Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 187 - 186 Conversation in the Coffee Shop

Chapter 187: Chapter 186 Conversation in the Coffee Shop

In this world, at least in the country of Grid, the favorite beverage is tea.

Coffee, on the other hand, is still something of a niche drink here, with a not-so-broad audience.

That’s why even in a coffee shop, Nicole ordered a hot tea for Ronald.

He glanced at his spot for a few seconds before walking over and sitting down.

Then he slowly began to speak, looking at the two people in front of him:

"..."

"How’s it been these past few days, any new information?"

"And you two arrived before me today, did you notice anything worth paying attention to?"

He knew today’s activities required extreme caution.

In front of Ronald, the attire of the young female investigator and the detective gentleman was as plain and well-covered as possible, resembling the fashion of ordinary people who fear the cold.

A simple pull of the scarf or tug of the hat could easily conceal their faces.

Of course, Ronald did the same.

To facilitate movement, he had specifically worn a green padded jacket today.

With the high collar raised, his cheeks could be completely hidden behind it.

Upon hearing Ronald’s inquiry, Nicole was the first to nod her head:

"Before I set off, I made a special trip to the investigation bureau to inquire about security work. The security measures at the city hall have been deployed, and the warden should have arrived at the location by this time."

"For at least the next three hours, it is absolutely impossible for him to get away."

"Given the schedules of those bureaucratic figures, it wouldn’t be unusual even if they took up five hours of time."

After listening to the young female investigator’s statements, Ronald nodded at her.

The two did not say much more, tacitly casting their gaze toward Swift.

The rendezvous point for today had been set by this detective before.

To ensure confidentiality, Swift had only mentioned in the invitation to come and try out the trendy coffee beverages, without mentioning the true purpose of their meeting.

Ronald and Nicole had reason to believe

that this experienced great detective had his reasons for making the invitation.

Faced with the attention of his two companions, the detective gentleman leisurely nodded his head.

He first raised his teacup to drink a sip of coffee, showing an expression of enjoyment, before beginning to speak in an unhurried manner:

"My network of contacts has confirmed the information as well."

"Lumil will leave her manor in a quarter of an hour and then travel by carriage to the location of this social ball. This coffee shop is right on her necessary route."

Ronald continued, saying:

"So we just need to wait quietly here, until Lumil’s carriage passes by, and then it will be our time to act?"

Swift nodded with certainty:

"Exactly."

It seemed the detective gentleman was not a novice at this kind of thing.

He spoke with great confidence and determination in his tone,

clearly looking like someone who had everything under control.

Sitting opposite Swift, Nicole held her teacup with both hands, sipping quietly while nodding in agreement:

"In that case, shall we discuss the details of today’s action plan next?"

Ronald went straight to the heart of the matter:

"First of all, let’s talk about the dungeon beneath the warden’s mansion."

"I haven’t been in Greenwich for long and have never been to that place. Do you have any information on it?"

As an elite investigator, Nicole immediately spoke up:

"I did go there once, seven months ago."

"However, I was only in charge of escorting prisoners, so I only know the location of the entrance and part of the route. Besides, the layout from seven months ago might have changed, and I can’t be certain if the guards inside have moved around since then."

While speaking, Nicole set down her teacup and dipped her finger in the water, sketching on the table as she pretended to look out the window carelessly.

"The entrance to the dungeon is the classic cellar design, roughly like this in shape."

"As for the guards, I do have some news." At this point, Swift leaned forward slightly while explaining, "Based on the food consumption statistics I’ve gathered, it’s possible to estimate the number of people by the warden’s kitchen purchases."

"Excluding the officially employed domestics of the mansion. There’s an extra consumption of food for about twenty-seven people every week. Meaning the total number of prisoners and guards in the dungeon is around twenty-seven."

Upon hearing this news, Nicole immediately followed up with a question:

"Can you guarantee the accuracy of this figure?"

Swift nodded and said:

"I can confirm that the margin of error won’t exceed three people."

Pleased with the response, the young investigator nodded in satisfaction.

"That makes things much clearer."

"The prisoners who are long-term detainees at the warden’s and have not been released or transferred are generally those sentenced to death during the Month of Repentance. Typically, the number hovers around twenty-two."

Ronald immediately continued:

"That means there are only around five to eight defense personnel in the warden’s dungeon?"

"If we’re careful, we only need to deal with three to four people at most, aside from the necessary patrols and guards, and then find the warden’s weakness from the dungeon."

"..."

At this point, the three spontaneously paused their conversation and each took a sip of their beverages.

After a few seconds, Nicole spoke up again:

"What do you think if, after we sneak in, the corpses of the two priests are no longer in the dungeon?"

"You don’t have to worry about that." Swift immediately dispelled Nicole’s concern, "My network has already gathered information, and the warden hasn’t moved any suspicious items from his house or dealt with prisoner corpses recently."

"Those two priests, whether dead or alive, are definitely in the dungeon right now."

Having shared enough information with each other, Ronald felt it was time to decide on the order of the team.

Thus, he took the initiative to say:

"So during the operation,"

"the three of us should go with two in the lead, one attacking, and one covering, while the last one provides support from the rear. What do you think?"

Ronald effortlessly proposed a battle tactic tested by practice.

The standard distribution for three people could handle most situations.

Swift immediately nodded in agreement.

However, Nicotti shook her head:

"I don’t think that’ll work!"

Unexpectedly, the young investigator outright rejected Ronald’s idea and continued:

"Actually, I think I should be the main force for this operation. One of you can come with me."

"The other should stay outside to be our backup."

"If something really goes wrong, even if both of us are wiped out in the dungeon, at least there’s someone alive to get the message out."

By this point, Nicole’s gaze had already taken on the determined look of an investigator:

"Trust me, this is the best choice."