CHAPTER 216: CHAPTER 214 DESPERATE FOR MONEY_1

Five percent of 310,000 Gold Coins amounts to 15,500 Gold, weighing over two hundred kilograms.

However, its volume wasn’t too large; it was packed into a sturdy wooden box, which Yan Xing carried as he arrived at Li Jiya’s tavern.

Today, the person behind the tavern counter had been replaced by a young lad who usually did odd jobs there.

Yan Xing casually asked, "Where has Li Jiya gone?"

The lad replied, "Miss Li Jiya has gone to purchase food..."

Yet the monitoring map revealed that Li Jiya was hiding nearby, waiting for Yan Xing’s arrival.

Hmph... trying to play tricks on me, her lord and master. Li Jiya, I heard everything you said to the lad.

"I’m here to meet a client. Bring two mugs of ale."

"Yes, sir."

Yan Xing didn’t waste words on the lad temporarily minding the store; he carried the money chest directly to his usual spot and sat down.

As the two mugs of ale were delivered, a heavily concealed Li Jiya also entered from outside.

"Mr. Terence, you are very punctual!"

"You’re even more so!" Yan Xing extended his hand, glanced at his wristwatch, then pushed the money chest under the table with his foot towards Li Jiya. "This is the deposit. Please count it."

Li Jiya lifted the chest with one hand to gauge its weight, then said to Yan Xing, "I trust Mr. Terence wouldn’t deceive me. Here is the intelligence we’ve collected on Yan Xing. If there’s anything unclear, you can ask me."

Yan Xing took the scroll Li Jiya handed him and unfurled it. It contained information about himself and his embassy.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe the Assassin’s Guild had managed to gather so much information about him.

He recalled the incident in the Eternal Domain with the Elf Aranda, who had posed as a farmer.

Yan Xing felt his power had expanded too rapidly, leaving his intelligence gathering and counterintelligence capabilities sorely lacking. It might not have been obvious when dealing with the Werewolves and Lizardmen of Thunderous Swamp, but when facing Elves and humans, his vulnerabilities were quickly exposed. Intelligence couldn’t rely solely on Chui Chui.

Yan Xing slowly reviewed the intelligence report about himself and then casually asked Li Jiya, "My competitors who have accepted the same mission... how many assassins are there?"

Li Jiya replied, "I’m sorry, that information is not within the scope of my assistance to you. However, please rest assured; as your assistant, I will do my utmost to prevent any conflict between you and other mission executors. They also have assistants like me."

Yan Xing nodded, indicating he understood.

Assigning an assistant to each assassin could prevent uncoordinated assassins from clashing with each other during a mission. This also meant that once I’ve formulated my assassination plan, Li Jiya will have to contact the other assistants to ensure the other assassins don’t become unforeseen variables. At this moment, I’m glad I didn’t make Li Jiya suspicious of the watch. When Li Jiya meets with the other assassins’ assistants, Chui Chui can locate them through eavesdropping and surveillance, then follow the trail to root out all those assassins.

With a plan forming, Yan Xing said to Li Jiya, "According to what I’ve learned, Yan Xing once survived an assassination attempt in Nuta City. The assassin was an Elf from the Northern Snow Plains.

"Thanks to the protection of Thunderous Swamp, Yan Xing not only evaded the assassination but also managed to find the assassin due to the Swamp’s curse.

"Yan Xing is protected by some unknown, formidable power. To assassinate him, we need a much more meticulous plan...

"The intelligence you’ve given me is far too little!"

Li Jiya observed Yan Xing intently. The Assassin’s Guild in Nuta City served the Rose Court; while gathering intelligence on the Wildwind Highlands for the duchy, they were also recruiting spies. Terence was now under her observation.

If I could successfully recruit such a powerful thief to serve the duchy, it would be a tremendous merit. Before that, however, I need to assess Terence’s capabilities. Reporting to Lady Karol requires more than just rumors and my own estimations.

Li Jiya said to Yan Xing, "The formidable protection from Thunderous Swamp is indeed why other assassins who accepted the mission have hesitated to move against Yan Xing. After all, the alchemy techniques from Thunderous Swamp that Yan Xing possesses are truly bizarre...

"The way he found the Elf assassin defies all common sense.

"But even a supreme being like a Giant Dragon can be slain, and Yan Xing is merely a mortal.

"We simply haven’t found the right method to kill him yet.

"Whatever intelligence Mr. Terence desires, the Assassin’s Guild will do its best to provide."

As she spoke, Li Jiya couldn’t help but stroke the watch on her wrist.

As a thief, she knew better than anyone the importance of precise timing. The more she used the watch, the more she marveled at the current power and mystery of Thunderous Swamp.

"All mortals must die," Yan Xing said pretentiously. "I know Yan Xing will soon host a banquet to celebrate the opening of the Thunderous Swamp embassy in Nuta City, inviting all the city’s dignitaries.

"That will be the perfect opportunity to assassinate him.

"Although Yan Xing has extensively renovated the embassy, the villa’s main structure remains unchanged.

"The villa originally belonged to a nobleman whose assets were confiscated. Do you have the embassy’s blueprints?

"And get me an invitation."

As an assistant, Li Jiya did not skimp on providing information.

She answered Yan Xing, "Mr. Terence, the intelligence you currently possess is provided free of charge by our Assassin’s Guild. If you require more, you’ll need to pay an additional consultation fee.

"After all, we invest considerable manpower and financial resources in intelligence gathering.

"And the deposit you gave us will be returned to you upon completion of the mission."

From movies, TV shows, and novels, Yan Xing had always imagined assassin organizations to be grand and formidable. But after his actual dealings with the Assassin’s Guild, this lofty perception had crumbled, piece by piece. It’s all just business! Moreover, the ease with which the Assassin’s Guild made money made Yan Xing quite envious. In any case, the Eternal Domain urgently needed to establish a formal intelligence system, and setting up an intelligence network would cost a significant sum. If this intelligence system could be made profitable, self-funding its own development, wouldn’t that save my own money?

The moment the thought occurred, Yan Xing had already conceived a feasible structure for an intelligence system.

Seeing that the thief, Terence, didn’t respond, Li Jiya thought he might be angry and continued to explain, "Mr. Terence, as an accomplished thief, you surely understand the importance of intelligence.

"You also know that the more crucial the intelligence, the more difficult it is to acquire.

"Furthermore, mission brokerage and intelligence sales are two separate matters. What I can do for you is offer you better rates for intelligence consultation and provide more comprehensive information."

Li Jiya’s words interrupted Yan Xing’s train of thought. He knew this wasn’t the time to be planning his own intelligence network, so he readily agreed, "You’re right, intelligence and brokerage are separate. Ask what you will, tell me everything, and we’ll settle the bill at the end."