Chapter 838: Substituting One Thing for Another

Chapter 838: Substituting One Thing for Another

After leaving the military camp, the battlefield veteran did not pause for a moment, heading straight back to the inn.

It was now eight in the evening, with four hours left until the appointed time.

Standing at the door, he knocked five times, following the agreed rhythm of three short and two long.

After a two-second wait, the sound of wringing out a towel and a rustling of clothing came from behind the door, followed by footsteps approaching.

The door opened a crack.

Seeing that the person standing outside was the pangolin, Penny finally breathed a sigh of relief and released the safety catch on her pistol.

His dark brown hair was dripping wet, with beads of water still clinging to his cheeks and neck.

Through the crack in the door, the battlefield veteran spotted a wooden bucket filled with hot water, along with a towel draped over its edge and a few personal garments.

This guy sure had a big heart, he thought—still in the mood for a bath at a time like this.

Still, having a thick skin wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Especially when there was nothing to be gained by panicking; staying calm mattered more than anything else.

Slipping into the room, the battlefield veteran gently closed the door.

Noticing his gaze fall on the wooden bucket, Penny’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she overcame her shyness and asked in a low voice.

“…The inn sent hot water. Would you like to… wipe down too?”

This was a tropical region, sweltering hot. She had worn her robe all day, drenched in sweat, and had no choice but to wash up.

Though the water in the bucket had already been used, this was clearly not the time to dwell on such details.

Yet just as she had overcome all her mental hurdles, the man called the pangolin merely glanced around the room and spoke.

“We need to change locations.”

Penny froze, her expression turning serious as she hurried over to her luggage.

“Change locations? Did your talks fall through?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then why…” Even as she asked, Penny began packing her bags.

“Abusek needs to talk to others in his faction, then plan a coup against Janusz. There are two uncertainties here: one is whether the ‘talks’ will succeed, and the other is whether the ‘coup’ will.”

This gamble required flipping two coins.

Only if both landed heads up would they truly be safe.

If he were alone here, it wouldn’t matter—even if he failed, he’d choose a stylish, untraceable death for himself, then come up with an excuse to slip away.

But with Penny by his side, he had to be doubly cautious, cherishing the one resurrection coin he held, to be used only as a last resort.

While packing his own gear, the battlefield veteran briefly explained the outcome of the negotiations and the current situation.

As for the part about the Alliance, he selectively omitted it—after all, that wasn’t something easily explained in a few words.

If she was curious, she could ask her own father.

But Penny didn’t press further, seemingly placing her full trust in him.

Hoisting her packed bag, Penny looked at him nervously and asked.

“Where are we going? That safe house?”

“Safe house? They might start another fight. There’s no safe place in the sky right now… We need to leave first and come back once both coins have landed.”

The battlefield veteran checked the rounds in his magazine and tucked the pistol into his pocket.

Following behind him, Penny nodded tensely, then glanced quickly around the room to see if she’d left anything behind.

Was it her imagination, or did she feel like she was doing spy work?

No.

To be precise, it was like working as a war correspondent, tailing a spy…

Outside, a curfew was in effect on the streets. All doors and windows were tightly shut, and occasionally patrols with torches could be seen passing by.

But these patrolling soldiers weren’t professionals—easy to avoid.

At least for the battlefield veteran.

He was an agility-type awakened, with reaction speed and vision far surpassing these locals, some of whom might even suffer from night blindness.

The two slipped out of the inn under cover of darkness, crossed several streets, and finally reached the edge of the suburbs.

The houses here grew sparser, and the map’s markings became increasingly vague.

At the edge of the woods, the battlefield veteran was about to push through the underbrush when he suddenly stopped, making a silencing gesture to the person behind him and quickly crouching down.

Penny mimicked his movements, crouching behind the bushes, carefully controlling her breathing while alertly scanning the surroundings.

What was happening?!

She saw nothing—the area seemed empty—but the pangolin’s expression, as if facing a great enemy, was no joke.

She even saw him draw his pistol and release the safety.

To avoid holding him back, she strained to make not a single sound.

Time ticked by, and about five minutes passed.

The battlefield veteran finally let out a sigh of relief, re-engaged the safety, and gently tucked the pistol back into his pocket.

“All clear… They weren’t after us.”

“What just happened?” Penny hurriedly asked, voicing the confusion that had been building inside her.

“A squad of unidentified armed men passed by our southwest side—sounded like forty or fifty of them… They were wearing exoskeletons, carrying heavy and light weapons, and had optical camouflage on. Looked like people from Free State.”

“Free State?!” Penny was stunned, whispering, “What do they have to do with this?”

“How should I know? Maybe they’re buddies of those guys hanging from the city gate… Those troublemakers always show up where you least expect them. Probably took some ridiculous contract again.”

Free State mercenaries often got dragged into all sorts of wasteland affairs, but aside from leaving behind a pile of corpses each time, they never seemed to make much of a difference. The Alliance didn’t even bother dealing with them much.

The reason for their presence here was worth noting, but now wasn’t the time to stir up trouble.

Confirming that the group had moved on and hadn’t spotted them, the battlefield veteran gently tugged Penny’s hand, signaling her to follow, then parted the bushes and continued along the path he had scouted earlier…

…

At the same time the Legion’s “delegation” was withdrawing from Sky City, Lion King Abusek urgently summoned Horse King Sharuk, Leopard King Nigri, and Tiger King Duvata from the same faction.

The meeting place was still the tent by the military camp, with Anwar, Abusek’s most trusted man, guarding the entrance.

As soon as he entered the tent, the burly Tiger King Duvata spoke with displeasure.

“Us meeting privately like this isn’t a good thing. If Janusz, with his suspicious nature, finds out, he’ll surely become wary.”

Beside him, Leopard King Nigri grinned, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at him.

“What? Are you scared?”

“Hah,” Tiger King Duvata sneered, “If I were scared, would I still be here with you, risking my head?”

"Say no more, both of you—rather than your drivel, I'd rather hear the esteemed Lion King's wisdom... What matter could be so urgent that we must come to you in person?" Horse King Shahruk fixed his gaze on Abusek, his long, narrow eyes not like those of a horse with thick brows and big eyes, but rather like a sly fox.

Currently, five kings—Lion, Horse, Leopard, Tiger, and Ox—were stationed near the Celestial Capital, three of them Abusek's own men, and one more being himself.

It was they who had jointly pushed Yanush to the forefront and counseled him, thus giving rise to the Celestial King's Army!

The only one not his own was Ox King Ami.

That fellow was utterly loyal to Yanush, just as Anwo was to himself.

Yet hearts are hidden behind ribs—who could say if it was all a pretense?

But such things hardly mattered.

As long as they were all in the same boat, even those with divided loyalties would have to honestly help him sail it onward.

Glancing around at the three present, Abusek spoke in a slow, measured voice.

"Just now, I met with Bennott's people here."

The tent fell silent instantly, leaving only the crackling of the tea stove.

Three pairs of eyes fixed on him, each bearing unmistakable surprise and wariness.

The first to speak was Horse King Shahruk.

Staring into Abusek's eyes, he asked in a very soft voice.

"Oh? And what did you talk about?"

Abusek replied calmly.

"He showed us a way out."

Tiger King Duwata let out a cold laugh.

"Do we need guidance from those soft eggs even the Wilants look down on?"

Abusek did not deny his words, but continued.

"Before, we didn't... but the Southern Legion played us, and now this path is crucial."

The three kings exchanged glances.

Finally, Leopard King Nigeli narrowed his eyes at him.

"What do you mean?"

Abusek pointed at the photos on the table, and after they looked, he went on.

"Three thousand-man units have arrived, and the equipment they've been stalling to deliver to us is piled up at West Sail Port... Need I say what they intend? We are the fire they set—their schemes are grander than we imagined."

Tiger King and Leopard King's faces showed astonishment.

Horse King hurried to the table, picked up the stack of photos, and flipped through them quickly.

At first, surprise flickered across his face, then gradually turned to gravity.

Given the technological level outside Boro Province, it couldn't be ruled out that these photos were composites.