152: Chapter 152 Viscount Willis's Scheme! Inspection! The Talents of the Five Women!

In the northern border of Gino County, Black Mountain City.

Unlike the bustling prosperity of Gino City, Black Mountain City was a typical border town.

Its streets were narrow and steep, flanked by low, sturdy buildings. There were few shops; instead, the area was filled with warehouses, barracks, blacksmiths, and crude taverns.

Pedestrians were scarce, mostly walking in a hurry, wrapped in thick furs.

At this moment, in a room within the city.

Viscount Willis held a piece of intelligence that had just been delivered.

It was about that emergency meeting in Gino City.

Rowan had used swift, thunderous methods to purge several key positions in City Hall and the City Guard, and had openly formed an alliance with the Purple Thorn, Viscount Vanessa Bryce.

After reading the news in his hand, Viscount Willis couldn't help but sneer repeatedly:

"Good… very good!"

"Purging… installing people from the Bryce family… Heh, hahaha…"

He laughed lowly, the sound echoing in the room, carrying a bone-chilling coldness and resentment.

But he was, after all, a veteran noble who had weathered many storms; his wild rage did not last long. He quickly composed himself and began to ponder the subsequent changes.

He looked up at his trusted guard in the corner and said, "Scarface, has there been a reply from that friend in the mountains I asked you to contact?"

The man known as Scarface bowed slightly:

"Reporting, my lord, we have made contact using the Duke's token. However…"

"However what?" Viscount Willis narrowed his eyes and asked.

"The Lord of Frost Howl is very interested in the fresh meat in the city. Its condition is that after the deed is done, it wants to eat to its heart's content…"

"Is that so…" A cold, sinister glint flashed in Viscount Willis's eyes. After a moment of thought, he said:

"Agree to it!"

Gino City. After the City Hall meeting, Rowan led his caravan heading north.

His spacious carriage was at the front of the procession. The heavy wheels crushed against the frozen road.

Inside the carriage, Rowan and Vanessa sat side-by-side by the window, whispering to each other.

He sat casually, his arm draped lazily over Vanessa's shoulder, the two of them sitting extremely close.

Vanessa had taken off her heavy cloak, wearing only a form-fitting, light purple dress.

She tilted her head slightly, listening to Rowan's whispers in her ear. Her eyes shimmered, occasionally chuckling or responding in a low voice. Her red lips were just an inch from Rowan's cheek, their breathing mingling.

It seemed they weren't discussing urgent military matters, but rather something more private.

Vanessa occasionally brushed her fingertips lightly against the back of Rowan's hand, her demeanor so intimate it bordered on suggestive, completely ignoring the presence of others in the carriage.

In the other seats, Cecilia, Helena, Isabelle, Adeline, and Charlotte were facing a stack of letters and files.

These were the chaotic reports on frontline military intelligence, logistics supply lists, and other information submitted by subordinates before leaving City Hall.

After receiving them, Rowan couldn't be bothered to look, simply tossing them onto the desk and giving the five women an order:

"Finish reading these as soon as possible, extract the key information, and report a summary to me."

Hearing this, the five reacted differently, but all of them sprang into action.

Helena had been designated by Rowan to be the coordinator and had been roughly informed of the other four women's areas of expertise.

She immediately realized that the Lord was testing their abilities.

She didn't hesitate, stood up and walked to the desk, took a deep breath, ignored the intimate couple by the window, and immersed herself in the documents before her.

She scanned the pile of files, her long, fair fingers flying as she performed an initial sort with great speed.

Urgent military reports went together. Logistics lists went together. Personnel arrangements and correspondence went together. Other miscellaneous items were set aside.

Her movements were fluid and methodical.

Then, based on the areas of expertise Rowan had mentioned earlier, she began to assign tasks.

"Miss Cecilia, could you please assist in checking the geographical locations and beast herd movement descriptions in these frontline reconnaissance reports, and mark any potential contradictions or ambiguities?"

She pushed a stack of documents toward Cecilia beside her, her voice calm and clear.

Cecilia had been observing Rowan and Vanessa from the corner of her eye, silently evaluating the relationship between the two. She was slightly startled upon hearing this, but immediately composed herself.

She took the files, her gaze focused, and her innate keenness for detail began to come into play.

As she read quickly, she occasionally traced her fingers over the map, swiftly identifying two slightly discrepant areas, as well as a contradiction in one report regarding the estimation of the beast herd's size.

"Miss Isabelle, these are copies of correspondence with Marquis Lance's garrison officers and other surrounding territorial nobles. Please sort through the main demands, promises, and potential evasions, and mark them with different symbols."

Helena pushed another stack of letters toward Isabelle, who looked eager to try.

Isabelle nodded upon hearing this. Handling documents and interpreting diplomatic language was her family's specialty.

She immediately perked up, picked up a quill, and began to read carefully, occasionally writing brief notes in the margins, dissecting those subtle subtexts one by one.

"Miss Adeline, Miss Charlotte, these are the existing troop rosters, equipment lists, grain and forage consumption estimates, as well as the preliminary march routes and camping plans."

"Please evaluate their reasonableness and potential risks from a professional perspective, especially regarding the weak points in the logistics supply lines."

Helena pushed the thickest and most professional stack to the two military academy students.

Adeline and Charlotte exchanged a glance and nodded. This was their specialty!

The two immediately huddled together; Adeline was responsible for analyzing troop deployment and routes, while Charlotte focused on calculating grain, heavy equipment, and camp setup, discussing in low voices from time to time.

Helena herself was responsible for coordinating the overall situation, quickly browsing through the sorted core files while integrating the key points discovered by the other four.

She quickly integrated information from different directions, forming a clear outline.

Occasionally, she would look up and take a quick glance in Rowan's direction, seeing him and Vanessa in an almost cheek-to-cheek posture. A hint of something unnameable flashed in her eyes, but she immediately suppressed her emotions and focused on the task at hand.

She knew that her performance at this moment might determine her future position in the Count's estate, and perhaps even…

The other four women were not completely immersed in the documents either.

While focused, Cecilia always maintained a sense of alertness to her surroundings; Rowan and Vanessa's intimate interaction naturally fell into her view.

She added two more labels to her assessment of this Count: lecherous and frivolous.

Isabelle felt slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed by the two's intimacy, her cheeks flushed, trying her best not to look over there.

Adeline and Charlotte were a bit distracted at first, but were soon drawn in by the professional information, only occasionally exchanging a subtle glance.

Inside the carriage. On one side were the powerful man and woman whispering and smiling, cheek-to-cheek, filled with an atmosphere of ambiguity and pleasure.

On the other side were the five young women writing busily at the desk, discussing in low voices, their expressions focused.

Vanessa appeared to be intoxicated by the private interaction with Rowan, but her peripheral vision never left the scene by the desk.

She saw Helena's efficient sorting and dispatching, Cecilia's precise map markings, Isabelle's skilled document analysis, and Adeline and Charlotte's professional military deductions…

Her inner astonishment grew greater and greater.

These five women were definitely not just vases!

The professionalism they displayed far exceeded that of ordinary noble ladies or even many male clerks.

Where did Rowan find such a group of people?

That beauty pageant, did it really cost a million gold coins, and was it not just a gimmick?

Rowan appeared casual, but in reality, he was observing as well.

Helena's organizational and coordinating ability, Cecilia's keen observation, Isabelle's document processing, the professional literacy of the two military academy students…

It basically met, or even slightly exceeded, his expectations.

Very good, the chamber of commerce did not exaggerate; this investment, at least in terms of the quality of the candidates, was worth it.

Moreover, there were two who scored over ninety.

About an hour later, the files on the desk had been reorganized, and next to them were a few pages filled with key points and clearly marked summaries.

Helena let out a soft sigh of relief.

She exchanged a glance with the other four women, and after receiving an affirmative response, she straightened her dress and knelt before Rowan and Vanessa, saying:

"My lord. The information has been preliminarily sorted; this is the summary report."