"Lord Lucas, I am the City Lord of Duffy City. I wish to discuss a partnership with you!"
"Don't push! Me too, I have a massive deal to propose to Lord Lucas!"
"..."
The counter at the Gold Coin Supermarket was a scene of absolute chaos. Lucas was completely besieged by nobles and merchants. Had Jones and Mina not drawn their weapons, the crowd likely would have climbed right over the counter to get to him.
"Master, should I use force to clear them out?" Mina's eyes flickered with a cold, predatory light. She hated these people being so close to him.
"You may not," Lucas said, his eyes twitching. He turned to Nicole and instructed, "I'll leave this to you. Anyone who causes a scene is to be sent straight to the Security Bureau."
"Understood," Nicole replied with a gentle, soft-spoken grace.
Seeing Nicole's expression, Annie curled her lip and muttered under her breath, "Fox..."
"Oh? Annie, what did you just say?" Nicole tilted her head, a deceptively sweet, mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"Nothing! Nothing at all! Oh, I almost forgot—I have to go inspect the livestock farm!" Annie shook her head frantically, her fox tail swishing as she bolted toward the exit.
Under the bewildered gazes of Lucas and Lucy, the fox girl vanished through the front doors, flanked by her guard, Freya.
"Nicole, you're teasing Annie again," Lucas said, shaking his head with a laugh.
"I didn't do a thing," Nicole blinked her eyes with mock innocence.
"Well, I'm leaving this in your hands." Lucas stepped away. Under the silent threat of Mina's knives, the crowd finally parted to create a path.
"I'll stay behind and help," Lucy offered, choosing not to follow him.
"Fine by me." Lucas waved a hand over his shoulder and stepped out of the supermarket with Mina.
The War Wolf squad waiting outside immediately closed in, forming a protective perimeter that kept the remaining nobles and merchants at a respectful distance.
"Master, are we returning to the castle?" Mina asked softly.
"Mina, today's intelligence reports should be compiled by now, shouldn't they?" Lucas asked, ignoring her question.
"Yes. They should be trickling in as we speak," Mina replied coolly.
"Let's go to the Security Department headquarters. I'll handle today's business there."
"Understood," Mina said, her face turning serious.
Tramp, tramp, tramp...
The group headed toward the Drunken Night. The headquarters for the Security Department was located beneath it. The original secret base had been fully converted into an intelligence hub—the heart of the Security Department.
Led by Mina, Lucas entered through the back kitchen of the restaurant and descended into the underground facility.
"Mina, what is the current headcount of the Security Department?" Lucas asked as he stood in the dim corridor, watching intelligence officers move silently to and fro.
"Master, we have over thirty core personnel and more than five hundred field agents," Mina introduced.
"Too small. Once the new headquarters is finished, move everyone over," Lucas said, eyeing the somewhat cramped workspace.
"Yes, master," Mina replied. It was precisely because of the space constraints that she hadn't promoted more agents to the core team, which was currently leaving them overworked.
Lucas walked into the main operations room. Several people were busy analyzing data; upon seeing him, they immediately rose to salute. "Greetings, City Lord! Greetings, Director!"
"Carry on," Lucas waved them back to their seats and took the head chair.
"Has the priority intel arrived yet?" Mina asked sharply.
"Director, two reports just came in." An officer immediately handed over the papers.
"Oh?" Lucas scanned the notes, his lips curling into a slight smirk. "Interesting. I didn't expect both of them to show up so soon."
"Who is it, Master?" Mina asked curiously.
"The first two City Lords needed for the Naval Port Project." Lucas handed the notes to Mina and chuckled. "It seems they are clever men."
He was referring to Viscount Gini and Viscount Isaac. Their respective cities, Mar and Michelle, were the strategic locations Lucas had scouted for his future naval bases.
"Should we arrange an early meeting with them?" Mina asked.
"No, there's no need," Lucas shook his head. He didn't want to give them a sense of special treatment; it would make the eventual negotiations much easier. He thought for a moment and added, "Have someone tail them. I want a full report on their movements over the next few days."
"Yes, master."
Tramp, tramp, tramp...
Hurried footsteps echoed from the hall. A figure burst in holding a sealed letter. "Urgent report!"
"Give it here." Mina's cat tail flicked as she took the letter and handed it to Lucas.
"This should be the news we've been waiting for," Lucas said, breaking the seal. He read for a moment before nodding. "Just as I thought."
"What is it?" Mina's ears twitched.
"Liam has sent his knight order. They'll reach the outskirts of Sedona City in about three days." Lucas set the letter down, a cold smile on his face. "It seems it's time to show the world Sedona City's fangs."
"Are we launching a preemptive strike?" Mina was surprised. She knew her master usually preferred to win through stratagems rather than brute force.
"Absolutely. In this region, only the size of one's fist matters. This time, we will bare our teeth and let them see our true strength. I want to make sure they stop making the mistake of testing us," Lucas said coldly. To rule the Western Lands, he needed a shock-and-awe victory—a war that would suppress any lingering ambitions from the local lords.
"A thousand-man knight order..." Mina muttered, looking at the letter.
"Issue the orders," Lucas said, his face hardening. "Tell Aiden to muster the troops—take the new recruits as well. Have logistics work through the night. We march tomorrow morning to intercept the enemy."
"Yes, master!" Mina responded with a respectful bow.
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