Clang, clang, clang … The sounds of swords clashing merged into one.
After a while, Loriste sheathed his sword and nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad, you've improved a lot. With your current swordsmanship, you can take on the attacks of a one-star gold swordsman. You still have to work hard, understand?"
Redi bowed respectfully, "Yes, Teacher."
After a year, Loriste found that Redi had improved very quickly. He had been training hard in the training field at the back of Rock Castle. Not only had he broken through the third level of the Pill Sea Energy Drawing Technique and reached the peak of light strength, his swordsmanship had also improved greatly.
"You should stabilize your third level, then go out for a walk and look around. To break through the fourth level of the Pill Sea Energy Drawing Technique, you don't need to train hard. Instead, you need to have an epiphany. You might even need to experience life and death situations. Use your brain and think more. Keep your mind calm and don't get angry easily, understand? "
"Understood. Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."
After leaving the training field, Loriste brought Schwald back to the central castle. El came up to him, "Sir, Knight Tagger and Camora are already waiting in the guest room …"
Loriste nodded, "Let them go to the study. You come as well."
Time passed so quickly. When he left Dawn Academy and returned to his family's territory with his friends, they were attacked by Count Corbili's spearmen when they passed through the northwest region of the Redelis Kingdom. In the end, he led the armed caravan and defeated Count Corbili, occupying the main city, which was the capital of the northwest province, Gerdos City.
At that time, Tagger was only a chief guard in the labor camp of Gerdos City. He was a two-star Black Iron warrior and was as timid as a mouse. However, Loriste felt that he was a talent for some reason and forced him to bring his family and follow the caravan to the north. Due to the lack of time, Laurist had to travel north with only a few people. Without Laurist's protection, Tagger was in a miserable state. For the sake of his family, he had to put his life on the line and join Yuri's light cavalry battalion.
After becoming a light cavalry scout, Tagger had changed his cowardly nature. The experiences he had gone through on the brink of death had also allowed his Battle Energy to reach the peak of Iron rank. He had also become more level-headed and magnanimous. After that, he met up with Laurist in the family's territory and was appointed as Laurist's personal attendant. A year later, he reached the Silver rank and was accepted by Laurist as a family knight.
Over the past two years, Lollister's use of Tagger was very surprising. He always ordered Tagger around, and the longest he stayed in a position was only three months before he was transferred away. He also required Tagger to write a report on each of his positions and give it to Lollister. No matter what he learned or how he felt, he had to write in detail.
Monolith Castle, second floor study.
"My Lord, I salute you." Tagger made a knight's salute, while Camora, who was beside him, made a half bow.
"Very good, Tagore. You've done well these past two years. Your Dou Qi cultivation is also very fast. You're already a 2-star Silver rank? "Laurist was a little surprised.
"Yes, my lord. After I received the high-ranked Qi manual that you bestowed upon me, I realized that my Qi advancement is much faster than when I was in the army." Tagger replied gratefully.
"That's because the attribute of your Dou Qi is compatible." Laurist said with a smile. He looked at the silent Camora, "Camora, if you want to awaken your Dou Qi, I might be able to help you."
Camora smiled bitterly, "My Lord, please don't joke around. I'm almost 45. Isn't it said that it's impossible to awaken Dou Qi after 35?"
"That's a fallacy. Ten years ago, when I was studying in Morent City, I heard that the oldest person to awaken Dou Qi was 48. Of course, it's said that he used very precious medicine that's worth cities. However, if you want to awaken Dou Qi, I can help you. However, you'll have to endure a period of hardship. It'll be as short as three months, or as long as half a year. You must strictly abide by my requirements in order to awaken Dou Qi. Do you want to try? "Laurist was suddenly interested.
The Camora's expression changed for a long time. Finally, he lowered his head in front of Laurist, "My Lord, please grant my wish …"
Laurist began to feel the Camora's pulse, "You had a difficult childhood, and your body's development was a little poor. When you were young, you ran around everywhere and were tired, and your foundation was weak. After you reached middle age, your life took a turn for the better. Hmm, you didn't indulge yourself and were very restrained. You maintained good living habits, and your body is very healthy. Other than being a little tired and losing your hair, you're also a little anxious. You don't sleep very well at night, and it's easy for you to lose sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night … "
The Camora's face turned pale as if he had seen a ghost, "My Lord, you, you know that I can't sleep well at night just by feeling my hand?"
"Nonsense." Laurist laughed, "I lied to you. If you can't sleep well at night and wake up in the middle of the night to read, they'll know. There were a few times when they saw the light in your house and your shadow on the window when you were reading …" "To be honest, Camora, your body is still alright.
It's just that you might be too anxious and can't sleep well. How about this, you hand over the matters at hand to your assistant and give yourself half a year of leave. In this half a year, you'll go to the new recruit camp and receive training with the new recruits. Of course, the amount of training will be halved. In addition, I'll give you a prescription for your diet and nourishing potions. Strictly follow the rules set by the new recruit camp. This way, I can guarantee that you have an eighty percent chance of awakening qi. Go and try. "
The Camora thought for a moment, "Alright, my Lord. I'll do as you say."
Laurist clapped his hands, "Alright, I've called you here today because I need you to do something. El, come forward, don't stand in the corner. "
"Our family can be said to be prospering day by day, but we still have a shortcoming, and that is the transmission of information and information. Sometimes when we stay in the north, we don't know what's going on outside. But now that we've opened the sea route to the Silovas Island, it's like we've opened a window to the outside world, and we can get a lot of information. For example, the glass war between the Trade Union and the Telimbo Kingdom, and the second prince's surprise attack on the capital of Felicia across the great snowy mountains.
But we have to clearly understand that these information are passively received by us. By the time it reaches our ears, it'll have already happened some time ago. This will cause a lot of inconvenience and delay for our family to respond. So, I want to set up a department to take the initiative to understand and discover the major events that have happened on the Galinthia continent, and pass on the information to the family as soon as possible, so that the family can consider the impact of this upcoming event and come up with an appropriate response. Do you understand what I'm saying? "
The three of them were silent. After a while, Camora finally spoke, "My Lord, you mean to send out spies to various places, and then report back after receiving information?"
Laurist nodded.
Tagger smiled bitterly, "My Lord, this is very difficult to do. Let's not talk about anything else, just the cost of sending out these spies is a huge sum of money. Take the 29 provinces of the former Crisen Empire as an example, each province needs a team of spies. They need to infiltrate the upper class of that place to get more information, and all of this requires a lot of money. "
El thought for a moment, then said, "My Lord, if it's in the family's territory, I can guarantee that nothing can escape our ears, just like what I did in Morent City. But outside, it's very chaotic, and it's difficult to guarantee the safety of the spies' lives. It's not worth it to lose the life of a spy for an unimportant piece of information. "
Laurist stood up and shook his head, "You're wrong, I don't want such spies. Now, the spies on the Galinthia continent are like what you've imagined, either using their status as nobles to socialize with the upper class of various countries or regions, holding balls and parties, and getting information or spreading rumors. Or, as El said, recruiting those idle hoodlums to hang around the taverns and inns every day, reporting strangers or suspicious people.
That's not what I want. Tagger, do you know why I was interested in you in Gerdos City, thinking that you were a talent, and forced you to bring your family to the north with the convoy? "
Tagger shook his head, "My Lord, I don't know. I didn't even know that I would advance to the silver rank. At that time, I could only eat and wait for death, and I hated work. I thought that my life was over, and I really don't know why my Lord thought so highly of me. Of course, now I'm very grateful for your kindness, my Lord. If my Lord didn't force me to go north, I would never become a knight like I am now. "
Laurist chuckled, "Do you know that your bragging moved me back then? At that time, I really didn't expect that you would know Gerdos City like the back of your hand, and could answer everything. Who's feud with whom, what supplies arrived two days ago, where they were stored? You should know that back then, you were just the warden of a small labor camp, not the acting mayor of Gerdos City or the chief steward of Count Corbili. I felt that you were born to be a spy, so I forced your family to go north. "
"You can't deny that you are born to be curious about things, right? Tagger, I've changed almost a dozen positions for you in the past two years, but every time, I found that it didn't take you much time to get familiar with the new working environment and make new friends. In less than a month, you were like a fish in water in the new position, and you could make friends with anyone. Those who didn't know would think that you had been working for ten years …
This is your talent, so I said that you are born to be a spy. Also, you are very tight-lipped. Every time you get a new position, you don't talk about your old job, which I'm very pleased about.
What I want to establish this time is not an organization of spies, but an intelligence department, or an investigation bureau or something like that. Although there are spies, the official title is intelligence investigator.
I believe that in many places, there are people who are well-informed or interested in all the local news, just like you in Gerdos City. Tagger, your task is to discover and dig them out, develop them into our intelligence investigators, and bring the major events that happen in those places to the family.
As for the upper class of a place, we don't need any noble spies. We can buy the nobles' attendants and attendants, and the information we get will be more reliable and detailed. It's just like how Camora bought Viscount Gammus' attendants.
I think that a qualified intelligence investigator should be someone with a legitimate job and a certain influence in the local area, such as a tailor, a tavern owner, a fish vendor, or a captain of the garrison. People will not suspect that they are our family's intelligence agents, so no one will care about the nobles' attendants or attendants looking for them to deliver information. At most, they will only think that they are in normal contact and chatting like friends …
If no one meets our requirements, then we can train them ourselves. For example, those loyal and brave soldiers of our family who retired because of disability, if they are willing to work for the family again, then we can train them how to gather information, master a trade, and then help them return to their hometown and open a small shop, which will become a source of intelligence for our family … "
Laurist paused, opened a drawer, and took out a thick leather folder. "This is some of my ideas for this intelligence investigation department. You can go back and take a look, and tell me if you have any thoughts.
I asked the three of you to come, because I hope that the three of you will be in charge of this new department together. Tagger will be in charge of the arrangement and deployment of intelligence agents, Camora will be in charge of checking and sorting out the information, and Ell will be in charge of the Action Department, and cooperate with Tagger. "
"Action Department?" Ell asked in confusion. "What is that for?"
Laurist made a throat-slitting gesture. "In the process of Tagger's selection of intelligence agents, there's a high chance that we'll run into some trouble. For example, the provocation of local hoodlums, gangsters, or the enmity of the intelligence agents we've selected.
Tagger will confirm the list of local ruffians that will hinder our intelligence work. Ell, you will be in charge of eliminating them. Right, your Action Department personnel will be selected from the guard camp, and the number of people will be temporarily set at three small teams. "
"Understood, my lord," Ell said.
"My lord, then I won't go to the recruit camp. I will first sort out this intelligence investigation department," Camora said.
"No, the supervision of this intelligence department is not urgent. Go to the recruit camp first, on one hand, to prepare for the awakening of your fighting aura, and on the other hand, pay attention in the recruit camp, and select a few clever recruits or recruits that you think are suitable to be intelligence agents. Observe them for a period of time, and after confirming that they are reliable, draw them out for training and become the foundation of this intelligence investigation department, and then send them out in the future. After all, Tagger can't possibly go to every place to select and arrange intelligence agents, can he? "Laurist rejected Camora's suggestion.
"This matter is not urgent, we can take it one step at a time. I will be satisfied if we can build a rough intelligence network in the territory of the former Empire within three years. All the funds and resources you need will be provided to you by the family. However, we still face the biggest problem at the moment, and that is, how do we send a piece of information back to the family? It is chaotic outside, and using people as messengers is not as safe as Ell said. Also, the time taken is too long, and even if the information is sent back, a while will have passed. Do you have any ideas? "Laurist asked.
"My lord, is it possible to breed petrels on a large scale, just like how we use petrels to send messages between ships on the sea?" Ell said.
"No." Laurist shook his head, "I have asked Sunbarwood, and this kind of messenger petrels has too many limitations. First, they have to be hatched and raised on a ship, and then they will treat that ship as their home. If we want to communicate with other ships, we have to put them in a black cage and bring them over. When they are released on another ship, they will find that ship at sea and come back. Also, the distance cannot be too far, more than sixty to seventy miles and they will be finished. "
"Sir, I've read in a book that the ancient mages used crows or owls to send letters. Can we also try it?" Tagger suggested.
Laurist rolled his eyes, "You are not a magician, do you know how to train crows and owls to send messages? Or do you have any information about this from some ruins? "
Tagger did not say anything.
"My lord, perhaps we can use sparrowhawks to send messages," Camora said.
"Sparrowhawks?"
"Yes, my lord. I know an old hunter who knows how to train sparrowhawks. I have seen him tie a few medicinal ingredients on the talons of a sparrowhawk and have it deliver them to his son's house in a city a hundred miles away, so I think it might be possible to use sparrowhawks to send messages, "Camora said.
"Alright, find someone to ask. If sparrowhawks can send messages, then we will train sparrowhawks. The family can invest large amounts of money into this. Perhaps with sparrowhawks that can send messages, the family's armed forces will be more sensitive to the changes on the battlefield. "Laurist really hoped that sparrowhawks could send messages. That way, it would be worth it no matter how much money the family spent.
"My lord, I have another question," Tagger said, "What should our intelligence investigation department be called?"
"Name? KGB? The CIA? National Security Agency? Stasi? Gestapo? Mossad? MI6? " Names of famous intelligence agencies from his previous life flashed through Laurist's mind, but none of them matched. Finally, he remembered how to pronounce "Angry Bear" in English.
"Volibel, let's call it Volibel."
…
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