CHAPTER 447: CHAPTER 291: SUPPORT_2

The words were very direct. Tamara couldn’t help but look embarrassed, and the hope that had just risen in her vanished, replaced by disappointment, leaving her somewhat dejected.

"But you still have me," Lance said with a gentle, unconcerned smile. "Since I’ve promised to help you mediate, I will definitely do my utmost. Leave this matter to me."

This responsible attitude inexplicably gave Tamara a sense of security she hadn’t felt in a long time, and her anxious heart finally relaxed.

Both sides had more or less communicated their views. The items were secured, and the money was in hand; only the personnel aspect remained unresolved, but Lance wasn’t in a hurry.

"Let’s wait for news," Lance said, not intending to stay any longer. He knew he would have to find Amanda to resolve this matter.

However, after taking only a few steps, he seemed to remember something. He turned back to Tamara, took her hand, and pulled out a Gold Coin, placing it in her palm.

"Take this for now. You are under my Sanctuary."

Despite having just taken a whole box from Tamara, Lance’s gesture of giving the coin was still so natural, without a hint of embarrassment.

One could only say that Lance was a man destined for great things.

After leaving the Gold Coin, he wasted no more words, turned decisively, and left.

Only when his silhouette had disappeared from sight did Tamara finally come to her senses. She looked down at the Gold Coin in her hand and let out a long sigh.

A promise. She had finally obtained his recognition.

If I hadn’t made so many foolish mistakes, would I have received his Sanctuary sooner?

Tamara clenched her fingers tightly around the Gold Coin, as if, in that moment, she was grasping her future...

The Romani crafted carriages with various ritual blessings that not only expanded the interior space but also provided visual concealment, soundproofing, and other features.

This meant that even though the two of them had just made such a commotion inside, it went completely unnoticed outside.

Lance looked up at the Romani-style wagon across from them. It belonged to Amanda, but he had no intention of going over directly.

If he took the initiative to seek her out, he would reveal his own needs and thereby lose the upper hand. He had to remain calm and wait for her to approach him first.

Lance had enough patience. After all, he wasn’t the one in a hurry to recover the Sacred Object. He didn’t believe that Amanda, an important figure, would be willing to dally here for long.

But before that, he had to prevent Amanda from making a move against Tamara to force Tamara to negotiate with him. If that happened, Amanda would be the one to reveal her needs first, putting her at a disadvantage, while he would gain control of the situation.

...

Inside Amanda’s carriage, upon being released, she quickly attended to her primary task: transmitting intelligence back to headquarters.

Her capture had meant seven days without contact, leading the organization to believe something had happened to her. It took some time to verify her identity.

She also contacted her immediate superior, the leader of the department within the organization responsible for handling covert missions—the department to which she belonged.

Although Tamara had initially overshadowed Amanda in terms of talent, Amanda was still far superior to an ordinary person. Naturally, a department leader had chosen her as a student.

In fact, her status within the organization was already mid-level—quite an achievement considering her youth!

Moreover, she was a confidante of this leader. When executing missions, she didn’t need to report to others, only to her teacher.

She was assigned the best missions, constantly accumulating experience and merits.

A palm-sized projection appeared above the Crystal Ball, materializing into the image of a middle-aged woman with a stern expression.

In an ordinary world where the principles of wireless radio hadn’t even been figured out, in this world possessing Supernatural Power, they could conduct long-distance video calls directly through some mysterious ritual.

Amanda gave her teacher a detailed report of her recent experiences. Tamara, who should have been the primary focus of the mission, was only mentioned briefly at the beginning. The main emphasis was on Lance and this strange town.

"...He subdued me barehanded in a short time; I had no chance to resist. This means he had no killing intent and merely overpowered me. Otherwise, I would have struggled to survive."

"Although you are still young, your strength is no less than that of a typical Master Rank. To be able to subdue you so easily, he must be a Champion Rank expert. Most active Champion Rank experts in the Empire are in our files. This individual who suddenly appeared, and with such strange behavior..."

"After he subdued you, did he merely imprison you? Did he do anything else to you?"

"No. On the contrary, he treated me with great respect, like a Knight abiding by an ancient oath. He constantly emphasized the rules to me."

Having studied under her teacher for a long time, Amanda was naturally familiar with his habits and could roughly guess why he might doubt her words.

Actually, his skepticism is understandable. It’s just too incredible. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t experienced it firsthand.

Champion Rank experts aren’t a dime a dozen. I received the best training from the organization, and after years of unremitting hard work, I’ve only just barely reached the threshold of the Master Rank.

Yet that man looked so young, and his strength was so outrageously exaggerated. It completely defied common sense.

However, the facts were undeniable. Instead of doubting, Amanda knew she needed to quickly mitigate the impact of her seven-day absence and regain her teacher’s trust.

Her teacher’s silence placed tremendous pressure on Amanda.

Fortunately, a response came soon enough.

"Your choice was correct. There’s no need to offend an unknown powerhouse over a traitor who can’t escape."

Upon hearing this, the immense pressure that had been suffocating Amanda finally eased somewhat.

Her teacher’s words had defined the situation, affirming her decision not to complete the mission by forcefully offending a powerhouse.

Although she hadn’t completed the mission, Tamara couldn’t escape, in her view. Conversely, the intelligence about Lance was very valuable.

"Then, Teacher, what is my current mission?"

Amanda asked. Simply put, the current mission had now branched into three possible paths.

One was to continue with eliminating the traitor and retrieving the Sacred Object.

The second was to make contact with Lance to learn about his background, identity, Extraordinary abilities, and affiliations, as well as about this place—essentially, to gather all clues that could be considered intelligence.

The third was to leave this strange, abnormal place directly.

These first two missions were conflicting. Executing the traitor would mean breaking the rules and offending Lance.

Conversely, to make contact with Lance, she couldn’t break the rules, which naturally meant she couldn’t act against Tamara, the traitor.

The two missions had different levels of difficulty and, consequently, different rewards.

If she eliminated the traitor and retrieved the Sacred Object, she could strike a blow against the rival faction and accumulate prestige for herself.

However, these merits would be credited to her teacher, while the offense against Lance would be a burden she personally bore, also bringing a powerful enemy to the organization.

But if she chose to establish contact, the intelligence gathered would be her own, as would any relationship formed with a powerhouse like Lance, which could also become an asset.

If it were up to me, I would definitely choose the second option. Amanda didn’t want to become Lance’s enemy in the slightest—that man was far too terrifying.

Just thinking about it made my neck feel uncomfortable...

"You continue making contact. As for the traitor, just confirm her location. I will arrange for someone to deal with her."

"I believe we shouldn’t touch Tamara until we’ve completed our investigation of this man. The consequences of breaking his established rules could be very troublesome."

Amanda clearly remembered his words in the cell. He really would kill someone.

Besides, if Tamara got into trouble, it would definitely make my efforts to contact him more difficult.

But her cautious reminder didn’t seem to register with her teacher.

"Why would we need to act?" The woman on the projection smiled strangely. "Sometimes, a traitor is more useful alive than dead."

Amanda was no fool; she had a vague sense of what her teacher was implying.

As long as Tamara remains alive, she’s a stain on my teacher’s competitors. She can’t escape anyway, so they can use her situation to their advantage.

But even if she guessed her teacher’s intentions, Amanda wouldn’t speak recklessly. Having once been overshadowed by Tamara had taught her the importance of being modest and restrained.