Cthulhu Gonfalon

After getting married, Wood's life changed a lot.

Now he no longer spent seven or eight hours doing sculpture work in the workshop. Instead, he was busy at home every morning or taking a walk with his wife. Then he went to the workshop in the afternoon and went home early in the evening. Neighbors near the workshop could no longer see the light that was always on at night but saw Wood's face glowing with health instead. Wood's smile became more and more vivid, and he no longer kept others a thousand miles away.

Everyone was very happy about his changes. Even North Wind felt happy too.

Of course, the reason why she was happy was different from what others thought.

Others were happy because Wood had become happier while she was happy because Wood had shown his weaknesses.

When Wood and North Wind first met, Wood was a very cautious person. He was very careful even when facing his companions from his motherland, but after getting married, he obviously relaxed a lot. His weaknesses could be seen everywhere in his ordinary life, and his behavior had changed a lot.

If North Wind wanted to kill him, he would have been dead by now.

But North Wind did not want to kill him so quickly. She was still a stranger at present and had to take advantage of Wood's relationship to take root in Pyroxene Town.

When she became very familiar with Pyroxene Town, Wood would be definitely killed by her.

But as the days went by, she became doubtful again.

Wood did not behave like a betrayer.

If he had really betrayed them, why would he live a stable life with North Wind and have no intentions of hiding somewhere?

Wasn't he afraid that his secret of betrayal would be discovered? Was he so contemptuous of North Wind?

North Wind felt very upset at present.

Being underrated was actually a good thing for spies. If the enemy belittled those spies, it was easy for the enemy to show their weaknesses and they would also make mistakes at that time. So spies were good at hiding their actual strength.

However, being looked down upon by companions would make them feel unhappy especially since Wood was North Wind's husband!

When North Wind first became a spy, she had heard about Wood's story. Wood had acted as a court bard, provoking contradictions in the royal family of the Duchy of Thunder, and successfully triggering a small-scale rebellion. He had sent the most talented son of the Grand Duke of Thunder to hell, removing the potential threat.

He had also traveled thousands of miles and crossed the entire Ancient Forest when there were many enemies following him, successfully delivering an important message from the Kingdom of Thousands of Springs. He was badly injured and almost died. Even the priest was surprised and praised him for his spirit. If not for his spirit having transcended his body, he would have died on the road.

Wood was a character worshipped by the younger generation of spies, and North Wind was no exception.

So after strict training and repeated screening, North Wind was selected to finish the task of killing Wood. She was shocked when she learned of her task before leaving.

How was this possible? Why would Wood betray them? That was impossible!

When she calmed down, she thought about it and felt a little lucky.

If Wood really had betrayed them, it would be a rare honor for her who had worshipped him before to be able to punish him in person.

Though, she did not want the glory at all.

When she arrived at Pyroxene Town and met Wood, she actually found the former trump spy had become a little weak now.

It was not that his strength had become weak; he was still very powerful. Even on the next day after he married North Wind, he had stepped into the advanced level and became a respected person who could raise his head high when going in and out of the king's court.

The "weakness" felt by North Wind was that his ability as a spy had become weak.

He was still able to gather information, but his sensitivity to information was reduced. His alertness to danger was reduced, and he gradually became less like a spy, but more like a real artist.

Those changes showed slowly after he got married. Although only a few signs had been shown, for North Wind who was good at observing, what those signs had predicted could be taken as a fact.

This Wood was not what the Wood that North Wind had imagined.

She thought she would have to match his wit and bravery, and perhaps she would even have to spare every effort to kill him. She also imagined that her mission would be easily exposed, and then she would be killed without a fight by Wood. What's more, she imagined that Wood had not betrayed them and that everything had just been a misunderstanding. What she thought about most though was that Wood had not betrayed them.

Unfortunately, all her imaginations were wrong.

Wood had really betrayed them, and he was getting weaker and weaker. He was no longer a trump spy who had a strong sensitivity and alertness.

Seeing him like this, North Wind was both happy and angry.

She was happy that her task would be easily finished. The reason why she felt angry was that she saw her idol in a degraded state.

Who was Wood? He was the best spy in the Mifata Federation and the idol of the younger generation.

How could he become so weak! How could he lose the sensitivity and alertness that a spy should have?

Being looked down upon by him who had become so weak now made her furious, and she could not help but want to roar.

Was there any reason for that? As an excellent spy who always kept a strong sensitivity and alertness, how could North Wind be looked down upon by someone who was becoming more and more careless, more and more dull and less vigilant!

Damn! What the f*ck!

But North Wind could not show her anger nor could she show any signs of her emotions.

Wood had become weak now, but that didn't mean he was really trash. On the contrary, he may regain his spirits and become as sharp as a cat, as cunning as a fox, and as fierce as a wolf at any time.

Anyway, he was still very powerful, and his past brilliant achievements lay here.

Those who dared to belittle him were either having problems with their eyes or with their brains.

North Wind's eyes and brain were normal, so she never dared to show any suspicions. She honestly acted like a younger generation spy sent to assist Wood in his work.

If Wood hadn't betrayed them, she would have been his true assistant. So she did her work very well and had no problems at all.

About half a month later, North Wind began to carry out her education career according to her original plan.

Firstly, she rented out a room and cleaned it up. At Wood's suggestion, she rounded up all the sharp wood-works in the room and wrapped them in a soft cloth in order to ensure safety.

Then she imitated a professional studio and built a much larger painting classroom. She bought a lot of simple painting materials.

When everything was ready, she began to publicize her painting classroom and invite the residents of Pyroxene Town to send their children to learn to paint.

At first, the residents of Pyroxene Town had some doubts and were worried.

Painting was such a high-end thing for the residents of Pyroxene Town, and most of them had little upper-class background. For them, "painting" was a little too far away from them.

But no parent in the world did not want their children to learn useful skills or to be able to move upward. Even if they could not enter upper-class society, it was at least good for them to learn the skills of upper-class society!

Therefore, when they learned that the cost of learning painting in North Wind's classroom was not high, they dispelled their worries and rushed to send their children to study.

Anyway, she was the wife of the great artist, Mr. Wood. Even if she was not as good as Mr. Wood, she was at least an artist.

How honorable it would be if their children were taught by a real artist!

If their children could go further to learn some real skills and become an artist in the future, that would be even better!

North Wind didn't expect so many families to send their children to her classroom. She was in a hurry to arrange everything. Fortunately, Wood was very rich, and he immediately recruited many helpers in order to avoid her making mistakes in her busy work.

"What a surprise!" After the busy start of class, North Wind sighed. "People in Pyroxene Town are so keen on letting their children learn to paint! Although my tuition fee is not high, it is not low either. Two gold coins a year; that is equivalent what an ordinary farmer can save in a whole year!"

"Two gold coins is not expensive," Wood said. "How do you feel after getting familiar with the prices of Pyroxene Town and the Northwest Republic?"

"Goods here are a little expensive," North Wind said. "Two copper coins can buy a chicken in a small federal town, and three copper coins in the Highest Tower, but four in Pyroxene Town. Will it cost five copper coins to buy a chicken in Void City?"

"You are right. It's very remote here. Most of the goods are transported through the mountains and rivers. For example, chickens and ducks, which can be raised by the residents of Pyroxene Town, are relatively cheap," Wood smiled and said. "But people here also earn a lot. With Void City as the core, the income of residents in the Northwest Republic is much higher than that in other places. For the people here, two gold coins are nothing more than the fare for the whole family to go out to Void City. If they want to eat something special there or do something interesting, they have to pay more."

"Pyroxene Town is the second most prosperous area in the Northwest Republic. Every family here can easily take out hundreds of gold coins. Middle-income families can save such a sum of money in two or three years. So it's not an unacceptable high price for them to spend two gold coins a year to let their children learn painting."

North Wind was silent for a long time and sighed softly.

Over the past few days, she had been working hard to collect information, and she felt that she had been familiar with Pyroxene Town. The weather patterns, the residence of important people, the changing rules of the town defense soldiers, or the patrol routes of the town guards—she almost memorized it all.

But now she realized that she still needed to know more. She was only a layman in Pyroxene Town and the Northwest Republic.

Wood deserved to be one of the best spies of the Mifata Federation in recent decades. Even though he had gradually become dull and careless, his accumulated knowledge about the Northwest Republic over the years was still an amazing asset.

If he could return to the Mifata Federation, this amazing asset would belong to the Federation.

She thought about this but immediately told herself not to think fantastically.

Faced with such a strong man as Wood, she would be killed at any time if she were to get careless. It would be good for her to kill him smoothly to accomplish her task. She really couldn't think too much!

But she just couldn't help but to think about it.

A few days later, she finally could not contain herself and asked Wood if he had any plans to return to the Mifata Federation.

Wood opened his eyes wide, and his face was full of surprise. He shouted, "Is that really okay?"

"Probably it's okay… Now we have two people here, and it's okay for us to leave. As long as we don't leave for too long, it should be all right."

Wood jumped up with joy. "Great! I'll go and pack my bags! Tomorrow morning, we'll head out!"

"You haven't even thought about it yet," North Wind frowned and said. "It's not good to make hasty decisions."

"It's not a hasty decision," Wood laughed and said. "I've been thinking about going home for a long time! You just arrived here, so you don't know what I mean! For a long-term spy, homesickness is like a poison sinking deep into the bone marrow, so you can't help but think of the grass and trees in your hometown… For a time, I have dreamed of the Highest Tower, its grand main gate, its soaring tower, its southern snack shops in the living area under the Tower, and many magical apprentices entangled with grocery owners for half a day with a silver coin. I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you, I miss every tree there and even every weed!

"I remembered when I started out, my supervisor told me that this latent job might last a long time. I thought it would take about two or three years. In the twinkle of an eye, more than a decade has passed." He looked up to the sky and sighed. "More than a decade! Such a long time!"

Then why did you betray us?

North Wind didn't say that, but secretly she ridiculed him in her heart.

"I've also said in my report that I had been away from my hometown for too long and had been lurking here for too long. I suggested them to have someone take over my job, but they rejected it," Wood sighed and said. "You know, sometimes I even worry that my superiors have forgotten about me. Sometimes I even have some ridiculous ideas and think that they have destroyed my files and want me to be an honest wood-carving artist in the Northwest Republic."

Wood sat down and shook his head with a bitter smile. "I was really scared when that idea came into being. I almost wanted to throw everything away and run back to ask the truth."

"You really think too much," North Wind said.

"Yes, I think too much. I haven't been forgotten by my supervisors, it's just that my ideas and my superiors' are at odds, so I've been cold-handed." Wood laughed bitterly. "But that's okay. It's okay. I don't care about making achievements. I've done enough. I just want to return home alive, and be able to spend the rest of my life at home."

His face glowed, and his eyes lit up. "I dreamed that when I was old, I would buy a house in a small town near the Highest Tower and get a small bookstore. I would sell some travel books and other books. Then I would sit between the bookshelves every day and watch the young people walking around. I would introduce my books to them—oh, and of course, my sculptures."

North Wind looked at his cheerful appearance and sneered.

His emotions toward his hometown might be true, but for a spy who had betrayed them, these were just fantasies.

This guy probably wanted to go back to the Mifata Federation and be a double-sided spy. Ha ha… What a joke!

She lowered her head and covered her true thoughts with a smile.