Morning in Igwynt, Upper City.
The street was quiet, with sparse pedestrians passing by. At the entrance of a small alley, a carriage stood parked by the roadside. Inside the carriage, Dorothy sat quietly, while opposite her sat Brandon, his expression vacant and wooden.
“Whew... Things seem to be progressing quite smoothly. I wonder how Gregor’s side is doing? But with such detailed intel provided, there shouldn’t be any problems, right?”
Letting out a long breath, Dorothy murmured to herself. Judging by the current situation, her plan had encountered minor issues but was still progressing, albeit roughly. Up to this point, it was about halfway to success.
After divining the ambush site of the Crimson Eucharist—Flooded Dockyard—using her pendulum, Dorothy had wasted no time in scouting it out. There, as expected, she encountered the Crimson Eucharist’s leader and members during their preparations.
Planning an ambush without first scouting the site, deploying setups, and confirming positions would have been impossible. This gave Dorothy the opportunity to track the Eucharist’s movements once more, and this time, she caught quite a haul.
Yesterday afternoon at the Flooded Dockyard, Dorothy observed their preparations and deployments from a hidden vantage point, carefully noting every detail. After hours of surveillance, she memorized their ambush points and hidden sentries. Using her exceptional memory as a Cognizer, she mentally recorded a bird’s-eye view of the entire Flooded Dockyard and the Eucharist’s defensive layout. Later, she returned home to draft a detailed map, which she then sent, along with a bouquet, to the Serenity Bureau via a florist.
Dorothy knew the Eucharist’s bouquet delivery schedule and intentionally arranged for her flowers to arrive 30 minutes earlier. This ensured the Bureau received her map first, allowing the hunter squad to act before the Eucharist’s bouquet arrived. Meanwhile, Brandon, the mole within the Bureau, would also begin his actions early, as per Dorothy’s plan.
Dorothy had considered what might happen if Brandon used the so-called “Dream Anchor” to warn Buck upon noticing the discrepancy in timing. But even if he did, it wouldn’t matter much. The forewarned hunter squad would avoid the ambush, and at worst, Buck might order a cautious retreat, leaving the hunters empty-handed. Meanwhile, Brandon would still seize the opportunity to steal and flee while the director and hunter squad were absent. Dorothy, having prepared for this scenario, could intercept him regardless. While the hunters might not achieve their goal, they wouldn’t suffer devastating losses from the ambush. Thus, Dorothy’s objectives would still be met, albeit partially.
Moreover, based on her previous eavesdropping, Dorothy had overheard Buck instruct Brandon to only notify him if the hunters didn’t move or delayed their actions. This led Dorothy to conclude that Brandon was unlikely to raise an alarm over a small scheduling error, which could easily be attributed to the florist’s mistake. The half-hour discrepancy wasn’t significant enough to warrant wasting the sigil’s power, and even if he did notify Buck, it wouldn’t change much.“Finally got my hands on the goods. But unfortunately... there were some unexpected complications, and a lot is missing,” Dorothy muttered as she shook the bloodstained briefcase in front of her. The contents were far less than she had anticipated.
“Who would’ve thought that old lady could be so fierce—pulling a gun and firing without hesitation? The Bureau sure is full of hidden talents…”
Dorothy sighed. She hadn’t expected the seemingly ordinary old receptionist to suddenly display such prowess, single-handedly salvaging a significant portion of the Bureau’s losses with six shots. However, this also meant that Dorothy’s gains were significantly reduced.
“Still, thankfully... today’s harvest won’t end with just this…” Dorothy murmured as she glanced at Brandon sitting before her.
“Well then, I’ll be counting on you next, Mr. Brandon.”
“Of course, miss,” replied the marionette Brandon.
He turned, picked up another briefcase, opened the carriage door, and stepped out into the alley.
Carrying the briefcase, Brandon hurried through the alley, his expression anxious and his breathing labored. He glanced behind him from time to time, as if fearing someone might catch up.
“Huff… Huff… Huff…”
Panting heavily, Brandon ran forward with the briefcase, weaving through the city’s alleys until he emerged onto a quiet, deserted street.
By the roadside, a carriage stood still. Beside it stood a coachman.
“You’re here? How did it go? Do you have it?”
Seeing the breathless Brandon, the coachman quickly asked. Brandon paused to catch his breath before responding.
“Huff… Huff… It’s all here. Let’s get moving—they could catch up at any moment. Oh, and... do you have bandages? I’m injured…”
“There are bandages and medicine in the carriage. Get in quickly; we’re leaving now,” the coachman replied, then climbed onto the driver’s seat. Brandon said no more, opened the carriage door, and climbed inside, where he began treating his wounds with the prepared medical supplies.
Once Brandon boarded, the coachman urged the horses forward, and the carriage rolled down the deserted street.
Shortly after Brandon’s carriage left, another carriage came into view from the opposite end of the street. Driving this carriage was the marionette Edrick, while Dorothy sat calmly inside.
Dorothy was simultaneously tracking the marionette Brandon’s location and controlling her carriage to follow from a safe distance.
The carriage Brandon had boarded was designated to pick him up as part of the plan devised by him and Buck. After shaking off any pursuers, Brandon was to take this carriage to Buck’s hideout and await the triumphant return of Buck and his men.
Now, Dorothy intended to use this carriage to lead her to Buck’s hideout. While she had roughly identified the location during her reconnaissance at the Dockyard, using the carriage as cover would allow her to infiltrate the hideout more effectively.
Dorothy believed that Buck and his key subordinates were still engaged in battle with the hunter squad at the Flooded Dockyard. Given the hunters’ detailed intelligence, it was likely that the Crimson Eucharist at the Dockyard had already been wiped out. Buck’s hideout, devoid of any Beyonders, would be defenseless. This was the perfect opportunity for Dorothy to strike, loot the place, and recover some extra spoils to make up for the losses caused by that formidable old receptionist.
A hideout without Beyonder defending was well within Dorothy’s current capabilities. If Buck perished at the Dockyard and the Bureau identified him, they would eventually trace the hideout and confiscate everything, leaving Dorothy with nothing to gain.
Thus, timing was critical—she had to act now or risk missing her chance.
And so, Dorothy followed the carriage carrying Brandon as it weaved through the city, heading toward Buck’s hideout.