Chapter 161: Walking on Thin Ice

“What should we do now?”

After enduring an evening with Alvin until midnight and finally sending him off to rest, Wu Qingsong finally found the chance to meet with Ram and Harold.

Harold had Angus and Beck, along with a few trusted soldiers, conduct checks around to ensure there were no issues. Only then did he close the door and instruct them to stand guard outside, starting a quiet discussion.

“This isn’t as simple as it seems,” he said to Wu Qingsong.

Three thousand slaves, even if they were all the least valuable mousefolk, amounted to a significant sum of money. Even for Alvin, overseeing Norwei, gathering this many slaves would likely require raids on over a dozen villages. It was implausible to just give them away so easily.

“He said he already assessed the soldiers of Esola as unfit for use?” Ram interjected. “When exactly did he arrive? If he came from Esola’s side, why wouldn’t More be aware of this situation?”

“Let’s send someone to Esola first thing tomorrow morning to look into it,” Wu Qingsong immediately suggested. “And try to find out from the Osaga Commerce Guild what Alvin’s real background is. This type of information shouldn’t be a secret.”

“Check the records of mercenary groups and merchant caravans that have passed through in recent days for anything suspicious,” Harold added.

Alvin had claimed he was here to investigate the Norwei rebels, but even if that was true, as long as he remained in Orgrimmar, the threat persisted.

This place harbored too many secrets. If Alvin discovered anything suspicious, there would undoubtedly be dire consequences.

They indeed had no connections to the Norwei rebels, but their alliance with the Silver Moon rebels was as close as could be, especially with Ram being a significant member of the Silver Moon Wolf Clan. Such ties, once uncovered, would lead to disastrous outcomes.

The secrets within the factory, the greenhouse used for cultivating seeds, the Xuanyuan Church, the Beastgirl Sisterhood, and most critically, the undead creatures hidden in the Elmons Mine, were all too significant to risk exposure.

If Alvin’s true target was Orgrimmar, who could say whether he had arranged for people to secretly surround and surveil both Orgrimmar and the mine?

Moving those undead creatures at such a critical time might play right into Alvin’s hands.

Yet, if he didn’t relocate them promptly, and Alvin actually brought those slaves, even “helpfully” insisting on helping to inspect and revive the mine’s operations, those undead would be immediately discovered, attracting even more scrutiny, possibly even from the elves.

With Alvin dragging him here and there every day, he couldn’t even find a chance to command the undead to bury themselves somewhere.

“How many people would it take to escort three thousand slaves, including their baggage?” Harold suddenly asked.

Using this pretext, Alvin could legitimately bring at least three hundred soldiers into the territory, reaching up to Elmons. If he mixed additional soldiers among the slaves, the actual number of troops could be significantly higher.

“The real question is, are we his actual target? And if so, why?” Ram pondered with a furrowed brow.

“Many of the things we do would eventually be discovered by those who are watchful,” Harold said.

The link with Silver Moon was the most prone to exposure. Firstly, the majority of Ram’s followers were wolfmen and raccoonfolk, unusually notable for a minor and previously obscure trading group. If someone became suspicious and monitored them long-term, uncovering their smuggling activities wouldn’t be hard.

The Xuanyuan Church was another vulnerability. Virtually all official members of the town had become adherents of this church, making it difficult for them to avoid mentioning church and faith matters in their daily conversations. Such discussions, if overheard by someone with intent, could easily raise suspicions.

The Thirteenth Mercenary Group’s policy of isolation was another point of contention.

This area, once a crucial hub for traffic, goods, populace, and information north of Esola, had been semi-secluded since becoming Wu Qingsong’s territory. Combined with their previous remarkable victory and their failure to resume iron ore production, unlike other mercenary groups.

Wu Qingsong sighed ruefully, “I used to think we were pretty good at hiding, but now, it feels like we’re riddled with flaws.”

“With such big operations, it’s impossible to conceal everything. Unless we do nothing at all, there’s always the risk of being exposed,” Harold, for once, didn’t pour cold water on the situation. “What we’ve managed so far was sufficient for normal circumstances. Esola is quite remote, so the chances of being closely monitored by the higher echelons were always slim. Encountering someone like Alvin is itself out of the ordinary.”

“Does that mean he’s already suspicious of us and came in to stir things up on purpose?” Wu Qingsong asked.

“At this point, that seems highly likely.”

“So, what do we do?”

If that were true, then they had become Alvin’s primary suspects, and his current actions were merely a search for evidence.

Maybe he didn’t even need evidence, just looking for a plausible pretext to allow his forces to penetrate the Riniconia Duchy’s territory and then take direct action against them, gathering evidence afterward.

Taking action first and justifying it later was a common approach for the empire’s elites.

“I can think of only two options right now,” Harold said.

“Two?” Wu Qingsong asked, surprised.

“One option is to kill him with a curse,” Harold stated, his face expressionless. “But we need to be extremely cautious not to leave any trace or cause that could lead to an investigation.”

“He wouldn’t be using the surname Osaga if he were just any half-elf,” Ram quickly countered. “No matter how covertly we act, his death here would surely trigger a thorough investigation. It would only delay the inevitable exposure and not solve the root problem.”

“Or, we help him find what he’s searching for,” Harold proposed, clearly indicating his preferred approach.

“You’re suggesting we find members of the Norwei resistance.” Wu Qingsong glanced at Ram.

“It’s our only option, and the quicker, the better,” Harold insisted. “Delay further, and we may lose the chance to choose.”

Ram bit her lip.

The Norwei resistance and the Silver Moon Wolf Clan, while not directly linked, pursued similar goals as wolfkin.

“I know of a stronghold they had to the north, though that was several years ago,” she finally spoke up after a moment.

“Ram…” Wu Qingsong expressed, his heart heavy.

“If the insectoid swarm in Esola truly involves them, then I can live with this,” Ram stated firmly.

Harold said, “Everyone at the Eryk Mine is dead, and the entire mine has become ruins, leaving us nowhere to begin. Unless we capture some of their members, there’s no way to investigate.”

“Then we should try to establish contact with them first,” Wu Qingsong proposed.

“And what about Alvin?”

“I’ll figure something out for him,” Wu Qingsong said.