19: Chapter 19: The Audit Team Parachuted In—Or Are They Here to Steal Performance Points?

The Obsidian Lion?

This term was like a heavy hammer, smashing hard into the hearts of everyone in the castle's main hall.

If the Inquisition were ferocious external invaders, then the knights of the Byron Family's main branch were the Sword of Damocles hanging over Levi's head, liable to fall at any moment.

They were "their own people," theoretically their liege and reinforcements, but at this moment, their appearance was more heart-stopping than any enemy.

Before the scout's voice had even faded, the air in the main hall seemed to freeze into blocks of ice.

Blackfinger, the dwarf leader who had just been boiling with blood for the upcoming expedition, saw the excitement on his face instantly freeze, turning into a hideous mix of confusion and vigilance.

His bloodshot eyes snapped toward Levi, waiting for new orders.

“Halt all preparations.” Levi's voice broke the dead silence, calm and without a single ripple, as if this sudden turn of events was merely a long-anticipated risk item in a project proposal.

“What? Halt?” Blackfinger could hardly believe his ears. Carrying his newly acquired battle-axe, veins bulging on his thick neck, he strode up to Levi, his spittle nearly spraying onto Levi's face. “My Lord! What do you mean, halt now? I don't care if they're lions or cats—while they haven't found their footing yet, I'll take the brothers and charge over. I guarantee we'll smash them and their tents into meat pies! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

In the simple combat philosophy of dwarves, hesitation and retreat were the greatest disgraces.

Moreover, this group was blocking the path to the "new vein." Anything in the way should be crushed by a battle-axe.

Levi ignored Blackfinger's roar, not even glancing at him.

His gaze was like two cold probes, firmly locked onto the kneeling scout, all his attention condensed into precise questions.

“Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions, Minister Blackfinger.” Levi's tone remained flat, yet carried an unquestionable authority. “I need details. Scout, look up at me. What are the characteristics of the enemy's camp site? How are their fortifications arranged? What are their patrol formations, routes, and frequencies? Is the sentries' focus directed toward our Blackstone Territory, or elsewhere?”

His questions were fast and urgent, like a precision analytical instrument, rapidly dismantling the vague "military intelligence" and converting it into evaluable data.

The scout had clearly undergone professional training. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and began to report logically: “My Lord, their camp is located in a hollow in Eagles Sorrow Valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides with only one narrow exit, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. But strangely, most of their defensive forces, such as chevaux-de-frise and arrow towers, are arranged inside the camp, facing the mountain walls and the center of the camp, as if they are guarding against something breaking out from within. Toward the perimeter—that is, our direction—they have only set up the most conventional sentries and scouts, and the alert level isn't particularly high.”

The scout paused and added: “The same goes for their patrols. Most of the manpower is cross-patrolling inside the camp. Their reconnaissance range toward the perimeter does not exceed five hundred meters, and their routes are fixed with almost no variation. It looks... it looks more like they are guarding something rather than preparing to attack us.”

A defensive posture that was heavy on the inside and light on the outside.

Levi's fingertips unconsciously began to tap lightly on the tabletop.

This detail was crucial.

It proved that the enemy's core objective was not Blackstone Territory, but the Silvermoon Ruins, whose depths they had yet to fathom.

They weren't guarding against him, their nominal "own person," but against unknown risks from within the ruins, and... other potential competitors.

“Good, go and rest for now, and stay on standby.” Levi waved his hand, signaling the scout to withdraw.

He turned around to meet three distinct gazes: Blackfinger's impatient confusion, Hill's deep worry, and Evelyn's calm observation.

“Everyone, follow me to the briefing room.” Levi offered no further explanation, turning toward the war room inside the castle, which had been specially set up with a massive sand table.

The heavy oak door was closed, sealing off all external noise.

Levi walked to the head of the long table. Instead of sitting, he spread three items out on the table in sequence.

The first was the detailed map leading to the Silvermoon Ruins, squeezed out of the knight Colin.

The second was the warning letter from the Eldest Princess of the Radiant Empire, written in elegant script but hiding sharp intent.

The third was the intelligence he had just gathered from the scout. He picked up a charcoal pencil and quickly sketched a diagram of the Byron knight squad's "inside-heavy, outside-light" camp defense layout on a piece of blank parchment.

“The situation has changed; the original plan is scrapped.” Levi got straight to the point, his finger tapping the three documents in turn. “Now, we are not facing a simple technical problem, but a complex three-way game.”

His gaze swept over the core members of his team.

“Party one: the Hammer Inquisition.” His finger pointed to Colin's map. “They are greedy, fanatical, and possess incorrect intelligence regarding the 'Key.' They are explosives that could flip the entire table at any time, but currently, their vanguard has been wiped out by us, and they have temporarily lost their ability to act.”

“Party two: the knights of the Byron Family's main branch.” His finger moved to the crude camp sketch. “They have clearly obtained information about the ruins through some channel unknown to us. They are professional, goal-oriented, and hold the righteous title of 'Liege.' They are currently the most powerful players on the board.”

“Party three: us, Blackstone Territory.” Levi's finger finally landed on the Princess's letter. “We are the locals, the party with the advantage of information asymmetry, and currently the only ones who know the truth about the 'Key.' But our raw strength is the weakest; any direct confrontation would be like striking a stone with an egg.”

For the first time, he presented all the core intelligence he held, completely and without reservation, to his team.

The information barrier was broken at this moment, and the faces of Evelyn, Hill, and Blackfinger all took on a grave expression.

They finally understood what kind of intricate and dangerous vortex they were facing.

“Therefore, the previous 'rapid bomb disposal' plan is no longer viable,” Levi concluded. “Rushing over now would only result in us being treated as traitors attempting to lay hands on the treasure and being wiped out along with the remnants of the Inquisition by the Byron knights.”

“I announce that, as of now, the 'Provisional Command for Ruins Opportunity Disposal' is established.” His voice wasn't loud, but it was powerful. “I shall serve as the Commander-in-Chief. Our subsequent actions will no longer be aimed simply at 'reinforcing the seal,' but rather at securing the maximum benefit for Blackstone Territory from this chaotic game, under the premise of ensuring safety.”

He looked at Evelyn, his eyes sharp as knives: “Evelyn, your mission has changed. Lead the scout squad and depart immediately. Give up preparations for armed conflict and switch to battlefield environment monitoring and information interference. I want you to stick to them like a ghost and figure out every movement between the Byron knight squad and any potential Inquisition reinforcements that might arrive. At the same time, use the Inquisition badges and equipment we captured to create some... minor 'misunderstandings' on their reconnaissance routes. Let them discover each other's tracks, let them suspect one another, and muddy the waters. Can you do it?”

The corners of Evelyn's mouth curved into an alluring smile, her purple eyes flashing with excitement: “As you wish, My Lord. Chaos is exactly my specialty.”

Levi nodded and turned his gaze to the other two: “Hill, Blackfinger. You two will lead a more elite squad. Ten people will suffice—they must be the fastest, most skilled at climbing and stealth among the dwarves. Abandon all heavy equipment; carry only mining tools, ropes, and the sealing materials you prepared earlier.”

He walked to the large sand table and traced a completely different route on the map: “You won't take the main road. Infiltrate through the abandoned mine tunnels on the west side. This path isn't on Colin's map; that is our advantage. Your mission objective has also changed from 'reinforcing the seal' to 'evaluating and marking key nodes inside the ruins.' I need you to figure out the internal structure, potential dangers, and all possible resource points of the ruins without triggering the core seal. Simply put, before the real buyers enter the field, we need to conduct a thorough due diligence on this 'asset' to make full preparations for the subsequent 'asset transfer.'”

“Sneaking around like rats?” Blackfinger's eyebrows knitted into a knot, and two puffs of hot air snorted from his thick nostrils.

He slapped his breastplate, making a dull thud. “My Lord, I still don't understand! We have over fifty brothers who just got new axes and are waiting to chop off heads! Why not let me take the men to have a scrap with those Byron bastards? Even if we can't beat them, we can make them lose some meat!”

Levi turned around and quietly looked at this dwarf minister whose head was filled with nothing but muscle and glory.

He didn't get angry, but simply posed a question.

“Blackfinger, let me ask you. Do you want to go as a soldier to win a battle and get a triple performance bonus? Or do you want to go as a core shareholder of our Blackstone Resources Company and join me in taking down a gold mine that can continuously provide us with dividends?”

Soldier? Bonus? Shareholder? Gold mine?

A string of terms smashed into Blackfinger's head.

He was stunned.

The victory of a battle was certainly exhilarating, but it was a one-off.

But "gold mine" and "dividends"... these two terms seemed to carry a certain magic, reminding him of the bottles of mellow whiskey he could get at the end of every month and the better future Levi had promised.

In his simple and direct mind, he began to weigh interests beyond combat itself for the first time.

After a long while, he grinned broadly, revealing a hideous yet incredibly determined smile, and slammed his massive battle-axe onto the ground.

“Damn it, the gold mine of course! I'll listen to you, My Lord!”

With the decision made, the entire war machine of Blackstone Territory immediately began operating at high speed in a brand-new mode.

Less than an hour after the orders were issued, Evelyn had already taken six of the most agile scouts and vanished outside the castle like shadows blending into the night.

A moment later, Blackfinger and Hill also led an extremely streamlined squad, carrying ropes and tools, departing from the castle's back gate and disappearing into the western mountains.

Levi stood at the highest point of the castle, the night wind blowing through his black hair.

Like a cold chess player, he placed his pieces one by one, quietly waiting for the game to change.

Evelyn's efficiency was beyond imagination.

Only an hour after they set out, a trained night falcon pierced through the curtain of night and landed on Levi's arm.

A small bamboo tube was tied to the falcon's leg, containing a note written in code.

Levi unfurled the note and read it quickly by the firelight.

The intelligence was short, but the information was massive.

Near the designated monitoring point, Evelyn's squad had successfully evaded the Byron knight squad's patrols and made an unexpected discovery—they had captured a lone Byron Family knight who was sneakily surveying the surrounding terrain.

And at the end of the note, Evelyn had written a postscript in her elegant script, with a hint of gravity between the lines:

“My Lord, this person is no ordinary knight. From him, we searched and found a complete set of precision alchemy tools used for breaking ancient magical seals.”