Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 242: Alarming the Snake
Cambridge.

Following the attack, tensions rose sharply throughout the county, suspicions between investigators and local residents intensified, and the land search process slowed considerably.

“That greedy Viking king, I curse his soul.”

"Why send so many soldiers to Cambridge? Does he want to take everything from us?"

As a seasoned veteran, Blackfish was granted permission to act alone. Disguised as a commoner, he wandered around and often overheard people speaking ill of the king.

After a while, he couldn't find any clues about the privately minted silver coins, so he applied for more funding, disguised himself as a peddler selling miscellaneous goods, and traveled to various places to gather intelligence.

"Come and see, bay leaves from the Canary Islands are perfect as a spice for soups, or you can put them in your closet to repel insects."

"Dyed silk threads, available in red, yellow, blue, and green, are sewn onto clothes, making them both beautiful and inexpensive."

Using various small commodities and his honest, simple appearance, Blackfish infiltrated various manors and villages, selling goods while gathering information. After more than ten days of investigation, he astutely noticed a crucial piece of information:
The closer to East Anglia, the more frequently privately minted silver coins appeared. Therefore, it seems that the privately minted silver coins did not originate from Cambridgeshire, but from East Anglia, northeast of Cambridge.

He immediately contacted the inspector in charge of the matter and requested that the scope of the investigation be expanded to East Anglia.

(East Anglia was Edmund's territory and was once one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. More than ten years ago, Edmund surrendered to Ragnar and was made a count.)
The inspector had concerns: "Great nobles are different from barons and knights in directly governed territories. If a dispute arises, dukes and earls throughout the kingdom will take notice."

After hesitating for a few minutes, the inspector summoned two detectives. Based on their combined intelligence, they confirmed Blackfish's suspicions. Left with no other option, the inspector agreed to expand the scope of the investigation.

It's late October now.

The land survey in Cambridgeshire had long since ended, but local tensions remained high, with an infantry regiment stationed in five larger villages, ready to suppress any potential rebellion.

Meanwhile, intelligence agents ventured deep into East Anglia to search for clues, inevitably alerting the lords of East Anglia.

"Why is Vig coming after me when the people of Cambridgeshire are spreading rumors?"

Upon receiving reports from various locations, Edmund erupted in fury, his anger tinged with fear.

Today, the nobles are gradually becoming aware of the existence of the intelligence system. This group is not bound by the cabinet and is only responsible to the royal family.

Such a large-scale operation proves that Vig has his eye on him.

Edmund summoned five of his most trusted confidants and instructed them to quickly ascertain the agents' intentions in order to respond promptly.

Two days later, a knight returned to Norwich and reported the news to the Earl.

"Sir, an assassination attempt has been made on investigators in Cambridge. The military found a batch of illegally minted silver coins at the assassin's residence. The intelligence system then took charge of the investigation, eventually tracing the trail back to East Anglia."

Edmund nodded in satisfaction, admitting he had misjudged the man; he hadn't expected this big, simple-minded fellow to be so capable. He opened the drawer, preparing to reward the man, when suddenly a doubt arose in his mind:
How do you know so much detail?

“Uh,” the knight said, scratching the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed, “I saw someone asking around in the tavern, so I followed him out of the tavern, only to be cornered in an alley by him and two of his accomplices.”

Then I fought them fiercely, killing two and capturing a wounded man, from whom I extracted a lot of information. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe, and he died not long after.

Seeing the count's pale face, the knight added, "I found a cart afterward and dumped the body in the wilderness. There were absolutely no witnesses, so you can rest assured." "You, you," Edmund's voice trembled, wishing he could strangle this idiot who only knew how to fight.

After driving the other person away, he went to the window and looked out at the scenery outside the castle, feeling extremely annoyed. If only he had known this would happen, he should have sealed the silver ingots in the cellar and waited ten or even twenty years before taking them out to spend.

"Paffis, I've been ruined by your money."

Two years ago, the French army was clearly in decline. Parfice, along with his nephew and several close associates, fled to northeast of Cambridge, where they retrieved silver ingots that they had embezzled from the silver mine over a long period of time and attempted to escape.

Coincidentally, Edmund discovered all of this. He happily accepted the money and then interrogated Paffees about the other hiding places of his money, as well as the list of his cronies planted in various places, including the silver mine manager in Nottingham.

After the trial concluded, Edmund killed Paffees and others, causing the outside world to lose all contact with Paffees. Some suspected the eunuch had absconded with the money, others suspected he had fled to Normandy, and still others suspected he remained in the Kingdom of Britain, waiting for an opportunity to instigate a rebellion against Vig.

Subsequently, Edmund fell into a financial crisis and could only mint the silver ingots and utensils that Parfus had embezzled into coins to cover various expenses. Ultimately, he never hired anyone to assassinate the investigators; the intelligence system was flawed from the start!
However, even if he is not involved in this matter, there are still four charges against him that he cannot absolve:
He hoarded Parfaits's wealth, sheltered a fugitive silver mine manager, minted silver coins illegally, and killed intelligence agents.

Faced with a variety of crimes, even the generous and magnanimous Ragnar would not easily pardon, let alone the notoriously strict and meticulous Vig Tynburg.

"If things get out of hand, that Viking barbarian will definitely not tolerate me. I must make plans as soon as possible."

After much deliberation, Edmund wrote to Scunthorpe, north of Cambridge, inviting the Earl of Budden to meet him.

Edmund had sent men to search for the eunuch's second treasure location, but Budden, taking advantage of his position, seized the majority of the wealth. Edmund planned to drag Budden down with him to alleviate some of the pressure.

"Kid, this money isn't free. Don't think you can just walk away from it."

Two days later, the sixteen-year-old Earl Budden received a letter. Although the letter did not explain the reason, he instinctively sensed trouble.

"That damned old man, what kind of wicked scheme is he plotting now?"

Budden led a group of knights and ordered them to wear cloaks and discreetly head towards an abandoned village within Cambridge.

In a courtyard where wild roses and nettles grew, he met Edmund, whose face was full of sorrow.

“Brother Buden, you’ve finally arrived. Tell these people to disperse; I need to speak with you privately.”

Budden dismissed the knights and sat impatiently on the stone steps. He then heard bad news from Edmund: Vig knew about the two counts dividing the Paffet treasure and was sending intelligence agents to investigate.

Budden instinctively prepared to repay the money, but unfortunately, only a small portion of the thousand-pound fortune remained, causing him to panic. "I'll borrow money from someone immediately."

"Calm down, Brother Buden, that money is no longer important."

Edmund forced a worried look. "I sent someone to Londinium to gather information, and it's said that Vig's true intention isn't money, but rather to frame us as accomplices of Parfies and then seize our lands."

"Here, what should I do?"

Budden, who had inherited the title two years earlier, was inexperienced and was easily intimidated by Edmund. He panicked and grabbed Edmund's arm, seeking a solution.

(End of this chapter)