Nick's first instinct was to visit his brother. He was sure there was a misunderstanding about what actually happened, and talking with him might give him a clearer idea of the overall situation.

Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Upon arriving at Wolfram Manor, he discovered it was teeming with soldiers, guarding every entrance and keeping everyone at least a hundred feet away.

He'd tried to explain his relationship with the Grandmaster, but they wouldn't give him the time of day, and pushing harder was likely to lead to harsher measures than just being sent away.

He was pretty sure he could force his way through if he really wanted to, but doing so would only make everything messier. Even from a distance, he could tell Devon was healthy and relatively calm, if stressed about something, and since Sonya was sitting next to him, he trusted she would take care of him.

With that option gone, Nick had no choice but to turn to his usual contact for shady deals.

"You have a lot of courage to show your face here," One-Ear growled, staring at him from under his hood in the back alley of the tavern Nick knew he favored.

Clearly, he hadn't appreciated the late-night visit from the Duke's men. His eyes were bloodshot, and his carefully crafted persona looked much shabbier now. He must have had to burn through many of his contacts to stay in business.

Nick grimaced. He hadn't truly had other options, not after what he'd seen, but that didn't mean he was unaware of the consequences of his actions.

"I am sorry," he apologized, lightly bowing his head. "The situation got out of hand very quickly, but I still should have made an effort to alert you."

One-Ear stared for a long moment, weighing his words with an inscrutable expression. Nick, however, had an insight into what he was feeling and recognized a mix of wounded pride, a reluctant acknowledgment of the matter's complexity, and considerable annoyance.

He didn't appear to be holding a deep grudge, but their relationship would likely weaken.

"You really should have. I had to reveal about a dozen different things that could have been highly profitable, and I burned bridges with almost every gang in the city. The only reason I'm not furious right now is because every other information broker has been hit in the same way, or even worse, so the playing field has been evened out."

Nick stayed quiet. If the price this time meant letting the man blow off some steam, he'd gladly pay it.

Eventually, the broker calmed down and sighed. "Alright, let me hear it. What do you need? I'll have you know, I haven't been able to keep up with the Duke's movements. His men are too high-level for me to risk it, and after they almost threw me in the cells for knowing about the plot and not reporting it, I'm not really interested in dealing with them again."

"I don't need to know about them," Nick said with a thin smile. He could understand why One-Ear was so reluctant, especially if he'd narrowly avoided imprisonment. "What I'm interested in is actually something that happened a while ago."

One-Ear shifted, maintaining an impassive face, but Nick could see the interest grow.

"Apparently, a group of apprentices from the Tower has established an operation at the docks. They've been involved in smuggling and other minor crimes. I'd like to know anything you have about them."

A shadow crossed the broker's face, and his emotions settled into a low simmer of tension. "I don't know how you got involved with those people, but you should know better than to go looking for them. In Alluria, Tower mages are a class of their own, and even the gangs know better than to mess with their operations. Hell, the Duke's men have been avoiding them."

That's exactly what I need. Tholm didn't say anything, but these can't be mere apprentices, or the Duke wouldn't be so hesitant to act against them. They must have someone pretty important backing them.

It hadn't escaped his notice that he was probably being used as a pawn in the games the Archmages were playing against each other.

No, Nick was fully aware of that, and he was counting on it to help him. After all, proving his brother's innocence would be much harder than showing someone else had manipulated the events to frame him, given how common that sort of thing was.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Don't worry about that," Nick said, and waited. Showing confidence now would make his life much easier than trying to charm One-Ear with words.

Clearly, the other realized the hidden meaning, as his eyes widened. "You… Alright, I guess that's just how things go in the Tower, and you were always an ambitious guy. I shouldn't be too surprised."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Nick smiled, crinkling his eyes.

"No need for that," One-Ear grumbled. "Just don't let this get back to me again, will you?"

"I can promise you that," Nick replied, and if there was a definitive note in his tone, neither said anything.

Whatever the Duke's men had been doing to take control of the docks, it worked like a charm, because by the time Nick was flitting from rooftop to rooftop, they were the only ones out and about, despite it being only early evening.

With such a strong hold on the area, it would be hard for anyone, especially larger groups, to move freely enough to coordinate the attack on the auction.

Still, Nick doubted this would be enough to fully eliminate the plot. Changer, who was the one to initiate contact and start co-opting the gangs, was still at large, and their backer remained a complete unknown.

They might have given up after their plan was foiled, but it didn't feel like the kind of thing someone willing to risk this much would do.

More likely, this was just a part of their plan. It might have even been a distraction, though I don't think so. Who would waste so much money and valuable artifacts on a throwaway scheme? Just the value of the long-distance communicators would be enough to make a dent in the Duke's vaults.

"Not that it matters to me now. I'm looking for something different," he muttered under his breath, trying to avoid the suspicion that the two things might not be quite so unrelated after all.

"Did you hear something?" A guard on the street below asked his comrade, who shrugged in response.

"People are still awake. I don't sense anyone outside their homes."

"Alright, yours are the best senses of the company anyway," the first guard said, relaxing slightly, and Nick took that opportunity to move on.

Without the [Ring of Unknowingness], he wouldn't have been able to go through with this operation. The Duke's display of power was simply too overwhelming to fool with a few distractions, and while technically they were all on the same side, Nick didn't want to be caught sneaking around during such a tense time, especially with suspicions already focused on Devon.

It did make things a little more awkward for him since he had to depend entirely on his metaphysical senses, but he had gotten used to it by now, and so he made his way toward the spot One-Ear told him about.

When he stopped, Nick noticed there were no guards on the block. They hadn't entirely abandoned the place, as he could still sense a few patrols nearby, but they were keeping a respectful distance from the townhouse.

Unlike the rest of the district, which had boarded up its windows and seemed to be trying to pass off as uninhabited, this place was clearly not hiding anything.

Instead, golden light spilled from most windows, and Nick could feel a few dozen people inside, four of whom had developed mana signatures.

Got 'em. I almost thought this would be tougher, but for people like this, there's no reason to hide. They enjoy the protection of being Tower mages, and at the same time, have connections with the local underworld. They're basically untouchable, as long as they don't step on an Archmage's toes.

And from what little Tholm had told him, even that might not be enough, considering they had some backing of their own.

Usually, Nick wouldn't even consider taking a group like that on, especially alone. But he didn't have many options, and time was running out.

He needed any information these people had about Anthony, and by the time he returned to the Tower today, he would have it, no matter what method he had to use.

Considering how Tholm put it, I doubt they will help me if I ask nicely, but it might not be a waste of time to try that approach…

The [Ring of Unknowingness] vanished from his finger, revealing his mana signature to everyone, and Nick dropped onto the street, heading toward the townhouse with confidence, as if he truly belonged.

The man guarding the door was clearly an ex-adventurer of some kind and was strong enough to make even a small patrol of soldiers reconsider their route. He immediately noticed Nick's approach, but instead of tensing up for a fight, his eyes scanned his cloak and overall appearance, and he relaxed.

Interesting. That means they aren't the only mages who frequent this place. Do they have clients in the Tower as well?

"Here for the party?" The man asked gruffly once he was close enough.

Nick smiled, "A good friend of mine sent me here. He told me I could make new friends."

The guard huffed a laugh, probably thinking that young mages, especially those from noble houses like he appeared to be, lived in a completely different world, but he stepped aside and let him in.

Very lax security, but then again, everyone who has the strength to cause problems knows who these people are and what the consequences of making enemies with them might be.

He was allowed into the first floor of the townhouse, where most of its inhabitants were currently present. It was an open space that had been visibly enhanced with magic to make it more stylish and defy the laws of physics, evidenced by the lack of pillars or load-bearing walls.

Still, it was divided into three distinct sections by the furniture. One area served as a reception, with low sofas, wine coolers, and a few people chatting quietly about what seemed like business deals.

In the middle was a drinks and food station, with a couple of servants constantly refilling the offerings, and a musician strumming his chorded instrument into a slow song that set the ambiance just right.

Finally, what caught Nick's interest was on the opposite side. There sat two of the four mages he knew were in the building, reclining on comfortable-looking sofas and enjoying the company of two beautiful girls, alongside another man who was probably a Knight of some kind, and who had his own "entertainment".

I anticipated debauchery, but the night is still young, and they've already reached this point... Bah, it doesn't matter; this might even work in my favor. If they are the kind of people to indulge in their vices, I might be able to make them underestimate me.

Nick made his way there but was quickly intercepted by a server. "Good evening, good sir. Might I direct you to the reception area? I'll be there with you shortly with a drink."

Pretty smooth. Again, service classes reveal their true value when you least expect it.

Unfortunately for the man, he had a clear target and little intention of letting himself be sidetracked, so he cast the weakest [Spirit Blast] he could, infusing it with a mellow kind of contentment he knew from his experiments would make anyone more willing to accept unreasonable requests, and kept moving forward. "Oh, don't worry, I just need to have a chat with these gentlemen."