Simultaneous travel: I am a talented person in all the worlds

Chapter 426 Chelsea, Infiltrating the Investigator

Jiuyuan Commandery was originally a border commandery, and the granaries within it were built during the reign of the First Emperor.

If fully loaded, it would be enough for an army of 400,000 for three years.

However, since the internal strife five hundred years ago, the empire has been in a state of decline and has basically never been filled again.

Until now, the Church of the God of War has taken over it.
"Secretary? Another inspection of the supplies reserves? Didn't we just do that a couple of days ago?"

A hint of doubt appeared in the eyes of the tribal warrior guarding the entrance.

"Some supplies were not properly accounted for before, and when we went back afterwards, the accounts didn't match up."

A thin, gaunt "official" sighed helplessly and complained:
“As you know, brother, not a single one of the original imperial officials remained; they were all executed. We were forced into this position at the last minute, and we're not even manpower enough. And with such a large granary, mistakes are inevitable.”

The tribal warrior nodded in deep agreement, and said with a look of relief:

"It's a good thing my dad made me study, but I didn't study hard. Otherwise, I'd probably be doing these hard jobs like you, brother."

Chelsea, disguised as an "official," outwardly agreed, acting as if to say, "Brother, you're right."

He inwardly scoffed, thinking to himself, "These northern barbarians are barbarians indeed; they're so self-righteous about being illiterate."

After passing through the first checkpoint at the gate, Chelsea continued onward, only to find that the guards inside were even more heavily armed.

Each warehouse entrance and exit has a fixed sentry post, and there are also patrol posts along the way, each of them fully armed and equipped with heavy armor.

From her observation, if it were a direct confrontation, any tribal warrior could easily force her to kneel if he gave her both hands.

Not to mention, there were quite a few skilled archers among them.

To successfully storm this granary, one would need at least several thousand elite soldiers to have even a sliver of hope of raiding it.

But the granary is inside the city!

No matter how much infiltration they do, it would be incredibly difficult to get three to five hundred people in.

If we could send a few thousand elite soldiers, it would be enough to retake this county town.

There's no way around it; there are too many cases in history books and novels of people being defeated by raids and burning of their homes and grain.

If any time traveler lost because their home was raided and their grain burned, they might as well find a place to bury themselves.

Chelsea strolled leisurely through the vast warehouse area, stopping every now and then to tap a sack with her knuckles to listen to the sound, or to pick up a few grains of millet and examine them in the sunlight.

The tribal warriors patrolling around seemed unfazed by this, and would even nod in greeting as they passed by her.

Chelsea nodded in return, and in front of the patrolling soldiers, she confidently took a few paper-wrapped candies from a wooden crate on the shelf.

She casually picked up a candy, tore off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth.

The next second, a sweetness far purer and richer than any candy she could remember exploded on her taste buds.

The pure, unadulterated sweetness, rich and mellow, instantly soothed her tense nerves caused by the intrusion.

Chelsea squinted comfortably, like a cat that had just stolen a bite of the finest catnip, her face showing an expression of utter bliss.

Her actions naturally caught the attention of the patrol team, but they didn't react.

After all, warehouse inventory has a certain degree of 'natural wear and tear'.

Moreover, tasting is an important part of the inspection work! This is all to prevent despicable enemies from poisoning the food!

If even those of us guarding the warehouses dare not eat it, how can the frontline combatants dare to put it in their stomachs?
Chelsea happily ate the candy and some dried meat from another warehouse as she continued to explore the enormous storage warehouse.

By the time she had run through most of the warehouse, the ease and comfort on her face had vanished, replaced by a deep solemnity and a trace of confusion that she couldn't shake off.

During the investigation just now, judging from the color and smell, most of the staple foods such as millet, wheat and beans were old grains, which should be the original reserves of Jiuyuan Border County.

Dried meat and jerky were piled up like mountains, in an astonishingly large quantity.

However, considering that the main body of the Church of the God of War is the nomadic tribes of the North, it is understandable that they have so many supplies.

but……

Chelsea's gaze fell on the "small mountains" at the deepest part of the warehouse, which were tightly covered with moisture-proof tarpaulins.

A small mountain of snow-white refined salt and sugar, and the candy she had just tasted... Where did all this stuff come from?!

Is this what a nomadic tribe on the frontier should have?

What a joke!
Chelsea loves sweets and has disguised herself with an Imperial Arms many times to sneak into the Duke's mansion looking for treats. But the candies there taste like inferior products covered in grit compared to the ones she had just eaten!

Salt and sugar have always been important strategic resources.

The former concerns physical strength and life, while the latter is an expensive luxury and a source of energy.

The Church of War not only possesses military power that overwhelms the empire, but now it is also demonstrating such abundant material reserves...

Chelsea's back was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

She finally understood why, within the rebel army whose ultimate goal was to overthrow the imperial rule, voices suddenly emerged advocating cooperation with the empire to resist the Church of War.

In a normal battle, even if you can't win in a direct confrontation, you can always wear down these barbarians through assassinations, harassment, and cutting off their supply lines.

But now it seems... what's the point of fighting at all!
The enemy's supplies seemed to appear out of thin air, and their logistical capabilities even surpassed those of the entire empire.

With such an almost unlimited supply of resources, coupled with the "military rank system" and the guidance of the God of War's teachings, this army was virtually invincible in this era.

Even if the Empire and the rebels were tied together, they probably wouldn't be enough for the Church of War to crush with one hand.

"No, we must find out the true source of these supplies!"

Chelsea popped another candy into her mouth and chewed it up fiercely.

That intense sweetness, however, now sent a chill down her spine.

……

Just as the Empire's "wild dogs" and the rebels' "venomous snakes" were quietly operating in this county town that had just changed hands.

In the former governor's study, two documents were already placed on Najenda's desk.

Soldiers who, deception also.

If a general doesn't know how to be a spy, he might as well just slit his own throat, lest his incompetence lead to the deaths of thousands of soldiers.

Although many of her confidants died in battles with tribal warriors, many others surrendered with her.

Some of these people were literate and were assigned by her to work as clerks, while others continued to do their old jobs, assisting her in managing the light and darkness of this county.

How could Najenda not know that loosening military control would inevitably lead to the influx of rats?

Although she did this for the sake of agriculture, she also had the intention of fishing with nets in mind from the very beginning.

Almost the moment the two groups of people from the Empire and the rebels stepped into the city gates, her "eyes" planted in every corner had already noticed them.

Although the other party was also a top-notch infiltration expert, making it impossible to immediately pinpoint their specific identity and location, it was already certain that two different forces had infiltrated the area.

Najenda tapped her long, slender fingers lightly on the table as her gaze swept over the two intelligence reports.

Esdeath, as a former high-ranking general of the Empire, had information on the assassination squad, and Najenda, as her deputy and best friend, had also seen it.

Goziqi, Akame, Kurome... these names were not unfamiliar to her.

Almost instantly, it matched one of the documents.

As for the other one...
“The Oberg Assassination Society.” Najenda squinted.

Information about this veteran assassin organization was a semi-public secret among the empire's high command, and she was naturally aware of it as well.

"Tell the soldiers on patrol to be extra careful, especially at night sentry posts. They should work in groups of three and not act alone."

"Furthermore, I hereby order another large-scale search within the county town. Anyone found to be possessing weapons or armor in their home is to be arrested immediately. Anyone who resists is to be killed on sight!"

A trusted aide took the seal from her and bowed as he withdrew.

Silence returned to the study.

"clatter!"

With a soft sound, a cluster of orange-red flames shot up from an exquisite metal object.

Najeta lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

She looked at the little gadget in her hand, then at the strange red square logo printed on the cigarette pack. Although the packaging was a bit odd, the taste of this cigarette was indeed far superior to any she had ever smoked before.

White smoke slowly escaped from her lips, swirling and rising, blurring her strikingly handsome face.

Najeta's eyes were somewhat unfocused, and for some reason, she thought of that guy again.

"These rats are very likely targeting him..."

Projecting available forces behind enemy lines is an extremely difficult and costly task.

There are only so many high-value units that can be used as targets, so it's not hard to guess.

She sent people to confiscate weapons again, partly to screen them out and see if she could catch a few, but more importantly, to remove the Imperial Arms.

As a former Imperial General, Najenda was well aware of the Empire's strength; having an Imperial Arms and not having one were two completely different things.

If she still had her own romantic cannon, she would dare to fight even Esdeath.

This time, she didn't receive her Imperial Arms. As one of the strongest generals in the Empire, she was defeated by Buck in less than ten rounds.

"Although with his strength, he should be completely unafraid of any form of assassination..."

Najeta thought for a moment, then picked up a pen and briefly wrote down the current situation on a piece of paper. She then called over another trusted confidante.

"Send this intelligence to the High Priest immediately."

"As ordered!"

The trusted confidant dared not delay, carefully put the intelligence away, and quickly turned and left.

He walked through the corridors and headed out of the city.

Along the way, he encountered many "colleagues," all former subordinates of General Najeta who had now surrendered together. They would greet each other warmly when they met.

A pair of beautiful eyes noticed his hurried figure, and especially when he said, "Where is the High Priest?", she realized something.

In a secluded corner, the confidant encountered another "acquaintance," who was leaning against the wall, seemingly taking a break.

"Hey, isn't this Bard? Why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?" the other person greeted with a smile.

The messenger named Bard stopped and smiled.

"It's Roy. General Feng, or rather, the steward now. In short, he's here to deliver intelligence to the High Priest."

He revealed his mission without any hesitation. In his view, they were all buddies, and there was nothing to hide about the mission itself.

"I see, thank you for your hard work."

Roy's smile widened. He stepped forward and patted Carl's shoulder warmly, as if to say a few more words of encouragement.

"Office of Duty"

Just as the two brushed past each other.

Roy's eyes suddenly turned icy cold, and a swift, cold light pierced through from a tricky angle, disappearing into his back.

Bard's eyes widened suddenly, and he looked down in disbelief at the gleaming needle protruding from his chest.

He wanted to turn around and see the face of his former "comrade" clearly, but all his strength was draining away at an alarming rate.

Chelsea, expressionless, supported the limp body and quickly dragged him into a nearby abandoned, dilapidated house.

Many of these empty houses remained in the county town, which had just suffered from war and where people had either died or fled.

She skillfully searched the corpse and quickly found the intelligence document that should have been delivered to Mo Yu.

Unrolling the paper, Chelsea glanced at it for only a few moments before her pupils suddenly contracted.

"...They've already detected our infiltration? And...the Empire's assassination squad has arrived too?"

These former mortal enemies, who clashed several times during missions, have now become potential "friends" in this bizarre way due to the changing times, sharing a common foe. It's truly a sad state of affairs.

Exposure means danger.

Najeta's reaction was faster than she had expected. Once the city-wide search began, the space for these undercover agents to operate would be drastically reduced.

According to the safest assassin's rules, she should abandon the mission immediately and try to escape.

but……

Chelsea's eyes were fixed on the intelligence report in her hand, her heart pounding wildly.

His inherent adventurous spirit once again overwhelmed the warnings of reason.

This intelligence was supposed to be delivered to the mysterious High Priest—Mo Yu.

Now, it's in my hands.

This means that Mo Yu is currently unaware of the situation in the city.

This is... a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"I'll go and make contact with that so-called High Priest..."

She muttered to herself, as if trying to convince herself.

"I'm just going to gather some information and observe the target up close. I won't actually attack... so... there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

The higher the risk, the greater the reward.

If we can take this opportunity to observe Mo Yu up close, or even find his weaknesses, it would be a tremendous achievement that could change the entire course of the battle!
Having made up her mind, Chelsea no longer hesitated.

She looked at the already cold corpse on the ground, the light of the Imperial Arms [Gaia Foundation] flowing over her body.

The bones made a faint cracking sound, and in just a few seconds, the height, body shape, and appearance underwent a dramatic change.

Soon, a man who looked exactly like Bard, the messenger's trusted confidant, appeared in the same spot.

The new "Bard" straightened his clothes, carefully put the intelligence back close to his body, and wore a loyal and resolute expression.

She walked out of the empty house and headed towards the outskirts of the city.

According to the information we just received, the High Priest Mo Yu seems to be at the location of the Sacred Tree.

(End of this chapter)