“Are you saying we should send a notice before committing theft?”
The thief’s notice.
It was the next strategy to elevate The Shadowless Thief to the status of Si-mun Hyang-ju.
“Indeed.”
Before Im Ha-yeon fully commenced her thieving activities, I nodded at her question.
“What kind of thief sends a letter saying they’re going to steal?”
“That’s exactly why we must do it. It’s an achievement no one has ever accomplished.”
Even if it’s a clichéd idea, if you do it first, it’s an achievement.
We could target the Nine Great Sects or Martial Arts Families.
Even if Im Ha-yeon tried, it wouldn’t be her first or last time. But a thief’s notice is different.
In modern times, a thief’s notice is a cliché, but in the Central Plains, it’s unique. Because no one had ever done it before.
When a thief sends a notice and succeeds in stealing, people will buzz with excitement over something that had never happened before.
“Looks like I really have to become a thief. A thief who sends a notice and boldly climbs over walls, distributing wealth to the poor.”
“That thief will make a name for himself across the entire Central Plains, exceeding Hubei Province.”
Just as a martial artist proves their strength by engaging in combat, The Shadowless Thief sends a notice to the world to prove his existence.
A rare event in Central Plains history.
If a thief succeeds in performing feats that no one has ever imagined or attempted, they will surely become a legend.
The greatest thief in the Central Plains.
That would be The Shadowless Thief.
——
“I heard The Shadowless Thief’s notice has reached the rich households!”
Word of The Shadowless Thief’s notice became a topic of discussion even at the Tea Bookstore.
“The notice from The Shadowless Thief reached them? So, did a black origami crane appear?”
“That’s even more surprising! The notice flew through the sky and entered the mansion.”
“A notice flying through the sky? Have you been drinking during the day?”
“I’m telling the truth! A black piece of paper soared through the blue sky and landed in the inner courtyard of the mansion! At first, people thought a crow had fallen!”
“It wasn’t a bird?”
“It looked like a bird from a distance but turned out to be peculiarly folded paper up close. Who else in this bland world could perform such a feat with paper?”
“A paper bird flew in and landed in the courtyard? Ha! That’s bizarre. Quite bizarre!”
“So, The Shadowless Thief can let notices fly through the sky too?”
“Indeed, it’s unlike any ordinary thief!”
Paper planes.
It’s something everyone folds at least once during their childhood, but the history of paper airplanes is hardly a century old.
To the people of the Central Plains, simply having paper fly through the air seems utterly bizarre.
People were astounded by the black origami crane, blabbering about The Shadowless Thief’s notice every passing day.
“There was a part in a novel where The Shadowless Thief sent out a black notice! So, he really did send notices and rob the rich!”
“Only The Shadowless Thief from Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud could pull that off! What kind of crazy thief would do that?”
“Some places have already been robbed!”
“What?! Is that true?”
One might think the paper airplane is just someone’s prank.
To verify who sent the notice, Im Ha-yeon raided a few places where the paper airplanes landed.
Now, no one doubted who sent the black paper airplane.
“Did you hear that The Shadowless Thief recently sent a notice to the Head of the Branch’s family?”
“The Head of the Branch?! No way! Did he really send a notice to someone that high up?”
When considering Hubei province as a country, the Head of the Branch holds a position akin to that of a governor.
Being a considerably high-ranking official even in Hubei, people couldn’t help but be astonished.
“If the Head of the Branch has a family in Wuhan, it must be that notorious corrupt official, right? They say he has a lot of connections in the court, which helps him avoid paying the price for his wrongdoings!”
“Yeah, there was a report where the inspector got demoted instead!”
“Did the inspector’s report get silenced? The Shadowless Thief clearly set his sights on a significant target!”
“What an intriguing piece of news! The notice of The Shadowless Thief lands at the house of a notorious corrupt official!”
A thief’s notice directed towards a corrupt official. It seemed valid and adequately challenging.
If it had one more important symbol, it would be perfect.
“I’m glad to hear this, but if the Head of the Branch has treasures stacked in his safe, even if The Shadowless Thief steals a bit, will it even show?”
“This person only sees half the picture. Does he not know that even the world’s Head of the Branch has treasured belongings that are dear to him?”
“Such things exist?”
“There’s a very famous metal.”
“Metal? Is it something like orichalcum or mithril?”
“Why would a metal used only in the imperial court come up?”
“Then, is it something like Zhangbai Silver or everlasting iron?”
“If the Head of the Branch has such things, then my dog must be a dragon.”
“Then what is it?!”
“It’s Hyeoncheol Junggwae (Black Iron Chunk). It’s a metal crafted by a famous blacksmith from meteorite material.”
“Hyeoncheol Junggwae? Such a treasure?”
Hyeoncheol. A metal every martial artist covets, renowned for its incredible durability and weight.
If someone adept in the sword arts were to wield a sword made of Hyeoncheol, they could easily contend with even the most formidable opponents, making it a legendary metal.
A thief should report that they stole treasures that astonished the world.
Hyeoncheol Junggwae was the item that Im Ha-yeon and I were aiming for.
“The Head of the Branch must have ordered an increase in security. How can The Shadowless Thief from Hubei steal anything?”
Even while discussing The Shadowless Thief, the people at the Tea Bookstore thought it was impossible to rob the Head of the Branch’s residence.
———–
“All methods can be explored.”
I mumbled while seated in the study of the mansion, glancing over the documents spread before me.
“I didn’t expect to utilize the information prepared by the delivery team in such a way.”
Im Ha-yeon said with admiration as she observed the documents before me.
“Have there not been times when we’ve needed information since arriving in Wuhan? I prepared them for situations when we’d eventually need to use them.”
The ginseng candy incident, the fake Ho Pil incident, and the Lush Green Post Office incident. There were several times when information from the Joseon Person Association was necessary, so this basic knowledge was instilled in the delivery team.
“Indeed, it’s no wonder Si-mun Hyang-ju recognizes you. This is hardly on par with Hao-mun, but it’s a decent information network, right?”
“Branches are steadily increasing, so perhaps one day we might be able to obtain information that even Hao-mun couldn’t.”
A human network among the Joseon individuals. Perhaps it isn’t just a dream in Wuhan.
“Master Kang, I have organized the information you provided and the Hao-mun data.”
Miss Zhuge opened a sheet of paper in front of me.
On the unfolded paper was a detailed map of the Head of the Branch’s mansion. It was intricately drawn, something even his family could hardly replicate.
“Thank you. I can’t imagine how I would have accomplished this without you, Miss Zhuge.”
“Huh-huh. It’s nothing special.”
I briefly admired Miss Zhuge, who shyly smiled at my praise. It made me feel sorry that I wasn’t able to give her attention, especially since a solution to Im Ha-yeon’s situation was urgent at the moment.
After this incident, I must grant Miss Zhuge any wish or visit any place she pleases.
“The martial artist guarding the eastern wall seems to have symptoms of dehydration, needing to use the restroom frequently during duty.”
As I examined the organized data, I pointed toward the east of the mansion.
“The martial artist guarding the safe room is strong in martial arts but has poor night vision and loves drinking. He gets so drunk on holidays that he suffers from hangovers the next day.”
Im Ha-yeon sketched the shortest route from the east to the safe room.
“Let’s plan the intrusion considering the schedules of both martial artists. We’ll also think of alternate escape routes in case we get discovered.”
“If we’re found near the safe, we should bypass and circle back to the safe. While circling back, a gap might open up, so I’ll try jumping across the roof.”
“I wish there were safer methods…”
Unless one has a dozen lives to spare, it’s essential to create multiple escape routes.
I wondered if there was a better method. With the Head of the Branch’s enhanced security, finding an escape route wasn’t going to be easy.
“Um, hiding here might also be a good option.”
As I and Im Ha-yeon struggled to find answers, Miss Zhuge quietly pointed to a room.
“Miss Zhuge, this is the servants’ quarters, isn’t it?”
“Y-yeah, they say a servant is involved with the young lady…”
“Wait… so that servant is involved with the Head of the Branch’s daughter? Indeed! If the servant leaves at night, we can hide inside!”
We can either wait in the servant’s room until the surveillance eases or perhaps create an escape route from there.
“Yes… that’s right.”
Once the three of us finalized our paths of intrusion and escape, only one obstacle remained.
“The issue is the safe room. I’ve heard there are traps inside, but that’s as far as the information goes.”
Sure enough, the safe room posed a problem. I didn’t know how the security set up was structured.
“Certainly, there’s no intel regarding the safe room at Hao-mun or the delivery team.”
The delivery team wouldn’t have a reason to deliver food to the safe room, and Hao-mun likely didn’t possess much information either.
While they succeeded in gathering intelligence on the guarding personnel, the internal structure remained entirely shrouded in mystery.
It felt like playing an open-world game where the entire map was revealed, but the most crucial objective was still clouded in fog.
“It would be ideal if we could obtain the blueprints from the architect of the safe room.”
Im Ha-yeon muttered in frustration.
“The architect?”
“That’d refer to someone like a Master Carpenter.”
“A Master Carpenter…? Ah! So that’s how it happened.”
Suddenly, a long-forgotten memory flashed in my mind. So that was it!
“Why?”
“It’s nothing significant. Just something suddenly came to mind.”
If you want to find a mediator, go to Chilgok County. There’s a cloth merchant named Uncle Wang who is a good friend of mine.
I was curious as to why Uncle Wang, the Shadowless Thief, was on close terms with Master Carpenter, but it now made sense.
I wondered if the Master Carpenter was aware that Uncle Wang was The Shadowless Thief, but regardless, it seemed they shared a connection that could lead to accessing the mansion’s blueprints.
A small question was unexpectedly resolved in an unexpected route.
“Shall we seek more information?”
“That’s fine.”
“We could also consider a reconnaissance entry.”
I shook my head at Im Ha-yeon’s suggestion.
Both the Joseon Person Association and Hao-mun had exerted utmost efforts in obtaining information. There likely wasn’t more to uncover now.
While Im Ha-yeon could conduct preliminary reconnaissance, it wasn’t wise to needlessly take risks.
We needed a method that wouldn’t be dangerous yet could yield additional information regarding the safe room.
“There’s a far better method.”
I actually had that method.
“Head of the Branch! We’ve brought someone highly recommended by the entire Wuhan government.”
Wuhan. The Head of the Branch’s family home.
The Head of Guards approached the deeply concerned Head of the Branch with hurried steps.
“Really? So, this person knows The Shadowless Thief better than anyone else in Wuhan? I’ve heard a lot about his reputation lately.”
The Head of the Branch was enveloped with concern.
Numerous wealthy households in Wuhan had already been targeted by The Shadowless Thief.
According to rumors, hiring renowned martial artists or those from the underworld yielded the same grim results.
Was there no other way? Luckily for the Head of the Branch, he had an alternative plan unlike others.
Unlike ordinary wealthy households, he could leverage his power as a high-ranking noble in Hubei for personal use.
The Head of the Branch watched as the man before him bowed with satisfaction.
“It’s an honor to meet you, revered Head of the Branch. I am Ho Pil, Kang Yoon-ho.”
