Chapter 399: Caught Red-handed

Coming out on the other side of the wall and the foliage it was hidden behind, Xuan Hao was met with the same scene of countless different sized mineshafts surrounding the capital that he had seen before entering the capital itself.

Large numbers of people could even be seen going back and forth between different mineshafts along the wall of the capital. Making it difficult for him to spot the thieves he had been following after without using his divine sense.

If not for the fact that he could lock onto the group of thieves with his divine sense, Xuan Hao doubted that he would have been able to keep track of the thieves given just how many people were walking around just outside the walls of the capital.

Though he did wonder why there were so many people walking along the wall of the capital...

"Hm, I think I understand why..." Looking up towards the wall of the capital, Xuan Hao saw a few soldiers patrolling back and forth while keeping a close eye on the people below.

The reason why so many people chose to walk close to the wall of the capital was likely because it was safer with the soldiers on the wall keeping an eye on them from above.

After all, who would want to try and start any trouble when directly being watched by the soldiers of the Iron Sky Kingdom? Other than that, it was also in the middle of the night where crime tended to be higher...

Thinking about this for a short moment, Xuan Hao did not stay still for long before he followed after the group of thieves making their way towards an area away from the capital where they could relax without having to worry about being caught by the guards or soldiers of the Iron Sky Kingdom.

...

"Hah... We are finally back..." Letting out a breath of relief upon seeing the entrance to their base in the distance, the thief leader could not be any happier. The earlier encounter with the tentacle cocoon. Followed by the large explosion and constant complaining from the other thieves screaming about someone throwing something at them along the way.

All of this was in the past. Now all he needed to do before he could relax again was to deliver the spiritual metals!

After he had delivered the spiritual metals, he would take a few weeks off from stealing anymore and just try to relax! Given that things had grown so chaotic inside of the capital. Even to the point that the formation had activated, the thief leader did not see any reason why his superior would refuse his request to take a few weeks off before things calmed down again.

After all, no matter what, sending people in during a time where the capital was chaotic was simply stupid. Times like that, would also be times where the Iron Sky Kingdom was the most cautious and kept an eye on everything happening inside the capital.

Stealing anything during such a time would be close to impossible, as the guards around the city would likely have someone at the Nascent Soul Realm keeping an eye on them to ensure their safety and at the same time make sure that they could act in case something happened again.

"Boss! Should we go over the spiritual metals before entering?" Just as the thief leader was thinking about his upcoming vacation, one of the other thieves carrying one of the three boxes filled with spiritual metal walked up and asked him.

"Sure, we need to make sure that we report the correct number and what kind of spiritual metals we got..." Not paying too much attention to what his underling said, the thief leader just waved him aside and allowed him to go over the spiritual metals inside the boxes again.

It was not anything unusual and it was a rather normal thing to go over the things inside more than one time to ensure that no one had stolen anything along the way for themselves.

Going over the things inside before entering the base was also crucial, as reporting an incorrect number would not result in anything good for them...

Worst case scenario, they would be forced to enter the capital again to get another batch of spiritual metals before they would be allowed to get a break! Not something any of the thieves wanted to happen given what they had experienced over the past few hours.

Especially given that the entire capital was on full alert after the large explosion that had happened only a little over one hour ago. Stealing anything during such a time would be close to impossible...

"B-boss..."

"Hm? What is it? Are you already done going through the spiritual metals?" Hearing the underling from earlier call out to him, the thief leader looked over at him. Not understanding how he had been able to go over the spiritual metals so quickly... It had only been a few seconds since he had asked him to go over them in the first place!

"N-no... Something is missing..."

"WHAT!? What's missing!?" Hearing his underling nervously say that something was missing, the thief leader no longer looked as calm as he had before. Going from his former relaxed expression that was looking forward to taking a few weeks off, into one filled with anger.

After all, the only way something could have gone missing, was if someone among them had taken some of the spiritual metals for themselves!

"The Soul Rank spiritual metals..."

"..."

Not knowing what to say upon hearing what was missing, the leader of the thieves tried his best to not beat up the underling in front of him.

The Soul Rank spiritual metals were the most precious thing that they had managed to steal! If they were missing, his chances of being able to take a few weeks off, would likely disappear and he would end up being forced to enter the capital of the Iron Sky Kingdom during a time where the guard's strength and numbers had increased!

"Who is it!? Who was the one carrying the box with the Soul Rank spiritual metals!?" Thinking about how he might have to go back into the capital again, the thief leader looked towards the three people carrying the boxes with killing intent present in his eyes.

Having them take a few of the lower rank spiritual metals was not a problem, but he had to get his underlings to spit those Soul Rank spiritual metals back out!

They were the only reason he had been so confident that he would be able to get a few weeks off to relax during the time that the capital of the Iron Sky Kingdom had increased guards and patrols!

"B-boss... It was me... But I didn't take any of them! You can check my interspatial ring and the rest of my body-" Anxiously stepping forward, one of the underlings answered his boss and even before he could finish talking, he already felt his boss violently rip the interspatial ring on his finger ring off before proceeding to forcibly searching it.

"Nothing..." Having found nothing inside it, the leader of the thieves soon began searching the entire body of the thief that had been carrying the box with the Soul Rank spiritual metals. Only to find out that he had nothing on him.

"All of you, give me your interspatial rings and come here to be searched!"

""...""

Seeing their boss's angry appearance, the other thieves all went up one by one as everyone except one of the thieves had been personally searched by the leader of the thieves.

"Now there is only you left... Anything to say for yourself?" Seeing that only one of the thieves were left to be searched, the leader's killing intent once again flared up as he asked the last thief who had been avoiding coming over to show his interspatial ring.

"B-boss, it was not me! I swear!"

"Then why won't you show me your interspatial ring...?"

"I-I..."

Not knowing what to say the thief looked like he was about to run away when the leader of the thieves suddenly appeared beside him and forcefully pried the interspatial ring off him before emptying everything inside on the ground in front of him.

"Don't!" Even with the scream from the thief, the leader of the thieves did not care in the slightest as he began looking through the things that had been inside his underling's interspatial ring.

"W-what is this?!" Finding none of the spiritual metals he had been looking for, the leader of the thieves was just about to give up searching through the belongings of his underling when he spotted something familiar out of the corner of his eyes.

But it was not the spiritual metals he had been looking for. Instead...

"Is this not my wife's...?"

Looking at the all too familiar pair of underwear inside the pile of things stored inside his underlings interspatial ring, the leader of the thieves suddenly froze on the spot before an unbearable killing intent began washing over all the thieves. Mainly focused towards the thief who had been caught with something he should not have...

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU!"