We knew that most of the Church’s Year 792 had passed in peace. However, to speak about a matter out of people’s expectations, a new, imminent war was about to befall Titan Empire.

The encounter of the Imperial Household’s Prince with assassins was not by chance. Before executing the assassination operation, the uprising organization had to organize the manpower, determine the target, and formulate a plan; and the most important point was that this was not the only operation. The Secret Service Department’s investigations after the incident revealed that on the 10th to the 11th month of Year 792, the uprising guild had carried out nine assassination operations, targeting nobles of different classes in the Empire within a short span of just one month. What astonished the people was that aside from His Second Highness The Prince being spared; the remaining eight noblemen were all assassinated.

This signified that the large-scale assassination operations had undergone a careful deployment, assignment, and cooperation in order to be accomplished. According to the speculations of Count Rudolf Hoss of the Secret Service, all the anti-government activists and rebels in history would end up adopting dangerous terrorism as a guide for their ideas after a certain period of time. These terrorists would all utilize hidden armed forces to assassinate and carry out other methods to create all sorts of terrors. Speaking of their fundamental goals, they would still do it for the sake of creating terror even when they knew that they were unable to achieve their expected goals when confronted by a strong, national force.

Outsiders did not know about Count Rudolf Hoss’ abilities since his line of work required the assistance of strictly secret networks. The people could only get a rough idea of what the Secret Service was up to from the notice of the Imperial Secretariat.

During the assassination offense by the surviving rebels from the Great Southern uprising in year 791, what could the Secret Service be doing?

Firstly, Count Rudolf Hoss had ordered all the agents, informants and liaison officers under his control to be on standby for twenty-four hours. He informed all the people serving in the Secret Service Department and the Imperial Household that they must be prepared to launch an attack anytime. Secondly, when the news about the His Second Highness The Prince encounter with assassins had spread to Dulin, Rudolf immediately noticed that the assassination operations had started to spike to a degree in which it threatened the highest ruling class. He urgently contacted the person in charge of the Empire’s Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Civil Affairs, and during the hurriedly-put-together coordination meeting, this huge crafty hound formulated the steps attempting to intensify the military attack and encirclement and speed up the tactic of redistributing the people of the mountain and their immigration to the interior regions. This was because only by pressuring the insurgents through military and civil affairs would the insurgents give their game away during their operations. If sufficient time was allocated for them to plot a new wave of assassination operations, then the old hound, Count Rudolf Hoss, could hand in his resignation letter in advance!

Soon after that, during a meeting convened by the Ministry of Senior Nobility, Rudolf Hoss gave a brief report and, based on the current state of the domestic and international affairs, he set the tone for the next phase of secret operations: Anti-terrorism! For every sector that might be destroyed and for every target that might be hit; for the first time, the Secret Service Department’s proposal to request for the allocation of special expenses received a unanimous vote for approval.

Lastly, this hound instructed His Majesty to award His Imperial Highness The Prince O’Neil the Empire’s Lion Heart Medal for gallantly defending the Imperial Household’s honor and capturing those terrorists alive, and to request His Highness to hand over the terrorists under his captivity. However, knowing Prince O’Neil’s temperament; he received the medal, but his answer to the Secret Service Department was still “Absolutely not!”

Hence, at the very end, Rudolf Hoss, aside from instructing the Emperor to urge the Prince three times a day, was at his wits’ end.

***************

“Absolutely not! Absolutely not!” Oscar yelled in annoyance at Lady Countess Antonia, “I will absolutely not raise cats in the house!”

Annie’s face showed that she was helpless; she did not know how to handle this stubborn lad.

“Just look at my clothes; when I do not even have a cat, they are already contaminated by so much cat hair! If I really do raise a cat, then that will be a nightmare!”

Annie took the clothes and tidied them up, “No one asked you to leave the house looking like that. Moreover, this is Sparjoxin; since it is the University Town, which is also the City of Tortoiseshell cats, it is very strange not to have a cat at home.”

Oscar shook his head, “No, I’d rather let Alanis bring her leopard when she visits me! That little monster, LeFou, is already one meter five long. It can tear a purebred Deiss wolfdog to shreds. It will definitely love those small animals, and may it turn the whole Tortoiseshell Cat City upside down!”

Annie put down the work in her hands and lifted her head, “My little Oscar! What happened to you? Ever since you returned from the hunt, you’ve been acting strange! Why must you speak of that matter in that way? Take those tortoiseshell cats for example; who shall we rely on to protect the books in University Town? Half of them are the librarians and another half are these adorable little animals. They catch mice, and mice are the natural enemy of books…”

“Annie!” Oscar slapped his forehead in distress, “To change the subject, you should have an idea about what I meant by ‘absolutely not’; that means that there is no room for discussion! Enough! Where is our young lady?”

Annie did not intend to continue blathering on with the lad who was impervious to reason.

“She, Aeolia and Lady Rolanda went to base together, saying that they were visiting friends.”

Perhaps Annie did not notice, or perhaps she just did not want to notice, that little Oscar face had turned into the color of mackerel caviar after he heard those words. This color would usually signify that the caviar was the most delicious, but, when it was on the Prince’s face, it meant that His Highness was building up a storm.

****************

The base of operations of the Narcissus Knight’s Red Tiger Assault Division was situated in the Northern suburbs of the city, occupying a vast area. Based on the principle of ‘if it is cheap, then why not take it,’ His Imperial Highness The Prince had extorted all the expenses required in building the huge barracks from the Imperial Military Academy. It was called a base because its existence possessed a special significance. This huge barrack was not only used to station soldiers but also had a lot of focused training programs located there.

An example of such would be the counter-interrogation training room; it was the first time that Major General Murat heard of such a military term because, in the war of the Narcissus people against Persian, such a term as resistance to interrogation did not exist! The captives of both sides did not have such a good end, and so everyone wanted to be a hero! Under these circumstances, wanting to interrogate for valuable war information out of them was something completely nonsensical. However, it was different in the Western Sovereign States where both parties at war not only had to abide by the law of the Religion of the God of Light, but the soldiers participating in combat also had to adhere strictly to the spirit of the knights.

The so-called spirit of the knights, Murat sneered; he had the perception that it was only something fabricated by the Emperor and the authors of legendary novels. What with the knight’s mission in life… the knight’s military merits… the knight’s advancement… All of these were made up! To this General, knights were only a resource of war that was slightly superior to that of infantries. The existence of this special class, the knights, was only for the service of war and fundamentally, it was merely a means by which the rulers to control the war resources.

Just like this counter-interrogation training room, it was prepared for the knights. No one would care about the fates of civilians on the battlefield, but if the captive were a knight with a title, then that would be different. The enemy would be able to help him pass on messages from the family; if the ransom was fitting, then the knight could secure freedom in no time. And the counter-interrogation training was to train the knights to resist the enemy’s extortion for a confession when captured. However, this training could only equip the knights with techniques to withhold critical information; if the enemies resorted to torture instruments, then it all came down to the person’s willpower.

Undoubtedly, Murat always believed that the counter-interrogation training room would never be put to use, but this world also had things that were unpredictable even by the God of Light. So, when the leader of the insurgents was escorted to this tiny room, Murat did not hesitate and practically started his interrogation right away. However, this was something that had taken place half a month ago.

***************

“Is he alright?” Sasha asked anxiously.

“Good… Good… Simply perfect! When we examined his body yesterday, we even discovered that he has gained weight!” Murat shrugged in exasperation. Because of this young lady, no one dared to use torture instruments on the prisoner who committed a felony. As a result, no matter how angry the Prince got, it was pointless; the interrogation for the past half month had borne no fruit.

Murat opened the huge metal doors of the prison cell, but those doors did not really lead to the cells, but to a training facility instead. In the room was a table, a chair, a low bed, a lamp and, according to the young lady’s wishes, the knights even placed a bathtub and a chamber pot behind the wooden screen. The whole room appeared clean and tidy, and the lighting was pretty good.

A few days ago, Mister Morpheus had shaved off the beard that grew all over his face. As the leader of the insurgents coordinating the secret operations, he did not have a fixed dwelling place. He had to avoid the search from the Ministry of Justice’s patroling soldiers as well as concealing himself using all sorts of secret methods. As a result, the first time he viewed himself in the mirror after four months, he realized that he had become a monster; no wonder the lady taking care of him kept her distance from him all the while.

Sasha admitted that the first time she set eyes on Mister Morpheus’ true appearance, she had exclaimed “What a beautiful man!” That was a rough face that held a lot of meaning, and those were a set of wise and farsighted eyes. The young lady knew that she was blushing, perhaps it was because she was still young and did not know how to get along with a mature man of a unique status.

***************

Rolanda kept hiding behind Sasha after entering the room. Her father had been a prison warden, and this had caused Rolanda to forever hold a bad feeling towards prisoners. However, this prisoner was indeed gorgeous! She nipped the young lady’s ear and whispered,

“Hey! Describing him as a beauty indeed isn’t an overstatement!”

Aeolia was still as she was before; after she stepped through the door, she buried her face in Rolanda’s shoulder. Sasha did not bother about her as she clearly knew that the purpose of Aya insisting on accompanying her was not as simple as merely paying Mr. Morpheus a visit.

The “guests” entered and naturally, Morpheus wanted to get up stand up to greet them. However, the two fast-reacting knights forced him down, one on the left and another on the right; this scoundrel had a criminal record of holding someone hostage! The knights had restricted his hands and legs tightly onto the chair with leather straps, and he met his visitors in that state.

“Are you okay?” Sasha asked with concern.

“You already see that I am very well. Thank you for your concern. Also, send the regards of my companions in their place. If it weren’t for you, they would have been tortured to death already.”

Sasha had wanted to evade this topic all the while, but Mr. Morpheus seemed to want to keep reminding her.

“Ohh… I have brought two of my good friends along. This is Countess Hanning and this is Countess Aeolia. I think they should get to know you.”

“Oh okay, I see, two beautiful and noble ladies. Hey there! My current state may appear a little rude.”

Rolanda shook her head. Her curiosity had vanished once she had arrived here, for this place was of no interest to her. After all, this insurgent was a criminal, one who had violated the country’s decree and was even an ultimate criminal who intended to assassinate a member of the Imperial Household.

Aeolia’s face turned the color of beetroot. It really was unknown what kind of dye the Countess had used or what secret she had for being able to always color her cheeks in a magnificent, bright red.

“From your accent… You are a Southerner, but your homeland is definitely not in the mountain area.”

Morpheus gazed at Aeolia in astonishment. In order to operate in the Empire’s inland, he had concealed his Southern accent remarkably well.

“That means that Your distinguished Countess is also from South?”

“That’s right, my homeland is Austchen, close to Vielonna.”

“Hehe! You’ve guessed mine exactly right; it seems like we are neighbors.” Morpheus gave a pained laugh. Homeland! He already did not dare to imagine how it would be like. However, according to the villagers who later joined the rebellion, the nobles who returned for revenge had hanged a lot of people there.

In contrast to her timid face, Aeolia’s eyes were beaming with excitement. This could not be concealed from the young lady, and Sasha was aware that her friend that was adept in deception was setting a trap to make Morpheus confess.

“Oh, that’s right!” The young lady suddenly interjected; she did not wish to let Aya continue on, “Speaking of gratitude, actually I would like to thank you; my brother and knights did not understand the situation at that time, but I knew clearly that when you initially crossed arms with me, you could have killed me, but you didn’t. When I rushed up to pursue and attack you; you had countless opportunities to end me, but again, you didn’t. Although you were forced to subdue me, I do not blame you because anyone in that situation would choose to use a hostage to escape, but my brother…”

Sasha could not go on and Morpheus had yet to utter a word. O’Neil Andrew Morisette, this name had become a common sore spot to the both of them.

Sasha did not understand how her most respected and loved brother could disregard human lives that way! It seemed that anyone who offended him would not have a good ending. During the ambush in the mountains, he ordered the knights to execute all the captives cruelly. At the family battlefield, he actually commanded that no critical care be given to the Persians. Next up was the arson at the hotel. Perhaps the others did not know, but occasionally she would hear the knights who were at the scene discussing the process of that execution by fire. Oh goodness, gracious! Oh, God! Save my brother, and save me!

To his consternation, Morpheus knew that the peace now was only temporary. The young Highness had come to visit him once and he would never forget that youngster’s gaze. Morpheus was a leader of the insurgents and his senses were very alert. When he was confronting O’Neil Andrew Morisette, he had a lingering sense of imminent death. Perhaps… this malicious, cruel, bloodthirsty and gigantic crocodile would pose as the largest enemy to operation “Free Titan” in the near future!

“You see, the changes in the weather are very quick. Just a few more days and we will enter winter. The young lady and I have brought you some sweet liquor!” The silence was finally broken by Aeolia. However, we knew that this Countess did not harbor any good intentions.

“This is Fennel wine produced in my homeland. You should know that this Fennel wine is publicly accepted as best in the South.” Aeolia said while she pulled out the wooden cork. The knights then laid out light refreshments onto the table.

“Oh? Really?” Morpheus’ eyebrows shot up. The strong aroma of wine stimulated his taste buds, making his mouth overflow with the saliva of his yearning. He was only too familiar with this smell, but it had already been a long time ago since he last tasted it.

Among ten Southern men, at the very least, nine of them would love Fennel wine. Aeolia knew that she had placed her bets right.

Morpheus took a swig, “You’re right! It indeed is Austchen’s specialty, but… compared to the wine we brew, it’s still missing a little. We will steam the malt and fennel dry and then let them ferment together with the hops. If you have tasted Switzlow wine, then you would definitely feel that the Fennel wine of other places is not worth tasting!”

Aeolia leaned back in her seat gently; her objective had been achieved.

“Switzlow wine, made in Church’s year 563. It is named after the farmer who created it. Within the upper-class society of Faran and Riel Kingdom, it enjoys an everlasting reputation. Its main place of production was centralized in the Jegher Basin area at the foothills of the Northwestern Abaecis Mountain Range. So, is your homeland Pletz or Lozinger?”

“Aeolia! Enough!” Sasha suddenly jumped down from her seat, having just realized what Aeolia was doing.

Morpheus shot a look of disbelief towards the Countess; he knew what had just taken place! Oh gosh! A veteran expert in secret operations like him actually had his place of origin dug out by a young girl who kept blushing! However, analyzing it carefully, it seemed that the whole thing made a lot of sense. Using his trust in the young lady, his yearning for his homeland, and using to take advantage of the bad, wretched habits of the Southern men…

“Countess! It is indeed a waste for you not to serve in the Secret Service Department!” Since Aeolia had been exposed, Morpheus, having come to his senses, no longer had a reason to hold back.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” The young lady blurted a string of apologies, knowing that the meeting should be ended.

***************

“Aya! Just what is wrong with you?” Sasha tugged at Countess Aeolia’s arm and interrogated her after mounting their carriage, her anger surging up.

Aya uncharacteristically shook off Sasha’s hand violently. However, she did not answer the young lady’s question; she seemed to still be immersed in the success of her strategy.

“I’m not sure if you guys noticed, a while ago when I gave Mr. Morpheus two options, first being Pletz, and the second Lozinger, his face paled when I mentioned Lozinger. In other words, there is an eighty-to-ninety percent chance that he was born into a family of wine dealers. Otherwise, he will not be that familiar with the process of brewing. Those wine dealers view the art of producing wine as their lifeblood. They always mix the drinks personally and even the workers have no way of knowing its secret. Haha! His recent quiet and comfortable life in prison has made him let a lot of his guard down. This is all thanks to you, our young lady. Otherwise, I will not have been able to obtain it so easily!”

A sudden urge to punch someone surged up from within Sasha, “I have no interest in your intelligence; I only want to know why you used me to go against my friend?”

“Your friend?” Aeolia made a look of disgust, “Go and ask our Imperial Highness! He will tell you who our friends are.”

“You are a heartless, oblivious con artist who lacks sympathy!” And practically in a blink of an eye, Sasha had given Aya a violent slap.

“Thank you!” Blood oozed out of Aeolia’s lips, but she did not give it much thought and locked eyes with the young lady.

“Girls… Girls, don’t be like this!” Rolanda, who had been hiding in a corner of the carriage could not stand it any longer, “Although I have no idea what you guys are talking about… Still, Sasha, I am also your friend. I must remind you that making friends with an insurgent who attempted to murder the prince and whose goal is to overturn the nation… is of no benefit to you whatsoever! Moreover… Moreover, it may also hurt those around you!”

Sasha’s head snapped towards Rolanda in anger, “Even you think this way too? You also think that Mr. Morpheus is an insurgent guilty of those terrible crimes?”

“That is what the facts say!” Rolanda averted her eyes from the young lady’s glare. Although she was older than Sasha, Sasha’s agitated appearance was certainly too terrifying!

“Then very well! Allow me to tell you what I think! Mr. Morpheus is an intellectual, informed gentleman. He is a man of honor and ethics, knowing when to advance and to give way. He has a sense of honor! Unlike SOMEONE among us…” Sasha said, shooting a glare at the Countess whose cheeks were flushed red.

Aeolia was tired of arguing with the girl. She believed that one day, young lady Sasha Andrew Nedgabel’s belief would be shattered by the ruthless reality! Hehe! Let us just wait and see!

***************

It was fall again, it made complete sense that the people described it as an eventful period! Fall was the busiest season of the year; the farmers had to harvest, the nobles had to collect taxes, the Empire also had to recover the funds handed out on credit to the locals. In other words, no one really cared whether an important figure died somewhere.

However, Oscar did. He told Aeolia to gather a great amount of information. Although this intelligence were the various analyses of the nine assassination incidents, Oscar could tell from them that the Southerners had certainly established a tight organization. As a young prisoner who came from Damorga prison, the Prince was perfectly clear regarding matters of murdering for benefits such as this. To be able to commit a successful assassination, one had to have a safe hiding spot, a precise intelligence, reliable people providing support, a method of ending it in one strike, and a sound escape route; not a single one of them could be lacking. Out of nine of the assassination attempts, only one of them had failed, while the remaining eight were, unfortunately, left without even witnesses! This implied that the Southerner’s assassin organization could already mobilize reasonably advanced manpower, physical and financial resources! To the Empire and an important figure such as he, this was the most threatening.

The official residence appeared to have been affected by His Imperial Highness Prince’s anxiety. The attendants kept their vigilance up when going about their tasks and secretly avoided the staircase where there was a possibility of running into the young Imperial Highness.

Only Madam Keegan had the nerve to whine to the Prince. The wife of the confidential secretary brought up the little rascal, Tory. She grumbled that the chap had been staying in the official residence for half a month and although his injuries had yet to heal completely, his bad habits of spitting everywhere, littering, heavy drinking, thumb sucking and so on were really driving people crazy.

“So Your Highness, we should throw him out! It’s not like he has nowhere to go!”

“Madam Keegan, are you referring to me?” Torry had suddenly popped up behind the Madam at who knows when.

“Oh goodness, gracious!” Vick’s wife was startled, but just at that moment, Torry gave her a quick peck!

“You wretched little wolf cub! The God of Light will ensure you receive your just deserts!” Madam Keegan’s face was burning red and she quickly fled.

Oscar seemed indifferent to the flirtation of the females in the house. However, if the female was Antonia, or the young lady, or even Aeolia, then nothing more had to be said! Torry admitted that those few ladies were the most arousing ones in the official residence, but he dared not even think of it. The main purpose of him staying here to recuperate was to spend more time with Rolanda.

Oscar realized that unexpectedly, he could not find a reason to chase him out and after spending a period of time together. Oscar was already absolutely certain that this nefarious scoundrel in University Town would become his friend.

However, it was mostly thanks to Viscount Tove Van Sukhoi’s prudent grasp of the opportunity that the Prince was able to form a close friendship with him. The best quality of this man was that he complied with reality. His every move was done from a realistic point of view and this could be seen from his previous experience in chasing women. This intelligent man never provoked people who could be troublesome to him; the ones he managed to lure were usually licentious women good at having fun. According to him, the world was bursting with women such as these who could be discarded after being used! Some are even guaranteed a refund or a replacement!

“Then… There’s a guarantee?”

“What… What are you referring to?”

Oscar gently flicked away the ashes on his cigarette butt, “I mean, if you protract… you know? Those filthy diseases, does the benefit of those women encompass this guarantee?”

“Uhhh…” Torry scratched his head, “This… I admit… I indeed have never heard about it before!”

“Then, good luck to you!” Oscar got up from the polar bear sofa, “It seems that I will have to burn all the things that you have used before at home.”

“Even… Even the maid in charge of the liquor cabinet?”

Oscar covered his face with his hand. He admitted that he had a twinge of admiration for this little rascal because when he was chatting with him, he could blurt out any nonsense that didn’t even require his mind to process beforehand. Oscar had never felt such at ease with anyone else. However, sometimes, this man was bursting with eagerness, he had a thought of using Godot’s ax to chop Torry in half!

“You rapist and mad pervert! Madam Keegan was right; you should go to hell! That young girl isn’t even fully grown yet!”

“But the chemistry and progress between a male and female are very subtle! Once…”

“Forget about it! Don’t expect me to believe your sincere look ever again! You better pray that Rolanda does not learn of these things!”

Torry kept quiet at just the right time. He felt that he was already very self-restrained, but certain things he just really couldn’t help himself.

“Very well!” Oscar strolled slowly on the balcony. The French windows were opened and the cool breeze from outside the house stung his eyes a little. This was how the North was like, the frigid monsoon from the Snow Nation could hurt one’s eyes.

“Don’t tell me that I really have to hand over those insurgents to Rudolf Hoss?”

Torry regained his composure, “If not, what do you want to do? Hasn’t Count Rudolf Hoss personally rushed over to ask for those people? Having the courage to do that means that he has support backing him up, perhaps he even got His Majesty the Emperor’s warrant, we can’t say for sure.”

Oscar nodded, Torry’s analysis made a lot of sense. However, he was still reluctant to hand them over, especially Morpheus. He could not understand how this filthy fellow who only knew to threaten women, could obtain Sasha’s recognition.

“How about, dead men tell no tales? I have a lot of talented people of this specialty!”

Torry rolled his eyes! “My Imperial Highness, just pretend that I have not heard anything!”

Oscar ducked his head away in distress; that suggestion just now was indeed silly!

“Your Imperial Highness, I must remind you that the hour for the meeting with Count Rudolf Hoss is approaching! You must make a decision!” Torry exclaimed while sticking his lips in the direction of the clock.

Oscar rang the copper bell on his study table, indicating he was about to head out. Soon, the maids filed in and helped him change into his social attire. Lastly, Oscar fastened the silver button with the family totem engraved onto it, onto the collar of his black swan cloak.

“Your Highness! You have not told me your decision!” Torry leaned on his walking stick and staggered forwards in a hurry.

“This is a joke, do I have any other choice?” After saying this, Oscar turned and walked towards the huge doors without even a looking back.

It was freezing outside and, without knowing why, the temperature on the ground was way lower than that on the balcony. Oscar kept rubbing his hands together once he had got into the carriage, being aware that one of the maids had forgotten to put on a pair of gloves for him.

“Gosh! Those young ladies must have been mesmerized by Torry to have forgotten this!” Oscar did not care whether his assumptions made sense, and cursed aloud.

There were not many people on the main street. The streetscape appeared quiet and deserted and the coffee shops had closed early. The cavalry that the capital guards sent had made a big show of kicking down the huge doors. They used inspection as a random excuse for entering when in actuality they only wanted a free cup of warm coffee to drink.

On either side of the Prince’s carriage were whole companies of cavalry. Based on the battle strength that the Southern insurgents showed, it was hard to say that they would not launch a retaliation operation soon. Since they captured the assassins, Major General Murat had followed Lady Aeolia’s suggestion to completely seal off the streets around the official residence, just to be safe. When the Prince set out, the guarding force was allocated based on the suggestions of Andrew’s Marshal.

However, there were always some unpredictable things!

The heavy beams supporting the rear wheel of the Prince’s carriage suddenly broke and the carriage smashed heavily onto its side. It so happened that one of the supplementary soldiers who just arrived was beside the carriage. This oversensitive lad was so frightened that he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Enemy attack!” Thus, the front group that had no idea what actually happened quickly turned around. They surrounded the toppled carriage with their horses, shields, and spears. The rear group that was unable to distinguish the authenticity of the situation also rushed up and started searching for the enemy, but naturally, the enemies were non-existent. When Oscar screamed, “Quickly! Freaking get me out”, the knights finally realized that this was just a false alarm.

Against his will, the Prince rode on a different Raytheon. He was annoyed beyond reason. The incident of the overturned carriage had frightened him, but the most unfortunate thing was that he accidentally bit his tongue after the fright. As a result, he could feel the disgusting, bittersweet taste of blood in his mouth.

Oscar had a premonition that this meeting would not be a happy one!

The Lobb Oscar hotel was brightly lit up at that hour. After two months of operating on trial, the hotel business was back on track. A few famous book merchants of the Titan Empire had signed a long-term lease with the hotel. One of the most ostentatious spenders actually booked a whole floor. The rest of the rooms were also booked on long-term contracts. The guests were mostly noble scholars; they were so poor that all they had left were some Golden Tis! The rooms of the Lobb Oscar Hotel were naturally better than those of the other apartment buildings in the market. Without having to mention the room and catering service, just the Chariot of Sun God itself had become a place where the noble children, who had nothing better to do, loitered.

A few of Oscar’s followers had assembled here for even the Prince’s official residence could not compare to the comfort of this place. When Oscar and his cavalry had crowded over the open space in front of the hotel, Baron Messier, the Secret Service Advisor came out from the huge foyer to great them. He had been a secret service operations officer, and sending him out to greet Rudolf Hoss was more than fitting.

“Your Highness!” Messier dabbed the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief; he appeared extremely keyed up, “We need to get certain things straight.”

Oscar snorted in irritation.

“Of all things, do not look down on Rudolf Hoss and his Secret Service Department!” Messier’s expression was an extremely grave one.

“Ola! Really? But the Secret Service Department had always been good-for-nothing when I was young. Don’t tell me that the secret agents’ training performance has had a remarkable improvement?” Oscar curled his lips in disapproval.

“No! No!” Messier shook his head violently, “That is a facade! I am most afraid of your misperception being deep-rooted! I have to remind you that the chaps you met were part of an independent Prison Political Management System outside of the Secret Service Department. They are no secret agents at all, but merely a group who manages the thugs in prison!”

“The true secret agent department is not only meticulous in job distribution, tight in their organization, but the members had also undergone training to be able to plan out the operations, they have a system with stringent regulations. All of this is confidential, and outsiders have no way of prying into any of this. Think about it! Just how much capability can a spy department with a few hundred years of history accumulate? If you don’t believe me, just look at the big shots under you; they were overlords, but in the end, were they not still thrown into Damorga? This precisely proves just how magnificent and strong a secret force the Secret Service Department is!”

Oscar halted at the foot of the stairs and lit the cigar held in his mouth with the flame on the candleholder.

“Did you even listen to what I was saying?”

“I hear it!” Oscar exhaled, “No wonder Alfa III planned to rip it open!”

“What do you mean?” Messier failed to understand.

“Nothing!” Oscar evaded the topic lightly, “I only wish to say that perhaps one day you will be an equal to Rudolf Hoss.”

Messier’s mind was greatly swayed, “Forget about it, you! Is this a joke? I will not dare compare to Count Rudolf Hoss…”

“Messier,” Oscar interjected the Secret Service Advisor, “Believe me, that day will come!”

***************

“Your Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette! Rudolf Hoss, manager of the Secret Service Department under the Imperial Secretariat, greets you. May you have health and longevity, and may the blessings of the God of Light be with you always.”

Oscar opened his arms. No matter how much he didn’t want to do so, he still hugged the emaciated Rudolf Hoss and kissed his colorless cheeks.

“Your distinguished Count, there is absolutely no need for you to be this courteous! I would like to apologize; there were some issues during the journey, causing me to be ten minutes late.”

“Hehe! Your Highness, you are the courteous one! You absolutely have no need to apologize for I have already been waiting for more than ten days, who will care if you are late for ten minutes!” Rudolf Hoss replied and flashed a smile.

Oscar scoffed in embarrassment and averted his gaze. The head of the secret service was like a lamb draped in pure white fur. He was frail, ill, and his being appeared to still radiate the innocent air of a child. Upon a closer look, he appeared like an aged child.

“So… Your Highness, I have already heard the news of the thriving catering business of the Lobb Oscar hotel in Dulin. However, before we enter the dining hall, I hope you can verify a certain matter.”

“What matter?” Oscar, of course, knew that this old man could not wait to mull over the clues to solving the case.

“The task entrusted by His Majesty the Emperor is already in your pocket!”

Oscar was momentarily stunned. He held himself back from the impulse to dig his hands into his pockets. He did not think that Rudolf Hoss would waste his time to tease him! He really didn’t expect the diseased old man would have hands that nimble.

Giving a silent laugh, the Prince pulled open the huge doors to the dining hall. The band immediately started playing music and the waiters uncovered the silver covers on the table, revealing a wide assortment of dishes.

“Don’t worry, since it is a task entrusted by His Majesty the Emperor, there will be no problem at all!”

Rudolf Hoss made a graceful inviting gesture, “Your respected Highness, you are as sensible as the rumors say.”

Oscar beamed and stepped into the dining hall. Although he was a little reluctant, at the very least Rudolf did not embarrass him. The head of the secret service seemed like a person he could get along well with.

After the main course was changed twice, Rudolf expressed his gratitude tactfully by saying that the blessings of the God of Light were sufficient for the night and greed would only become a profanity.

“So, Your Highness!” Rudolf said while indicating to the two of his followers who were standing behind him. Soon, all the waiters in the little dining hall were ushered out.

“We should discuss the specific matters of the task that Alfa III entrusted!”

Oscar did not lay down his soup spoon. He only had to hand over the person and that would be it. After all, Aeolia had already made a breakthrough.

“Your Highness, what you need to do is to bring about the escape of the captives!”

With a clang, the Prince’s soup spoon had ended up on his plate.

Rudolf Hoss still maintained a serene appearance. He took the napkin in the goblet and then pushed it over to Oscar’s hand.

“Your Highness, you know, this matter is like that fire at your hotel; we cannot change anything! His Majesty Emperor’s intent is very clear; the captives that you attained were merely a group of laborers who specifically carried out the assassinations. We need to dig deeper down this trail; we will crumble the superstructure of this terrorist organization.”

“Enough!” Oscar suddenly snatched up the napkin and flung it into his plate. “My apologies Your distinguished Count, these food smell rotten, I still have a pot of red braised pork at home! I am truly sorry! Forgive me for being unable to keep you company!”

As he watched the Prince’s silhouette from behind, Rudolf Hoss snapped abruptly and the waiters again filed into the dining hall respectfully.

“Don’t tell me that the famous Lobb Oscar Hotel did not provide after meal desserts.”