beside him asked, voice tinged with unease.

“Impossible. We weren’t gone long. The smell of blood should have been much stronger then. The cellar’s hidden door was open for at least a full quarter of an hour for the scent to fade this much,” the lead shadow’s eyes flashed sharply. He snapped a command, “Call Mosmir down! Use a retrospection magic to see what occurred here!”

“Captain, that’s the longest I can keep it active,” said a slim, black-clad figure, wiping sweat from his brow. He looked exhausted.

Before him drifted a shimmering, magical image, flickering unstably. It finally dissolved into pricks of light, evaporating into the air.

It proved enough. The dozen or so shadows huddled around it had glimpsed events occurring hours prior. Though the retrospection magic showed indistinct figures impossible to identify, it undeniably exposed that the secret hideout itself was compromised.

“Damn it! We only stepped away for a short while… Those greedy werewolves deserve death!” A tall shadow smashed his fist viciously into the cellar wall, shuddering the entire space. The others plunged into a heavy silence.

“We prepared for so long… Must we abandon this at the final hour?” rasped another shadow after a long pause, his tone thick with unwillingness.

“No! We cannot abandon this!” Their leader’s voice stayed rock solid. “Silvermoon already pressures us so much as just an alliance—we absolutely cannot allow them to form a unified federation nation! Remember the expectations placed upon this mission by the Inner Ring leaders, the massive resources the organization poured in. If we retreat without even trying… imagine the consequences…”

“But… Captain… If the plan is compromised… We could never handle the Palace’s barriers. Our chance of assassinating the Silverymoon Council lords head-on wouldn’t be above ten percent,” countered others, their hesitation palpable.

“Lord Mirot, please don’t worry too much! Based on your intelligence, Crow’s disguise targets someone truly unique. Despite their high position, precious few in Silverymoon know their face. It’s unlikely intruders could pinpoint their identity within just days.” The speaker was one of the few young men in the group without a mask. He was handsome with sharp eyes, yet his face held a perpetually cold cast.

Pointing calmly at the corpse, he reminded everyone, “Besides, judging by the intruders’ vague images, they didn’t look like the fully armed Silver Guard. Probably just some adventurers who passed through the farm. They might not connect this to us at all. They could well chalk it up to werewolves instead.”

“Weiss speaks wisely! Our plan remains imperfectly exposed! Perhaps… we can still gamble!” The leader’s spirit visibly lifted, his gaze towards the youth turning noticeably warmer. Clearly, he held genuine respect for this recruit who’d only joined Zhentarim months prior.

“Gamble? No, Lord Mirot. I never gamble. Nor do I favor victory resting on mere chance,” the youth Weiss gave a shallow bow, an imperceptible pride within his expression. “I merely state the plan hasn’t yet failed utterly, but I wouldn’t bet entirely on its secrecy remaining intact.”

“Oh? Weiss, what then would be your counsel…?” the leader pressed carefully, a slight frown creasing his brow.

“Since a leak exists… we patch it with an alternate plan!” Weiss smiled faintly, lowering his voice as a new proposal unfurled.

A short time later, the shadows within the cellar dispersed and resumed activity. They thoroughly erased all bloodstains, cleared away every trace of the corpse, then left the farm behind just as swiftly as they came, blending into the spreading dawn light. With all else prepared, staying at this potentially compromised hideout served no further purpose.