Chapter 276: A Theft Case with Ulterior Motives

“Boss, we have a special mission. A phantom thief, suspected to be a bloodline awakened with the ability to fly, has appeared in the city and has already stolen from three noble treasuries,” Zhuolante said early in the morning, handing a mission brief to Little Weir, not even waiting for him to finish his meal.

The thief is short, capable of long-distance gliding, very fast, possesses a certain level of combat ability, and is extremely familiar with the terrain. He is suspected to be a newly emerged flying-type bloodline awakened in this city.

The thefts occurred in the southern district of the city, late at night, and the items stolen were gems.

The security department of the City Hall seemed ineffective; the thief apparently had a unique detection method, allowing him to evade security personnel during the thefts.

“Did they only steal gems, and not touch anything else?” Little Weir’s heart stirred, and he carefully questioned Zhuolante.

Zhuolante was always meticulous in his preparations. He shook his head gently and said, “That’s not entirely accurate. Besides the gems, they also lost some gold coins, but the quantity was very small and negligible. The nobles demanded the return of the gems; as for the gold coins, they can be forgotten. The mission reward is paid by the three nobles, totaling five hundred gold coins.”

“What do you think?” Little Weir didn’t directly assign the task but instead threw the question back to Zhuolante.

Zhuolante was already accustomed to this and naturally offered his speculation: “A nocturnal flying animal-type bloodline awakened, with reconnaissance abilities. I initially suspect a bat bloodline awakened, most likely a local. Of course, we can’t rule out a professional thief who has been here for some time.”

“If they are locals, then the lower-class residents of the southern district are highly probable. Stealing gems isn’t the goal; gold coins are the real objective. The gems are merely a diversion, and they could completely abandon the gems afterward, only keeping the gold coins. This would significantly reduce their culpability, and the nobles wouldn’t pursue the matter further.”

“What if they are outsiders?” Little Weir pressed on.

Zhuolante hesitated for a moment, then shook his head gently and said, “If they are outsiders, then their intentions are certainly not small. Both the gold coins and gems might be a disguise, and the southern district might not even be their true target.”

“Good analysis, but without investigation, there’s no right to speak. For now, this matter is entrusted to you and the police dog. Also, let Swift follow along to gain some experience.” A flying type? Who could be faster than Swift? Although she had only recently advanced to a junior warrior, her combat abilities had improved significantly. Facing ordinary junior warriors and junior knights was no longer a big problem, as the things she learned were very suitable for her, and she had a full set of magic rune equipment.

After the meal, Little Weir quietly found Ice and asked her to secretly follow and ensure Swift’s safety. In the face of absolute strength, petty tricks were negligible. Ice was a first-rank bloodline warlock, and among the best of them, ranking among the top ten masters in the entire Drake City.

During this period, Little Weir had grown accustomed to going everywhere with Lilith. Even on the road, the two of them would exercise while discussing knight training and swordsmanship, showing an incredible level of diligence.

Anger could now be considered semi-independent. Besides continuing to train according to Little Weir’s arrangements and receiving some resources he provided, he spent most of his time cultivating with Florit.

In Anger’s opinion, the gap between himself and the advanced knight, Weir, was too great, making it unsuitable for them to train together. Knight Florit was a better fit.

There was only one rank between a junior knight and an intermediate knight. Moreover, as a captain in the city guard, Florit had a good system for training. He truly came from a knightly family. While Little Weir was intelligent, he had only been exposed to it for a short time, and his understanding of ordinary people’s cultivation was somewhat incomplete.

“Friend over there, you’ve been following us all the way. Are you planning to follow us to school?” Little Weir suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on a large tree not far away.

“Don’t think I’m bluffing you. If I hadn’t sensed that you didn’t have too much ill will, do you think you could have left the Everything Agency smoothly? With just your strength as an advanced warrior?”

Clap! Clap! Clap! Applause sounded as a middle-aged man dressed as a mercenary slowly emerged from behind the large tree. His face was dark, and his clothes, though old, were clean. A battle knife was slung at his waist, and he wore a pair of tiger-skin boots.

“It is rumored that Lord Weir Decland is an extraordinary genius, achieving intermediate knight status at only fourteen years old. Initially, I didn’t believe it, but now I do.” The middle-aged man respectfully bowed. “I, Nate Wolf, Vice-Captain of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, greet Lord Weir Decland and Miss Lilith Kendall.”

“A gift under the guise of politeness implies a request. State your purpose.” Little Weir waved his hand. His first impression of this person wasn’t very good. How to put it, the scent of blood on him was too strong, and much of it wasn’t from beasts. This person wasn’t strictly a good person.

“The theft in the southern district was carried out by members of our mercenary group. We know that these petty tricks cannot fool anyone at the Everything Agency, so we will return all the stolen gems. We hope you will not interfere.” Nate Wolf’s words were very direct, but Little Weir’s gaze sharpened, and he asked in a deep voice, “Your mercenary group is from Maburst County, right?”

Nate Wolf was startled by the question, and his heart skipped a beat: “Does Lord Decland have a prejudice against mercenaries from Maburst County? If I recall correctly, the Lord’s father also came from Maburst County.”

“No, I just want to confirm something. Last year, we just helped Maburst County repel the invasion of foreign races and foiled the conspiracy of the Hell Cultists. It could be said that we saved the lives of everyone in the entire Maburst City. I want to know what attitude the people of Maburst County have towards their benefactors.”

Little Weir pointed to Lilith and said, “The two great knights of the Kendall family led the charge and made indispensable contributions. And it was my suggestion to launch this expedition. While we don’t necessarily demand repayment for what we do, at the very least, we don’t want anyone to bite the hand that feeds them, helping the Hell Cultists to deal with the heroes.”

Nate Wolf’s expression changed slightly. “Lord Decland, watch your words. Although our Wild Wolf Mercenary Group is of humble status, we are not traitors to our race. We admit that we have done some bad things for money, but we have never pledged allegiance to the Hell Cultists.”

“In other words, you won’t make trouble for those who resist the forces of hell, right? The Kendall family, the Decland family, the City Guard, the City Hall, the Church—I don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to offend such a powerful force.”

“You should know that although the foreign army suffered a crushing defeat and retreated, the Hell Emissaries are still around. Given the complex situation in Maburst County, who knows when trouble will flare up again? If the people of Maburst County themselves reject their reinforcements, then don’t blame us for not coming to their aid.” Little Weir’s words were heavy, causing Nate Wolf to feel a surge of fear.

He very cunningly pulled the City Guard, the City Hall, and the Church into the same camp as the Kendall family and his own family. Offending one would offend all, and they might even be branded as followers or pawns of Hell.

“We are just carrying out a commissioned task.” Nate Wolf’s face was slightly ashen.

Little Weir sneered and casually took out a badge. “Then am I also to fulfill my duty? The Wild Wolf Mercenary Group from Maburst County, based solely on your confession just now, I have the right to arrest you, and even mobilize the City Guard, the Church Knight Order, and the City Hall Security Department to conduct a concentrated arrest of your group.”

“If your actions truly involve the main members of the several parties resisting the Hell Cultists that I mentioned, I can even activate the Drake City Noble Arbitration Court to send an inquiry to Maburst City, demanding an explanation from them. Don’t think that our help to Maburst City was without cost; there are no small matters between cities.”

Nate Wolf’s mind suddenly went blank. He had only accepted a commission and led nearly half of his mercenary group to Drake City to carry out a mission. How had he suddenly become a pawn of the Hell Cultists?

“Don’t casually provoke nobles, the military, the government, and the church. Your mercenary group hasn’t been established for just a day or two; don’t you have any common sense in this regard?” Little Weir looked at the advanced warrior in front of him with great surprise. The latter’s momentum suddenly deflated. “We owe the other party a great favor, so there are some things we must do, even if we know they are not advisable.”

“Even if it means becoming a sinner for all eternity, with your family annihilated?” Little Weir’s words were not alarmist, and Nate Wolf’s face became extremely grim.

“I’ll tell you a secret, and I hope you can keep it confidential,” Little Weir said, noticing his hesitation.

“After repelling the foreign invasion, Drake City and Maburst City made an agreement, an agreement between nobles. To protect or rather, to safeguard these heroes who resisted the invasion of hell, Maburst City will, within the next ten years, severely crack down on any groups or individuals within its city who target those who participated in this war, as well as their families and forces.”

“In other words, for the next ten years, if anyone from Maburst County crosses this line, they will be treated as accomplices of the Hell Cultists and subjected to the most severe crackdown, without any hesitation. If the person who gave you the mission is someone with great influence, then I suspect whether you have already been abandoned by him, or if you yourselves are merely pawns.”

“That’s impossible!” Nate Wolf exclaimed, his face shifting between shades of doubt and alarm.

“Then, Vice-Captain Nate Wolf of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, can you tell me who your target truly is? Before irreversible damage is done, I want to know who dares to defy universal condemnation and target the heroes who resisted the Hell Cultists, and also which hero has been targeted by the Hell Cultists.” Little Weir’s words put Nate Wolf in a difficult position.

“Forget it, since you’re unwilling to speak, consider it unasked.” Little Weir turned and walked away decisively: “Just pretend you didn’t come to me today, and I didn’t meet you. Anyway, our people have already been sent out, and the truth will eventually come to light. I hope you will act wisely and not fall into the hands of the Church.”

Watching Little Weir and Lilith walk away, Nate Wolf’s palms were slick with sweat. Was everything he said true? Was he not just trying to trick him? But what if it was true? This was bad, his subordinates had already started to act! He had to stop them, otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. On the other side, Little Weir had already sent out the message.