Chapter 572: Big Sister, We'll Follow Your Lead
Blood gushed out, staining her clothes red in an instant.
Benny clutched her throat and collapsed to the ground, her eyes locked forward.
As if trying to memorize every face.
Burning their images into her mind.
Her struggling movements grew weaker and weaker until she lay motionless on the ground.
Among the black-robed figures, Babuchi's pupils slightly contracted as he looked at the corpse lying in the pool of blood.
Wu Heng!
That woman mentioned Wu Heng before she died.
The one Philipa follows?
Wasn't it just me who was assigned here?
Did Wu Heng also have a spy planted?
Or did this woman know him?
Damn it. How did this remote village in the depths of the Ekow Kingdom end up connected to him again?
But it was too late.
That foolish woman tried to send messages out under the watch of an 18th-tier Professional. How could she have survived?
"Cut out her tongue and hang her from the village gate. The rest of you, get ready—we're leaving according to plan." The black-robed leader spoke.
The group acknowledged the order and moved into action.
Babuchi quickly approached the body, and after another person cut out the tongue…
They worked together to hoist the corpse onto the village gate's crossbeam.
A light breeze swept through.
The corpse swayed slightly, blood dripping steadily onto the ground.
All the black-robed figures gathered, changed their disguises…
And departed westward.
...…
Island Lord's Manor, Study.
Wu Heng chatted with the two spirits for a while.
A gentle knock came from outside, followed by Minnie's voice, "Master, are you in? Lady Milison has arrived."
"Understood, I'll be right there."
Wu Heng gestured for the spirits to go about their tasks, then opened the door and stepped out, heading downstairs with Minnie.
Upon reaching the first floor…
He saw Milison, dressed in a light blue gown, holding a teacup in both hands as she waited quietly.
Seeing Wu Heng descend, Milison stood up and bowed. "My lord."
Wu Heng nodded. "Sit."
Milison sat down again and spoke softly, "My lord, I've gathered some intelligence today that might be useful. I came to report it to you."
"What intelligence?"
Milison pulled out a small notebook, quickly flipped through it, and then said, "There were some drinkers in the tavern today, many of them from Netale City. They said that the City Lord's Guard and the Garrison Commander's army have started fighting each other. The city is filled with corpses, shops have been looted, and any men caught are being forcibly recruited into the army."
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow. This intelligence was both surprising and expected.
Netale City had been in chaos for a while.
The last issue of the newspaper had already reported that battles were happening within Netale City, and that thick smoke could be seen even from the sea.
It was meant as a warning to merchants not to travel there.
But it seemed the situation was even worse than anticipated.
The City Lord's forces fighting against the garrison… that was like the city's police clashing with the stationed military.
"Anything else?"
Milison glanced at her notebook again and said, "They also mentioned that some religious groups are involved."
Religious groups…
This made Wu Heng think of the Divine Punishment Sect.
The last time he encountered them, their Guardian Witch had retreated by ship—heading in the direction of Ekow Kingdom.
Could they be involved too?
"Did they specify which sect?"
"No! From the way they spoke, it sounded like they weren't sure which one." Milison replied.
Wu Heng nodded and continued, "Anything else?"
"No, these were the two main pieces of information."
"Keep an eye on external news, but don't let this spread."
"Yes, my lord."
With the intelligence report concluded, Wu Heng asked, "Has Philipa set sail?"
"Yes, she left yesterday afternoon, saying she was going to pick up the person you assigned." Milison replied.
"No problem, it's not a combat mission—just picking someone up. She'll be back in a couple of days."
"That's Philipa's duty."
Wu Heng glanced at the time and said, "It's getting late. Stay for dinner."
"This…"
"Minnie has prepared a feast today. Stay and eat, and I'll have a skeleton escort you back afterward." Wu Heng smiled.
"Thank you, my lord."
The two continued chatting in the living room.
After a while, Minnie came over to inform them that dinner was ready.
The two got up and went to the dining hall together.
...…
"Big Sis, we've been here for over a week now."
Central District, under the bright street lamps, a strong man spoke in a low voice.
Macintosh looked at the children playing under the streetlights and sighed softly. "Gold-Silver Island has changed too much… It feels so unfamiliar now."
"Big Sis, the Island Lord Wu Heng was already incredible when he was young. He's definitely governing the island better than someone like 'Occam' ever could," her younger brother said.
The island's transformation was obvious.
The old Gold-Silver Island and the new one felt like two completely different places.
"Yeah… Before even becoming a Professional, he had already experienced so much. He's better than us, who spent years at sea." Macintosh smiled.
The younger brother hesitated before speaking, "Big Sis, we've gathered all the intel we need. Isn't it time to make a decision?"
Macintosh lifted her head and looked at him. "Do you think we should stay?"
"Big Sis, please don't be mad, but honestly…" The younger brother hesitated, then spoke in a small voice, "If you really wanted to leave, we would've left already."
Macintosh's brows twitched.
The younger brother immediately corrected himself, "I mean, you just wanted to take a look around, not necessarily stay."
Macintosh took a deep breath and said, "I'll think it over. Tomorrow, we either leave, or we go see him and see what kind of position he can offer us."
"We'll follow your lead."
...…
The Next Day, City Hall.
Wu Heng got out of the carriage with his skeletons and walked straight into City Hall.
Not long after breakfast…
Andviel had sent someone to the Island Lord's Manor, saying that a few merchants wanted to meet him.
So she arranged for the meeting to take place in City Hall's conference room.
As Wu Heng walked down the hallway toward the meeting room…
Andviel emerged from a nearby room, approaching him quietly. "Master, there are three of them. They want to order more newspapers to sell outside the island."
"Outside the island?"
"Yes, that's what they said." Andviel confirmed.
"Alright, let's go see them."
The two entered the conference room.
Wu Heng pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Inside, three people were seated—two men and one woman.
Their attire was different, but all wore refined clothing, indicating noble status.
The three first glanced at Andviel, then focused on Wu Heng.
They immediately stood up, bowing one after another as they introduced themselves.
"Representative of the Stag Caravan, greetings to the Island Lord."
"Laimé Merchant Guild, greetings to the Island Lord."
"Good afternoon, Island Lord, I'm from the Dotstar Caravan."
Wu Heng had some impression of the Stag Caravan and Laimé Merchant Guild.
They had likely signed his nomination letter when he became Island Lord.
He had no recollection of the Dotstar Caravan, but since they came along, they were probably on the list as well.
Wu Heng nodded. "Sit."
The three sat down, and Wu Heng took a seat with Andviel on the opposite side.
The Stag Caravan representative spoke first. "Island Lord, I'll be direct—your newspaper is a great success on the island. We came to ask if you plan to sell it outside the island. If so, we'd like to collaborate."
So they wanted to capitalize on the newspaper's popularity.
Wu Heng looked at them and said, "You've read the newspapers, haven't you? By the time you transport them outside, the information will already be outdated. At that point, they'll be worthless."