Chapter 719: Fragments Of Truth

Looking at the spy list, many of Nieusels actions flashed before Annans eyes.

No wonder.

After he knew I was Annan Austere-Winter, his att.i.tude towards me became so warm

He even rubbed my face.

Annan complained.

Didnt anyone tell him not to kiss up to the boss or to suck up to him?

No wonder he always addressed Annan as Your Majesty instead of Your Highness. It was because he had known all along that only Annan would ascend to the dukedom. This was indeed something that one would understand only if they had been acquainted with the upper echelons of Austere-Winter.

Not even the royal family of Noah Kingdom could confirm thiseven the Northern Brotherhood and the Austere-Winter n.o.bles didnt figure it out.

I see. Annan murmured.

That was why when Annan left with his childhood sweetheart named Nefertari, Nieusel was so trusting of them, and his reaction was so calm

That was why he sold his collection and also provided housing and travel expenses for the players. That was why Sporeggar Mill, the underground city directly under the Austere-Winter Dukedom, was so warm to Austerians.

From this perspective, even though Nieusel didnt come from a family of Diggers or the Wise and had little money, he managed to successfully become a Digger, discovering multiple underground cities, likely thanks to funding from the Winters Hand.

There was even a possibility

Winters Hand had dispatched professionals and used professional equipment to conduct underground exploration They then transferred the cities they discovered to Nieusel, who had the status of prospective Digger.

Therefore, Nieusel became Digger at such a young age, but still stayed in Sporeggar Mill, a small town that was declining due to nightmares this was probably his mission as a spy.

If Austere-Winter never activated this spy, he would always live in Sporeggar Mill. Live, work, get married, and have children normally as a Digger, maintaining his normal life trajectory until Winters Hand needed him.

That is to say

The corners of Annans mouth raised slightly.

He put the paper back.

I will just pretend I havent seen it.

As one of the very few high-ranking individuals who infiltrated the underground world, Nieusel was quite significant for the Winters Hand. He wasnt the kind of low-level intelligence agent they could just send in large numbers as they wished.

The Wise in the underground world were difficult to deal with this was not because they were ahead of other countries in terms of race or education, but because they were always in a high-level and high-frequency life-and-death game.

There was one very crucial difference in the underground world.

That was because the laws of different cities werent universal, making cross-city pursuits extremely difficult. This led to a situation where a.s.sa.s.sins, swindlers, and robbers ran rampant in the underground world, and crimes were seldom punished.

To vie for power and eliminate opposition, the Wise often engaged in plotting schemes, setting traps, and fabricating false evidence to attack each other.

If not for their use of a significant portion of their wisdom for infighting the conflicts among the Wise within the same city, the overt and covert struggles between the Wise and the Diggers, as well as the internal strife between cities and within factions the number of intelligent individuals in the underground world would likely have grown to levels that would alarm the monarchs of other nations.

Once they activated Nieusel, having him start operations in the underground he would quickly be discovered by the Wise. If he was lucky, he might be able to evacuate; if not, he would face almost certain death. Essentially, he could be considered a disposable a.s.set.

To prevent their important memories from being discovered after death, almost all spies were not transcendent beings This was also one of the methods used to identify spies. However, it left these spies with virtually no ability to defend themselves when faced with a.s.sa.s.sination.

Although there were many Diggers, their significance was actually equivalent to that of other territorial n.o.bles. To deploy such high-level spies, an order had to come directly from a member of the Winters Hand of the right-hand middle finger level to avoid wastage.

Now only Annan could command Nieusel.

However, Annan had decided.

He wont do that.

There was no shortage of people like him in the Austere-Winter Dukedomand Nieusel was not just a spy, but also Annans friend. He was also a worthy companion.

Let him live his life in peace first. Annan whispered.

Nieusel had obviously recognized Annans ident.i.ty a long time ago, but he didnt say anything

Lets scare him the next time we meet.

The corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing a warm chuckle.

Grand Duke, what did you say? Zoya on the side asked with some confusion.

I was just looking for information about the Winter Insurgent.

Without any concealment or deception, Annan explained to Zoya directly, I suspect that there may be other truths hidden in the Winter Insurgents defection incident back then.

For instance Could this be a drill? Do we actually need the Winter Insurgent to betray the Austere-Winter Dukedom openly, so they can infiltrate other factions under the guise of the Winter Insurgent?

So, is this essentially a double-crossing scheme?

Hearing Annans question, Zoya was not angry or confused.

This is your second day after taking the throne. She just glanced at Annan subtly, I didnt expect you to say it out directly so early

Because Aunt Zoya is the person involved. If Ivan has any speculations, Zoya should also know about it.

Annan spoke calmly, his voice rational, I am currently the best choice for the Grand Duke of Austere-Winter Dukedom. While this question may be a bit awkward, its not sensitive. Even if I ask the other Ten Fingers, at most, Ill be mocked a bit, thats all.

But if Im afraid of being laughed at and worry about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing, then I will miss the opportunity.

Zoya, responsible for Grand Duke Ivans domestic affairs year-round, had the longest contact with Ivan among all the members of the Winters Hand.

Without a doubt, Zoyas opinion was highly valuable. If Annan chose not to trust her or thought This question doesnt need to be asked, and consequently kept things hidden from this elder, leading to misinformation or misunderstandings that caused delays, it would simply be courting trouble.

Ever since Annan was youngwhen the teacher said, Raise your hand if you dont understand, Annan never dared to raise his hand because he was worried about how others would see him.

If he didnt understand, he had to raise his hand.

If he didnt understand, he would definitely ask.

When faced with ambiguous answers, Annan would never guess on his own. Instead, he would engage the other person in a heartfelt conversation to ascertain their true feelings, thereby understanding their mindset at the time and why they responded as they did.

Now, the reason Annan could adeptly see through peoples minds was precisely because of the skills he had honed during that time.

So whats the answer? Annan asked, Is [the Winter Insurgent] one of our own?

Although Zoya responded, she did not answer directly just then. She couldnt possibly have been the type of person who was slow and gentle, unaware of the importance of timing in her words and actions So, she hadnt been digressing, but rather, she had been trying to deliberately steer the conversation away from that topic.

However, Annan was not that easy to fool.

This question may be a bit complicated.

Then, tell me slowly. I think as the Grand Duke, I should have the right to know this now, right?

Of course. Zoya replied seriously, You naturally have the right to know everything but I just want to say that all we know is the former Winter Insurgent.

After she said that, she stayed silent for a moment to collect her thoughts.

Then, she replied, You have guessed it right. At least initially, the Winter Insurgent did defect on purpose. And his defection plan

Youre the person arranging it.

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