Nobility or merchant, woman, hidden identity.

A merchant's means wouldn't be so skillful unless they were a slave owner.

Durant furrowed his brows in contemplation.

People in the Border City, so curious about me?

"What about the seven people who came with you?"

Durant asked, "Are they all your accomplices?"

"I don't know them, I don't know who they are, I just took the opportunity to mingle among them."

Ivan was quite frank, "That woman is my companion, while the other family should truly be destitute refugees."

Durant glanced at Gang Le, signaling him to bring the woman over, who was Ivan's wife.

Then, Ivan honestly recounted all the events and stated that the person who received his messages was a merchant in the Border City.

This was a long-term task, so Ivan temporarily didn't know who to deliver the message to; there was only a code.

Ivan's "wife" was quickly brought over.

Her knees were softer than Ivan's, and upon being intimidated by the guard, she confessed everything.

Her identity was that of a slave, caught by a Slave Capture Team and sold to Ivan as his wife.

Ivan's "wife" had no tasks.

The rest was unknown.

Durant furrowed his brows in thought.

Wanting to plant spies in his own domain, Durant initially thought of Count Hawk.

So Durant was wary of this group of incoming refugees.

But now, the possibility seemed low because the process was too complicated.

For planting spies, the simpler the process and the fewer people who know, the better.

Would Count Hawk arrange people in the Border City and then have these people blend into the refugee group entering his right domain? There were contradictions front and back.

And the wealthy woman from the Border City, along with the scent of roses, immediately made Durant think of Rose Manor in the Border City.

It's quite normal for Marquis Cold Blade to plant spies too.

Durant felt helpless.

Unexpectedly, despite being so low-key, he was already being watched.

There's no help for it, as development and discretion inherently conflict somewhat.

There's no wall in the world completely impenetrable; many things will inevitably leak out. Durant guessed that the war with the Count had been discovered by someone.

Durant had already been very restrained.

If he had been boisterous, he would have already invaded the Count's territory by now.

"Lord Baron, how should we deal with these people?"

Gang Le asked in a low voice, "Should we just hang them directly?"

Durant didn't speak, he just waved his hand.

If it truly was Marquis Cold Blade, then executing these people would only prompt sending another wave.

In fairness, Marquis Cold Blade was different from Count Hawk.

Marquis Cold Blade controlled most of the main roads in the Northern Territory and was a truly powerful noble.

In the Western Alliance, the power of Marquis Cold Blade was equivalent to the kings of some small countries.

Durant was aware of his own strength; he couldn't shake a Marquis yet.

Moreover, Ivan hadn't caused any damage, and Durant didn't want to alert the enemy by hanging him directly.

Gang Le scratched his head and quietly withdrew.

Durant furrowed his brows, lost in meditation, not knowing what to do for a while.

But soon Durant let it go.

If Marquis Cold Blade wanted information,

then just give them information.

Durant waved and called Ivan to his front: "You have two choices, first, I reveal your identity, send you back to the Border City,

then you completely lose your value, whether your family lives or dies is left to fate."

"I'll choose the second, I'll choose the second!"

Before Durant could finish, Ivan hurriedly responded loudly.

"It seems you're quite smart."

Durant explained,

"The second is, I'll let you stay here as a slave with peace of mind, and you can still pass messages to your contacts.

But everything you report must be exactly what I tell you.

You won't see or know anything else.

We'll coexist peacefully like this."

"Sure, sure, no problem, no problem, Lord Baron. I'll do whatever you say."

Ivan breathed a sigh of relief.

Ivan wasn't foolish; this allowed him to send reports and appease those giving him orders.

This way, he could survive, and his family would be safe too.

"Then, report any information they give you to me immediately."

Durant ordered.

Ivan nodded,

"No problem."

"Very good."

Durant signaled and ordered Gang Le: "Take him away now, don't make it noticeable. Lawrence will arrange new work for them."

Spies like Ivan would obviously be given some trivial work like farming, and they would be monitored.

"Yes, sir."

Gang Le stepped forward and lifted Ivan and his wife like chicks, one in each hand, and took them away.

Durant stayed in the manor hall himself, starting to ponder while gazing at the fireplace.

If it really was Marquis Cold Blade, why would he target himself?

To Durant, no matter how much he developed, he posed no threat to Marquis Cold Blade.

Moreover, Black Pine Ridge was in the Northern Wilderness, a territory nobles weren't interested in, so why would Marquis Cold Blade bother to invest effort?

Durant posed the question to Lawrence, who too furrowed his brow in thought.

Could it be the new paper that's attracted attention?

But the information wasn't spread that fast, was it?

He had already been cautious enough.

Durant pondered,

but if that were the case, wouldn't he negotiate a collaboration with me directly, or blackmail me to hand over the formula, instead of simply sending two slaves to gather intel?

If discovered, it would only put him at a disadvantage.

"Maybe he just wants to have control over the situations around him?"

Durant considered thoughtfully.

This seemed the most plausible explanation.

As a lord, he would naturally need to keep an eye on surrounding situations, using spies to understand everything happening around him.

But, to be fair, if this were the case, it must mean Durant wanted to do something that might affect himself.

If he was just a lazy Marquis lord, doing nothing, then he wouldn't care about a small Baron like Durant.

Durant suddenly had a bad premonition.

It seemed this Marquis wanted to extend his reach into the Northern Wilderness.

Durant felt a bit unlucky, how come trouble started as soon as he became a lord?

An alien race looms to the north, and now the Marquis in the south is plotting something.

Durant couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Perhaps Marquis Cold Blade's curiosity wasn't recent.

After all, the Northern Province had no Duke, only Marquis Cold Blade himself.

Marquis Cold Blade might very well want to become a Duke.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Durant's mind.

Could it be that His Majesty was dividing and distributing the entire Northern Wilderness to prevent Marquis Cold Blade from growing too powerful?

If so, His Majesty sure had a complex plan in mind.

What about His Majesty's brother?

Durant felt puzzled again.

Was he really killed by the alien race?

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