Hotel prices in the capital of a First World Country are not cheap, and during the Continent Martial Arts Competition, they further stimulate tourism and drive prices up.

Where Swan is staying is even closer to the Imperial Arena, so even with his low-key demeanor, the mid- to low-end inn he is lodging at costs thirty-five silver coins a night.

The nightingale cloak is incredibly versatile; in the darkness, Swan feels as if he has truly been blessed by Nocturne, his body light beyond belief.

Tiger-men and humans each have their strengths and weaknesses as thieves; the former can execute stealthy thefts and assassinations more effectively, relying on their agile physiques and comprehensive adaptability to terrain, while the latter excel at infiltrating and gathering intelligence through disguise.

Swan is at a disadvantage in terms of disguise; with all his fur, he can only masquerade as those of his kind or similar races, making it quite difficult to impersonate humans.

The "nightingale" partially solves this problem, not just as clothing but also by materializing a texture akin to skin, adhering closely to the body; he just needs to focus on disguising the head.

Inside the inn room.

Right now, Swan looks like a native blond Aran person; in his thief toolbox are several clay masks for him to switch faces at any time.

Two machines are on the table: one is a radio used within Black Sail, the other a radio bought from the Imperial City's department stores at a hefty price.

Black Sail intends to expand, its trading company now rebranded as "East Sea International," ostentatiously entering the Narrow Sea.

This radio, costing seven hundred silver coins each, was developed by the Imperial City's New Industrial District, marking the beginning of its civilian use, also benefiting from the promotion during the Continent Martial Arts Competition.

Swan once served as Staff Chief for the Thief Guild district, managing brothels and casinos, sensitive to numbers; this product is also self-researched in Heaven Port, yet high technical costs without any Magic Energy Industry, as Liszt describes it, is mastering production resources.

From the department stores, it probably carries inflated prices, benefiting from being a new product, though the appearance is somewhat refined and compact compared to the self-researched ones in Heaven Port, whereas Black Sail's items seem solid, robust, and rugged.

He listens to the martial arts broadcast while keeping watch over the radio; he has a mission, serving as the sole communication node between the Imperial City and headquarters, capable only of sleeping halfway.

Ben, the former senior enforcer of the Thief Guild, is merely a tool brought in, defiant ones get killed, nothing is expected of him.

"In the end, Kai Deng did win..."

Though Swan was mentally prepared, once things truly progressed to this stage, he felt quite tense, marking the countdown to Rashomon, less than twenty-four hours hence, within a day.

Four seats have been decided out of the top sixteen.

The fifth match features someone emerging from the Northern Prison, trying to redeem their sins via the martial arts competition, once a street legend, famed as "Abyss Exile," implying he's not human, a devil, just released from prison.

His opponent has an equally flamboyant name, known as God's Whip.

Both are striking figures, it's like immortals battling.

Saleret has to wait until the ninth match.

At this moment, a signal is received from the radio, coming from deep within Mulong Duchy.

Swan lowers the volume considerably to prevent eavesdropping through the walls, his expression caught in a vivid grimace, the disguised face temporarily stiffening even as Liszt speaks, his complexion intense, his mouth twitching, and his eyelids fluttering wildly.

Lostra now acts as the protector of East Sea International; considering diplomatic relations, official media aren't suitable for reporting sensitive Aran content, photos of Black Sail leaders alongside Zote's corpse will be passed to civil media, officially to be published in tomorrow's evening news.

Liszt has truly gone mad, behaving like those sensational serial killers who contact news agencies to make murder announcements.

I'm going to kill someone, you just wait, I'm going to murder without a doubt, first dropping a bombshell to incite panic and scare you buyers half to death.

During the Continent Martial Arts Competition, the adventurer's guild newspapers with their wild and fiery statements have taken a substantial share of the official media traffic in Aran, thrill-seekers love spicy content, as long as it has some basis, regardless of spuriousness.

Adventurer newspapers resort to all means for traffic, as long as it's not sheer fabrication, they'll publish anything, the editors are hardcore daredevils.

"So how should I speak with those news people, I need the verbatim message, repeat exactly what you say to me, only recount it to them once."

Swan glances at the clock; it's now half past seven, the martial arts competition ends around nine, during this special period, news agency folks are working overtime, exploding the news now is bound to catch someone, but time is crucial.

After a brief delay.

Liszt understands Swan's concerns and outlines all the points, publicly accessible intelligence, entirely blaming Saleret.

From this point forward, Saleret is the Royal Court's lackey; Black Sail plays the villain role, but it doesn't matter, your blood kin are on the island; besides, based on recent observations, Saleret knows his place.

Having communicated with Saleret earlier, should he ascend to power, the Emperor would notice him and offer a position or two, it's his ability, sparing him from returning to Heaven Port, having someone in the court makes things easier.

In casual conversation, during the broadcast, Abyss Exile defeated God's Whip, but being a reformer, he didn't kill his opponent, playing the good guy.

"I can't... Holy crap! Seriously doing this? Damn, but now Saleret is at the martial arts site, can't reach him; he carries a serious murder charge, after the private duel incident, the Royal City Army is more fortified than ever; such a significant matter, surely no harm in notifying him."

Swan, usually steady, is now beside himself, it's beyond saying Liszt is just bold or insane, this man with self-destructive tendencies is also somewhat of a performative personality; this isn't necessarily the right move, but surely the one attracting most attention.

"No need to notify, Saleret is a savvy guy; he knows what to do, tomorrow brings too many uncertainties; avoid being countered by Diaz."

Swan is speechless, Liszt's tone is calm, discussing it as though it's about dinner plans; tomorrow could well be a damn world war, are you insane?

"Hold on, I'm confirming one last time, really going to do this?"

Swan can't stay seated anymore, stands up, if it's going down, he has to visit the adventurer's guild in the city now, grab those foolish editors and start focus interviews directly.

The reason Kai Deng must converse with the Emperor on September 9th is to circumvent all noble authorities, maximizing personal benefits, must speak in person.

But after reaching the top sixteen, this rule can temporarily be set aside as the top sixteen are already slated to meet the Emperor, unyielding as thunder.

Must act quickly; the Thief Guild might also be plotting.

"Absolutely, just go for it; if the sky falls, I'll hold it up."

"Oh... I'm the whistleblower, probably can't go elsewhere temporarily either."

"No worries, just stay in Aran. Currently, Heaven Port's operations in Aran, Guli is the main force, Wolman oversees channels in the Great Wetland; moving forward, Aran's market can't only be art; general goods need to be exported outside Guli as well. Ox and Mirror Sea's Sky Space Association reached an agreement; future Far East and Mirror Sea foreign trade will transit through Heaven Port. Including our self-developed products, faster than a money printer, you get it?"

"Good... Alright alright."

After sending this message, Swan immediately hides the radio equipment, tucking it into a hidden compartment in the storage cabinet; this thing is evidence, could be treated as espionage, must be well concealed.

He checks the thief toolbox, all equipment, utensils intact, no issues; after adjusting his breathing, he exits the inn and calls a Land Bird cab heading towards the adventurer's guild.

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