Chapter 134

Amid the stunned stares of Mil and several barons, Catherine arrived at their table.

At that moment, Catherine's previously icy expression softened, revealing a faint, polite smile.

This sudden change made the men feel as if they had stepped from a biting winter wind into a cozy room with a roaring fire—unanticipated, yet heart-pounding.

Just as Mil and the others flushed red, unsure how to respond, Catherine finally spoke.

"Baron Gervas!"

"Huh?!" The men turned sharply toward Gervas!

"Lady Catherine, what can I do for you?" Gervas's face remained calm, though his mind stirred with thought.

Mil and the others found Catherine's demeanor utterly unbelievable.

But Gervas knew this demeanor was merely the polite smile expected among nobles.

Therefore, this could not be Catherine's true attitude toward him before.

"Baron Gervas, I've come to inform you that the fifty gold coins you were promised for the intelligence you passed to my steward are ready."

"If it's convenient, I'll send someone to deliver them to your camp later—could you tell me where your camp is?"

"My camp is beside the caravan market, third position at the gate fence, marked by a black-and-white flag."

"Very well, Baron Gervas. Until later!"

With that, Catherine nodded to Mil and the others, then departed gracefully.

Only after Catherine had vanished into the distance did Mil and the others snap back to reality, all turning to Gervas.

"Gervas, you actually know Lady Catherine? And she's giving you gold coins?"

"Yes, Baron Gervas, what's going on here? Could you give us even a hint?"

Gervas smiled. "We met once before. Didn't Lady Catherine get kidnapped by the Scorpion Bandits? I was the one who sent word to the Violet Family's steward."

"I had a personal grudge against the Scorpion Bandits. Informing the Violet Family not only earned me a reward, but also let me use their hands to eliminate my enemy."

"So that's why! All the nobles were puzzled—how did Lady Catherine return safely? It was because of your intelligence, ha!"

After hearing Gervas's explanation, Kane, Mil, and the other barons seemed to exhale deeply.

Gervas exchanged a few more words with them, then rose to take his leave.

He also settled the tab on his way out.

This further increased Kane, Mil, and the others' goodwill toward Gervas.

Leaving the tavern, Gervas arrived at the gate of his camp, where Catherine and her attendants were already waiting.

After brief pleasantries, Gervas invited Catherine into the camp.

"Baron Gervas, I apologize!" As soon as they entered the meeting tent, Catherine immediately spoke.

"What's wrong, Lady Catherine?"

"Baron Gervas, Count Farrio now knows of your existence."

As expected.

Catherine's earlier odd behavior had already led Gervas to suspect this possibility.

"But don't worry, Baron Gervas—for now, Farrio only knows you leaked the Scorpion Bandits' information."

"The things I just said to you in the tavern were meant to send that message outward."

Gervas understood—the reason Catherine fabricated the reward story in the tavern. "You want Farrio to believe I leaked the information out of personal grudge against the Scorpion Bandits, so he won't harbor deep resentment toward me?"

"Exactly, Baron Gervas. I know this still puts you in danger, but it's the best solution I could think of."

"Here are fifty gold coins—take them first. Later, I'll publicly reveal Farrio's ties to the Scorpion Bandits."

"Then, use these fifty coins to beg Farrio's forgiveness. I believe he'll avoid escalating matters and won't dare act against you openly."

This lady baroness!

Watching Catherine speak with such sincerity, Gervas didn't know what to say.

At the same time, from her words, Gervas sensed something unusual.

"Lady Catherine, is Farrio still pressuring the Violet Family through his allied trading houses?"

Catherine froze, then nodded, her eyes dimming.

"Yes. Our Violet Family's crystal mines are completely unsellable now."

"Under Farrio's covert threats, every trading house near Iron Wolf City refuses to buy our violet crystals."

She had come to the tavern to negotiate aid for the Violet Family with a count's heir.

But that heir had demanded terms so outrageous she'd stormed out in fury.

Gervas now understood why Catherine had exposed herself—Farrio was simply too ruthless.

"Lady Catherine, do you have concrete proof linking Farrio to the Scorpion Bandits?"

"No," Catherine shook her head.

"Lady Catherine, since you have no proof, I advise you not to expose his connection to the Scorpion Bandits."

"Doing so won't harm Farrio—it will only force a complete rupture between you."

"Until you break the surface, Farrio still has some restraint and dares not act too openly."

"But if you expose him without solid proof to bring him down, he'll have full license to strike you openly."

"Lady Catherine, Farrio isn't just suppressing your crystal mines—he's threatened to issue secret bans on all other Violet Family trades: grain, livestock, everything."

"If that happens, your Violet Family may not survive."

A flicker of exhaustion passed through Catherine's eyes.

Though a lord, she was still a woman—still only twenty years old.

In her past life, she'd have been a cherished child. Now, she bore the entire family's burden.

Gervas, though only seventeen, carried a soul that had lived two lifetimes.

He understood her anguish and desperation.

Remembering the single-tube telescopes his jewelers had completed before his campaign, Gervas said: "Lady Catherine, I have a way to free the Violet Family from Farrio's oppression."

Catherine blinked, puzzled, looking at Gervas.

Gervas feigned rummaging in his pocket, then silently withdrew a single-tube telescope from his space ring.

The telescope had two telescoping sections, crafted entirely of brass.

Fully extended, it reached forty-five centimeters in length and weighed about twelve hundred grams.

Though heavy, it magnified eightfold with exceptional clarity.

The only flaw: due to haste, the tube had not been decorated—its bare, gleaming brass shell looked crude.

"This is..."

Catherine stared at the brass tube Gervas offered, unsure what it was.

"Lady Catherine, look at the moon through it."

Tonight, the sky was clear, the moon full and large.

Though puzzled, Catherine followed Gervas's instruction and raised the telescope toward the moon.

Moments later, Catherine's body jerked violently. She snatched the brass tube away as if terrified.