Chapter 484: Unexpected Intelligence
Compared to the earlier demand of five hundred thousand gold coins, this price now seems downright outrageous.
Since the transformative Battle of Vorry, the Western Federation has increasingly engaged with the Eastern nations. More intelligence flows into various countries, and as Billie’s largest City of Sin, Yinxin City boasts a highly developed information network.
Flying Ant, the commander of Yinxin City’s defense forces, naturally has his finger on the pulse. It’s no surprise he’s aware of the Western Federation’s situation.
These days, the Western Federation has tightened its residency requirements even further. They’ve begun expelling those deemed useless to their development.
Before, knights with potential had a chance to enter the Western Federation. Now, it’s different. The federation has closed its borders almost entirely and raised the bar for talent recruitment significantly.
Currently, knights under twenty and Battle Knights under thirty have the right to travel to the Western Federation, but that doesn’t guarantee permanent residence.
Two secure passageways to the Western Federation have been publicly announced, controlled separately by the northern and southern factions. These narrow routes are guarded by troops, and anyone wishing to enter must undergo strict screening.
As for smugglers from other directions, the Western Federation turns a blind eye. Those who manage to sneak through are fierce individuals, exactly the kind of talent the federation wants.
The fortunate ones who make it through aren’t expelled either, luck is a blessing from the gods, after all.
Even the third son of the Marquis of South Bay in the Duchy of Lumir tries to secure a spot through Henwell.
Despite offers of a million gold coins for a Western Federation advanced study slot, no one is willing to part with one.
Ruper is stuck at this threshold. Though he’s under thirty and possesses Battle Knight strength, his financial resources aren’t enough.
Even if he manages to reach the Western Federation, he’ll have to climb the ranks all over again. After paying the crossing fee, little remains of his fortune.
He can barely afford to live outside the city-state in decent style, let alone invest heavily in raising the next generation.
He certainly can’t risk dragging his family through dangerous regions. His only option is to secure an advanced study permit that allows him to bring his family along.
After the grand wedding, many on the continent know Henwell holds such coveted slots. But these spots are extremely rare and almost impossible for ordinary people to obtain.
Those with wealth and influence who secure them can’t easily abandon their families or roots.
Henwell believes Ruper isn’t the type to make outrageous demands, so he figures this intelligence is worth the price.
Henwell thinks for a moment. “Alright! When do you want to leave? I can arrange everything. I’ll secure you permanent residency in either Western Regions Guardian City or Lake Wheat City. I’ll set aside money there and even get you a property. I’ll also make arrangements for your children and write you a recommendation letter.”
Ruper takes a deep breath. “I trust you, Henwell. The one who tried to assassinate Ulysses was our former master, the Veil Organization.”
Henwell pauses in surprise. “I know that already! What I want is to understand the whole sequence of events.”
In fact, it was Henwell who first told Ruper about the Veil Organization’s name.
Ruper shakes his head. “You don’t get what I mean. I’m saying it was someone from the Veil Organization, and we actually know them.”
Henwell frowns. “Scarface Archie?”
Suddenly, Henwell looks up sharply, staring intently at Ruper.
Seeing Henwell’s expression, Ruper knows he’s guessed it. “Exactly. White Butterfly has returned to the Veil. I’ve investigated the details, it seems Veil holds some leverage over her.”
“I even spoke to her once, but she refused to explain anything and warned me not to get involved. From what I found out later, the assassin who targeted Ulysses came out of Fun House and was personally trained by White Butterfly.”
White Butterfly was once part of the elite boy gladiator squad. Of the five, only Henwell and two others survived.
After a moment, Henwell recovers from his shock. “Where is Michelle now?”
“Right here in the city.”
Henwell frowns. “Did you capture her?”
Ruper chuckles bitterly. “Ha… no way! I even arranged an escape route for her to get out of Billie as quickly as possible.”
Henwell asks, “Why didn’t you send her to me?”
Ruper replies, “Where else could I send her? Only you can keep her alive.”
“Then why hasn’t she left? Has the Marquess of Nothing in Yinxin City caught her?”
Ruper shakes his head. “No. She’s still at Fun House, and she’s the owner now.”
Henwell senses something’s off. “Wait a minute. If you’ve uncovered all this, then Billie’s intelligence agency can’t be useless. They must know Michelle is behind this. So why is she still openly roaming Yinxin City? An assassination attempt on a king’s life like this, no one could protect her, not even the Marquess of Nothing, the city’s ruler.”
Ruper’s expression darkens. “I know something’s wrong too. But before I could dig deeper, I got a threat. There was a dagger pinned to my pillow, right between me and my wife’s pillows. For someone to do that without waking me, they had to be at least a Grand Knight.”
With that, Ruper leads Henwell to his study and pulls out the dagger.
Henwell immediately recognizes the Veil emblem etched on the blade. “They’re warning you? That’s not like them. Usually, they’d just silence you outright. Why haven’t they?”
Ruper sighs. “It’s probably because of my father-in-law. My wife is the niece of the Marquess of Nothing and grew up under his care. So, in a way, the Marquess is my father-in-law, the unchallenged ruler of Yinxin City. If they killed me, they’d be crossing him.”
“I don’t think Veil wants to offend the city’s true master. After all, only a place like this suits their hiding. If the Marquess takes action, Veil might not fear them, but trouble is guaranteed. The Marquess has already warned me to stay out of this. I’m guessing Veil has talked to him too.”
“As for why White Butterfly hasn’t fled, or why Ulysses hasn’t retaliated, that’s beyond what I know. The Marquess probably knows.”
Ruper pauses, then adds, “I think the fact that they haven’t killed me also has to do with White Butterfly. She later told me not to get involved and to leave with my family to Peace Haven to find you.”
Henwell considers this for a moment. “I want to meet White Butterfly. Also, arrange a meeting with the Marquess of Nothing, I want to talk to him.”
Ruper scratches his head. “The Marquess is coming soon. He’s here to rescue me!”