Chapter 125: How Big of a Deal Is It to Kill Someone
Wu Heng picked up the letter and glanced at its contents again.
The first half gave an update on Blackstone Town, while the second half seemed like a somewhat probing expression of concern.
Damn, could Slater be testing me?
Well... if it's Slater, I wouldn't really be losing out either.
He folded the letter and set it aside.
Then opened the second letter.
The handwriting on the second letter was much rougher, clearly from Captain Otruluk.
He mainly talked about things happening in the city.
And also mentioned that he had officially started a relationship with Captain 'Tulisa' of the second squad.
In fact, everyone already knew about this, but Otruluk thought he had kept it a secret.
He even made a point to tell Wu Heng.
Wu Heng took out some new stationery from the drawer.
This time, besides writing back to the two of them, he also wrote an additional letter to Yuli.
In the letter to 'Yuli,' he recounted his victory over the 'Skeleton Hag' and the 'Bloodthirsty Maniac,' as well as some of the local delicacies.
If she ever had the chance to visit, he promised her a feast every day with a different dish.
In the second letter, he congratulated 'Otruluk' on finding love and asked to be notified when they got married so he could offer his blessings.
The third letter, addressed to 'Slater,' was bolder.
After casually filling it with some recent updates to pad the length, he ended by saying he hoped to see her soon and that she should move up her plans to visit.
As for the letter he had sent to 'Kavina,' she had recently been transferred to another town, so it was normal for her reply to be delayed while she settled in.
He sealed the three letters in envelopes, making sure to write the recipient's name on them this time to avoid any mix-ups.
After sealing them with wax, he delivered them directly to the front desk.
...…
Elsewhere.
In the outer district, inside a dimly lit room.
The door opened, and a cloaked figure entered.
The figure was wrapped tightly, revealing only a pair of narrow, slender eyes.
The figure walked slowly inside and sat down in front of the table.
In the shadow across from him sat another figure, who eyed him and said, "Fischer, since when has a guild captain like you become so sneaky?"
The man removed his scarf, revealing the face of a middle-aged man.
He said, "Coming to see you guys, I have to be cautious."
"Haha!" The strong man across from him laughed heartily, "This place doesn't exactly welcome guild captains. If word got out, people would talk."
"See, I'm doing us both a favor by being discreet."
The strong man glared at him and said, "Alright, tell me what you came here for. If it's just to gather intelligence, you can leave."
Fischer stretched his neck and glanced at the others in the room.
The strong man noticed and said, "You guys, get out. No one else comes in."
Several underlings immediately left the room.
Only the two of them remained.
"Stop wasting time. What do you want?"
Fischer spoke directly, "I want you to kill someone."
"I thought it was something big. Why all the secrecy for a hit job?" The man picked up a glass of wine from the table and took a sip. "Who is it? Just say the name."
"A newly transferred guild captain."
The man froze, wine glass in hand, and frowned, staring at him. "A guild captain? That's no easy task."
The guild was a massive organization, and local gangs generally avoided provoking it.
Killing someone from within the guild would result in being placed on the wanted list, with no place to hide in the world.
You'd be hunted for life.
Clink~ clink~!
Two bags of coins were thrown onto the table.
"A deposit of 200 silver coins. After the job is done, you'll get another 400 silver coins. Do it discreetly so no one knows it was you. Then, you can lie low outside the city for a while," Fischer said.
Six hundred silver coins.
That was a high price, even on the wanted list.
The man squinted at him and asked, "What's his strength? How many people does he have with him?"
"He's a newly transferred rookie, with two attendants. This is where he lives."
The man was silent for a moment.
Then he pocketed the money bags. "Alright, I'll take the job."
Fischer grabbed the man's hand as he reached for the money. "No survivors. If he lives, we're all in danger."
"No need to worry. We never leave survivors."
"Good."
Fischer released his grip, re-wrapped himself, and left the room.
...…
After delivering the letters to the front desk.
Wu Heng was about to leave when a staff member called out to him.
"Captain Wu Heng, the steward wants to see you."
Wu Heng nodded and headed straight for the steward's office.
He knocked lightly on the door and then entered.
"Steward, you wanted to see me?" Wu Heng said.
The steward was looking over some documents. He nodded and asked, "What has your 12th squad been busy with lately?"
"Investigating a wanted criminal."
"Any leads?"
"We've got a few clues and are still following up…."
The steward looked at him and asked, "Which wanted criminal are you investigating, and what leads do you have? Let's hear it."
Wu Heng responded directly, "We're tracking the 'Skeleton Hag' from the bounty. We've discovered that they are planning a gathering to lure some caravans along the route."
The steward seemed surprised by Wu Heng's answer.
He didn't expect Wu Heng to actually be investigating a wanted criminal.
He didn't ask further and handed over a file, saying, "Put the Skeleton Hag matter aside for now. I'm giving you this mission to verify some intelligence."
Wu Heng glanced at it.
The mission was to verify information.
Before he could read more.
The steward continued, "We've received intelligence that a wanted criminal has appeared in an abandoned manor outside the city. Since your squad is small, go verify the information and report back to us."
"Just one wanted criminal?"
"Not sure. They've gathered some people. Remember, don't take risks. Your mission is just to confirm the intel."
"Understood. I'll go prepare now and set out immediately."
"Good, off you go."
Wu Heng left the room and returned directly to the lounge.
He had the staff send someone to Duke's house to find him.
Soon after, Duke came in, carrying his battle axe and munching on a roasted pancake.
"Captain, you called for me?" Duke asked, crumbs spilling from his mouth.
"We've got a mission, heading out of the city. Do you need to prepare anything?" Wu Heng asked.
"Nope, I'm ready to go."
"Alright, go register and get us a carriage. We'll head out right away."
"Okay, Captain."
Shortly after, Duke had the guild's carriage ready, and they set off for the outskirts of the city.
The carriage raced along.
Gradually leaving the city behind.
As Duke drove the carriage, Wu Heng briefed him on the mission.
"Captain, that manor has been abandoned for a long time. People used to go there to strip metal from it, but now no one goes."
"Oh, why was it abandoned?"
"I heard the original owner and his whole family were murdered, and the house was burned down. It's been deserted ever since," Duke explained.
"That's tragic!"
"Yeah."
...…
By the afternoon, the carriage arrived near the manor.
After securing the carriage, the two of them walked through the woods on foot.
After a short trek, they saw the abandoned manor nestled in the forest.
The four-meter-high walls were covered in thick vines, and the central stone fortress was half-collapsed, with the remaining part also overgrown with vines and moss.
The overgrown courtyard and the ruined interior of the stone fortress revealed orc sentries standing guard.
It didn't look like an ordinary group of wanted criminals.
"Captain, there are people here. The intel is accurate."
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