"I apologize for our Assassin’s Guild’s negligence this time..." Li Jiya knew that to get information out of Terence, she couldn’t afford to sour their relationship. If Terence were to leave Nuta City, finding him again would be difficult.
Yan Xing scoffed. "There’s much more you need to apologize for. The Magic Tracking Potion on my clothes—that was your doing, wasn’t it?"
"Yes," Li Jiya admitted straightforwardly.
She knew such tracking tricks couldn’t work for long on a top-tier thief like Terence; indeed, she had already lost his trail yesterday.
Yan Xing sneered. "I’m not in the mood to dwell on what has happened. But this assassination failed because of a leak from your Assassin’s Guild. Shouldn’t my deposit be fully returned?"
Now, other assassins were also hounding the Assassin’s Guild for their surety money. The Guild was in disarray after last night’s events.
How to manage the aftermath and handle the situation had yet to be decided.
Li Jiya could only say to Yan Xing, "I’m sorry... there are still many unresolved issues in this matter. We are thoroughly investigating to determine where the problem occurred. Please rest assured, Mr. Terence. If the leak is indeed found to be entirely the Assassin’s Guild’s fault, we will certainly give you a satisfactory resolution."
Yan Xing understood from Li Jiya’s words that even with matters so serious, the Assassin’s Guild still harbored intentions of evading payment.
It seemed their monopoly had made them far too complacent, he thought. Welching on the debt is fine by me, too. You all can continue your investigation; my Creed Assassin’s Guild certainly won’t wait for you.
"When will you finish your investigation?" Yan Xing pressed. "Yan Xing knows I tried to assassinate him; he definitely won’t let me off easily. I don’t know if the so-called ’Curse of the Thunderous Swamp’ has been placed on me, but right now, I just want to take my money and leave Nuta City as quickly as possible."
Li Jiya, fearing Terence would leave, quickly said, "Please rest assured, Mr. Terence. Until this incident is fully investigated, the Assassin’s Guild will be responsible for your safety. If Yan Xing makes any move, we will notify you immediately and assist you in evading his pursuit. As for the Curse of the Thunderous Swamp... it should only be unleashed by the might of the Thunderous Swamp when an assassination is actually attempted. Last night, you didn’t make a move. Besides, if you were under the Curse of the Thunderous Swamp, I imagine Yan Xing would have already tracked you here with his men."
"Alright, I’ll trust you one more time," Yan Xing replied dismissively, then continued eating.
Li Jiya pressed on, "Mr. Terence, did you suddenly change the assassination plan yesterday because you discovered something? Did you anticipate that the plan would be leaked?"
Yan Xing said, continuing to eat with his head down, "No. From the very beginning, I never intended to follow the plan. Assassination is a highly personal matter; the fewer people who know, the greater the chance of success. I’m not familiar with your Nuta City methods; I have my own."
Li Jiya hadn’t expected Terence to have had no intention of following the plan even as they were formulating it.
Just then, Grey Mouse walked in.
When Grey Mouse saw that Li Jiya wasn’t behind the bar, his expression showed a hint of disappointment.
But upon spotting Terence, he immediately brightened and walked over with a smile.
Yan Xing said to Li Jiya, "My friend and I have some things to discuss. You can leave now. Come find me when you’re ready to return my money."
Li Jiya, unwilling to lose Terence as a lead, leaned in and whispered to Yan Xing, "Aren’t you looking for ’Shortgun’?"
Grey Mouse walked over. Seeing someone still seated there with Terence, he asked, "A friend?"
"More or less," Yan Xing replied, not dismissing Li Jiya. Instead, he gestured for Grey Mouse to sit.
Although I don’t know what "Shortgun" Li Jiya is talking about, Yan Xing thought, since she thinks I’m looking for it, I might as well play along.
Hearing that this heavily cloaked individual was a friend of Terence’s, Grey Mouse instinctively assumed they must also be a formidable thief.
He sat down and then said excitedly to Yan Xing, "Mr. Terence, your name is on everyone’s lips in Nuta City! Of the eight assassins who went after Yan Xing, he managed to find seven! Every single one of them was a renowned assassin. But you? He couldn’t find a single trace of you! All those who doubted your skills have been silenced. You’re now recognized as the top thief in Nuta City... No, the top assassin!"
Grey Mouse glanced at the disguised Li Jiya and whispered to Yan Xing, "Mr. Terence, with this huge mess at the Assassin’s Guild, their credibility has taken a massive hit. I have a lot of connections in Nuta City. If you’re willing to take on jobs, I can act as your broker."
Yan Xing said coldly to Grey Mouse, "The person right next to you is from the Assassin’s Guild."
Grey Mouse’s face paled. Hadn’t he just sealed his own doom with those words? He quickly stammered, "No, no, no... I was just kidding! Really! I just run errands for Mr. Terence. I wouldn’t dare try to steal business from the Assassin’s Guild."
Yan Xing said, "It’s fine. Miss Xue Jun won’t make things difficult for you." Then, turning to Li Jiya, he continued, "Now, let’s talk about ’Shortgun.’ What information do you have for me regarding ’Shortgun’?"
Li Jiya said, "You know our Assassin’s Guild charges for information. However, for information related to ’Shortgun,’ we don’t accept money... You have to do something for me, and then I’ll tell you what I know."
"Help me investigate the leak in this assassination mission."
"Isn’t your Assassin’s Guild already investigating?"
Li Jiya glanced at Grey Mouse, then said to Yan Xing, "They are investigating, but it might require infiltrating the Thunderous Swamp’s embassy in Nuta City. The defenses there are extremely tight, with countless hidden eyes watching. You’re the only thief I know who has entered Yan Xing’s embassy, spent a night there, and walked out safely. If you agree to enter Yan Xing’s embassy for me when the time comes, I’ll tell you what I know about ’Shortgun.’"
Yan Xing figured that entering his own embassy wouldn’t be difficult at all, so he agreed. "No problem. Tell me. Do we need to sign a contract or anything?"
Since this was Li Jiya’s private investigation, she said, "There’s no need for a contract. I trust you... According to our intelligence, a key figure in the Jufeng Mercenary Group’s upper management is connected to ’Shortgun.’ The Jufeng Mercenary Group’s recent attack on the Farsight Mercenary Corps was likely orchestrated by ’Shortgun’ in an attempt to hinder the Temple’s expansion of influence. However, we don’t know ’Shortgun’s’ ultimate motive for doing so."
Yan Xing pondered... He didn’t quite understand. What exactly is this ’Shortgun’? Li Jiya believes *I’m* looking for ’Shortgun,’ and I, this master, can’t very well ask for details! This will really test my deductive skills. The identities of those who caused a disturbance during the Farsight Mercenary Corps leader Donald’s publicity stunt have already been investigated and confirmed. They were Donald’s own men, and Donald is affiliated with the Temple. Li Jiya said ’Shortgun’ attacked the Farsight Mercenary Corps to obstruct the Temple’s expansion of power. Their objective must be to maintain stability in Nuta City. Therefore, ’Shortgun’ must be working for Count Theodore... Or perhaps... for Marquis Anderson.