OBS Chapter 4261 For the Motherland (2)
Chapter 4261 For the Motherland (2)
Chapter 4261 For the Motherland (Part Two)
Faced with Xia De's answer, the pale-faced man paused for a moment, Xia De unsure of what he was thinking, but after only a brief pause, the man said:
"The people who attacked us are most likely Derinor Zionists. We discovered their connection to the thieves in Velendale, but they arrived before we could submit the relevant intelligence and evidence. Don't trust any local agents; I suspect there's a mole among us."
To outsiders, spies and moles are common tropes in these kinds of stories, so he wasn't surprised at all.
The man was still saying:
"The thieves are not Delinor Zionists; they have only made contact with them and are currently negotiating to buy the stolen goods. Yes, the Zionists have already found out who took the missing printing plates, but we still don't know the thieves' identities. Originally, we planned to wait until they made the transaction and then arrest both sides at once, but unexpectedly, we ourselves became the first prey to be captured."
"Master printing plate?"
Shad thought of the two pieces he had, but those were the master plates for gold pounds; what was missing here must be the master plates for crown banknotes.
"Besides you, did anyone else escape?"
Shad asked again, and the man sitting on the ground shook his head; he could sense that he was probably going to die.
"Lord Greyhead Eagle, please deliver this intelligence to Princess Margaret. Make sure Her Highness is wary of the local Grey Gloves members; some of them have undoubtedly already betrayed us. The first team to investigate the theft from Velendale may also be problematic; my contacts have sent very bad news."
Beware of the Astley family; they are probably the only ones capable of corrupting the Grey Gloves to this extent in Arcadia.
"How come I didn't know?"
Shad thought to himself, and then promised:
“I will convey every word you say to Her Highness Margaret.”
He hesitated, unsure whether to treat the other man—not necessarily to cure him completely, but just to temporarily pull him out of danger. The man sitting on the ground seemed to understand Xia De's thoughts, and he gently shook his head.
“Sir, there’s no need to think about finding a doctor for me. I should just die here. My identity has been exposed. Even if I survive, and with your testimony, with the entire team wiped out, all that awaits me is endless interrogation and imprisonment. Besides, as the head of this intelligence network, I have completely failed. I have let down those who trusted me, and I have let down Carsonrick.”
His voice grew weaker and weaker:
"When I joined the Grey Gloves years ago, I thought this day would come, but I never imagined that I would end up falling into the hands of MI6, those damned Delin Or."
Xia De had a good impression of this person, and he further advised him:
“If you want to take the secrets of the past and leave this place, never to have anything to do with it again, I can keep your whereabouts a secret from everyone else. The information you provided is worth your life.”
But the man still shook his head; he had already made his decision.
"I'd rather die here with my comrades than spend my whole life hiding. My mission is complete, and that's enough."
Shad looked at him, and only after confirming that the other man was truly prepared to face death did he nod slightly:
"I have another question for you. Among the local agents, is there anyone codenamed 'Big Mouth Sparrow'?"
The dying man struggled to recall his fading memories:
"Yes, but that person isn't on my intelligence network. The last time I heard anyone mention him was in 1853. I'm not sure if he's still in Arcadia, Your Excellency. If you want to find him, be careful of the local agents."
He was too weak to speak, but Shad respected his wishes and still asked softly:
"Is there anything else you need me to tell the others? What is your code name? Where would you like your body buried after you die?"
A weak smile appeared on the man's pale face:
"That's all. Most of the people I know, and everyone I know, are already dead. My code name is Night Owl. There are no secrets in this house that need to be dealt with; this is just a temporary resting place for me. Please do not dispose of my body. Just report it to the police anonymously. There are still many valuable clues on my body. Reporting it through the police channels will at least let those hidden agents know that there is a big problem in the area."
He then said to Xia De:
“You certainly won’t leave with the intelligence alone. There’s a booklet in my coat pocket, the only thing I managed to salvage from the outpost. It contains contact information for three other intelligence lines, but at least one of them is definitely problematic. Take it, sir. I hope it will help you. For the motherland, for Kasenrik.”
His eyes suddenly seemed to light up, and his previously weak body gained strength in that moment. He struggled to sit up straight, gripping Shad's arm tightly with his right hand, and asked Shad:
"Lord Grey Eagle, one day we will defeat those northerners and unify the Old World, won't we?"
Shad looked him in the eyes and, unusually, lied:
"Yes, I believe that day will come."
"That's fine, that's fine."
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, his breathing stopped, and his mental energy returned to stillness.
he died.
Shad stood there for a while, then nodded slightly to the body before taking out the small booklet used for communication. Following the other party's instructions, Shad didn't dispose of the body, but instead used some change to find a boy selling newspapers at the street corner to go to the police station to report the incident.
He used illusion magic to conceal himself and waited in the alley for a while, only leaving after confirming that the police had arrived and discovered the body.
It was lunchtime when they returned to Fragrant Residence. Viggo and Eve, who had gone out, had already returned. Viggo was very happy to see that Shad had also returned.
"I thought your business wouldn't be finished until the afternoon. Adelina has already given me a general overview of what happened. How did the rendezvous go?"
Xia De sighed deeply:
"It's not going smoothly. Although we found the person, things have become more complicated. Let's talk about it in detail over dinner."
So lunchtime turned into Shad's story time. Viggo and Adelina listened attentively, and Eve, though also listening attentively, could tell from Shad that she wasn't particularly interested in these stories.
After Xia De finished recounting his morning experiences, Wei Ge immediately said:
"Honestly, what does this have to do with the Astley family? That dead guy must have mistaken us for someone else. Our family has nothing to do with those Zionists. When you talk to Margaret about this, don't make such baseless guesses."
Xia De said with a smile:
"I know, and besides, Margaret wouldn't believe it anyway."
The red-haired princess then said:
"So, the local Grey Gloves intelligence system has encountered a major problem, right? I really didn't expect that someone other than MI6 could inflict such a huge blow on the Grey Gloves in one go. We should have received firsthand information. Even if you, Shad, reported it to the police, it will probably take time for Willendale to realize the destruction of an entire intelligence network and the unreliability of the local intelligence system."
Adelina recognized the value in this; if she could mobilize MI6, the reaction time would be enough for them to do a great deal. However, the little princess was currently only a witch apprentice, so she only suggested that Viggo allow the Astley family's local intelligence network to take advantage of the situation.
The little princess then asked:
"So, the item lost by the Royal Mint of Willandall was a banknote printing master? This is worse than initially expected. Although printing banknotes relies on more than just a master, and the formulas for paper and ink are not easily replicated, the master is still the most important one."
She couldn't understand:
"How could something of this caliber be stolen? The Derinor Zionists aren't thieves. MI6 hasn't even figured out what's missing. What other forces in the Old World have this kind of capability?"
Agelina did not suspect that the Ringwitch organization was responsible for the crime; otherwise, there would be no reason for them to contact the Delinor Restorationists and discuss trading stolen goods.
"Could it be an inside job by the Grey Gloves?"
Adelina could only guess, but Vig disagreed:
"The Grey Gloves organization in Willendale is personally led by 'Lion the Lion,' and he doesn't even trust his own children, so the possibility of an inside job is very low. I can't guess who has such great abilities, but why would those people bring the master copy here?"
Adelina also speculated about this:
“Teacher, this is probably because of the Old World Industrial Exposition. During this period, there were many outsiders in Arcadia City, even visitors from the North. It is a very suitable place to hide. Moreover, since the other party wants to sell stolen goods, they naturally need to find a suitable buyer. Although the Delinor Zionists have hidden themselves, everyone knows that they must have a base in the local area.”
Xia De nodded:
“Vigor, please inform Sylvia and Margaret of what I’ve found out through the council’s channels. They need to know these things before they come here. Also, although I don’t want to get involved in the printing master plate issue, Margaret can’t possibly be indifferent to it. Let’s investigate that.”
He placed the notebook containing three intelligence leads on the dining table:
"This is perfect for investigating the Big-Mouthed Sparrow I'm looking for. Viggo, I need the Astley family's power."
Wei Ge nodded:
"Of course, what needs to be done?"
"Send your people to contact these three intelligence lines simultaneously and try to obtain the information we need. You can use the agent identity I'm using. Margaret also gave me several backup identities, which can also be used. Find out the whereabouts of the original and the Big-Toothed Sparrow as soon as possible."
PS: For the Motherland (Part 1) is Chapter 1796. The two are not connected. They are just using the same title because they both express similar stories of a chaotic era.