NOVPUB
Chapter 277: Infiltrating Flamecrest Mansion
Later that night, after Aldrian’s discussion with the group of cultivators, he now found himself face-to-face with a cultivator cloaked entirely in black. They were inside his room, and the cloaked figure had revealed his face. His red hair marked him as a member of the Flamecrest family, and Aldrian had been informed that this man held a higher position than Jil.
The man observed Aldrian intently. He had come here after being informed by a friend about someone who wished to meet him. His friend had promised him a peak-level energy stone as a reward if he agreed to meet and cooperate with this person. To his surprise, the person he was asked to meet turned out to be this young man.
"So, Kroz, I want to ask a few questions regarding the recent issues within the Flamecrest family. I hope you can help me with this," Aldrian said.
Kroz frowned upon hearing the young man’s purpose.
"I’m just a lower-tier soldier in the Flamecrest family, so I’m afraid I don’t know much about this matter. The information itself is still unclear," he replied.
"No, I don’t need detailed information," Aldrian said. "I just want to know a few things. For example, someone named Jil in your family—what is his relationship with Commander Marcus? How did he find out about Commander Marcus becoming a devil? And lastly, what happened to Jil?"
Hearing Aldrian’s question, Kroz relaxed his frown.
"Jil is one of the soldiers in my unit, and my unit is directly under Commander Marcus. So, Commander Marcus is our immediate superior. As for how Jil found out about Commander Marcus becoming a devil—some time ago, Jil mentioned it himself. He and his friends saw Commander Marcus exuding devil energy and seeming to lose his mind. Marcus almost attacked Jil, but thankfully he managed to escape with his friends to a crowded area."
"As for what happened to Jil, he is currently under observation by the main family, confined to one of the rooms in the dungeon. I really don’t know what’s happening to him right now. He has no contact with the outside world and is completely cut off. I have no idea why he’s under observation, nor do I know what the elders or Lord Flamecrest are thinking," Kroz said.
"Are all of Jil’s friends who saw Commander Marcus also under observation in that place?" Aldrian asked.
"Yes, it appears so. They were all summoned by one of the elders and haven’t been seen since. However, I heard from a friend who knows about this matter that they’re all being observed in the dungeon within the mansion complex."
Aldrian paused, pondering for a moment, before asking again, "What about Commander Marcus? Where is he now?"
"He... he’s dead," Kroz replied.
"What?" Aldrian asked, frowning.
"Yes. Not long after the news of him becoming a devil spread, the elders successfully subdued him. They intended to interrogate Commander Marcus, but shortly after that, he was found dead in his cell. There were no signs of assassination, so it remains a mystery to this day. I saw his corpse myself, so I can confirm that," Kroz explained.
Aldrian frowned deeper, sensing that something was amiss. The sudden death of Commander Marcus without any signs? He could sense a conspiracy at play. However, with the limited information he had, he couldn’t draw any concrete conclusions.
"Where is Commander Marcus’s body? There’s no way you all just destroyed it, right?" Aldrian asked.
"Of course not. His body is still in the morgue, which is under heavy surveillance. There’s no way the elders would destroy his body without understanding how Commander Marcus died. They’re conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of his sudden death." n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
"Do you know where the morgue is?" Aldrian asked.
"Of course I know. It’s located in the southwest part of the mansion complex, secluded and underground, right next to the dungeon. The morgue has only one entrance, which also leads to the dungeon. As I mentioned, the place is heavily guarded now, and only those permitted by one of the elders are allowed to enter," Kroz answered.
Aldrian sighed. He still couldn’t find a breakthrough in this case. The good news, however, was that Commander Marcus’s body was still there, so he could examine it himself later for any signs of strangeness.
"Can you show me the entrance to the dungeon? You don’t have to take me inside, just point out the exact location of the entrance," Aldrian said, taking out a small pouch of peak-level energy stones from his storage ring.
Kroz’s eyes widened. The aura of the peak-level energy stones spread towards him, making him feel a surge of greed. He had never touched high-level energy stones in his entire life, let alone peak-level ones. With his Earl-stage cultivation, middle-level energy stones had always been enough for him, and that’s all the Flamecrest family had given him up until now. If he got his hands on the peak-level energy stones, he could use them in many ways, one of which was to accelerate his cultivation. This was truly a rare opportunity.
He knew what he was doing right now was risky and could be considered treason, as he was revealing information about his family to this unknown person. But the prospect of obtaining peak-level energy stones was incredibly tempting.
"What are you going to do, young master? I hope you don’t do anything that will make the family an enemy of you. I could get dragged into this. Even now, I feel anxious because I’m here sneaking around behind the family’s back," Kroz said, narrowing his eyes.
Although the prospect of getting peak-level energy stones was tempting, if he were found out for revealing crucial information, like the secret location, to an outsider, he could kiss his life goodbye. It could be counted as betrayal, and a traitor would be executed.
"You don’t have to worry. I won’t drag you or anybody else into this. I just need you to show me the exact location of the entrance, and your job will be done. And don’t worry if you think I’ll harm Flamecrest. No, it’s actually the opposite—I want to help them solve this issue. But I can only do it this way because I don’t want Flamecrest to know I’m the one helping them, at least not yet," Aldrian said, reassuring Kroz.
After weighing what Aldrian had said, Kroz finally made his decision. He gritted his teeth and said to Aldrian,
"Alright, I’ll show you the location. When are you going to do it?"
"Anytime you’re ready," Aldrian answered.
"Alright, let’s go now. This is a good time because the shift change for the guards is almost here." After that, they left the inn and made their way toward the Flamecrest family mansion. The night life of Flamecrest city was still bustling with activity, so their movements weren’t too conspicuous. After walking for fifteen minutes, they finally arrived at an area with a tall wall spanning across the sidewalk.
"This is the outer wall of the mansion. The dungeon and morgue are located inside the inner wall, the distance of the outer wall and inner wall is 600 meters, and the distance between the inner wall and the dungeon is 200 meters. Behind this wall, there are many detection formations, so you can’t just jump in recklessly," Kroz said to Aldrian.
Aldrian spread his senses carefully inside, and true to Kroz’s words, there were many detection formations placed on the ground and even on the walls themselves. Once something touched those formations, the nearby patrol would be immediately alerted. He was impressed by the mansion’s security, but for him, formations were one of his fortes, and these kinds of detection formations were easy for him to disable.
"There is a gate 500 meters from here where you can enter, but I doubt they will let you in without an explanation to the guards about your purpose here. Heck, even if you have a valid reason, they won’t let anyone enter. Moreover, with the imperial family’s envoy here, the security is much tighter than usual," Kroz said.
"The imperial family is here?"
"Yes, the imperial family’s envoy, led by Princess Loraine, arrived here yesterday. The devil case seems to have really disturbed the imperial family, and they are here to inspect our family. They also want to know what happened here in detail."
Aldrian narrowed his eyes. As Emperor Durand had said, the imperial family would be involved in this, but he wasn’t surprised. This case was quite a big matter, after all. With the imperial family here, perhaps he could take advantage of the situation.
Aldrian then touched Kroz’s shoulder, and suddenly they disappeared, only to reappear inside the area behind the wall. Aldrian had teleported them into a space between the gaps in the formations, ensuring they didn’t trigger any of them.
Kroz, still disoriented from the sudden change in scenery, was shocked to realize they were already inside the mansion complex. They hadn’t triggered any formations, and he now understood that Aldrian was an expert.
"Which way to the dungeon from here? The faster we move, the better. I’ve already detected a group of patrols moving toward this direction," Aldrian said.
