Startled at first, Seraphina stealthily trailed the man and woman, but she didn't panic too much.
They shared a common goal, and theoretically, there should be no conflict—however, trust couldn't be placed in them either.
During a hunt, a hunter must not only focus on the prey, but also be wary of other hunters.
So, she concealed herself in the shadows, hiding behind a large sculpture along the wall, remaining silent.
"Although I don't know which power you belong to, even if the manor's inhibitions are temporarily disabled, the guards outside are not to be underestimated."
The man in the duo continued. "Since you dare to target the Red Frost family, you must be at odds with them, right? We are the same, so... even if we can't cooperate, can we coexist peacefully for now?"
Nomad deliberately left the choice to Seraphina.
If the Count of Stoneheart's people wanted to pin her plundering of the Count of Red Frost's assets on them, they had to find an opportunity to strike secretly or at least leave traces. Otherwise, it would simply be a race to see who could escape faster, rendering the Count of Stoneheart's deliberate plan meaningless.
Therefore... the other party would definitely try to approach them in various ways. If they gave her the opportunity and she chose to accept, it would mean—
"...Fine."
A deliberately lowered girl's voice came from the darkness. "I won't bother you. I'm not interested."
"That's for the best," Nomad smiled. "Then, let's each rely on our own abilities and—"
"Wait."
As Nomad expected, the other party didn't want to miss this opportunity.
In an environment where both parties had the same goal but didn't know each other, no one would easily trust the other. Therefore, it was difficult for the girl instructed by the Count of Stoneheart to approach them. How could she miss such a great opportunity?
Nomad communicated with his teammates through telepathic communication, disdainfully saying, "The nobles still look down on us commoners as always. They think those who raise the banner of rebellion are all illiterate fools... Can't they see through such a scheme?"
"Stoneheart is too confident, or rather, too cautious," Snowhawk, who was monitoring from the outside, rechecked and confirmed that Seraphina had indeed left no traces.
"He doesn't want the people of Gray Tower to discover his subordinates' tracks, but he never thought... in Red Frost City, is there still a third-party force that can handle the aftermath so cleanly? Outsmarted by his own cleverness, how ridiculous."
"Yes, if there were some flaws, we might still have reservations about her identity, but now... there's no doubt."
As Nomad said this in the telepathic communication, he asked aloud, "What's the matter, friend?"
"You guys..." Seraphina hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Are you familiar with this place?"
Nomad was taken aback, then realized that the other party was trying to find an excuse for accompanying them. He simply replied, "It's necessary preparation."
"Oh, so... do you know the location of the treasury here?"
"..."
The question plunged the trio from the rebel army into silence.
"What kind of reason is that?" Sting's eyelid twitched. "Not knowing the way?"
"...It's quite in line with the characteristics of an unknown third-party force, unprepared, even impulsive, and quite convincing."
Nomad responded as such, but outwardly, he showed appropriate caution: "My friend, it seems you want to... join us? Isn't that somehow… inappropriate?"
Seraphina felt rather speechless too, knowing that her words were somewhat absurd, but she had no other choice—after all, according to the duo, she had to flee in at most fifteen minutes.
In such a vast manor, could she find the hidden treasury within fifteen minutes? Seraphina had no confidence in this.
"I... can help you deal with the troubles on the way, such as... traps and mechanisms?" she offered.
"No need," the woman in the duo suddenly spoke up. "We are prepared. Let's keep our distance from each other. Time is short, farewell."
Nomad and his companions knew they couldn't agree too easily, as it would arouse suspicion. Naturally, the girl who didn't want to miss this opportunity would try to throw out bait... Although they didn't know what it was, they just needed to pretend to hesitate and finally agree.
Seraphina, who was in the "next level", didn't think that much. Seeing the others about to leave, she immediately became anxious:
"Wait, what… what do you mean by being at odds with the Red Frost family? Are you people sent by other nobles?"
Before Nomad could speak, Sting's tone changed, and she coldly rebuked, "Don't lump us together with those brutes!"
"...Brutes? You hate nobles too?"
Seraphina paused for two seconds, then a flash of inspiration struck her mind:
"Wait, I can make a deal with you!"
Young wolf's eyes sparkled. "I can give you a piece of heavy news! News that can severely hit the Count of Stoneheart and Hydral!"
Since they also despised nobles, they would definitely be interested in this news.
Not only could she use this to enter the Red Frost Manor's treasury with them, but she might also be able to extort more from them. On top of that... she wouldn't even need to expose Hydral's hypocrisy herself. These seemingly capable and noble-hating people would surely spread the news on their own!
She wouldn't even have to risk exposure, and she could collect money from Hydral while watching him suffer without finding a target for revenge!
Me, Seraphina, a genius among geniuses!
As for the reaction of the rebel trio...
Well, she chose the matter we cared about most as a bargaining chip. How could she not be the Count of Stoneheart's subordinates?
For the "rebels," this was indeed an irresistible bargaining chip.
"Your words alone aren't enough, my friend," Nomad made a final attempt to refuse. "I can't trust you just like that."
"The Count of Stoneheart will convene a meeting of nobles tomorrow, regarding the policies prepared by Hydral... I can't say more, but I can get their conversation content and give it to you. How about that?"
Seraphina's negotiation skills, derived from Marlina's... haggling techniques, were not very sophisticated, but they were sufficient.
At this point, Nomad knew it was time to stop refusing, so he said, "If that's the case, it's not a problem to guide you, but that's all. I hope you can keep your distance from us, alright?"
"No problem! And I won't take much, nor will I compete with you."
Seraphina agreed without hesitation, even making such a promise to reassure the others.
Thus, both parties, who thought themselves clever, began to search the Red Frost Manor under the watchful gaze of Hydral, who never claimed himself clever.