Annie spoke with worry, "It's said that if the Lich King comes back to life, his power will be even stronger than before. If he really resurrects, he might be able to rule the entire world."
"That sounds serious, but whether the Lich King can be resurrected is still unknown. There's no need for us to worry about that right now," Roger said calmly.
He didn't know much about Lichborn.
The Dragon Soul Continent was vast. Besides the seven great empires of the Human Race, there were many other races.
For example, the Elven Race, Dwarven Race, Demon Race, Vampire Race, and so on...
Lichborn's territory and power were almost equal to that of the Human Race, making them the two strongest races.
However, Lichborn's lands were located in mountainous and frigid northern regions of the continent, with fewer people and fewer resources compared to the Human Race.
Even if the Lich King were resurrected, it would be a very long time before he could hope to rule the whole world.
It might take hundreds of years before that could happen.
So, from Roger's perspective, there was no need to worry about the Lich King's resurrection for now. The priority was how to become stronger and how to survive well.
Even if the sky fell, there would always be someone tall enough to hold it up.
"Yeah, let's not talk about that. Let's think about how to gather intelligence. We can't let others get ahead of us," Annie said gravely.
Roger asked curiously, "What do you mean? Is someone else trying to steal the intelligence?"
Annie replied, "Gathering intelligence has always been a long-term mission. The rewards increase based on how important the information is. It's also the mission with the least risk but the greatest benefit, so many people take on this mission to make money."
The competition among Magic Guild members was fierce, and they behaved more cautiously inside towns.
But once outside, they became bolder and would even steal supplies or intelligence from their own people to gain more profit.
The Magic Guild leadership always turned a blind eye to this kind of malicious behavior.
They treated it as a form of training—forcing Magic Guild members to work hard to become stronger.
At the same time, it revealed the darker side of human nature.
Even Annie, when going out on missions, risked being robbed.
"Have you figured out how to gather the intelligence?" Roger asked.
Annie said, "Not yet. We could start by capturing someone from Lichborn and interrogating them. That's the easiest method."
Roger thought for a moment and said, "Although that's easy to do, it's hard to get valuable information that way. I actually have another idea. Want to try it?"
Annie looked at him in surprise. "Tell me."
Roger said, "My plan is—to infiltrate the Lichborn camp, then find a way to get close to their high-ranking leaders and directly gather valuable intelligence straight from their mouths."
"That's a good idea. But don't tell anyone else about it," Annie said with a half-smile.
"Doesn't work?" Roger asked, a bit embarrassed.
Actually, he knew very well that it wasn't that the plan was impossible, but that it was too dangerous.
If they got caught sneaking into the Lichborn camp, they would surely face certain death.
That would completely go against Annie's usual principles, so she definitely wouldn't agree to it.
"You go if you want. I'll wait outside to back you up," Annie said casually.
Roger stared at the Lichborn camp in the distance and said, "It's not impossible."
Annie was shocked. "You really want to go?"
Roger straightened his back, looking serious. "Risks come with rewards. If I didn't have the courage for that, I might as well just be an honest tailor."
"You really are a brave man," Annie said appreciatively. "You remind me of someone."
Roger frowned and asked, "Who?"
Annie said, "That person I met last night at the Masquerade Ball. He was very special—obviously not very strong, but he still dared to accept challenges. Even when surrounded by a group of people attacking him, he managed to get away safely."
"That's me!" Roger thought to himself.
He didn't intend to reveal his identity to Annie. Even if he admitted that he was the person last night, she probably wouldn't believe him.
"How about we split up? I'll capture one of the Lichborn people and interrogate them for intelligence. You sneak into the Lichborn camp and see if you can gather any info. How does that sound?" Annie suggested.
"Okay!" Roger agreed without hesitation.
Annie grabbed his arm and reminded him, "After you sneak in, whether or not you get any info, you have to be out before dark. I'll be ready to back you up outside at any time."
Roger nodded, "No problem."
Then the two began their operation.
According to Roger's plan, their methods were connected.
First, they had to capture one of the Lichborn people. Then Roger would wear that person's clothes, disguise himself as a Lichborn Warrior, and sneak into the camp.
Roger and Annie waited outside the camp for over half an hour and finally caught a Lichborn person.
However, the one they caught was a Lichborn maid.
The Lichborn maid was carrying a basket, coming back from picking wild fruits outside, when Roger and Annie caught her.
Lichborn were humans with Lich bloodline; whether male or female, they naturally had tawny-colored skin, not very different from normal humans.
But the most consistent feature of Lichborn was their ugly appearance—big ears, large noses, and pointed chins.
It was rare to find a handsome or pretty one.
The Lichborn woman Roger and Annie caught looked very ordinary.
She wore a tattered, rough black gauze dress and had her entire head wrapped in black gauze.
She was tall and thin, with a flat chest, looking malnourished.
She was mute.
Annie said excitedly, "You two have similar builds. You disguise yourself as her and sneak into the Lichborn territory."
Roger's eyes widened. "You want me to disguise myself as a woman?"
"What's the problem with that? Anyway, she's mute, so you won't risk giving yourself away by making noise. Besides, she's probably a servant, which makes it easier for you to get close to the Lichborn commander," Annie patiently explained.
"That makes sense. Alright, I'll give it a try," Roger agreed, bracing himself.
Without a word, Annie suddenly released Arcane Magic secretly, killing the Lichborn maid.
She then took off the maid's clothes and helped Roger put them on.
Roger wore the Lichborn maid's black gauze dress, wrapping his body tightly.
He covered his hands with a layer of dirt to mimic the tawny skin color.
If one didn't look closely, it was impossible to tell he was a man disguised as a spy.
With everything ready, Roger began his mission, carrying a basket of wild fruits on his back, taking small steps, and lowering his head as he walked toward the Lichborn camp.
Watching his retreating figure, Annie showed a look of admiration.
She had to admit, she really respected Roger's courage.
As a woman, she also appreciated a man with both courage and intelligence.
Although Roger's plan wasn't the best—many others could think of similar ideas—few dared to actually do it.
In fact, Annie found it hard to fully understand Roger's determination to become stronger.
Inside the Lichborn camp.
Roger nervously walked through the camp gate, immediately drawing the intense gaze of several Warrior guards.
"Was I spotted so quickly?" Roger's heart skipped a beat.
Luckily, the guards only glanced at him without saying a word.
Relieved, he continued forward.
The camp covered about two square kilometers, with hundreds of tents of various sizes set up.
In the center stood a huge wooden tent—clearly the command center of the camp and the residence of the commander.
Roger moved near the command tent and observed quietly for a while, thinking about how to sneak inside.
At that moment, several maids appeared.
They carried trays of food and pots filled with wine, lined up, and headed toward the command center.
"Here's my chance!" Roger's eyes lit up.
He quickly set down the basket, hugged it carefully, and cautiously followed behind the maids.
He blended in with them and slipped into the command center.
The maids lifted the door curtain and went inside.
Inside, Roger saw the main seat occupied by a very muscular middle-aged Lichborn man.
He was the highest commander of the camp.
His upper body was bare, with thick lips, messy hair, tawny skin all over, and an extremely ugly appearance.
He was holding two beautiful Human Race women in his arms, enjoying fine wine and roasted meat.
The shocking part was that the roasted meat he was eating was actually a Human Race thigh.
Even the wine cups were made from Human Race skulls.
These skulls had been specially treated with materials that transformed them into a jade-like state, emitting a sparkling luster.
Their bottoms were fitted with four-legged black iron stands.
"This guy is really ugly! If I kill him, what kind of reward would I get?" Roger thought to himself as he stared at the Lich commander.