Stan looked at Mike, then said.

"On average, we have five to seven young women missing per day in the Empire. In the last six months that number has dropped to two or three per day."

"Do you think recent events on the North Prairie have led to a drop in missing persons here?" Mike asked him. "I mean, it could be a simple coincidence."

"I thought it was just a coincidence at first, too. So I decided to check it out," Stan told him.

"Check? How can you check something like that?" wondered Mike.

"Very simple. I went through our ministry's archives on missing persons for the last two hundred years."

"That's a lot of work. Don't you have an Analytical Department? That's their job."

"There is a department, and they're supposed to dig it up, but I decided to personally verify the information."

"And?" inquired Mike.

"There have been seven other cases of prolonged decline in missing persons over 200 years. I compared them to events that took place on our borders. Six of them overlapped. Four were related to the prairie and two to the Acheron River."

"Degree of probability?"

"High."

"Wow," Mike wondered. "But in the year I've been there, there hasn't been a hint of trafficking of our people. Yes, there's worse slavery there than we have. But it's mostly from human kingdoms and dukedoms or from opposing nomadic settlements."

"You've never even heard a rumor?" wondered Stan.

"Not once," replied Mike.

"Very strange."

"I agree. There have been rumors about organ trafficking. And even the main destinations are known-the Sea Brotherhood and the human kingdoms. But I haven't heard about our young women there. And what's the point of getting them across the prairie there."

"I have some ideas about that," remarked Sten.

"Will you share?" Mike asked him.

"I don't think it's just our empire that's flowing. If you remember about ten years ago there was a big stir in the Light Empire when the sister of one of the elders was kidnapped."

"I remember," Mike said. "Anna Frederica Sanchez the younger sister of Maria Frederica Sanchez was kidnapped. And yes Maria is an elder of one of the settlements. I know both of them, by the way."

"And when did you have time."

"When I was in the Light Empire, of course."

"Ha. Anyway, I mean, they choose young, fertile women with a low rank of magic. I think you can guess why."

"But you can't hide it, can you," Mike wondered. "At least the rumors have to be. Surely even the appearance of a half-breed would be different from both parents."

Magic affects the reproductive properties of the body very much. The first problems start when you reach the sixth power rank. After the eighth power rank, it becomes impossible to conceive offspring. The internal magical energy of the body simply kills all other organisms without distinction of an egg or a sperm. Funny fact, but anti magic bracelets and collars do not affect this phenomenon. The only influence is life magic, which allows you to bear offspring successfully to some extent. But it also at a high rank of power requires a huge constant expenditure of energy. This is why the most favorable rank for procreation is the fourth and fifth, at which children successfully inherit a part of their parents' power.

"There are rumors," Stan confirmed. "I've met several times, how human kings have been described as long-lived and looking very young."

"Hundreds of women in a year for a couple of dozen rulers? That's kind of an unrealistic ratio."

"But it's sadly true. I've only dug to the top and I'm already disgusted. It's scary to think what's next."

"Any idea who's behind it here and who's out there?" Mike asked him.

"Not the slightest," Stan replied with a sigh. "I don't have the slightest hint as to who's behind it. There's only obvious speculation."

"Let me guess," Mike interrupted him. "Operations of this magnitude require an extensive organization with access to foreign countries. We have two--no, three major clans--de Wolfe, de Brenyi, and de Graaf."

The Clan de Graf controlled the Ministry of Foreign Intelligence and had territory to the southwest adjacent to the Northern Republic. The Clan de Wolfe controlled the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had territory to the southeast along the Acheron River. The Clan de Brenyi controlled the Ministry of Finance and had a territory to the west with access to the world ocean. The de Brenyi clan also controlled most of the shipping fleet.

"Well, on the continent it's either the Holy Empire or a Magical Enclave," Sten finished for Mike.

"Yeah, except the Magical Enclave doesn't need it. They don't have any restrictions on magic, unlike the Holy Empire. So I'd bet on them."

They both fell silent, each considering what they had said. After a couple of minutes, Mike was the first to speak.

"Stan, so what do you want from me? Help or what?" he asked him.

"Honestly?" Stan asked, and Mike then nodded affirmatively. "Then yes. I know you're on good terms with the head of your clan and you have direct access to her."

"Okay, and what do you want from her?"

"To give her this information. It's too big a case for me, and I don't know what to do with it next."

"Aren't you afraid that my clan might be involved in this case?"

"Mike, I trust you more than the top of my superiors. You've praised her more than once and told me how principled she is and so forth."

"Okay, let's say. I can give her your information personally. But if they suddenly come for you, don't blame me."

"Deal," agreed Stan.

"So how many people know about this?" asked Mike.

"Well, two know now."

"You didn't even tell your superiors?"

"Of course not," replied Stan.

"Is it that bad?" wondered Mike.

"No, but...would you trust your direct superior to tell that?"

"No," Mike replied without a second thought, and suddenly wondered. And why "no," since there was nothing bad he could say about Colonel Tyrell. As a leader, he was not bad much, but as a man, Mike had disliked him since childhood. But that was his personal opinion. The colonel wasn't guilty of anything illegal, or he wouldn't be in his position. Except that everyone thought he was a little greedy and jealous, which Mike agreed with. Work stuff, no problem; personal secrets, the answer was rather no.

"You see," said Stan. "And yet you reproach me for being paranoid."

"It's more of a personal dislike with the colonel," Mike rushed to justify himself.

"Whatever you say. When you can relay the information."

"If it's urgent, I can do it tomorrow," Mike answered him. "If you have it with you."

"No. I didn't bring anything with me."

Mike sighed.

"Well, then how do you want to do it?"

"I can be outside your ministry tomorrow morning and give you all the information right there. And then I'll wait for you until you hand it over and get some instructions. In case you need me."

"In what form do you even have it. Hopefully not just old paper archives."

"Everything is saved on a tablet."

"You even bothered to transfer everything to a tablet."

"You said it yourself, paper archives aren't convenient to work with."

"Okay, it's a deal then," Mike agreed with him.

Stan stood up from his seat and deactivated the two amulets he had placed one by one, then tucked them away in his pocket. Mike immediately felt the perception outside the room return to him. And they both immediately sensed a company of three people in the next room. There was a muffled sound of the waiter asking them for their order.

Stan and Mike looked at each other.

Mike used the button on the wall to call the waitress, and after a while, she appeared.

"Anything else you gentlemen want," she asked.

"The bill please," Stan asked her.

"Right away," she said and opened their order. After a quick count, she said. "Four in gold and forty in silver."

Stan pulled out his purse and counted out the required amount.

"Thank you for your order. We look forward to seeing you again," taking the money the waitress said and bowed slightly.

After saying goodbye, he and Mike then went downstairs and out into the street.

It was getting late. The sun was low and only the tops of the buildings were lighted. People on the street were hurrying about their business. The first street lamp posts began to illuminate. Not far from the cafe, Mike noticed a woman standing with her dog on a leash and a bright red handbag over her shoulder.

"Mike, why are you without a carriage," Stan asked him.

"I released Doran," Mike answered him. "I didn't know how long were going to be here."

"I see," Stan sighed. "It's going to take a long time to catch the carriage."

"You won't have to," Mike told him with a chuckle and waved his hand at the approaching carriage. It had a green light on it -- it was free.

The carriage pulled up, and the driver asked them.

"Where can I take you, gentlemen?"

"Him," Mike pointed to Stan. "To take him home."

"Maybe you go first."

"Sit down already," Mike pushed him. "Nothing's going to happen to me."

"Okay, okay. I got it. You don't have to push," Stan said as he opened the carriage door. Then he turned to Mike. "I'll meet you at the place tomorrow morning."

"Okay, just don't be late."

Mike followed the carriage with Stan with a glance until it was out of sight. Now he had to catch a carriage for himself. There wasn't much traffic on this street, and there were fewer free carriages in the evening, and it could take a long time to wait for such a carriage.

After standing like that for a couple of minutes, he was starting to get a little jealous of Stan. Mike was seriously considering going to a busier street and catching a carriage there.

At that moment he felt a slight nudge on his side, even more like a light touch. Turning his head, he saw a figure in gray traveling clothes running two meters away from him. Mike tried to touch his purse on the belt with his hand. To his surprise, it wasn't there.

"Bloody crap," Mike cursed and ran after the thief.

Spinning his head, he didn't see any guard in the area. Mike was about to call for help when the thief caught up with the lady with the dog, snatched her handbag in a sharp movement, and ran on.

"Stolen!" screamed the lady. "My handbag was stolen!"

At that moment Mike was already near the lady and running past her he shouted.

"I'll give you your handbag back."

The thief was only a few meters ahead, and he seemed to catch up with him easily.

"Get the thief!" shouted the lady from behind, drawing attention to herself. "My handbag's been stolen!"

Mike had almost caught up with the thief. There was only a meter and a half to go. When he felt a surge of magical power ahead, the thief accelerated suddenly.

"Demons get you," Mike cursed again.

Quickly creating a weave of a simple "Air blade" spell and gathering some air energy in his hand, he threw it at the thief's feet. Mike hit where he aimed, but much to his dismay a protective shield burst around the thief, absorbing the spell.

"Arg," Mike gritted his teeth at his failure. The distance between them was rapidly increasing. Mike created a new weaving, but a different "Quick legs" spell. A small glow enveloped his body and his speed increased greatly, and he began to catch up with the thief again.

Hearing Mike approach him, the thief turned his head to look back. Mike finally saw the thief's face - a light-skinned human face with short dark hair and perfectly ordinary little-remembered facial features.

The thief smiled and turned sharply to the right into the alley. Mike wasn't expecting that and almost ran into the couple ahead of him, good thing he canceled his "Quick legs" in time and stopped literally at arm's length. It took a few seconds to get back and run into the alley and re-create the "Quick legs" spell.

The thief got pretty far away, but Mike had a chance to see where he'd gone. He was there in a few seconds, too, and didn't hesitate to run into the half-open gate.