"For the ten, just what is going on?" As Aison entered the room, about an hour and a half after midnight, such were his first words. And I couldn't blame him.

I am straying from the chronology here, but as I [Record] this after all the events ended, I feel I am at least allowed to play a bit with the drama in my inner journal.

But now, let's return to where I stopped the previous sheet. So, about the moment where I called out Gudea's actual position and allegiance.

_______

"You, just who are you?" Gudea didn't ask stupid questions or refuse anything, asking the only thing that seemed sensible for such a setting, my identity.

"First, clear out whatever I crashed against, then we shall speak calmly." I glanced behind and found that my actions had led to what I had thought of before. A figure in leather armor beneath the remains of the chair I had been sitting in during the conversation's first part.

"Yes." Even as I released him and sat on another of the chairs, Gudea didn't dare to move until I settled in the new chair and didn't even call for his servant until allowed, "Holt, come in."

If the middle-aged, stone-faced, and silent butler had any thoughts about the destruction, the guard's unconscious body, or Gudea's pale face, he kept them to himself. This Holt didn't show any emotion even when Gudea asked him to call for the other guard and to clean up the room. Or the follow-up about bringing us a few bottles of the chosen one and then leaving us undisturbed.

The other guard thought, who turned out to be a stern-faced woman that matched me in height and probably was even slightly burlier than me, was far more emotional. She growled, grunted, glared at me, and showed all kinds of displeasure, suspicion, and hostility as she alone picked up the male guard's body and, not caring about his state or the trails of blood on his face, hauled him out as a sack of potatoes at best. Yet, she didn't dare to speak up, not even as Gudea ordered her to guard the door from outside after taking care of her companion.

"This is good wine, and I feel there will be a need for it." I have to give Gudea that he recovered pretty quickly. Not later than the butler left us six, made of actual glass, bottles of wine, he commented with the most normal tone and face.

"It is so, I agree." Taking one of the half-liter (or maybe a bit smaller) bottles, I uncorked it, smelled the aroma, which reminded me of apricots, and served myself a glass.

"I can assure you there is no poison." Gudea observed my movements, and as I stopped before taking a sip, he immediately attempted a joke.

A joke that I replied with something that he could take as one as well, but was nothing but the truth, "No matter, it is not like there is a poison in the Empire's vineyards to kill me."

"So the Maester knows of wine?" It seemed that I nailed it with the country of origin, even if I meant the vineyards of his spying organization, ring, or whatever in hell the [Empire Own] were.

"Just a bit." Now playing a role I had settled in along with the plan, I briefly smiled as I took a sip before continuing.

"You asked me for my identity, but I can't reveal any but the one I currently have-" Using my left hand to pull my bandana off, I revealed the half-white hair of mine, then introduced myself, "-for now, I am Lindar."

"Someone employed by the Trade Guild, but neither officially nor the one in Vruz." I would continue a moment later after considering that Gudea could track me anyway if he wanted. {And some truth is always good for a relationship, don't they say so?}

"The Guild? Then why..?" Gudea instinctively wanted to question further but made himself kill off the following words, leaving it open.

"Why am I aware of your identity? Concealment magic is good, but not when you know someone has something concealed. As for when? Let us say this could be not our second meeting." Here I was deliberately complicating the matter, considering that no matter how well prepared Gudea was, no one could have explained Gudea about magic to a degree above a mage. And from my knowledge, not even Azar (the only Mage I knew) could say to know much outside his own scope of choice.

***

Some prodding, mystic, obscure remarks, plus a few hints about knowing more that I shared, and Gudea grew convinced I am not who I say to be. As for him, he was what I assumed him to be. He was a spy from the Litwalian Empire. Part of a group meant to infiltrate the different points of importance in the Kingdom of Neverc.

I honestly wasn't so interested in his mission and such, only considering such an approach the best for the offer that he could not refuse type of deal. Yet, I did learn a great deal about it from what he shared in response to my questions and probing.

Chubu was a linchpin in the economy of the Kingdom, and its allegiance, be it to the King or the Council, played a decent-sized role in what part of the ruling class would be calling the shots.

Being the location of contact with the Sharagzian Kingdom, which remained a mystery to the Empire, was also a big plus. And so Gudea had been sent to try and infiltrate the higher echelon of the city, be it as a successful merchant, via marriage, affairs, or anything else that would help him achieve success.

For now, in the nearly seven years he spent around, his only task has been to gather information and establish contacts. So as soon as I learned that, I killed off the topic.

And indeed! What did I care about his task? Especially after confirming I wasn't dealing with some other 3rd or 4th side in the already muddy waters of this city?

And so, with his task out, it was my turn to reveal what I was up to. {A give and take is the best way, for now, and then press as soon as I convince him that I will not interfere if he helps.}

"For one, I have some preparations to do with the dwarven merchants for a big trade planned by my current contractor. The situation is getting out of hand, but I trust we will find a way to solve it." I was obviously not going to reveal to him that I concluded a deal or the contents of it, but I did intend to meet up with the dwarves, so it was better to set up some backstory for that.

Then, after a pause, I continued, "Then, there is the second matter for my arrival to Chubu, and it is probably the important one for both of us. After all, for me, it is personal. As for you, it will only continue to draw attention to your person and the city itself. A kind of attention that Maester Gudea probably would not feel, but the [Two-faced Demon] Zanar will definitively loathe."

"...[Royal Hounds]." Gudea was obviously not an idiot, and he had already noticed the increased eyes on him.

"Indeed, the [Hounds]." I nodded, relaxing in the chair and sipping at the wine, making him take the initiative and ask me what the hell was going on or what was that second matter of mine.

And so he would do, just a couple minutes of silent gazing later.

***

Gudea was probably the person whose words I would believe the less. Yet when he angrily challenged my claim about the [Garden of Pleasure] partaking in the slave trade, I couldn't help but believe him. Even his motives, what he voiced, were so logical that I couldn't refute them.

Indeed, he was here to infiltrate the players in Chubu and then the Kingdom's politics. So why would he risk everything with something that could kill or send him to prison? And for what? For some gold or a couple of sicko contacts?

Still, after he calmed down from his feigned, or not, outrage, Gudea started thinking, and with the [Hounds] moving as proof of the reality of my claims, he didn't skim over any details as he laid down the brothel empire of his bare before me.

In short, it was more or less what Yuld had explained to me. Only some more data about the people and reasons to be of each of the four buildings he managed, on behalf of their actual owner, the Baron of [Old Anear], his father-in-law.

The [Garden of Pleasure] had a wide range of services, the building offering from private meetings to the actual brothel stuff. With prices mostly in gold coins, only the most renowned merchants and Chubu's nobility as clients. All the girls and women under employ, and perfectly aware of both actions and payments they would do or receive.

The [Joyful Guardswoman] was akin to a tavern with added benefits, where anyone could offer one of the serving women or men the coins and go up to the private rooms. The business had it cut and guaranteed safety and so, but the workers were free to choose if they wanted to do something or not. There were a couple of criminal or debt slaves working there, but it was official, and there were letters of acceptance for the services provided.

The [Warehouse of Fun] was of low class, and in truth, it wasn't even administered so much by either Gudea or from the owner's side. Still, with the city's main riches coming from the mines, it was wise to have someplace where the miners could spend, so the repurposed warehouse was born. The women working there all came from the outer city, no questions asked, and it was up to them how much money to ask and everything, with only a base fee going to the owner side.

The [Charm Pit] was a shithole, and Gudea himself called it one. Still, Gudea was the one to create it, and for no other reason than as a ground to gather for the outer city men. The women there, he didn't even know them, and even the place itself, he had only visited once or twice. Thanks to a few movements, the hole became the spot for meetings between the low-ends and criminals, and neither Gudea, the Baron, or even the city authorities cared about anything but the information that was sometimes found through the [Pit] servers.

As for the [Amusement Lodgings], that one was a bit of a particular case. Owned by the Baron as the others, it wasn't truly his as it was of the city's higher-ups, even the Viscount having a small share in there. Not really for money, as it hardly netted some thirty-forty gold a month, a motley sum even for one noble, what to say for several.

The real reason was information, and the guards, nobles, and even merchants had a steady, almost business-like deal with the girls working there. The latter would try and fish out anything useful from the dwarves, merchants, and the odd foreign visitor, while the city and noble part would share one or two bits of info for the girls to sell.

"So if you are sure there are some deals about selling girls going on somewhere, it can only be the [Charm Pit], but even if that is so, we have nothing to do with it. After all, where would we use the girls? Every of our other three buildings? That would be stupid! Especially with the steady stream of women from the outer city or the region, ready to work and win their keep without any fuss and risk." In short, Gudea's conclusion was hardly different from Aison's one.

Yet, unlike Aison, Gudea could act openly, and so he would, even if that was thanks to my new-found stick, "Tomorrow I will pay a surprise visit there, along with a few guards, and have a talk with Fiot, the guy who runs it for us, and is in charge of reporting everything."

"Look for information about Micheal. That was the name I heard from the would-to-be slavers." I added as he nearly stood up to show he would definitively investigate.

"I will, and I will also talk with the Baron's people, especially with Commander Foth, as to why I don't know anything about the rumors of missing girls in the region." Gudea nodded, touching another of the moments I shared with him on the topic.

"Mmm, it would be strange for the guard commander of the city to be unaware of such." I nodded in agreement while thinking that it wasn't even strange. It would be outright bizarre for Foth to be unaware!

***

There would be a couple of other points to discuss my actual reason for visiting the city proper. Yet, Gudea was ready to help, so I hoped that later, with Aison's cooperation, we would find the culprits and end this stuff once and for all.

Now, with that out, it was time for my actual cause of visiting Gudea tonight. All that shit about gaining his full cooperation, the ears of the nobility, creating a name and reputation for myself.

Ygiriorth provided me with both information and means and even gave me the idea. And now that I had proved the latter worked, Gudea absolutely not wanting his identity exposed, I could start setting the plan in motion.

"With all that out, I would like to discuss something else." I spoke calmly, even if I felt how I began to sweat or how inwardly I worried it would be here where I would fuck it all up.

The Baron and the Dwarves;

The Baroness and her war preparations;

The new information about the Viscount becoming interested in his troops;

It was time to connect all that stuff in one. As for the incentive, the magic crystal mine, I suddenly felt I should refrain from using it on Gudea. Why? Maybe a feeling, but it was more than that. It was more as if I knew that only his identity would be enough and that mine could serve me for other things.

As I started speaking that night, I felt someone who could help me in the future could be bought with the mine, maybe?

*CRASH*

I will never forget how the door crashed somewhere after my monologue. Just as I questioned Gudea, who had stood up, pale-faced and visibly stressed, about who the hell was the Mage that tried to kill me and how he was related to the inner war about to begin in the Viscounty.

How did I decide the war would be internal? It came instinctively, but at the same time, it was logical. One part was trying to start a conflict against the dwarves while the other two were preparing troops. And from all looks, like me seeing only the Baron's soldiers in the city, neither the Baroness nor the Viscount had the [Sharagzian Kingdom] in mind.

"For the ten, just what is going on?" The source of the crashing sound, Aison, who had just broken through the female guard ordered to not allow anyone in, asked, looking at the signs of destruction, the calmly sitting me, and the pale Gudea.

"Aison, nice to see you!" And in response, I greeted as if nothing was going on...