"What is it?" Anfey asked. There were things he could allow other people to control, but there were also things he must see to himself. For example, Black Eleven only reported to him. What he did was out of everyone else’s jurisdiction, including Alice’s.

"Do you remember when Lady Suzanna was on the run?" Black Eleven asked.

"From Manstuly?"

"No, before that."

Anfey frowned and turned to Black Eleven. "You mean…"

Black Eleven nodded. "His Majesty has been investigating ever since he found out Lady Suzanna’s back story. We finally found something useful."

"They are in this city?"

Black Eleven nodded.

Anfey frowned and turned to Suzanna. "Can I borrow the ring?"

Suzanna nodded. She took off the ring and handed it to Anfey.

Anfey grabbed the ring and hopped into the carriage. "Tell me everything."

"They are hard to track," Black Eleven said, sitting down next to Anfey. "It is very hard to investigate them. We’ve been fighting Evil Mist for years, but we know practically nothing about them. These people…well, they are even more elusive than Evil Mist. They never leave anything valuable.

"Evil Mist may be elusive, but they always have plans and goals. As long as we know their goals, we can think of ways to deal with them. These people, on the other hand, are a mystery. Why were they chasing Lady Suzanna in the first place? How did they know she has the treasure map? Were they trying to protect the map or take it? Were they hired men or acting on their own will? We known nothing."

"Suzanna said Trajan, the usurper, sent them."

"If we know one thing, it is that Trajan didn’t send them," Black Eleven said. "They were not working for Darius, either. They belong to an independent organization called the Rangers. They have several senior-ranking members and are a force to be reckoned with."

"There are a lot of mysterious organizations," Ye added. "They’re not the only one. But whenever a top level power mysteriously dies, or a n.o.bleman’s heir leaves home to explore the world and disappears, it is usually the Rangers’ doing."

"Interesting," Anfey said. "How did you two meet, by the way?"

"A mercenary came to me and told me that someone attacked his group. When he returned to White Mountain City, he saw one of the men who attacked him, so he came to me and wanted me to find the killers," Ye said. "Armin came to talk to me when I was about to leave with the mercenaries. He had a few portraits, and the mercenary recognized two of the men."

"We found a few suspicious characters through our spies in Ellisen Empire," Black Eleven said. "I heard they’ve already arrived at Country of Mercenaries, and I wanted to talk to Ye about it."

"Where were they?"

"Dancing Night Tavern," Black Eleven said.

"The one Blavi goes to?" Anfey asked. He vaguely remembered the name. Black Eleven nodded.

"I asked the mercenary about the attack," Ye said, tapping on the seat. "Apparently, they weren’t attacked. They were the attackers. Because they saw two women among those people and thought they would be easy targets."

"Are we going to Dancing Night Tavern?" Anfey asked, peering out of the carriage’s window.

Black Eleven nodded.

"Take your time," Anfey said. "Make sure everything goes according to plan."

"I’ve already made sure," Ye said. "As soon as we send the signal, the entire city will go into lockdown mode. Unless they have a tunnel under the city, they cannot get away."

"Good," Anfey said, nodding.

By the time the carriage stopped in front of the tavern, it was already noon. Taverns usually have the least amount of business during noontime, which was why a lot of taverns were not even open. However, on that day, there were at least a dozen carriages parked in front of Dancing Night.

The bouncer at the door saw the carriage stop and pulled open the door with a wide smile. Ye nodded at the carriage driver and followed Anfey into the tavern.

There were about thirty people and a few performers in the tavern. The performers were dancing to upbeat music, and their movements were very in sync. The tavern patrons were chatting with each other.

Alice had banned alcohol in Stormenburg, but White Mountain City was different. Alice did not have as much power here, and she did not want to anger the mercenaries by taking away part of their lives.

Alice didn’t want to put Anthony in a difficult situation, and Anthony wouldn’t do anything to Alice. They coexisted in a delicate peace.

A young girl hurried over. She was grinning widely and said, "This way, sir."

Anfey glanced at Ye, who shook his head. Clearly, the people he was looking for were not there. Ye turned to the young girl and said, "I need to see the owner. Anyone who doesn’t work here can leave now."

Ye’s voice drew everyone’s attention. The dancing girls stopped and the music halted.

"Ah, I see," the young woman said. "You’re here looking for a fight!" She turned and hurried off.

"Do they not know you here?" Anfey asked, curious.

Before Ye could say anything, a woman appeared. She frowned when she saw Ye. "What are you doing…" the woman began.

"I need to see the owner," Ye said, cutting her off.

The woman frowned. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I need to see the owner," Ye repeated. "Now."

"I can get him," the woman said curtly. "But I don’t know if you are worth it."

Anfey frowned. Ye played the most important part in keeping order in the city. Ye’s orders were Anfey’s orders. Anyone who disobeyed Ye would be disobeying him.

Anfey had always focused on his personal strength, which was why he ignored the fact that Ye had restrictions as well. At least here in Dancing Night Tavern, Ye’s orders did not mean as much as they did outside.

Before Anfey could say anything, one of the patrons shook his head and said, "The owner of this place is not that easy to see."