In the past few days, the entire city of Oro had entered a state of strict entry and exit controls.
With the cooperation of Harry and Joseph, all citizens entering Oro were strictly monitored. Especially those carrying weapons or large groups of people entering the city were subsequently watched. For a time, there was no shortage of complaints from the public, but Sean had no intention of letting his guard down. He even secretly spread rumors that this was to prevent the reappearance of rebel forces.
He also went so far as to demonize the Revolutionary Army, portraying them as barbarians who left nothing but desolation in their wake.
Sean never thought that one day he would be manipulating the mainstream voice of the entire city to speak, thereby muddying the public's perception.
Not to mention, this method was quite effective.
As long as the hatred was redirected, approval ratings would bounce back in an instant.
Judging by the colors of people moving across the sand table on a daily basis, at least in the hearts of most citizens, they still held a respectful attitude toward him.
However, for several consecutive days, no traces of the rebels were found. The map on the sand table never showed any red markers again, and even some pinkish ones were investigated by Joseph and the four-man mercenary squad.
Only those confirmed to be grumbling citizens were let off; anyone with unclear identities was arrested and interrogated.
But even so, in a city of several hundred thousand, it was impossible to cover every corner. In the streets and alleys of Oro, and even in the small towns on the city's outskirts, many people still slipped through the strict inspections.
Sean noticed this through the sand table.
It started around yesterday afternoon, maybe a bit later.
Because visibility was poor at night, even the sand table would automatically shift into a nighttime environment. The streets would darken, and pedestrians representing approval ratings wouldn't appear in the shadows.
Yesterday evening, Sean noticed two or three small red dots, slightly deeper than pink, moving around in the northern part of the city. Heading north from Oro directly connected to major cities like Rietis, so mercenaries or northern merchant caravans often chose to settle there, making the northern area populous and chaotic.
But because these red dots were so conspicuous, Sean paid special attention to them. They didn't stay in the city long—they left just before nightfall, without even resting inside the city.
Sean summoned Barnier and the other three to the Earl's mansion.
"Have any large mercenary groups entered the city recently?" Sean asked them, looking at the sand table.
By now, these four were considered his subordinates—if not directly under him, at least they were paid by him. So whenever he assigned them tasks, they prioritized completing them.
Earlier, he had mentioned the possibility of rebels attacking Oro, so the four had joined the covert investigation into rebel activity.
"Not yet."
"We've been closely monitoring the Mercenary Guild these past few days, but all the groups that have come through are legitimate mercenary teams. None of them include rebel members," Barnier said.
The four had their own methods for confirming whether mercenaries were rebels.
"That's good. Since there are no mercenaries, what about the merchant caravans? Could they be involved?" Sean asked again.
"The merchant caravans haven't changed much lately; everything's been normal. But I've heard that war is brewing in the north, and many merchants have started hoarding supplies at high prices."
Barnier's words reminded Sean that once the northern war broke out, prices might skyrocket. He needed to stockpile supplies in advance.
But on second thought, if neither the mercenary groups nor the merchant caravans had suspicious individuals, then who were those people with hostility levels above normal that he saw yesterday? Since none of his commanders were around in the evening, Sean hadn't been able to have them watched, and their activity period was very short.
They entered the city quickly and left just as fast.
"Lord Sean."
Just as he was thinking, Latine, who was standing before him, suddenly called out to him.
"What is it, Latine?"
This girl was one of his rare admirers. No matter what task he assigned the four-man squad, she always went above and beyond to follow up on the details.
"There's nothing suspicious with the mercenary groups or merchant caravans, but I've noticed that the number of immigrants seems to be increasing lately. They're gathered in the northern area outside the city. I heard from the locals that they're refugees from the southern city of Takoma. But several groups have already passed through—why are more still coming? And if war is about to break out in the north, shouldn't we stop accepting refugees?" Latine said.
Refugees?
Sean suddenly stared at Latine.
"That's right, refugees."
"Huh?"
"Go get me a map of the area around Oro!" he ordered the servant beside him.
Barnier and the other three exchanged curious glances before following Sean to the desk.
"Does the Earl think the refugees are suspicious?"
"It's not a matter of thinking—it's absolutely certain. The Borgs have already started moving. I reckon they can't sit still either. Go call Aslant and Joseph back. We need to act before they react."
At that moment, in a small town outside Oro's northern border, a room that once belonged to a traveler's inn was packed with over a dozen people.
To outsiders, they looked like travelers or a merchant caravan. In any case, they had all arrived one after another but had never entered the city.
Creak—
The door was gently pushed open.
A head poked in, revealing a person in a gray coat standing outside.
After entering, they carefully checked the corridor before closing the door.
"How's the situation?"
A crowd gathered around.
The person in the gray coat shook their head, downed a cup of tea in one gulp, cleared their throat, and spoke slowly.
"No good. The city's defenses are still too tight. We can't get in at all. Even merchants carrying a few extra knives have to undergo strict inspections before being allowed through."
"Then what do we do? Tazmi and Ulysses are still locked up in that dog Earl's dungeon!"
"These damned nobles should have died long ago. I don't know what kind of luck they had to escape that disaster," another person said angrily.
"Now's not the time for that. I've found out that Viscount Weigel's mansion has an underground dungeon. They're likely locked up there. If we want to rescue them, we have to find a way into the mansion," the gray-coated person said.
"Isn't that like attacking the mansion all over again? The mansion's defenses are so tight now—how could we possibly get in? And what's worse, that dog Earl has locked down the entire city. We don't even have a chance to sneak in large numbers," someone in the crowd sighed.
"Don't rush this. No matter how tight the defenses, there's always a loophole. We just need to split our group into smaller units and slip into the city bit by bit. But the timing isn't right yet."
"Not right? Then when will it be? Any longer, and our people will die in that prison!"
The gray-coated person sighed.
"Don't be so impatient. They won't hold out much longer. I've heard rumors that the war in the north has already begun. The Borgs are advancing unstoppably. It probably won't be long before that incompetent king starts calling on nobles for reinforcements. When that happens, whether Oro sends troops or supplies, it'll be our opportunity."