Robert kept the old territorial map on his desk long after Sai left. The northern road gave him another question to investigate, but he couldn't afford to let an uncertain lead consume time meant for preparing against Victor Ashford. The Iron Wolf Clan's main force was still approaching, and the emergency confinement array remained unfinished.
He rolled the map and placed it inside a drawer. The next report would decide whether the northern investigation deserved more of his attention.
It arrived before noon.
Loran had observed a change in the movements of the four Iron Wolf cultivators. The man who had been examining the boundary marker had left the northern road and returned to the city. He did not visit the merchants he had questioned earlier. Instead, he crossed the eastern district, stopped briefly at a lodging house, and departed through the northern gate.
The other three remained in their assigned areas.
Robert read the report and called Sai back to the study.
