Chapter 436

Chapter 345: Analysis

In the hidden underground room of the Anonymity Headquarters in Tivyán, a woman named Misha de Blanca stood on the table and declared her identity and purpose to the people sitting around the table. Sitting below, Gregor looked at this capable woman and couldn’t help but think in his heart.

‘Misha de Blanca? Harold’s knight, she must be one of his trusted aides. She looks so young, not much older than me, probably not even thirty. Could this be why I have become Harold’s knight?

My current rank is Black Earth. Since this Ms. Misha can be my superior, she should be a White Chalk… A White Chalk under thirty… This is really terrifying. I wonder if I will be promoted before I turn thirty. It feels like the chances are very slim…

While looking at Misha, Gregor pondered in his heart. His former superior, James from Igwente, had once discussed with him about the overall promotion situation within the An Yin Bureau. Across the nation, most staff members in the An Yin Bureau were ordinary people. A local branch typically had four or five squad leaders and one Black Tier chief. Within this system, most people could only reach the rank of Apprentice. Even James himself had worked his way up to over forty years old through accumulating merit and experience.

Therefore, Gregor knew that his promotion last time after capturing a Black Tier was purely by luck. After removing this element of luck, he planned to strive for an opportunity to be considered for promotion before turning forty. If he could be promoted to White Chalk before forty-five, he would consider it a life accomplishment.

Sitting in his seat, Gregor continued to silently observe Misha nearby. After scanning the others present, she began speaking.

“Alright, from now on we are all colleagues. Don’t be so tense. Let’s introduce ourselves. Name, background, branch… Important matters need to be understood so we can cooperate better…”

Misha said as she glanced at a square-faced, thick-necked man, short in stature, in his thirties. She then continued.

“Let’s start with you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The man respectfully nodded at Misha and then introduced himself after looking around at the others.

“I am Mike Dariche from Koflin in Gal County. My branch is the Storm Path.”

After Mike finished, it was the next person’s turn. He was also around thirty to forty, significantly more muscular, with a faint scar on his face. Following Mike’s heavy shadow, he spoke.

“I come from Nois in North Sappson County. My name is Leo Cardo, and my branch is the bl**d Darkness Path.”

Immediately after, the next person spoke. He was in his twenties, full of vitality, with slightly darker skin. Raising his hand, he smiled and said.

“It’s my turn. I am Wei Han Valder from Kexet in South Lem County. It’s a good place. My branch is also the bl**d Darkness Path, just like the elder brother before me.”

After the young man introduced himself, it was the turn of a thin-faced woman with short brown hair, who looked about the same age as Misha. She responded after looking at the group.

“My name is Jief Doherto. I am from Kai in North Dunbar County, and my path is the Storm Path.”

Next was a man with a rather dense beard, in his forties, who smiled after Jief.

“You may call me John Dub. My hometown is Wand Island. I used to work in the Church and now I am a Healing Priest on the Path of the Holy Mother. I can help alleviate the pain during tasks if there is any.”

After the oldest man finished, it was Gregor’s turn. He introduced himself calmly.

“My name is Gregoros Meyshos, from Igwente in Igwente County. My branch is the bl**d Darkness Path. It’s nice to meet you all again.”

As Gregor introduced himself, he scanned the crowd with his eyes, pausing briefly on the young man named Wei Han and the man named Leo. The reason was simple; they, like him, were Extraordinary Beings on the bl**d Darkness Path.

Gregor knew that the secret society known as the Eight Pinnacle Nest was attempting to infiltrate the An Yin Bureau. They had somehow obtained intelligence about Harold’s plan to select clean records from various branches to counter internal spies. On the way, these selected individuals were ambushed, and their identities were replaced using the disguise abilities of the bl**d Darkness Path. Gregor was one of the targets, but with help from a dream, he managed to evade the ambush and replace the ambusher instead.

Of course, in Gregor’s view, since the Eight Pinnacle Nest had targeted him, they wouldn’t stop at just him. To infiltrate more power into the An Yin Bureau, the five people in front of him each had the possibility of being targeted and replaced.

These individuals were Apprentices when they arrived and would need to face promotions once they reached the bureau. Since promotions required the use of specific abilities, these imposters disguised by the bl**d Darkness Path could only pretend to advance by choosing the bl**d Darkness Path, not the Storm Path. Therefore, among the five people in front of him, the two on the bl**d Darkness Path were highly suspicious as possible infiltrators planted by the Eight Pinnacle Nest.

Gregor watched the others cautiously, suspecting that the Eight Pinnacle Nest hadn’t shared information about other infiltrated agents with him. Thus, he could only guess whether one or both of them were spies.

At this moment, Misha nodded slightly after seeing everyone had introduced themselves and began to speak.

“Alright, since we’ve gotten acquainted, let’s get straight to the point. You all know what our special investigation team does. There has been severe information leakage within the bureau, causing incalculable losses. Our goal is to find and eliminate these contaminants within the bureau. Do you have any questions?”

Misha scanned the crowd, and the short and stocky Mike asked directly.

“Lady, I understand that our main task is to investigate the spies within the bureau, but… but we’ve only been in Tivyán for a short while. We’re still unfamiliar with the entire bureau, and many things are unclear. It would be difficult to investigate spies under these circumstances. Shouldn’t we take more time to familiarize ourselves with the overall situation before starting the investigation?”

Mike straightforwardly stated his concerns. His meaning was simple: the vastness of the bureau was still too unfamiliar to them. Up until now, they hadn’t fully grasped its operational details. Finding anomalies in such an unfamiliar environment would be quite challenging because it would be hard to pinpoint where the issues lay.

Listening to Mike’s words, Misha’s face showed no change. She continued to speak calmly.

“There’s no need to waste time on these matters. You can familiarize yourselves with the bureau while conducting the investigation. Your primary task is to follow my instructions and assist me. I will guide your direction of investigation,” Misha told everyone. Then Leo, with the scar on his face, immediately added.

“Investigation direction? Does this mean… Lady, do you already have some leads on how to uncover these spies?”

“Not bad. I do have some clues now. What we need to do is follow this lead and conduct the investigation. All you need to do is follow my orders…” Misha said. Her words piqued the curiosity of everyone present, who all looked up curiously at Misha.

“What are the clues about the spy?” The young man named Wei Han asked curiously. Misha paused slightly and slowly walked to a wall, finding a rope and pulling it. A large scroll rolled down from the top of the wall, revealing itself to everyone. Upon closer inspection, it was a comprehensive map of the entire Tivyán city.