Chapter 606: Intel Report
Hoffman County, Fabio Kingdom, Southern Federation.
The capital of Hoffman County, Hannes City, also known as the City of Sails, was located in the southernmost part of the Southern Federation. It was a coastal city with the most active mercantile community in the lands south of the Murky Mountains.
It was one of the two coastal cities in the Southern Federation to have established a direct trade route to the Nahua Continent.
Alone with rich merchants and nobles, the presence of pirates was also quite common in this city, making it a very populated and happening city in the Federation.
However, today, Hannes City was far more prosperous than it was over a decade ago. So much so, that it was even beginning to rival Moon City of Nightingale Kingdom.
The reason for this was an event that had happened more than fifteen years ago when Adam and his team at the time had arrived in this city on behalf of Clover Academy to complete a mission.
After defeating a vampire who had just awakened from his slumber, Adam and his team had rid the city of the dark problem that had been plaguing it.
The completion of this monumental mission, however, had left something inauspicious in its wake. It was found that the passageway leading to the deceased vampire's underground lair had some connection to a mystical plane known as Shadowmuir.
Naturally, such a discovery had caught the attention of the most powerful and influential Magus institution in the Southern Federation - the Clover Academy!
This led the arcane institution to set up a research base in the city. Magi were a curious bunch, after all.
When the professors of Clover Academy learned that there was something related to Shadowmuir in Hannes City, they couldn't help but flock toward this city and begin to study this mystical phenomenon.
Over time, the small research base of the Clover Academy transformed into a separate branch itself. Here, not only did the academy's professor research Shadowmuir, but they also accepted students. This allowed Hannes City to flourish unlike never before!
Along with the Clover Academy, however, another organization was drawn to this place. But unlike the academy, they operated from the shadows, secretly studying the vampire's underground lair. It was none other than the Twilight Brotherhood.
Thanks to Adam informing Berger about the incident at Hannes City more than fifteen years ago, the gnome was able to provide this crucial intel to the Brotherhood in a timely manner.
Now, the members of the Brotherhood had covertly infiltrated not just Hannes City but also the branch of the Clover Academy situated there.
On this day, a portly middle-aged man wearing luxurious silk clothes had just emerged from the entrance of the academy's branch near Rhoade's Shipyard.
He had a head full of burgundy hair and he sported a thick mustache and a beard. Gold rings adorned each of his ten fingers and he wore a necklace studded with a precious gem around his collar.
From the aura of authority and power emanating from him, it was unmistakable that this man was a Magus. Moreover, the cloak he was wearing was emblazoned with the insignia of a four-leaf clover, signifying his status as a professor at the academy's branch.
The man's name was Elorywn Thorton, a Rank 2 - Mana Liquefaction Magus. He was also an Agent of the Brotherhood!
He greeted the students going in and out of the academy's entrance with a polite smile. Then, he boarded a carriage that was waiting for him and made his way toward his manor in a posh neighborhood in the Western District.
When he took his seat inside the carriage, he noticed a young woman wearing a floral-patterned white gown already sitting inside. She was looking out of the window, completely ignoring the portly man.
Elorywn, on the other hand, was quite surprised to see a stranger already onboard his private carriage. Usually, he would be angered by such a matter, but seeing how beautiful the lady was, he spoke with a slight smile instead, "Miss, you seemed to have boarded the—"
The woman interrupted him, looking him straight in the eye, "In twilight, we find truth." At the same time, she touched her forehead with her right index and middle fingers. Then, lowered it and placed her fingers above her heart, drawing an arc.
Elorywn's pupils constricted and his face turned solemn. He gazed at the woman for a good few seconds before replying, "In shadows, we seek wisdom."
The woman nodded, conjuring a medallion from her ring. A crescent moon with three five-pointed stars nestled within its curve was carved on the medallion. She handed it over to the man.
After Elorywn confirmed its authenticity, he handed the medallion back to her. His face now displayed a warm and friendly expression. "To what do I owe this visit?"
"An Agent from the Acadian Empire requires a detailed report on the research you've gathered on the underground passageway here," said the woman, getting straight to the point.
Elorywn was silent for a few moments before asking, "You could have asked one of the Acolytes stationed here, why come to me?"
"Well, you are the person heading this mission, are you not?" The woman asked flatly. "Also, the person asking for the intel is a highly distinguished Magus. So you must be the one to directly send the report, and also make sure it is as detailed as possible."
A highly distinguished Magus within the Brotherhood? Elorywn frowned slightly. And he's an Agent like I am?
"May I know who this esteemed individual is?" He asked.
The woman gazed at him with eyes that didn't hide the respect and admiration gleaming in them.
"Constantine the Tyrant."
…
Harbor Quarter, Ravenfell.
Black Bunny Bar was one of the best taverns in this district often frequented by sailors, adventurers, merchants, and shady characters.
At several of the tables inside this bar, deals were being conducted over mugs of dark ale. A bard with a lute sat in a corner, singing songs and ballads in exchange for an Acadian Gold or a free drink.
Card games and dice rolls escalated into heated arguments in another corner. It was a weekend night, needless to say, everybody was drunk.
The atmosphere was a mixture of laughter, music, and shouted conversations. The air was thick with the scent of spilled alcohol, tobacco smoke, and of course some salted fish.
An inconspicuous door behind the bar led to a private area reserved only for frequent patrons. In one of the seating areas inside this private area, a raven-haired youth sat on a leather couch, looking quite intoxicated.
On the table before him lay about half a dozen empty bottles of liquor. Despite that, the youth looked at one of the beautiful waitresses weaving through the private lounge and called out, "Maria! Another bottle of—hiccup—Compass Rose!"
The waitress shot a flirtatious look toward the young man and giggled coquettishly, "Coming right up, sweetie~"
Adam slumped on the couch, his gaze distant as he thought about his recent visit to the Coil. Recalling the strength displayed by Lord White, he couldn't help but involuntarily gulp.
Just how powerful is that snake?! He thought incredulously.
He located my physical body in Tron and pulled me in through the portal like it was child's play! He didn't even need to form hand seals… what the heck?
He suddenly frowned, thinking, Wait a minute… do snakes have hands?
Right at that moment, the space beside him trembled ever so slightly. Adam immediately sat up straight, willing the lotus to instantly sober him up.
A portal to the Spirit World formed beside him, and a moment later, a white owl emerged from it, landing on the table and knocking a few empty bottles to the ground.
Adam's eyebrow rose in surprise as he thought, A messenger from the Brotherhood? Could it be…
He untied the scroll around the owl's neck before nodding at it. As the owl flew back inside the portal, Adam unfurled the scroll, reading its contents. Immediately, his eyes lit up.
As I thought, it's the intel report from Hannes City!