"What do you mean, my lord?" Harry looked at Sean with a completely bewildered expression.
He suddenly ran over to the sand table, examined it closely, then opened the map of the Oro region to study it carefully.
"What does 'I see' mean, my lord?" he asked, still not understanding.
As for Sean, he stared at the countless tiny dots on the sand table, lost in thought.
"The Borgs are going to start a war."
"What?" Harry looked over in shock.
"Did you receive some news, my lord?"
Even as a count, the people around him assumed he had many channels for receiving information. In truth, the most reliable sources were either through Harry or Sergeant Joseph—he had no intelligence network of his own.
"I once heard that the Borgs and the Kates have formed an alliance and have been active in the northern regions," Sean said.
The alchemists were being forced to stockpile potions, clearly preparing for battle.
And at this very time, rebel members had appeared in his city. If you connected the dots, it looked like the rebels were offering a pledge of loyalty to gain Borg support—because attacking an imperial noble was essentially a declaration of war against the empire.
If the north also fell into conflict, the rebels might just carve out a foothold in the chaos.
"The Borgs... the Borgs have always been hostile to our Basharan Empire. There are countless cases of merchants being humiliated and robbed in Borg territory. Even on the day of the king's coronation, the Borgs held a grand deer hunt—and the king's family crest is a deer's head. It's a clear insult to us!" Harry began his usual rant about the Borgs.
But Sean wasn't paying much attention. He just asked if Ross was around.
That great scholar from the capital had been hard to find lately. His recording work was nearly finished, and he likely had a clear picture of how Oro City should develop. So he'd been spending his time in the small towns outside Oro, continuing his research.
From their conversations, Sean knew Ross was deeply affected by what happened in Shanggu Town, which had sparked his interest in all the small towns around Oro. He hadn't returned to the count's estate in a long time.
"Master Ross should be in one of the other towns. Last time I saw him, he said he'd be back in half a month. It's not time yet. Do you need him, my lord?" Harry, though from Riyetis, had heard of the capital's renowned scholar.
"Forget it if he's not in the city," Sean said.
He had thought Ross, being a notable figure in the capital, might provide more accurate information. Now it seemed he'd have to rely on Freya.
"Harry."
"I'm here, my lord."
"Send another letter to Riyetis, by the fastest means possible. Then have Joseph, Aslant, and Danti come here this afternoon. We need to prepare." Sean saw Harry's still-puzzled expression.
"My lord, do you really think the north will go to war?"
"It's not a matter of thinking—it's already happening. From today on, strictly inspect all goods brought in by merchants. If any large mercenary groups or large numbers of people enter the city, control them. Better yet, restrict the mercenary guild's missions and keep out the big groups." Sean gave his orders.
Harry wasn't stupid. After a few commands, he grasped the situation, especially with the rebel issue.
"Do you think the rebels will attack Oro City, my lord?"
The revolutionary forces were too weak to mount a full-scale siege. If they attacked, it would be from within, targeting the most critical point.
For Oro City, that meant directly assaulting the count's estate and killing the local lord—the simplest plan.
"I'll go now."
"Better handle it yourself," Sean emphasized.
"I understand, Count." With that, he left the study.
Harry Wallop.
His loyalty was genuine, and there were no signs of betrayal, so Sean felt he could trust him.
Watching the green dots moving on the sand table, somewhere in the mercenary guild inn at the northern district, a siege was underway.
*Boom!*
The entire door was blasted inward, and a figure flew out. Barnier walked calmly to the doorway.
"Honestly, you're pretty strong. Fighting you would've been a good match."
"We'd better finish this quickly. Can't keep Lord Sean waiting too long," Latyna urged from behind.
The inn's patrons had all fled from the fight. Outside, the guard troops had formed layers of encirclement. Inside, only Barnier's four-man squad faced the enemy.
After a flurry of action, all who could be killed were down, leaving only the well-dressed young man before them.
Barnier looked helplessly at his teammates.
Ever since meeting Count Viger, this teammate of his had been completely smitten.
"You hit too hard. Lord Sean said to take him alive." Latyna glared at him with wide, dissatisfied eyes.
Uh...
Barnier was speechless.
It felt like Latyna was no longer part of his squad.
"Who are you? You're not the count's men!" Ulysses, lying on the ground with severe injuries, stared at the four.
"We weren't before, but after catching you, we are now."
"Who says that? I've always been by Lord Sean's side," Latyna retorted indignantly.
"Shouldn't we deal with this guy first?"
Ulysses sneered at the four as they inexplicably started arguing.
"Hmph, so you're the noble's lapdogs."
That got Barnier's attention.
"No, you don't get it, Mr. Ulysses. Aren't you just the revolutionaries' lapdog? Get him, Nicole."
At that moment, a massive beam of light shot down from above the inn, piercing through the roof and nearly destroying the entire building.
On the street, Joseph had already cleared out all the nearby vendors and civilians, with the guard troops surrounding the inn.
"Isn't this a bit too much? You wrecked a perfectly good building," Joseph complained as he saw the four emerge.
"At least we caught the guy, and no one got hurt." He tossed a book-like object to Joseph.
"What's this?"
"No idea. It was the only thing on him. Oh, right—he's still alive, not dead."
Joseph glanced at the rubble of the inn, then opened the book.
It was just a thick piece of paper, blank except for a small, ornate silver-polished box drawn on the left.
On the right, it read:
*Your life before was one of blissful ignorance,* *Until darkness came to the door of this fragile world, and you woke from your dream.* *Some indescribable horror has awakened from a billion-year slumber, and everything we know as reality will come crashing down.*