Styx and his team continued sabotaging the army's supplies in every city. They had successfully infiltrated and destroyed four army storages in the east going south of the empire. After this, they went to their fifth target in the empire's southern region.
Having successfully destroyed four army warehouses, the army could no longer be complacent. They were aware that their enemies were targeting them. Still, they had yet to identify which faction was after them and could only tighten their security while dispatching people to investigate.
Some of their people went to check on the bandits, while others searched for the rebels. There was also a chance that the ones targeting them were local noble families and forces or small to medium factions. Thus, the army leaders sought their cooperation in guarding the warehouses. By doing so, they could also keep an eye on them.
With the help of the noble families and local forces, they tightened the security of their warehouses.
The additional security put Styx and Dante in a spot. Because of their tall height and large frames, others would easily spot them even if they used stealth spells. Left with little choice, they decided to let the other members do the infiltration while they secured their escape routes.
Styx and Dante had them separate into three smaller teams, with one Array Specialist each. Each of them targeted a warehouse, with Styx and Dante ensuring the escape route of the two teams. As for the third team, they only said that Neo— or rather, Tyr— would be enough to ensure both. Since Owen and Hamish also agreed to Styx and Dante's notions, the rest of the members did not argue. Frankly, they never intended to argue. After all, they had all heard about Tyr's unbelievable feat during the Lumley Family's attack on the Blacksmith Order and the recent Joint Military Exercise with the Military.
The three teams did not encounter any problems entering the army's warehouses. Even when the security had increased, and all kinds of Array formations were placed around the army's headquarters, it was not hard to decipher the formations and bypass them because of Owen and Hamish. In the first place, those Array formations were created by the Blacksmith Order's Array Specialists. If they could not decipher them, they would not be able to show their faces in front of the order.
As for Neo, since he was posing as Tyr, and his identity was Noir's disciple, deciphering those arrays were already a given.
Although there was a risk that the army would suspect the Blacksmith Order to be involved in the attacks if the intruders could decipher the array formations, that was the least of their worries. Besides, even if they suspected the Blacksmith Order, by the time they decided to do something about it, the situation in Meliora, particularly in the Regis Estate and in Noser, would have already reached the southern region or might have already escalated. When that happened, the Conclave would not feign innocence to protect their neutral status. As Chairman Hugh said, since the Mercenary Hall agreed to accept Kyran Regis's employment request, it meant that they were willing to go down with him as their patron. Apart from this, the request had been approved by the Head of Conclave and the Lord of the Tower.
In one of the army warehouses, Neo and the rest of the mercenaries with him had already entered its vicinity. However, only Neo entered the warehouse to place the explosives.
It was not because Neo was worried the mercenaries with him could accomplish the task. He had no emotions, to begin with, and was acting only according to the best course of action he determined after calculating all the probabilities. In any case, according to his calculations, he had a higher percentage of accomplishing the task and leaving the warehouse in the shortest time possible.
<We received an update from Leader Styx and Vice Leader Dante>
Neo's communication device sounded in his left ear. His communication device was modelled after the Courtenay Family's four-leaf clover earing, except it was a plain metal stud.
After hearing the update from one of the mercenaries with him, Neo replied in a hushed tone, "I'm also done. Let's meet at point C. If I don't arrive in ten minutes, proceed as planned and rendezvous with the others."
<Copy that, Disciple Tyr.>
<<Please, be careful.>>
<<<We'll see you there.>>>
All three mercenaries with him replied one after another.
The pupils on Neo's aquamarine eyes shrink before expanding, making a slight whirling sound. Soon, his vision reflected all information inside and outside the warehouse as he scanned his surroundings. He checked the array formation written within the walls while also observing the situation outside.
Outside, six army soldiers marched around the warehouse in a double file, with three soldiers each. Four mages on nearby towers observed the warehouse from four different cardinal directions.
Earlier, Neo managed to approach the warehouse by exploiting the blind spot on the east side. After which, he made use of the warehouse's array formation to conceal himself as he climbed the walls and entered through a lone window above.
However, Neo could not use the same route because the Array formation outside the warehouse differed from the inside. If he exited through the same window, the Array would activate and trap him inside. Of course, he could change the calculation on the formation, but that would take quite a lot of time. Something that they did not have.
Neo checked all the entrances and confirmed that only the west entrance had no trigger formulas. The north entrance had a lightning trigger; the east had a sound alarm, and the south entrance would trigger a trap that could instantly transport anyone to a cell inside the army's underground prison.
After processing all this information, Neo straightened and unhesitatingly went to the south entrance.
When the patrolling soldiers turned a corner, Neo walked in front of the south entrance and touched the door.
If this had been any other day, the formation's south trigger would activate, and the small transportation array on the ground would light up. After that, the person or people standing on the transportation array would be sent to the army's underground prison.
However, nothing of the sort happened when Neo stood in front of the door. The transportation array did light up, but he was not sent to the underground prison. He easily exited the door and once again used the formation outside the warehouse to conceal himself and avoid the watchful eyes of the mage watching the south entrance through the nearby tower.
The reason behind this was simple. When Neo checked the trigger formula of the south entrance, it only targeted 'living things.' It was very specific compared with the other triggers of the others.
Neo was a puppet. To others, he might already be considered a 'living thing;' however, without flesh and bones, the array could not determine that. The array only detected that Neo was an object with mechanical parts.
When Neo was at least fifty meters away, he activated the devices he planted inside, and the warehouse exploded.
At once, the soldiers guarding the warehouse fell into disarray. The other representatives from the local noble families, local forces and small to medium factions also appeared.
But Neo did not stay to watch. He immediately left the army branch headquarters and went to where he and the others had agreed to meet.
"Well, look who we have here."
A youthful and haughty voice suddenly spoke as Neo landed on the street outside the army's headquarters.
Information flashed through Neo's brain as he found a match to the voice's frequency.
Neo's eyes narrowed as he straightened and looked to his left.
"Matias."
Matias grinned as soon as Neo called his name.
"Deputy Marshal Ingrid is right. She said you would be here," he said with a smile that did not meet his eyes.
The information on Deputy Marshal Ingrid flashed through Neo's brain, and he frowned at once. As far as he knew, the former was still in the Courtenay Lands. As a matter of fact, it should have been the same with Matias.
How did he end up in the southern region? Neo and the others could only do this after receiving the new transmission scrolls from his master. Could it be that the Lumley Family also possessed a transmission scroll?
But based on the information in Neo's data bank, only the Regis Family knew how to make one because it required their blood. To be more accurate, it required the blood of a Regis member who had taken a drop of the dragon's blood.
Or, could it be that they possessed a relic that enabled them to travel at a distance in such a short time?
As for the matter regarding Ingrid. How did she know that he would be here? Had she anticipated their move? Or did someone tell her?
Matias's smile vanished as he saw Neo's indifferent expression.
The truth, Neo was still processing the situation. Thus, his expression had turned blank.
Apparently, his blank expression appeared indifferent in Matias's eyes.
"You still wear that expression," he said through gritted teeth. "I hate it when you look at me like that."
Neo finally reacted to Matias's words. He raised his head and said, "Oh, sorry. For a moment, I forgot you were there."
"Why, you little b*stard!" Matias growled at once. Red magic arrays appeared all over his body as his body burst into flames. A flaming roc also appeared behind him that flapped its wings while letting out a loud cry.
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