Just like on Earth, the countries of this world also attached great importance to intelligence work.
For example, the Kingdom of Eagle and the Duchy of Griffon both had a group of scouts known as the "Eyes of the Sky." They rode on magical beasts that could fly at high altitudes and used magic to hide their figures and auras. They hid in the gaps between the clouds and spied on the situation of other countries.
Another example was the Commonwealth of Mifata. There was a huge magic pool in which countless mages temporarily stored their magic so that they could use it in the future when they needed it. The officials of the Commonwealth of Mifata used this magic pool to collect a huge amount of magic and cast some high-level spells to obtain secret information that could not be obtained through normal channels.
As for the Commonwealth of Gold Coins, it adopted the method of casting a wide net and collecting information from all the merchants and peddlers. Then, a group of smart and capable intelligence officers battled with the mountain of information every day and sorted out the information they wanted from the countless bits and pieces of information.
The Republic of Northwest had only been established for a short period of time. The intelligence department had limited manpower and resources. So, they could only make up for the lack of quality. Manpower? Then, they would let go of the simple things and concentrate the limited manpower on the important things.
For example, the person who took Wood's information away from the spies and then sent it back was Deputy Director Clito of the Fishing and Hunting Resources Investigation Office under the Republic of Northwest's Ministry of Agriculture. Deputy Director Clito was very disgusted with this work outside of his job. But he was a bit henpecked when his wife glared at him. He muttered helplessly, "I'll have to pay overtime for this."
As a legendary master who could elope with the daughter of a marquis when he was only in the middle ranks, it was a piece of cake for him to do such a small thing. Except for his own dissatisfaction, the whole thing was done perfectly and no one noticed it at all.
About two months after Wood sent the message, the officials of the intelligence department of the Commonwealth of Mifata received his information.
For intelligence work, it took two months to send a piece of information. The speed was so slow that it made one's hair stand on end. In this field, magical communication was used in most cases. Although the cost was high and the efficiency was low, it was fast.
Fast. That was enough.
Because the goal of intelligence was nothing more than "accuracy," "secrecy," and "speed." The first two points were often encountered but not sought. Even if they sent out the best intelligence personnel, no matter how much they paid, they might not be able to achieve it. Only the last point was that he only needed to spend money.
Other countries might still have a headache about how to find a group of middle-level and high-level mages who were willing to work for them, but what kind of place was the Mifata Federation? It was the holy land of magic in the entire main plane! Was there a shortage of mages here?
Since they had enough manpower, the only problem left was money. Was money still a problem for a big country?
Therefore, the intelligence work of the Mifata Federation had always been the best. Not to mention the Main Plane, even if something happened in other planes, as long as it had a close relationship with the Mifata Federation, it would be sent to the intelligence agency within one or two days after the news spread, so that it could be sorted out and studied.
However, no matter how much money the Mifata Federation had, they couldn't just spend it carelessly. Only those truly valuable and important pieces of information could enjoy the treatment of not caring about money. Only those pieces of information could be sent back to the Mifata Federation as soon as possible by using magic.
Wood's intelligence was initially able to enjoy this kind of treatment, especially the defense map of Pyroxene Town that he sent out, which made his superiors very satisfied and praised him for it.
But the good times didn't last long. As time went by, the valuable information became less and less, and Wood's intelligence treatment also became lower and lower. Now, the information he sent out had been marked as "the least urgent" and was transmitted through the same channel as civilian information. It was nothing more than an extra layer of confidentiality.
Wood didn't know about these things. He only knew that the country needed him to lurk in the heart of other countries, constantly collect all kinds of information and send it back. If there was a need, he might have to lie low for the rest of his life; if there was a need, he might have to draw his sword tomorrow … In short, he was just a small cogwheel or a small nail in the huge machine of the Commonwealth of Mifata — no, he was far less important. He was probably equivalent to a handful of soil in the farmland, or a cup of water in a pond, nothing more.
But even if it was a handful of soil or a glass of water, he would still perform his duties very seriously, not daring to slack off at all.
Unfortunately, his superiors didn't think so.
"It's this kind of worthless information again … Wood, this kid, seems to have other ideas." It took about half a minute to finish reading his intelligence, which was even shorter than Felix's. The intelligence director of the Mifata Federation frowned and tapped his fingers on the table, thinking about what to do.
After a while, he made up his mind and asked the herald to issue an order.
In less than three minutes, a middle-aged man with a very ordinary appearance came in. He was like a drop of water in the sea of people walking on the street.
"There's something wrong with the spy No. 97," the intelligence director said, "Prepare to start the replacement plan."
The middle-aged man recalled the identity of number 97 and the job he was in charge of. He frowned and said, "He has already taken root in the Republic of Northwest and has hopes of entering the upper class in the future. It would be a pity to replace him now."
The intelligence director shook his head. "He has changed his mind. In the past three years, he hasn't sent back even a piece of valuable information."
"Maybe it's just because he's cautious enough?" The middle-aged man said. "He was able to completely destroy his strength, which was almost at the high level, in order to hide. Would such a person have changed his mind? It's unlikely. "
"That's true, but the fact is that he has changed his mind." The intelligence director didn't intend to explain in detail to the other party. He waved his hand. "Go and get ready. We must ensure that the intelligence point."
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, sighed, and turned to leave.
A soldier's duty was to obey orders. Even if he didn't agree with the order and thought it was ridiculous, it was the same.
He had already submitted his opinion, but it was rejected, so there was nothing he could do.
After returning to his room, he was silent for a long time before he said to the adjutant, "Are there any female spies with a certain level of artistic attainment recently? The kind that can carry out long-term missions. They can't be too old or too young. "
The adjutant thought for a moment and listed a few names.
"Give them special training in carving knowledge. In addition, get detailed information about the spy No. 97," the middle-aged man said. "After the training, choose the one with the most stable performance and arrange for her to be No. 97's wife. Send her to Pyroxene City."
The adjutant nodded and took note of this matter. At the same time, he asked casually, "Do we need to expedite it?"
"No need." The middle-aged man thought for a moment, and a strange look flashed in his eyes. "The training should be detailed and appropriate. There must be no mistakes. This spy is to replace No. 97. The training standard must be high. "
The adjutant immediately understood what he meant. He smiled slightly, nodded, and went out.
After the adjutant left, the middle-aged man thought carefully for a moment, shook his head, and frowned.
"How is it possible!" He muttered in a low voice. "It doesn't make sense at all …"
At this time, in the office of the intelligence director, another magician covered in a black robe came.
"There's a problem with someone on my side," the intelligence director said without emotion. "I'm going to send someone to replace him. You make some preparations. When the time comes, I want him to die like a man who has drunk too much and is full of blood. No one can detect the problem."
The black-robed magician didn't speak but nodded silently.
"It's a pity … If I had known that he was unreliable, I might as well have fed him to the witch. Maybe a witch can be cultivated … "the intelligence director said with some regret, and then talked about another topic." How many witches can be used at present? "
"Six." The black-robed magician replied, his voice old, hoarse, and weak.
"That's too little!"
"It's troublesome to cultivate witches, but we lose them quickly."
"Yes … because they're very useful." The intelligence director smiled slightly, but there was no kindness in his smile. "Hurry up and cultivate them."
"The materials needed to cultivate witches are not easy to obtain. We need authorization."
The intelligence director sneered. "It's useless no matter how many times I say it. I can't give you this authorization. You want materials? Think of a way yourself! I won't give you any promises. On the contrary, if something goes wrong, I won't admit anything. "
"Do you think I don't know you witchcraft researchers? You're just trying to get me to take responsibility for you guys. Let me tell you, don't even think about it! " The intelligence director's face became as cold as ice. "The person in question is much more qualified and powerful than you, but if necessary, I can replace him at any time. The same goes for you. "
The black-robed magician didn't speak again.
"Go and prepare. I'll inform you when I need you to do something." The intelligence director waved his hand as if he was shooing away a fly. "Don't try to probe or fight for anything. I will give you benefits that I can give you. What I don't give, I can't give. You're a soldier now, not a businessman. Don't try to bargain with me — this is the last reminder, do you understand? "
The black-robed magician was silent. He bowed his head and turned to leave.
After the magician left, the intelligence director tapped the table with his finger and muttered to himself.
This time, he was thinking about other problems. As for the spy codenamed "Wood" … A useless spy was no longer worthy of him wasting even a second to think about.
Wood had no idea that his fate had been decided by a few conversations in an office tens of thousands of miles away.
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