Still, the seven scouts hesitated to speak.
"What’s the matter, all so timid? Do the scouts of the Southern Border have so little courage?"
Weyges narrowed his eyes, sensing something off about these scouts. He casually pointed at one, "You, tell me, what are the names of the tribes that worship the four Totem Masters, and where are they located?"
"Ah, me?"
The pointed scout looked quite young, seemingly just barely twenty. He helplessly glanced at his colleagues to either side and then, under the watchful gaze of all his fellow scouts, stuttered, "Actually... uh, the Redwood Natives say there are four Totems, but there are actually five Totem Masters..."
"And of the great tribes, only two true names remain. The Mist Nest Tribe has declined, still settling in the Miasma Forest; Mountain Tide Tribe, after merging with the Forest Sea Tribe, is now the co-ruler of the Great Redwood Forest, living in their ancestral land by Ivorybone Mountain... Only the Soaring Surge Tribe can somewhat resist the pressure of the Mountain Tide Faction, now roaming along the western coast, hunting and fishing... "
"Soaring Surge Tribe, huh... That’s a really simple and straightforward name; it saves me the trouble of figuring it out. Yep, that’s the one."
Thinking of the two Gargantuan Eels that might be blocked by his tutor, the black-haired Knight heard the information he wanted and nodded in satisfaction, "See, you know quite a lot, don’t you? Pick two who are familiar with the routes, take me to the western coast to capture a prisoner, and I’ll put in a good word for you."
All the scouts looked up, their expressions shocked as they looked at him, but not one dared to respond to his words.
"What’s the matter?"
Noticing the lack of response, Weyges raised his eyebrows. He didn’t use Spirit Energy, nor did he get angry at their silence. He simply read their faces and realized there was something wrong with how the scouts were behaving.
So he feigned the most ordinary lordly attitude to scold them, "Are you bumpkins still scared? I’ve already said you don’t need to worry, I am at the Second Energy Level, an elite Knight with a title, even if you call the Totem Spirit, those rustic tribal natives of yours could not possibly stop me!"
"And what if you really died? Won’t I provide funeral expenses? If you disobey, I can execute you on the spot in the name of an Inspector Knight!"
"No, no, Lord..."
Immediately, an elder scout trembled and knelt down to prostrate himself, "It’s just... what information do you really want, sir? We’re all old-timers here, is there any way you can get what you want to know without needing to capture prisoners... "
——There’s definitely a secret.
Nodding thoughtfully, Weyges already had his answer, yet he still threatened, "The things I’m looking to investigate are true royal secrets, unrelated to all the little bits of intelligence from minor places like this!"
"Stop the nonsense, take me there, that’s an order!"
Without a doubt, for these scouts who came from common folk, Weyges’ status as an Inspector Knight and his Imperial backing were indeed enough to make them shake in their boots—yet it was precisely because of such threats that the scouts were even more afraid to speak.
The black-haired Knight nodded slightly; he had guessed the answer, but couldn’t yet be sure.
Therefore, a pale white glow lit up in his dark green eyes, like a spider’s thread of light, shining directly into the eyes of a scout who wore a fearful expression.
A voice... a voice belonging to the mind was echoing.
Listened carefully... and then Weyges literally burst into laughter.
"I truly wasn’t ready to believe it."
As the glow faded and the Spirit Energy ceased, the Knight shook his head in disbelief, lifted his hand, and pointed at the paralyzed scouts in front of him, "So Viscount Grant actually did collude with the natives?!"
All the scouts lifted their heads in astonishment.
——They hadn’t uttered a word, how did the Knight lord from the Imperial Capital guess everything?!