Cthulhu Gonfalon

“Seek ideas of magic that can improve people’s living standards?” Wood, the famous sculptor of Pyroxene Town, looked at the new announcement. “What does that mean?”

Usually, there was a clergyman from the Church of Void Mask standing next to the notice board, and he was responsible for explaining the news to people. Hearing Wood’s question, the clergyman explained it in detail with a smile.

“His Majesty, the Void Mask intends to use the power of magic to improve people’s living standards, so now he asks people for opinions. He wants everyone to think about what magic can help.” A few minutes later, Wood was on the way to the workshop while murmuring.

He was somewhat a celebrity in Pyroxene Town and had his own workshop. Since sculptures didn’t need a large space, his workshop was not big. His main work was to make some wood carvings that were full of the characteristics of Pyroxene Town and the Northwest Republic, and that could fully reflect the pioneering culture here.

These wood carvings would be sent to the Void Mask Land and would be sold to tourists from various places. Depending on different sizes and sophistication, the price would be different. The cheap ones would be about five silver coins, and the expensive one would be about twenty gold coins. For every wood carving sold, Wood, the producer, would get half of the money, and the rest went to the transporter and retailer. There was no need to pay tax because it had been paid during the store’s operation. It was not allowed to charge tax twice on the same good.

Payment was made once a month at the end of the month. All Wood had to do was to look for the proper wood and carve it into a wood carving. There was no request for quantity. It would be good if he could make more, and it wouldn’t matter if he made less. In a word, he was the boss.

Wood was not so busy with this job, but he was well paid. Thus, many people admired him a lot. Over these years, many old people came to visit him and wanted to introduce some girls in the town that were waiting to be married to him.

But Wood refused them. He said there was someone he liked a lot.

“If there is someone you like, why don’t you get married soon?” Grandma Stinna, who had a good relationship with him, heard about that and went to him. “You’re famous now. As a master of sculpture in the Republic of Northwest and an artist who extols life with a knife, you are popular in the upper class of the Main Plane now. With your current identity, even if your sweetheart is the daughter of a noble family, you can still be confident to go to her house and make a proposal!”

Grandma Stinna didn’t know the real condition of Wood. She just thought that he admired a girl that had a higher position than him, so she persuaded him like that.

Wood could only laugh bitterly but did not reply.

Sweetheart? What sweetheart!?

Who had ever heard of a spy having a sweetheart? How could a spy love a girl or be loved? That would be like looking for death!

However, he was also touched by her words.

During these years, although he had achieved little in his career as a spy, he had made great progress in sculpture. With his current status and fortune, it was really necessary for him to get married.

If he kept on being single, others would feel weird about him, and that would attract others’ attention.

More importantly, he really liked life in Pyroxene Town now. Life was smooth and safe here, and that made him feel relaxed. If he could live here for a lifetime, get married and start a career, have his own children and grandchildren—that would be really wonderful.

In his opinion, this new town was the most suitable place to live in this world; it was the place that he had been looking for. If he hadn’t sworn to be loyal to the Mifata Federation, he perhaps would have been an honest citizen of the Republic of Northwest.

However, as a spy, having a family was something he tried to avoid. Among all the possible dangers, the most difficult one for a spy to guard against was always in his home. Even the best spy could hardly fool his wife that slept beside him. If he really got married, he didn’t know how troublesome his life would be!

After sending Grandma Stinna away, he pondered for a long time alone. Finally, he chose to write his current situation in a recent report and send it back to the Mifata Federation through the secret channel.

A spy was also a soldier. As a soldier, he should obey his commander’s order. Since he couldn’t make the decision, he’d better ask his superiors about it.

Over these years, he had been sincere in doing his job and had collected plenty of information. Even if he had no merit, he had been working hard enough. He hoped that his superiors could understand his difficulties and make up a reason for him to avoid others’ doubt. Certainly, it would be better to send a female spy to form a family with him, and that could not only improve his work efficiency but also become the best cover-up for him.

Moreover, he really wanted to have a family.

He was not young anymore. If he couldn’t build a family now, it would be too late for him.

Watching the postman who had disguised as a special timber merchant leave, Wood sighed secretly and returned to his workshop.

But he did not know that shortly after the postman left, the information hidden in a wood carving was delivered to the Great Governor, Felix.

“These worthless things again…” Felix looked at the information and shook her head. “Over these years, he’s sent nothing valuable except a few defense maps back to his country.”

“It’s inevitable,” Asner, laughed and said. She had become Felix’s assistant again and had also persuaded her husband to be a governor. “There are many secrets in our republic. As a wood carving artist, it is impossible for him to have access to those core secrets. Over the years, he has actually done a good job.”

“Yes, but unfortunately, his intelligence is not very useful. What?” Felix exclaimed and laughed. “This guy wants to get married. According to him, he seemingly wants the Mifata Federation to send someone to be his wife.”

Asner approached curiously, looked at the intelligence and frowned slowly.

“It’s a bit troublesome…”

“Troublesome?” Felix was confused for a moment and then understood. “You mean that his superiors might be dissatisfied with him and take some action against him?”

“Yes. Generally speaking, the intelligence he sent back over the years is of little value. His superiors must have been dissatisfied with his low efficiency long ago. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they are likely to send a much fiercer spy to preside over the intelligence work,” Asner frowned and said. “Wood is a spy, but he has a good character. We’ve always wanted to win him over to our side and let him really join the republic. Judging from his performance over the years, I think it’s possible for us to do that. But if there is another spy coming, things will be different, and most probably they will change into the direction that we don’t want to see.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t…” With a flash of cold light in Felix’s eyes, she made a gesture as cutting a knife.

“I don’t think we need to be in such a hurry,” Asner sighed, shook her head and said. “After all, it’s not yet the time to kill others. To be honest, these spies that have been working for the Mifata Federation are quite respectable. After all, I don’t want to turn the Mifata Federation into our enemy now.”

“Will the Mifata Federation be our enemy for the deaths of a few spies? Those politicians are ruthless!” Although saying that, Felix still started to restore the information and put it back into the wood carving.

Later, exactly the same wood carving was returned to the merchant who was traveling slowly towards the South. A few days later, it was sent to the Commonwealth of Gold Coins and then to the Mifata Federation by another merchant who was engaged in shipping.

The whole process was smooth without any flaws.

Yes, even the spies did not find out that the intelligence had already been checked at the desk of a Great Governor in the Republic of Northwest.