Chapter 34: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

“Could this be his doing?” Harold asked.

“Very likely,” Wu Qingsong nodded.

Although Wu Qingsong had a clear recollection of Kleine’s fencing skills, that didn’t necessarily mean he could discern the assailant’s style just by examining a corpse. Unlike Harold, whose experience allowed him to infer the type of weapon from the wound’s characteristics, Wu Qingsong was still learning. 

However, the way this boarman had been dispatched, with a blade cleanly piercing through the eye and into the brain, did strongly resemble Kleine’s handiwork.

“If the attacker has burn scars on his face, then it’s almost certainly him,” Wu Qingsong added for clarity.

“My man is dead!” roared a hulking boarman, his mouth full of thick, intimidating tusks. “Someone must be held accountable.”

“I won’t shortchange you on the agreed-upon payment, but let’s not forget that I made clear the risks from the beginning,” Harold countered. “Since the enemy has opted for lethal force, there’s little left to discuss. Pikes, this is your territory. I trust you won’t let your reputation suffer.”

The boarman let out an angry snort, “I’ll hunt down that scoundrel and devour him alive.”

“That would indeed solve a lot of problems,” Harold said. “The sooner this is settled, the better.”

Harold had hired a gang from Umber’s docks, comprised of more than twenty members, including their formidable leader, Pikes. Several among them were formerly renowned mercenaries. They stood as one of the larger, and more disciplined, factions in Umber’s criminal underworld. Their services didn’t come cheap, but they were the most reliable force Harold could find.

They could certainly hire more individuals, but financial constraints were a significant concern. Additionally, an excessive reliance on underground muscle could attract unwanted scrutiny from the three dominant guilds. A situation they preferred to avoid.

While aligning with such elements could pose future risks to Wu Qingsong’s business, his priority was to resolve the Kleine issue once and for all, even if that meant relocating from Umber.

Over the months, Wu Qingsong had confided almost everything about Kleine to Harold, including his unique ability to not get hurt. The level of trust he had developed with the seasoned wolfman was substantial, and Harold had demonstrated that he was worthy of such confidence on multiple occasions.

“It’s safe to say Kleine hasn’t utilized any official channels,” Harold remarked after distancing themselves from the gang members

They had previously discussed this matter. 

If Kleine had arrived in Umber using his rank as a military officer under Baron Elyar, the local city guards wouldn’t follow his commands but would likely extend some form of assistance. These opportunistic enforcers would use the slightest excuse to confiscate businesses and apprehend laborers, pressuring vulnerable merchants and workshop owners into financial settlements. All Kleine would need to do was suggest that Wu Qingsong was in cahoots with the Silver Moon Wolf Clan, and they would gleefully exploit the situation to drain him of every last copper coin.

“He either doesn’t trust them, or he wants to reap all the benefits himself,” Wu Qingsong nodded in agreement.

One other certainty was clear. Kleine’s current agenda extended beyond simply gathering information on Karazhan. Otherwise, with his capabilities, he could have directly located Wu Qingsong and confronted him in a single night.

The elderly and physically disabled Harold was clearly outmatched by Kleine. Wu Qingsong and the two beastwomen didn’t stand a chance either. Kleine could’ve effortlessly captured them, using the beastwomen as leverage to coerce Wu Qingsong into speaking.

He might be after more secrets that Wu Qingsong held, or perhaps he was digging for clues about the Moon Maiden from them.

Motivated by both bounty and vengeance, Kleine had every reason to act. Ironically, it was his own greed that gave Wu Qingsong and his allies a window of opportunity to recover and potentially counterattack.

“We must find a way to discreetly alert Ram and the others as soon as possible,” Wu Qingsong insisted. “We completed a shipment just a few days ago, there’s no telling how long he’s had his eyes on us.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Harold assured, nodding. “The followers of the Moon Maiden have been on the run for a long time. They’ll have their own strategies for evading capture. My current concern is that Kleine discovered and killed our spy, he must know he’s been exposed. He might either lie low or take a dangerous gamble. You all need to be very cautious during this time.”

Wu Qingsong nodded in agreement. “The same goes for you.”

Somehow, Harold had managed to acquire two powerful crossbows, weapons strictly prohibited for civilian use by the empire. They had also poisoned all the bolts. Should they successfully hit Kleine, he wouldn’t be as fortunate as before.

Yet, two days passed with no trace of Kleine to be found. Despite leveraging multiple contacts in a desperate search, all efforts to locate him ended in vain.

It was as if Kleine had disappeared from Umber completely. Despite searching the forests and farmhouses on the outskirts of the city, Pikes’s team had come up empty-handed.

For a half-elf who was forced to constantly wear a mask due to his disfigured face, one would think Kleine should be easily spotted.

“He won’t just give up,” Wu Qingsong remarked, resolute that neither would he.

Every day, money was hemorrhaging from their reserves. Keeping Pikes’s people motivated was costly. While Wu Qingsong could endure the expense for a week or maybe two, prolonged failure to find Kleine would inevitably lead to bankruptcy.

It was the drawback of not possessing personal power. Unlike Wu Qingsong, Ram, Nina, and the others wouldn’t face this kind of dilemma when dealing with the same threat. In fact, such a looming crisis could potentially make their alliance even tighter and stronger.

“If finances are a concern, I can front some of the money,” Harold offered.

Though touched, Wu Qingsong shook his head. 

“This approach won’t work,” he told Harold. “We’re exposed, while he lurks in the shadows. He has the luxury to choose when to attack or retreat, we’re left in a perpetual state of high-alert defense. It’s too passive. We need a strategy to lure him out.”

“If he’s as sly as you make him out to be, luring him into a trap won’t be simple,” Harold countered.

“What if we feign vulnerability? Make it seem like we’re leaving Umber in a hurry, unable to afford guards?” Wu Qingsong suggested.

“That’s a risky gambit,” Harold warned. “To ensnare him, you’ll have to put yourselves in considerable danger first.”

“I won’t get hurt, remember? I won’t die,” Wu Qingsong asserted with conviction. “But he is another story altogether.”