"And so, I began to ask," Aya took a full minute to finally convince Tiran not to immediately punish her, but to first do what was necessary. It was better to gather as much information as possible about the attack on the mansion before taking any action.
"The first question, have there been any abnormal personnel movements in the city recently?" Tiran took a deep breath and asked.
"This question seems a bit vague, miss noble lady. Is this your first time buying information? Or are you just too young and inexperienced?" Xiao Mo did not immediately answer, but knelt on the bar counter and played with her hair as she sighed.
Tiran's cheeks turned slightly red, and her expression became somewhat weird.
- Being told this by a loli who looked no more than eleven or twelve years old was really unsettling!
Normally, for such vague questions, an information dealer could just give a perfunctory answer to gain more benefits.
"But since you're a friend of Valiflavia... Hmm, this will be an exception. Just think twice before speaking next time, alright?" Xiao Mo cleared her throat. "Of course, if there is anything abnormal, it's likely related to a certain aspect. Several dozen illegal mercenaries have recently arrived in the city, all belonging to the same mercenary group but entering through various different channels. If the information is correct, they should be the infamous 'Snow Wolves.'"
Aya and Tiran's eyes lit up at the same time. It seemed they had come to the right place.
"Can you provide a detailed introduction of this mercenary group?"
"They are a newly rising first-class team in the illegal industry, primarily active in the Frost Forest in the northern part of the Milania Kingdom. The total number of members is around a hundred, with about sixty core members who are basically on par with official knights in strength. They have successfully dealt with three castle-level behemoths and have been hired to attack several nobles, and in the worst case, they even killed a count."
"Currently, the entire team has more than twenty first-level wanted warrants. Three of the Four Pillar families in Milania are after them... Ah, including the attack on the Hers Manor, all Four Pillar families have issued wanted warrants for them."
Aya stuck out her tongue, damn, this team was quite powerful.
"The captain is called Bailingrixi, his surname is unknown, and he is nicknamed 'Son of the Storm.' He does not hold a knight title, probably hovering between seventh and eighth level. He is a dual-wielding swordsman with the inherent skill of berserk. When all his skills are activated, his combat power can increase by more than three times, and his true strength is close to level nine. He has a record of single-handedly killing a great knight."
The entrance requirement for a great knight is at the eighth level, so killing one is definitely not to be taken lightly. However, Tiran's strength was already approaching that of a legendary hero, and if Aya hadn't been sealed, defeating one or two level nine opponents wouldn't be a problem either, so neither of them displayed any surprise.
Xiao Mo seemed to be waiting for their astonished expressions, but after the three of them stared at each other for a while with no reaction, each of them appeared a little puzzled.
"Is there any other information?" Aya broke the silence.
"... That's all, I haven't been involved in the illegal business for a long time, so this is all the information I have," Xiao Mo spread her hands and her gaze towards Tiran changed slightly.
"That brings us to the third question," Tiran's expression became unusually serious, and her emerald eyes reflected a hint of light. "About the employer of this 'Snow Wolves' mercenaries. Who hired them?"
The attack on the princess's entourage was carried out by three groups: bandits, the Snow Wolf mercenary group, and the swordsman Nishino and the black wizard Kahe. The bandits had already been wiped out, and their strength was too lowly for any useful investigation. As for the swordsman and the black wizard, they were both extraordinary individuals, difficult to pin down, making the investigation even more challenging. Therefore, starting from the Snow Wolf mercenary group seemed to be the most appropriate.
Xiao Mo hesitated for a moment, and her expression became subtle. "Miss noble lady, that's quite a difficult question you're asking..."
"Don't you know?" Tiran stared intently at Xiao Mo.
"It's not that I don't know, but if I were to share that information, it could cause some trouble... It's really a hassle."
"So, you're unwilling to say?"
Feeling uncomfortable under Tiran's gaze, Xiao Mo finally impatiently grabbed her hair. "Well, since I'm an information dealer, I have to honestly disclose the information once I receive payment. It's just... I hope it doesn't cause any trouble."
She raised two fingers with her small hand and said, "What I know is actually limited. The first is that the attackers have no association with the Hesse family. The second is that the employer who could hire the Snow Wolf Mercenary Group, which is a top-tier group in the industry, to leave their familiar northern territory and come to the western coast, must have paid a huge price and possess a powerful influence. Otherwise, these illegal mercenaries would likely face retaliation.""The first one is clear, but what does the second one mean?"
"It means that it is likely that the employers of those guys are from over there." Xiao Mo pointed to a wall of the tavern.
Tilan looked in the direction pointed out by the Lolita intelligence broker.
Of course, Xiao Mo did not intend for her to look at the stone wall. Her line of sight crossed the wall, passed through the street, and extended out of the city, ultimately pointing towards...
The capital?
"How reliable is this information?" The princess's tone had already turned serious. If it were true, then this matter would be huge!
"For my sources, it is 100% reliable. However, whether Princess believes me or not is another matter."
?!
"You know she's a princess?" Aya was shocked and then received a pat on the head.
Is this guy stupid?! Maybe they were just guessing before, but now you practically admitted my identity! Tilan slapped Aya on the head out of anger.
"Well, don't be nervous. It's actually quite easy to guess. I heard that the princess, who just arrived in the city yesterday, was attacked at the Herze Manor. Today, this aristocratic girl came running over asking these questions, and just now she showed such a nervous expression. It's basically a dead giveaway." Xiao Mo smiled brightly.
"But, I didn't expect the famous Silver White War Goddess to really be such a young and beautiful girl. I must be getting old."
Please don't say such things with a Lolita face!
"That's how it is... I understand, thank you very much." Tilan thanked Xiao Mo sincerely with a bow.
This much information is already enough. Coupled with what the old man had mentioned in the letter he sent some days ago, it's possible to deduce the attackers' intentions.
Those guys really can't stand being idle.
Pulling Aya by the sleeve and heading towards the door, Tilan suddenly remembered something very important. She threw the chair that Aya had casually placed on the side and turned back to the bar where Xiao Mo was.
"Tilan, is there anything else?" Xiao Mo tilted her head curiously.
"It's just..." The princess blushed a bit and rubbed her hands together, "I still want to know a little bit of information, about the latest works of Master Leng Shang..."
"Eh?!" The Lolita's silver-gray eyes instantly lit up, revealing a meaningful smile. "I didn't expect the princess to be a fellow enthusiast... Well, if it's Master Leng Shang's new work, I know a few sources. As for the price, let's include it in the extra four thousand gold that you paid before. The address is XXXXXX..."
"Oh oh oh! Thank you so much!"
...
"Your expression right now is disgusting, really."
Leaving the small tavern where they obtained the information, Aya glanced at Tilan, who had a satisfied smile on her face, unable to help but comment.
"Well, besides that, don't tell Mimi when we go back, okay, Aya." Tilan smiled at Aya, and in the next moment, her expression suddenly turned sinister. A demonic aura emanated from her sapphire pupils. "Otherwise, I'll kill you."
"N-no problem..."
...
Back at the inn where they were staying, in the top-floor suite, Aya recounted the obtained information in great detail to Mimi, who was lying halfway on the bed, his injured leg still not fully recovered.
"Well, thank you for your hard work, Aya." Mimi nodded, giving Aya a slight smile, then he lowered his head in thought. "People from the capital? Could it be..."
"May I ask, what exactly is going on?" Aya raised his hand. Until half a month ago, he was still a free spirit and only had a superficial understanding of the human world, let alone political events involving the power struggle in the kingdom.
"The specific details can't be explained in a short while. In short, as personal maids, our tasks are not only to take care of the princess's daily life but also to protect her safety. As long as you do these two things well, it is enough."
"If possible, I still hope not to be a maid. I would be very happy if you could address me as a male..." Aya's words were ignored by Mimi, who turned his head to look around. "And what about the princess? Shouldn't she be here with you? Did you, as a personal maid, actually let the princess go out alone?"
"This—" Faced with Mimi's stern interrogation, Aya cursed in his mind.
What should I do about this? Should I tell you that Tilan ran off on her own to find sources and then forced me to come back? She would kill me!But if I don't confess honestly, the maid chief will kill me now, right? Aya swallowed nervously and looked tremblingly at Mimi, whose eyes had turned icy. Why do I always encounter situations like this, ahhhhh!
