"Has there been any progress?" the City Lord of Parania City, Paven, asked his butler. "News from the Assassins should have reached us by now."
"Nothing yet, Master," the Butler replied. "Maybe they are still looking for ways to infiltrate the General's Residence without being seen. This is a delicate operation, so they must be taking the slow approach to have a higher chance of success."
Paven frowned, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he swirled the wine glass in his hand before giving it a casual sniff.
A moment later, he drank it all before placing the wine glass on top of the table.
"How about the King?" Paven asked. "Are those numbskulls in the capital really that useless? They can't even make the King agree to send a decree to mobilize the army?"
The Butler shook his head. "Master, the King has always been a Pacifist, so convincing him to wage war is not going to be easy. After the losses that we suffered from the Barbarians on the last expedition, he is quite hesitant to declare war."
"But, the Queen is helping us, right?" Paven inquired. "Her hatred for the Barbarians is the real deal. This is why the King had given an order for the army to prepare for war. However, thinking back, I think this is just his way of pacifying his wife.
"By giving the order to prepare for war, he was able to pacify the Queen and the Radical Faction for the time being. But, unless he gives the order to march, the Generals will not move."
The Butler nodded. "It is as you say, Master. However, I believe that as long as the army is ready to march anytime, the possibility of the King giving in is high as well."
Paven sighed before refilling his wine glass with wine.
The Radical Faction had assigned him to handle the Logistics for more than a year now, and he had to admit that the resources he currently had were more than enough to secure a victorious campaign.
Paven once again picked up the wine glass and started to swirl it. However, as he was doing so, his gaze landed on a pair of ugly birds perched in the top of the tree in his garden.
The two birds were busy grooming their bodies, and weren't paying any attention to him. However, their ugly appearance made Paven scowl.
"Those two birds, are you familiar with them?" Paven inquired. "This is the first time I'm seeing their kind here in the Sumatran Kingdom."
The Butler glanced in the direction of the two Pocopoco's before shaking his head.
"No, Master," the Butler replied. "Maybe they are just some migratory birds that came from the Mainland. We do get some of those from time to time. But, I have to admit. I've never seen birds that ugly."
Paven clicked his tongue because he lost his interest in drinking due to the slow progress of the war, as well as the ugliness of the two birds.
After drinking the wine in his cup, he stood up and entered his residence, not even glancing at the two birds, who both raised their clawed feet, giving him the middle fingers behind his back.
A few hours later…
Vassago and Poca returned to the Inn where Thirteen's group was currently staying.
The sun was just about to set, and the two wanted to have dinner with the others, who had also returned from their stroll in the city.
The seven-year-old, who was still fast asleep, was gently prodded by Alina in order to wake him up.
"Zion, it's dinner time," Alina said. "The Captain has also returned, and he wants to talk to you about a few things."
Thirteen opened his eyes, and slowly propped himself up from the bed. They had rented three rooms. With one room belonging to Alina and Thirteen, another room for Armand and Thane, and a room for Dixon's personal use.
Everyone gathered inside Dixon's Room because it was at the very end of the Hallway, and was much bigger than the other rooms.
When Thirteen, and Alina entered the room, they saw the three Tigerkins seated around the table.
Various dishes were served on the table, and just a glance was enough to tell them that they were all delicious.
Thirteen sat at the head of the table, which was reserved for the leader of a group. Since he was the leader of this Operation, Dixon sat on his right side, while Alina sat on his left.
Armand, and Thane was seated next to them.
"Before you start your report, let's eat first," Thirteen proposed. "All of you have tested the food, right?"
"Yes," Dixon replied. "They are safe."
Thirteen nodded. "Tiona, check them a second time."
The Black Snake nodded and flicked her tongue at the food on the table one by one. The Domini Mortis was the most venomous snake in Solterra, so it was very easy for her to know if something was poisoned or not.
After checking all the dishes, Tiona returned to Zion and shook her head.
"Thank you, Tiona," Thirteen lightly patted the Black Snake's head before looking at his subordinates. "Let's eat. Thank you for the food."
""Thank you for the food.""
The group ate without talking to each other. They knew that after they had sated their hunger, the time for discussion would take place, so they weren't in a hurry to divulge the information that they gathered in the city.
Half an hour later, the plates had all been emptied, which was the signal for everyone to start talking.
Dixon was the first one to give his report, and according to him, the Granary only had two guards guarding it.
It seemed that Paven was confident that no one in Parania City would dare to target the Granary because it was the source of food for almost everyone in the Kingdom.
This included their underground storage for dried meat, which would serve as the army's primary source of meat during the long campaigns.
After Dixon, Armand made his report.
His report was about the Barracks inside the town, and from what he had gathered, they were training fresh recruits everyday.
The War Propaganda that they had been spreading was quite effective, painting the Barbarians as Savages, who kept on raiding the Tigerkin Villages near the borders.
Thane, on the other hand, reported that almost all the wealthy Merchants from well-known Merchant Groups, had gathered in Parania City.
They were the ones that brought weapons and armor, which netted them a lot of profit for the upcoming war.
Alina had nothing to report since she had been watching over Thirteen, and making sure that he was behaving properly.
Once everyone had finished talking, Thirteen told them to continue their exploration of the city when morning came.
After that, he ended their meeting and returned to his room with Alina.
Five hours later, the seven-year-old opened his eyes and glanced at the bed beside his own bed.
There, Alina was sleeping soundly, making the younger boy smile faintly.
He had made Alina drink a very strong sleeping potion, which would ensure that she slept all through the night.
Thirteen then opened the window of their room, motioning for Vassago to leave the inn first.
Vassago nodded his head in understanding and flew outside of the window.
Poca, who was curious about what they were about to do, followed Vassago out of the inn.
Using a grappling hook, Thirteen slowly descended from the window of the inn, while covered in darkness.
Since they were at the Easternmost part of the city, there were not many lanterns in the surroundings, making everything very dark.
Of course, Tigerkins had Dark Vision, so this was nothing to them.
After stealthily leaving the Inn, Thirteen headed towards Paven's Residence, which was located at the base of the mountain, overlooking the city.
His goal was to scout the treasury inside the residence where Paven kept his treasures and artifacts.
He knew that if Dixon and the others knew his plans, all of them would stop him at all costs.
This was why he made sure that Alina would not wake up until morning, allowing him to leave the Inn undetected.
Although he was just a normal seven-year-old on the surface, Thirteen was far from being normal.
With Vassago flying high in the sky, and hooting from time to time to warn Thirteen about the Guards Patrolling the city, the boy was able to reach his destination in an hour.
He could have arrived faster, but he didn't want to be discovered by the City Guards, so he took his time to ensure that he wouldn't be caught on his late-night escapade.
