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After a moment of contemplation, Lord Joseph concurred with Lady Eliza, "You make an excellent point, Lady Eliza. I\'m now quite intrigued by this mysterious spell. If we delve into its intricacies, it could indeed revolutionize magical theory and spellcraft, vastly enhancing our kingdom\'s overall strength. Perhaps one day, we might even see our kingdom ascend to an empire."

Lady Eliza nodded eagerly, "Exactly! This mysterious spell holds immeasurable potential for our kingdom\'s future. The possibilities are boundless if we unravel its secrets."

"I share your sentiment, Lady Eliza. We cannot allow this opportunity to slip through our fingers. Acquiring this enigmatic spell for our research is paramount, and we cannot afford to let others seize it ahead of us."

"Absolutely, we must prevent others from obtaining it. Its destructive potential, coupled with the absence of residual mana, poses a grave threat to our kingdom as long as it remains in unknown hands."

As Lady Eliza and Lord Joseph discussed, Lord Ivan and Lady Diana\'s expressions turned serious. They were acutely aware that a spell of this caliber, wielded by a high-ranking mage, could easily obliterate their entire kingdom.

Lady Diana fixed Lord Ivan with a determined look and asserted, "This is an exceedingly serious matter. We must locate the caster of this spell promptly. It\'s far too perilous to leave such a destructive power in the hands of unknown individuals."

"Indeed, given the recent rumors surrounding this village, I\'m inclined to share your assessment, Lord Ivan."

"Which is precisely why His Majesty the King has entrusted us with the mission to recruit them into our ranks before the noble houses have a chance," Lord Ivan added, nodding solemnly.

A few minutes later, Lord Ivan addressed the group, "Let\'s enter the village, shall we? This is not a suitable place for us to discuss further, and our spies have already booked rooms for us at one of the best inns available in this village; we should talk about it there."

Lady Eliza was taken aback. It appeared she had underestimated Lord Ivan\'s resourcefulness, once again.

  "Oh, My Lord Ivan. It seems that I\'ve underestimated you once again. You\'re very clever, you\'ve arranged everything beforehand. I\'m impressed!" she remarked playfully, drawing a glance of slight jealousy from Lord Joseph towards Lord Ivan for gaining Lady Eliza\'s attention.

Lord Joseph, however, managed to control his emotions and spoke in a neutral tone, "Well, I agree as well. This is not a place for us to discuss sensitive matters." 

Despite his fiery temperament, he wasn\'t foolish enough to jeopardize a crucial mission assigned personally by the king, all over a lady\'s favor.

Before entering the village, Lord Ivan turned to the coachman and instructed, "We will be going on foot from here. Take the carriage inside the gate and park it somewhere safe, and don\'t forget to tend to the horses."

"I understand, my lord," the coachman replied with a slight bow.

Turning back to his three companions, Lord Ivan said, "Well, that\'s settled. Let\'s move inside." Lord Joseph, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana nodded, following Lord Ivan towards the entrance.

This time, the two guards didn\'t halt them, instead opening the massive wooden gate. One of the guards greeted them with a smile. "Welcome to Pinebrook village, and have a nice time in our village."

Lord Ivan and his companions exchanged puzzled glances, as this warm welcome was unexpected. Even in the capital, such courtesy was rare, usually reserved for those of great power and influence.

As they entered the village, Lord Ivan turned towards the guards, prompting a frown from his companions. Lord Joseph, perplexed, asked, "What happened, Lord Ivan?"

"Just a moment, I have something to ask them."

"Alright... but don\'t take too long," Lord Joseph replied with a shake of his head.

Turning to the guards, Lord Ivan inquired, "By the way, I forgot to ask earlier, but could you tell me where I can find the hero of this village?"

The guards exchanged uncertain glances. One of them finally spoke up, "We don\'t know, sir. We\'re occupied with guarding the entrance. Others in the village might have more information. You could ask around."

"I see..." Lord Ivan nodded, producing two gold coins from his magic pouch. He displayed them to the guards, asking once more, "Are you sure you don\'t know?"

Regrettably, even in the face of gold coins, the guards remained tight-lipped about the hero\'s whereabouts.

"Sigh! It\'s a pity you don\'t know..." Lord Ivan muttered in disappointment, then returned to his companions.

\'Even after showing them the gold coins, they remain loyal to their owner,\' Lord Ivan thought to himself, rejoining Lord Joseph and the others.

"So, Lord Ivan. What did you learn from the guard?" Lord Joseph inquired as soon as Lord Ivan rejoined them.

Lord Ivan shook his head, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Unfortunately, I couldn\'t glean any information from the guards about our target. It seems they\'re resolute in keeping the hero\'s location a secret, revealing only what he\'s done for the village."

Lady Diana interjected, suggesting, "Lord Ivan, perhaps a bit of generosity might loosen their tongues. You know what I mean..."

Lord Ivan understood her insinuation but shook his head. "Sigh! I\'ve attempted that approach, and the result remains the same. They\'re not swayed by gold coins."

Lady Diana, Lady Eliza, and Lord Joseph exchanged incredulous glances. They found it hard to believe that someone would resist the lure of gold coins.

"Sigh! It appears we have no choice but to rely on your spies, Lord Ivan," Lady Diana sighed.

"I\'m afraid so..." Lord Ivan nodded.

Lord Joseph then suggested, "Lord Ivan, please lead us to the inn. We can discuss the rest once we arrive there."

"Very well..." Lord Ivan nodded and guided the group down the sidewalk, passing by the under-construction road and some damaged houses.

As they strolled through the streets of Pinebrook village, they were astounded to find that the village streets were as well-kept as those of some of the kingdom\'s most prominent cities, if not cleaner.

"This village is truly evolving at an astonishing pace. If this continues, it might even surpass some of the most renowned cities in the kingdom in a few years," Lady Diana remarked, her voice tinged with wonder as she took in the sight.

Lord Ivan nodded in agreement. "Indeed, that\'s a distinct possibility. However, there\'s little we can do about it. Undoubtedly, there will be nobles who grow envious of the village\'s constant progress. It\'s even possible they might seek to undermine it out of spite," he mused, considering the potential reactions of the kingdom\'s prideful and avaricious nobles.

As they continued their way through the streets, they couldn\'t help but notice a massive wall being constructed at the far end of the village. It towered high and seemed impenetrable without using the village gate.

The sheer size and thickness of the wall left them in awe. Its construction was still underway, but even from a distance, they could discern its considerable girth, thanks to its impressive height.

"They\'re constructing such an enormous wall to safeguard the village, and it appears they\'re building it far beyond the village\'s current borders. The village head must be planning something of immense scale... Something that could send ripples throughout the entire kingdom in the future," Lady Diana mumbled, her voice filled with astonishment at the sight of the colossal protective barrier.

This revelation startled not only Lady Diana but also Lord Ivan, Lord Joseph, and Lady Eliza. One question resonated in their minds: What could the village head possibly be planning?

Lord Ivan\'s expression mirrored his surprise. \'This is wholly unexpected. Building such a massive wall would require a substantial amount of gold coins. Where are they acquiring such resources?\' he pondered internally.

A few seconds later, Lady Eliza voiced her thoughts in a hushed tone, "It seems there\'s something enigmatic transpiring in this village. Could it be that our targets are somehow linked to this?"

"I can\'t say for certain, but there\'s a definite possibility that our targets have ties to the village\'s swift progress. That\'s precisely why we must exert every effort to bring them into our fold before someone else does," Lord Ivan declared with a solemn tone, impressing upon the others the gravity of their mission.

"Definitely! That\'s our main priority, and we can\'t disappoint his majesty the king. He is expecting us to succeed no matter what!" Lord Joseph quickly nodded.

They continued moving, with Lord Ivan leading the way towards the inn. After a few minutes of walking, they spotted a massive Roman-style building in the distance. A huge sign read "Silvermoon Inn" in bold letters.

Two figures stood at the side of the building, their eyes fixed on Lord Ivan\'s group. They approached swiftly.

"My Lord, you\'ve arrived. Welcome to Pinebrook village."

Both individuals came before Lord Ivan, bowing slightly, like servants to their lord. Lord Joseph and the two ladies accompanying them understood that these were the spies Lord Ivan had mentioned.

"Rayn and Tyler, is everything prepared?" Lord Ivan inquired as soon as the two arrived before him.

"Indeed, My Lord," Tyler quickly nodded, comprehending his Lord\'s intention. He promptly handed four keys to Lord Ivan, stating, "We\'ve already booked the most luxurious rooms for you, My Lord. Here are the keys for the rooms."

"You did well," Lord Ivan accepted the keys, then turned to Lord Joseph and the two ladies, saying, "Let\'s go inside and relax for a moment before we discuss the important matters, shall we?"

"Naturally. I\'m feeling quite uncomfortable after walking such a distance..." Lady Eliza nodded, feigning tiredness with a seductive gesture.

With that, they entered the inn, and Rayn and Tyler followed them, as they too would be staying at this inn.

—

Meanwhile, at the Monroe family residence, Yuan and his wives, along with the entire Monroe family, were having a late lunch in the dining hall. They were all busy, which had delayed their meal.

During lunch, Madam Layla suddenly fixed her gaze on Yuan and spoke with a serious tone, "Yuan, I\'ve heard rumors about someone \'important\' from the kingdom coming to our village. We don\'t know if this \'important\' person has good or bad intentions towards us. However, I believe they\'re coming here for only one reason, and that\'s you and your wives."

Yuan and his wives stopped eating, frowning at Madam Layla. They wondered who this unknown person from the kingdom could be, seeking them out.

Seeing their reactions, Madam Layla continued, "Our soldiers recently spotted two unknown individuals asking about you and your wives, even offering money in exchange for information. Our soldiers investigated and found out they were staying at the \'Silver Moon Inn\', one of the best inns in our village—"

Before she could finish, the dining hall\'s door burst open, and a soldier rushed inside.

"Madam Layla, something big is happening in our village! Four people have arrived in a very luxurious carriage, accompanied by a few soldiers!"