Chapter 275: Chapter 258 The Message from the Gold Vault_1
While Yan Xing had been busy preparing to deal with the chaos in Nuta City these past few days, his relationship with Li Jiya had also rapidly intensified.
Li Jiya came to the embassy every day. One day it was to return a blanket, the next a parasol. Eventually, she no longer needed any reason—she just wanted to see him.
When Yan Xing worked, she would sit quietly by his side and read a book.
When Yan Xing spoke to her, she would listen carefully with a smile. Her eyes, locked on the man before her, were filled with an intense infatuation.
"Men love being adored by beautiful women; it gives them a great sense of satisfaction. Then, to keep feeling that way, they can’t stay away from you. But be careful! Yan Xing possesses a charm ordinary nobles lack. Don’t get yourself too entangled."
In a change of attire, Li Jiya sat in the teahouse that once belonged to her, reminiscing about recent events.
Today, she hadn’t gone to Yan Xing’s embassy. Lady Karol had said that appropriately cooling things down and creating some distance would make a man desire her more.
"It seems the owner of this teahouse has changed." Yan Xing, also in disguise, plopped down opposite Li Jiya and asked knowingly, "I wonder what happened to that girl, Li Jiya, who used to be here. She was quite pretty. I hope she wasn’t sold."
With her hood pulled low, obscuring her expression, Li Jiya replied, "That has nothing to do with us."
At that moment, Grey Mouse walked in.
He glanced at the bar, then, looking disappointed, came over to sit down.
"With Li Jiya gone, I feel as if the world has lost its color," Grey Mouse lamented. Then, addressing Yan Xing, he said, "Mr. Terence, you asked us here about the leak concerning the Orc Treasury, right? I assure you, I haven’t spoken of it to anyone."
Once Yan Xing saw everyone had arrived, he said, "Regarding the Orc Treasury, I’ve noticed news about it is spreading very quickly within Nuta City. Clearly, someone is intentionally disseminating it. What is their purpose? And Xue Jun, what do you know? Xue Jun!"
Li Jiya was somewhat distracted, but upon hearing her name, she immediately responded, "I don’t know... These past few days, I’ve been occupied with urgent official business and haven’t fulfilled my duties. I apologize to you all."
At this point, Grey Mouse interjected, "I think the Jufeng Mercenary Group is spreading the rumor."
Yan Xing and Li Jiya asked simultaneously, "How do you know that?"
Grey Mouse showed off his clothes and answered, "See this attire? I’m now a member of the Jufeng Mercenary Group... a temporary one, that is. The Jufeng Mercenary Group has been frantically recruiting these past few days; they’ll take anyone. But they’ve been delaying payment, and many are considering joining the Farsight Mercenary Corps instead. The Farsight Mercenary Corps pays upon registration. If I weren’t trying to get information on ’Shortgun,’ I would’ve..."
Yan Xing cut Grey Mouse off. "Get to the point!"
"Yes, yes, yes... Just yesterday, our recruiter told us we’d be paid soon. Then, the rumors about the Orc Treasury spread throughout Nuta City. If the Jufeng Mercenary Group had money, they would’ve paid us already. The fact they’re talking about paying now means they must be urgently scrounging up cash. In Nuta City’s current financial strain, those who could provide the Jufeng Mercenary Group with sufficient funds can be counted on one hand. Therefore, I believe the Jufeng Mercenary Group is definitely planning to raid the Orc Treasury."
Li Jiya rebutted, "That can’t be. The Jufeng Mercenary Group are ’Shortgun’s’ people, and ’Shortgun’ is in league with the Orcs. How could they possibly rob the Orc Treasury?"
Yan Xing said, "Xue Jun, what’s wrong with you today? You were distracted just now, and now you’re saying such unprofessional things. The Jufeng Mercenary Group opposing the Farsight Mercenary Corps clearly doesn’t align with the Orcs’ interests. This suggests that ’Shortgun’ and the Orcs have a cooperative relationship but aren’t the same entity. At least on certain matters, they have differing stances.
"Someone deliberately spreading rumors about the Orc Treasury means they’re planning to make a move on it. Otherwise, spreading this information would bring them no benefit, only alerting the Orcs.
"The fact that the treasury’s location isn’t mentioned in these rumors also supports my speculation. Those who hear the rumors can’t actually rob the Orc Treasury, but they will all fall under suspicion of planning to do so.
"The one planning to rob the treasury wants to broaden the range of suspects, yet they know its location—which indicates an inside job. The Jufeng Mercenary Group is short on funds... They have motive and means.
"I believe the Jufeng Mercenary Group is the one spreading the rumor and preparing to rob the Orc Treasury," Yan Xing concluded.
Li Jiya knew she had been somewhat distracted by her recent tasks, her thoughts involuntarily drifting to matters concerning Yan Xing. As a result, she had failed to thoroughly analyze the clues Grey Mouse provided.
"I’m sorry, I was being thoughtless," Li Jiya apologized proactively, adding, "So that means... the Jufeng Mercenary Group is behind the leak about the Orc Treasury. They plan to rob it and shift the blame onto others."
Yan Xing nodded. "That’s a reasonable guess. But whether it’s the Jufeng Mercenary Group or not, we’ll find out tonight."
"You think the Jufeng Mercenary Group will make their move tonight?" Li Jiya inquired.
Yan Xing replied, "The Jufeng Mercenary Group must secure funds quickly to stabilize their team. They also need to prevent the Orcs from moving the gold from the treasury once they learn of the threat. For them, each day of delay exponentially increases the risk. The Jufeng Mercenary Group can’t afford to wait. Tonight might not be the ideal moment, but it’s the best timing they have."
Li Jiya found Yan Xing’s analysis convincing. "We’ll keep an eye on the Jufeng Mercenary Group tonight; following them should lead us to the Orc Treasury," she said. "But if a fight breaks out, we’re bound to alert the City Defense Force. How would we quickly move the gold from the treasury then? It’s unlikely we’ll find suitable, trustworthy people on such short notice."
"Leave moving the gold to me," Yan Xing said confidently. "We’ll meet here again tonight. I’ve infiltrated the Thunderous Swamp embassy a few times and acquired many good items. I’ll share some with you later."
"Did you find out how the Assassin’s Guild’s assassination plan was leaked?" Li Jiya asked.
"No," Yan Xing shrugged, replying, "Yan Xing’s embassy is different from any other place I’ve infiltrated; it’s full of hidden eyes. Just avoiding detection took all my effort, so don’t expect me to find much more useful information. I’ll investigate more once I’m more familiar with the layout."
Li Jiya didn’t say anything further.
Having spent the last few days with Yan Xing inside the embassy, she knew it was like a different world, filled with things she had never seen or recognized. Therefore, infiltrating it required extreme caution.
Standing up, Li Jiya said, "Alright, investigate at your own pace. We’ll meet again tonight..."
"See you tonight," Yan Xing replied. "But you can’t be in this state again, or I’ll consider ending our collaboration."
"I know what I have to do."