“What is it?” Shang Jianyao asked impatiently.

Gitis’s face gradually blossomed into a smile, and her eyes gained a bit of radiance.

She said at a moderate pace:

“Concerning Koninmis.

“This is included in the remaining value of the deposit, no extra payment required.”

Although Gitis tried to show her generosity, Long Yuehong and Bai Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of being “at a loss.”

They knew beforehand that if Shang Jianyao's father's Old Task Force had indeed been to Gesterbourg, it was very likely to inquire about Koninmis. Now, they just got confirmation.

Of course, no matter what, it's always a good thing to have confirmation.

“What specific aspects are involved?” Shang Jianyao pressed.

Jiang Baimian couldn’t even get a chance to snatch the question.

Gitis picked up a piece of waste paper and the fountain pen beside her, and said seriously:

“I asked a lot of people. Most of them have about the same understanding of Koninmis as I do. You can ask any local over thirty years old on the street and get the same information. That Ashlands team didn't get much more from them either.

“I don't think you'd be interested in that.”

“No.” Jiang Baimian shook her head lightly, “I still want to know what questions that Ashlands team asked.”

This can also deduce some things.

Gitis nodded:

“They mainly asked what they knew about Koninmis, focusing on whether residents who traded between there and Gesterbourg mentioned anything unusual. Obviously, that Ashlands team didn't get satisfactory answers.

“This is included in the remaining value of the deposit, no extra payment required.”

That’s more like it… Long Yuehong finally felt the deposit was worth it.

Gitis showed a mysterious smile once again:

“However, there are five people who I believe know more about Koninmis. All indications prove this, but they all just gave me standard answers, no different from other interviewees.”

“Which five?” Shang Jianyao asked again.

“This requires extra payment.” Gitis maintained her previous expression, “Two knight silver coins per name, ten for five.”

Ten? Jiang Baimian felt a twinge of pain in her teeth.

The Old Task Force only had six knight silver coins in total now. It was barely enough for today's meal, while accommodation and electricity could be settled every few days, as long as it didn't exceed the deposit too much.

“We have a mission tomorrow and can get a reward,” Shang Jianyao suggested very actively, “Do you accept collateral?”

“Ten knight silver coins also require collateral?” Gitis seemed to have not seen such a person for a long time, “What do you plan to use as collateral?”

In a flash of lightning, Jiang Baimian suspected that Shang Jianyao would answer “nuclear bomb.”

She quickly answered:

“A ‘United 202’.”

She then took off the “United 202” from her equipment belt.

Besides these more common firearms, the Old Task Force couldn't really find anything suitable to mortgage that wouldn't scare people.

If they were really pushed to the limit, they could only send Old Ge out to act as collateral.

Gitis took the pistol, checked it, and said:

“On the black market, a good ‘United 202’ can sell for 25 to 30 knight silver coins. It's no problem to use it as collateral.”

The White Knights have a significant shortage of arms, and weapon prices are higher than in places like United Industries.

When walking on the streets of Gesterbourg, the most common weapons the Old Task Force saw on ordinary people were shotguns and modified hunting rifles.

“Deal!” Shang Jianyao revealed a smile.

Gitis used the fountain pen to write lines of words on the waste paper and then handed it to Jiang Baimian.

Although Shang Jianyao was mainly negotiating this matter just now, this intelligence merchant seemed keenly aware of who was actually in charge.

Shang Jianyao swiped his head to Jiang Baimian's shoulder, looking at the still-wet ink on the waste paper:

“1. Deputy Commander of the local Knights, Assistant to Great Knight Havier, High Knight Iman.

“2. Franz, President of the local Hunters Guild.

“3. Esther, Director of the local Mining Federation.

“4. Another intelligence merchant, Moore.

“5. Smith, the leader of the ‘Wayfarer’ merchant group.”

As the Old Task Force crowded around the waste paper, Gitis said in a rote manner:

“Iman's father was the former lord of Gesterbourg, a Great Knight, who passed away seven years ago. That Ashlands team definitely visited Iman's father, and he was also present. As the son of Gesterbourg's former ruler and one of the leaders of trade with Koninmis, I believe he knows a lot.

“Franz has been the president of the local Hunters Guild for almost thirty years, now the chief hunter, and definitely knows a lot. There is reason to believe that the Ashlands team also visited him.

“Before Koninmis was destroyed by the disaster, it had relatively close trade relations with our Gesterbourg. Esther even set up a branch office there and spent half of each year there. Fortunately, the disaster struck during the other half of the year.

“Moore is my competitor. He's old, barely making a living with his original connections, but twelve years ago, he was still an energetic middle-aged man who knew many things he shouldn't know.

“Smith is the leader of the ‘Rootless’ team you know. His merchant group is called ‘Wayfarer,’ and it is the main carrier of our various transactions with Koninmis. He has been to Koninmis more times than anyone else in the area.”

“We didn't even ask Smith about this in the first place!” Shang Jianyao lamented.

That's his brother, as for whether he still is now, it depends.

The reason why the Old Task Force didn't ask in the first place was because they hadn't connected Shang Jianyao's father's Old Task Force with Gesterbourg.

Gitis was in a daze for a few more seconds before opening her mouth and saying:

“You can visit these five people yourself and ask the corresponding questions, or you can ask me for help. But to pry open their mouths, I have to find enough chips, so the price won't be low, one Great Knight gold coin per person.”

Only one Great Knight gold coin? Jiang Baimian felt that Gitis's asking price was surprisingly cheap.

It's not that Great Knight gold coins aren't valuable. The Bodhi Statue mission was only offering fifty Great Knight gold coins as a reward, which attracted a large number of relic hunters. Many people even felt that if they could really get the full reward, they wouldn't have to worry too much about the rest of their lives.

Because money can make money, sometimes faster than a gun, sometimes slower than a gun.

Of course, sometimes, it will also run to someone else's house.

The reason why Jiang Baimian felt it was cheap was because it was absolutely impossible to pry open the mouths of people at Iman and Esther's level with just one Great Knight gold coin.

Would they lack that one Great Knight gold coin?

They would leak more than that out of their fingers!

Does Gitis have some unconventional method? Jiang Baimian thought, smiling at Gitis:

“We'll try it ourselves first, and if it doesn't work, we'll come back to you.”

“Okay.” Gitis was not surprised by this answer at all. It seemed that normal people would choose this.

“What about the other two things?” Jiang Baimian asked.

Gitis recalled for a moment and said:

“Regarding the Bodhi Statue matter, there is currently no news beyond the information from the Hunter Guild.

“Some of the goods previously transported by Smith's merchant group came from Esther. What exactly they were is temporarily unclear. This information is worth ten knight silver coins, which I'll include in the collateral.”

Esther… Jiang Baimian and the others silently repeated this name.

“Anything else?” Gitis asked.

After receiving a negative answer, she fell into her usual absentmindedness again.

Shang Jianyao left the hotel and eagerly suggested:

“Let's go find Smith first. He's the easiest to negotiate with.”

Jiang Baimian showed a soothing smile:

“No need to rush. We haven't had breakfast yet.

“Well, nothing should go wrong with Smith. We can ask him later. We'll consider the other four after we complete the mission tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Shang Jianyao had no objections.

However, after they had a quick bite to eat and started looking for the Wayfarer merchant group, an accident happened.

Smith and his Rootless team had gone to a settlement in the southeast to transport a batch of goods. They had been gone for several days and wouldn't return for about five more days.

Shang Jianyao was very disappointed by this and could only return to the hotel and wait patiently.

Another day passed, and the Old Task Force, full of high-performance batteries, was brimming with confidence.

Knock knock knock!

In the early morning, Sipant knocked on their door.

“Can we set off?” He glanced at the tall, sturdy, and metallic Genava, feeling that this mission would be very simple.

Any possible enemy with eyes wouldn't ignore the existence of such a dangerous object!

In comparison, those four humans were just extras.

They are so lucky. When can I have my own intelligent robot… In that case, I can save up more money and buy the latest and best-effect potions, and the range of choices will be wider… Sipant's gaze swept over Jiang Baimian and the others, and he felt a slight tinge of envy in his heart.

Shang Jianyao touched his stomach and asked seriously:

“Is there free breakfast?”

Sipant was not surprised by this question at all. He laughed and said:

“Yes!

“I haven’t had breakfast either.”

Relic hunters, after all, are used to scrounging whatever they can.

Shang Jianyao nodded with satisfaction, summoning Jiang Baimian and the others:

“Let’s go!”