Chapter 412: 412 Chapter: Hongmen Banquet_1
"With the strength of a prison warden like you, that number of people wouldnāt be a problem, right?" Daili forked the last small piece of strawberry cake into her mouth.
"For a brawl, your shadow demon seems more suitable." Aiden gave her a glance, "If you accidentally get killed, I will avenge you."
"Such tender concern really is touching, of course, if the warden would allow me to order a berry pie, I would be moved enough to want to marry you," Daili winked at Aiden.
"No, we agreed on just one dessert." Aiden firmly refused, "Also, itās your turn to report."
"Ah, my heart, itās broken." Daili sighed regretfully.
"Get on with it!"
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"Alright, alright. I had that cat climb through the window and scout around the room. It turns out there arenāt many people visible inside; the entire hall is empty. There are two guards on the first floor, two people cooking in the kitchen, and one standing by a window on the second-floor corridor. We canāt get through the second-floor corridor. I wanted to climb the walls outside to check the attic, but then..."
"Then the patrol dogs in the yard spotted her and immediately chased after her; the person holding the dogs pulled out a gun and killed her." Presia added while tracing her fork around her dark chocolate crepe, her bird familiar had witnessed the entire sequence from a tree.
"Donāt talk as if it was me who got shot dead." Daili nudged Presia with her arm.
"Not even sparing a cat, the guards are really on edge," Aiden pondered, "Just this morning six people went in on a carriage, and we only saw that few inside... Did you notice how much food they were preparing in the kitchen?"
"Quite a lot, seems like it would be enough for at least a dozen people."
"A military fort without that many people would indeed be odd," Aiden nodded, "Were there any locked rooms?"
Daili shook her head: "I didnāt dare to check; I can control the cat to jump up and press the handle, but it canāt close the door when it leaves, and if someone were inside the room..."
"Okay, then were there any rooms that looked particularly suspicious?" Aiden continued, "On the first floor?"
"Thereās a room that looks like a storeroom on the west side of the house, with a person sitting in a chair guarding the door."
"Considering the wine estate is built on such high ground, itās unreasonable for there to be no cellar," Aiden looked at Presia, "Did you see any entrance leading underground in the yard?"
"I havenāt seen one directly, but thereās a small shed that looks like itās for storing tools," Presia replied.
"Cellars tend to have entrance both inside and outside; this cellar is large, and it most likely has an escape route. The real activity of this outpost is underground; the people above are all guards and logistics," Aiden nodded, "Hard to attack, easy to defend, itās practically a military fortress. Not bad, it counts as some gain. It would be perfect if we could find the exit of their escape tunnel."
"Warden, thereās actually a question that Iāve been wanting to ask for a while..." Daili suddenly said.
"Hmm?" Aiden instinctively responded.
"You and Qiqimora, what happened?" Daili asked.
"You two seemed quite close before, didnāt you?" Presia followed up, "For a reconnaissance mission like this, Qiqimora alone could get it done, and surely better than us; why didnāt you ask her?"
"Did you really have a falling out?" Daili tilted her head.
"Broke up?" Presia also chimed in.
"You Great Witches really are all the same," Aiden shook his head, "Sheās not in the autonomous state right now, so I canāt ask for her help."
"So thatās why we had the chance to taste the desserts from Seventh Street," Daili nodded. "Thanks to Qiqimora."
"Yeah, thanks to Qiqimora," Presia echoed.
"It should be me youāre thanking for footing the bill!" Aiden rapped the table continuously with his knuckles.
"So, Warden, what do you plan to do? The place they selected doesnāt look very safe," Daili shifted the subject back.
After a moment of thought, Aiden shook his head, "We canāt expect them to be as stupid as those pirates who jumped right into our home turf, eh? Better consider what kind of tricks theyāll play on this field."
"I donāt think youāre dumb enough to walk right into such an obvious trap and get yourself killed," Presia said, eyeing Aiden. "Youāre doing this, there must be something in it for you, right? These soldiers... Are they related to āthatā?"
"Warden, can you give us a hint?" Daili also leaned in eagerly.
"Iāll tell you before we take action," Aiden chose to give them an affirmative response for now, rather than specific intelligence.
He did indeed intend to obtain the divine words from Heinz, which is why he was prepared to take the risk and go to this meeting.
Heinz had taken the initiative to expose such a vital stronghold to him and had outright proposed that kind of deal as a test of his stance.
The Royal Secret Policeās operations had been thwarted repeatedly and they were no longer able to act so conspicuously. If Aiden chose to inform the military police and take down this stronghold, the assassination attempt might be called off directly, and Heinz would likely leave the autonomous state as soon as possible.
Heinz was betting that Aidenās eagerness to meddle in this matter was driven by the goal of acquiring the divine words. Thus, he believed that Aiden wouldnāt let him leave easily before obtaining them, prompting Aiden to figure out a way to attend this perilous banquet.
On this point, he was indeed right on the money.
"Are we all going together?" Presia asked.
"That I donāt insist on; you can choose for yourselves," Aiden said meaningfully, looking at Presia. "But I will consider your willingness to help as a factor in your rehabilitation."
"Doesnāt that mean we have to go?" Presia frowned. "Hmph, the core areaās inmates are nothing compared to how black-hearted you are."
Nominally, Daili and Presia each had a bit of divinity stored with Aiden. He had told them that he would consider returning it upon their release, depending on their behavior and reform within the prison.
"The same lineup as last time? Is Asenna coming too?" Daili asked.
"Better safe than sorry. But we need one more person," Aiden thought for a moment. "The inmate whoās recently been living with Asenna."
"By my observation, that guy seems to be a regular person, right? Youāve had Asenna protect a commoner, so I guess those people must be after his life, right?" Presia frowned. "Are you sending her to her death?"
"It is indeed to ādeliver death,ā but only by doing so will they let down their guard," Aiden smiled. "And, if weāre lucky, we might just be able to settle this without spilling any blood, thanks to her."
Presia was still a bit confused, but Daili got it and began nodding, "So, Warden, youāre saying you already have a plan?"
"Sort of."
"Having a plan is good news, and good news should be celebrated," Daili picked up the menu with a smile. "Letās order another large dessert for the three of us to share. Weāll leave after we finish."
"Donāt even think about it. Finish this tea and itās back to prison!"