Chapter 1624 - 99: Fox and Rat Game (9)-2

Chapter 1624: Chapter 99: Fox and Rat Game (9)-2

Siegfried had accepted the other party’s logic, but he always felt something was wrong. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly realized he had overlooked an important issue.

"Is your ability to keep secrets so poor? That... that Winters Montagne, isn’t he a Venetian?" Siegfried asked through gritted teeth, "How did he make our identities known to everyone?"

"Your identities were intentionally released by us."

"I knew it! Why?"

The middle-aged officer answered calmly: "Fishing."

"What?" Siegfried heard it but seemed not to comprehend.

"You are not the ones we are looking for," the middle-aged officer explained, "but releasing your information can help us find the ones we are looking for."

Siegfried’s thoughts were racing, "You... are trying to catch the ’envoy.’

"Envoy?" The middle-aged officer contemplated, "So you call the Emperor’s secret agent ’envoy.’"

"The envoy is not a secret agent... ha," Siegfried realized he had misspoken, feigning disdain, "Releasing our information is useless. You can’t catch the envoy, no one can catch the envoy."

"Oh," the middle-aged officer remained indifferent, "Actually, I don’t really care—I don’t oversee that part."

"What do you oversee?" Siegfried sneered.

"I told you in my introduction," the middle-aged officer replied calmly, "I am the principal of this school, so it’s natural for me to oversee the teaching."

"Principal in charge of teaching, what brings you to visit me today?"

"I also told you this at the beginning, I came to see the one who defeated the ’great one,’ ’conquered the terror of the world.’

"No," Siegfried corrected, "I did not defeat the ’great one,’ nor did I ’conquer the terror of the world.’ The Saracens still occupy the Eastern Capital and the Holy City, Suleiman remains a universal enemy of the world."

Siegfried remained silent for some time, then slowly said, "I merely survived."

"You are too modest," the middle-aged officer said, "Your victory, even in the Monsoon Continent further east than the Far East, is well known. Polish merchants are spreading the word that the ’great enemy of the world’ has finally suffered a grievous defeat, and the enemies of the Saracens are extolling your name."

Yet, Siegfried’s face showed no pride.

He simply uttered "Oh," and asked, "So what?"

"So," the middle-aged officer said, "I want to hear you talk about the specific process of that battle, how you thwarted Emperor Suleiman in Dalmatia.

"The news I’ve heard is third-hand, fourth-hand, even tenth-hand. The Saracens remain silent about it, and the enemies of the Saracens excessively glorify you, embellishing to an unbelievable extent, so I really want to hear from you directly."

The middle-aged officer paused, "After all, firsthand historical battle information is the most valuable."

Siegfried was nearly amused, "Why should I tell you?"

"You should also understand," the middle-aged officer said, naturally, "since I’m discussing so many internal matters with you today, it means that for a long time, you won’t be able to leave here or meet others—not until they catch the envoy. Since you’re idle anyway, why not serve some purpose?"

"You," Siegfried was both angry and amused, dropping any formality, "want me to ’serve a purpose’ for you?"

"No," the middle-aged officer seriously corrected, "it’s me, wanting you, to serve a purpose—otherwise, why provide you with an officer’s meal? Consider it meal expenses."

The middle-aged officer questioned, puzzled, "Do you want to eat and stay for free?"

Siegfried was genuinely disarmed, furiously questioning: "For free? For free?! You lock me up, feed me pig food, and still want me to pay rent and meal expenses?!"

"This is not a prison," the middle-aged officer patiently explained, "this is a confinement room. Because you currently reside here, our wayward students have to go to the dungeon for confinement these days. And regarding the ’pig food,’ I’ve already explained."

"If it’s not imprisonment, then let me go."

"No."

"Then isn’t it imprisonment?"

"To be precise, it is called house arrest."

"Even if it’s house arrest, I’ve never heard of someone being under house arrest having to pay for their room and board!"

"Here it is," the middle-aged officer thought for a moment, "if you don’t want to cooperate for information gathering, you can weave baskets."

"What?" Siegfried was once again unable to believe his ears.

"Basket weaving," the middle-aged officer gestured with his hands, "using willow, vine..."

"I [expletive] know what basket weaving is!" Siegfried snapped, "Why should I weave baskets?"

"So you want to eat and stay for free?"

"I do want to eat and stay for free, what about it?"

"That’s possible too, but in that case, you won’t have the officer’s meal," the middle-aged officer thought for a moment, "But even so, the meal expenses for these days won’t be written off. Otherwise, you should go weave baskets. Even for our own people, if they’re caught, they have to weave baskets—Winters, that young lad, named it ’labor reform.’

"Winters Montagne, right?" Siegfried was furious, "I want to meet him!"

"He’s out," the middle-aged officer replied, "Seems to be off for business talks, I don’t know the specifics and didn’t ask."

"Is there anyone else who can make decisions?" Siegfried shouted, "I want to protest!"

The middle-aged officer counted on his fingers for the young man’s sake: "Skull Admiral went to the mouth of the Anya River to build a fort, Gesa Major General went to the Westwood Province to handle logistics warehouses, Colonel Magash simply hasn’t returned."

"Oh, so none of the decision-makers are here," Siegfried asked sarcastically, "Are you rebels now like headless chickens, running all over the place?"