This took place five days before the auction.
In the northeastern reaches of the Celuroa Kingdom lay a town called Ronsk. Overlooking Azul Lake to the west, it sat close to the borders, flanked by the Klein Kingdom to the northeast and the Kingdom of Franz to the northwest. Further to its north lay the town of Leinen.
(Now then, things were supposed to be smelling fishy around here, weren't they?)
Having received directives from Laojun, the Quinta member assigned to northeastern Celuroa Kingdom was Deneb 20, known by the alias "Shal." Currently, she was disguised as a slightly plump woman in her early twenties. With short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a few lingering freckles, she possessed an undeniably charming face.
Shal operated a bakery in the town of Ronsk. The shop's specialty was known as "Fluffy Bread." Made with yeast cultured on Hourai Island, it boasted twenty percent more fluffiness than standard fare. Thanks to that, business was booming. Co-managing the shop was Deneb 21, alias "Maria," who posed as her younger sister. Unlike Shal, Maria was disguised with quite a slender figure, though she shared the same blonde hair and blue eyes, with her age set in her late teens. Shal handled the management, while Maria worked as the baker. There was one more member: Spica 7, alias "Meimi," completing their guise as three sisters. Meimi appeared to be in her mid-teens, of average height and build, sporting the same short blonde hair and blue eyes. As the youngest sister, she was in charge of minding the storefront. Since it was a small establishment, Shal helped bake bread, while Maria occasionally stepped out to assist customers. The shop went by the name "Cat's Hand." It had ostensibly been chosen in hopes that the shop would become so busy they would gladly borrow even a cat's paw.
And then there was one more person... or rather, one more unit. Serving as the Cat's Hand's poster girl—or rather, poster cat—was the Cat Golem "Tama." He? She? was a sleek black cat.
The Cat's Hand was bustling once again today.
"Meimi-chan, two loaves of bread, please!" "Coming right up! Thanks for your patronage, as always!"
"Maria-chan, the bread's as delightfully fluffy as ever today!" "Thank you very much."
"Where's Tama-chan?" "Up on the eaves today."
During daylight hours, Tama, the poster Cat Golem, took naps out front or atop the eaves.
"We had wonderful business again today." "We certainly did....I'm glad it's so popular." "This will increase Master's assets even further, won't it?"
In this manner, numerous Quinta units blended seamlessly among the common populace to run businesses, gathering intelligence while quietly contributing to Jin's wealth.
"Shall we have Tama get to work first?" "Under-stood."
Even as a Cat Golem, it was fully capable of speech. However, vocalizing through a feline mouth left its words slightly halting—a quirk that only added to its charm. Being small and pitch-black, Tama was uniquely suited for covert nighttime operations. Even if spotted by chance, an ordinary-looking cat rarely drew suspicion.
"I am off."
With that brief announcement, Tama melted into the darkness.
Under normal circumstances, securing leads in a single night was no simple feat... but Laojun had already pinpointed the approximate location using Peepers.
A commercial mansion sat on the outskirts of town. Though the structure had stood for over a century, its current owner was a newly risen noble. In a colossal nation like the Celuroa Kingdom, adequate oversight failed to reach the provinces, leaving them ripe for corruption on multiple fronts.
(So they renovated a merchant firm and took up residence here.)
Tama's control core far exceeded that of an average golem. In truth, it rivaled the Quinta series itself.
(Still, if this was once a merchant firm... there's bound to be a basement.)
Constructing subterranean storerooms was standard practice. That was precisely where Tama directed its focus.
With a single, effortless leap, it cleared the perimeter wall and dropped into the courtyard.
(No barriers detected.)
It padded across the courtyard without hesitation. Ignoring a scurrying field mouse, Tama scaled the exterior wall of the building.
(Grand Search... Found it.)
Scanning deep underground revealed an expansive basement.
(Now then, how do I slip inside?)
Basements of this scale invariably featured ventilation ducts, whether fitted with grates or left open. Circling the mansion once, Tama soon located one.
(Here.)
Activating its force generator, it leapt into the opening. A mesh screen stood in the way to block debris, but Tama utilized magi-craft to create a gap with Forming and slipped through cleanly. A moment later, it touched down silently on the basement floor.
(Hmm...)
Tama's vision was enhanced with night-vision capabilities. Looking around the chamber, it spotted an abundance of stacked crates.
(Alcohol from the Celuroa Kingdom, alcohol from the Shouro Empire, alcohol from the Kingdom of Franz... Is this a cellar?)
Basements maintained stable temperatures and humidity, making them ideal for storing and aging liquor much like a wine cave. On the surface, the sight seemed entirely ordinary. However...
(The contents might not actually be alcohol.)
Tama raised a front paw and tapped gently against one of the crates. If glass bottles filled the interior, the hollow space should have produced a dull, slightly muffled resonance, but...
(What's this?...Sonar.)
A heavy, dense thud echoed back, prompting Tama to inspect the interior more closely using magi-craft.
(Hmm... The contents are metallic, and remarkably heavy at that.)
Next, it deployed its integrated Peeper. Because the unit was not fixed in place, focusing accuracy remained low, limiting its use to close range. For the current task, however, it was more than sufficient.
(Gold ingots... Smuggling, then.)
Checking the remaining crates, Tama discovered caches of mithril and magi-crystals.
(Laojun has likely gathered this much already. The real question is what this upstart noble plans to do with it all.)
Relying on its soft paw pads, Tama ascended the staircase without generating a trace of sound.
At the top of the stairs stood a heavy door. Naturally, a cat's paws could not turn a doorknob. However...
(There's someone on the other side.)
Confirming the presence of two people behind the door via Peeper, Tama tapped its front paw lightly against the wood.
"What was that?" "Is someone there?"
Just as anticipated, the latch clicked and the door swung open for an inspection. Shrouding itself in Invisible, Tama darted beneath the legs of the man opening the door, slipping effortlessly into the hallway beyond.
(Now then, where to from here?)
Surveying its new surroundings, Tama began mapping out its next move.