A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1359: The Spy

No matter how difficult it was, it had to be done. Thus, the first thing Qi Xuansu did upon arriving in the New Continent was to find a point of entry. He had also found one—the list of traitors held by Audrey Ale.

A high-level traitor would inevitably leak critical intelligence, including key military deployments. With this as justification, the Daoist Order could formally demand that the Western Daoist Order de-escalate and keep the war within controlled limits.

Previously, the Daoist Order could not intervene because the Holy Court had initiated the attack, so the Tawantin Court’s counterattack was justified. The Daoist Order had set its moral stance too high. While it secured the moral high ground, it also meant that without proper justification, it could not forcibly reverse course without undermining itself, causing instability and severe consequences.

As long as Qi Xuansu exposed the traitors, it would provide the Daoist Order with legitimate grounds. War might be inevitable, but full preparation was required. With traitors leaking secrets internally, rushing into battle would be akin to sending soldiers to their deaths.

Internal dissatisfaction could also be naturally redirected toward the traitor.

Even if the traitor had not actually leaked sensitive information, once such an accusation arose, the Daoist Order could intervene.

The Daoist Order had supported the Southern Continent for many years. Every act of material support deepened its control. Over time, the Daoist Order could ignore the opinions of the Western Daoist Order and the Tawantin Court in high-level decisions, but the latter two could not ignore the Daoist Order.

War was a matter of vital importance to the state, the path to survival or destruction, so it must not be taken lightly and must be handled with utmost caution since it affected countless lives.

Thus, it would not be prudent to proceed even knowing that there were internal problems and possible leaks.

Under such circumstances, if the Western Daoist Order still insisted on war, there was a high chance that they would be defeated. If so, someone must take responsibility for the aftermath, which would be no minor penalty. Who would dare risk everything on such a gamble?

However, Qi Xuansu had not yet verified the traitor list, so he found himself torn and hesitant. He did not immediately inform Gong Fu of the matter because he was still uncertain about Gong Fu’s true stance.

From what Qi Xuansu could see, both Gong Fu and Huangfu Ji were pro-war. What if the two of them fully grasped his intentions and moved first to eliminate the traitor or even silence Audrey? Although the probability was low, it was still a real possibility.

However, time was running out for Qi Xuansu. He had to bring the matter to light before both sides formally escalated the situation. Otherwise, once war began, raising it would lose much of its significance—for once the bow was drawn, there would be no turning back.

Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu went to Audrey. “Miss Ale, I have brought you to the Southern Continent and shown my sincerity, so it’s time for you to fulfill your end of our agreement.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Qi. Of course, I will honor my promise,” Audrey replied. At the banquet the previous night, she had already learned from others that Qi Xuansu was the Lotus Seat and that his last name was Qi, because everyone addressed him as Chief Deputy Qi or Sage Qi.

Audrey’s defection to the Southern Continent had long been premeditated, not a spur-of-the-moment decision. As such, she had previously learned the native languages and the Central Plains official tongue under the pretext of improving her acting. That way, she could communicate with the locals fluently.

Qi Xuansu had already set up a privacy barrier in the tent. Only the two of them were there as he asked, “Who are the traitors?”

Audrey replied, “Among the high-ranking officials of the Tawantin Court, there are two generals who happen to be brothers—Hun Ahau and Hun Chowen. The traitor is one of them.”

Before coming to the New Continent, Qi Xuansu had done some preparation. He could not claim deep familiarity or personal acquaintance, but he knew basic background information.

He had read about the Hun brothers, who possessed Pseudo-Immortal strength and were considered Divine Beings in the Western system. They were top figures in the Tawantin Court’s military with access to various classified information.

The two brothers specialized in jungle warfare. Now that a traitor had appeared at the very top ranks of the military, the justification to stop the war was more than sufficient, as it posed a direct threat to Tawantin’s security.

Qi Xuansu asked again, “Which one is it?”

Audrey said, “In that document, the traitor was referred to only by the codename ‘Ape God.’ But I’m certain that this Ape God is one of the Hun brothers. The document clearly mentioned Daoist aid. Having stayed by Sophia’s side for years, I know a bit about politics. Matters involving the Daoist Order are usually handled through the Western Daoist Order, which then connects with the Tawantin Court. Anyone who can access Daoist internal information must be either a high-ranking figure in the Tawantin Court or a member of the Western Daoist Order. Since the information involves military equipment, it must be a top military figure. The intelligence also mentioned Cusco, which happens to be under the responsibility of the Hun brothers. That cardinal priest once boasted while drunk that the Ape God was the Evangelical Ministry’s greatest trump card. So long as he was there, there was no need to fear the Tawantin army.”

Qi Xuansu’s thoughts stirred. “You mentioned military equipment just now. Can you be more specific?”

Audrey’s memory was sharp. She recalled, “It was about the Daoist Order’s aid over the past year, including the types of weapons, quantities, handover locations, transport routes, storage sites, and so on. This should be just one piece among many intelligence records.”

Qi Xuansu considered it briefly and found it credible. Spies would not just leak secrets once. It was either none or countless times. Such activities were usually driven by incentives, with different values to each piece of intelligence. Thus, the more one provided, the more one earned. It was rarely a one-time deal, but rather a long-term business.

At the level of a spy like the Ape God, the motive would not be money but something else, like divine power. Yet the underlying principle remained the same. Even high-level leaks functioned like pieces of a puzzle. It required large volumes of information to be aggregated and analyzed to piece together strategic intentions and directions and then formulate appropriate responses.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Can you be more specific?”

After a moment of thought, Audrey replied, “Due to the urgency of the situation, I only remember the general contents. But one detail stood out clearly. The Daoist Order supplied a batch of Grade-A Series Three Phoenix Eye Bombs, and the Ape God provided the exact location and defense layout of the Cusco armory where this batch was stored.”

Qi Xuansu immediately contacted Lu Yujue. “Deputy Lu, check the situation regarding the Cusco armory, specifically about the batch of Grade-A Series Three Phoenix Eye Bombs we previously supplied... Yes, as soon as possible. I’ll wait for your reply.”

Before long, Lu Yujue responded, “Chief Deputy, the Cusco armory was attacked three months ago. Some Grade-A Series Three Phoenix Eye Bombs were indeed lost, and a massive explosion occurred, resulting in over 200 casualties and property damage exceeding 3 million Taiping coins. The aftermath is still under investigation by the Juesheng Hall.”

“Alright, I understand,” Qi Xuansu said, ending the communication.

Audrey visibly relaxed. “Mr. Qi, can you now confirm that my intelligence is valid?”

Qi Xuansu smiled faintly. “Miss Ale, the intelligence you provided is very valuable. I will make the necessary arrangements to help you remove the Steam Power Core as soon as possible. If needed, I can also replace your skin to get rid of those fallen apostle markings.”

Audrey stood up, lifted her skirt slightly, and gave a courteous bow to express her gratitude.

Qi Xuansu fell into deep thought. Based on the Cusco armory incident, it was certain that there was a traitor within Tawantin Court’s high ranks. Just as Audrey had deduced, it had to be someone from the military ranks. The priestly class and the royal family would not possess such detailed information on weapons storage. Even if they knew of the armory’s existence, they would not have access to defense schematics.

However, Qi Xuansu could not arrest two high-ranking generals based solely on inference and Audrey’s testimony. A single misstep could disrupt the military or even place him in a highly disadvantageous position.

He needed evidence, and he could not rule out the possibility that the Holy Court was employing a counterintelligence scheme.

But how could he find evidence in such a short time? Even if he started investigating from the Cusco armory incident, it would take months at minimum, and it might still yield no definitive result. By then, war would already have broken out.

In reality, identifying high-level spies was usually done by obtaining intelligence from the opposing side’s leadership, just as Qi Xuansu was doing. It was rarely uncovered through direct investigation. The key issue lay in Audrey’s identity. She was not a member of the Evangelical Ministry nor a cleric of the Steam Evangelical Sect. If she had been an important member of the Evangelical Ministry, her testimony could have served as solid evidence.

In the end, Qi Xuansu decided to consult Sage Qingwei and seek his opinion. If Sage Qingwei deemed it worth the risk, he would not mind taking the gamble.

To put it bluntly, although Tawantin Court’s high-ranking generals held great status, they were ultimately not the core leadership of the Daoist Order. Even if the accusation turned out to be wrong, the consequences would not be irreparable. The risk was far lower than falsely accusing a Daoist high-ranking figure without solid evidence.