Chapter 176 Sorry, It’s A Trade Secret Four days after Zion freed Anwir from his prison cell… A Tigerkin who seemed to be in his early forties entered the City of Karabor and introduced himself at the gate as a merchant. He was not alone and was accompanied by two other people, who were both working for him. The Guards usually prevented strangers from coming inside the city due to what happened to the General's son, but the merchant showed them a recommendation letter issued by one of the Council Members of the Sumatran Kingdom. The letter meant that the Tigerkin named Amery was a very "trustworthy person" who had gained the acknowledgment of a high ranking noble. As such, he and his subordinates were allowed entry, on the condition that he would conduct his business properly, as was expected of a merchant. "Thank you, kind Sirs," Amery thanked with a smile after he was granted access to enter the city. "I know that this is but a simple gift, but I do hope that you will accept it." The Merchant then gave the two guards manning the gate a bottle of liquor each, which made them both smile. "Go, and make sure to not cause trouble," one of the Guards stated after accepting Amery's gift. "If you have not secured your accommodation, I recommend going to the Blue Ball Inn. It's one of the best inns in Karabor City." "Thank you for the recommendation." Amery bowed. "We'll go there and see if they have any rooms available." "Good. Enjoy your stay." "I'm sure we will." After successfully entering the city, Amery and his two assistants headed towards one of the inns in the city that was closest to the General's Residence. "How many rooms?" the Innkeeper asked after the three people entered his establishment. "Just one," Amery replied. "Give me your biggest and best room." The Innkeeper nodded before calling out one of the Inn's Helpers to his side. "Zion, we have customers!" the Innkeeper shouted. "Get your lazy bum out here right now!" Half a minute later, a seven-year-old boy appeared with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm here, Boss," Zion replied. "What's up?" "Don't 'what's up' me," the Innkeeper snorted before handing the boy a key. "Escort these people to their accommodation, now." Seeing the number on the key, the boy nodded and bowed his head respectfully to their guests. "Please follow me, Sir," Zion said politely. "I will take the three of you to your room." "Good." Amery nodded and followed the young boy headed to the stairs. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped in front of the door with the number 13 on it. "Here is your room, Sirs." Zion bowed. "Room number 13. Please don't hesitate to call me or my Boss if you need anything else. Here is your key. Please keep it safe because you will have to pay a fine if you lose it." "Understood. Can I order some food?" Amery asked. "I want enough for three people. Also, this is for you." The Merchant gave the boy a silver coin, making the boy's eyes widen. "Right away, Sir!" Zion replied as he happily accepted the coin. "Please, enjoy your stay!" The boy hurriedly pocketed the silver coin as if he were afraid that his boss might confiscate it if it was discovered. Seeing the boy's antics, Amery couldn't help but smile because he had a soft spot for children. But the smile on his face disappeared as soon as he and his two assistants entered the room and locked the door behind them. "First, we will do some reconnaissance," Amery stated. "We will observe the layout of the General's residence from a distance and look for all possible escape routes. This is not the first time we are going after a high-profile target, so I don't want any mishaps. Do I make myself clear?" The two assistants beside him nodded their heads in understanding. Amery's Rank was a Champion, and the two men beside him were at the peak of the Grandmaster Rank, making them Pseudo-Champions. —————————————- A/N: To avoid confusion, I will use the Human Rankings for Beastkins, as well as other Demihumans like Elves, Drows, Dwarves, etc. from this point onwards. Only Monsters like Trolls, Ogres, and Orcs, will continue to have the Monster Ranking from Rank 1-9. Percival's Rank will be changed from Rank 1 to the Rookie Rank. Human Rankings: Rookie, Adept, Apostle, Elite, Initiate, Master, Grandmaster, Champion, Throne, Monarch. —————————————— "Here is the map of the residence," Amery said as he took out a scroll from his storage ring and placed it on the table in front of them. "Our targets are the General's wife and daughter. "Our mission is to capture one of them. However, if capturing both is possible, then we will do that. I'm sure our rewards will be doubled, or even tripled, if we succeed in our mission." The two Assassins nodded in understanding. According to their investigation, the General's Wife was at the Grandmaster Level, while their daughter was only at the Adept Rank. The wisest choice was to capture the daughter first since she would offer the least effective resistance against them. After finalizing the things they needed to prepare, they decided to rest a bit while waiting for their food to arrive. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long because a few minutes later, a knock was heard on their door. Amery personally opened it and saw Zion and the Innkeeper holding trays with the food they had ordered. The Merchant helped them bring the food to the table and thanked them for their services. "If the food is not enough, feel free to ask for a second helping downstairs," the Innkeeper smiled. "Please, enjoy your stay." "Enjoy your stay, Misters!" Zion bowed his head before following the Innkeeper to leave the room. One of the Assassins firmly locked the door before going to the table to eat. "Finally, real home-cooked food," the Assassin said after looking at the food on the table. "I've grown tired of eating only dried meat during our journey." Amery nodded his head in agreement. None of them knew how to cook, and the most they could do was grill and roast things that they had caught on their journey. Since they were in a hurry, they couldn't spare time to catch anything along the way and had to make do with their rations of dried meat. "Test the food first to make sure it's not spiked," Amery ordered. "You think too much, Amery," one of the Assassins replied but still did as he was ordered. After doing a few tests to make sure that the food didn't contain poison, the three finally ate together. The food was cooked well, and Amery even found himself enjoying his meal to the point that after eating, he found himself feeling drowsy. However, the moment he thought of this, he immediately felt alarmed because this was a sure sign that their food had been tampered with. 'B-But how?!' Amery thought as he did his best to stay conscious for as long as possible. A moment later, the sound of the door being unlocked reached his ears, forcing him to look in the direction of the door. There, he saw a seven-year-old boy, who had a devilish smile on his face, walk into their room as if he owned the place. "My dear customers, was the food to your liking?" Zion asked as he walked steadily towards their guests. Behind him, Dixon, Armand, Thane, and Alina entered the room together and looked at them with calm expressions on their faces. "H-How?!" Amery forced himself to ask the question that was on his mind. They made sure to check if their food was poisoned or not, yet even after doing some tests, they didn't find anything suspicious about it. "How?" Zion smirked before placing a finger in front of his lips. "Sorry, it's a trade secret." Amery, who could no longer keep himself awake, collapsed on the floor, feeling aggrieved by what just happened. They had just arrived in the city and hadn't even started their mission. And yet, they had already been captured after securing a base of operation. Dixon and his team immediately stripped the three unconscious Tigerkins naked, making sure that all of their tools were confiscated, as well as any possible methods they could use to escape. Thirteen even asked Dixon to forcefully open their mouths and check their teeth to see if they were hiding any chemicals that they could use to commit suicide. Seeing that all of them were clean, he ordered for the three to be taken to the Prison inside the General's Residence, where they would be interrogated by the General and Rafiki, who had already been informed that the assassins had been apprehended successfully.