Chapter 92: Marinburg Shaken

Wilt had only taken a few steps when the Grand Alchemist's golden staff pointed at Wilt's face. It was impossible to decipher the expression hidden behind Gelt's golden mask: "Mercenary, you have two choices."

"Our deal is concluded. You can charge at me now, and taste the consequences of assaulting a Grand Alchemist of the Empire."

"Or, you can follow me into the deep mining area. Upon successful completion, I will pay you a new commission in real gold, guaranteed by my reputation."

"I give you two minutes to decide."

The Bloodaxe Mercenary Group, left with no choice between offending the Grand Alchemist or betting on his credibility once more, could only choose the latter. From the beginning, there was only one option.

"Alright, we accept." Wilt thought it was fortunate that Amelia had already packed her things and left, or she would have been dragged into this vortex. Wizards are prideful, especially the Grand Alchemist before them, who answers only to the Emperor and the Imperial Chief Wizard.

The mercenaries, having gathered their belongings, followed Gelt into the deep mining area.

An hour later.

The damp and dark tunnels made the mercenaries extremely uncomfortable. They stayed as close as possible to Gelt, who stood in the center, his staff's golden light serving as a beacon of life.

Gelt held a large map, carefully deciphering the complex network of tunnels and their destinations.

Marinburg's deep mining area contains two of the world's most precious metals: orichalcum and mithril, buried deep within. Gelt happened upon a map from a dwarf, and despite its age, the Grand Alchemist wanted to see if those treasures were still buried deep within the mines.

As for why he didn't inform the Imperial Army or other powerhouses, Gelt didn't want to share the precious orichalcum and mithril with partners or pay taxes on these treasures.

Alchemists operate differently from regular spellcasters, preferring to act alone since they are skilled in firearms, mechanical devices, and carry numerous potent potions, not fearing solo confrontations.

Gelt was even stronger, boasting excellent swordsmanship.

Soon after entering the deep mining area, they stumbled upon the body of a witch hunter, looking as if he had fought his way out, his body riddled with gunshot and crossbow bolts, dead for quite some time.

"Grand Alchemist! It's a witch hunter!" Wilt signaled the mercenaries to stop, seeking Gelt's opinion.

"A witch hunter? How long has he been dead?" Gelt's voice remained steady, but he paused.

"Dead... perhaps a day or two. Grand Alchemist, what should we do?" The mercenaries felt fear in this place.

"Let me see." Gelt stopped to inspect the witch hunter's wounds.

After a while, Gelt slowly stated, "Chaos cultists! This witch hunter was attacked and killed by the Chaos cult."

The mercenaries looked at each other, a young mercenary tentatively asked, "So... what now?"

"…The mission is temporarily halted. Let's search for traces of the Chaos cult first." Gelt never lost clarity on priorities; eliminating the Chaos cult was always more important than personal gain.

That afternoon, Marinburg's Senate announced an emergency meeting.

In the luxurious council hall, representatives from the Sea Church, the Wealth Church, several of Marinburg's nobility, and a high elf were present.

A cloth with a blood-red Chaos mark was thrown on the satin-covered conference table, Grand Duke Schultz's voice thundered through the room: "Tobias! I need an explanation! Why are Chaos cultists appearing in Marinburg's deep mining area?! Why did the Empire's Grand Alchemist come to know of this?! Why is the Deputy Head of the Witch Hunter Guild, Jacob, found as a headless corpse in Marinburg's underground! I need answers!"

The object of Duke Schultz's fury, Tobias-Schwaben, a nobleman over fifty and General of the Marinburg Iris Guard, sweated profusely.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, I'm already investigating." Count Gent hurriedly responded.

"That's not the answer I want. Tell me, my general, how am I supposed to explain this to the Empire?" Schultz was both annoyed and angry.

The Empire's long-standing desire to reclaim Marinburg's sovereignty is well-known. Despite the Empire's repeated failures due to Ludwig enshrining Marinburg's independence in the founding ceremony, the news of Chaos cultists openly operating in Marinburg would give the Empire an excuse to interfere in Marinburg's internal affairs.

This Chaos cult incident being discovered by the Grand Alchemist meant he had no reason not to inform the Emperor.

Tobias wanted to retort that no one knew what lay in the deep mines, with dwarven tunnels reaching thousands of meters underground. Who knew what lurked in those depths? He certainly wouldn't send troops to their deaths.

However, facing the unfriendly gazes of the Senate members, Tobias could only admit fault: "It's my mistake, please forgive me. I'm willing to take responsibility for this matter."

After Tobias's admission, the Senate found it harder to hold him accountable, as everyone knew the deep mines were unpredictable. Holding Tobias responsible would set a bad precedent; today it was Tobias, tomorrow it could be any one of them.

After a brief discussion, Schultz and others decided: "Declare martial law! Form an expeditionary force immediately! Thoroughly sweep the deep mining area, and explain to the Emperor."

"By the way, Your Grace, if... I mean, if we can't find evidence or the culprits, will you take responsibility?" After the plan was agreed, a noble suddenly spoke up.

Schultz narrowed his eyes.

Adelbert-Casanova, a Senator of Marinburg, a Viscount, and the city's second wealthiest merchant, also the chairman of the "Gentlemen's League" commerce guild.

"Adelbert, I know what you're trying to do, but what I want to say is, we all have to take responsibility," Schultz emphasized lightly, his tone carrying a hint of disdain: "If you're thinking of tampering, consider what responsibility you'll bear if Marinburg loses its autonomy."

Adelbert fell silent.

Then, a yawning voice casually spoke up, its accent strange: "Excuse me, gentlemen? Have you decided? Can I go back now?"

The room's attention shifted to the speaker.

A high elf, clad in exquisite elven silk, his golden hair flowing down from his pointed ears, handsome but brimming with arrogance: "Let the monkeys solve their own problems. This has nothing to do with us elves. Now, I must leave, lest I miss my afternoon tea."

After speaking, the high elf yawned again and signaled his servants to follow, leaving the council hall without regard for others, merely nodding to Schultz upon exiting.

Human attendees flashed anger in their eyes but quickly resigned themselves.

This elf was the High Elf Ambassador to the human empire, Thamag-den-Caban, the governor of the Iphytal elf enclave, and the Phoenix King's representative in the Old World.

His extreme arrogance was well-known, causing many unpleasant incidents with the city council. However, due to the High Elves' formidable fleet and close trade ties with Marinburg, the nobles dared not confront him, swallowing their pride except for Schultz, who commanded some respect.

The council hall fell silent until Archbishop Odric of the Sea Church asked, "What about the Grand Alchemist?"

"The Grand Alchemist? He should be on his way back to Brunswick by now." Schultz sighed slightly, "Let's execute the decree quickly!"

Marinburg's administration was highly efficient. At the Duke's command, carriages of gold were drawn from the major guilds and churches, recruiting an underground expeditionary force citywide. Many mercenaries and adventurers joined, lured by wealth, and in just half a day, a force of over two thousand was ready to sweep the deep mining area.

Marinburg's actions clearly troubled some dark creatures hiding in the underground tunnels.

As the expeditionary force was still gathering supplies and had yet to depart, the Aesthetic Society estate outside the city welcomed an uninvited guest.

Anieda sat on a luxurious sofa, speaking in low tones with her servant—a tall, thin man.

"What has that barbarian from the north been doing these past few days?"

"He and his little girlfriend have been shopping throughout the Shield Coin District, buying clothes everywhere."

"Does he know about us?"

"He visited the Aesthetic Society but didn't seem very interested. After one visit, he hasn't returned."

"Has he not discovered us yet?"

A servant with deep purple skin entered, "Master, Bert has arrived."

"Bert!!! He dares to come here!" Anieda clenched her teeth, her usual grace gone: "Foolish! To kill the witch hunter and not clean up the scene! Followers of the Blood God are all idiots!"

"Let him in."

Bert entered, his presence more chaotic and corrupt than when Jacob saw him, indicating the spiritual toll of killing his mentor and the Blood God's increased favor.

However, Bert stumbled, severely injured by Jacob's last attack. With Marinburg organizing the underground expeditionary force, Bert had no choice but to surface.

Anieda knew she had to protect this fallen hunter, risking being implicated herself, so she arranged for Bert to hide: "Follow my servant to that place. The situation is tense now. Absorb your new power fully; we'll talk after the storm passes."

"Anieda, I remind you, Jacob and that Ryan are together. Jacob had records of this mission." Bert spoke weakly.

After Bert left with the servant, Anieda grew increasingly uneasy.

Ryan and the witch hunter master were together?

She decided to act.

The Aesthetic Society president boarded a carriage to a secluded village outside the city.

The village's maze-like roads and interconnected houses were shrouded in mystery, renowned for producing politicians and scholars, enjoying high prestige for their distinguished talents.

After presenting her Aesthetic Society ID, Anieda met the person she sought.

A hunched man, cloaked in black, revealed only his eyes upon seeing Anieda: "What brings the president of the Aesthetic Society here?"

"Cut the crap! I need you to use the Great Divination to foretell a person's secrets for me!"

"The stronger the subject, the greater the cost. Are you prepared to pay?"

"Money won't be an issue."

"Who is the subject?"

"That hero from Nord, 'The Hammer' Ryan!" Anieda didn't waste words, placing a bag of gold coins before the hunched man: "Is this enough?"

"Not enough."

The Aesthetic Society president produced three divine gold coins: "Now?"

"Still not enough~!"

Anieda took a deep breath, extracting twenty more divine gold coins from her space ring: "Is this enough?"

Twenty thousand gold coins could rival the annual income of a minor ducal territory.

"Almost." The hunched man finally nodded: "I'm not trying to make it difficult for you, President Anieda, but divination requires an equivalent sacrifice. If my magic isn't sufficient, I'll have to deplete my life force. If my life force isn't enough, it might even affect the village altar and our Lord."

"This money is enough to probe every ordinary knight in the White Wolf Knight Order!" Anieda smiled lightly, her delicate demeanor concealing ruthlessness: "Begin!"

The hunched man's eyes flickered, preparing to divinate the famed human hero, which meant losing over ten years of life, perhaps more. But, considering the payment, he decided to take the risk.

As he cast the spell, Ryan's face gradually appeared in the crystal ball on the table.

Ah, divination comes at a cost.

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