Rorschach continued to read the newspaper, which featured a special report on the Underground Sect.

At the press conference, Nekker had actually hinted, "The Sect might come from our unfriendly northern neighbor."

A reporter familiar with important news from across the continent immediately asked, "Last winter, the Empire’s Imperial Palace and Parliament Building were also hit with similar attacks. Huge vines and a poisonous fog appeared during those incidents, which is highly similar to the Sacred Heart Cathedral incident. Doesn’t this contradict your accusation?"

"What accusation? Please don’t twist my words, sir. I said that the Underground Sect’s first public activities were within the Empire’s borders, so we initially speculate it originated from the north. I didn’t say it was supported by any particular party, although its rate of development is astonishing."

Then, a news agency commentator immediately wrote: The Minister of Finance implies the Istani Kingdom is supporting the Mother Earth Cult, launching attacks on both nations and creating widespread panic.

’Sigh, foreign powers. Sigh, Istani.’ Rorschach was about to close the paper as he neared the advertisement section, but then he saw a long-unseen secret code.

’Huh? It’s been a long time since I’ve heard from the Organization. Nowadays, I just write my routine monthly reports on Valuva. A while ago, all I got was a letter from Teacher Caroline, sent from Stormwind City.’

"Tomorrow... afternoon... opera house box, first show?" This coded message left Rorschach stumped. ’Does it mean any box? What if I can’t get a ticket?’

Regardless, Rorschach went to the opera house on his precious afternoon off. To his surprise, even though it was his day off, the Royal Opera House still had plenty of seats for this performance!

"Sir, you should buy tickets for tomorrow’s new play. Today is the last performance of *Three Wine Barrel Merchants*. And to be honest with you, that play is pretty boring."

As Rorschach was looking at the program list at the entrance ticket booth, one of this world’s "scalpers" sidled up to him. He pretended to be peddling sundries like candy, water, and matches, but was actually clutching a handful of tickets.

Seeing that Rorschach was unmoved and about to buy directly from the ticket booth, the scalper didn’t give up. He gritted his teeth and made a new pitch: "How about this? Two tickets for the first show of the new play tomorrow, and I’ll throw in one for today’s show for free. The new play is the third work by the up-and-coming playwright Karon. Tickets are incredibly hard to get!"

Because the current play was so bad, the scalper figured he’d be stuck with the tickets if he didn’t offload them now. He’d come up with the idea of a bundle deal.

"I want a small box for today’s show. Do you have one?"

"I do, but it’ll cost you extra." The scalper, only thinking about breaking even, made a deal with Rorschach.

Rorschach sat alone in the small box, which was normally meant for couples. The play was indeed boring. It was about the different success stories of three wine barrel merchants, and the opening announcement mentioned it was sponsored by a businessman from the southern part of the Kingdom. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

’They even have sponsored content these days...’ Rorschach yawned. The first act was almost over, and his contact from the Organization still hadn’t arrived.

"Would you care for a beverage, sir?" During the intermission, a server knocked on the box door.

’Hm? That voice is very familiar.’ Rorschach’s spirits lifted. Without moving his body, he used [Mage’s Hand] to open the door.

Just as he thought. Although he was disguised, and the server’s uniform changed his aura somewhat, Rorschach immediately recognized "Mr. Falcon" the moment he turned around.

He pushed a small beverage cart in. Rorschach closed the box door again and glanced around below. The other boxes were sparsely occupied, and the seats below weren’t full either. No one was paying attention to them.

"Why wasn’t there any ticket information for you? I had to knock on every single box." It seemed the dignified agent of the Imperial Organization had added another profession to his resume in the Royal Capital.

Rorschach took the glass of purple soda. Beneath it was a stack of Paper Currency. "I got my ticket from a scalper. Is this money for me?"

"To reimburse you for the ticket." Falcon set the cart aside, pulled an elegant suit jacket from the bottom compartment, and put it on. Just like that, he became one of the audience members.

The second act began. Rorschach and Brother Jun both raised their opera glasses.

They sat side-by-side, pretending to discuss the terrible plot. Brother Jun reported, "The Pachaluka Chamber of Commerce has been suspended for reorganization. The boss discovered the state of our network in the Holy Kingdom. The financial chaos is appalling."

Rorschach nodded. A thought occurred to Brother Jun. "It wasn’t you who reported it, was it?"

"I just reported the facts. After all, they were docking my pay."

"Serves them right. But it also means I’m stuck in this place for quite a while longer. I’m in charge here now. If anything comes up, you’ll report directly to me."

"What about Brother Xiao? Your partner."

"That’s why I came to you. He’s on a mission in Istani. Our Organization tried to investigate the Mages of the Tower of Forest and found that a few individuals were involved with the Sect."

"And the reason the Sect has grown so quickly, aside from the support of some Nobility in the Southern Empire, is funding from across the channel."

As he spoke, he placed a file folder on the small tea table. Rorschach picked it up and stored it in his spatial ring.

’What? The news agency’s conspiracy theorist commentator was actually right?’ In Rorschach’s memory, although the Holy Kingdom and the Empire were hostile to each other, it didn’t stop the Istani Kingdom from conducting a great deal of trade with both. And in all his contact with the Sect, there had never been any sign of a connection to Istani.

’No, wait.’ Rorschach recalled what he had seen in the tripartite investigation report while he was hospitalized: "Mouse King" Old Red had been a sailor, working his way up to first mate, before running the bar. The fleet he worked for sailed back and forth between the Holy Kingdom and the Island Kingdom.

*Hiss...* ’Does every continent, whether in my past life or this one, have its own troublemaking island nation?’ "So, why did you come looking for me?"

Brother Jun started eating a cookie. "The boss wants me to ask you if you can go to Storm City on behalf of a Magic Tower to make contact with Istani’s Guilds and Magic Towers, and... well, it’s written in the file. As for the specific pretext... just like last time with the Black Forest."

"That was a coincidence. It’s not like I can go just because I want to. Besides, I’m heading back to my country soon."

"For the wedding? Isn’t that in May?" It was only the end of February. ’Isn’t that a bit soon?’

Rorschach was calculating the timing for building his factory and selecting a site for his own Magic Tower. "I should be setting off in March or April. I still have some things to take care of."

Falcon didn’t press further. Instead, he thought for a moment. "Alright, the Istani trip isn’t urgent. The Underground Sect has suffered heavy blows in both kingdoms, so our Organization predicts they’ll lay low for a while. The boss will decide the specific time and method, and I’ll inform you."

Brother Jun said no more. Informing Rorschach about the intel on the Sect and Istani was just one of his many tasks in the Holy Kingdom.

"Rorschach is a Middle Level Mage now, so don’t expect him to be completely obedient. But in the end, we’ll probably need him to solve the Istani matter." This is what Sibins had told Falcon before he departed.

A core member of the Sect had confessed that the Istani Royal Family had a deal with the Sect involving a ruin on the island and a legendary Holy Artifact. If this proved to be true, perhaps only a Mage could investigate deeply and make it out alive.

At present, the Organization was severely short-staffed. On one hand, they were hunting down the Sect and rectifying internal financial issues; on the other, they were caught up in the Empire’s internal strife. Although both were part of the military, besides the Special Forces Defense Organization, there was also an intelligence agency led by the army’s Chief Mage, composed entirely of Casters.

The establishment of the Special Defense Organization was also the Emperor’s way of preventing the Caster organization within the military from growing too powerful, hoping they would keep each other in check. And now, Sibins and the Chief Mage were at odds, bickering over every little thing.

Compared to the Caster organization led by the Chief Mage, the vast majority of agents in the Special Defense Organization were from military backgrounds. Although Rorschach was an "unofficial member" who hadn’t received formal training or an official codename, his rapid promotion to Middle Level Mage made the Mechanical Director value him greatly.

Rorschach’s trip to the Black Forest had made the Tower of Forest aware of the infiltration and threat of Mother Earth, which in turn made the Organization’s work much easier.

’As for me... with all the chaotic crap going on inside the Empire right now, it’s nice that I can at least come to the Holy Kingdom and watch an opera.’

So thought Brother Jun, leaning back in the plush chair and shifting into a more comfortable position. Although the play was boring in Rorschach’s eyes, this agent who had transferred from the battlefield to the secret front was watching with great interest.