Cole Kingdom, Windsor Town.

When Duke Albert wanted to stay, Abidia could immediately and accurately find someone to find the best accommodation available in the area.

Even in "tough" conditions, the Duke's butler was able to arrange everything for his master—which is why the discerning Duke Albert still regarded Abydia as a close confidant.

Nothing else.

The mountain villas are simply decorated, with only thick cushions on wooden floors and traces of paintings hanging on the walls, apparently a temporary retreat.

Duke Albert sat down at the polished mahogany table and chair, and glanced with satisfaction at the wine bottles on the table, and the wine in the decanter that was bright enough to hang on the wall.

He nodded to the bowed maid beside him, signaling that she could withdraw, then picked up the silver wine glass on the table and took a sip.

"Not bad." Albert lifted his neck in comfort, "Garola, I didn't expect you to bring back such a good thing!" ”

When he had finished drinking, he poured some into the flask—a rather conspicuous flask, presumably one of the carry-on luggage taken from under the duke's carriage.

Neil, sitting on the other side of the table, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Albert compliment the wine, and when he saw the jug beside him, he couldn't help asking:

"That flask ......"

The shape of the flask is peculiar and asymmetrical, with a streamlined main body and a translucent frosted neck and a slightly arc-light exterior painted with strange patterns.

The texture of the body of the pot is probably a silver-gray metal, but the more sleek appearance is decorated with countless tiny silver pieces, as if I found a little treasure, and I was confused.

At first glance, the combination is of course a noble and gorgeous color. If you look closely, the trivial flaky objects are like animal scales, and the attachment is extremely dense, which makes it difficult to start.

The spout of the flask is flanked with two beautiful silver emblems, each carved with symmetrical raised white leaves.

All in all, such a cumbersome flask is more like an ornament of unknown meaning than a practical one.

"Do you recognize it?" Albert smiled, "I forgot that you are well-informed, and you should have seen such treasures. It's called the 'Teapot of the Forest', and it's produced in the northern hills of the Arcane Forest. ”

The Duke was in a better mood and dressed well, and when he sat in a comfortable and elegant environment, he looked like a serious gentleman.

With instinct, Neil mentally told the pretending duke that there were only plains to the north of the Arcane Forest, and hills and mountains to the west, and there was also an extensive Demon Dragon Valley in it.

But he, naturally, would not say it.

Speaking of which, the strange shape of the pot is like the body shape of some kind of silver creature, but in order to meet the requirements of practicality and intricate decoration, various strange constructions are added at the end.

- In the end, it became four dislikes.

However, Duke Albert always carries some strange things, and at the same time tells some hearsay allusions, which Neil has long been accustomed to, and does not intend to correct it on his own initiative.

Even if the Duke is able to play extraordinary, there is no mistake at all, and most of those allusions come from investors who realize that Duke Albert is stupid and has a lot of money, and his ability to make up stories may not be comparable to Mogan's.

Because there are no boundaries and no logic.

Neil knew clearly that in order for the Duke to realize his mistake, it was better to tie the rope around his neck first, so that the Duke could order himself to be hanged in anger.

And he naturally didn't come to find it unhappy this time, but also had his own purpose, and asked:

"About the Forgotten Valley that Mogan Grande proposed...... Your Royal Highness, after a while, do you have eyebrows on your side? ”

Albert chuckled, pleased by his tentative tone.

"My housekeeper brought me information. Did you know that there is a market called 'Pandora' in the port of Saint-Lun at the foot of this mountain? ”

Neil nodded, ignoring the fact that the Duke had confused the port of Saint-Lun with the Pandora Bazaar, even though they could only be counted as close neighbors, not at all internal and external relations.

Sometimes he wondered if he should kindly remind the Duke to take notes on everything. But I am afraid that this act will multiply Duke Albert's ability to solve problems and affect the plan.

However, with the arrogance of the duke, no one dares to interfere, even if he says it, I am afraid that there is no need to worry.

"All the magic materials go through there, and the chamber of commerce there is the best source of communication and intelligence - locally, of course."

Duke Albert also sold a pass halfway through, and took another sip of wine, as if he was intoxicated by the good wine that Neil had found someone to bring for him.

"My sources of intelligence are quite reliable. They said that there was indeed a merchant surnamed Grande who had been going back and forth lately, and had bought a lot of materials in total. ”

"Same as the businessman's statement?"

Albert affirmed this, but remembered something and suddenly felt a little displeased, and waved his hand.

"I also got the news that there is indeed a wealthy local businessman behind Reynolds. According to those people, Grande often stayed at Reynolds' stores for a while, even if the shops that Reynolds mainly ran were not in the business. ”

Mogan claims that his recent situation is to buy magic materials in order to experiment with the true magical properties of the Discoveries. But the shops that went to Reynolds naturally had a different purpose for entering and exiting empty-handed.

All clues point to the fact that the Grand merchant is preparing to seek cooperation with the Reynolds family, and even Duke Albert can see this.

But he couldn't pull his face.

"It's just a small rich man in a remote area, how much money can he have?" Speaking of this topic, Albert was also a little annoyed, "That Grande talks more than he does, and he doesn't have any eyesight at all." ”

Mainly because so far, apart from the interest shown in the Robbie shop, Grande has not made any unnecessary moves at all.

This was a radical departure from Albert's expectations, and his usual sought-after experience.

The duke, who maintained his high position, was naturally a little dissatisfied with the statement that the mere merchant asked him to leave a message for inquiry, and even scoffed at it.

And he can't sit still now.

Because a day has passed, and looking at the way this continues, the cooperation between Grande and the Reynolds family seems to be steadily advancing.

If other capital intervenes, even if the money is forced to be invested later, it means that the Duke will not be able to obtain the estate in Grande's narrative and have direct control over its use.

The Duke had always been the one who chose to work with, and never felt displeased to be "on two boats" - even now, in retrospect, there was plenty of room for Grande's words.

After all, Mogan said very clearly, he just "encountered" by chance, and only said the news he learned on a whim.

It's all a generous gift. As for whether to cooperate in the future, he also left the possibility.

The message board of the town's flower house.

Mogan can be said to have done everything in place, but the Duke can't take the initiative to leave a message, which seems to have caught up.

In the end, Albert realized that he was going to miss the opportunity, and he felt a sense of crisis in his complacency.

The secrets of the Lost Valley are like a treasure tailor-made for Duke Albert, waiting to be unearthed more closely, with no upper limit to imagination.

"I also asked the maid to find the groom who had to take the route." "They say that a tall, golden-eyed man did appear in the last half month," Albert stressed. ”

Although Mogan was a little troubled by this for reasons of concealment, his physical features were quite conspicuous. The golden eyes inherited from his mother are very rare, and his height is also different from ordinary people.

It's really hard for such a person to stand in the crowd without being noticed.

But this reassuring to the Duke. Because Mogan often appeared within half a month, it proves that he may not be a liar who pretends to be foolish, but indeed lives in the local area.

"So what does His Royal Highness the Duke think?"

Neil took advantage of the situation to advance the topic, and at the same time watched Duke Albert being satisfied with his abundant intelligence source, and the Duke who was annoyed that the other party did not take the initiative to contact him and ask for financial assistance.

Albert took another sip of his drink.

"When Abydia returns, I'll ask her to go directly to the local inspector and ask where this Mogan Grande lives."

He still can't let go of his useless self-esteem.

However, if you want to use the power of the Inquisitor, it means that you will completely put the duke status on paper as a bargaining chip, and not purely rely on the gold coin reserves like the nouveau riche to buy people's hearts.

It's not just the intelligence sources involved, but also the other side that represents the kingdom......

Just as Neil was seriously thinking this, the Duke regained his confidence, "No matter what he thinks, as long as he gives enough money to know where Grande rents, there will be no problem in finding it." ”

Neil nearly choked out of thin air.

Bribing the inspector is a loss to him to think of.

It couldn't have been easier for the Duke to get the information the Inquisitor had gathered. The status of the Kingdom of Kohl is there, and it is only necessary to show the proof.

And Duke Albert didn't know anything about this kind of thing, and it was estimated that it was Abydia's credit, and it was probably the butler who did it for him every time.

At the same time, there was a slight knock at the outer door.

"Come in!"

After the request, Abidia walked in slowly, her gaze quickly swept over Neil, and then quickly fixed on the Duke.

The Duke was just about to give an order, perhaps repeating the idea he had just put forward to give Abidia the task, but saw Abidia, who was dressed in the uniform of a butler, raise his hand and make a directional gesture.

This should be an important issue, and perhaps there should not be any idle people waiting to listen.

Neil, for example.

Although he couldn't recognize the facts, Albert may also understand in his heart that he is now relying on Abidia's free play, and he can't ignore her request, so he beckons Neil out.

"About the surname Grande......

This was the moment Neil closed the door, and heard a woman's report from inside, naturally from Abidia, who had just returned.

- Although he thinks of himself as a bard, he has actually received the education of a warrior since he was a child, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is a ranger, and his senses are also excellent.

As the door slammed shut, Neil's heart moved. Unexpectedly, I found out that there was such a change, and I don't know what Abidia has gotten.

Did you discover Grande's secret?

At least you must have ulterior motives for hiding yourself.

However, he could be considered to have gotten the information he wanted, and at least he could confirm that the duke who had received the information had come this far......

With that in mind, Neil walked out of the duke's makeshift mansion and went straight to the house where Mogan lived in a corner of the town of Windsor.