“I’m called a magician by them all, Sir,” the last one said, saluting once again, “I originally pretended to be a frustrated person and entered Dreamland Water, but unfortunately most of them are already dead or fled by now, even ‘Fierce Teeth’ Tanis was killed by the Church’s Army of Judges. Currently, everyone else is occupied with seeking a new organization.”
“He was killed by the Army of Judges?” Theo raised his brow. “Weren’t they secretly supported by the Church?”
“I only heard the news from others,” he spread out his hands, “After their attack on the docks was repelled, Tanis and his men then suffered an ambush from the Skeleton Fingers during their retreat to the eastern district. In the end, he had only a few dozen people left by his side. On that same night, he left the nest once more and went to the Church in anger, but by the next day, only two to three of his cronies made it back. According to their explanation, Priest Ferry and he had began to quarrel, which was cut short after a Judge shot into his chest… All in all, Dreamland Water is dead.”
“Surely you all have already heard my name from Hill,” Theo knocked on the table and waited until the sound fell. “I am a personal guard of His Highness Roland Wimbledon, I am responsible for collecting intelligence from all parts of the kingdom. Since you all have willingly arrived here, from a certain attitude, it can be said that you have already made your intentions clear. However, to be certain that this dangerous mission will be successful, I still have to ask at least once, are you willing to work for His Royal Highness?”
“We are willing!” The five said in unison.
“As long as Timothy Wimbledon will receive his punishment, I’m willing to do anything,” Hill stated, slowly pressing out each word.
“Excellent, then by next week at the same time, we will meet here again. In case there is any critical information, you can also report it to me in advance — just put a pot of purple flowers at the entrance of my house.” Theo explained, “After I noticed it, I will be waiting in this room for you to come in the night. However, remember to knock on the door and use our secret signal of three-longs and two-shorts, understood?
Seeing them nod in unison, Theo said in satisfaction, “A qualified spy will never lightly expose themselves, so the first thing you need to do is to conceal your identity. No matter if you’re gathering information by yourself or are developing a network to collect suspicious information, you have to always bear this in mind. In case you need further money, you can come with the request to me… Remember, in every action, one must never act blindly, without thinking it over first. It is improbable that Timothy will sit on the throne forever, this is a promise given by His Highness Roland Wimbledon himself.” He paused, “With all this said, are there any questions left over?”
“Sir, today Timothy had returned from the Eastern Region back to King’s City,” Hill said, “You should have already heard of this news.”
This afternoon a procession of the new king’s knights holding up his banner had entered the City through the East Gate, which was a scene witnessed by many citizens. But he wasn’t sure if Theo had already heard about what happened afterward.
“But in the evening, I heard from Black Hammer, that Timothy intended to recruit some rats for his army, and in exchange for their pledge of loyalty they would receive the opportunity to become free people. Several leaders of the Skeleton Fingers already went to the royal palace, so it doesn’t sound like a fabrication.”
