Her return caused the warm atmosphere in the room to freeze instantly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned toward the door.
Saint Eustacia closed the door behind her and quickly walked to the table, directly opening her palm.
There lay two strangely shaped coins. The material was unusual, and the edges had irregular rust-like traces.
“We have new information.” Saint Eustacia’s voice was low and carried a murderous tone that completely destroyed the last trace of warmth.
“According to the believers’ report, they will be gathering tonight at a beer hall in the west of the city. These are the tokens needed to enter the venue!”
Seraphina looked at the only two coins in Saint Eustacia’s palm and immediately spotted the problem. “If there are only two coins here, we have four people!”
“We’ll forge them.” Upon hearing this, Saint Eustacia turned her gaze to Movira. “Can you do it?”
Movira pinched one from her hand and examined it closely in front of her eyes, as if trying to imprint every detail into her mind.
After studying it for a moment, she could not help but let out a laugh. Her tone was full of disdain. “The flaws are enormous. So big that I even have to manually add some impurities!”
As she spoke, her empty left hand flipped casually. Like performing magic, two new coins identical to the original slid out from between her fingers and were handed to Saint Eustacia.
The other took them and placed them alongside the genuine ones for careful comparison. She scanned back and forth several times before finally nodding. “This works. It’s already good enough! You can’t tell the difference at all!”
“Wow… What kind of magic is this? I want to learn it!” Seraphina’s eyes widened as she looked at the coins that were difficult to distinguish from real ones, then looked up at Movira.
“I’ll teach you when we have time.” Clearly, Seraphina’s indirect praise pleased her greatly. Her expression softened considerably.
However, just before they were about to set out, Movira still added, “I suggest you throw the forged ones on the ground and step on them a few times. After all, the originals… really aren’t that good.”
“Alright.” Saint Eustacia accepted the suggestion. She stepped on and ground them under her foot, applying more force until the marks on the coins looked more natural.
After wiping off the dust, she distributed them to everyone. Her expression was solemn as she began to outline the operation.
“After infiltrating, the primary goal is to ensure your own safety. After scouting the venue, capture the leader if possible. As for the others — kill without mercy!”
A chilling killing intent exploded within the room, making Seraphina involuntarily shiver. However, her eyes also became resolute.
Astreya even now maintained a completely carefree appearance. She even kindly asked, “Saint Eustacia, aren’t you hungry?”
“Good. Let’s prepare to move out. We can eat when we return!”
At the same time, inside the beer hall called “The Wooden Barrel” in the west of the city.
Under the dim yellow lighting, the air was filled with the scent of alcohol, mixed with faint traces of tobacco and sweat.
Two attendants wearing aprons were leaning against the counter behind the bar. They appeared lazy, but their eyes occasionally swept toward the entrance.
“I heard the operation over there completely failed. They didn’t even manage to spread any panic. It was completely suppressed!”
The tall, thin attendant wiped a glass with a cloth while lowering his voice to speak to his plump companion beside him.
The plump attendant sighed. “It probably was. I predicted it long ago. Causing trouble right at the doorstep of two generations of saintesses’ new home? That’s insane! Isn’t that just throwing yourself onto the blade?”
“I really don’t know what they were thinking…” The tall, thin attendant put down the glass and once again warily scanned the entrance. His tone was gloomy.
“What about us then? Isaac is the city closest to the capital. Being assigned here… We’re unlucky! Who knows when we’ll lose our heads!”
Upon hearing this, the plump attendant also showed a bitter expression. Just as he was about to add something more and complain further, the beer hall door was pushed open. The door panel triggered a bell, producing a crisp sound.
A man wearing a coat and a wide-brimmed hat walked in. His steps were steady, and his gaze landed on the counter.
The two attendants immediately suppressed their emotions and forced smiles onto their faces. “Good evening, sir. What would you like?”
The newcomer said nothing. He simply pushed a coin toward the two of them.
They instantly understood. One of them immediately raised his voice and spoke loudly enough for everyone around to hear. “Oh! You want a private room? Please follow me.”
The counter was temporarily left with only the tall, thin attendant. He glanced around once more, then quietly took out a crumpled piece of paper and a pencil stub from the drawer. In an almost inaudible voice, he muttered, “…Still need six more to finish the job.”
In the following period, four more people wearing coarse linen clothes arrived. They each handed over four coins as well.
The tall, thin attendant looked at their simple clothing. His expression quickly turned cold. He said irritably, “Mm. Wait a moment.”
Not long after, the plump attendant from earlier returned. After exchanging a glance with the other, he spoke directly to the four waiting people. “You all, come with me.”
There was no enthusiasm in his tone.
After sending these people away, the two leaned closer again. “Still need two more. After that, it’s no longer our concern.”
From the shadows deep inside the tavern, a figure swayed over unsteadily. “Thud!” A drunkard reeking of alcohol, walking unsteadily, even covered his mouth and nose with his hand. The strong smell made the two frown. At that moment, the drunkard heavily slammed his empty wooden mug onto the counter and mumbled unclearly, “More… more wine!”
The two exchanged helpless glances and muttered “What a hassle” as they prepared to quickly get rid of this drunkard.
Behind the drunkard, several black shadows appeared at some point. Before they could react, they felt their vision go black and softly collapsed.
The drunkard, who had seemed somewhat intoxicated just moments ago, instantly regained clarity in his eyes the moment the two fell. He grabbed both of them and threw them into the storage room. At the same time, two other figures stepped forward and swiftly tied them up tightly.
Almost at the same time, about thirty percent of the “guests” who had been scattered throughout the beer hall stood up simultaneously and began carrying out their respective tasks.
Soon, two people used magic to transform into the appearances of the two attendants who had just been taken away. The others either calmed the real guests or quickly erased any traces of abnormality.
The entire process was quiet, swift, and efficient. It did not cause any further commotion.
The curtain leading to the cellar behind the counter was lifted. A person who looked like a manager poked his head out. “What happened just now? I think I heard some noise.”
The person disguised as the tall, thin attendant immediately put on a flattering smile and pointed at the “drunkard” who had once again slumped back into his chair and was forcefully slapping the table. He shrugged helplessly.
The manager gave the “drunkard” a disgusted glance, muttered “Useless trash,” then withdrew his head and lowered the curtain again.