The door frame of the small dark room at the corner creaked.
Powell revealed half of his face from behind the door. It was a dark street outside, with only the sound of wind passing by, not even a ghost. But the former secret agent still stepped out carefully and looked around.
There was still a person standing in the shadow behind the door, whispering in a hoarse voice: "Powell, you'd better leave through the south door. Be careful not to run into those vicious dogs of the 'Fu Qiang Leader', they have a very good sense of smell."
Powell didn't look back, let alone reply. His figure disappeared into the darkness and sneaked away.
When it gets dark, the city loses its vitality.
There were no torches at the intersection, and all residents closed their doors and windows and turned off their lights to guard against thieves and disasters.
In the past, there were guards from the Inspection Office in Cold Wind City to maintain law and order, but now various powerful families in the city are fighting among themselves, and basic public services have been paralyzed.
The streets are winding, potholed and in disrepair.
The same was true for the northern city where the nobles lived. Powell did not dare to light a torch, and was reluctant to drink night vision potion, so he could only rely on his many years of familiarity with the streets to move forward slowly.
The only light in the city comes from the Wizard's Tower. The top of the tower will light up with flames at night and can be seen for more than ten kilometers. This is used to indicate the direction of the city at night and is also a means of monitoring.
However, Powell had to avoid the light at the top of the tower and try to hide himself in the darkness. Because his mission was to contact the internal agents for the Long-Legs family, which was not an easy job.
The coup in Coldwind City is the biggest change in the Northland in decades.
After being expelled, the Long-Legs family had to bow to the Butcher family in the Banshee Castle to the south. In addition, Broken Bridge City, Dense Fog City and other surrounding cities expressed concern about this.
The superiors seemed to see an opportunity for expansion, and expressed their willingness to assist the Longlegs in regaining their territory, severely punishing rebellion, and restoring the glory of the ruler.
Phils Longlegs was also ill and sought medical treatment. As long as he could provide assistance, he would agree to any conditions. Restoring the family was his top priority.
It was under such circumstances that Powell returned to Cold Wind City. He wanted to spy on the situation in the city and recruit internal agents to prepare for the upcoming war.
Things went smoothly beyond imagination.
The rebels led by the Arad family themselves were in civil strife. They fought noisily for so-called power, and several months were wasted.
The city is unprepared, its forces fail to integrate, and hidden contradictions are triggered instead.
If the rebels continue to quarrel like this, the long-legged family's road to restoration will be as easy as a game. Once the battle flag is displayed, you can win without fighting.
Powell quietly ran back, first contacted several small nobles, and then struck up a conversation with several large nobles. Everyone was dissatisfied with the current situation and began to miss the past days when the Long Legs ruled.
Many people swore and promised that as long as Phils Long-Leggs' army comes to kill, they will immediately resubmit - as long as they don't care about the rebellion a few months ago, anything can be discussed.
The bitterly cold Northland is the domain of the Frost Goddess, and everyone lies, deceives, and stabs people in the back just for fun.
Powell knew that the words of powerful people could not be trusted, but he believed that as long as the situation forced them, the rebels would make the right choice - no matter what, the ruthless Phils Long Legs would not let them go.
But all situations in Cold Wind City can be predicted, and the only variable lies in Victor Hugo and his 'rich and powerful leader'.
Whenever this name is mentioned, Powell will always think of the massacre he experienced in the Moulin Rouge bar a few months ago. All the gangsters in the bar were not spared and all died.
Up to now, the underground forces in Cold Wind City have not been able to recover, and have even become weaker. This is because the strength of the 'Fu Qiang Leader' has completely eroded Cold Wind City.
The 'Harmonious Chamber of Commerce' is rich and powerful, and has good relations with all parties. Little nobles, wizards and even ordinary citizens have been won over by the gold coins of the Chamber of Commerce.
When Powell came back, he thought that without the Inspectorate and the Supervisory Office, thieves and bullies would be everywhere in the city. But in fact, the market was more stable.
No one collects taxes or takes bribes, no one bullies the weak, no one blocks roads, no one arrests people in the middle of the night, and no one, rich or poor, can sleep peacefully.
The city gates are open 24 hours a day, which greatly facilitates population circulation and makes business prosperous several times.
Heavy-duty carriages travel everywhere, reducing freight costs to less than one-third of the past. For this reason alone, no one can refuse to do business with the Harmony Chamber of Commerce.
While ordinary residents value the discounts brought by group orders, those who really know the business are surprised by the logistics changes brought about by heavy-duty horse carriages.
Of course, there are a lot of people and businesses, and there are a lot of thefts and robberies.
But Victor Hugo did not give any space for underground forces to exist.
No matter who makes trouble in Cold Wind City, they will not survive more than three days, because there is a well-equipped and well-informed hunting team dedicated to dealing with unstable factors.
Cold Wind City is the commercial market and source of labor for the 'rich and powerful leaders'. It doesn't matter if all the powerful people die from internal strife, as long as they don't mess up the city - Uncle Zhou still wants to do business here.
Compared with Victor Hugo, who was not easy to meet, Powell was more afraid of Adrian who was hiding in the darkness of the city.
The 'clown' who has been hanging around in the market all year round is familiar with all the ways of the underground world. It is he who has organized a capable and powerful hunting team to eliminate all kinds of demons and monsters who are trying to cause trouble in the Cold Wind City.
Even the dignitaries in the city realized that Lord Hugo had a secret manpower to prevent them from expanding the civil strife and maintain the basic operations of Cold Wind City to prevent conflicts from escalating.
The dignitaries who attempted to cause rebellion in the Winter Hall were respectful to Deputy Speaker Hugo, and secretly called him the source of the disaster. Adrian's team was even called 'evil dogs'.
Powell turned a corner and had to be careful about his own safety. He was not sure that he had not been targeted, because the "evil dogs" were very well-informed and their spies were everywhere in the city.
Street vendors, cooks from powerful families, and even some low-level knights who have taken refuge secretly, no one in Cold Wind City is reliable, because the power of money is endless.
After quietly walking a few streets, Powell arrived at a low-rise bungalow. He knocked rhythmically on the narrow wooden window while being alert to his surroundings.
The wooden bungalow is short and simple, with wooden windows that are holes the size of a human head and are bolted inside.
After knocking, there was a rustling sound in the house.
Someone asked for the secret code inside. After Powell answered correctly, he turned to the back door of the bungalow - there was a trap at the front door to deal with the "evil dogs" who came to attack.
The back door is very narrow, allowing only one person to enter sideways.
Standing behind the door is an adventurer holding a light crossbow. His appearance is no different from ordinary citizens, and he doesn't look like a criminal.
The Long-Legs family hired many similar adventurers to sneak into Coldwind City under various identities. After they arrived, they started a brutal battle with Adrian's hunting team, with both sides suffering casualties.
A dim lantern was lit in the room, and after recognizing Powell's face, the crossbow wielder breathed a sigh of relief.
After closing the back door, the man said: "Mr. Powell, I heard some special news from several apprentices in the Wizard's Tower today.
The apprentices are rumoring that after taking control of the alchemy department, Victor Hugo recruited twenty or thirty low-level wizards and apprentices, and also purchased magic materials in large quantities.
The recruited wizards and apprentices have been locked up in the chief laboratory for almost two months and have not come out. Many people thought that they all died while conducting magic experiments.
But yesterday they were let out for a half-day vacation. Someone revealed some information, saying that Sir Hugo was building a super magic machine, which was very powerful and was almost successful.
Many people in the Wizard's Tower are very interested in this news. But the wizards on vacation are unwilling to reveal more. They say that they are only allowed to reveal this information and nothing else."
After saying this, the crossbow wielder whispered: "This seems to be a trick, deliberately spreading some news to scare people. Maybe Victor Hugo wants to use this to stabilize people's hearts. After all, there is enough chaos in the city now."
He does not mean that.
Powell's forehead was throbbing with veins, and his heart was pounding. He remembered something that Chief Prophecy Old Bank had told him to investigate before returning to Coldwind City.
Old Bank's face was earthy and his tone was low.
"The power of magic is revealing the future to me. I see groups of light cavalry marching across the wilderness, red flags fluttering in the wind, untouchables wearing heavy armor, and forming an invincible phalanx.
This all stems from a powerful magical machine that is about to be born in Cold Wind City. If you can, find a way to destroy it. Once it takes shape, the North will be filled with war."
Powell was confused and horrified. What exactly was the prediction made by Old Bank?