That night, a graceful figure knocked on Arthur’s door.
Anna skillfully melted into Arthur’s embrace, whispering into his ear, “I don’t have much time; my mistress hasn’t been sleeping well lately.”
As she spoke, Arthur’s hands already began to wander restlessly.
Having been a “workhorse” for thirty years in his previous life, never even holding a woman’s hand, he finally experienced the taste of a tender embrace in this life.
He lifted her slender body by the waist, and with a flick of his boot, closed the carved wooden door.
After a passionate “battle,” Anna sat up contentedly to dress.
Moonlight cast a silver edge on her sweat-slicked shoulders and neck.
Arthur’s fingertips caressed the delicate skin of her back, and with a languid tone born of satiety, he asked, “In such a hurry to leave?”
“I told you…” Anna’s hair fell forward as she tightened her corset, “Madam isn’t sleeping well, and I don’t want her to wake up and not find me.”
“I need you to do me a favor.”
Anna paused, turning to look at the young master.
Her loose long hair cascaded down, and her eyes sparkled in the candlelight. “Tell me, what do you want me to do?”
Arthur pinched a gold coin from a velvet pouch on the bedside table, twirling it between his fingers with a rustling sound.
“Black Mane recently had cubs. Help me find out which cub is the most outstanding.”
“My young master…” Anna suddenly crept closer like a feline, her warm breath brushing Arthur’s knuckles, “Inquiring about direwolves can earn you a whipping.”
“I trust you’ll find a way.” Arthur jingled the gold coin. “If it’s not enough, just tell me.”
The maid smiled sweetly, took the gold coin from his hand with her teeth, and tucked it into her bosom.
“What a pity, young master, if you weren’t going to Qingfeng Valley, we could have played longer,” she said.
She then leaned down to kiss Arthur’s chest, her delicate hand moving downward.
“Also,” Arthur added, “find me a beast tamer, preferably one who doesn’t harbor resentment towards me.”
Anna softly assented. When her hand touched XX, Arthur couldn’t help but let out a soft hum.
“Didn’t you say you had limited time?” Arthur asked.
Anna tossed back her sweat-soaked hair and, like a snake, slipped under the covers, her hips forming an alluring curve beneath the bedding.
She chuckled, “Don’t worry, this won’t take long…”
-----------------
A young man’s body was indeed robust; yesterday’s intense battle hadn’t left Arthur feeling tired.
He woke up early, washed up with Vanka’s assistance, and simultaneously reviewed the day’s intelligence:
Blue Intelligence (Enhanced): The Qingfeng Valley thief, Airo, will attempt to escape from the dock prison at 23:34 tonight.
White Intelligence: Richard Glamorgan is plotting a conspiracy with two disgruntled beast tamers.
White Intelligence: John Hoffman went missing this morning.
White Intelligence: A batch of supplies needed for a temple inauguration ceremony will be plundered by mountain bandits outside the city.
The new information in the intelligence made Arthur fall into deep thought.
Yesterday, his mother had just mentioned capturing a thief from Qingfeng Valley, and today, an enhanced entry appeared in the intelligence.
It seemed that important information collected daily could enhance the daily intelligence reports.
Among the four intelligence reports, the most crucial were the blue intelligence and the one involving Richard.
Given Richard’s vengeful nature, the humiliation he suffered yesterday would surely lead to an opportune retaliation.
Arthur had anticipated this, but he hadn’t expected him to collude with the beast tamers.
The target of this conspiracy was most likely himself.
However, there was too little information currently; further investigation was necessary.
Thinking of this, Arthur collected his thoughts and instructed Vanka, “Go find Anna and have her investigate what the second young master and the beast tamers are plotting.”
“Also, have the stableman prepare a horse; I’m going out. Once you’re done, stay in the room and practice reading. Try to remember what I taught you yesterday as quickly as possible.”
Vanka nodded obediently and scurried out.
This young girl had long been subservient, quick-witted and observant, but like most commoners in Anm, she was illiterate.
Since he intended to keep her by his side, literacy was an essential skill; otherwise, many tasks couldn’t be entrusted to her.
So Arthur had taken the time yesterday to begin teaching her to read, and the young girl was eager to learn, even grateful for him teaching her literacy.
After breakfast, Vanka had completed her errands. Arthur rode out of the castle, heading straight for the dock prison.
The thief named Airo in the intelligence came from Qingfeng Valley, so she must be a person from Qingfeng Valley.
If he could extract some information from her, it would be a great help to him, who was about to go to that “dead end.”
Wolf Den City’s prison was located at the docks, originally a riverside fortress used to defend against river bandits. After the bandits were cleared, it was converted into a place to detain serious criminals.
Those imprisoned here were all highly skilled individuals, a veritable gathering of talents, which was why Arthur wanted to recruit someone from here.
The Warden managing this place was a landless knight who had fought alongside his father in his early years, rising from a farmer to a knight through military merit, making him half a noble.
This man was almost blindly loyal to Count William, which was why the Count entrusted him with managing the prison.
Upon hearing Arthur’s intentions, the Warden didn’t make it difficult; clearly, Arthur’s uncle had already put in a word.
The prison was dim and damp, filled with the smell of rust and mold.
The prisoners behind the iron bars were drawn by the torchlight, swarming to the bars like moths, their strange cries and whistles rising and falling.
Some banged on the bars, and some even took off their pants to “perform” on the spot.
The accompanying jailer constantly struck the outstretched hands with a stick, shouting at the prisoners, trying to make them behave.
The Warden deliberately stayed by Arthur’s side, saying with considerable concern, “Be careful, young master, that new woman is quite strange.”
“Hmm?” Arthur questioned.
“We locked her up with the female prisoners, and the next day, the other female prisoners started clamoring to change cells.”
“After we investigated, we found that all those female prisoners had been taught a lesson by that woman, and they were terrified of her. One of them even said she practiced witchcraft.”
At this, the Warden spat on the ground, likely to ward off bad luck.
“This kind of thing isn’t uncommon. The rule in this place is that whoever has the hardest fist is the boss,” he continued. “So when a newcomer comes in, they either get beaten down or they beat others down. But witchcraft, damn it, that’s not common.”
“Do you really believe she practices witchcraft?” Arthur asked.
“At first, of course not. But after changing cells three times, I could only think along those lines.”
“I even called in a priest from the Mother Earth Church, and they found nothing.”
Perhaps she’s a spellcaster. Arthur thought to himself.
In the Amn Empire, aside from divine magic, the casting of magic required permission from the Masked Mages’ Guild, otherwise it was a capital offense.
Therefore, the residents here were more ignorant and prejudiced against magic than people in other countries on the continent of Faerûn.
Most residents regarded magic as witchcraft and an ominous sign.
After walking a bit further, the jailer suddenly stopped.
Arthur noticed that the deeper they went, the quieter the prisoners became.
A jailer opened a cell door, and the Warden took a torch from the wall, quickly stepping forward: “You wait outside.”
The two jailers, relieved, hastily backed away.
“Stay close to me, young master, the solitary cells are just ahead,” the Warden whispered.