Chapter 263: Scouts—Excellent Scouts

Hearing Heddy’s report, Gawain wasn’t surprised in the slightest. After all, everything had unfolded just as he had anticipated.

Sudden resurrection, sudden return to the southern territories, sudden establishment of a frontier domain, sudden mass export of cheap “secondary alchemical potions” and magitech devices… The name Gawain Cecil itself was a magnet for attention. Coupled with this string of events, it was impossible for the southern nobles to ignore the rapid transformation taking place on this land.

The contemporary Ansu nobility were slow and dull-witted. When Gawain first began his pioneering efforts, most southern nobles hadn’t even registered what was happening. In their minds, sending eight hundred people to settle at the foot of the Dark Mountains was a death sentence. Even if they survived, self-sufficiency would take years, and until then, the entire frontier would rely on royal subsidies. So initially, they paid little attention.

No one could have imagined how those eight hundred, under Gawain Cecil’s leadership, managed to establish a foothold. Nor could they have foreseen that in less than a year, the population would swell to over ten thousand, towns would be built, stable food supplies secured, and products even exported for profit. The slow-witted southern nobles only woke up when Cecil’s trade caravans flooded their lands. They opened their eyes to find merchants bearing the Cecil Guild’s banner scattered across the entire south. Only then did they begin to act—albeit sluggishly.

Well, compared to the entrenched noble system, their reaction was actually quite swift. But to Gawain, it was still far too slow.

He listened carefully to Heddy’s report. When she finished, curiosity got the better of her. “Ancestor, how did you know in advance that among the winter refugees seeking shelter, a large number would be scouts sent by various noble houses?”

Gawain replied calmly, “It’s simple. The fact that they survived the journey to Cecil’s domain is the biggest red flag.”

Heddy paused, then suddenly understood.

It was winter in Ansu, and the southern territories were the kingdom’s most desolate region. The wilderness here was far more dangerous and vast than the central lands. Especially for those at the foot of the Dark Mountains, like Cecil’s people, the surrounding transportation was abysmal.

Under such conditions, how could refugees—starving, poorly clothed, weak, and without transport—make it all the way to Cecil’s domain?

The harsh truth was: genuine refugees either wouldn’t attempt to migrate there or would perish en route.

Heddy sighed and shook her head slightly. Gawain casually asked, “The investigations didn’t cause too much of a stir, did they?”

The domain was severely short on population and attracting newcomers was a long-term strategy. Even knowing some refugees were “not so innocent,” Gawain didn’t want the investigations to cause panic. If people became fearful, not only would outsiders hesitate to come, but even recent immigrants might become unstable. That was the last thing he wanted.

Heddy chuckled. “No, it was actually too easy to root them out. The population registration and resident zoning systems you implemented were completely new to them. They probably never imagined that every person here would have an identity, a name, and official records. Without even a detailed investigation by the administration, they exposed themselves. Besides, per your initial instructions, only those caught transmitting intelligence or trying to sneak through checkpoints were arrested outright. The rest, once identified, were simply monitored quietly.”

Cecil’s domain boasted an unprecedented population management system for a noble territory of this era. From entry and exit registrations to household records and community management, it was beyond what anyone could imagine. Yet the infiltrating scouts were completely unaware of this. Some tried to pose as laborers, sneaking into daily returning construction crews, only to be dumbfounded when workers lined up to hand in their work badges and collect meal tickets. Others managed to slip into the city, pretending to be vagrants, only to be promptly detained by neighborhood security teams. Most who tried to bluff their way through docks or city gates as refugees never expected a noble to register every “lowly” person’s name, age, origin, and skills—and that before entering the city, these “lowly” people had to undergo observation and education in quarantine camps. About eighty percent of the scouts were exposed during this process.

Of course, some lucky and clever ones passed all the tests. No matter the method, they successfully infiltrated the city. But their expectations of freedom were shattered. They thought, “As refugees, the nobles won’t pay attention to us. We’ll be kicked aside and left to fend for ourselves, so we can move around freely, gather intelligence, and build influence among local thugs.” Instead, they found themselves registered as proud Cecil construction workers, with work badges, job numbers, living in dormitories, eating in communal mess halls. By the time they realized they were spies, they’d already been hauling bricks for days.

Listening to Heddy’s detailed report on the investigation, Gawain even felt a twinge of sympathy for those scouts.

Heddy smiled throughout, then sighed with admiration. “Ancestor, your personnel management system is a stroke of genius. It requires manpower to maintain, but with it, no ill-intentioned person can slip into the domain!”

Gawain raised an eyebrow at his granddaughter. “Then why did you complain to me every day back then?”

Heddy blushed slightly and lowered her head. “I really thought I’d be worked to death at first. But now, with the administration running smoothly and new clerks and secondary managers handling most tasks, I finally have some breathing room.”

Gawain nodded with a smile. Heddy never showed fatigue or weakness in front of others, but with him—the “ancestor risen from the grave”—she was growing more comfortable letting her guard down. Probably because the pressure she bore was immense, and her status forced her to carry it alone. Now, with a senior relative to confide in, she was adapting to this new dynamic.

Still, he had to warn her against complacency. “No system is perfect. Someone will always find loopholes. Don’t assume our opponents will always be that foolish.”

“I know,” Heddy nodded immediately, then asked, “Ancestor, how do you plan to deal with those hostile families? They’ve already started sending scouts into Cecil’s domain…”

Gawain waved his hand dismissively. “No extra measures needed.”

“Huh?”

“The Cecil Guild is already operational. Its network will spread throughout the southern kingdom, even the entire realm. Its growth is our top priority. We just need to keep building and strengthening this intelligence and economic network. No need for more action,” he leaned back, watching Heddy’s surprised face. “Those curious about Cecil won’t disappear. As long as we keep developing, more eyes will watch us. And with the spread of magitech and the magic network, their attention will only increase. We can’t just send troops to wipe out all southern nobles. Better to let them feel secure for now, quietly waiting as Cecil’s economic and intelligence networks infiltrate every corner of their lands.”

The noose was tightening slowly. Drawing the blade now would only scare the prey away.

“But what about the scouts already inside the domain? Should we execute them?”

“Execute? Why?” Gawain smiled faintly. “They’re already exposed. Given their knowledge and ‘skills,’ there’s no way they can escape Cecil’s management system. Mass executions of scouts from various noble houses won’t benefit us. It would only rattle their fragile nerves. They might not act openly, but our guild’s expansion would definitely suffer. After all, everyone wants to maintain a facade of friendliness.”

Heddy frowned. “So you mean…”

“We send all those caught outright to the northern frontier for pioneering work. The identified but unalarmed scouts? They’re already proud Cecil construction workers. We’ll assign them to new construction teams. The western part of the domain is building a new industrial zone and desperately needs manpower. That’ll be their new job. Remember, it’s a normal work reassignment—don’t let them suspect otherwise.”

Gawain paused, then continued, “Name the new team the ‘25th Production Construction Brigade.’ They’ll be managed separately, living and working in isolation. They can communicate with the outside world, but all communication is monitored. From now on, if new scouts are found, first assess their abilities. The less capable go to frontier work or mining; the clever and skilled go to the 25th Brigade.”

Heddy was momentarily baffled. “Won’t they notice something’s off? If their movements and communications are restricted, they’ll realize they’ve been exposed immediately…”

Gawain smiled gently. “No. Just tell them this: ‘Don’t ask questions. You’re executing the Duke’s secret plan.’ The rest they’ll fill in themselves.”

Heddy was speechless.

After a moment, she asked, “But if they observe others around them, won’t they figure out the true nature of the 25th Brigade… ah, no, they won’t!”

“Exactly. Scouts who successfully infiltrate the domain and are only discovered later are excellent scouts. Those assigned to the 25th Brigade will also be excellent. And excellent scouts never expose themselves,” Gawain said cheerfully. “Each member of the 25th Brigade will firmly believe they’re the only spy. Of course, it’s possible two or three entered together and ended up in the same brigade, but that’s no big deal.”

Heddy remained dumbfounded.

(End of chapter)