Steel and Mana

Chapter 311 – Aldrim

The city of Aldrim was different and much less organized for the people from Avalon, but it was nothing Yuri's girls couldn't deal with. Growing up in her gang, now living as educated operatives, adapting back to a kind of city they used to roam as petty thieves and killers was an easy task. Following their target into the city, the skyline was a delicate interplay of spired towers, domed guildhalls, and sloping rooftops, each structure crafted from pale stone that glistened faintly thanks to the previous day's rainfall. This city's streets were narrow, laid with cobblestone, randomly waving their way between the hundreds of small and big buildings. It was evident that there was no actual pre-planning for where the roads would lead. Instead, they grew organically from the inner city as the population grew, and new buildings were constantly added to it. It was a naturally growing maze.

At the street level, bustling marketplaces overflowed everywhere, as if everyone in Atuvia was a merchant and anything else was a side hustle. Traders and vendors hawked everything from bolts of vibrant fabric to spices imported from the far reaches of the continent, but checking their inventory, most, if not all, of them were displaying goods from Avalon. Most importantly, they were doing it at an eye-watering price, especially for an Avalonian.

"I wonder if Madam Lu knows that her books cost four times their original price here... And they are not even new." One of Yuri's agents, codenamed Melon, mumbled as they passed through the streets, and she caught one of the prices announced for the book.

"It's best not to bring it up," Kiwi said, pulling on her hand. "Come, or we will lose track of her..."

Heading on, they passed by the canals, fed by a river running through the city’s heart. The waters teemed with narrow boats that carried goods and passengers alike. The river itself was a direct line that connected the city, owned by the Goldlight Guild, to their partner, the Quickfeet Guild, in the city of Zortan.

Along the stone wharves surrounding it, workers loaded and unloaded crates beneath the watchful eyes of the Goldlight Guild’s own military enforcers, whose golden sashes marked them as protectors of the Guild's wealth. Above the usual chaos, the city’s central plaza dominated the landscape, surrounded by the lavish homes of the prominent merchant families, including the gilded headquarters of their collective operation, the Goldlight Guild. The main building itself looked like it was made out of gold, with its massive clock tower reaching high to the skies, sparkling and visible from many streets, and if not, then it could still be heard tolling at every passing hour.

Kiwi, dressed as a commoner, arrived at the edge of a massive market square after following their target and surveyed the scene laid before her eyes. Their mark entered the mass sea of people, and even though they were high on her heels, for now, Lyria finally managed to shake them down. Still, it also meant she had to have a place nearby, and with her background, it wouldn't be hard to find it. Especially as Lyria traveled to Avalon as a merchant. She must have a base of operations and a front face in this city, doing precisely what she must do: trade. Beside her, Melon adjusted the strap of a satchel slung across her shoulder, sighing once.

"Goldlight's grip is tighter here than a young buck's on his dick," she murmured, her voice low and neutral. "They’ve got eyes everywhere. I’ve counted at least five separate surveillance teams watching the square and the trade going in and out. Two are doing it from the balconies of some of the surrounding buildings."

"True," Kiwi smirked faintly. "Which also means they’re predictable. The more they focus on their little power struggles to stay the top merchant family, the easier it is for us to slip through the cracks."

Arriving behind them, the other members of their team began spreading out, mingling with the crowd. Some were disguised as merchants, others as craftsmen or laborers coming from Avalon. It would be impossible to pass as Atuvians, so they were approaching it from the practical side. They acted as eager visitors and opportunists to Aldrim, their roles carefully chosen to avoid drawing undue attention but be enticing enough if they wanted to trade or join a local workforce. Their escorting soldiers arriving to be stationed here to guard the Avalonian workforce had also been briefed to act with discretion and not interfere with their work, not even if they get exposed. They should not save them if that happens, and they should act as if the spies were simply rouge Avalonians.

Their black armored presence here was framed as protectors of Avalonian interests in the railway and not in the city, so they would never enter it, keeping the charade up. As per Oleg's orders, their actual task was to monitor the incoming and outgoing people and intercept possible covert messages from within the city, magical or not.

"Lucky... Found her at three o'clock!" Melon chuckled, nudging her partner.

Kiwi’s focus shifted to Lyria at once, who was visible across the square, deep in conversation with a group of merchants. By the insignia on their shoulder capes and the way their bodies were bent, they were clearly under her command. Her polished demeanor and carefully measured gestures conveyed confidence, but Kiwi had learned to read between the lines. The woman’s subtle glances toward the guildhalls and her pointed gaze at her men, along with her subconscious finger motions... she was evidently issuing direct orders with a sense of threat built into them.

"She’s good," Melon muttered, following Kiwi’s gaze. "I’ll give her that. But I am also pretty sure now that she is not a proper Atuvian. The way she orders her men is not that of a merchant. They tend to be more sly... she isn't."

"Good doesn’t mean perfect," Kiwi replied. "Everyone has obvious telling signs. We just need to watch long enough to spot hers. Let's follow... It seems she is relaxed now that she is back in her city."

"So don't make her mistake." Melon chuckled a warning as the two girls slipped into the marketplace.

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By evening, the city transformed. The golden light of the setting sun was dying off, and the stone buildings became shades of amber and crimson as lamplighters moved through the streets, igniting wrought-iron lanterns and placing torches in them, casting pools of warm light across the cobblestones. Comparing it to Avalon, only their main streets were lit, throwing the others into a deeper darkness. In the quieter alleys, the coming night's shadows deepened with every second, and the underside of the city was becoming visible in the darkness. While the day was for honest trading, the night was the playing field of smugglers, illegal auctions, and other black market deals.

Kiwi and her team gathered in a small rented room above a modest tavern on the edge of the canal district. The space was sparsely furnished, but its nondescript nature made it ideal for their long-term purposes. A map of Aldrim was spread across the table, marked with notes and pins that denoted key locations—guild offices, merchant warehouses, and areas of heightened security.

“Report,” Kiwi said, her tone brisk but not unkind, turning towards the subordinates who were no longer from her old gang but fresh recruits from Avalon.

“Goldlight’s enforcers are concentrated around the guild square and the northern docks." The first to speak was a young operative disguised as a carpenter. "They’re thorough but overstretched. We’ve identified several blind spots in their patrol routes.”

“Good,” Kiwi nodded. “What about the rail projects?”

“Our laborers from the penal legion have been making steady progress. I expected some attempts at escape, but when I asked for a report, there was none to be made. Even though they are prisoners, they are seemingly very obedient." Another operative, posing as a laborer, stepped forward. "Also, the Atuvians are copying our methods where they can, but their lack of expertise is slowing them down. In turn... We’ve already intercepted rumors of dissent among the Atuvian workforce. Some feel the merchants are selling them out to Avalon, and they are losing their grip on the railway project after our intervention.”

“Dissent could be useful." Melon arched an eyebrow. "If we can identify the ringleaders, we might be able to turn them into informants.”

“Careful!” Kiwi cautioned. “We can’t risk exposing ourselves. Focus on observation, for now; we have just arrived. If we get as pushy as our target, we will also be exposed. Speaking of... What about Lyria?”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“As ordered, I have set up a stall near her most frequent location." A third operative, a wiry woman disguised as a seamstress, spoke up. "She’s been meeting with local informants and some minor officials. So far, her cover story holds—an ambitious trader looking to establish connections. However, her interest in Avalonian technology is unmistakable as all of her contacts are people who are frequent visitors to Avalon.”

“She’ll try to get back to Avalon. We will need to know the most about her by then.” Kiwi muttered as she leaned over the map, her finger tracing a route from the guild square to the southern docks. "After we have a grip on the city, we will try to get a foot in the nightlife here."

"That part..." Melon smiled, fixing her chest, "Is my specialty."

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The following morning, the operatives dispersed once more, each slipping into their assigned roles. Kiwi, now dressed as a clerk, took up a position in a bustling market near the southern docks. From her vantage point, she watched as the city came alive at the break of dawn. Dockworkers unloaded crates of goods from arriving ships, merchants haggled over prices as usual, and guild officials moved with purpose through the throng, taking daily inventory, probably calculating their gross revenue.

At a different part of the city, Melon—disguised as a scribe from Avalon—approached a merchant’s stall and struck up a casual conversation. Her goal was to gather information about the Goldlight Guild’s recent activities, particularly their dealings with foreign traders. The oversized vendor, eager to boast about his connections, unwittingly provided a wealth of detail about the Guild’s efforts to secure exclusive trade agreements and suppress competition from the other parts of Atuvia. He even went as far as to offer his assistance if Melon wanted to contact distant countries for exotic goods that only they could import... for a price, of course.

Across the city, other members of the team were equally active. Some infiltrated the workshops where Atuvian craftsmen struggled to replicate Avalonian designs, their frustrations palpable. It wasn't hard to get into their good grades by simply offering them some insight. Others shadowed guild officials, noting their routines and recording snippets of overheard conversations along with detailed timetables of their daily routines. Each piece of information, no matter how small, was meticulously cataloged and relayed back to the team as the Avalonians Secret Service began their very first profiling of a neighboring country and its leaders.

By midday, Kiwi found herself back in the guild square, where a public auction was underway. The square was packed with spectators, their attention focused on the auctioneer as he painted each item up for bid as if it were a world-changing artifact, including such trivialities as a pocket watch, which was a standard issue amongst her and her people. Among the crowd, purely by accident, Kiwi spotted Lyria, her poised demeanor unchanged as she observed the proceedings.

Moving subtly through the crowd, Kiwi positioned herself within earshot of her target. Getting closer, it was clear that the woman was engaged in conversation with a local guild member, and her tone was light and conversational as they discussed a new cooperation. But Kiwi’s sharp ears picked up on the subtext: Lyria was probing for information about Avalonian supply lines and what goods were brought into Avalon the most. She was most likely already preparing for a return trip.

“She wants to tap into what our Sovereign needs most... and become an important asset.” Kiwi thought, her respect for the woman’s skill growing despite herself. “Not a bad thinking.”

Shadowing her through the day, Lyria made five meetings and began assembling a second trip. Noting her speed, it was evident that she would leave the moment the snow melted and spring came. So... they had a few months.

As night came again, the operatives reconvened in their room. The map of Aldrim was now crowded with new notes and pins, each representing a marked individual, a contact, someone to be noted, cataloged, and marked as either valuable, dangerous, or neutral. Kiwi reviewed the reports with meticulous care, her mind already strategizing their next moves.

“Is this double-checked?" Melon asked, her face scrunched up, reading a report that had just arrived.

"Yes." Her subordinate nodded, still gasping for air as he rushed through the city to get here as fast as possible. "It came from the captain of the 3rd squad outside the city. His men caught a pigeon that carried a magically sealed ring on its leg when it left the city. Its flight projection suggested it was heading towards Ishillia. Our soldiers caught it five kilometers from here."

"So she sent a message..." Kiwi muttered, knowing they finally got their final proof. "The question is, can we decipher it?"

"That is up for Lady Yuri," Melon answered, "or the Prime Minister. Let the higher-ups deal with that. We will wait for their report to find out what was in the message."