Chapter 170: Inspection Squad
That night, many of the captured adventurers, assassins, and spies were specially transported back to Bay Territory.
The experienced Old John personally interrogated them thoroughly this time.
With Matthew's full support, these adventurers, who hadn't been given much importance, quickly spilled everything they knew.
Elio, observing from the side, looked conflicted. When Old John washed his hands and came out, she hesitantly asked:
"If they truly intend to make a move against us, will Lord Matthew declare war?"
War—a terrifying word.
Thinking about the family she fled from, Elio fell silent.
Old John, with a cold smirk and full confidence, replied with the words Lord Matthew often used:
"If they dare to act, we might even have to give them some credit."
"But using such disgusting tricks? There's no way they'll start a full-blown conflict."
"According to the rules of the Netheril Empire, nobles can't fight one another directly unless two great families are willing to fight to the death."
"Just report this intelligence to Lord Matthew. He'll make the final decision. We can't decide for him."
Nearby, Felie blinked and couldn't bear to look at the screaming fools being interrogated.
She was about to comfort Elio but noticed that Elio's face had grown determined.
"To protect the territory and our home, even if war comes, I won't be afraid!"
It was only after coming to Bay Territory that Elio truly understood.
Fear was useless. Defending your home with like-minded people was the path she sought.
The care she received in Bay Territory, the hope for a peaceful and prosperous future, fueled Elio's desire to grow stronger through training.
Felie hadn't expected it, but before she could speak, Elio had already broken free of her own mental shackles.
"Alright, take this information with you and let's report it to Lord Matthew."
"We thought we were doing well, but it turns out we missed a lot of issues."
Old John gritted his teeth angrily as he said this.
His family was on their way to Bay Territory, so his resolve to deal with their enemies was stronger than ever.
The two women followed Old John into the lord's manor.
They could sense that the captain had brought them along for a specific reason or purpose.
Ever since moving in, Matthew hadn't done much to expand or renovate the not-so-spacious lord's manor.
He only used some materials and time to reinforce the outer structure.
Ensuring that it wouldn't be easily destroyed by something like a "Fireball Spell."
Many areas of the manor were equipped with detection, alarm, and trap arrays.
The personnel deployment was also crucial.
Over 50 heavily armored infantry soldiers and another 50 elite guards patrolled the manor in three shifts.
Elio observed all of this but didn't sense anything out of place.
Felie, however, who was familiar with noble and spellcaster lifestyles, found the "modest" setup of the manor quite unbelievable.
"Is Lord Matthew really so indifferent to luxury? Or is he investing all his money into developing the territory and strengthening his power?"
"But even so, this hardly suits his status, right?"
"..."
While Felie was lost in thought, Old John suddenly stopped.
A squad of heavily armored soldiers approached and checked their identities.
This was the third inspection so far!
Another thought crossed Felie's mind:
"Lord Matthew certainly values his safety…"
"I wonder where the Arcanist resides?"
As she pondered this, a faint odor drifted by.
A group of soldiers was transporting more than 50 captured trolls out of the side gate of the manor.
Elio and Felie could both sense that these robust, unnaturally healthy trolls seemed a bit off.
Sensing their confusion, Old John turned slightly and whispered:
"See those trolls? They not only train with our soldiers but also participate in Lord Matthew and the Arcanist's experiments."
Arcanist experiments!
Such a chilling topic quickly killed their curiosity, and their gazes toward the trolls became more complicated.
Upon reaching the meeting room again, Elio and Felie instinctively lightened their steps.
The tall lord was facing away from them, working on a clay golem that was a head shorter than him.
Old John stood still, seemingly unwilling to disturb Lord Matthew.
But Matthew had already sensed their arrival and turned around with a smile:
"You've been busy all day. You must be tired."
"Sit down first and take your time explaining."
After Matthew sat down, Old John slowly followed and handed over the parchment containing the intel:
"We've confirmed their origins; they come from two main groups."
"One group is here to gather information."
"They were sent by the Pfizer Merchant Guild, trying to bribe people and obtain classified information about our territory."
"The other group comes from Viscount Carlisle of Blood Moon City."
"The people he sent were here to cause disruption in our territory and sabotage our facilities and factories."
As Matthew read through the "confessions," he could sense the blood that stained them. Old John clearly worked hard to extract this information.
The Pfizer Merchant Guild wasn't an immediate concern.
They hadn't taken direct action, and Matthew didn't plan to attack them for now.
But as for Viscount Carlisle of Blood Moon City, Matthew was quite familiar.
The Carlisle family was one of the three great families of Blood Moon City.
They had been around for centuries and gained power by investing in the development of the Blood Moon City ruins. Their influence was vast, with many family members.
In fact, Matthew had previously crossed paths with the Carlisle family.
The town of Sweetwater, destroyed by the black dragon, and the ill-fated Baron Carlisle, were both part of the Carlisle family.
Clearly, the Carlisle family had their eyes on the ruins.
Their reasoning was simple.
The ruins lay between Bay Territory and Sweetwater, giving both sides a right to develop the area.
Matthew set the documents aside and looked at Elio and Felie, who were still curiously watching the clay golem.
A 4th-level ranger.
An 8th-level swordswoman.
Their potential and combat abilities were sufficient.
Not wanting to waste time since he still had work to do modifying the golems, Matthew got straight to the point:
"To deal with these infiltrating enemies, I want you two to lead and form an inspection squad."
"You'll have the freedom to select your own personnel, with a starting number of 100."
"Your mission is simple but vital: find the infiltrators, capture most of them, and monitor the high-value targets while defending the territory together."
No tools in this territory would be allowed to slack off! Not a single one!