Wang Lan, who possessed the Earth Attribute Weight Exchange technique, also developed a minor ability to sense geomagnetic fields. Thus, to Wang Lan, he was like a human compass.

The direction of the magnetic poles is unfailing, so Wang Lan's sense of direction is also unfailing. However, because the Kingdom of Ice and Snow is situated in the Arctic Ocean, the sunrise and sunset here deviate from the norm, resulting in the sun rising from the southeast and setting in the northwest.

Nevertheless, the people living in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow still adhered to the globally unified natural laws, where the sun is supposed to rise from the east and set in the west. It proved that when everyone is wrong, being the only one right means you're wrong.

After Princess Aier updated his bearings, Wang Lan indeed found the correct direction. Yu Ruoyun quietly told Wang Lan that they had just passed the same intersection three times already.

Upon finding the safe house No. 31 had informed Wang Lan about, he unlocked it with a key. It was a gloomy warehouse. Following the messages left by No. 31, Wang Lan removed a floor tile in the center of the warehouse to find an iron box underneath.

The box could only be opened after entering the correct password.

After opening the box, it was found to contain some Soul Beads, some discs, and some recording devices. Seeing these, Wang Lan let out a sigh of relief. As expected of a veteran agent, the preparations were indeed thorough.

The trio left with the materials. Soon after their departure, a group quietly approached the vicinity of the safe house. As they infiltrated the warehouse and had barely started searching, a loud explosion suddenly rang out.

The violent explosion erupted, deafeningly loud in the still and dark night of Ice City, akin to thunderclaps at midnight. The entire area around the safe house, within a radius of dozens of meters, was devastated by the fierce explosion.

At this moment, Wang Lan had already returned to the royal courts. The camp barracks didn't have the necessary equipment, but Princess Aier's chamber did. Once, the Kingdom of Ice and Snow was immensely prosperous, and as its cherished princess, she naturally had everything one could need.

To play the Soul Beads, Wang Lan alone was sufficient. The contents of the discs were also engraved from the Soul Beads, including the dialogues recorded by the devices. Memories typically only contain images, which can also include text but not sound. Now, text, sound, and images were all fully available.

In the footage, there was a mysterious white man, rather weaselly-looking. The two met in a secluded spot, discussing a deal to sell twelve tons of Space Stones at once.

Upon hearing this figure, No. 31 was also startled. Selling a few hundred kilograms is already frightening, but smuggling over a ton of Space Stones counts as large-scale smuggling. Twelve tons at once! Truly befitting the world's largest Space Stone production base.

The other party's intentions were also clear: this sale would be their last transaction. The Jade Country Volunteer Corps was advancing irresistibly, and the Different Dimensional Spaces where they could obtain a large amount of Space Stones had been sealed. After completing this business, they would vanish like a lone boat on a chilly river, treading a solitary path.

Although the person's tone tried to remain steady, Wang Lan still detected an underlying urgency. It gave him the impression that the person was in dire need of money. They hoped to complete the transaction of the twelve tons of Space Stones as soon as possible, for a value of two billion Jade Coins. The other party would cover all transportation and delivery within the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

Once the money was in place, No. 31 would board a ship and leave the Arctic Ocean, severing all ties with the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. From then on, they would delete each other's contact details and never meet again. No. 31 recorded this entire process. From this, it could be inferred that this shadowy figure held enormous power and could act with impunity in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

"Have you found anything?" Wang Lan asked after sorting through the materials.

"That man from the footage seems familiar," Princess Aier said gravely. "I've seen him before at the National Defense Bureau. I'll check it out now."

Princess Aier held the Kingdom of Ice and Snow's highest access rights, and she quickly found results. "This man is named Bailey, a senior agent of the National Defense Bureau with peak Star Cloud Stage strength. However, he reportedly died three years ago in a defense battle against an Exotic Beast incursion."

"Clearly, he's not dead," Yu Ruoyun stated flatly.

"Since he was declared dead three years ago, finding him won't be easy. It's possible that by now, he's been silenced."

Wang Lan paused for a moment, then rapidly flipped through the information left inside the iron box. As was customary, since No. 31 had locked onto a lead, he would undoubtedly continue to investigate the lead's identity. There was no reason for him not to have discovered this person's whereabouts.

Sure enough, after flipping through a few papers, they saw an address written in Chinese characters on one piece of paper, with a date beneath it.

Wang Lan then replayed the video and indeed saw the same date in the footage, matching the handwritten note.

The date wasn't meant to record a specific time but to match the person corresponding to the address. This was a cryptic method recorded in the Tianjian Bureau agents' manual; it was common knowledge among Tianjian Bureau agents.

"He's at this place. Let's go!"

Princess Aier hurriedly put away the iron box, and Yu Ruoyun took it, placing it into her Folding Space bracelet. Their movements were smooth and practiced, as though finely honed over countless repetitions.

After stowing everything away, Wang Lan and his companions quietly left the palace once more, heading for the target address. This time, they did not get lost. However, while hurrying to their destination, they saw police cars with sirens blaring, and police imposing a citywide curfew.

Wang Lan had no time to guess what the police were doing, leading his group through the void. In less than half an hour, they arrived at a remote suburb near snow-capped mountains, an area only frequented by hunters.

The ground was frozen permafrost, impossible to cultivate for crops, and the frigid climate was unbearable for more than seven days without adequate food. The opening of Different Dimensional Spaces had brought not only catastrophic impacts on humans but also disastrous consequences for the animals of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

Still, some small animals managed to survive by chance. Hunters skilled in their craft sometimes appeared here, and with a bit of luck, they could even catch some frozen animals to make a bowl of soup.

It was a rarely trodden, vast and desolate expanse.

Wang Lan and his two companions carefully descended from the sky, arriving outside a wooden hut hidden in the forest. The hut was quiet, and the snow accumulated at the door had turned into solid ice.

Wang Lan silently approached the door, effortlessly passing through the closed wooden door and into the house.

The interior was in disarray, reeking of a foul stench. From these signs, it seemed no one had lived here for quite some time. Wang Lan's eyes, sharp as lightning, swept over everything in the vicinity, then he suddenly cracked a slight smile.

This person actually has some skill, disguising the hut to appear long uninhabited, while their actual living quarters are in a passage beneath the bed. If I couldn't sense their Star Power, I might have actually been fooled by this trick.

Wang Lan noiselessly descended through the secret passage beneath the bed. About three meters down, he entered what appeared to be a cellar with simple furnishings: a bed, a blanket, a large water tank, and a large rice container.

The moment Wang Lan arrived, the person inside suddenly woke with a start. Seeing a vague figure in the darkness, they abruptly grabbed a grenade from beside the pillow, about to detonate it.

Suddenly, as if time had stopped, everything froze. Wang Lan slowly moved toward the person, taking the grenade from their hand. He carefully examined the person's face. Yes, this is the one I'm looking for.

He promptly sealed the person's Star palace and, in a flash, disappeared with them from the cellar.

"How did it go?"

"Found him," Wang Lan replied with a smile, giving the person he held a little shake. "Let's go back. Prepare a Soul Bead for me; I need to perform a Spirit Engraving."

"Oh, and the safe house we visited earlier exploded violently, killing a few agents from the National Security Intelligence Bureau. Now the whole city's police force is out, searching for the perpetrator."

"That was a trap set by Number 31. If the lock isn't opened with a key, it triggers an internal self-destruct mechanism. It seems the mastermind is within the National Security Intelligence Bureau; otherwise, how could they have found the safe house so quickly?"

The three of them flew back to Princess Aier's chamber. Wang Lan immediately began the Spirit Engraving on the captured person. When the results of the Spirit Engraving emerged, Princess Aier's eyes immediately reddened.

"How is this possible... Why would it be him?"

"I've heard General Stephen is a very tough general with high prestige in the military. Besides, he's the true controller of the national forces; the Minister of Defense can't even compare," Yu Ruoyun commented calmly.

"Indeed. General Stephen has lived a life of integrity, growing up alongside my grandfather. He is fiercely loyal to the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. During the kingdom's most difficult times, all the powerful and influential chose to flee. He alone did not. He even sent his daughter and son-in-law, who attempted to escape, to prison.

"I never imagined that he would be the one colluding with terrorist organizations behind the scenes."

"The world is unpredictable, and no one can foresee such turns of events. What comes next is your own affair," Yu Ruoyun gently patted Princess Aier's shoulder. "How you deal with him is up to you, but we have a bottom line—he cannot be given another chance to stab us in the back."

"I understand. I'll escort you back," she offered.

"No need, we can go by ourselves. You better deal with this matter swiftly," Wang Lan declined as he and Yu Ruoyun stealthily left Princess Aier's chamber.

「By now it was the dead of night, yet the royal court of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow suddenly lit up.」

All court personnel, whether on duty or off, rose and gathered at their respective stations in a flurry of activity.

In the grand palace hall, King Cain held the scepter symbolizing royal authority, his face sullen, head bowed in silence. Prince Kester, dressed in full regalia, silently observed the stars outside the window.

After a long while, the doors of the hall opened, and General Stephen, in full military attire, walked in with a firm pace.

"This old servant, Stephen, pays his respects to Your Majesty and to the Prince."

"General Stephen!" King Cain finally lifted his head and spoke faintly to Stephen. Prince Kester remained with his back to them, gazing at the twinkling stars and sighing deeply.

He dared not look back at Stephen, fearing that a single glance would soften his resolve.

"Aier just showed me something concerning you. I want you to take a look at it, too, and tell me it's not true. Can you do that?" King Cain's voice carried a tinge of pleading. Stephen had watched him and his brother grow up. To them, Stephen was an uncle, an elder, a great man who had labored for the Kingdom of Ice and Snow his entire life.

They found the thought unbearable and were unwilling to believe that Stephen could betray the nation.

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