CHAPTER 234: CHAPTER 232 VAULT OF GOLD_1

But... why does Li Jiya think I’m looking for Shortgun?

What exactly is Shortgun?

If Shortgun is one of Marquis Anderson’s people...

When did I ever express an intention to find them?

Yan Xing looked at Grey Mouse, who also seemed clueless about what Shortgun was.

So, he decided to pry more information from Li Jiya.

"Miss Xue Jun, you tell me this little bit, and you expect me to work in Yan Xing’s embassy on your behalf? Do you take me for a fool? Business demands fairness. If it’s just this obvious stuff, I could figure it out myself. Why would I need you to tell me?"

Li Jiya knew that what she had told him was indeed trivial.

"Mr. Terence... Shortgun has always been very well hidden, mainly operating within the Storm City region. We don’t know much about them either. But rest assured, if there’s any new information about Shortgun, I will tell you as soon as possible. However, may I know why you’re looking for Shortgun?"

"A personal vendetta," Yan Xing made up an excuse on the spot.

Since Shortgun operates in the Storm City area, they must be Marquis Anderson’s people,

Yan Xing speculated.

And Li Jiya had intended to recruit Terence from the start. After learning she had been sidelined, Li Jiya saw Terence the thief as her opportunity to be reinstated.

"Mr. Terence, you can actually tell me more," Li Jiya said earnestly. "The Assassin’s Guild in Nuta City still has very strong information-gathering capabilities. We can find the person you’re looking for with great speed. Even if you need to go to the Orc Controlled Area, we can help you."

Yan Xing hadn’t even figured out Shortgun yet, and now Orcs were being dragged into it. Every sentence was like a riddle; it was so damn frustrating...

Then, at a certain moment, Yan Xing seemed to grasp something.

Could my initial judgment have been wrong?

The Shortgun organization might actually be...

Yan Xing recalled the first time he and Grey Mouse had met here. He and Grey Mouse had been sitting here, while Li Jiya was behind the bar, looking at a book, facing in their direction.

Since Li Jiya isn’t just an ordinary tavern owner, she might have had ways to know what he and Grey Mouse talked about. The fact that Li Jiya had been waiting at the Assassin’s Guild contact point after his second meeting with Grey Mouse only further proved her ability to bypass Soundproof Magic and eavesdrop on conversations.

So Shortgun must be the Mercenary Organization that colluded with the Orcs.

But... what was Shortgun’s purpose in intercepting the Farsight Mercenary Corps? That wasn’t clear yet.

After all, that was only Li Jiya’s version of events; I still needed to investigate the truth myself.

Coincidentally, the ’Creed’ intelligence-gathering system designed by Chui Chui was about to go live. I’d see what useful information it could dig up.

Since Li Jiya also seemed to want to "help," Yan Xing readily said, "Before coming to Nuta City, I stayed in the Barbaric Orcs’ homeland for a while. I heard that Shortgun has very close dealings with Chief Little Lillia. Some transactions take place in Nuta City. This includes a small gold vault. I can’t handle all that gold by myself... If you’re willing to help me find this vault, I can share a portion with you. But I only want your help. Don’t let the leak-prone Assassin’s Guild get involved."

Before Yan Xing could finish, Grey Mouse, his eyes shining at the mention of the vault, exclaimed, "Me too, me too! I don’t need a full share; just toss a little something my way!"

Li Jiya was stunned for a moment. She hadn’t expected the Orcs to actually have a small gold vault in Nuta City. Previously, the existence of this vault had merely been speculation. After all, bribing mercenaries was an ongoing, significant expense for the Orcs.

And just as the Orcs had human spies, humans had also cultivated many Orc spies within the Orcs’ sphere of influence. Human mercenaries working for the Orcs couldn’t blatantly carry large sums of money out of the Orc Controlled Area. Therefore, it was highly probable that the Orcs had set up a vault in Nuta City.

Nuta City was a commercial hub, with countless people and caravans passing through daily. The Orcs’ money would first enter the Silvermane Principality through other borders. It would then be broken down, mixed with merchant caravans passing through the Principality’s heartland to the Wildwind Highlands, and, after a long detour, converge secretly in Nuta City. Mercenaries and spies working for the Orcs could then receive their payment directly in Nuta City. Very secure.

Rose Court speculated this because the Snow Elves had initially operated the same way. However, the Elves and the Silvermane Principality shared no land border beyond the Wildwind Highlands, separated as they were by the Inner Sea east of the highlands. The Barbaric Orcs, on the other hand, shared another complex stretch of border with the Silvermane Principality in addition to the Wildwind Highlands.

Smuggling by sea was much more difficult than by land.

The Elves had just begun transferring assets to establish a small vault in Nuta City when Duchy secret agents quickly detected their activities. After a series of pursuits, the Elves’ entire intelligence network in Nuta City was dismantled by Rose Court in one fell swoop. Consequently, the Elves had to rely on Rose Court for intelligence regarding the Wildwind Highlands Legion.

From this, Rose Court deduced that the Orcs had also established a vault in Nuta City to purchase intelligence, issue missions, and fund their spies. They just never had concrete proof of this vault’s existence, nor had they located it.

Now, Terence was claiming that the Orcs did indeed have a vault in Nuta City.

Finding this vault would mean severely crippling the Orc intelligence network in the Wildwind Highlands.

The Silvermane Principality held different attitudes towards the Elves and the Orcs. The Principality and the Snow Elves faced each other across the sea, and with the Snow Elves controlling only a part of the Wildwind Highlands, the Principality didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of crisis. But the Barbaric Orcs were different.

Conflicts constantly erupted along the land border between the Principality and the Orcs. Even when no major war was raging, small Orc units would frequently raid southward, plundering goods, food, and peasants. If the Orcs could be driven from the Wildwind Highlands, they would be forced to defend themselves on all fronts around the highlands, naturally lacking the capacity to harass the Principality’s heartland.

Therefore, for Li Jiya, uncovering the Orcs’ vault in Nuta City would be a far greater achievement than receiving the Elf Envoys.

"Mr. Terence..." Li Jiya, somewhat agitated, almost let her real voice slip. She quickly altered her tone and continued, "Actually, we also believe the Orcs have a small gold vault in Nuta City. Since you’ve invited me to help locate this vault, I will provide all the assistance within my power. Once found, we’ll split it fifty-fifty. I wonder if Mr. Terence has any more clues to offer, or if there are specific tasks you need me to do."

Grey Mouse chimed in anxiously from the side, "And me, and me! I have many underground connections in Nuta City!"

At the mention of a gold vault, Grey Mouse forgot all potential dangers.