Chapter 379: Lushao Estate

"We want to post a mission," Eman said.

The guild staff member paused. For a moment, she simply stared at him, as if she was making sure she had heard him correctly.

"A mission?" She repeated.

Eman nodded.

"Yes."

There was a hint of surprise in the woman’s eyes. Posting a mission was not particularly unusual inside an Adventurer’s Guild, but the young man and his companions did not exactly look like someone from this town.

However, he also didn’t seem like an ordinary person. His clothes were neat, his posture relaxed, and there was an unmistakable air of authority around him. Beside him stood Mina and Princess Liya, two women whose appearances alone were enough to attract attention.

The staff member quickly regained her composure.

"Certainly. If you are posting a mission, there are some procedures we need to follow."

Eman nodded.

"Alright."

While the staff member began explaining the necessary requirements, Mina and Princess Liya exchanged confused glances.

They had entered the guild with an entirely different purpose.

Their plan had been simple. They would find a quiet corner, pretend to be ordinary customers, and listen to the conversations of the adventurers around them.

If someone had mentioned anything suspicious about the Lushao Family, the recent disturbances regarding it, or strange incidents around the estate, they would quietly remember it.

At least, that had been their plan.

They never expected Eman to walk directly toward the counter and announce that he wanted to post a mission.

Princess Liya leaned closer to Mina.

"Big sis, what is he planning?"

Mina shrugged.

"I don’t know."

"You don’t know?"

"I said I don’t know."

Princess Liya narrowed her eyes.

"You’re supposed to be the smart one."

Mina gave her a helpless look.

Meanwhile, Eman calmly answered the guild staff’s questions.

The mission he wanted to post was not particularly complicated. He gave the necessary details, paid the required fee, and accepted the guild’s conditions.

The staff member carefully recorded everything before handing him a confirmation slip.

"It has officially been registered. Once adventurers accept it, the guild will notify you according to the usual procedure."

"Thank you."

Eman took the slip and returned to the others. It had taken less than a few minutes. However, Princess Liya immediately began questioning him the moment he sat down.

"Was that really necessary?"

Eman looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"The mission."

She pointed toward the counter.

"You actually spent money just for that?"

Eman nodded.

"Yes."

Princess Liya frowned.

"You’re wasting your money."

Eman chuckled.

"Don’t worry. His Majesty will cover the expenses."

Princess Liya’s expression changed.

"He will?"

"Yes."

"You’re sure?"

"He was the one who asked us to investigate this matter. Any reasonable expenses related to the investigation will be reimbursed."

Princess Liya fell silent.

Mina looked toward him.

"Eman."

"Hm?"

"Why did you post that mission?"

Her question was more serious than Princess Liya’s.

She had been thinking about it ever since they sat at their table.

The mission did not seem connected to their investigation at all. At least, she could not see how it was useful.

They were supposed to investigate the situation surrounding the Lushao Family. They had come to this guild specifically because it was one of the places where adventurers, merchants, travelers, and local residents gathered.

There were countless opportunities to hear rumors. Yet Eman had spent money posting a mission. Mina could not understand his reasoning.

Eman smiled faintly.

"Don’t think too much about it."

"That answer makes me want to think about it even more."

Princess Liya nodded vigorously.

"Exactly."

Eman glanced at both of them.

"I posted it because we need a reason to stay inside the guild."

Mina blinked.

Then her expression slowly changed.

"I see."

Since none of them were guild members, remaining inside for an extended period without a clear reason could attract attention.

They could claim that they were waiting for someone, but that excuse would eventually become suspicious.

By posting a mission, however, they had established a legitimate reason for being there. They could wait for responses, speak with adventurers, and remain in the guild without looking like people who were deliberately spying on others.

It was a simple solution.

Mina nodded.

"That makes sense."

Princess Liya crossed her arms.

"So we paid the guild just to have an excuse to sit around?"

"That’s exactly the reason."

Princess Liya sighed.

Mina, however, remained thoughtful. She glanced around the guild. There were adventurers drinking near the bar, groups discussing their latest missions, merchants speaking with guild staff, and several people waiting near the quest board.

Everything looked pretty normal.

A guild was one of the best places to gather information because people talked freely when they thought nobody important was listening. That was precisely why they had come here.

Unfortunately, after spending some time inside, they had not discovered anything useful. There were rumors about monsters appearing near the forest. Someone complained about rising food prices. Another adventurer talked about a missing pet.

But none of it seemed related to the Lushao Family.

Eman seemed to reach the same conclusion.

A few minutes later, he suddenly stood.

"Let’s go."

Mina looked up.

"What?"

"We’re leaving."

Princess Liya stared at him.

"We’re going already?"

"We’ve stayed long enough."

"We haven’t even heard anything yet.

Princess Liya’s voice carried enough dissatisfaction that several nearby adventurers glanced in their direction.

Mina quickly lowered her voice.

"Liya."

"I mean, seriously. We just got here."

Eman remained calm.

"There is no point in staying longer."

Princess Liya stared at him suspiciously.

"Are you giving up?"

"No."

"Then why are we leaving?"

Eman looked at her.

"Because we have nothing more to gain here."

Princess Liya wanted to argue. But before she could say anything, Eman added, "If you don’t want to come, I’ll leave you here."

"Wait!"

Mina immediately stood.

"I’ll come."

Princess Liya sighed.

"Fine."

She stood and followed them.

As the three left the guild, several pairs of eyes continued watching them. One of those people lowered his cup.

...

An hour later, the entire group reunited at the place where they had previously split up. Eline, along with the others, had already returned.

Judging from their expressions, they had not found anything either.

"So you guys found nothing as well," Eline said.

Her voice carried a trace of disappointment.

Mina nodded.

"Nothing useful."

"We asked around too, but nobody seems to know anything."

Eline sighed.

"Our investigation at the guild was also a dead end."

Princess Liya said dejectedly.

"So what’s the plan now?"

Eline looked at Eman.

He looked toward the road leading deeper into the northwest.

"We’re going to the Lushao Estate."

Eline’s expression became serious.

"Now?"

"Yes."

Princess Liya tilted her head.

"Are we really just going to leave without getting any information?"

Eman nodded.

"Yes."

"But we spent all that time investigating here."

"We did, but found nothing."

"Then shouldn’t we extend the investigation?"

Eman shook his head.

"No. We’ll proceed to the Lushao Estate."

Princess Liya frowned.

"Why?"

Eman looked at her.

"Because we’ve already completed what we needed to do here."

Princess Liya stared at him. Mina’s eyes narrowed slightly. Eline and the others also looked curious.

"What exactly did we complete?" Princess Liya asked.

Eman did not answer immediately. Instead, he started walking.

"We’ll talk on the way."

Princess Liya hurried after him.

"Wait! That’s not fair!"

Eman continued walking.

For the first time since they had begun the investigation, she started seriously questioning her father’s judgment regarding Eman.

How could someone like this have been entrusted with such an important investigation?

He seemed to do things without explanation, refuse to reveal his thoughts, and occasionally make decisions that appeared completely unrelated to their objective.

Yet strangely enough, Mina had begun to notice something.

Eman never seemed careless. Every action he took appeared deliberate. Even when his decisions made no sense, there was always the possibility that he had already considered something they had not been aware of.

He was also like this on the subjugation mission. What’s different this time from that, he wasn’t leaving his companion.

Mina was even more curious about what truly Eman was thinking.

Eventually, the group continued toward the Lushao Estate. The journey did not take particularly long. The estate was located only a few minutes away from their current position, although the atmosphere gradually changed as their carriage approached.

Even from a distance, they could see dark smoke rising into the sky. The closer they got, the stronger the smell became.

A bitter scent entered their noses.

Burnt scent.

Something else mixed into it, something that made the air feel heavy.

The gates of the Lushao Estate appeared ahead. The place was eerily quiet. Several sections of the outer wall were damaged. One of the wooden structures beside the entrance had been partially burned.

The ground was covered in scattered debris. And smoke still drifted from somewhere inside the estate.

The carriage stopped right in front of the gate. Two people wearing knight garbs immediately approached the group after they climbed down the carriage.

"Are you from the palace?" One of the knights asked.

Eman showed them the imperial palace seal.

"So you are the one in charge of the investigation?"

Seeing Eman nodded, they looked skeptical at first, but seeing the imperial seal in his hand, they quickly saluted.