"And the author of this book assessed that this tribe is far more dangerous than any other in the South."

Ansuma Mehet, the Wolf's Eye Tribe. The name that had been a hazy memory in Yuder's mind became crystal clear upon hearing Gakane's explanation.

'Ah yes, that was the name.'

"During the time this book was written, the Ansuma Mehet Tribe was the most influential in the South. Unlike other tribes who openly argued that they should return to the times before the 'Sand War,' they were unusually friendly toward northerners. But that's what made them more dangerous," Gakane said.

"The Sand War? That sounds somewhat familiar..."

"Why would their kindness make them more dangerous?"

Both Hinn Eldore and Devran asked simultaneously.

"Ah, well, if you're not from the South, you might not know. The Sand War was a conflict that erupted several centuries ago when the south invaded across the desert. Thanks to a treaty we won back then, the South haven't invaded past the desert since. There are still many war memorials and statues in the South," Gakane explained, sounding like he had an intimate knowledge of that war. Before finishing, he added a little awkwardly, "And the renowned general who led merely 100,000 troops to defeat a Southern army ten times their size in the Battle of Black Sands is actually my ancestor, Jureli Bolunwald."

"Oh, no wonder you know so much."

"You really do come from an illustrious family, don't you?"

Everyone was intrigued, but learning this fact didn't make them see Gakane as more distant or create an awkward atmosphere. Gakane, who might have been internally worried, sported a blooming smile on his face.

"I'll introduce you to all of it when we eventually visit the South. Anyway, the reason their kindness was perceived as more dangerous is easier to understand when you consider why the author went to the South in the first place."

According to Gakane, the person who wrote the book had been a low-ranking employee in a trading company in the Orr Empire. Upon hearing that an increasing number of merchants and engineers were traveling to the South for business expansion, he was dispatched as part of a group to evaluate new business opportunities.

Other tribal people did not hide their aversion or dislike toward these northerners. However, the Ansuma Mehet tribe was different. They treated the visitors from north of the desert with exceptional politeness.

Convinced by audacious offers of wealth and honor in return for advancing trade and technology, many chose to stay.

The owner of the company where the author worked was swayed by these offers and decided to set up a new branch there. Employees complied with the Southerners' requests, teaching them arithmetic and the language of the Empire.

The author also taught the Imperial language to the children, and surprisingly excelled in this, gaining many Southerner friends. Eventually, through an introduction, he even began to teach the future chieftain's son. This experience became the turning point that made the author rethink his decision to stay long-term in the South.

"Now, look at this part."

Yuder's gaze fell on the section Gakane pointed out.

'- It was one day while I was teaching the chieftain's son, Surme. The chieftain's house was unusually noisy. When I asked Surme the reason for the commotion, he said it was just the usual and not to be concerned. However, I sneaked over during my break. What I saw there were people from the Maladi Trading Company, who had boasted of becoming wealthy by settling in the South years before us.'

People from the Maladi upper echelons had said they made a fortune by introducing imperial water facilities and magic stone lighting systems to the southern countries. However, when the author met them again, they were furious, claiming they had lost everything in a moment due to fraud by their southern partners.

"The tribal people responded very kindly to that anger. According to them, it wasn't fraud but rather a consequence of clauses clearly specified when they began their partnership. It was a loss that the Maladi people had to take responsibility for. To anyone watching, the tribal people's account seemed accurate. The Maladi upper echelons eventually fled the southern countries a few days later. They were soon forgotten."

Among those who remained in the southern countries, including the author's colleagues, the people from the north didn't seem to care much about this incident. Their minds were filled with thoughts of making big money as quickly as possible in the southern lands. However, the author felt uneasy, recalling the son of the future chieftain saying that this was 'a common occurrence.'

When the incident repeated for the second time, the author eerily realized that there had been no northern desert dwellers who had stayed in the south for over 10 years.

"It might be a coincidence, but I had a bad feeling. My colleagues thought I was a coward. They taunted me, suggesting I was scared of the Black Moon faith of the southern people. Nevertheless, I decided to follow my mother's advice to always trust my instincts."

Unable to bear his unease, the author eventually returned to the Empire alone, dismissing the objections of his superiors, citing health reasons. He then compiled the diaries and records he had kept at that time into a travelogue. That was this very book.

"He was wise not to ignore his gut feelings."

Yuder concluded after listening to Gakane's story.

"Even though it was written 15 years ago, there are quite a few points that worry me when reading this book in the current situation. From my research, the merchants who went there almost all failed and came back just as the author had feared. Those who returned claimed they had been robbed of their business foundations and technologies."

"So they acted friendly but took everything they could."

"Exactly. And this Black Moon faith they believe in also concerns me. I didn't know much about their doctrine apart from the stories in the scriptures, but upon investigating, I found that even the old Sand War was supposedly instigated on the surface by this religious doctrine. There, the Goddess of the Black Moon is claimed to be the rightful ruler of the world. They argue that the Sun God stole her rightful place and it needs to be reclaimed."

"Knowing this now, it's easier to speculate about the true nature of those southern merchants."

Kanna spoke clearly.

"The hostile southern forces are hiding their identities while roaming around the Empire looking for opportunities. They've been strengthening internally for over a decade without spreading much information externally. Their intentions are absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not good."

"Do you think they're planning to wage another war like in the past?"

Devran asked with a furrowed brow.

"We can't be sure yet. All we can do is dig deeper since we've reported what we've found."

"Gakane, good job. It seems you've brought back valuable information."

Yuder quietly praised Gakane.

"If we hadn't known that they are currently meddling with the House of Tain and the Star of Nagran, we might have unknowingly established diplomatic relations with them in a few years, just like those merchants did."

And so, the atmosphere grew tense, each contemplating the implications of what they had just learned.

"Could it have come to that? Still, I'm glad it was of some help."

What seems unlikely now was a reality that the Orr Empire in Yuder's previous life had faced. Yuder thought that the hardships the Orr Empire would've experienced after his death probably weren't much different from the accounts of travel journals about various traders brought by Gakane.

'War.'

War may be fought with swords and blood, but the present Southerners seemed to have learned that money could be more terrifying than a blade. Their ease in donning the masks of merchants to infiltrate the Empire was likely due to the events of that time when those travel journals were written.

Unable to hide his delight, Yuder lightly patted Gakane's flushed shoulder and asked him to continue his investigation.

"I'll report next," Devran raised his hand, a tinge of jealousy coloring his face. Having skipped training sessions to work diligently in a store near the inn where the Star of Nagran had stayed, he'd managed to pick up some rumors.

Access to gossip about the sages in the imperial palace had been limited, but he still found something valuable.

"Local merchants have been saying that recently some suspicious figures have been lurking in Fifth Wall District. I suspect they're Nahan and his associates. I've been extra diligent in my search because I believe they're staying somewhere near Fifth Wall District so they'll know immediately when the sage arrives. And I've found..."

"Did you locate their hideout?"

"Not exactly, but I found a fruit store they frequently visit. So, I switched jobs to that store. The owner of the previous store was quite sad to see me go, but—"

"Devran, you haven't forgotten that you're part of the Cavalry, have you?"

"Of course not! Anyway, I didn't find Nahan, but I did find individuals who are suspected Awakeners!"

It wasn't concrete information, but it was still significant progress. Yuder equally commended Devran.

Next up were the Eldore siblings. They proudly reported that they had intruded into the sage's lodging and brought back items that helped Kanna decode information.

"Now that we know the owner of that leather strap Gakane found is a noble named Renbow, I'm planning to tail him for a while," said one of the Eldore siblings.

"Guess it's finally my turn," Kanna put down the snack she had been munching on and dusted off her hands.

"I've roughly succeeded in determining the abilities of the Awakeners from the Star of Nagran who were staying at the lodging, using the items you guys brought. But there are some cases where I couldn't decipher their names, so just bear that in mind."

With her more refined skills, Kanna proceeded to read the information embedded in the items.

"First, there's an Awakener who can control animals in a manner similar to infection. This person could potentially control humans through animals. Then there's someone who can make a certain place invisible, useful for both protection and confinement. There's also someone who can borrow the vision of a specific target to see distant places, and another who can temporarily combine different abilities."

"Wow, each one of them is formidable. Clearly, they didn't come this far for nothing," Devran said, chuckling incredulously.

"And the last person is a bit of a mystery... This person's ability was the hardest to read. At first, I thought maybe they had a variety of powers or something that mimicked multiple abilities."

"So, what's the reality?"

"I hit a wall there. So instead of just relying on my ability, I thought it would be better to consult Gayle and Doyle, who are in the Cavalry, and corroborate based on the attire of the sages we've observed so far. With Hinn and Finn's help, I did just that. And Gayle and Doyle mentioned an individual with a very intriguing ability."

"Intriguing ability?"

"Yes. Someone who can copy the abilities of others."