Sitana, who had been stealthily trailing the man and woman, experienced a brief moment of surprise but managed to maintain her composure without succumbing to undue panic.
Their objectives aligned, in theory, there should be no conflict—however, trust cannot be placed in them.
In the pursuit of hunting, one must not only focus on the prey but also remain vigilant against other hunters.
Thus, she merely concealed herself in the shadows, lurking behind a large sculpture by the wall, refraining from making a sound.
"Although I'm not aware of which faction you belong to, even with the temporary disruption of the manor's injunctions, the guards outside are not to be played with."
The man from the duo continued, "Since you dare to target the Scarletfrost family, you must at least have issues with him, right? We are in the same boat, so... even if we can't form an alliance, how about we at least coexist peacefully for now?"
Wildfowl deliberately placed the decision-making power in Sitana's hands.
If that Earl Hardstone's subordinate intended to frame them for her plundering of Earl Scarletfrost's assets, she had to find an opportunity to implicate them. Even if she did not resort to underhanded tactics, she had to ensure that traces are left behind.
Otherwise, it would simply become a race to see who can flee faster, rendering the deliberate design of Earl Hardstone meaningless.
Therefore, the other party would undoubtedly make every effort to get close to them. If he provided such an opportunity and the other party chose to accept it, it would indicate that—
"……Sure."
From the darkness, a intentionally hushed young girl's voice emerged: "I'm not here to cause trouble for you; I have no interest in that."
"That's for the best," Wildfowl smiled, "so let's each rely on our own ability, and then—"
"Wait."
As Wildfowl had anticipated, the other party was unwilling to let go of this opportunity.
In such an environment where the goals were aligned but mutual recognition is absent, trust was not easily given by anyone. Therefore, it was exceedingly difficult for the young girl sent by Earl Hardstone to approach them, so how could she miss such a golden opportunity?
Wildfowl communicated with his teammates through the telepathic link, disdainfully stating, "The noble lords still look down on us lowly folk as usual. They think those who raise the rebel flag are all illiterate fools... unable to see through such a scheme?"
"Earl Hardstone is either too confident, or too cautious."
Snow Eagle on external surveillance conducted another round of inspection, confirming that Sitana had indeed left no trace: "He doesn't want Greytower to discover the tracks of his subordinates, yet he didn't consider... within the city of Scarletfrost, is there another third-party capable of handling the aftermath so cleanly? Cleverness is often its own undoing; how laughable."
"Indeed, if there were some flaws, we might still hold reservations about her identity, but as it stands... there is no doubt left."
Wildfowl said this through the telepathic link, yet verbally asked, "What's wrong, friend?"
"You people..." Sitana hesitated for a moment, then pressed on, "Are you very familiar with this place?"
Wildfowl was initially taken aback, then realized the other party was about to start making excuses for their association. He responded succinctly, "It's a necessary preparation."
"Oh, so that means... you know where the treasure vault is located here?"
"......"
The question left the trio from the Rebels in a moment of silence.
"What kind of excuse is this?" Bee Sting's eyelids twitched, "Doesn't know the way?"
"......That actually fits with what you'd expect from an unknown third-party. They're usually unprepared, maybe even acting on a whim, she sure does play her part well."
Wildfowl responded, externally displaying appropriate caution: "Friend, it sounds like you're suggesting... you want to join us? That might not be quite appropriate, don't you think?"
Sitana also felt a bit speechless, aware that her words sounded absurd, but she had no other options—according to those two, she had at most fifteen minutes before she'd have to make a run for it.
Fifteen minutes to locate a hidden vault in such a vast manor? Sitana had little confidence in that.
"I... can help you deal with troubles along the way, like... like traps and stuff?"
"No need," the female member of the duo suddenly spoke up, "We're prepared. Let's keep our distance, time is short, goodbye."
Wildfowl and his team knew they couldn't agree too easily, as it would raise the other party's suspicions. Naturally, the young girl who was unwilling to miss this opportunity would try every means to offer a bait... whatever it might be, as long as they feigned hesitation and then agreed, it would work.
Sitana, as clueless as usual, didn't think that far ahead. Seeing the others about to leave, she immediately got anxious:
"Don't leave yet, you... what do you mean you're not on good terms with the Scarletfrost family? Are you people sent by another noble house?"
Before Wildfowl could speak, Bee Sting's tone immediately shifted, her voice sharp and cold as she snapped, "Don't lump us together with those animals!"
"......Animals? You hate the nobles too?"
Sitana paused for two seconds, then a spark of insight suddenly flashed through her mind:
"Wait, I can make a deal with you!"
Miss Young Wolf's eyes lit up: "I've got a major piece of information for you! Something that'll really hit Earl Hardstone and Hydra hard!"
Since the other party also detested the nobles, they would definitely be interested in this piece of information.
Not only could she use this to gain entry into the treasure vault of the Scarletfrost Manor, but she might also be able to ask for more. On top of that... Hydra's hypocritical façade wouldn't even need her to actively spread it; these capable-looking folks who already hate the nobles would surely do it themselves!
She wouldn't even have to worry about getting caught, and could enjoy both the salary from Hydra and the satisfaction of seeing him eating dirt, unable to find someone to retaliate against!
I, Sitana, am truly a genius among geniuses!
And the reaction of the Rebel trio...
Well ok, she's using what matters most to us as leverage—how could she not be one of Earl Hardstone's underlings?
For the "Rebels," this was indeed an offer they couldn't refuse.
"Actions speak louder than words, friend," Wildfowl made a final attempt to resist, "Just this alone, I can't place my trust in you."
"Earl Hardstone is calling a meeting of the nobles tomorrow, regarding the policies prepared by Hydra... I can't say more, but I can get their conversation and hand it over to you, how about it?"
Sitana's negotiation skills were from, eh, her... bargaining techniques, taught to her by Malena, not particularly sophisticated, but they got the job done.
At this point, Wildfowl knew they had resisted enough, so he said, "If that's the case, it's no problem to guide you, but that's all. I hope you can keep your distance from us, agreed?"
"No problem! And I won't take much, and I definitely won't compete with you for anything."
Sitana agreed without hesitation, even making such a promise to reassure the others.
Thus, both parties, each believing themselves to be clever, began their plundering of the Scarletfrost Manor under the watchful eyes of Hydra, who never claimed to be clever.
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