Chapter 462: Chapter 244: Blood Exchange! (Two in One)_2 Alina naturally soon noticed the reactions of the people on the watchtower of Storm City. Her heart grew even more uneasy. The reaction of the Storm City Soldiers didn’t seem like a welcome. She felt that if they got any closer, these guards would release their arrows. However, Alina quickly noticed an unusual change in Storm City. The City Guards, who had initially appeared tense and ready for battle, suddenly put away their crossbows and looked at them calmly. The city gates, usually closed at night due to the curfew, now clicked open. A burly figure appeared at the city gate. It was Taskum, who had helped Chen Mo collect one thousand eternal gold coins in taxes that very day under a clever pretext. Chen Mo had initially planned to come personally, but after considering Kahn’s persona, he decided to send someone to meet them instead. As they approached Storm City, the Rebel Army members in their party became extremely nervous. They anxiously asked Alina, "Lady Alina, are we really going to walk over there so brazenly? Once we enter their firing range, we won’t even have a chance to escape if we want to." "Don’t worry, Chen Mo has arranged everything. We can proceed with peace of mind." "What Divine Skills did Lord Chen Mo use to be able to arrange everything in Storm City?" "I heard that the Lord of Storm City is a ruthless and tyrannical man known as the Devil Marshal!" "I heard that too. He once single-handedly annihilated an enemy army of 100,000. No one knows what methods he used, but his fearsome reputation as the Devil Marshal resounded throughout the entire empire." "Lord Chen Mo actually found a way to handle someone like that?" Everyone was incredibly curious. However, seeing that the guards on the city wall no longer showed hostility towards them, they couldn’t help but begin to believe in Chen Mo’s abilities. Soon, everyone had reached the city gate. "You must be Lady Alina." Upon seeing Alina at the front of the group, Taskum immediately approached respectfully and asked. Although Alina was somewhat confused by the situation, she still nodded. "You’ve had a long journey. Your men can enter the city first to eat and rest. As for you, Lady Alina, the City Lord has specifically invited you." "The City Lord?" Alina looked suspiciously at Taskum. She had clearly heard her subordinates’ discussions just moments ago. Moreover, The Heavenly Path’s Hint had previously provided intelligence that the Lord of Storm City was that Devil Marshal Kahn; she was very clear on this. She hadn’t even seen Chen Mo yet after entering the city, and now she was suddenly invited by this Devil Marshal. Alina had a bad feeling about this. But they were already completely within someone else’s territory. Refusing was clearly not an option; otherwise, things would turn ugly right at the city gate. She immediately smiled and nodded. "Then please lead the way," she said. After speaking, she turned to reassure the Rebel Army members under her command, saying, "Everyone, rest easy tonight. I will come back later to inform you of the subsequent arrangements." Hearing Alina say this, the men, who were still uneasy, could only suppress their doubts and nod. Being treated as honored guests while openly entering a heavily fortified enemy town was so bizarre that it made them restless and unable to eat or sleep peacefully. After entrusting her men to Taskum, Alina followed him into the City Lord’s Mansion. In the City Lord’s Mansion, Chen Mo was seated in the main seat of the conference hall, savoring a specially brewed black tea while awaiting Alina’s arrival. "My Lord, Lady Alina has arrived." Taskum respectfully reported to Chen Mo before stepping aside to let Alina enter the conference hall. "Very good. You may leave now. I have matters to discuss with Alina alone." "Yes, this subordinate shall take his leave!" As Taskum withdrew, Alina, her face full of doubt, looked Chen Mo up and down. It wasn’t until she used a probing skill on Chen Mo that she finally realized the Devil Marshal Kahn before her was not the real person. Normally, Professionals are able to investigate characters within a dungeon. Even if they cannot investigate related information, the Heavenly Dao will provide corresponding hints. But now, when she investigated this Devil Marshal Kahn before her, not only did she receive no hints, but the result of her investigation was a chaotic void. This was the same feedback she had received when she first met Chen Mo and secretly investigated him! In that instant, somewhat shocked, she looked at Chen Mo and asked, "How did you do it?" Chen Mo had originally intended to act a little longer, but he hadn’t expected to be seen through so quickly. He immediately smiled and said, "This all started with that hidden mission in Green Forest Village..." After some explanation, Alina finally understood. She hadn’t expected that the Lord of Storm City had actually been eliminated by Chen Mo during a previous hidden mission. "So, have we completed the mission now? Why hasn’t The Heavenly Path’s Hint appeared yet?" Alina asked curiously. According to Chen Mo’s estimate, her leading the people into the city should have already counted. Chen Mo stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "It’s probably because the people in key positions within the city aren’t ours, especially in city defense. Right now, it’s still entirely Imperial Army personnel; our people haven’t occupied a single post yet. Tomorrow, I’ll replace the city defense personnel. Only when the entire city defense system falls into the hands of our own people should it count as us having completely taken this city." "That makes sense. But if you replace such a large number of personnel all at once, won’t it arouse suspicion?" "Don’t worry. I already tested it out today. This Kahn truly lives up to his title of Devil Marshal. Within Storm City, he’s an absolute dictator whose word is law. Such an autocratic situation isn’t good for long-term governance, but it’s advantageous for us. As long as no one can expose my current identity, it carries absolute authority. I can issue any command in Storm City, and no one will dare to say anything." "There’s such a convenient thing?" "To tell you the truth, I even used this identity today to extort a sum of money in the city, and not a single person dared to utter a complaint. Money is life to ordinary people, which clearly illustrates the point," Chen Mo said with a laugh. "Then it seems we’ll be able to complete another hidden achievement or something this time. After all, conquering such a difficult-to-breach town with such an ingenious method as yours is truly rare," Alina said with a smile. "I’ve had someone arrange a room for you. Go and rest first. I’ll look into the matter of replacing positions tomorrow." Alina walked over to Chen Mo’s side and said, "This is a mission for two people. How can I let you do all the hard work alone? I’ll help you look at them." Seeing this, Chen Mo didn’t say much more. The two of them immediately spent the night examining the situation of various key posts within the city, marking each one so that arrangements could be quickly made the next day. Time always flies when one is busy. Not long after the two had finished organizing all the positions, the morning light of the next day was already streaming into the conference hall. After his subordinates brought in food and they had finished breakfast, Chen Mo summoned Taskum again. "The soldiers Alina brought back yesterday are all my trusted confidants. Upon their return this time, they will naturally need to be assigned suitable positions. I have prepared a list of position replacements here. Take this list and notify them accordingly." "Yes!" Taskum respectfully took the list from Chen Mo’s hand and then withdrew from the conference hall. Originally, he had thought Chen Mo would at most give those people a few dispensable sinecures for their retirement. However, when he looked through the positions to be replaced, Taskum was dumbfounded. All the positions on this list slated for replacement were important posts within the city. This was a complete overhaul of the city’s defense and key management personnel! Could it be that there was a traitor within Storm City? Is that why the City Lord is undertaking such a large-scale overhaul with such great effort? Although he was deeply puzzled, Taskum dared not neglect the Devil Marshal’s orders in the slightest. He immediately gathered the necessary personnel and began to implement them in earnest!