"The place you want to investigate is not far away, but..."

"Longxiao City has not been peaceful recently," Big Belt pursed his lips and shook his head at Cohen and Miranda: "You know, Prince Morar was missing for a month, and then there was news of his death in the stars, and then there was another

Rumors are spreading, and the men are gearing up to be drafted, preparing to go to the south to fight against the Empire."

"Soon after, there was news that the fight would not be fought."

"And today, just now, the prince of Xingchen entered Longxiao City to apologize. I heard that King Xingchen swore an oath that if anyone dares to harm his son, then the two countries will fight to the death?"

Cohen and Miranda exchanged a look. The former's eyes were worried, while the latter's eyes were thoughtful.

"Hey, are you kidding? You should look like you're apologizing when you apologize! Can people from the North be threatened by him too?"

"If I were your Majesty, no matter what, I would first hang that prince to death, then gather all the soldiers and horses from across the country and fight to Yongxing City and see what the imperial people say!" The big belt slapped the table with dissatisfaction.

Complaining.

"But that prince is only seven years old...he is only eight years old after the New Year." Cohen said hesitantly.

"Seven years old?" Big Belt scratched his head, seeming a little confused about the situation: "Okay..."

"Anyway, the bosses have told their subordinates to restrain themselves a little in the past few days. People with channels have received rumors that His Majesty Nuen is very dissatisfied with Xingchen and will soon kill the... uh, seven-year-old

The prince gave...you know."

Miranda frowned tightly: Who is spreading these rumors?

Is it deliberately detrimental to the prince? Or is it to provoke discord between King Nun and the second prince?

"Furthermore, His Majesty has lost his only heir. You can use your toes to know what his state of mind is now," Big Belt sighed: "Let's not mention the next Grand Duke of Longxiao City and the next king election. Maybe it won't work out.

Well, Your Majesty Nuen got angry first, alas..."

"You just said, bosses? Are they local gang forces?" Cohen asked curiously: "I heard Kaslan said that he has contacts with all the major forces in the city?"

"Yes, Kaslan's reputation is very high. He had the courage to contradict His Majesty Nunn in front of all the courtiers, so he was expelled from the White Blade Guards." Big Belt chuckled: "But when he got to the level of the Heroic Spirit

The officials in the palace and the big bosses who went down to Longxiao City to take their younger brothers to make a living still respected Kaslan... not to mention the fact that he took care of and supported so many old subordinates, whether they were promoted and made a fortune or resigned and retired.

, all have his favor."

"That's why Kaslan asked you to come to me," Big Belt nodded: "I have a lot of contact with local forces, so I should be able to help you."

"Before we set off, please tell us about the forces in Longxiao City," Cohen said with a solemn expression, "This is very important."

Big Belt looked at Miranda, who nodded slightly.

So Big Belt spread his hands: "Okay, let's divide them into areas..."

"First of all, the area we are in - the Shield District and the Hammer District are home to the aboriginal people of Longxiao City. They may be poor, but this is the territory of Grievor and his brothers. You don't want to provoke them."

"Grewal... he is the leader of the gang? He controls these two districts?" Officer Cohen followed the professional quality and asked: "Not even officers or guards can interfere?"

"No, it's different. I mean, after all, he is neither a lord nor a bureaucrat. He is not qualified to take care of the affairs here. Grievor will not go out of his way to provoke the dignity of the nobles or officials," Big Belt waved his hand and explained.

road:

"But Grivet was a famous veteran before he retired, so he has a high prestige here. Whenever something happens - you know, being cheated by an outsider, a fight between locals, a certain nobleman falling in love with someone's daughter

, whose family is having a hard time surviving the winter this year, anyway, his people will come forward to solve all kinds of problems."

"Because he is willing to stand up for the poor, many people in the Shield District and Hammer District are willing to believe in him. And the Order Officers have publicly said that Grievor's existence is to help stabilize the two poorest districts, so it is also

It gives him a lot of face - although I think this is because of Grivet's service experience. He was once an epee infantryman, and many of his old colleagues are now working on it, even working in the inner city and the Palace of Heroes."

"Greveaux doesn't have a specific gang or subordinates, but if he stopped on the street one morning and said, 'Here's some help,' I bet there would be at least a dozen good guys who would put down their work to help.

There are still more than a dozen people arriving from outside the city in an hour. If he waits until the afternoon, his manpower can form a brigade - and half of these people are people who have served in the army of Longxiao City.

, strong and strong, able to eat and fight."

Miranda frowned, while Cohen, who had experience as a vigilance officer, nodded, digesting the completely different forms of gang organization between the local gang and Yongxing City.

"As for the Sword District, Gong District and Kai District, there are many merchants, many goods, many residents, and plenty of profits, so it is a bit complicated."

"The market in the Sword District is filled with civilians from outside the city or even further away, and even the caravans of Xingchen are hawking. The person who speaks well there is named Urad. He has an official status and is responsible for managing the Longxiao City market.

The order officer also has secret personnel, but they are not as many or as strong as Grievor." Big Belt shook his head:

"It is said that he has dealings with Xingchen's underworld brothers, doing some gray small business, and making some money by relying on the embargo between the two countries - he doesn't show up much, but everyone is quite afraid of him.

.”

"The Black Street Brotherhood?" Cohen was piqued by the name: "Their business has expanded to Exeter?"

"Yes, I had never heard of this name several years ago. At that time, you had to find the Blood Bottle Gang to deal with matters in the south." Big Belt shrugged, expressing his helplessness: "But one day, the Brotherhood seemed to suddenly emerge from the ground.

As if he had just appeared out of nowhere, he swaggered into Longxiao City and sat down to negotiate with Urad and Griwal. At that time, we all thought that these outsiders, the Southerners, and the Imperials were going to come in and fight over the territory."

"But in the end, the two big guys didn't say anything, and the Brotherhood didn't settle down in Longxiao City. It's just that the local business started to have more Brotherhood channels."

"If you ask me, their business is expanding very fast in this way, but it is not stable enough. Neither Urad nor Grivet believes in them - like this time, whenever there is a rumor of war between the two countries,

, Urad closed his smuggling channels, and both the Brotherhood and the merchants and businesses they protected were all gone."

"Expanding so fast..." Cohen narrowed his eyes: "Maybe their purpose is not to develop steadily, or even to do business or grab territory?"

"Hey, it's impossible," Big Belt smiled incredulously: "A gangster who doesn't fight for territory, doesn't fight for profits, and doesn't do business, is it still called a gangster?"

"And in Longyi Square in the Sword District, it is a place where traveling merchants from Camas and some clever Northlanders gather from time to time - from noble lords to desperadoes, all of them have access to them.

In addition, their goods are very popular among locals, so the rhythm of these places revolves around them, and many special shops and locations have emerged. You know," the big belt poses in a sleazy way that "all men know"

Smiling, he stretched out his hands in parallel and grabbed them back and forth in the air like an apple:

"Soft and wet..."

Cohen lowered his head in cooperation and smiled evilly, while Miranda on the side snorted coldly.

"Anyway, some chambers of commerce composed of Kangmas and Northlanders have taken root in Longyi Square."

"Gong District, especially along Xichi Avenue, is a bit more peculiar. To put it simply, Gong District has some things that are found in other districts, such as rough workshops, small shops, etc., while in Kai District,

There are a large number of workshops and local shops. The relationship between these two areas is very chaotic. It is difficult to say what kind of influence there is, but if anything happens, we will always find a Far Easterner to mediate."

"Far Easterners?" Cohen and Miranda both cast doubtful glances at the big leather belt.

"Yes, a Far Easterner, a butcher shop owner named Gu, took root in Longxiao City more than ten years ago." Big Belt shrugged, indicating that he didn't know what was going on: "He doesn't seem to have much influence, but he has a wide network.

, he can talk to everyone from Camus merchants to people from the North, and even people from the Stars - he is also the first to know if there is any trouble, so he is not only a middleman, but also doing the work of an information dealer."

"As for places like the Arrow District, Spear District, and Ax District, you have to walk several steps up. The people who can live there are powerful, and there are guards patrolling us when we return from travel. We, ordinary people, can't even get into a big place.

Man, you have to be careful when going to these areas."

"And the place Kaslan mentioned, which is also the destination of your trip, is in the Kai District where the Far Eastern Butcher Shop is located." Da Tie said: "I heard from acquaintances that some new faces have come there recently. I

Think maybe he’s the person you’re looking for?”

That was the place where Croash was ambushed during the pursuit. Miranda tapped the hilt of the sword at her waist.

"Is there anything suspicious about that location?" Cohen asked nervously: "Like there was a fight? At night, a fight between dozens of swordsmen? Maybe there was a finisher swordsman?"

"Battle? End the swordsman?" Big Belt pondered for a while: "I haven't heard of it. After all, it is not our territory, and there is not enough information."

Big Belt exhaled: "I suggest you ask a consultant. In his territory, you can't hide any troubles from the Far Eastern people - of course, you have to spend money to buy information."

"Okay," Miranda nodded with a solemn expression: "We'll leave right away."

At the instruction of Big Belt, Cohen and Miranda walked out of his house.

"The street and underground forces in Longxiao City are a bit chaotic. They are not as clear-cut as the two major forces in Yongxing City, nor are they as strong as the Brotherhood and the Blood Bottle Gang."

"But these are our most important sources of information. After all, the Sword of Disaster is hidden in the dark, and the chaotic situation also allows us to take advantage of it." Walking on the street, watching the people coming and going, they were all talking about the stars today.

Regarding the prince’s entry into the city, Cohen rubbed his chin worriedly:

"Big bosses who stand up for the poor, half-black and half-white smugglers, profit-seeking chamber of commerce forces, information dealers and middlemen in the Far East - unfortunately, the arrival of Prince Thales has made the situation in the city more tense, and these locals will become even more

If we are cautious and restrained, we will also be more wary of outsiders. It will not be easy for us to find clues."

"We still need to ask that Far Eastern man," Miranda's eyes moved and the topic changed: "Have you met him, our second prince?"

"Of course! In the Hall of Stars, that child's behavior when facing the six dukes..." Cohen, who was beaming with joy, said, but his voice suddenly faltered.

He realized the identity of Miranda Allende at the same time in front of him, and her...father.

"Um..." Cohen rubbed his head awkwardly: "Anyway, he is not bad. It should be a good thing that there is a successor to the Bright Star royal family..."

"Yes," Miranda's expression remained unchanged. She walked past a dilapidated tailor shop and nodded: "That child is impressive, even in Broken Dragon Fortress."

Then the image of Thales Bright Star, the black-haired boy, appeared in front of his eyes.

He should be in the Palace of Heroes now, negotiating with the ruler of Exeter.

And he will one day become our king.

Miranda frowned, and slowly pinched the thumb and index finger of her right hand together.

The king to whom the North is loyal.

They had known each other for many years and had a deep understanding of each other. Cohen couldn't help but sigh when he looked at Miranda's condition.

"Miranda, things have been so urgent these days that I haven't had time to ask you, but," Cohen whispered, "Are you okay?"
To be continued...