Chapter 104: Old Friend (Part 2)
"Over the past few years, I've worked very hard to gain the Baron's trust. It took a lot of effort to get him to consider me one of his own, someone he can trust," Winston said. "But you can't accuse me of not contacting you. As soon as you entered the gates of the Knights Templar, I made you a cup of Earl Grey tea. Don't say you can't taste the tea you were used to as a child."
Andrei, who couldn't taste anything at all, choked up and cleared his throat awkwardly after a while: "Ahem... You know I'm not good at tasting tea."
"Tsk, tsk, what a waste of time!" Winston shook his head and said with feigned regret, "That was the last bit of good tea I had left. Besides, later in the carriage, I did my best to remind you, but you completely ignored me."
Andre couldn't tell him that it was the Winchester clerk's inexplicable overtures that had aroused his vigilance. But he also knew that Winston, lurking in Barony Neumann's territory, needed to hide his identity, and only in this deserted wilderness could he confess to him.
He could only touch his nose and continue the topic of tea: "Next time I'll ask someone to get some more."
"Forget it, you don't have much money, so you'd better save it. His Majesty has been in financial trouble recently, and everyone's funds are stretched." Winston put on the clerk's gold-rimmed glasses again, "Augustine, that vicious villain, likes to use high-sounding slogans to secretly trip people up.
"Even though you've been transferred here, the Knights' salary expenditure hasn't changed much. Is he planning to deduct your salary? If you don't have enough money, tell me. Although I can't do anything about it on the books, I can still support you privately..."
"No, not yet," Andrei refused. "You have as much money to spend as I do. I've figured out a way."
Based on the number of customers Andre saw at a glance last night, his investment in Xiaogutou is a sure win, and it may even far exceed his expectations.
"Aha, that interesting lich." Winston patted Andre's shoulder. "She's too perceptive. I hardly dare to get close to her, for fear that she might reveal my undercover identity with just a deep breath.
"Honestly, is the food she cooks really that delicious? I really want to try it."
"I'll take you there for dinner tonight." Andre looked at the sky and said, "Let's go. It's getting too late."
Now that the two had talked it out, on the way back to the city, Andre asked about the cause of death of the two thugs.
"It's probably to silence them," Winston replied. "I wasn't responsible for their deaths, but in a sense, I'm involved. I think the person who hired them must have put some kind of spell on them. The moment they saw me, it was as if some pre-set condition had been triggered. In an instant, their eyes became dull, they became confused and unconscious, and they kept mumbling some kind of nonsense...
"I tried to record and identify them, but the syllables were so vague that no matter how I organized them or tried to piece them together, I couldn't make any sense."
He handed over a piece of paper. Andre took it and looked at it. It was full of strange syllables. He tried to read it again, but stumbled so hard that he almost bit his tongue. "It's awkward... It doesn't form a sentence, nor is it a magic spell. It feels like the random mumbling of a madman."
Winston nodded. "However, the death of these two thugs doesn't mean the clues are broken. Your deduction is actually only a hair's breadth away from the truth. This incident in the Witch Forest was indeed a spur-of-the-moment plot by that bastard Augustine. However, there's one thing you don't quite understand."
"The Witch Forest has been close to the Dragon Clan lately. Even if those thugs manage to cause some trouble, it won't cause any serious damage to them. Of course, it will at least cause some inconvenience to tourists and tarnish the witches' reputation. But to completely defeat the witches, seize their beer business, or force them to turn to the Baron, these small actions alone are probably far from enough.
"However, as you said, if you mess up the first mission the Baron assigns you, he'll have more opportunities to exploit it later. This incident is a test of your abilities, and it wouldn't be a good thing if you showed either too weak or too strong at this moment."
Andrei knew what he meant. If he was too weak, Baron Neumann would think he had a chance to kill him with one strike, and he would try to attack him, causing unnecessary trouble for him. If he was too strong, it would arouse the Baron's vigilance, making the search for clues even more difficult.
"This level is actually appropriate now. Although you prevented these two thugs from committing crimes, you couldn't prevent them from committing suicide. For now, we can only hastily close the case and turn this matter into a covert investigation. I'll help you cover up for the Baron, so I don't think it will be difficult." Winston pondered. "I will conceal the role of the lich lady in the report. She may be of great use in the future, but we can't let the Baron notice her existence yet."
Andrei exhaled slowly: "Thank you."
"We're brothers, why be polite? We're all working towards the same goal," Winston said. "According to the clues I've uncovered, Baron Neumann's accounts are highly suspicious. Every once in a while, he secretly smuggles a sum of gold, silver, and treasure out of the City Lord's Mansion, to unknown destinations. I suspect that's the funding he's providing for Evil Eye Moon's activities.
"It's just that the Baron is too cautious. I haven't been able to successfully track the whereabouts of that money yet. He only trusts his own people, so it's difficult to penetrate their hands. The resources we can mobilize in the city are still too few."
"We can't help it. These past few years, internal and external troubles, coupled with the Evil Eye Moon lurking in the shadows, have consumed an inordinate amount of manpower, financial resources, and material resources. Your Majesty is stretched to the limit," Andrei said helplessly. "We can only rely on ourselves to find a solution."
As they chatted, the walls of Easton West came into view. Winston spoke faster, admonishing them, "The Baron previously instructed the Winchester clerk to approach you, and I will continue to do so in public. Just remain as cold and suspicious as before."
"I see."
Although the position of Winchester's chief clerk is not high, it is extremely important. He has access to many core secrets of the Kingdom Knights in the west city of Eston. Once the Baron uses the Kingdom Knights for private matters, he can hide it from Andre, but not from the chief clerk.
Winston had spent three years undercover to achieve his current position and the Baron's trust, so André naturally had to cooperate with him. As the saying goes, having someone in the court makes things easier, and with Winchester's clerk as his hidden assistant, André would have greater freedom of movement within the city.
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