160: Chapter 0160 The Four

Karen's body trembled, and he quickly lowered his head, his voice carrying obvious fear:

"Yes...

"It was a slip of the tongue, Lord Butler. I... I understand."

His fingers tightly gripped the corner of his cloak, his knuckles turning white, but a flash of realization crossed his eyes—

He was now certain that Viscount Weisman was indeed preparing to flee to Feiting.

Graham nodded with satisfaction, stood up, and adjusted the lapels of his tailcoat:

"Very well, everything that needed to be said has been said.

"I'll leave first; you stay here to handle the aftermath—

"Remember, leave no trace."

He leaned on his cane and walked toward the door, turning back to warn him again as he opened it:

"Karen, watch your mouth. The Viscount's secrets are not for you to pry into."

After Graham left, Karen sat on the sofa for a long time, the candlelight reflecting his trembling shoulders.

After a while, he slowly took off his hood, revealing a wrinkled face with a twisted scar at the corner of his eye that looked particularly hideous.

He pulled a leather ledger from his bosom, his fingertips tracing the yellowed pages as he quickly recorded the manifest for the next shipment with a charcoal pencil:

"Fifty kilograms of Magic Crystal Powder, two hundred Black Iron Ingots, ten boxes of 'special items'... five followers..."

Hiding in the shadows, Flora quietly noted the scene before her. Watching Karen record everything diligently, she already had a complete analysis in her mind:

Viscount Weisman was not only smuggling supplies but also transferring core personnel, perhaps making final preparations for defection.

After Karen finished recording, he carefully hid the ledger back in his bosom, put on his hood, and left the private room only after confirming there were no anomalies nearby.

Flora waited for a few minutes, and after confirming the hallway outside was empty, she deactivated her Lesser Invisibility Spell and silently returned to Private Room 4.

Li Size and Lilith were waiting anxiously. Seeing Flora return, they both stood up simultaneously.

Lilith quickly asked:

"How was it? What did you hear?"

Flora sat on the sofa, took a sip from the water glass on the table, and then spoke slowly:

"I heard the entire conversation between Graham and Karen Thorne, and I have some important findings..."

She repeated their conversation word for word and then shared her speculation:

"Viscount Weisman likely received false intelligence from The Lurkers in Feiting, believing the Miners Brotherhood's new route is controlled by his own people, which is why he dares to use it with confidence.

"Furthermore, he is transferring wealth and confidants; he is clearly preparing to flee to Feiting."

Li Size's gaze grew sharp as he stroked his chin with his fingertips:

"The Miners Brotherhood's route...

"It seems our Counter-espionage Plan is working.

"Wiseman thinks he's utilizing Feiting's forces, unaware that he fell into our trap long ago."

Lilith's eyes lit up:

"Then what should we do next?"

A cold smile curled on Li Size's lips:

"Notify Lina—

"Have the Miners Brotherhood 'accidentally' leak some 'fake news' to Wiseman's people to make him even more convinced of the route's reliability.

"When he moves all his important wealth and personnel to the Feiting border, that will be the time we close the net."

Li Size tapped his fingertips on the marble tabletop of the private room, smoke rings from his cigar dispersing under the crystal lamp:

"Flora, go find out where Karen lives now.

"Which building, which floor, even the room number, and then keep a close eye on him and that ledger."

He pulled out a Sorcery Recording tool and pushed it toward her, the metal casing clinking against a wine glass:

"Also, the ledger—watch closely where he hides it.

"When it's safe, take it out and transcribe it; not a single digit can be missed.

"Once the transcription is done, we'll meet at Lilith's apartment."

Flora leaned over to pick up the Sorcery Recording tool, her fingertips brushing the edge of the table:

"Master, I'm going right now."

She looked up, a charming smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Li Size narrowed his eyes, the tip of his cigar glowing in the darkness:

"Be careful, dear, don't let him find you."

The moon outside had already reached its zenith, and only a few scattered customers remained in the tavern.

The clamor in the air gradually faded, but the conversation in Private Room 3 was like a stone cast into a lake, stirring ripples in Li Size's heart.

Li Size then took Lilith back to the apartment to discuss their next moves...

After finishing his meditation in Lilith's apartment, the sky was still dark, but neither he nor Lilith felt sleepy because Flora had not yet returned.

He leaned against the leather sofa in Lilith's apartment, his fingertips tracing the rim of a crystal glass as the whiskey inside rippled.

Around nearly five in the morning, the little maid Flora finally returned to the apartment.

She knelt on the carpet, her pale purple fingertips holding Karen's information, her silver-purple hair cascading over her shoulders:

"Master, I've found Karen's residence. It's on the third floor of an old brick building in the slums. The ledger is locked in an iron box by his bedside.

"Master, should we report this information to the Internal Affairs Department?"

Though it was locked in an iron box, for an assassin, picking a lock was hardly a difficult task.

If she could obtain the legendary magical Zero-Ring Sorcery 'Unlock Spell', this skill would likely become even more powerful.

However, Li Size would not underestimate this craft, as the sorcerous Unlock Spell contained the essence of Cryptography.

And Cryptography was essential knowledge for building one's own encrypted communication network.

When Flora looked up, the silver bells on her pointed ears jingled softly, her peach-blossom eyes full of obedience. Li Size raised an eyebrow and downed the wine in his glass:

"There's no need to report to the Internal Affairs Department for now.

"When Sven dealt with the Forest Path Project in Feiting, didn't he also ultimately decide to stay his hand and craftily let the enemies work for us?

"Now Wiseman thinks he's in control of everything. There's much to be exploited here; why should we interrupt this fine show?"

He tapped his fingertips on the table:

"Have Lina keep a close watch on Karen's smuggling line; this clue is worth digging into—

"From the information just now, it can be inferred that Wiseman has already sent advance personnel to Feiting. I believe the next step will be arranging the evacuation of his female relatives and children.

"If necessary, if we can capture one or two important insiders, we'll have ironclad evidence of treason."

Flora nodded, her fingertips tracing over the documents:

"Understood, Master. I'll send a flying message to Lina right away."

As she stood up, her tight leather outfit outlined her smooth waistline, her pale purple skin shimmering like pearls under the light.

A moment later, she revealed a piece of information that pleasantly surprised Li Size:

"Lina set off for Gele City as soon as she received the message last night. She's downstairs at the apartment building right now.

"This little girl is certainly eager to see the Master."

Li Size gave a wicked smile:

"Heh, I wonder if she wants to see me or her Master?

"My Flora?"

Flora blushed slightly at his words, remembering the last time the three of them were together when Lina had actually gotten handsy with her, causing a strange sensation to well up inside...