Chapter 36: Schemes
While Abium was in deep thoughts, he suddenly sensed multiples gazes from outside and stopped his thinking.
'Someone is spying on me? Who is it?'
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, hurriedly moved towards the window, opened the silver curtain, and looked outside.
He noticed that seven people stood near the opposite side street store and were in the middle of chatting.
But as Abium looked closely, he noticed that two people in that group were looking in his direction and observing him quietly.
'They are not viscount's lackeys.' A frown appeared on his forehead.
He knew everyone from the viscount's household and could tell that these peoples were not the soldiers of Roseglen City.
'Are they from the Order of the Dead organization?' He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
But he instantly shook his head in disapproval.
If they had belonged to the Order of the Dead organization, Abium knew that they would have burned this town to ashes by now. Those people were not the type who would involve themselves in reconnaissance missions.
With a simple glance, Abium could tell that those two observers didn't want to show their origin and seemed to be acting more strangely.
'They are somewhat skilled in disguise but not professionals.' At that moment, a single organization's name appeared in his mind.
'They must be from Thieves Guild. Moreover, their target also seems to be someone in this Inn.'
Shaking his head, Abium closed the window, walked out of his room, and arrived in front of Helena's room.
He then raised his hand, knocked on the door twice, and waited patiently for her response.
Meanwhile, running footsteps came from the other side, and soon a blue eye peeked out through the door peek hole.
"What happened?"
A worried voice echoed from inside, and slowly, Helena opened the door with a wary look.
"I noticed a few people are observing us from the outside. Do you know who they are?" Abium asked.
"Yes. Inn lady also told me that Thieves Guild members are up to something and warned me not to go outside frequently. I knocked on your door more than thrice to tell you about it, but you didn't respond."
'Oh? The Thieves Guild members are up to something? Is it time for the mysterious assassins to show up?'
Abium closed his eyes and tried to reorganize his memories to see if he could understand their motive.
Unlike the Adventurers' Guild organization, the Thieves Guild's background was mysterious to everyone.
In every town and city, the criminal gang members and local thugs were the ones who controlled these Thieves Guild branches and had a terrible reputation among the masses. They were mainly involved in information gathering, thievery, and sometimes even assassinations. Slum areas and other impoverished areas were always under the control of these gangs.
To make things worse, the Nobles and Royals also didn't care much about their presence and always let them do as they please.
Who knows? Maybe they might also get some shares of these thugs' loots.
'But why do these Thieves Guild members keep an eye on the Inn? Are they monitoring us or someone else?' Doubt arose inside his heart.
After a short pause, he shook his head and spoke.
"It doesn't matter. Stay indoors for the next few days and continue improving your strength."
Saying so, he turned around and walked towards his room.
...
24 Serene Alley, Slum Street, Dust Gate town,
There stood a single-storied brick house at the end of Slum Street. Unlike the nearby old houses and huts, this one appeared to be in good shape, and even two ragged men were holding spears and guarding it.
This building was the Thieves Guild Branch of Dust Gate.
At that moment, two young men entered the study room and bowed at the middle-aged man, who sat on the opposite armchair. The two young men appeared to be around 20 to 25 years old, had brown eyes, and wore ragged linen clothes. One guy was tall looking and had a muscular body and short black hair, while the other guy was short, lean, and tied an extra red scarf over his forehead.
They were thieves of this Dust Gate town.
On the other hand, the middle-aged man appeared to be around 50 years old and had dark brown eyes, wavy black hair, a rough face, and thick eyebrows. There were also multiple scars on his face, and he wore a neat black robe-like cloth.
At that moment, he sat beside the wooden table and seemed to be in the middle of deep thoughts.
He was none other than the Thieves Guild Branch Leader, Baines.
"Did you guys find anything about that Half-elf's background?" Baines asked.
"No, Boss. We did a complete background check on him using our thieves' guild record books but couldn't find any information. There is no record of his identity in any of our branches. He seems to be appeared out of thin air." The tall guy with short black hair responded with a solemn expression.
"That's a problem indeed. So, who is that hooded figure who came here yesterday? Did you find any clue about him?" Baines frowned deeply.
Yesterday, a stranger who wore a black hood showed up in front of his office and asked for his help to get information about this Half-elf.
At first, he thought of declining that person's offer.
But Baines soon stopped as he heard the reward for finishing the job.
'He offered me 20 white gold coins!'
Moreover, If Baines could find more information about the Half-elf, the hooded guy even tempted him with another deal.
'He asked my help to cause some trouble during their mission in this town. But I still have no clue about their mission. What is he after? How do I contact him?' Baines was deeply troubled inside.
"We did find some clue about that hooded guy, Boss. After following him stealthily, we found out that he went to Viscount Gauvain's territory." That tall guy paused for a moment and continued.
"We also noticed that many people are coming to our town recently. Moreover, we confirmed that the Half-elf also came from the Viscount Gauvain's territory ten days ago."
An eerie silence appeared in the meeting room when he finished his word.
"Viscount… What is he up to?"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sudden knocking broke the silence, causing Baines to furrow his eyebrows.
"Who is it?" He asked with an irritated expression.
"Boss, Lord Baron's third disciple Sir Giles is here to meet you. He said it has something to do with the Half-elf." A voice came from the other side.
It belonged to Baines' trusted aide.
Meanwhile, Baines suddenly felt everything seemed to be linked together and soon widened his eyes.
After a short moment, he immediately responded.
"Invite him here-."
Before he could finish his words, the wooden door unlocked with a clicking sound and opened from outside, revealing a young man who wore a hooded blue cape and a set of armor painted in bright orange.
His hair was long and looked as if it was dyed a dark orange color, while his skin was pale with a slight tinge of yellow. He had deep-set brown eyes, thin eyebrows, an average height, and looked 20 years old.
"Mr. Baines, Nice to meet you," Giles said with a wide grin as he took a step forward and walked inside. He quietly moved past the two thieves, arrived near the wooden table, and sat on the wooden chair next to the table.
Then, he looked into Baines' brown eyes and waited.
Meanwhile, Baines also showed a composed look and responded sarcastically.
"I didn't expect that the third disciple of Baron Auguinare has time to visit this slum area," He paused for a moment, turned his face solemn, and asked in a cold tone.
"What are you doing here, Sir Giles?"
There was some uneasiness in his tone.
Although both would be equally matched in strength, Baines knew Giles was not a person one should take lightly.
'A cowardly guy like him is more dangerous.'
At that moment, Giles let out a chuckle and spoke calmly.
"I want you to work with some friends of mine for a while, Mr. Baines."
"You want me to work with your friends? Who are they? How can I trust them?" Baines knitted his eyebrows as he asked those questions and observed his facial expression quietly.
But the reply came with silence, making Baines feel more anxious inside.
He vaguely sensed something big was going on in this town but decided not to probe further.
For him, profit was all that mattered most.
"What is in there for me?" Baines asked after a short pause.
"You will get another 25 white gold coins if you agree."
The room once again went silent when Giles finished his words.
'Another 25 white gold coins… Where did Giles get that much money?' Baines' face stiffened slightly.
At that moment, he confirmed that the hooded guy who came yesterday indeed had some deep connection with Giles!
"But can you tell me why you are all after that Half-elf?" Baines didn't understand why many people were eyeing that Half-elf.
Giles didn't reply at first.
Instead, he stared vacantly at the window for a moment and finally answered.
"Well, I don't have any permission to share information with outsiders, but I will make an exception for you." Giles paused while others in the room, including Baines, started to listen carefully.
"It's a distraction to lure the Baron out of the castle."
Two thieves got puzzled by his response.
On the other hand, Baines also leaned forward and asked with some interest.
"What's in the castle?"
"I don't know. But that friend told me the castle has something far more valuable than white gold coins. If he and his comrades succeeded in this mission, he promised me that he would grant me a noble title." Giles answered with a grin.
'Noble title… Is that hooded guy belongs to any nobles' faction? Are they planning a coup d'état?'
Baines realized that it was a serious matter and sighed heavily.
'So, he is scheming against that old man's back, huh!' Baines couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
After some discussion, Giles left the building.
"What if this is Baron's scheme to lure us out, Boss?" That same tall guy asked.
"I don't know, but I think something big will happen in this town," Baines spoke while shaking his head and continued after a short pause.
"But it might also present an opportunity for us. Let's use this chance and loot all the merchants' houses."