Chapter 128: The White Dove's Intelligence

For some time, Chu Yun chatted with Bethrena and the others. They were well aware of his participation in the plan to lure and eliminate the Earth-Eater Beast, and they were deeply intrigued by it.

After the conversation, Chu Yun left the Clover station and returned to the Mage’s Inn. Upon checking in, the receptionist specifically reminded him that the faculty apartments at the Magic Academy were now ready for occupancy. Chu Yun did not have much luggage—it could all be tossed into his spatial equipment. Anna had already filed the application for the apartment on his behalf, but as it was already late, he decided to wait until the following day to move.

Awakening early the next morning, Chu Yun checked out of the inn. The atmosphere on the streets had grown heavy. Passing by a shop, he picked up a newspaper to scan the headlines.

To his surprise, the luring and extermination of the Earth-Eater Beast did not make the front page. Instead, it had been replaced by news that had shaken the Kingdom of Aelnor to its core. The reports from the previous day had only mentioned the King’s critical condition, but overnight, that condition had turned into his passing. The specific details remained unknown, and the capital was currently under lockdown. Even more puzzling was that the First Prince had not returned to the capital; instead, he was continuing toward Blackrock City with the army that had been mobilized to fight the Earth-Eater Beast. This left the residents of Blackrock City uneasy, as the dark clouds of war loomed over the city.

To those in the know, the conflict between the First Prince and the Second Prince was no longer a secret. While the King was alive, neither dared to act rashly. But times had changed. The King had died under suspicious circumstances, and while the throne should have passed to the First Prince by right of succession, reports from the capital indicated that the King had bequeathed the throne to the Second Prince before he died. This sort of melodramatic plot had unfolded countless times throughout history; if the First Prince returned now, he would likely be killed by the Second Prince, who held control over the capital’s military forces.

As for Leotis, the Commander of the Fifth-Rank Dragon Cavalry Royal Guard, he was caught in a position of helplessness and would likely have to maintain relative neutrality, lest his family—all of whom remained in the capital—be put at risk. This was a major reason why the First Prince dared not return to the capital; he was likely arriving in Blackrock City to seek reinforcements. Fortunately, Leotis had not yet abandoned the First Prince, the rightful heir, and had not taken all the troops with him, otherwise the Prince would likely have been assassinated by a relentless stream of killers along the way.

The arrival of the First Prince was a thorny issue for Blackrock City. Mond, the Lord of Blackrock, had always maintained neutrality and avoided taking sides, but now it seemed he would be forced to make a choice. For the moment, the Second Prince had not openly targeted his brother, and the First Prince had yet to issue a public response regarding the succession. Everything awaited the First Prince’s arrival in Blackrock.

Beyond the passing of the King, the previous day’s battle against the Earth-Eater Beast was equally noteworthy. In fact, to the adventurers who cared little for the petty squabbles over the throne, the battle was the true center of interest. The performance of the flight wings during the combat had been nothing short of breathtaking. Several powerful individuals had already begun placing orders with the Mages' Guild, and Chu Yun’s reputation as one of the designers of the wings had soared once again. The *Earth-Walker Weekly* had focused heavily on describing the terror of the Earth-Eater Beast. It was, after all, a legendary creature; even though its strength had waned due to long periods of slumber and sealing, such a feat—saving everyone in Blackrock City—was something only a legendary hero could accomplish.

Regrettably, no one knew exactly how the beast had died. Regardless, the credit was attributed to those who had lured the creature into the Venomous Fog Marsh. Whether it was the knights who had launched the death charge or the mages who had set the traps and bait, all were hailed as heroes. As for Nielson, the sentiment that "with great power comes great responsibility" applied; his contributions were largely overlooked. Consequently, Selena and Chu Yun became the focus of public attention, and many cast looks of reverence toward them as they walked through the streets.

At that moment, an acquaintance approached: White Dove, a ranking member of the Black Crow organization who possessed a code name. White Dove was one of the few in the organization who frequently appeared in public.

"Lord Chu Yun, it has been a few days, and you have already performed another astonishing feat. You are truly young and promising. Everyone is now calling you and Selena the strongest of the young generation in Aelnor," White Dove said with a thin, insincere smile, which only made Chu Yun more certain that his face was a disguise.

Chu Yun replied non-committally, "Thank you for last time. I assume you didn't seek me out just to say these things?"

White Dove glanced around, signaling for Chu Yun to move to a more private location. The two entered a shop that appeared to be one of White Dove's strongholds, and he led Chu Yun to a secluded area in the back.

"I have come to you this time because I have an intelligence trade I would like to propose. I am certain you will find it interesting," White Dove said, pulling out a document with a smile.

Chu Yun looked at him with skepticism. "Spare me the suspense. What is this information? Why are you so sure I would be interested? Surely it isn't a Divine Spark fragment?"

White Dove replied with some embarrassment, "Naturally, it is not a Divine Spark fragment. No one would ever sell information on such a divine relic." He paused, then continued, "Lord Chu Yun, with your black hair and black eyes, you must have some connection to the Northern Moon Kingdom. In fact, our organization recently stumbled upon information regarding Xivana and that young dragon-blooded girl, Kalo."

Chu Yun frowned. He had no love for Xivana, whose rampage through the auction house and the reckless spells of the Cult of the Dragon priests had deeply displeased him. In truth, had his luck been worse, he might have been crushed by a meteorite during that incident. He had little affection for such a violent woman, yet her unique status and unusual abilities did pique his interest.

"Xivana is a wanted criminal. Since you have the information, why not attack them yourself or simply report it to the Blackrock authorities? You would likely receive a handsome reward for the intelligence," Chu Yun asked, puzzled.

White Dove shook his head. "We are an intelligence organization. While some of our members possess decent combat prowess, combat is not our specialty. Even if we managed to kill Xivana and claim the bounty, the losses we would sustain would be significant—it is not worth it. As for informing Blackrock, at this stage, they are unlikely to deploy a powerful team to hunt down a strong dragon-blood with flight capabilities, so the payout would be limited."

White Dove’s explanation was a bit strained, but it was a plausible excuse. "As far as I know, your flight wings are in no way inferior to a dragon-blood’s flight capabilities, and they are even more durable. Pursuing her would not be difficult. People from the Northern Moon Kingdom have always been proud and patriotic; they do not easily join other nations. Since you chose to join the Kingdom of Aelnor, you must be a fugitive from Northern Moon, right? Xivana is the daughter of a Northern Moon noble family. Surely you have an interest in capturing her?"

White Dove’s assumptions were completely off the mark, which made Chu Yun question his professional competence.

"I have absolutely no interest in her. You have found the wrong buyer," Chu Yun said, speechless.

White Dove did not seem disappointed by Chu Yun’s words. He smiled and added, "Even if you are not interested in her, it seems she is quite interested in you."