Chapter 1033: Act 205 – The Flames of Dawn VI
Brendel and Charles paused in their steps.
Before them stood a peculiar building, resembling a massive structure made up of numerous roofs stacked on top of one another, an iron chimney winding its way up along the layered rooftops. A lazy black cat lounged on the red tiles, swaying its tail with half-closed eyes as it basked in the sun.
The old white walls were covered with evergreen vines, and outside the shop’s entrance hung a wooden sign with the words “Indulging Roses” written in slanted Crusian script.
Seeing those words, Brendel understood he had found the right place.
This was 5-201 Summan Street, ostensibly an alchemy shop with a thirty-year history, but in reality, it concealed secrets underground. Brendel knew this was one of the secret contact points for the Hazell people in the city.
“Is this the place?”
Brendel nodded.
Charles glanced around the location, unable to restrain himself from saying, “It doesn’t look much different, but those Hazell people are hiding so well. Do you really think they have a reason to interfere, my lord?”
“It’s not a matter of necessity,” Brendel replied as he brushed some dust off his chest, answering as if it were obvious. “For them, it’s a convenient thing to do, and they can gain a lot from it. Even if they fail, they won’t suffer any losses. Why wouldn’t they agree?”
“But in this world, there are no walls that won’t leak wind, my lord. They should know that the Cruz people will surely figure out who helped us in the end.”
“What’s it to them?” Brendel retorted. “It seems you don’t understand the Hazell people very well, Charles.”
“Does my lord really understand them?”
“Of course.”
In fact, the relationship between the Empire and Hazell was quite peculiar. Previously, Hazell had been a loosely organized city-state, and the short Hazell people were naturally adept at magic. However, unlike the Bud people, they were more keen on researching and developing various storage devices. They revered the Dragon of Wisdom Crystal, believing that the spark of thought and wisdom was the power to ignite everything.
During that era, the Empire’s strategy toward Hazell was to secretly support some city-states, creating conflicts between city-states to maintain balance and stability, preventing Hazell from ever forming a political and military entity that posed a threat to the Empire.
This balance of power had been maintained for hundreds of years.
However, about one hundred thirty years ago, a prophet was born among the Hazell people, proposing a famous hypothesis—the theory of “the individual is the whole.” In this theory, the Hazell people believed that individual wisdom was limited, but the collision of ideas could elevate wisdom, giving rise to a brilliance akin to that of a deity.
Therefore, the Hazell people believed that within a whole, the wisdom of each individual was crucial, and the whole was composed of individuals, making each individual an indispensable part of the whole’s wisdom.
Guided by this theory, the Hazell people conducted a thorough revolution—the revolution of the popularization of magical technology. Simultaneously, a republic composed of city-states was erected like a flash of lightning. By the time the Cruz people realized what had happened, they found a powerful opponent had emerged beside them.
Centuries of enmity made peace between these two nations nearly impossible. On one hand, the Empire possessed powerful strength, while on the other, the Hazell army, equipped with magical technology, was not at all inferior to the Empire.
Thus, war broke out.
The Empire was strong, but at most one in ten men could be trained as a qualified knight; while the republic’s individual strength was weak, their ordinary soldiers, with some training and equipped with magical devices, could possess near-knight strength.
The Empire had wizard battalions, while the Hazell magic technicians, though not adept in combat, had cannons and tanks. The Empire had Pegasus knights and griffon knights, while the Hazell people also had airplanes and airships. Even if there was a slight gap in combat effectiveness, they could make it up with numbers.
Training a qualified Pegasus knight in the Empire required about five years, while the Hazell could produce an airship in no more than six months. Even trading three or four airships for one knight from the Empire would be worth it.
In fact, after decades of popularization and advancements in magical technology, the Hazell gradually turned the tide on the front lines, even launching a counterattack. Had it not been for the outbreak of the magic tide, the Cruz people might have faced a humiliating defeat on the western front.
“The last war between the Cruz and Hazell happened only seven years ago, when the White Legion invaded the Banlin Valley and occupied it for three years, but shortly after, they were driven back by the Hazell.”
“The defeat at Banlin was not heavily publicized by the Empire, but at this moment along the borders, the Hazell people hold the advantage.”
“This war is still ongoing; both sides are exhausted and unable to fight, merely staring at each other along the front line—which is also the border.”
“In such a case,” Brendel replied, “do you think the Hazell people would fear the Cruz people’s retaliation? They would love to extend the front lines elsewhere—”
“Have they never considered a truce?” Charles asked in disbelief. “Especially since the Empire has more enemies than just the Hazell Republic.”
“Hundreds of years of hatred can’t be so easily smoothed over,” Brendel shook his head. “Perhaps one day the Hazell and Cruz will restore normal state-to-state relations, but that will only happen after they have shed their blood.”
“This is a generational hatred, and it must be appeased with blood.”
“How frightening,” Charles couldn’t help but exclaim.
The two had only stood outside the building for a moment when they caught the attention of someone inside—a seemingly respectable young noble from abroad, accompanied by his wizard attendant and wearing a sword. The sword sheath, made of dark leather adorned with silver ornaments, was clearly of great value—this was a guest who certainly didn’t hesitate to spend money.
In many large cities, magic shops were not merely aimed at wizards; ordinary people were their primary customers, as deodorants, insecticides, and various convenient alchemical products, including all sorts of incense, were daily necessities.
However, if we spoke of true big customers, they had to be wizards.
“Sir outside, won’t you come in and take a look?” the shopkeeper shouted from behind the counter, his large belly protruding.
“The things I want, you don’t have here,” Brendel replied with a smile.
The shopkeeper showed displeasure: “Hey, young man, don’t speak so grandly. I assure you with the thirty-year reputation of Indulging Roses that you won’t find a shop with a more complete range of goods in the imperial capital—everyone says so, feel free to ask around.”
It sounded quite reasonable, Brendel thought.
“Is that so? Then I want the Radiance of Zeal, the Blade of Unyieldingness, the Light of Thought, and the Brilliance of Wisdom.”
The shopkeeper’s expression changed: “I don’t understand what you’re saying, young man.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Have Myude come out to see me; I want to discuss a big business.”
The shopkeeper’s expression grew complex as he glanced at the two, although he was far away, he still saw Charles show his pearly-white teeth and smile at him. His face darkened, and his shoulders slightly slumped.
But Brendel spoke up: “I know you have an IV-type flintlock under the counter, but that thing is useless to me. A patrol cavalry will be passing by here in a quarter of an hour; you wouldn’t do anything foolish, would you?”
The shopkeeper froze, his movements stiffening, before he spoke again: “Who exactly are you?”
His voice was somewhat hoarse.
“Foreigners,” Charles cheerfully replied.
Brendel shook his head: “Who we are doesn’t matter to you. What matters is that we mean you no harm.”
“Then I cannot guarantee that,” the shopkeeper replied, furrowing his brows.
“Though the imperial capital is large,” Brendel glanced at him disdainfully, “I can still find the location of Robi Fortress.”
Robi Fortress was the headquarters of the patrol cavalry. Upon hearing Brendel say this, the shopkeeper became somewhat convinced. He put down his gun and carefully examined the two before replying: “You are mistaken about one thing, Sir Erluin. What I have here is a III-type rifle.”
Brendel then recalled that in this era, Hazell’s IV type had just been developed and had not yet officially entered service, while foreign spy agencies would naturally be even later in adopting it.
He smiled slightly at this small mistake without concern.
The shopkeeper cautiously looked around before gesturing for them to come in: “Come in and talk, the two of you.”
Brendel and Charles entered the shop. The light inside was somewhat dim. The first thing that came into view was the various shelves and cabinets filled with strange items, most of which were different kinds of potions. A few daggers and a light crossbow lay on the counter, along with a box lined with velvet, and the indentation in the middle appeared to be used for storing these weapons.
Turning back, they saw a large glass window, allowing a clear view of the street outside from inside the shop.
It appeared that these Hazell people were quite vigilant; the shop’s layout was very conducive to monitoring outside movements, and it was easy to defend. The deliberately messy and disordered layout of the interior also concealed weapons, allowing anyone inside to defend themselves easily in case of an invasion.
The key was, even with this layout, “Indulging Roses” still managed to be one of the most traditional magic shops.
At least on the surface, there was not a hint of flaw.
Hazell and Cruz had fought for hundreds of years; they didn’t know how many spies existed within their respective territories and were already quite experienced in this regard.
“Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I need to consult Mr. Myude,” the shopkeeper said.
“Take your time,” they replied.
The shopkeeper then tapped on a metal piece embedded in the counter several times, in varying lengths and without any discernible pattern. After a moment, he looked up at Brendel and said, “Mr. Myude has agreed, but with one condition: you may go in, but your attendant must stay behind.”
“Then I’ll stay,” Charles shrugged, replying unconcernedly.
The shopkeeper was momentarily taken aback; he had initially thought the other party would hesitate, but he didn’t expect such decisiveness. Moreover, the wizard attendant seemed completely unconcerned about his master’s safety. Regardless of the danger, how could a subordinate allow their protector to depart?
Little did he know that Charles, as a traveling mage card, could be summoned by Brendel at any moment, so it didn’t make much of a difference whether they separated or not.
Brendel smiled at him: “Since I dared to come here alone, I obviously have complete confidence.”
“Since that’s the case,” the shopkeeper’s expression shifted again, “then follow me.”
Saying this, he opened the door and led Brendel inside. They climbed the stairs to the second floor, and in a street-facing room on the second floor, Brendel met the person in charge.
A Hazell man, no taller than half the height of an average human, was dressed in a respectable black suit with a white vest underneath, silver chains hanging from his trousers, a pocket watch tucked into his pouch, a civilized cane in hand, wearing a top hat, and with neatly combed hair.
He looked less like a spy leader and more like a gentleman.
This short Hazell man sported a mustache and wore a monocle. As Brendel studied him, he too squinted through his eyeglass to scrutinize Brendel.
“An Erluin man,” he said. “What brings an Erluin man here at this moment?”
Brendel regarded the little man; he only knew that the other’s name was Myude, and he later learned of his experiences as the person in charge here from his personal history.
This indicated that this fellow had been promoted, as only NPCs of a certain status would have detailed background information made for them to facilitate quests and reputation grinding by players.
From the Hazell bureaucratic system, it was likely that this person had been promoted after achieving merit to become an ambassador or deputy in the security department.
“I am here to ask for your assistance,” Brendel said straightforwardly.
Myude smiled: “I believe I know who you are now.”
Brendel paid no mind; it would be odd if the other party couldn’t guess who he was. As a spy network, if they were unaware of the recent happenings in the Empire, they might as well return home to farm sweet potatoes.
“You are Earl Toniger, oh, I hear you’re about to become Count Rendener. You see, I’m quite pleased to see you here, for your presence means the Empire is in trouble.”
Myude shrugged: “You should know, whenever the Empire faces trouble, I am very happy—praise the Wisdom and Light of Thought. So, my lord, how can we assist you?”
“And,” he waved his civilized cane, “what benefits can we gain?”
“The task I would like you to help me with isn’t complicated,” Brendel answered.
“Not complicated,” Myude nodded. “That’s one thing. I know you have more to say, please continue.”
“I want you to help me investigate a person’s whereabouts; this should only be a small effort for you.”
“And who might that be?”
“It’s her,” Brendel corrected. “Countess Valarch; you should have heard that name before.”
“So it’s her,” Myude’s monocle glinted: “I understand, excellent, it seems the earl wishes to bring great embarrassment to the Empire.”
“This is not just about embarrassment,” Brendel elaborated, “there are also the mountain people.”
Myude took a gentle breath: “I must say, you are correct; it seems this is a lucrative deal.” He paused: “So you mean we only need to help you investigate Countess Valarch’s whereabouts—”
“Just that, and I will take care of the rest.”
“Then what benefits can the earl gain, as far as I know, the Empire is an enemy of the Republic, but not necessarily an enemy of Erluin.”
“Saving my subordinate is the greatest benefit.”
Myude could not help but stare at him deeply: “The Republic never abandons any of its citizens; wisdom and glory are one body; the individual is the whole—”
He reached out his hand: “It seems Hazell and Erluin need not fight side by side on the battlefield, but can still become good allies.”
Brendel smiled and shook his hand: “Pleasant cooperation.”
……
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