Chapter 413 - Meeting the Old Russian

Chapter 413: Chapter 168: Meeting the Old RussianLu Kuan hurried over with two thousand garrison soldiers, ordering a comprehensive

Faced with Lu Kuan’s reprimand, the men hurriedly explained, "We were concerned that the teleportation gate might come under enemy attack, so we came over to protect it."

Lu Kuan revealed a smile, warmly helping the men to their feet, "You all have been very considerate. I’m reassured. Baron Lu told me it was all a misunderstanding. You all should go back and rest."

"We shall take our leave then."

Watching the four men depart, Lu Kuan’s face suddenly darkened as he sternly asked his deputy, "Zhou Tong, did you get a good look at their faces?"

"Master Lu, they’re from the third battalion..." Zhou Tong hesitated to continue.

"Speak!"

"Yes." Zhou Tong sighed, "They are men of Torian’s third battalion."

Lu Kuan suddenly turned his head, staring intently at Zhou Tong, "What did you say?"

"Yes, I’m sure, I even drank with them last month," Zhou Tong spoke solemnly.

Lu Kuan’s face turned ashen. The spy had been hiding within his own Personal Army; no wonder he couldn’t find any clues to the missing persons’ case.

"Have someone keep a close watch on them. No, borrow men from Fakoyu for surveillance, and do it immediately!"

After sending away his deputy, Lu Kuan took a deep look in the direction where Lu Hong had disappeared, convinced that the fog was orchestrated by him. With just one move, he had found the enemy hidden within the garrison; truly fitting for Baron Yitian, the empire’s foremost Baron.

Once he was sure no one was tailing him, Lu Hong thought of the distant woods and raced through them.

He dove into the thicket, and an ice crystal formed beside him.

"I wish to meet your Sovereign," Lu Hong addressed the ice crystal.

Following the ice crystal, Lu Hong met the Snowy Region’s Fourth Sovereign, Ye Xiao, hiding in a cave.

"Baron Tukuru, I’ve long admired your reputation." Ye Xiao nodded slightly, a nod from one of her stature was already the utmost respect one could receive.

"Sovereign Ye Xiao, I apologize for the late visit, please excuse the intrusion." Looking around, Lu Hong saw that besides Sovereign Ye Xiao, there were dozens of Third Transition powerhouses. Each one looked at him with unfriendly eyes; had it not been for the alliance, they would probably have tried to kill him already.

Sovereign Ye Xiao, aware of the reason for Lu Hong’s visit, took the initiative, "I’m not very good at investigating, but after a careful search, I’ve come across a few clues that may be helpful to you."

"I’m listening, Sovereign Ye Xiao."

"First, the elderly person who disappeared three months ago showed no sign of magic activity, possibly a criminal act among civilians. But, in the disappearances these past three months, grey magic symbols have been found in the homes of those missing. I’ve never seen these symbols before, but they do have faint spatial fluctuations remaining. They must have been drawn by a mage highly skilled in spatial spells. Those missing civilians were most likely transported via a teleportation gate."

"Interdimensional transport?" Lu Hong pressed for more information.

Sovereign Ye Xiao shook her head, "Judging from the strength of the fluctuations, it’s not interdimensional transport. The distance of teleportation is likely within a hundred thousand li."

"Ten thousand miles away..." That won’t be easy to find, Lu Hong thought to himself, but it was somewhat good news—at least the missing civilians were still within the Yu Hua plane, and they could eventually be found.

"Is there any other news?" Lu Hong continued to inquire.

The Supreme Ye Xiao fell silent for a moment before speaking, "The hidden enemy is very likely a Third Transition Peak fighter."

"How does the Supreme know this?"

"I’ve clashed with him," said Supreme Ye Xiao gravely, "just now."

"Just now?" Lu Hong was taken aback.

"Yes, the moment the portal at East Look Mountain fluctuated, the adversary made a move," Supreme Ye Xiao explained in a deep voice, "he’s very strong, and I’m not his match in actual combat."

Lu Hong nodded. The enemy hadn’t made a move when he came through the portal, but acted when the Dark Guards transferred, suggesting that the enemy was extremely wary of them.

Third Transition Peak fighters might be formidable, but under the suppression of the Yu Hua plane, the Second Transition level six was the upper limit, so he wasn’t frightened. With the power of his vital energy nearly fully recovered, and the blessing of "Heavenly God Descends," claiming he was invincible in the Yu Hua plane wasn’t boasting.

"That’s all I have to say; you may leave, I need to rest." Supreme Ye Xiao waved his hand, dismissively indicating the meeting was over.

Lu Hong forced a bitter smile, sensing that the Snowy Region harbored great resentment toward him.

"Then, I shall take my leave." Walking out from the Snowy Region’s hideout, Lu Hong mulled over the situation as he walked.

From the information available, it could be inferred that the elderly man’s disappearance three months ago and the young people’s recent disappearances weren’t the work of the same group. There were forces operating in the shadows behind the young people’s disappearance, but what purpose did they have in abducting ordinary people without professions?

Lu Hong couldn’t figure it out.

"Holy King, what is your opinion on the abduction of ordinary people?" Aiming to add another perspective, Lu Hong called out to the Holy King.

"I don’t know," shook the Holy King’s head, "Ordinary people make up the foundation of this world, we Transcenders usually don’t attack them."

"Think again, there must be something valuable on ordinary people," Lu Hong felt he was onto something, but couldn’t quite grasp it.

"Moreover, these are civilians transferred from the empire, not natives of Yu Hua," the Holy King nodded, equally deep in thought.

And that seemed to remind Lu Hong: "Identity, identity! What they want is an identity!"

Startled by Lu Hong’s exclamation, the Holy King asked, "What do you mean?"

"I’ve got it, I’ve worked it out." Lu Hong opened the ration distribution list that the Dark Guard had secretly passed to him, which had not been updated to remove the deceased old man. Indeed, just as he’d suspected, the truth was laid bare.

Now that Lu Hong had gotten a handle on the situation, he needed to root out all the enemies hidden in the Yu Hua plane, which would take time and the Dark Guard’s investigation.

Exiting the jungle, Lu Hong headed straight for the Golden Family’s territory.

By the next morning, Lu Hong had arrived in Su He City via a portal.

Entering the bustling city, he searched the streets and finally found a shop with the colors red and green on its window, not blinking.

As he entered the shop, the owner hurried to greet him, "May I ask what the customer would like to purchase?"

"What do you have here?"

"We have the new early-harvest tea from this year, would you care to try some?" the owner suggested, pointing to the teapot on the table, "I’ve just brewed a pot—want to have a taste?"

"No thanks, I prefer aged tea."

Upon hearing Lu Hong’s words, the owner, without changing his expression, laughed heartily, "Who likes aged tea? You must be joking, right?"

"Indeed, I am joking; actually, my favorite is the very first tea leaf picked in the early morning. One leaf a day, saving up until I have an ounce, to brew all at once."

After listening carefully to Lu Hong’s words, the owner scanned the area to ensure they were alone, then opened a side passage, "Please go in first."

Lu Hong nodded and stepped inside.

A clerk inside observed Lu Hong enter and carefully checked the surroundings, then activated a mechanism, and the floor tiles opened to reveal a dark tunnel leading underground.

Lu Hong, unfazed, followed the clerk down the passage.

"I say, why is the Dark Guards’ passphrase so long? I almost couldn’t remember it."

The clerk, aware of Lu Hong’s identity, replied, "My Lord Baron, we have no choice but to be careful—many of the brothers originally from Yu Hua were wiped out in one fell swoop. Before we came here, Lord Questasa instructed us to be extremely cautious."

"You guys arrived pretty fast. Shortly after I sent for you, you already had a base set up."

Shaking his head, the clerk replied, "This is the Black Pupils organization’s concealed location within the Yu Hua plane—half a year ago, the Dark Guard established a preliminary cooperation with the Black Pupils. Once we arrived, we made immediate contact with the Black Pupils and integrated our forces into their bases."