The Warden of The Witches

Chapter 187 - The Hired Hunter

Another day passed, and Rebecca arrived at the Rose Prison to deliver the results of the investigation conducted by the Inquisition.

"We found them. The place where those two fled is an abandoned mine pit located in the Northwind Mines... it's right here." Rebecca spread a map on Aiden's desk, and marking the target location with a pencil.

In this operation against the Bountifull Mother cult, the Inquisition collaborated with the Rose Prison, providing certain intelligence support and personnel assistance.

Within the Witch Gathering, Abigail, Qimora, and Hasbinis had considerable intelligence-gathering capabilities, while the Bountifull Mother cult had nearly inexhaustible manpower. In contrast, the Rose Prison had a noticeable shortcoming in intelligence collection, which the support from the Inquisition fortunately compensated for.

"An abandoned mine pit? Not a village?" Aiden asked.

"It used to be." Rebecca replied, "The Northwind Mines produced coal and pyrite. It was mined for more than thirty years, and the pits started being abandoned seven years ago. A village was built nearby during the mining period, but it has long been uninhabited."

"I remember this place. A band of marauders once occupied it, and I participated in the raid," Veronica interjected. "Another time, two B-level wanted criminals fleeing together hid there. I led the team to capture them, and we killed them there."

Aiden frowned slightly, "Isn't this area within the territory of Black Iron City? Is it also under Silver City's jurisdiction?"

"Northwind Town belongs to Black Iron City, but it's separated from the urban area by a mountain. There's no railway between them, so traveling is actually more convenient from Silver City. The population over there is relatively sparse, and the police force is weak. In case of emergencies, they prioritize reporting to Silver City," Veronica explained. "Due to the mining activities, Northwind Town has quite a few such abandoned villages, so..."

"Practically a haven for criminals," Aiden nodded in agreement. "But why would they go to such a place? Have they run out of backup strongholds?"

A town with a weak police force, abandoned villages with shelter from the elements, basic facilities, and no need for makeshift camps—it's an ideal hideout for fugitives. Especially for bandit gangs, who could set up a stronghold and dominate the area like mountain bandits.

However, for the Bountifull Mother cult, such a place would be less suitable. Their preferred methods of expansion and extortion work best in densely populated areas.

When Hasbinis reported that they had fled to a village by the mountains, Aiden thought they would establish more preaching outposts in other villages within the autonomous state.

"Actually, Northwind Town did report to us recently that a few well-known 'hunters' appeared in the town," Rebecca said. "At first, we thought it was unrelated to the cult..."

"Hunters? Bounty hunters?" Veronica was surprised.

"both, Bounty hunters, monster hunters. Northwind Town doesn't have an Inquisition office. The town police suspected that an A-level or higher fugitive or some dangerous monster had moved nearby, which is why they reported to us," Rebecca explained.

Aiden understood the local police's actions. Bounty hunters make their living by capturing fugitives for rewards, while monster hunters primarily accept commissions to hunt dangerous wild beasts or directly hunt monsters to sell valuable materials on the black market or to witches and alchemists. Some highly accomplished hunters also earn a notable reputation in the underworld.

These individuals are typically self-taught and operate in the grey areas of the law, relying on their own intelligence networks to chase profitable opportunities.

When a place suddenly sees an influx of bounty hunters or monster hunters, the local police department naturally becomes anxious, especially since Northwind Town is particularly suitable for hiding criminals.

"Are they targeting the cult?" Veronica asked, somewhat puzzled.

After all, members of the Bountifull Mother cult were heavily bounty-listed in both the Empire and Gistas.

However, Rebecca shook her head. "No, capturing members of the Bountifull Mother cult within the autonomous state doesn't make sense. The cult only just made it onto the Inquisition's purge list in the past couple of days, and the bounty notices haven't even been issued yet. We conducted some interviews and identified a few hunters recognized by locals, and we've compiled a list of names."

As she spoke, she placed a document on the table.

Veronica glanced at it and immediately frowned. "Why is it full of these sorts?"

The names listed were indeed well-known hunters, but their reputations were far from good. These individuals were not pure bounty hunters; most of them had a history of taking money for dirty work. Two of them were even on wanted lists themselves. ᚱÁℕỐＢЁş

In short, they were a bunch of desperados.

"They're making extra money as mercenaries, probably hired by the cult," Aiden said slowly.

These desperados would risk their lives for enough money, and the Bountiful Mother cult certainly didn't lack funds. They could even offer an unlimited supply of women.

"So, this abandoned mine pit is a... fortified outpost for the cult? What are they planning?" Veronica was dumbfounded.

Aiden was also a bit surprised. It made sense for the cult to oppose the Inquisition, but hiring a group of somewhat capable mercenaries to occupy a poorly policed town suggested something more serious. Were they planning a rebellion?

Although the ultimate goal of the Bountifull Mother cult was to overthrow the government and restore their kingdom, they should be targeting the Empire and the Kingdom of Gistas, not a neutral autonomous state.

But a closer look at the map revealed the real motive.

"No, their goal in recruiting here should be the Sabbath Forest," Aiden pointed at the map. "If you cross the Northwind Mines and follow the valley in this direction, you reach the edge of Sabbath Forest in about three days. If there are connected tunnels within the mines, it would be even faster. The cult has been besieging Sabbath Forest, and this outpost allows them to support operations on both sides."

This explained the cult's actions. When their activities in the autonomous state encountered unexpected obstacles, they shifted focus to attacking Abigail. However, they clearly didn't want to abandon their efforts in the autonomous state, so they positioned themselves in the most strategic location.

For Aiden, this was somewhat beneficial; if the cult moved away from Silver City, their activities targeting the Rose Prison would likely decrease.

However, he couldn't simply ignore the cult's threat to Abigail. If the Bountifull Mother cult did manage to acquire the "Hatching Egg," he would be their next target.

"We haven't thoroughly investigated the number of hunters operating there yet, but if there are enough of them, they could pose a significant obstacle to us," Rebecca said, her concern.

"Tonight, I'll check with the Witch Gathering to see what they think. If the cult is shifting their focus in that direction, Abigail will be the most urgent to respond," Aiden replied.

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