msmithbooks 034. Chief Intelligence Officer
034. Chief Intelligence Officer
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The door to the Rum Tail Chicken Tavern was pushed open, and warm sunlight poured in, shining directly on the bar counter.
The bar was polished to a shine, and a row of stemmed glasses hung on the wine rack behind it, their walls as thin as cicada wings, clearly indicating their high value.
The bartender stood behind the bar counter, dressed in a well-tailored bar shirt. He had small eyes with heavy eye bags, and two pointed elf ears peeked out from his thick curly hair. These details were enough to announce to the guests who the owner of the bar was.
The wine rack behind him was filled with a dazzling array of wines, from famous brands collected from all over the world to ordinary wines. It was clear that the owner had excellent taste, yet he never looked down on any of the bottles.
The entire tavern was filled with a faint aroma of floral wine, and the warm lighting created a perfect atmosphere.
Business was slow at the moment, with only a few customers drinking alone in a corner.
When Xinlai entered, the bartender paused for a moment while wiping the glasses, but then continued as if nothing had happened.
He walked to the bar, took a silver coin from his bag, and placed it on the bar: "I want to see Stephen Frank."
The bartender took the silver coins, casually tossed them into the cash box at his feet, and said without looking up, "Go inside, turn right, go straight, go up the stairs, turn around on the third floor, and it's the second shop from the left."
For a neutral intelligence organization like the "Eye of the Raven," they don't need to bow to anyone, not even King Bemmilt.
The elves do not believe in human authority or doctrines; they only follow the blessings bestowed by the elven goddess.
Moreover, this organization has an intelligence network that spans the entire continent, making it a global behemoth. No one wants to provoke them over trivial matters of etiquette.
Xinlai nodded, lifted the curtain next to the bar, and went upstairs as instructed.
He stopped in his tracks when he stood in front of that door.
"Ah...ah...faster, faster!"
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..."
"..."
Xinlai glanced silently at the wall. Faint magical fluctuations emanated from it; it was made of soundproofing material, and even imbued with soundproofing magic.
Even so, the foul language inside the room stubbornly penetrated and entered his ears.
Thank goodness I didn't bring Eve...
Upon hearing this, the girl would probably blush as red as a ripe apple.
Xinlai stood quietly outside the door and waited for about five or six minutes before the sounds inside gradually subsided with a long howl.
Well... at least this intelligence dealer's timing was acceptable.
"Knock, knock."
He knocked gently on the door.
There was a moment of silence in the room, as if no one had expected someone to be outside the door.
Despite the good soundproofing, Xin Lai still vaguely caught a rustling sound of panic—
"You'd better hide!"
"Why should I hide? You're the one who came looking for me; you're the one who should be hiding, aren't you?"
"What if it's...my husband?"
Do you think I'm afraid of your husband?
"..."
Click.
The lock turned, and a handsome man, though slightly less attractive than Xin Lai, poked his head out disheveled.
Frank's gaze swept over Sinlai from head to toe, then stared at his face for two seconds before he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh damn... oh no."
Realizing his lapse in decorum, he quickly placed his right palm on his left chest and bowed respectfully.
As the steward of the "Eye of the Raven" in Asgard, he could certainly not be too formal with Sinlai, but rules are rules and personal feelings are personal feelings, and they are two different things.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness... I didn't expect you to grace us with your presence." Frank smiled awkwardly and hurriedly buttoned up his shirt.
Xinlai smiled and shook her head: "I understand, Frank. But you really should exercise some restraint..."
Sinlai had crossed paths with Frank in his early years in order to gather information.
Although it was just a cooperative relationship, Rum Tail Chicken's wine was the closest to the grape soda he remembered from his previous life, so he frequented the place and naturally often bumped into Frank, who was having fun there.
Frank gave a knowing look, and made a move to pull Xinlai inside: "This bitch is something else, she came to me behind her man's back... Why don't you give her a try?"
Sinlai's expression turned serious, and she quickly took two steps back: "Frank, I'm not so thirsty as to visit the forest you just explored."
"No, no, no, there are no forests there, hahaha..."
"Just kidding. Let's go to the council chamber to talk."
Frank closed the door and led Sinlai outside.
He had thick body hair and a rugged appearance, but a youthful face, much like Wolverine. However, he looked like a spoiled brat, completely lacking Wolverine's fierceness.
"Oh dear," Frank said, turning the thumb ring on his finger.
"That pointy-eared succubus is so sought after... The day I went to buy one, your brother even tried to take it from me!"
"..."
Xinlai's lips twitched slightly. Simien actually went and bought it...
Did he manage to buy it?
Frank smiled broadly and nodded: "One for each of you!"
"?"
Seeing Xinlai's bewildered expression, Frank laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder:
"Yeah, one Galend, one Simien, and you still have one too~"
"..."
Regardless of whether Simeon had actually mentioned this to his elder brother Galund, the fact that Frank knew exactly what Simeon had lied about. Xinlai knew that she was practically invisible in front of this intelligence chief.
"You little rascal, you tried it and you know how to share, not bad, not bad."
"..."
Xin Lai jokingly replied, "I'd been holding back for over ten years. I finally met someone I was attracted to, so I had to let loose!"
Frank nodded in agreement. "So...how did it feel?"
Xin Lai gave a wicked smile and didn't reply.
We walked in silence to the council chamber and sat down on the luxurious leather sofas.
A scantily clad, curvaceous, dark-skinned female elf stepped forward to make tea. As she bent over, her deep cleavage was right in front of Xinlai. When she stood up, she deliberately gave Xinlai a flirtatious wink, as if to tell Xinlai that she could come at any time...
But who is Xinlai? He is a scholar of the Spring and Autumn Annals (Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon). How could he be tempted by such a vulgar woman? He remained unmoved, his eyes fixed straight ahead, his mind filled with nothing but Eve.
This really helps to resist external temptations...
"Let's get down to business."
Seeing that his carefully cultivated toy had no effect on Xinlai, Frank lost interest in discussing anything else. He rubbed his hands together and asked, "What do you want to know?"
Xinlai pondered for a moment, clearing her mind of distractions, and stared solemnly into Frank's eyes, saying:
"I want to know the whole story of the Tansting family."
"Oh?"
Frank, his fingers interlaced and elbows resting on his raised knees, asked with interest, "Why is Your Highness asking about this...?"
"This intelligence doesn't come cheap."
Having known each other for many years, Frank was naturally aware of Sinlai's financial situation. But business is business, and "The Eye of the Raven" always dealt with money and barter, and would not make exceptions for personal relationships.
Sinley paused for a moment, realizing that the "expensive" Frank had mentioned was something he probably couldn't afford.
Putting everything else aside, just the succubus with pointed ears they were just discussing could cost a whole box of gold for just one.
Moreover, this matter concerning the Tanstin family involves a power struggle within the Golden Radiance Royal Family, so the price will likely be even more outrageous than the usual exorbitant prices for intelligence.
Xinlai knew it was unlikely she could buy this information with money...
After careful consideration, Marquis Tanstin was about to be executed. He not only had to find a way to get Eve the manuscript of the water god Bernis, but also to find a way to reunite the father and daughter and obtain military power.
The prerequisite for accomplishing these two tasks is to deal with the Tanstin collateral branch that has now usurped the position, which is also the instigator of this Tanstin family incident.
Only by understanding the whole story can we find the loopholes and weaknesses in the Tansting family.
More importantly, if we could rescue the Marquis of Tanstin and tell him that we had avenged him, that would be a greater asset than gaining military power.
Without a doubt, this intelligence is extremely important and must be obtained in order to gain the upper hand.
After much deliberation, Xin Lai looked pained and sighed with great difficulty and regret:
"If the truth is as I suspect, then I'd better run away now."
Sinlai's meaning was clear: he wanted Frank to believe that his investigation into the Tanstin family's affairs was to find out what his brother Simien was after, and if it was for the throne, he would have to prepare to run away in advance.
Frank wholeheartedly agreed, feeling that Sinlai seemed to have no choice but to run for the time being.
"But you know, it's destined to be the most expensive intelligence in all of Asgard right now, and I can't compromise on that."
Frank's attitude was firm: such time-sensitive intelligence is most valuable when it's at the height of a crisis. Once that time-sensitive period has passed, even if someone really wants to find out the truth about the Tanstin family back then, this kind of intelligence will not be of much value.
Therefore, the more critical the situation, the more ruthless the slaughter must be.
Unexpectedly, Xin Lai, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke:
"What if I trade you another, more expensive piece of information?"
Xinlai picked up the teacup and secretly examined it with her magic. Finding nothing wrong with the tea, she took a small sip.
Frank, sitting opposite him, had a shrewd glint in his eyes.
He looked around, then said seriously:
"Hmm...that depends on your information, how expensive it is."