A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 23: Chapter 16 Spy_1

In fact, on the way to the temple, Duanmu Huai had doubts about the elf scout.

As a scout, she seemed to know too much.

Of course, as a scout specializing in information gathering, knowing some secrets was not unusual.

However, when she opened the seal, Duanmu Huai knew that the identity of this elf scout was questionable.

The reason is simple, everyone knows that bank vaults are filled with a large amount of valuable items and cash. Those with some understanding even know which direction the vault door opens to.

But not everyone can have a key to the vault.

After watching the elf scout utter a few spell words and opening the seal, Duanmu Huai knew something was wrong.

If the seal was so easy to open, then were the followers of the Filthy God wasting their time here playing with bonfires?

“Alright, tell me your true identity, Elf.”

Duanmu Huai held the Chainsaw Sword tightly, his gaze cold as he stared at the elf. He felt extremely calm at the moment. As a player, Duanmu Huai had experienced too many similar situations before.

For instance, they would painstakingly escort an NPC to a designated location, only to have the NPC transform into the final boss.

Or they would bring the NPC to a specific location with great difficulty, only for the NPC to suddenly decide to destroy the world.

Or, after going through great troubles to save an NPC, the NPC would reveal their true colors as soon as they were rescued, spreading a virus or plague to the entire world.

Honestly, after going through so much, the players had become numb. No matter how dramatically the plot unfolded, they would eventually grow accustomed to it.

Therefore, in the later stage, when an NPC suddenly transformed into a boss, the players would usually just silently draw their weapons and start fighting.

They couldn’t even bothered to act shocked, let alone maintain any interest in doing so.

There was even a slight sense of excitement.

After all, an additional boss meant one more chance to open a treasure chest!

Because of this, the current Duanmu Huai was extremely calm.

Even if this elf scout was a spy for the God of Trickery or the God of Lust, he was prepared to handle it calmly, having already weathered too many storms.

No matter how dramatically the situation might develop, it was hard for Duanmu Huai to feel anything at this point.

“I am indeed a scout, Sir Knight.”

Feeling the cold blade on her neck, the elf swallowed, her voice trembling. She had seen this sword cleave the Plague Apostle in half. She didn’t think that she could withstand a similar attack.

“I am also a royal spy.”

“Explain, what’s going on.”

Duanmu Huai did not put down the Chainsaw Sword in his hand. This elf scout was clearly more complicated than she appeared. He wanted to know who she truly was.

“I didn’t deceive you, Sir Knight.”

The elf hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to reveal everything.

After listening to the elf’s account, Duanmu Huai finally understood what was going on.

At the root of it all, it was a political mess.

Elisa had mentioned before that the death of the ruling emperor had plunged the entire empire into a power struggle. The elf scout provided more detailed information because she was a royal spy – a spy who only answered to the emperor.

According to the elf scout, the emperor’s sudden death was suspicious. He had fallen ill and died during the mobilization of his army for an expedition against alien races.

Huh? Why does that sound familiar?

Anyway, after the emperor’s death, the expeditionary army suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat back to the imperial city. His heirs began secretly fighting for the throne. Of course, these matters were too distant; let’s talk about the current situation.

That is, why the elf scout appeared in the City of Silver.

The reason was simple; the lord of this place was a loyal royalist. During the great expedition, he provided most of his regular army to the emperor. This was one of the reasons why the City of Silver was currently vulnerable to attacks by ratmen and Evil God Cultists. After all, although this place was on the border, it was not adjacent to other countries and surrounded only by wastelands and deserts. Nobody had ever expected that the Evil God Cultists and Ratmen would dare to lay siege to the city.

This Holy Artifact, known as the “Water God’s Blessing”, was bestowed by the emperor upon the lord as a reward for his loyalty. By rights, the Holy Artifact usually emerges only within the territories of the imperial heirs. Thus, the presence of this Holy Artifact here was akin to a safeguard against political threats and troubles.

Of course, the emperor was not stupid. After giving away such a precious item, he dispatched a royal spy – the elf scout – to hide in this territory and keep an eye on the Holy Artifact, to prevent any mishap.

As expected, a mishap occurred.

The reason she told Duanmu Huai all this was largely because the emperor had died. These royal spies, who were directly under the emperor, became rootless. Without any place to go, they lost contact with their superiors.

Although according to imperial tradition, the reigning emperor should inform his successor of the spies’ existence before his death and hand over the leadership, this rule wasn’t adhered to… because the emperor died suddenly.

However, there was still one problem to be addressed.

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