Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 367 Lure the snake out of its hole
A week passed quickly, and the sniper team responsible for this deterrent operation also set off from the Pioneer Territory.

The Dragonstone Chamber of Commerce clerk who stayed in Jackdaw Town received instructions from the president early in the morning and prepared all the necessary identification documents for the three people to disguise themselves. They then boarded the Chamber of Commerce's ordinary brigantine from Grizzly Castle and headed south.

After arriving at Sancha Town, we changed to a local cargo ship and sailed west along the Sancha River to Fengyuan City.

Although he was working in collaboration with two high-level spellcasters, Harvey unprecedentedly appointed Wayne as the leader of this mission and required the full cooperation of the two battle mages.

This made Wayne feel very nervous along the way. Although the lord had always been gentle to them, he was his bloodline lord after all, and the degree of closeness between them was far beyond that of others. Now that he was facing Mr. Eye of Illusion and Ms. Astrologer alone, he still felt the pressure of facing extraordinary superiors.

"Mr. Eye of Illusion, do you think we should ambush outside the city... and attempt a long-range attack on Duke Ralph, or should we enter the city directly and try to launch a surprise attack from within?"

Eye of Illusion and Wayne stood side by side on the boat that was about to arrive at the Fengyuan City dock, whispering about the details of the operation.

"Hmm... Astrologer and I will follow your lead on this operation. What are your thoughts?" Eye of Illusion, devoid of the arrogance of a high-level spellcaster, replied in a gentle and casual manner. "If the operation fails due to your judgment and command, we'll consider subsequent remedial measures... Hehe, but I believe that with your experience, we won't be required to take action."

Hearing the other party's clear statement that they would not make random comments, Wayne felt relieved and quickly said, "In that case... I suggest entering the city directly. Rather than taking a chance and waiting for the Duke to appear in the barracks, I think a surprise attack while he's in the eagle room is more likely to succeed."

"Instead of taking chances, it's better to sit tight and wait for opportunities. This is indeed a wise choice!" The astrologer appeared on the bow deck at some point and expressed her agreement with a smile.

The two exchanged a glance and said with a smile, "But if we enter the city, we'll need to split up and find a chance to reunite..."

After Grand Duke Saint Valen fell out with the Federation, the Federation branch in Fengyuan City had long been expelled and eradicated. The remaining spellcaster organizations that had not clearly pledged allegiance to the church also evacuated one after another, seeing that the situation was not right. If they wanted to enter the city openly as independent spellcasters, they would inevitably attract the attention and surveillance of the church and the officials.

Moreover, the high-level spellcasters working for Duke Ralph must have set up many surveillance measures in the city. If the two of them swaggered into the city with the caravan, they would probably be exposed at any time and be harassed secretly. The powerful magic fluctuations possessed by high-level spellcasters would be more dazzling than the morning star in the night sky in the eyes of their peers of the same level.

"Don't worry, just follow the caravan into the city. We naturally have ways to cover up the magic fluctuations and sneak into Fengyuan City under the cover of night." The astrologer promised Wayne confidently.

Wayne nodded. "In that case, we'll split up. After we enter the city today, I'll head to the inner city wall at night to scout for a suitable sniper spot. After confirming it, I'll leave a mark at the caravan tavern. You just need to follow the mark and meet me at the agreed location..."

……

After the discussion, the Eye of Illusion and the Astrologer took advantage of the sudden fog on the river in the early morning, cast a spell, soared into the air, and rushed towards the mountains outside the city in the direction of Fengyuan City.

Wayne, left alone at the bow, stood on tiptoe and gazed in their direction for a moment, muttering enviously, "The spellcaster's methods are truly miraculous. They can actually soar freely in the sky like a bird... I wish I could have the chance to try flying."

But right now, the most important thing is to complete the lord's task first.

The cargo ship soon arrived at the Fengyuan City docks. Wayne, blending in with the caravan, obediently queued up to enter the city. He paid the city entrance tax and head tax twice, facing repeated harassment from the city guards and patrols. The caravan leader then secretly gave the tax collector at the gate a hefty tip, allowing him to enter Fengyuan City smoothly. "These nobles and city guards are so corrupt..." Wayne couldn't help but curse inwardly. If it were in his "hometown," any city official or city guard who dared to block the city gate and extort the people and caravans would probably be handcuffed and taken back for tea by the police and the city hall's anti-corruption officer before they could even warm their money.

This corrupt behavior will eventually lead to him losing his well-paid, stable job and being sentenced to at least ten years of hard labor in a logging camp or mine.

After following the Chamber of Commerce convoy to the post station, Wayne immediately left quietly from the back door of the post station under the cover of the caravan servants. When he appeared on the streets of the city again, he had changed into ordinary clothes of local residents and carried a gun bag disguised as a cargo package on his shoulder.

Following the instructions of the Chamber of Commerce contact, he quickly crossed several unfamiliar neighborhoods and found a cheap hotel opened by the Longshi Chamber of Commerce in Fengyuan City that specializes in accommodating foreign merchants. He used the identity documents he had prepared in advance to book a room on the second floor facing the street.

"Huh... The scene in front of me seems like a few years ago when I was ordered by the lord to go to Grizzly Castle to carry out a mission. Even the hotel we stayed in looks almost the same..." Wayne, who was alone in the room, obviously relaxed. He carefully pushed the gun bag under the bed, leaned against the window, looked at the scene on the street, and whispered to himself.

Suddenly, a very familiar voice rang out in the room, "It seems that Mr. Wayne has experienced the same secret mission before..."

Wayne reacted very quickly. He took out a hidden alchemical dagger from his waist with his left hand. Almost instantly, the blade began to emit a burning flame. He rushed towards the corner of the closet in the room where the voice came from, both with the knife and with incredible speed.

A pure black night cat lightly dodged his attack, jumped onto the bed in fear, and said incoherently: "Hey, hey, hey! Don't get excited! It's me! The Eye of Illusion!"

Huh? What eyes?

Wayne missed his attack and was stunned. Only then did he realize that the other party's voice was so familiar. It was Mr. Eye of Illusion!
He can actually turn into a black cat!!!
"Uh... you really scared me!" Wayne shook off the sparks from the dagger and put away the weapon awkwardly.

The black cat paced back and forth on the bed on tiptoe. "Didn't I tell you we had a way to sneak into the city? I turned into a wild cat and followed you all the way here."

Wayne nodded, walked around the room twice, pointed at a black spider with long legs in the corner, and said politely, "Then this should be the astrologer, right?"

The black cat was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into violent laughter and rolled around on the bed.

"Hahaha! Mr. Wayne, you are so humorous! There is no one else in this room except the two of us..."

He paused, his round, shiny cat eyes blinking in a very anthropomorphic manner, and whispered, "Ms. Astrologer has sneaked into the Eagle Room... Since we have decided to snipe the Duke there, we shouldn't passively wait for him to appear..."

"Is the Astrologer going to the Eagle Room to cause trouble and then actively lure Duke Ralph in?" Wayne's heart skipped a beat, feeling that this wasn't feasible. "But if a strange spellcaster with an obviously unknown identity showed up in the Eagle Room, it would definitely alert them! It might even alert the Duke, forcing him to hide in the mansion and never show up again!"

The black cat gracefully leaped from the bed to the window, smiling faintly, "Don't worry, it won't alert them... The astrologers will sneak in unnoticed and kill or maim the Duke's beloved Frostwing Eagles. I believe that the Grand Duke, who loves eagles like his life, will come personally to punish the subordinates in the eagle room who are not doing their job well..."

(End of this chapter)