Northwind City, Cold Pine Chamber of Commerce.
At this moment, when the time was near noon, Lis chose this time to come to the Cold Pine Chamber of Commerce.
After all, as a Great Noble, being too proactive might arouse suspicion.
"Welcome, Marquis Kane!"
Dressed in a black tailcoat, Uer now seemed like an experienced butler, leading a group of people standing at the entrance of the Cold Pine Chamber of Commerce to receive Lis.
It appeared that they had been waiting here for quite some time.
Lis smiled and nodded his head. He didn't blame Count Solo for not discovering this intelligence outpost; Uer's disguise was simply too good.
"The Guild has prepared everything; please follow me," Uer said with a polite bow, then clasping his hands over his chest and smiling at Lis.
Lis nodded his head and followed behind Uer.
There was no need to hurry. After he entered the Cold Pine Chamber of Commerce, that was when Count Solo's forces would start to surround the place.
A little delay would suffice.
Uer led Lis to a spacious and luxurious room on the second floor of the Guild, where steaming hot tea and exquisite pastries were already prepared, and a fireplace was lit with wood, warming the room like spring.
"Lord Lis, please take a seat!" Uer said with a smile as he gestured for Lis to sit on the main sofa in the room.
"I'll now go get the prepared goods; please wait for a moment," Uer said after Lis nodded in agreement.
After Lis nodded again, Uer closed the door and left the room, and shortly after, faintly spoken instructions to the Chamber of Commerce's attendants could be heard.
Lis didn't touch the items on the table in front of him even though it was very likely that Uer wouldn't tamper with them. But given the circumstances, it was unnecessary to cause any complications.
After waiting quietly for a while, Uer returned, pushing the door open. Following him were several attractive female servants, each carrying a beautifully crafted wooden tray.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" Uer said, his face filled with smiles. Without further delay, he gestured, and the first female servant following behind him approached Lis with her tray.
She gently bent her knees, kneeling on the carpet in front of Lis, presenting the item on the tray before his eyes.
On the tray lay a snow-white piece of fur.
"This is mink skin from the Northern Territory. This piece is the highest grade of pure Snow Mink Skin, without a single hair of another color."
"It's the softest and smoothest to touch, warm and lightweight."
"Of course, this is just a sample. If you like it, I have enough to make several coats."
"I imagine in Bright City you have experienced the various treasures of the Kingdom, and perhaps ordinary treasures do not interest you much, so how about taking some of the Northern Territory's special products as gifts?"
Lis picked up the mink skin and felt it, then nodded and said, "Indeed, it's very nice. Arrange it for me later."
"Of course," Uer replied, his smile growing wider. He pulled the servant aside to give a few instructions, then called the next one carrying goods to come forward.
"This is the highest grade of Snow Jade."
Throughout Uer's introductions, Lis accepted all the goods he had prepared without any hesitation.
After all, he wasn't going to pay for it later.
Uer was almost beaming with joy; if Lis really took all those goods, it would be a significant sum of Gold Coins.
Honestly, although Uer was a spy from the Dillon Kingdom, he did quite enjoy doing business.
Establishing the Cold Pine Chamber of Commerce was his mission, but he also found joy in it.
However, he couldn't forget his task for the day.
This Marquis Kane looked so young, maybe he wasn't too careful with his words. Uer wondered if he could get more hidden news about Bright City.
"Thank you for your generosity. Is there anything else you might require?" Uer asked while rubbing his hands, embodying the perfect image of a cunning merchant.
Lis smiled, leaning his arm on the armrest of the sofa, resting his head on his hand, and said,
"Actually, there is one thing, something only you, Uer, can help me with."
"Lord Lis, please just give your instructions."
"Then I'll speak plainly," Lis said as he tilted his head towards Uer,
"Can you tell me information about the 'Winter Snake'?"
Uer's expression remained unchanged, though he looked at Lis with some confusion:
"Lord Lis, what are you talking about? What is the Winter Snake? I've never heard of such a specialty from the Northern Territory."
"How could you possibly have not heard of it?"
"Surely, I haven't mistaken the person, 'Shadow Snake' Uer Pal,"
Lis said with a smile, but the smile on his face seemed devilish to Uer.
Even my real name and title are known, this isn't a bluff!
Uer sighed, straightened his bent back, and asked:
"May I know how you managed to find me out, Lord Lis?"
"I want to think that the Dillon Kingdom and the Feis Kingdom have a harmonious relationship, so please give me a chance to redeem myself."
Lis chuckled and said:
"Ever since His Majesty the King of your nation decided to invade the Feis Kingdom, we have become enemies."
Waving his hand to stop Uer from trying to argue, Lis looked at him:
"If you have anything else to say, say it to Count Solo."
"If that's the case..."
Uer murmured, seemingly resigned and no longer struggling.
Suddenly, a cold light appeared in his hand, and he violently slashed toward Lis's neck.
This Marquis Kane dared to say these things in the Cold Pine Guild, meaning he was absolutely sure he could keep him here.
Perhaps Count Solo was already waiting outside with his men.
But Uer was not the kind of person to be captured without a fight. His only chance was to seize this Marquis Kane to make Ande Solo hesitate.
As a Silver-level Assassin, Uer was naturally very confident in his abilities.
Unfortunately, the reality was not as wonderful as he had imagined.
Uer felt numbness in his right hand. Although the Dagger was only a short distance from Lis's neck, it could not move any further.
Lis's Longsword blocked Uer's Dagger, even pressing steadily towards him.
"No need to be in such a rush!"
"Just wait patiently for Count Solo to come."
Uer gritted his teeth, suddenly withdrew his Dagger, and leaped backward, escaping the range of Lis's Longsword.
Just as he was about to call for people to come in, he saw Lis throw something out of the window.
A huge explosion sounded from outside the building, and the entire building shook violently for a moment.
Before Uer could react, he heard a loud clamor from downstairs coming up.
"It seems I'm quite lucky! Count Solo is, for some reason, nearby."
Uer forced his mind to calm down. Such a big commotion was not surprising; the other party must have come fully prepared.
Uer took a deep breath, and his figure slowly disappeared from the spot.
Lis remained unfazed, knowing that Uer was not planning to run.
[Limited Challenge Mission Triggered]
[Objective: Defeat Silver Assassin Uer]
[Reward: To be determined based on mission completion]