The revolutionary army had agreed with Ashe that if she found an opportunity to sneak out, she should place any gathered intelligence under a marked brick in a small alley not far from Renji’s mansion.
If things went particularly smoothly, Ashe would find a simple pager at the meeting spot. By pressing it, the revolutionary army would understand she was available for a direct meeting and would send someone quickly for a handover.
However, it seemed to happen too quickly.
A member of the revolutionary army, also using a cloak to hide their demi-human identity, arrived swiftly at the agreed location after receiving Ashe’s signal.
But they didn’t show herself immediately. Instead, she first scouted around Ashe’s location to ensure no ambush was set up before actually approaching Ashe.
Removing the cloak revealed the face of a Tiger female, a leader of the revolutionary army.
“Ashe!”
“Eh!? sister Jiu! Why are you here personally?”
Ashe was clearly surprised by the appearance of Jiu. Such a situation didn’t seem to warrant her personal involvement. However, Jiu appeared more curious and concerned, even a bit helplessly sympathetic, than Ashe.
“Ashe, you didn’t… escape, did you?”
Jiu’s assumption was natural given the circumstances. Ashe had contacted them much too quickly and even appeared in person, leading the revolutionary army to initially fear that Ashe might have been exposed and used by the young noble to trap them.
This also explained why Jiu didn’t meet Ashe immediately but first scoped out the surroundings.
“How could I! sister Jiu, rest assured, I took on this task and I will complete it! I won’t let everyone down, nor will I play with our future!”
“Good! I believe in you, Ashe. So… that human noble is really that careless, letting you find an opportunity to slip out so easily?”
Jiu scrutinized Ashe, who had removed her cloak. Something felt off to her. As she sniffed in Ashe’s direction, her suspicions deepened. The familiar scent of Ashe seemed… diluted?
“No, he… he didn’t do anything to me after buying me.”
“What!?”
“Yeah, he just bathed me and then gave me money,” Ashe briefly summarized her afternoon’s experience.
Jiu’s eyes widened in disbelief, struggling to comprehend what she was hearing.
As proof, Ashe took out the money bag from her chest and handed it to Jiu.
“This is ten thousand! Wow, that human is really generous. It seems we can make a good profit from this venture!”
The conversation shifted back to their planned operation. When Ashe described the layout, structure, and lack of security at Renji’s mansion, Jiu’s expression could only be described as if she had just found a pie falling from the sky.
Jiu excitedly hugged Ashe, shaking her with joy. “Brilliant work, Ashe! What are we waiting for?”
“I’ll go back and tell everyone. We’ll act tonight. Oh, and Ashe, you don’t need to go back to that noble’s place. Come with me, I’m sure everyone will agree!”
Realizing how lax Renji’s security was, Jiu felt relieved. Despite her seemingly carefree demeanor, her attention to detail, like now suggesting Ashe shouldn’t return to Renji’s place, revealed her thoughtful nature. 𝘪.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Ashe understood Jiu’s reasoning. Jiu probably still thought the young noble might harm her. The events of the day might have just been a prelude, akin to some diners who don’t bother with appearances and dive right in, while others meticulously set the table before savoring their meal.
Renji, in their eyes, became the latter type – a meticulous diner – and they feared that Ashe might still be in danger tonight. Thus, Jiu’s insistence and suggestion to accelerate their plans. .
However…
“No, sister Jiu, I think that’s not a good idea!”
Jiu didn’t expect Ashe to be the one to reject her proposal.
“Why not?”
“Because… I have a feeling that the two servants with that young noble are… dangerous!” Ashe blurted out this reason in her urgency.
“Dangerous?”
“Yes! And don’t you think it’s strange, sister Jiu? A noble without any guards? We shouldn’t be so hasty. I need to investigate more.”
Ashe’s argument made sense, especially coming from a Cat race known for their alertness. Her intuition made Jiu take her words seriously and reassess the situation.
But Jiu looked at Ashe with a sad expression, knowing what this meant for her.
“So, you… you’ll have to…”
“If it can exchange for our future, I am willing!” Ashe shook her head firmly.
They couldn’t meet for too long as Ashe had sneaked out. After exchanging information, Jiu gave her a few more instructions and quickly left, leaving Ashe alone.
Watching Jiu’s retreating figure, Ashe then looked down at her hands. Was it really because she sensed danger from the young noble’s servants?
‘Or was it something else?’
Ashe had participated in several revolutionary army operations and knew well the hatred they harbored for corrupt officials and the Dragon Nation’s nobility. Those who fell into their hands rarely ended up well, often not even left with an intact body, let alone alive.
For someone wealthy like Renji, he would likely face interrogation by Leng and others, tortured to extract every last bit of valuable information – a process so brutal that even Ashe couldn’t bear to witness, often tainted with a sense of personal vendetta.
So, Ashe wrapped herself tighter in the cloak given to her by Renji.
Deep down, she almost hoped that the young noble would do something more to her that night, to tear off his disguise and reveal the same ugly face as other nobles. That way, she wouldn’t have to hesitate – no, it wasn’t hesitation, but rather her sixth sense alerting her. Yes, she was just being cautious.
‘I would wait until tomorrow, observe the two servants around the young man a bit more, and if there were no issues, I would call the revolutionaries to act the next night!’
With this resolution, Ashe quickly headed back to Renji’s mansion.
Just five or six seconds after Ashe left, Renji and Eileen emerged from the shadow of a corner.
“So, old timer… are we really going to join the revolutionary army?” Eileen, having overheard the entire conversation, couldn’t help but ask somewhat angrily.
Renji shrugged.
Renji: “The revolutionary army wants to overthrow the Empress, and my purpose in coming to Dragon Nation is also to take her down. Since our goals align, why not work together?”
“But now it seems controlling this force will require more effort,” Renji mused, then turned to leave.
“Let’s go back.”
“Are we going to capture Ashe?” Eileen asked as she followed him.
“No.”
“It’s time for dinner~”
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