Chapter 701 — The Proposal
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
After settling a series of follow-up arrangements, Hedy left Gao Song's room with the documents, and for a time the vast study held nothing but the faint hum of the ventilation system—until a discordant breeze drifted in from behind him, and Gao Yang tilted his head slightly. "Late again."
"I got here ages ago," Amber's figure shimmered into being near the window. She walked toward the desk as she spoke. "But you and Hedy were discussing all that headache-inducing stuff, and just listening made my skull throb, so I rested outside the window for a bit..."
Gao Yang shot the fellow a glance. "How did the investigation I gave you turn out?"
"Just as you predicted—there are Typhon spies among the laborers and craftsmen conscripted near the White Sand Hills," Amber's expression turned somewhat serious. "Their sleeper periods are longer than we ever imagined. One carpenter had lived in the Eastern Region for twenty years—survived the famine alongside the Eastern refugees, built cities for lords, even served in the army and fought in battles. No one would have believed a man who'd lived there twenty years could be Typhon, until my people caught him secretly using recording magic to gather intelligence on the mining machinery."
"...Ma Qi mentioned in his report that the Typhon are not entirely ignorant of our arcane equipment. Beyond basic common knowledge, their aerial scouts can even identify the flash of an arcane cannon firing from a distance... that's only possible if they've observed image records," Gao Dai said. "Ansu and Typhon have faced off for decades; mutual espionage has become the norm. During the half year the Eastern Region was out of control, those spies must have seized the chance to send out a great deal of intelligence."
"Nothing to be done about it. Taking full control of the Eastern Region takes time, and even a brief period of chaos is enough for those snoops to accomplish a great deal—let alone nearly half a year of it. Then again, our 'national strength deception tactic' was pulled off with these spies' 'help,' so on balance we haven't lost out," Amber pursed her lips. "It's just that the spies we've rooted out so far are certainly only a small fraction. Who knows how many more are lurking in the Eastern Region's foul corners—some may even have already entered the Holy Spirit Plains with the massive flood of displaced refugees..."
"This is where Military Intelligence earns its keep," Gao Yang looked at Amber. "Unconventional confrontation will be the norm between Typhon and Cecil from now on, and a great deal of that pressure will fall on your Military Intelligence agents—but I trust their abilities."
"Rest easy. The people I've trained won't disappoint you when it comes to making trouble and countering it," Amber's lips curled smugly. Then she stepped forward and laid the thick stack of documents she held onto Gao Yang's desk. "Also, this came from Long Wind Fortress."
Gao Yang had noticed she was carrying something and assumed it would be a report—but he hadn't expected this to be merely "one" report from Long Wind Fortress. He was startled. "This thick?!"
Amber: "I didn't expect it either... Ma Qi and Philip sent it jointly. Heaven knows how much they wrote."
Gao Yang raised an eyebrow at that, lowered his head, and opened the thick printout. His gaze swept across the neatly ordered letters, and after a moment he said quietly, "It's a summary of the Paramel Incident, along with recommendations and reports on frontline defense and the strengths and weaknesses of the arcane legion."
Amber blinked, then leaned curiously toward the desk. "Huh?"
Gao Yang paid her approach no mind—as Director of Military Intelligence she was entitled to consult this document anyway. He simply lowered his head and read the words on the report with greater focus.