Ancient Dragon in Arknights

As long as the hush money is paid in time, today's events will simply be that the master and the assassin had a dispute over the loot, which led to a conflict and then they killed each other.

"Should we leave this guy alive?"

To maximize his profits, Nesario only knocked out the Godfather of Fangs and did not kill him.

"He is still needed to control the Fang Gang."

Ultimately, the classically elegant manor was transformed into a murder scene, the Dogtooth Godfather was taken away, and the assassins sent from Syracuse were also beheaded.

The Glasgow Gang successfully defeated the Fang Gang, and in an instant, all six blocks under the Fang Gang's control, plus blocks 56 and 57, came under their control. Nesario and Vina made a public appearance; hopefully, this won't escalate into a major incident.

Nesario gave Vina a day; on Sunday, she could calmly lead the Glasgow Gang through such a massive spoils.

But on Monday, she had to go to the Ottocrig district with Nesario.

This was something that had been agreed upon beforehand, and Vina had no objections to it.

......

“It’s incredible…”

In her room, Lothiri arranged and connected the pieces of intelligence she had collected, and as she looked through them one by one, it was not hard to see that they were all related to Nesario.

From their meeting to Nesario's subsequent activities, his previous background was investigated by a specialist.

Lori and Fisher were in the same class, a special class that specialized in training intelligence agents and focused on intelligence gathering.

Imagine a class where all the students possess skills such as "micro-expression interpretation," "information encryption," "code breaking," "recording and eavesdropping," "disguise infiltration," and "reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance." What would the atmosphere of that class be like?

The answer is that there is no trust involved.

True spies do not trust others, but it is precisely because they have no one to trust that they crave "honesty" so much.

Losley valued Rita highly because the girl was upright, brave, and honest, and seemed to radiate sunshine; Losley considered her different from someone like herself who danced gracefully at the ball wearing a mask.

The same goes for Fisher. What did he see in Nesario? Unconventional, free-spirited, and unrestrained—things a spy wouldn't even dare to imagine. Aside from his student status, Fisher had long been entangled with Victoria's official organizations, and his freedom had long been shackled.

Now, Rita may very well have made a hypocrite as a friend.

Lori didn't want her to get hurt, so—she had to do something.

"The Glasgow Gang—originally a gang from the Norbert district, but moved to the Sadion district due to the desolation of Norbert. It happened about a month ago—around the time the Guardian Academy started. They are usually peaceful and have not engaged in any acts of plundering civilians. They even help residents with chores and have a very good reputation in the neighborhood."

Subsequently, the Glasgow Gang immediately attacked the Fang Gang's territory and achieved initial success—according to multiple intelligence reports, the Fang Gang's defeat was inseparable from a sudden attack by a mysterious figure.

One guy single-handedly destroyed a stronghold of the Fang Gang, a feat clearly comparable to that of the infamous Vayvan within the academy.

"A gang... what exactly is this guy doing behind the scenes?"

Lori looked at Nesario's photo, which had been taken and circulated by the infatuated girls in the academy.

In the photo, Nesario has a sharp gaze and a serious expression, with sunlight shining on his face; it reminds Losilly of that romantic and poetic afternoon when they almost became friends.

But the thought that this guy might be doing whatever he wants in the underworld made Losley realize once again the complexity and diversity of human nature, and strengthened her resolve as a spy—to keep her eyes open, not to be deceived, and even more so, not to be led astray by emotions.

Chapter 59 Terra Has "Dragons"!?

Monday is her birthday. It is said to be the birthday of Victoria, the first king, so it is a special holiday.

Nesario, a Colombian, knew who Victoria's predecessors were and who Victoria's most famous kings were, but he really didn't know who the first king was.

Who he was is not important; what matters is that his birth gave future generations a day of holiday, and that alone is worth immeasurable merit.

At least Nesario himself was very grateful to him. The Victorians valued this holiday, and the owner of the mansion would certainly attend some commemorative activities. This kind of thing was very popular among the nobles.

This provided him with the perfect opportunity to commit the crime.

"Vina, lead the way."

At the checkpoint in the Sadion district, Nesario and Vina walked side by side; Indra and Morgan were absent because they were managing the Glasgow gang's expanding territory. They said nothing, for they all trusted Vina and believed she would handle everything herself.

"follow me."

Vina did not lead Nesario through the main gate, but instead chose to proceed downwards from the station.

Mobile cities are the greatest wonder of Terra, bar none.

From a broad perspective, massive urban areas, laden with skyscrapers, stretch across the land; but once you enter this world, you'll find that it is also flawless in its details.

The gaps between urban plots have been transformed into train stations through advanced industrial technology and design. These stations act like the city's blood vessels, allowing residents to move freely between urban areas.

Instead of taking the train, Vina turned left and right and went into the city's sewers.

The dark and deep pipes seemed to have no end, and the only light came from the red warning lights placed every few meters. Walking through them felt like being in another world, no longer Lentinium, but a completely new place.

How many pipes are there?

“These pipes cover the entire Londinium; wherever there are mobile city blocks, these pipes exist.”

"...an unimaginable miracle, a brilliant industrial achievement, it is a work of art that cannot be viewed but can only be experienced with the mind and body."

Although Nesario wasn't as obsessed with science and technology as his sister Celia, as a Colombian who had received a science education from a young age, he was still deeply moved when he saw this work that embodied the wisdom of countless craftsmen.

"These pipes are used as channels for transporting supplies during wartime, but in peacetime they are just sewers. They are dark all day long and can only hide in the shadows."

"You don't like it here?"

Nesario finally understood the reason: from Vina's repeated and unwavering turns, it was clear that she was very familiar with everything here, as if she had returned home.

How did Vina, as a descendant of Aslan, manage to escape the subsequent turmoil? It seems the answer has been given today.

"There is no sunlight in the sewers, nor the luxurious manors and elegant squares of the Ortcliffe district. But they are everywhere; Lentinium is its extension everywhere, it is omnipotent."

If the Ortcliffe district is a symbol of nobility, then these city pipes are the "people"—because they support the Ortcliffe district from below, preventing it from collapsing; they are spread throughout Londinium, and without them, Londinium would also collapse.

This is a philosophical metaphor, but it's a pity that Nessario isn't a writer; otherwise, he could certainly have written today's events into a required article for Victorian education.

......

Because of the lack of transportation, it took three hours just to get out of the tunnel. Just as Nesario's patience was about to run out and he was about to carry Vina away, she finally spoke:

"Here we are."

Vina opened the gate at the exit, and Nesario poked his head out to check the surroundings—unsurprisingly, they emerged from a square somewhere in Autocrig.

'This might be the route Vina took to escape...'

Everyone has a past they'd rather forget.

"I'll take care of the rest myself."

Nesario picked up the small green lamp from his waist, and soon the guidefly began to fly forward—the clues that Scholar Cat had found were true!

Nesario tried to avoid places where he might encounter people, and took various secluded paths towards his goal.

Vina stayed inside the pipe; she would wait there for Neltharion for three hours. In reality... Neltharion could have returned by following her scent, but this was the agreed-upon reward, and Vina herself had no objections.

The streets of the Ortcliff district were unusually quiet, with many nobles hosting banquets today to celebrate his birthday—how ironic that a group of men who had put the king on the execution platform were now praising the birth of the monarchy.

Victoria's books, stories, and history all criticize the former king for his greed and exploitation of the people, ultimately leading to his execution by hanging by an angry mob.

Nesario had previously believed this wholeheartedly; but after meeting Vina and learning much about Drak and Aslan's past, he knew very well that the previous king had been tricked to death.

Someone plotted against him and continued to smear him even after his death—that person was all the nobles and merchants.

Without the constraints of royal power, parliament becomes a dining table for nobles and wealthy merchants, who can exploit people ruthlessly through legitimate means.

Victoria—the former overlord and the most important nation on Terra—has begun to rot from within.

Tap—Nesario successfully arrived in front of a luxurious mansion, and the strong reaction of the guide bug in his hand indicated that the clue was inside.

"It's time to use this."

Nesario took a "cloak" out of his backpack. What made this cloak special was that it was entirely made of patchwork of plants, much like the clothing worn by the natives of the jungle.

But in reality, this is the work of Craftsman Cat and Scholar Cat—an invisibility outfit.

According to them, the special plants on the clothing change color according to the surrounding environment, and as long as Nesario does not move vigorously, it can almost achieve the effect of invisibility, making it the best choice for infiltration and ambush.

Nesario carefully put on this precious item, and as time slowly passed, the clothes actually began to blend into the environment.

If you don't look closely, you really can't tell there's a person there.

'Quickly finish this!'

Nesario climbed over the wall, his eyes wide as he checked whether the surrounding mansion was monitored by electronic technology or equipped with infrared alarms—as it turned out, the classical Victorian aristocracy wouldn't use such things to spoil the elegance of their residence.

Nesario evaded the four maids by lying on the ceiling and finally found the target of the guideworm before the fifth maid appeared.

It was in a collection somewhere in the living room, where many scales were framed, each with a different shape and color. One of the larger scales was covered by the fluorescence of the guide insect.

Those are scales shed by some "dragon"!

Chapter Sixty: Forced Seizure

"This is a big problem."

Nesario felt no joy. His greatest expectation was to find an Palico kept as a plaything in this huge mansion, and it would be even better if it had some strange skills.

But obviously, things rarely go as planned.

The clue wasn't a tuft of cat hair, but a dragon scale. Judging from the size of the scale, its owner was definitely not a cute creature.

Nesario gritted his teeth and decisively took the scales along with the photo frame.

He quickly fled along the route he had taken; this place was not safe to stay any longer, or something bad would surely happen.

Turning the corner, passing over the luxurious wooden gate, leaping over the railing, and running quickly toward the wall.

Nesario is about to escape!

Howl—!

A strong gust of wind rushed towards Neltharion, but his sense of danger alerted him in advance. With a light leap, his powerful legs propelled Neltharion to evade the attack.

"Although my family has fallen on hard times, it's not to the point that a petty thief can come and go as he pleases."

A sharp and shrewd woman slowly emerged from the shadows of the mansion. Nesario sized her up: a Felin race, with white hair and fur mixed with gray.

Her gray hair, just past her ears, gave her an extremely strong and sharp look; the black shirt she wore underneath was unbuttoned low, occasionally revealing glimpses of her deep, snow-white skin; the red suit paired perfectly with the black shirt; the fitted white breeches and black ankle boots made her look less like an aristocrat and more like a cowgirl from a farm.

Nesario saw the Originium Staff in the other's hand, and then glanced at the garden ravaged by the storm beside him. It was Originium Arts again, and it was wind-attribute.