Chapter 105: Observing and Being Observed

Hearing Mulan call him a friend touched Farolinchi to some extent. After the train came to a complete stop, he even went out of his way to offer to help Mulan with his suitcase—though, of course, he merely picked it up and handed it over.

Outside the Solence railway station, people had been keeping a close watch on arrivals from the south. When Mulan and Farolinchi finally appeared, a man who had been keeping vigil for several days felt a surge of energy. He hurried over to his companion and nudged him in the back with his elbow.

"Hm? What is it?"

His companion, who was in the middle of smoking, turned around. The younger man gestured with his chin in a certain direction.

"They're here. Let's go."

"They really are here!"

The companion quickly dropped his cigarette butt, crushed it under his leather shoe, and hurried off with his partner toward Mulan's location. However, they did not approach Mulan directly, instead taking a detour after walking a short distance.

At that moment, Mulan was carrying his suitcase and leading Farolinchi out of the arrival area, intending to hire a carriage to find a place to stay.

Solence was a major northern city, and the station was quite large. In the exit area, numerous rental carriages were always waiting for business. The quality of the carriages distinguished the social standing of the drivers; even though they were all coachmen, those with better carriages and well-groomed horses were often aloof, rarely speaking to common drivers and showing little eagerness to solicit passengers, knowing that respectable travelers would choose them anyway.

Mulan and Farolinchi were not particularly fussy and were prepared to take whichever carriage looked decent. As they exited with other passengers, before Mulan could even reach the carriage zone, a black carriage passed by them and the driver pulled to a stop.

"Sir, are you looking to hire a carriage? Mine is perfect—clean, tidy, and the price is fair!"

The coachman gripped the reins and chatted with Mulan with a smile. Just as Mulan was about to decline, he noticed the hand gripping the reins form a fist and tap against the coachman's chest. It was a quick, subtle gesture—one of the common secret signals used by imperial intelligence officers.

"Very well, this carriage will do. Let's get in."

The coachman quickly climbed down, opened the door for Mulan, closed it from the outside, returned to the driver's seat, and immediately drove away.

Once inside, Mulan and Farolinchi discovered someone else sitting in the carriage. As soon as the door shut and the carriage began to move, the man spoke up, offering a fist-salute to Mulan.

"Special Observer No. 6, Seventh Division of the Rhine, reporting to Lord Jonster. The man outside is No. 9. We have been waiting at the station for several days; I am relieved we did not miss your arrival!"

"You've worked hard."

Mulan was slightly surprised. The man did not actually know his itinerary, yet had managed to find him with such precision. His powers of deduction and execution were quite impressive.

"By the way, who is this?" Mulan glanced at Farolinchi.

"My attendant, Farolin."

Observer No. 6 immediately bowed to Farolinchi as well. Farolinchi nodded with a sullen expression, saying nothing.

"My Lord, let me briefly explain the situation regarding the Stone of the Sun. Afterward, you will have full authority over the deployment. There are sixteen of us here, and we will follow your commands unconditionally..."

No. 6 began his report immediately. Mulan listened with a serious expression, his gaze fixed out the carriage window, observing the city of Solence.

Currently, the Stone of the Sun was scheduled to be one of the final highlights of an auction taking place in a week. Of course, the item was not listed as the "Stone of the Sun," but as the "Jewel of the Sun," presented as a piece of jewelry.

However, although this auction appeared to be nothing more than a high-profile, ordinary event, the Stone of the Sun was not the only problematic item. Several other highly unusual objects were included, such as an ancient book that looked mundane but might actually be an orphan grimoire of secret arts, and a strange, multicolored glass crystal that contained mysterious elements.

In short, there were several items in this auction that were never meant to be possessed by ordinary people.

News of the auction had inevitably leaked through certain channels, leading to an increase in the number of mystics in Solence.

"So, the situation in Solence is rather complex right now?"

Mulan frowned, turning his gaze from the window back to Observer No. 6, whose expression was equally grave as he nodded.

"Yes, it has exceeded our initial projections. Among these mystics, some may simply be individuals capable of utilizing wondrous artifacts, but there are definitely true transcendents among them as well. We dare not get too close, so our intelligence is incomplete. We only know the transportation they arrived on, the paths they took through previous stops, their arrival times, their current residences, and their frequently visited locations, but we cannot track everyone..."

Well, under the circumstances, knowing this much was already quite significant. Mulan did not hesitate to offer his praise.

"You've done quite well. It is indeed unwise to get too close to those capable of wielding mysterious powers. But these people have appeared within the borders of Dierga—are they following the rules?"

No. 6 offered a strained smile.

"At least on the surface, they are playing by the rules. But since we cannot effectively monitor them or understand the full picture, I suspect some are taking liberties. Still, they likely fear the Empire and the Covenant..."

The so-called Covenant had no formal written terms, but a simple, tacit understanding had formed within the mysterious world: avoid revealing oneself to ordinary people unless necessary, and do not cause undue harm to them.

This was not because the inhabitants of the shadow world were noble; it was merely a means to prevent the "shadow world" from spreading. After all, the rapid growth of the shadow world's influence brought more complications than benefits to everyone involved.

Still, there were always exceptions—such as cultist lunatics and those without a shred of morality.

The carriage soon arrived in front of an ordinary inn. Mulan and Farolinchi paid the driver and checked into their respective rooms. Shortly thereafter, several intelligence officers arrived one by one to brief Mulan on the details they had gathered.

The situation in Solence was largely as discussed in the carriage, but because each scout was responsible for a different area, Mulan gained even more specific insights.

...

In a civilian house a few streets away, a man and a woman were sharing a lunch of beans, meat broth, and a portion of bread.

The man wore silver-rimmed glasses; he did not look old, yet his hair was entirely white.

The woman had an extremely voluptuous figure. Even though she wore plain cotton-linen clothing, the way it clung to her frame was quite provocative.

As she ate, the woman toyed with a golden die. The man read a newspaper while eating. At a nearby table sat a family of four, eating the same meal and laughing happily.

The dynamic between the two tables was strange, as if the family had no idea that two extra people had joined them in their home.

"Seeing them like this makes me think of when we were children. Whenever mother made a pot of broth, we would both be so happy, as if all the joy in the world were concentrated in that soup."

The woman paused for a moment, then curled her lip.

"It's just that the mistress found an extra silver coin under her pillow every day; look how happy it makes them."

She spoke casually while rolling the die. It landed on one, then one again, and then suddenly, it showed a two.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!"

"What's wrong? Did you roll a six?"

"No, it's a two! A two!"

The man grinned, turned a page of his newspaper, and took a bite of bread, but he froze after two chews.

"The person in charge from Dierga must have arrived. Their intelligence agents have all been flocking to one location!"

The woman looked up and stretched.

"Finally. It's several days later than expected!"

"Then the auction can begin?"

"It's about time. We could start early, though it's still unclear who Dierga sent. Judging by the importance the intelligence agents are placing on this, it must be someone of high standing."

The woman tossed the die in her hand and pulled a golden pistol from the inside of her coat, placing it on the table.

"I hope it's Walton the Faceless Demon himself."

"That's unlikely. Heh, eat up. We have work to do."