The incident, whereby Suzanna had been attacked, did not create any uproar. The people and mercenaries had carried on with their lives as usual. At dusk, a carriage, which was not as new, stopped before the courtyard in the northern part of the city. Ye got out slowly from the carriage.
Ye's appearance represented a command. More than 10 figures that were nearby slowly rose up to the sky. A few hundred mercenaries suddenly appeared on the street, and dashed toward the courtyard, surrounding it. Seven to eight half-elf archers jumped up to the roofs to form a circle. They had their bows and arrows ready, and were searching for their targets.
Shinbela followed after Ye, jumping down from the carriage. Anfey was the last to appear. He looked calm, and was staring listlessly at the courtyard. There were many ways to express one's anger. To make a ruckus was being too shallow. This was not his style, and it was unfit for his status. He had to be here, as the one who had saved Julie was extremely powerful. The traces that he had left behind denoted that he could be a top level power. Anfey could not take any chances, he had to ensure the safety of his men.
The mercenaries had smashed the door of the courtyard and dashed in. No combat sound was heard. Ye said with a wry smile, "Sir, you are right. They have left."
"We can't be making a wasteful trip. Let's go in and take a look," Anfey said flatly.
As Ye stepped into the courtyard, a few mercenaries walked out. He was hopeful and asked, "Have you found anything?"
"Sir, no one is inside, and there are only a few things around," one of the mercenaries replied.
"They could not have wasted their time to pack up the things?" Ye found it unbelievable, and dashed in. There was a two-story building in the courtyard that was made of wood. There were nine rooms in total, and Ye searched through them all, including the kitchen and cellar. And just as the few mercenaries had said, the things left behind were few. There was no firewood in the kitchen or backyard. The kitchen looked as though it had seldom been used. Most of the rooms were empty, except for two that had beds in them. As for the furniture, other than a big mirror, there was nothing else.
Ye felt helpless. Suzanna had been attacked, and that was worse than the jailbreak of Julie. This was an upfront challenge to The League of Mercenaries. He was determined to get to the bottom of it. Suzanna had killed the two assassins, and the other two, after Edy's interrogation, had divulged secrets. However, Ye could not decipher what their secrets were, as their appellation and records were unique. Ye needed time to look into it. The only useful information was their foothold. If he could not find anything here, there would be no other clues. He could not be sitting around, waiting for their next move.
Anfey was not surprised. An agent would call this a broiler. When he took up assignments previously, he would use different identities and appearances, and rent a place near the target. He had to take precautions. Although this was different from his previous occupation, the nature of the work was similar. Whatever the other party could think of, Anfey had already thought of it, unless there was a vast difference in the intelligence. If things were too obvious, the other party must be up to some tricks, as the styles did not match.
"Ye, get a few men to guard this place. The rest can leave," Anfey said softly.
"Guard this place? Will they be coming back?"
"I don't think so, but there might be some unexpected surprises."
Ye pondered for a while and nodded, "All right."
"Go and check up on the owner of this courtyard. But…don't hope too much. If you can't find any clue, then forget it."
"Forget it?" Ye asked in shock. He had not expected Anfey to not care a whit about it.
"Yes" Anfey nodded and said, "I will make a move first. I will be meeting a guest. You can go back later. Hmnn…all of you must be careful during this period. Especially you, Shinbela. You like to act alone. Please change this habit."
"Oh…" Shinbela replied.
"Sir, who is this important guest?" Ye was curious. He knew that Anfey was either going through the formality by his presence, or he was here to prevent a mishap from happening.
"You will know later." Anfey smiled.
In a residential area near the Citymaster Manor, Hui Wei was pacing up and down, looking pale. He looked as though he was waiting for someone. What he feared would happen had happened. His master had written him a letter, instructing him to arrange a meeting for him with Anfey. He was thunderstruck when he received the letter. He did not want others to treat him differently, and in order to maintain the friendship, he had to keep the secret to himself. However, his master kept pressing him and caused him to be in agony. He had looked for Anfey many times, but he always changed his mind. However, he could not drag on any further, as his master had consecutively sent letters to him, and sounded more harsh each time. If he chose to tell Anfey himself, at least he would have taken the initiative to make a confession. However, if he waited for his master to arrive, then he would be exposed. He dared not think of the consequences.
Finally, he decided to tell Anfey. To his surprise, Anfey only thought for a while before agreeing to his request. He had not even asked who Hui Wei's master was. As the appointed time was approaching, Hui Wei felt increasingly uneasy. He even blamed his master. His master had told him before that he had only hoped for Hui Wei to acquire his knowledge. He would not force Hui Wei to do things against his wishes, but he had gone back on his word. Moreover, whatever Hui Wei had learnt from him was not practical. Out of the blue, people were after his life. Although his master had given him some magical instruments for self-protection, including the Shattered Will of God of War, his power was limited. In the end, he had to flee to the magic beast forest and associate himself with the orcs.
As Hui Wei's mind was wandering, Anfey had appeared before his eyes. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Anfey, my master…has arrived."
"I know." Anfey nodded. "I can sense his breath." The air was filled with a breath that brought discomfort. Although it was very weak, Anfey was still able to sense it.
Hui Wei was searching for the right words, but when he heard Anfey's reply, he grew paler. He stuttered and asked, "You…you know…who my master is?"
"Of course." When Anfey saw Hui Wei's uneasy look, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hui Wei, I appreciate your efforts in getting your master here to meet, instead of me going to meet him." Although Anfey was not explicit, what he meant was clear and simple. If the other party had come to meet him, Anfey would stillhave the upper-hand. However, if Anfey were to go and meet him, that would put Anfey in danger.
"Anfey, you…" Hui Wei was at a loss for words.
"Your master has shown his sincerity by risking his life to be here. Don't worry, we will not have conflicts," Anfey said with a smile, then strode up the stairs.
Hui Wei let out a long sigh of relief, and looked gratefully at Anfey. In fact, Anfey was grateful to Hui Wei, too. Ever since Saul had appraised the combat force of Morgan and Desvidia upfront, Anfey was aware of the possible crisis. He did not want to have clashes with the three master necromancers, at least, not now. What Hui Wei had conveyed to him was a great opportunity. As long as the other party was not here to do him harm, Anfey would not provoke him. Anfey had a family, and he had people whom he cared for. It would be irrational for him to go against those old bachelors who had no qualms about killing. Unless he had been forced into a corner, Anfey would not want to do so.
Anfey stood at the door of a room and knocked gently. "Is Mr. Golman there?"
"Please come in, Sir Anfey, you are the host." A husky voice came out of the room.
Anfey opened the door and walked in. Golman had stood up and politely extended his hand to signal Anfey to sit down. This was a friendly gesture. Anfey broadened his smile and sized Golman up. Apparently, Golman was an ugly necromancer. He looked like a skeleton, with a heap of skin stretched over him. "Heap" was the right word, not "layer". There was a strange red light flickering in his eyes. It sent shivers down one's spine. When a woman aged, her breasts would sag. For Golman, who was of a great age, even his nose sagged. As he spoke, his nose swung along, side to side.
"After you," Anfey politely said.
Golman did not waste time on such trivial matters. He sat down slowly, the red light in his eyes flickering. "Sir Anfey, it seems like you are not worried at all."
"Worried? You mean…"
"After all, I am just a notorious necromancer. Aren't you afraid that others will talk behind your back, if they know that you are seeing me?"
"I have heard Sir Baery talk about you. I can tell that he respects you. Although you and the high priest, Stan, should be…at loggerheads with each other, he does not dislike you. From them, I have discovered many truths." Anfey said with a smile, "I don't think they will say anything. As for the rest, I can't be bothered with them."
"Truth…this is an enticing word. A long time ago, I started this journey because of this word." From his expression, one could not see his inner world, but his voice sounded gentle. "Not many people can accept the truth. Sir Anfey, are you able to accept the truth?"