In Northeast Rus', far from Hungary, a group was advancing on a dirt road.
This group numbered no more than ten, and their attire was indistinguishable from that of ordinary farmers or forest dwellers.
However, these men's hands were always subconsciously resting on the weapons at their waists, as if they would draw them at any moment, showing how vigilant they were.
These men walked scattered on the road, exuding a very relaxed demeanor, chatting and bragging as they walked—a common sight on this road.
They mostly discussed rumors on the road, local news, and distant wars, which were the most common topics for people to pass the time.
As for the weapons, it was a normal sight; traveling in the wilderness without weapons was irresponsible for one's life.
But a connoisseur would notice that these men had the subtle habits peculiar to seasoned warriors, especially when their hands were on their weapons.
This detail was enough to confirm that this was a team of elite warriors with hidden identities.
Their disguise was for the purpose of investigating certain matters in the rural wilderness.
As for what they were investigating, it became clear when we saw their leader: their leader was Yan Vishatich, who had taken on the task of investigating the pagan organization.
The Mayor of Suzdal was dressed like a forest nomad, wrapped in somewhat shabby furs, with a rusty felling axe on his back, and strong, powerful arms; anyone looking at him would instinctively assume he was a lumberjack.
Compared to five years ago, Yan had grown much taller and stronger; now, clad in armor or fine clothes, he would perfectly embody a brave Ross Warrior, but at this moment, he walked the road in ragged clothes.
Yan's expression was very grim, as if he had swallowed a fly; he had guaranteed Prince Rostislav that he would investigate the pagan organization active in the countryside, but he had found nothing.
Although five years had passed and Yan had become very familiar with the folk culture of Northeast Rus', expertly disguising himself as a commoner, he always found nothing after entering the villages rumored to have dense pagan activity.
He found no rumored pagan sorcerers, nor did he see villagers conspiring with each other, which greatly troubled Yan; and he encountered the same scene in every village he visited thereafter.
This made Yan feel that something was amiss; it was normal to find nothing in some villages, but when nothing was found in all of them, and everything seemed perfectly normal, then there was a problem.
So Yan decided to persevere; the Mayor of Suzdal wandered the countryside of Northeast Rus' for a full half-month, yet came up empty-handed; he had the patience, but apparently, the other side had even more patience.
Occasionally, Yan would see pagan sorcerers, but his investigations after the initial excitement always dealt him a huge blow; the investigations proved that these individuals were all lone wolves and could not possibly be members of any pagan organization.
Therefore, Yan was very disappointed; he had endured many hardships for his undercover work, even eating leftover food from farmers and making himself filthy, all to appear like a farmer, but the result of all these efforts was nothing but disappointment.
But disappointment could not change the reality, so the Mayor of Suzdal had to admit defeat and return to Moscow to report to the Prince.
The road Yan and his group were on now led to Moscow, and the closer they got to Moscow, the more evident the road's usage marks became.
As they approached Moscow, the flow of people on the road increased; merchants driving carts and horses traveled alongside farmers carrying large and small bundles to sell in the city, while empty-pocketed but hopeful immigrants shared the road with citizens returning home from travels.
Along the roadside, vendors' stalls could be seen from time to time; ever since the Moscow Prince's guild system was established, some artisans who could not join a guild sold their goods to people by the roadside outside the city, while others were arrogant about their skills, or simply masters who preferred solitude, disdaining to join guilds and selling their works directly in the countryside.
These street stalls offered goods of all qualities; to pick out good things required an equally keen eye, so many people always came here looking for bargains, hoping to find items cheaper than their equivalents in the city, but bad luck meant losing money.
Further beyond these stalls, one could see farmlands and small huts, with farmers toiling within them, occasionally straightening up to gaze at the bustling scene on the road before resuming their work.
It was nearing harvest season, and the crops in the fields were laden with bountiful fruits; this was the farmers' most joyful time, as nothing excited them more than a good harvest.
The watermill by the Moscow River was being adjusted by several workers; their day for grinding wheat was approaching, and they needed to maintain and inspect it to ensure no problems arose on that day.
The suburbs of Moscow were now increasingly lively; Yan still remembered the desolation when they first arrived here, and compared to that desolation, the current prosperity was truly astonishing.
However, Yan was not focused on this now; bypassing a team of carts laden with red bricks, he led his subordinates quickly through these scenes of daily life and arrived before the city gate.
The city gate was guarded by one of Rostislav's retainers; as the former commander of the Prince's retainers, this man naturally recognized his old captain and let him in without hesitation.
To prevent their identities from being exposed, both sides completed their communication with just a few glances; this was a habit between Yan and his old subordinates, a habit that persisted even after the change of commander.
The current commander of the retainers was Vasily Ivanovich Khrensky; this son of a Suzdal noble had successfully become the commander of the retainers at Yan's suggestion, and he had indeed led the unit very well, though traces of their past still remained.
Upon entering the city, Yan first went to his Moscow residence, where he and his subordinates changed into appropriate attire; when they reappeared, they were dressed in luxurious clothes and riding tall horses.
Even those who had seen them enter the residence through the back door would find it difficult to associate them with the farmers dressed like beggars, after all, how could Moscow nobles be equated with beggars?
Soon, Yan arrived at the inner city where Rostislav resided; however, just as he dismounted and before he could state his purpose, he was directly pulled towards the palace by someone.
The man was burly and strong, clearly a warrior, wearing a blue cloak, apologizing to Yan while explaining that the Prince was about to hold a meeting and there was no time to lose.
Yan looked closely and realized that the one pulling him was a Bodyguard, and this Bodyguard was also a relative of Captain of the Guard Gvaran, the poetry-loving Domnal Pence.
Years ago, Yan had tried to recruit this man, but he refused the invitation and instead joined the Prince's service; now it seemed this man indeed had ability, becoming the Captain of the Guard's son-in-law so quickly, it would indeed have been a waste of his talent to make him his subordinate.
However, what Yan did not see was how much Domnal had suffered and how much criticism he had endured to achieve this result at this moment.
And as they advanced, Domnal explained the content of the meeting in detail:
A dramatic change had occurred in Hungary: King Andrew and Duke Bela fought a bloody battle on the border meadow, and in the end, King Andrew was beheaded, and Bela emerged victorious.
Originally, this matter had nothing to do with Rostislav; although it concerned the Prince's relative, the geographical distance was too great, but the next two events made everything highly relevant to the Prince.
Firstly, the Prince's vassal, Edward Wessex, participated in that meadow death match, and after the battle, he protected King Andrew's son and retreated into the Empire, gathering the remnants of King Andrew's army.
Secondly, Rostislav's uncle in Kiev sent him a letter, requesting his nephew to bring a team of elites to Kiev, as they intended to intervene in the events unfolding in Hungary.
Rostislav convened the meeting for this reason, though it was less a meeting and more the Prince's instructions, telling them what to pay attention to after his departure.
— — — — — — — —