Chapter 754: Intelligence Officer

With Qili Guild's affairs settled, Henwell begins tying off every loose end connected to his current identity.

The Adolf identity is clearly unusable for the foreseeable future.

Qili Guild must also be severed from Peace Haven.

The solution is simple: personnel from the Military Intelligence Office in Kriye City will wipe out the guild.

As for a justification, they already have the perfect one.

Qili Guild secretly resold extraordinary equipment ordered by western Lumir. That alone gives Peace Haven's Military Intelligence Office ample reason to act.

Kriye City also lies within western Lumir's territory.

Western Lumir's own interests are at stake, so its authorities are unlikely to interfere too heavily with the Military Intelligence Office.

Several days later, an elite operations team from the Military Intelligence Office raids Qili Guild's headquarters, kills many of its people, and strips the compound bare.

The raid draws attention from every side. The next evening, Kriye City's lord leads a group to the Peace Haven Military Intelligence Office outpost.

In a city built around intelligence, no faction can truly hide its base.

Rather than pretend otherwise, they may as well operate their outposts openly.

So long as no one openly breaks with the others, the factions will stop short of fighting to the death.

When the furious city lord arrives, Scott, the outpost's chief intelligence officer, remains perfectly calm.

Scott was once a junior Military Intelligence Office field officer who fought desperately to escort the Baron of Waterhill south.

Afterward, he spent a year training in Peace Haven's southern region before being transferred to western Lumir as chief intelligence officer.

He has been here for more than half a year and has largely brought the local situation under control.

A few nights earlier, he returned to his bedroom to find Henwell waiting inside.

That was when Scott accepted a mission of the highest secrecy.

He personally selected the finest operatives and erased Qili Guild completely.

Without telling even the team under his command, he carefully removed every trace Henwell might have left behind.

Naturally, making the performance convincing required quite a few deaths.

Most of the victims were scum trying to seize control of the guild, though some innocents inevitably died as well.

The Military Intelligence Office has never been an order of chivalrous heroes.

If it benefits Peace Haven, its members will slaughter innocent civilians without hesitation.

They are Henwell's merciless blade, and they never question an order.

When Kriye City's lord demands answers, Scott calmly invites him to sit.

"My lord, perhaps everyone uninvolved should leave. What we are about to discuss must not go beyond this room."

After a moment's hesitation, the city lord waves a hand, and his dozen guards file out.

Scott pours two glasses of wine. "It was my mistake not to notify you in advance. Please accept my apology."

"But I had my reasons. Allow me to explain the whole affair."

"You must have heard of Qili Guild. Its people often accept dangerous commissions."

"Of course, such commissions pay extremely well, and the guild has always been generous with its money."

"For instance, I understand that they pay you tens of thousands of gold coins every year."

Kriye City's lord flies into a rage. "You are insulting me!"

Scott gestures for him to lower his voice. "Keep it down. There is no one else here."

"I work in intelligence. If I didn't know something this basic, what would be the point of my job?"

"I'm not threatening you, merely stating a fact. And it is hardly a secret."

"Returning to Qili Guild, they previously accepted a commission from Peace Haven to transport valuable cargo to the Western Federation."

"Yet they dared switch our goods, costing us dearly."

"Tell me, my lord. As the wronged party, don't we have the right to demand an explanation?"

The city lord's expression softens slightly. "I will investigate. If what you say is true, then I understand why you acted."

"Now we must discuss something else. Destroying Qili Guild and killing its people to vent your anger is one thing."

"But every asset you seized illegally must be handed over to the Western Lumir Federation."

"This is our territory, and Qili Guild was registered here."

"Its property belongs to the federation. What you have done amounts to illegal plunder."

"Don't try to fool me. My investigation shows that you took at least three million gold coins from Qili Guild."

Scott nods. "Do you truly intend to reclaim that money?"

"If so, we'll inventory it and turn it over to you shortly."

The city lord freezes. He never expected Scott to agree so readily.

Scott continues, "In that case, Peace Haven will no longer deliver the remainder of the shipment."

The city lord looks baffled. "What shipment?"

Scott answers, "The shipment for the Western Federation."

The city lord stares at him, utterly baffled. "What does a Western Federation shipment have to do with us?"

Scott opens a small notebook. "Let me see... Ah, here it is."

"Your chief consul purchased two hundred sets of extraordinary equipment from Peace Haven in the Western Federation's name."

"Each set costs seventy thousand gold coins, bringing the total to fourteen million."

"We already delivered seventy sets, with another seventy scheduled for this year."

"Qili Guild stole fifty and delivered only twenty."

"If you reclaim the money for that shipment now, we can deliver another sixty next year and call the transaction complete."

"Thank you for your understanding, my lord. You've even saved us the transportation costs."

Kriye City's lord exclaims, "How is that possible? More than ten million gold coins for only two hundred sets of extraordinary equipment?"

"That is enough to arm four legions. Why would we agree to such an absurd purchase?"

Scott smiles. "This is useful intelligence. Consider it a favor from me."

"Chief Consul Dilio fears for his safety, so he has recruited many professionals to protect him."

"To equip them and secure their loyalty, he spent lavishly on extraordinary equipment from us."

"Nonsense. You are slandering our chief consul."

Scott looks toward the man beside the city lord and offers him a glass of wine. "If you want the truth, ask Marquess Pajaje here."

"He knows about the transaction. Some of the equipment passed through his territory on its way to your capital, Riverwest City."

Pajaje, better known as Scar Tiger, frowns at Scott. "You know me?"

Scott sighs. "My lord, I am Peace Haven's senior intelligence officer assigned to your country."

"If I couldn't even recognize Marquess Pajaje, I would be unworthy of my position."

Scar Tiger sneers inwardly. Hah. Someone of your rank isn't qualified to know my true identity.

Scott complains inwardly in turn. If my lord hadn't told me himself, I would never have believed this man was one of our planted assets.