Chapter 369: Intelligence Organization

One after another, islands as if uprooted mountains turned upside down, hovered between the blue sky and white clouds, casting vast shadows over the sea.

This was a cluster of islands floating in the sky. Although not as expansive as the Titan Archipelago, they were still remarkably vast. After all, these were Cloud Islands, and the visual impact was far greater than that of any sea island.

Moreover, the most shocking feature was not just the islands themselves, but the enormous hurricane encircling them. It connected neither to the heavens above nor the earth below, just swirling around the many Cloud Islands with a fierce howling, stirring up winds and clouds.

"Such clear winds!" This was Muria's first impression after activating the reflection crystal and seeing the moving Cloud Islands. The winds circling the islands were incredibly pure, seemingly free of any impurities, allowing sunlight to penetrate freely.

"Have you boarded the Cloud Islands for investigation?" Muria asked.

"We tried, but our strength wasn't enough to break through the hurricane barrier. It seems it would require Golden-level strength to do so. My weapon was instantly shattered upon touching the hurricane."

Muria nodded slightly, squinting his eyes in thought, and then asked the knight again, "Based on your estimate, how long will it take for these Cloud Islands to reach the airspace above the Lockman Kingdom?"

"With the speed at which these Cloud Islands are moving, they will reach the airspace above Isman Fortress in no more than ten days."

"I understand. I will arrange for people to board the Cloud Islands for investigation to assess the threat to the Lockman Kingdom. You may go and rest now; you've done well."

"Grand Duke, it is my duty," the knight said, his face revealing a mix of fear and excitement at Muria's kindly and considerate words. This regent Grand Duke seemed to be a benevolent ruler.

"Troublesome!" Muria rubbed his temples, watching the airship fleet that had already taken off into the sky, muttering a complaint, "He really ran off quickly."

"Go fetch Cloud Giant Commander Albert! I have a task for him." After his complaint, Muria began to address this unexpected situation.

"Your Highness, what are your instructions?" Soon after, the Cloud Giant Commander Albert arrived, kneeling before Muria with utmost respect.

He was one of the earliest Cloud Giant Commanders to follow Muria, having sworn allegiance while Muria was still in his mother's Crystal Castle. Muria trusted him as one of his reliable giant commanders.

"I need you to lead a squad of Cloud Giants to investigate a group of moving Cloud Islands, but these are not ordinary Cloud Islands," Muria said, tossing the crystal to Albert for him to see for himself.

"As you wish, I shall thoroughly investigate everything on those islands," Albert said, accepting the mission without hesitation, despite recognizing the anomaly with the islands.

"Terence, have ten Storm Giants who have transcended their limits and possess Roc mounts accompany Albert. They will follow his commands," Muria ordered, looking towards his loyal, armored, purple-skinned attendant who had reduced his size to four meters.

"Understood."

Soon, Cloud Giant Commander Albert, along with ten Roc-riding Storm Giants, a hundred Cloud Giant guards, and nearly a thousand Griffins, stepped through the teleportation array towards Isman Fortress. Because the mission was to head towards the sea, the giants' dragonized ferocious wolves were left behind in the palace.

"What a nuisance!" Having dispatched the giant investigation team, Muria began to fulfill his duties as the regent Grand Duke, handling the mountain of administrative work that included various minor issues from across the kingdom — all seemingly trivial in Muria's eyes.

Issues like disputes over resource points between two noble territories, requests to dispatch powerhouses to investigate areas where monsters were breeding in large numbers, or issuing a kingdom-wide manhunt for powerful individuals who had fled after breaking the law, among others.

These were all minor issues that seemed trivial compared to the never-ending administrative tasks. Muria would rather wield a sword in battle for the sheer thrill of it than deal with these mundane duties.

But it was unavoidable. To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. Governing a country was not an easy task, and tedium was part of the job. Although Muria's rule was temporary, just until Remilia was old enough to take the throne, he knew he had to handle it with care. A slight neglect could cause unbearable suffering for many.

"Some matters cannot be resolved just by these documents alone," Muria noted while reviewing files, comparing them against information provided by the intelligence system.

Then, Muria noticed an interesting discrepancy. Reports from the Scarlet family's intelligence organization, similar to the Jinyiwei of his former world, often differed significantly from what was reported by the nobles.

"I should establish my own intelligence system that I control," Muria thought, eyeing the stack of

 documents on his desk. "After all, I am not human. Without accurate information, I am blind and deaf, and then easily made a fool."

"Miles!" With a flicker of thought, Muria summoned his high-level devil servant from hell, "Conceal your presence. If they sense you and kill you, I won't intervene or acknowledge it."

"Understood." As soon as he was summoned, the devil instantly concealed his aura and transformed into his favored human guise, a debonair middle-aged gentleman.

But at that moment, the gentleman looked overly startled. He felt the presence of the ten ancient dragons in the palace, whose unmasked dragon might made him uneasy. Metallic dragons were historically hostile to devils, and if discovered, they would not hesitate to crush him.

"There's no need to be so nervous. As long as you don't blatantly strut around them, they won't bother with you."

"Master, they are?"

"Ancient dragons, whom I've invited," Muria briefly explained the recent events to the great devil, whose eyes lit up, sensing an opportunity.

"Master, what do you need me to do?"

"Gather all the hidden evil beings among humans and form an intelligence system under my control."

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