Chapter 559 - 345: Street Rats Intelligence Team (Part 2)

Chapter 559: Chapter 345: Street Rats Intelligence Team (Part 2)

"Just kidding," Golden Hair said, pulling a phone from his sleeve. It was 9527’s.

Force of habit—he couldn’t help but lift things wherever he went.

He led 9527 to a table in the corner, where several of his old acquaintances were already sitting.

Naturally, they weren’t exactly upstanding citizens.

"Well, well! A toast to the return of the old swindler!"

Golden Hair hadn’t been lying. The liquor he brought was the good stuff, not watered down at all.

After a few rounds, they were all pleasantly buzzed.

"Alright, spit it out, you old swindler. What’s this ’big score’ you were talking about? You’re not just trying to get us to pay some ’intel fee’ upfront, are you? Trying to pull a fast one on your own brothers?"

pretended to be a little tipsy. "Why would I scam you guys? This is a huge deal. The kind of score you might see once in a lifetime."

The men at the table were all seasoned veterans of their trade, but none had been involved in many big-time scores.

The opportunities were rare, the jobs were difficult, and it was all too easy to walk away with nothing but losses.

That was because the targets of major scores tended to be high-profile, and their original owners were never small-time players. It was easy enough to pull off the heist, only to find no one dared to fence the goods.

Otherwise, the Continent Tavern wouldn’t have so much fine merchandise on display.

It was all loot that couldn’t be moved.

"Do you think a score this big can be discussed lightly?"

"Tch. Whenever you say stuff like that, you’re just laying the groundwork for a con. We treat you like a brother, and you’re trying to fleece us?"

CLANG!

tossed a money pouch onto the table. From the sound, it weighed at least three or four pounds. Golden Hair peeked inside and saw the glitter of gold.

Hard currency. It was the operational fund Zog had approved. This one pouch wasn’t the entire budget, but it was still nearly one percent of the total.

"What have you been up to?" the others asked, astonished.

"Now do you believe me when I say it’s a big score?"

"I believe you, I believe you." Another one of the career thieves at the table reached for the pouch.

That was a whole pouch of Gold Coins—more than they’d make in years.

"Hands off if you’re not in on the job!"

slapped the restless hand away.

"Seriously though, are you sure you have a way into Loman?" he asked Golden Hair. "If we can get in, then we have a deal."

At this, Golden Hair scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish.

"I... I’m getting married."

PFFT—

spat out a mouthful of good liquor.

"You’re getting married?" His voice cracked. "No, wait, come to think of it, with a face like yours, getting married should be easy enough. So, which poor girl’s life are you planning to ruin?"

He poured another drink to calm his nerves.

"A daughter of the Duke of Loman Welton’s family."

PFFT—

This time, 9527 completely lost it.

"A daughter from the Duke’s family?"

Golden Hair nodded.

"That’s a daughter of a Duke!"

"Yep. You heard me."

"No, wait... oh, I get it. So your way into Loman... is to marry into her family."

Something still felt off to 9527. "Even if you’re a pretty boy, why would a Duke’s daughter fall for you?"

"I forged the identity of a minor noble. We met when she was visiting Sutton. And since I’m a minor noble, I can bring a retinue with me when I marry her."

got it. Their way into Loman was as part of his wedding retinue.

This was far more ideal than he had imagined. If they could infiltrate the household of a Duke, their opportunities for gathering intelligence would multiply.

"There’s still a problem. The gap between a minor noble and a Duke isn’t exactly small."

"That Duke Welton is famously prolific—he has over fifty children. A lot of them don’t get treated very well. For me, this marriage just means a stable life. But if there’s a chance to earn more money, I’m still going to take it."

With that, Golden Hair explained both how he’d been chosen and why he still wanted in on the job.

"That’s it?"

9527’s gut told him that good looks and a minor noble title alone weren’t enough to snag even a neglected daughter of a Duke.

No matter how you sliced it, she should have had plenty of other men to choose from.

"That’s it."

"You know I’m an expert when it comes to lying, right? If you don’t tell me the truth, this deal is off."

was worried there was something fishy going on.

Golden Hair’s face flushed red. He stammered, unable to get the words out. Finally, as if mustering all his courage, he stuttered, "She... likes to use the back door."

"Wait, ’the back door’... Ooh! A special hobby, eh? But just because she’s into that doesn’t mean..."

"She likes to use *my* back door."

As soon as the words were out, the entire table fell silent.

9527’s worldview had been dealt a minor blow.

’So she brings her own equipment!’

"Oh. Oh, uh, so that’s how it is. Well, that... that must be tough."

"Alright, what’s so tough about it? Maybe he even likes it."

The man who had reached for the Gold Coins said impatiently, "Come on, tell us about the big score already."

"Alright. Ahem. Let’s get down to business."

cleared his throat.

"You all know things haven’t been quiet in Loman lately, right?"

The others nodded.

"So, a certain big shot needs all intelligence related to the possibility of the Loman Empire starting a war."

"Got it. So we’re playing spy. Which big shot is it?"

"I don’t know. It’s a one-way contact. We get paid per piece of intel, based on its importance."

knew his "old friends" well. They were mercenaries at heart; everything had a price, including their loyalty.

So, it was best to limit the information they received to what was relevant to getting paid.

"You took the job without even knowing who the client is?"

"Do you want the money or not? Besides, what difference does it make to us which big shot it is?"

9527’s words were blunt, but they were also the truth.

They almost never had direct contact with the real powers that be. Even on the rare occasion they took on such a commission, they were fated to be used and then tossed aside.

So who was pulling the strings really didn’t matter.

"I’m in," Golden Hair said without hesitation. He had to go to Loman one way or another.

"Is this the pay for a few pieces of intel?" another man asked.

"This is the money you get just for going to Loman."

’Just how rich is Zog, anyway?’ 9527 had never worked a job with such a generous budget.

"One pouch for all of us to split?"

"One pouch per person."

"Whoa."

It just goes to show, money works. If it doesn’t, you just aren’t using enough.

And so, a small intelligence squad—composed of veteran low-level criminals, driven entirely by profit, and disguised as the retinue of a minor noble marrying into a prestigious family—set off for the Loman Empire.

—————————

「Sutton Royal City.」

The Crown Prince’s Mansion.

The Prince had been holed up in his residence for a long time. For months, he had made no major moves, claiming publicly that he was dedicating himself to his studies, seeking to improve and properly fulfill his role as Crown Prince.

He had indeed purchased many books and even hired a respected old scholar from a Foreign Country.

It seemed as though he truly was studying.

In a sense, however, he was learning—just not about anything conventional.

In his bedroom, the Prince removed the device from his head, his eyes blazing with fanaticism.

He had made contact with a vaster world, a greater cause.

The throne was merely a mundane, worldly affair.

The power of Deities—that was a goal worth pursuing.

He had originally contacted Loman merely to gain the Loman Empire’s support. But he had received more than just support; he had been given something far more precious.

The creation of Deities.

The very idea was intoxicating.

And to achieve this goal, he had to do his part.

Become the King of Sutton, and then make Sutton a part of the great Soul Ascension.

"But how am I supposed to become the King of Sutton now? That old bastard refuses to kick the bucket; in fact, his health is getting better. Who knows how many more years he has? He could pass the throne to Figxin at any moment! It’s absurd! He used to hate that Barbarian so much."

"Calm yourself."

The old scholar from the Foreign Country, though not one of the Lomans, was also a Soul Ascender.

"Our master has planned everything. You need only wait patiently. The opportunity will present itself."

"And what happens after I become King of Sutton? That Barbarian from the Northern Domain will certainly make a move."

"We will strike before she can," the old scholar said calmly.

"On the very day of your ascension, the Duke of Loman Welton will lead his army to attack the Northern Domain, eliminating this threat to your rule. For the plan to succeed, we will need intelligence on the Northern Domain’s defensive layout."