The night fell, with the silver moon shining brightly.
After a dusty journey, Viscount Fein finally arrived at Silver Moon City once again.
The residents of the city were already asleep, the paved streets were desolate, with nothing in sight but the Night Patrol Squad making their rounds.
âTake me to the Half-Elf Palace.â Viscount Fein ordered the coachman in a fatigued voice.
The coachman hesitated, âSir, itâs already late. It might be inappropriate to go to the palace at this hourâ¦â
Viscount Fein raised the curtain of the carriage and scolded coldly, âAre you questioning my order?â
âNo, no!â The coachman shrunk his head in fright and quickly drove the carriage towards the Half-Elf Palace.
Shortly after, the carriage arrived in front of the palaceâs gate.
As it was Viscount Feinâs third visit to Silver Moon City, the guards at the gate recognized him. They scrutinized him thoroughly, and then opened the gate, allowing the carriage to enter the palace.
âHas Count Angler gone to bed? If not, I would like to meet him.â
âPlease wait, I will check for you.â
âOkay.â
After a short wait, the attendant returned, bringing back an unwelcome news to Viscount Fein:
âIâm sorry, Count Angler has already retired for the night. Let me take you to the guest room to rest, and Iâll notify him for you tomorrow.â
âOkay.â
Helpless, Viscount Fein trudged along after the attendant to his lodging.
He was eager to see Colin to finalize Marquis Vincentâs redemption plan as soon as possible so that Count Evanâs plan could be implemented as early as possible.
Otherwise, once Emperor Reinhardtâs War Order reaches the Eastern Border, they wonât be able to commit any acts of aggression towards Silver Moon City, or they will become the public enemy of the Empireâs nobility.
The Eastern Border was in a race against time.
âSir Viscount, please rest here tonight.â
âOkay.â
Viscount Fein dismissed the attendant, threw his luggage onto the table, took off his coat, and lay down on the bed.
Despite the fatigued journey to Silver Moon City, Viscount Fein was not at all sleepy at this moment.
He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He simply got up and walked to the window, gazing at the dim courtyard, lost in thought.
The pale, cold moonlight cast over the Half-Elf Palace. The night wind swept through, causing the shadows in the flower bed to flicker incessantly, like vicious ghosts.
For some reason, Viscount Fein felt an unsettling uneasiness.
As a confidante of Count Evan, he was of course aware of the details of the Eastâs revenge plan.
In his view, the plan formulated by Count Evan himself was flawless and would definitely surprise the Half-Elves, especially Count Angler.
But at this moment, Viscount Fein felt as if he had overlooked some crucial information.
With his hands resting on the beautifully carved window frame, while his gaze was fixed on the tranquil night, Viscount Fein felt as if he was in a foggy wilderness, unable to see the direction ahead. As the shadows were closing in from all sides, a feeling of anxiety and confusion surged in his heart.
Viscount Fein shook his head, telling himself not to overthink. Count Evanâs plan would not fail. What he needed to do now was to meet Colin Angler as soon as possible, set the redemption plan, and then he could justifiably let the Eastâs fleet enter the Crystal River and reach Silver Moon City.
He closed the window, returned to the bed, and forced himself to close his eyes.
But as soon as he closed his eyes, the suppressed worries and anxiety resurfaced.
After restlessly struggling for a while and still being unable to fall asleep, Viscount Fein got up again.
This time he did not stare aimlessly at the pitch-black courtyard but put on his clothes and strode out of the room.
âFollow me out of the palace.â
Viscount Fein woke up the attendant and the coachman sleeping next door and commanded.
The coachman reluctantly opened his drowsy eyes, cursing the damn nobles for being troublesome in his heart, but he dared not disobey the order. He dragged himself up, brought over the carriage, and carried Viscount Fein to the palace gate once again.
When the palace guards saw Viscount Fein again, they were confused: âViscount, you want to leave the palace so late?â
âYes, I canât sleep, so I thought Iâd visit a friend.â
The guard nodded, not making it difficult for Viscount Fein, and immediately allowed him to pass.
After leaving the Royal Palace, the carriage headed west.
Viscount Fein lifted the carriage curtain, staring dazedly at the silent street.
Suddenly, another patrol squad appeared around the corner of the street, and after seeing the badge on the carriage, they didnât dare to come forward with more questions.
However, Viscount Fein looked at the silhouettes of the patrol squad and suddenly realized that he had overlooked something!
The Blood Knight Army!
Where was the Blood Knight Army?
It was only then that he noticed that since entering Silver Moon City this time, he had not seen the Blood Knight Army anymore, whether it was the city gate guards, the patrol squads on the street, or the palace guards, all were the Half-Elves of the Silver Moon Guards!
It seemed natural that Silver Moon Guards were guarding Silver Moon City.
But because of this, Viscount Fein began to feel panic.
Why didnât he see the Blood Knight Army?
âSpeed up!â Viscount Fein couldnât help urging aloud.
âSure thing!â
The coachman hurriedly whipped the horses, the carriage sped up and soon arrived in front of a lavish villa in the commercial district.
Without waiting for the attendant to announce, Viscount Fein jumped out of the carriage and walked briskly inside.
The guards of the villa obviously recognized Viscount Fein and did not dare to stop him.
He hadnât taken many steps when the butler hurried over with a smile, saying, âYour Excellency, itâs late, and the master has gone to bed. Why donât I have someone assist you to rest first, and I will inform the master to see you first thing tomorrow morning⦠â
Viscount Fein didnât even look at the butler, he strode towards the bedroom.
Sweat beading on his brow, the butler hurriedly pleaded, âYour Excellency, Your Excellency! The master really has gone to bedâ¦â
Bang!
Viscount Fein kicked open the bedroom door.
âAh!!!!!!â
Two menâs startled screams instantly echoed in the room, followed by Haverâs irritated rebuke:
âWho is it! Who isâ¦Fein, Viscount Fein! What are you doing here⦠â
Seeing Viscount Feinâs face, the Half-Elf merchantâs scolding got stuck in his throat.
Quickly, he reacted and said flatteringly, âMy lord, if you like this Half-Elf servant, Iâll step aside. Please, go ahead⦠â
Viscount Fein ignored Haverâs goodwill and coldly ordered the disheveled servant, cowering at the foot of the bed, âGet out!â
âYes sir!â
After the Half-Elf servant left, Viscount Fein looked at the reticent Haver and asked urgently:
âWhere is the Blood Knight Army? And where is Colin Angler? Are they still in Silver Moon City?â
Looking at the ill-tempered Viscount Fein, Haver stammered, âThey⦠they seem⦠not here anymoreâ¦â
Viscount Fein grabbed Haverâs collar and roared, âWhat do you mean by âseemâ ? Are they here or not?â
âI honestly donât know! Viscount, I only heard that in the middle of the night five days ago, the city gate was wide open and there seemed to be a large number of cavalry troops leaving Silver Moon City, but I donât know if they were the Blood Knight Army. However, since then, I have indeed not seen the Blood Knight Army in the cityâ¦â
Viscount Fein felt a chill enveloped his whole body, then a surge of anger erupted, he shouted again, âSuch crucial information, why didnât you inform me sooner!â
With a wronged expression, Haver said, âMy lord, I wanted to send you a message, but since then, Silver Moon City has been under martial law, only allowing entry, not exit. Not to mention humans, even a carrier pigeon canât fly out. How was I supposed to notify youâ¦â
Viscount Feinâs face twitched a few times, and he finally threw Haver to the ground. Then, feeling unresolved, he kicked him a few more times.
Haver dramatically wailed a few times, then shrank into a corner pretending to be invisible.
Viscount Fein walked restlessly around the room, after a moment he stopped abruptly and asked again, âWhere is that royal doctor? Where is he now? I want to see him!â
âHe⦠He⦠â
âWhat has happened to him?â
âHeâs gone missingâ¦â
âMissing?â Viscount Fein, furious, rushed over, about to give Haver another beating, when he saw the butler running over in a rush, interrupting:
âYour Excellency, a unit of the Silver Moon Guards has arrived outside. They say they want to see you!â