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Moon didn’t conceal anything she knew and openly told us what he knew.

In simple terms, there are things that practically all the big potatoes in this world can’t place into plain view. For example, assassinations, feeding the enemy misinformation through their spies, scouting out information, eliminating dissidents and so on.

Let’s say we take ten thousand steps back; even if you don’t need to do these kinds of things, wouldn’t you still need to protect yourself against other people doing these things to you? There’s no one out there who doesn’t like to have several extra cards in hand, so every bigshot will certainly foster some people who are absolutely loyal to them in order to deal with such matters. These people are called the【Secret Division】with the meaning of such a title being ‘regardless of whether it’s work or their personal lives, everything is full of mystery’. Either they’re always concealed in the darkness or roaming in the darkness of cities. In brief, they absolutely won’t reveal their identities as being part of the【Secret Division】.

As for the main headquarters of the Secret Division Organization, it’s said that they’re based in the most well-developed territory. If it isn’t anyone else, then it’s the place situated right next to our West-Resisting City: Yun Hai.

The Overlord of Yun Hai comes from a mercantile background and Yun Hai also happens to be the most prosperous territory for commerce. Merchants just so happen to be one of the groups of people who deal with information the most. Travelling merchants journey to all parts of the country, so they need to pay attention to every locality’s conditions, customs, and price fluctuations. In order to expand their business, they must also seek for supporters in the locality, so naturally they’ll come into contact with the big shots in the area.

The Overlord of Yun Hai controls the commerce in Yun Hai, so much of the information gathered by every merchant converges in Yun Hai. Then, the information collected passes into Yun Hai Convoy’s Secret Division ops, who ultimately categorize all the information and present it to the Overlord of Yun Hai. It can be said that all of the【Chambers of Commerce】in Yun Hai are the Overlord of Yun Hai’s Secret Division Organization.

As for the Overlord of Yun Hai’s second son Bai Feng, he controls the well-known Secret Division Organization【Nirvana】whose influence extends to all parts of the country.

I still remember that time I went to Yun Hai. At that time, I still didn’t know anything about Bai Feng but he already knew me like the back of his hand. All the policies that I issued after arriving at West-Resisting City and my secretly expanding Demon Cultivation Farm industry, Bai Feng was long since aware of them. This only shows that he had placed informants inside West-Resisting City before I had even come and their numbers weren’t a simple one or two.

But while Yun Hai Territory’s Secret Division might be powerful, its main directives are to gather information and secretly protect their masters. Apparently, they rarely do any assassinations. If you think about it carefully, Bai Feng can’t do things like assassination since he’s made himself a public image of being a person of noble character.

However, just because Yun Hai doesn’t participate in such activities doesn’t mean other families will do the same.

Overlord of Huaiwang’s【Nocturne】, Overlord of Zixuan’s【Setting Morning】, and the Overlord of Lingwu’s【Hidden Guard】are the three major Secret Division Organizations well-known for assassination.

After listening to Moon boast about these things for quite a while, I couldn’t help but to feel an itch in my heart.

As a person who’s been around the block, I’m very well aware of the significance of information warfare. Did Fang Thirteen lose because she wasn’t strong enough? No, of course not. The ten-city formation of hers was considerably perfect as shown by how little results our north-south pincer attack obtained. The reason she lost was because of me, the despicable traitor, doing the utmost I could to betray information on the formations, carried out the stratagem of sowing dissension, and finally single-handedly breaking into the City Lord’s mansion and seizing Fang Lita.

Speaking of which, I alone also count as a Secret Division Organization, but the force of just me alone is too small. The crux of such an organization lies on their ability to mobilize en masse and the enormous strength garnered by their unity. If you’re able to break down the opponent before they even mobilize their troops or you’re able to simply give the opponent’s key figure a sudden blow, then wouldn’t everything afterwards become a piece of cake?

Maybe there really will be a day when I might still be in my City Lord’s mansion, but already knows what color underwear His Majesty is wearing for the day. Though, I don’t really care about what color underwear he wears. But if such a day does arrive, then perhaps those letters I sent to little princess Lan Na won’t be intercepted by imperial bodyguards and instead go directly into her hands.

While having this sort of beautiful daydream, I asked:

“Does our West-Resisting City have this kind of organization?”

Moon looked at me as if she were looking at an idiot and extended his fair white hand over at me while saying:

“I want to set one up too. People? Money? We have neither the reserves of talented people nor the money to establish such an organization. Ever since I’ve broken away from Bai Feng’s faction, West-Resisting City’s information source has basically all been purchased from information merchants by using large sums of money. Money is being spent like flowing water; I feel pain in my heart every time I think about it.”

I scratched my head and righteously declared:

“Moon, there’s nothing that a determined person cannot accomplish.”

In reply, Moon earnestly said:

“I’ve actually been depositing a copper coin to the little piggy bank at my bedside every night to maybe one day save up enough for our own【Secret Division】.”

Nonono, at this speed of saving money, unless I started cultivating immortality until the point I can live for thousands of years, I’m afraid we’ll never see that day come.

Even though such a retort in my mind formed, I knew that Moon was already under heavy pressure and that West-Resisting City indeed had no money to engage in these activities. Thus, I responded with a smile on my face:

“It’s not that important. With Bai Huang’s constant patrols, West-Resisting City’s safety should be more than enough.”

Aleya spoke up:

“I will stay by young master’s side and protect him well.”

Felita clenched the magic staff in her hands and also piped up with an invigorated voice:

“Me too.”

I thought to myself, ‘if there’s such a thing called 1v1 in this world, I wouldn’t be intimidated by anyone’, but I couldn’t tell them that. So I simply grinned as I said:

“There’s no need to be so nervous, that assassin clearly didn’t want Fang Thirteen to seize Li Neng’s fief. That is to say, she doesn’t want us to continue expanding eastwards. With this being the case, we’ll just withdraw our troops if worst comes to worst and attack at the beginning of spring next year. Just because we can’t do anything about it now doesn’t mean that we can’t do anything about it in the future. Besides, that assassin isn’t some deity; I don’t believe that she’ll keep watch by herself in Rivet City and prevent our eastward expansion.”

Moon bit her lip and didn’t say anything in response.

Aleya and Felita were quite relieved at this non-response.

Like this, today’s meeting was disbanded as usual. Aleya went to cook while Felita returned to her room to delve into cryptic, difficult to understand magic books. I was about to go worm my way into my bed since there was no sun out and the air was cold, so my bed was looking to be a much better option than the outside.

I didn’t expect that just as I had walked to the door, Moon reached out a hand to block me from going further and said:

“Li De, I have something I need to tell you.”

Seeing her expression extremely solemn, I halted my steps and queried:

“What?”

Moon thought for a bit before replying:

“First go back and change into some common clothes. Then put on some simple makeup, don’t make yourself look too conspicuous. After I also prepared myself, I’m going to take you out for a look.”

I felt baffled in my mind but I didn’t reject his request. When I returned to my room, I chose a suit of coarse plain cotton clothing. Then, I drew myself a handlebar mustache, rubbed a block of charcoal on my face casually several times and basically made myself appear to be some family’s clumsy little apprentice. After I finished my preparations, I met Moon at the entrance of my City Lord’s mansion. She was in men’s clothing, a sight I hadn’t seen for a while, with her hair coiled up, exposing her snow-white neck. He was wearing white clothes from head to toe and held a parasol in her hand.

Oh right, since I’m a little apprentice walking together with him, let me immediately get into my role.

I walked over, extended my hand, and said:

“Come, big brother Moon~I’ll help you hold the parasol.”

Moon handed over the parasol to me and walked on the azure slabbed road with me. He softly whispered:

“Li De, these words might seem sudden, but according to my observations, it would be best if we seize Rivet City this year. Otherwise……things will become a little troublesome.”