Melgor, the sweet idiot, reacted like a bird startled by the twang of a bow. When he heard Qian Weining's voice, he panicked a little and paced around the room. "Why does he want to talk to you alone? Will he try to silence me if he sees me? He—"
Ren Xiaosu didn't know whether to laugh or cry while tugging Melgor back. Then he lowered his voice and said, "Why are you panicking? What can Qian Weining do to you? Don't worry, nothing will happen! Let's listen to what he has to say first!"
However, Melgor was unwilling. "I'd better hide. I really don't know what to say to him. What if he wants to say something unfavorable about me?"
With that, Melgor slipped behind the thick and heavy red flannel curtains.
The moment he got behind the curtains, Melgor was so startled he almost cried out in exclamation. However, Chen Jingshu reacted faster and instantly covered his mouth while signaling him not to speak.
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu opened the door for Qian Weining. "Vice President Qian, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"
Qian Weining said, "Can we go in and talk?"
"Yes, of course," Ren Xiaosu said with a smile.
When the door closed, Qian Weining whispered, "I'm sorry for disturbing you at night. The thing is, I have something to discuss with you. Sir, I hope you don't mind. I quietly came over because I didn't want a third party to know, so regardless of whether I'm right or not, please keep it a secret."
Ren Xiaosu's expression turned strange. 'There's currently quite a few people in this room. From the moment you said that, even a fourth party knows about it, much less just a third party.'
"Vice President Qian, what are you trying to say exactly?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"I would like to ask you something. You're actually the expert behind Melgor, right?" Qian Weining said softly, "We've been traveling together for so long now. Although a lot of incidents can't be fully explained, I still noticed them. But, sir, don't worry. I've already withheld some of my observations and didn't report the info to the higher-ups."
Ren Xiaosu raised his eyebrows. He had wondered why Qian Weining would suddenly come and look for him in the middle of the night. So it turned out this was his last struggle before he got sent to his death.
"Like what kind of info?" Ren Xiaosu asked curiously.
"You were actually sent by the Norman family to protect Melgor, right?" Qian Weining said.
When Ren Xiaosu heard this, he nearly laughed out loud. But he still maintained his composure and said noncommittally, "How'd you tell?"
"You've been calmer than anyone else during the journey. Even when the people from the House of Tudor attacked us, I never saw you panicking." Qian Weining said, "We've investigated the people around Lord Melgor and they have nothing to do with the House of Norman. You were the only one who appeared out of nowhere with no background to speak of. Moreover, Lord Melgor doesn't seem to treat you like a steward at all. When the two of you stand together, he's actually more like your subordinate."
Ren Xiaosu made a calm noise of acknowledgment. "Anything else?"
"You definitely still have companions shadowing the caravan, right?" Qian Weining said, "My perfect archery and Lord Melgor's Lesser Fireballs were all the doing of your companions, weren't they!"
Ren Xiaosu looked at Qian Weining in surprise and thought to himself, 'Has this guy finally woken up from his sharpshooter dream?'
Qian Weining said rather embarrassedly, "Actually, I'm also aware of how good my archery is. It's just that I got a little big-headed at the beginning. But when Lord Melgor started casting his Lesser Fireballs with a 100% kill rate, I gradually came around…."
"Then what makes you think all of this has anything to do with me?" Ren Xiaosu still did not admit to it.
Actually, it did not matter even if he admitted to it now. Qian Weining was close enough for Ren Xiaosu to kill him in one hit. If Qian Weining really posed any threat, Ren Xiaosu could just twist his neck and throw him into his storage space before escaping with Melgor.
Qian Weining said in a low voice, "I've checked the wounds caused by the Lesser Fireballs, and I also know from experience how weak it is. Those wounds couldn't possibly be from the Lesser Fireballs. It's obvious that someone punched those bandits in their chests and killed them in one blow. Including the Boiling Airburst spells from later, Lord Melgor was just pretending to cast them while the caster was someone else."
Qian Weining suddenly felt the hairs on his back stand on end. He felt a sense of danger quickly approaching, so he braced himself and said with his eyes closed, "I didn't report all that to the higher-ups. I just hope that you can give us a chance for survival!"
Ren Xiaosu said with a smile, "And what chance are you referring to?"
Qian Weining suddenly felt the pressure on him lifting. He looked at Ren Xiaosu with lingering fear and became even more convinced of his judgment. Ren Xiaosu was definitely someone very capable sent by the House of Norman to plot against the House of Tudor. Furthermore, Ren Xiaosu must command some secret troops to enable his operations.
Ren Xiaosu had thought the two sheeple were Qian Weining's people, but it did not seem to be the case anymore. At the very least, Qian Weining did not know he was from the Central Plains.
This left Ren Xiaosu a little surprised. Even though the two sheeple were quite weak and had loose lips, they really were not the type to constantly scheme against others.
Anyone who was not constantly scheming against others would be a suitable candidate for the Prosperous Northwest!
Qian Weining said anxiously, "Sir, actually, you should've noticed as well that our cataphract regiment has offended a member of the House of Berkeley. They're now trying to force us down a path of no return."
Ren Xiaosu wondered, "This decision was made by the Berkeley family's patriarch. What does it have anything to do with the good-for-nothing clan member?"
"It has nothing to do with the Berkeley family's patriarch." Qian Weining said, "What you might not know is that someone issued a transfer order to the caravan guards tonight. Only 192 people will head to the Norman family's territory with Lord Melgor tomorrow. The rest will remain in Winston City and return to their respective cataphract regiments."
"Did these 192 people all offend that good-for-nothing clan member?" Ren Xiaosu was surprised.
"That's right." Qian Weining said, "I don't ask for anything else. Since you're a member of the House of Norman, I only beg that you give us a chance to live. The 192 of us are willing to be your slaves and risk our lives for you with no hesitation!"
Ren Xiaosu sighed. It looked like these people were really getting forced down the path of no return by the House of Berkeley.
Tonight, Qian Weining and these loyal Knights of the Inferno decided to seek out their own survival after they felt the betrayal of the House of Berkeley.
However, Ren Xiaosu could not possibly believe Qian Weining's side of the story just like that. He was never the sweet idiot Melgor was.
To put it simply, Ren Xiaosu needed Qian Weining to pledge his allegiance to him.
While Ren Xiaosu was thinking about how to handle this, Qian Weining suddenly got a surprised look on his face.
Immediately after, the curtains behind Ren Xiaosu suddenly fell down along with the hardware fittings embedded in the ceiling.
Melgor and Chen Jingshu smiled awkwardly at Qian Weining. When Qian Weining saw Chen Jingshu's night attire, he seemingly understood something. "This must be the secret unit led by you, sir, right??"