Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 276 Infiltration

After Su Mu consolidated the resources of Cangmu City, he led the soldiers he had recently recruited to march to the front line.

Although he now controls a larger territory, Su Mu is not a true lord of the plains; he is more of a nominal leader.

Cities like Bear Castle and Longleat Castle still belong to the Eagle Family Garfield and the Angry Bear Family Argyle, but their actual controllers are under the command of Sumu.

Therefore, when arranging garrisons, Maggie and Ivan were often stationed not far from their own territories, making it convenient for them to handle official business.

Upon arriving at Langlitburg, Sumu discovered that Maggie was dealing with a tricky matter.

"Recently, someone has been gathering information about the war camp and has successfully corrupted its personnel, preparing to carry out sabotage. Fortunately, the thieves left behind by Wayne uncovered the enemy's scheme and are following the clues to track down the culprit!"

This is the flaw in the layout of Longlett Fort. In the early stages of the city's construction, the area was not properly planned, resulting in insufficient separation between the military and public areas, making it easy for infiltration to occur.

Generally speaking, the city's residents are all on the same side, while itinerant caravans are more likely to infiltrate as spies. However, there are exceptions. The mole that has been tracked down now turns out to be an insider. He hadn't shown any signs of rebellion before, and his arrival was quite sudden.

"Fortunately, we discovered the enemy's plot in time. Could it be a spy who infiltrated from the heartland? The trading city has always wanted to obtain our intelligence."

The thieves are currently following the clues and slowly heading towards the heartland. The caravan that the corrupted official came into contact with also came from the heartland and had a strong connection with the Maya.

To put it more bluntly, the Maya might very well betray them, selling detailed information about the cities on the plains to the trading cities. After all, merchants are driven by profit and are capable of anything.

Su Mu tapped the table, carefully analyzing the matter, and shook his head, saying, "Maya has no reason to betray us now. Besides, if she wanted to gather intelligence, she should have gone to Cangmu City. There is no reason for her to cause trouble in Langlit Castle."

What you've described reminds me of a type of military unit: sending thieves to thoroughly investigate taverns and inns, looking for any attractive women from out of town, and keeping a close watch on them!

The Deceptive Enchantress has the special ability to spy on and sabotage cities, similar to the function of a thief, but because they are of a higher level, their methods are more covert.

Su Mu suspected that before eliminating Grimo, the War Demon had already sent the Deceptive Enchantress to cause trouble on the plains.

The current clues all point to the hinterland, which may just be a diversionary tactic to attract the investigators' attention and achieve ulterior motives.

"Have Wayne come over here immediately and investigate this matter thoroughly! We can't delay any longer."

The original plan was to send Wayne north, but integrating the troops will take some time. Currently, Longlit Fort has been infiltrated, and the bandits must handle the situation.

When Su Mu returned to the mansion, Valentine also mentioned something that had been amiss recently: "Several noblewomen have been complaining about their husbands, saying that they have been absent-minded lately and have been bewitched by some slut."

They even formed an alliance to trace the source, but they couldn't find any trace of each other.

Upon hearing this, Su Mu was most likely certain that it was the Deceptive Enchantress who was behind it all; her stealth skills were very strong, making her difficult to detect.

Although Wayne has formed a thief alliance, its main location is in Kuraki, including the management and operation of the Hero's Tavern, and its influence is not very wide.

Fortunately, Su Mu had some suspicions this time, otherwise Mei Ji would have really ruined things.

Losing a building isn't a big deal, but being annoyed at such a crucial moment in a decisive battle is too fatal.

Upon receiving the news, Wayne immediately arrived at Longlet Castle to oversee the investigation. The bandits not only possessed the ability to camouflage themselves, but also had intermediate-level reconnaissance skills, making them adept at dealing with stealth individuals.

After two days of searching, Wayne uncovered the three masterminds behind the scenes. As expected, the cunning Enchantress primarily deceived traveling merchants, who then bribed officials to engage in power-for-sex transactions. Enchantress herself used subtle tricks to make the nobles unable to resist her advances.

This indirect contact greatly increased the difficulty of the investigation, which is why Maggie's investigation initially led her to the merchants in the hinterland. Furthermore, the Enchantresses only fielded two people as the visible negotiators, while one remained hidden, carrying out the true sabotage plan.

Before Wayne arrived, they were already prepared and would launch their plan in a few days, targeting the swordsmen battalion of Longlit Castle.

Unfortunately, it all came to an end.

Maggie looked at the three disheveled Enchantresses, went up to them and slapped them several times, leaving them covered in blood.

The succubi were completely stunned and begged for mercy while crying. However, Maggie didn't say a word or interrogate them; she just beat them mercilessly until one of them died before sitting down to rest.

The remaining two Enchantresses were barely alive, their faces swollen like pig heads, and their speech was slurred.

“I hate these thieves who rely on their looks to seduce others. They almost destroyed the building while Langlit Castle was empty. I can’t give everyone an explanation if they are not severely punished.”

The scene was eerily silent for a moment. Wayne glanced at the furious Miss Maggie, then tiptoed forward and began his interrogation.

When Meiji was first brought in, she saw only male heroes, posing seductively and flaunting their figures. She hadn't expected to find Maggie, a female hero, among them. Although Meiji's allure is said to appeal to both men and women, Maggie clearly wasn't affected and instead erupted like a volcano.

Indeed, Longleat Castle is Garfield's territory after all. The three Enchantresses almost destroyed the buildings and made them lose face in front of Su Mu. How could Maggie not be angry?

The ensuing interrogation was largely procedural; the Enchantresses confessed to Grimma's plan and admitted to everything they had done. They offered to atone for their crimes by searching for their companions in the north.

The Deceptive Enchantress is adept at concealment, but she is very familiar with her allies' methods. She can use subtle clues to locate Karl's hideout and thwart his plans.

Maggie dismissed their words as completely unbelievable, as this type of soldier made their living by deception and could easily lure the army into a trap. Karl was no ordinary man; even with Ivan's powerful equipment, he might not emerge unscathed from the trap.

Wayne agreed this time, since the Enchantress is a Hell unit, and even if she provides information to survive, it's hard to tell if it's true or false, and she's not easy to control.

After some thought, Su Mu decided to keep the two of them. It wasn't that he had any special needs, but rather that the Enchantress class was very suitable for Liliana and could be of great use in her hands.

As for loyalty, there is absolutely no problem. When it comes to the study of charm, probably no one can surpass the Night Queen. Even if the Enchantress is immune to charm, she may not be able to withstand a deadly charm that can break through the mind immunity of the undead.

Power is not an issue either. The graveyard and hell are not much different. In any case, the Night Queen is in charge and will not join human cities.

Su Mu pulled Maggie aside and gave her a detailed explanation. Although Maggie was not entirely at ease with Meiji, she clearly knew that the lord had other intentions, so she went north with Wayne to let Liliana give it a try.

If we can truly utilize it, we'll have even more options when war breaks out in the future.

After this investigation, Wayne gained a deeper understanding.

[During the Longletburg infiltration incident, you demonstrated meticulousness and skill, successfully thwarting the scheme of the deceitful Enchantress. +1 Knowledge, learned the Advanced Reconnaissance talent.]

[Advanced Reconnaissance Specialty: Greatly enhances the Thieves Guild's intelligence gathering capabilities, granting access to special information channels weekly. For every 3 points of attack a hero has, Thieves (including upgraded units) gain 2 attack power and 2% critical hit rate.]

An intelligence chief still needs to grow through infiltration and catching traitors, and Su Mu felt he had found the right path.

(End of this chapter)