Chapter 147: Two Innkeepers with Different Goals and Methods

A bandit group of a thousand, originally the largest local armed force dominating the area around Duoen Town, would even have passing caravans consciously pay them a toll.

This was already akin to collecting taxes at a checkpoint.

Even the local Baron had sent troops to suppress them several times without success, only for the group to gain fame and grow ever larger in scale.

But when the Thieves Guild took action, this notorious bandit group was wiped out overnight.

The Thieves Guild even brought in a Priestess from the Church of the God of the Dead in advance, having her lead her subordinate Priests to handle the thousands of dead bandit corpses—and of course, the families of those bandits, whose numbers were even greater.

Local merchants familiar with this history naturally never dared to oppose the Thieves Guild, which was the source of the strength that allowed the Thieves Guild to uphold the entire region's Dark Side.

But many years have passed, and while some local newcomers might have the Yongqi to rise up, they only ever sneakily undermine the Thieves Guild's influence and never do anything head-on. Only those Bandit Groups from out of town, due to the chaotic public security and the increase in drifters and Refugees everywhere, have not only seen their scale expand rapidly but their ambitions swell along with it.

Recently, they boldly ambushed a large Caravan belonging to one of the Merchant Union's member guilds.

Those foreign bandit groups might think this was a victory that left them stuffed, but many local merchant guilds and factions felt a vague sense of unease.

The Thieves Guild did nothing and expressed no views or news regarding this, which was, in itself, a "stance."

Perhaps there would be no negotiations, only a ruthless campaign of extermination?

In fact, what everyone did not know was that the Thieves Guild originally had a plan to deal with the foreign bandits, but two days ago, Jier suddenly provided a batch of surrendered Soldiers with astonishing combat power; after the Merchant Union and the Thieves Guild met to discuss, they changed the plan, intending to arm these formidable surrendered Soldiers and use them as the primary combat force, combined with the Thieves Guild's intelligence and regional control, to wipe out those foreign bandit groups one by one.

Unlike those small, ignorant factions, the Merchant Union and the Thieves Guild both knew exactly how strong a group of professional Soldiers skilled in combat techniques could be in a head-on fight when fully armed.

Those bandits without standard Leather Armor or iron armor, no matter how many people were in their lairs, could not withstand the frontal charge of a dozen armored Warriors.

Paired with the elite members within the Thieves Guild, provided they were well-prepared, wiping out one foreign bandit lair a day was no problem at all.

And that was exactly what they intended to do.

But clearly, here at the Meiqian Chakou, some medium-sized merchant guilds and local factions had other plans.

"Just as I said two days ago, this is an excellent opportunity." The older brother of the Oakes Brothers stood up from his chair, his hands accompanying his words as he spoke, giving off an irrefutable aura.

"We cannot sit on the sidelines and watch these things happen! The Thieves Guild surely has their plans and actions, and although we don't know what they are, as the scale of those outsiders grows larger, that day is approaching rapidly."

He chopped his hand down: "We cannot just watch all this happen, otherwise things will only be the same as before; the Merchant Union will still be composed of those few guilds with more power than everyone else, and the Thieves Guild will still be the overlord ruling the dark side of the Duoen Town trade routes. And you all, your merchant guilds will only be stuck at this scale, unable to rise, yet with the possibility of falling."

He narrowed his eyes, revealing a dangerous aura: "Don't forget, over these years, those merchant guilds that tried to grow big—what was the reason their scale shrank?"

A Merchant looked grim: "They wanted to climb up, but were attacked by groups from the Merchant Union."

"The merchant guild's special techniques were leaked," one said.

"The caravan always encountered bandit raids," another said.

"Low-level Shop Assistants were threatened into leaving," a Merchant said with disdain.

"The merchant guild's Steward was poached for a high price and then transferred out of town," the last one said through gritted teeth.

Even the younger brother of the Oakes Brothers, who had been very quiet, added a sentence, since everyone else had said their piece, he had to say something too: "Even the merchant guild's warehouse often catches fire."

"That's right, if everything stays the same as before, the Merchant Union and the Thieves Guild will not allow others to sit at the table to eat; those of us can only crawl under the table and eat the bones the Merchant Union throws away!"

This remark insulted everyone present, but it actually caused them to unite, having the same interests and the same demands, naturally making them one of their own.

"This time, we must beat the Merchant Union and the Thieves Guild to it and solve those foreign bandits plaguing Duoen Town ourselves! And now, just as we expected, this is the best and our only chance." The older brother of the Oakes Brothers announced loudly.

Everyone nodded, understanding the importance of this opportunity; if they followed behind Knight Jier's team on the road like normal trade, it would just be an ordinary business trip, but if they did as Da Aokesi said and found a way to trigger a serious conflict between Knight Jier's team and the foreign bandits, and then they were the ones to finish off the situation, they would gain immense prestige and support.

The current fixed seats of the Merchant Union would naturally change; for instance, the Wealth Fruit merchant guild might fall, replaced by one or two new ones.

And once they were at the table, their status and social circle would naturally be very different, especially after joining the Merchant Union and participating in the internal governance of Duoen Town; the profits from this part were several times that of traditional trade operations.

Of course, it wasn't that traditional trading wasn't profitable, but with the added power of being involved in Duoen Town's internal affairs, even going out to trade could earn more money than before.

Soon, under the coordination of Da Aokesi, they took out paper and pens, using the tableware on the table to represent the nearby factions to rehearse and plan their strategy.

"Oakes, are you clear on the situation of those foreign bandit lairs?"

"I have a general understanding. I know the location and strength of the bandit groups where we have planted spies, and I have some relevant intelligence on the other groups where we don't."

"Big brother, the elite men under my command are ready to move out; fifty-seven people, all selected and trained by me from our own people, guaranteed to be able to control the entire scene when the situation concludes."

"Not enough. The elite who can fight are important, but with a scene and scale this large, numbers are also very important. Go, send someone with my token to mobilize at least one hundred farmers from our Cunzi, and have them bring weapons they can fight with. Also, you make a run overnight to Duanjiao, Rusted Iron Nail, and Snake Head, and tell them to provide men too, at least thirty from each family, and raise a team of one hundred for us."

The older brother of the Oakes Brothers said this, his hands pressing on the tabletop, looking at the slightly fearful caravan Stewards opposite: "You must provide men too."

"Us?" They were somewhat surprised.

"That's right, you five caravans have quite a number of Shop Assistants in your convoys alone; when we appear, your caravan Shop Assistants must also stand out, join together with our men, and act as a single fist to strike with the greatest strength! I want to have this force of nearly three hundred people strike out, not only to wipe out those foreign bandits on the spot but also to dig out their lairs along the way."

"This will be a major victory; this victory will not only let everyone see our contribution but also make them understand the power of our people. Afterward, you will mobilize the power in town to publicize and expand this victory, and transform it into a wave of public opinion and will from everyone! The Merchant Union must change!"

"Capable merchant guilds deserve to go up, and those without the ability should get out!"

The older brother of the Oakes Brothers said finally, with iron-clad certainty.

Jier did not know of these people's plans, but he clearly sensed something unusual from the atmosphere when they were talking in the room at the time.

Those people had some extra plans.

Those caravans following him and the owner of this Zihonghua inn had some schemes.

Although he didn't know what they were, Jier didn't think these people could do anything; after all, their numbers were too small, the Shop Assistants of several caravans added up to only a few dozen people, and all the thugs, Shop Assistants, and Cooks of the inn added up to only twenty or thirty people—these people didn't even add up to more than Jier's own Warriors and Dwarves combined; in the face of a real battle, a single charge by a dozen armored Warriors could rout a team composed of these people.

Comparing it like this, Jier didn't feel there was any danger in their secret schemes.

On the contrary, the spies he saw hiding in the shadows of the dilapidated wooden houses around the Shanglu were a bit of a nuisance.

These people were clearly from the surrounding bandit groups, having previously hidden and ambushed around the Chalu, and seeing so many people from Jier's side enter the Chalu to rest for the night, they took advantage of the night to come and investigate the situation.

Wangu Canzhuo had closed early, the building walls had few windows to observe the situation, and even the perimeter wall was built very high, with an extra section of wooden planks added on top, which angered some bandit spies into throwing stones at the inn to vent their frustration.

Zihonghua inn naturally also had spies lurking nearby; Jier saw several of the inn's thugs discover a spy who had exposed their tracks, rush up to catch them, beat them severely, and then dump them onto the wide Shanglu.

This spy shouted the loud name of their affiliated group, using it to intimidate the inn's thugs.

The thugs were somewhat flustered, covering their faces with their hands before returning to the inn, and soon a new batch of thugs was sent out to stand guard.

The spy who had been beaten limped back into the nearby abandoned wooden shop and soon disappeared without a trace.

Others wandered around Siren Ganzi and near the tavern opposite. The bolder ones even entered the tavern directly and started talking and clinking glasses with some of the Warriors in Jier's team who liked to drink.

But Jier's Warriors were cautious enough about these mysterious people who came in the middle of the night; after hurriedly finishing the ale in their cups, they didn't even want the meat on the table and quickly returned to Siren Ganzi across the way.

"Hmph, thinking they're safe just by running back to the inn? Naive."

This bold Bandit scout did not stand on ceremony; he picked up a plate of meat ordered by one of Jier's Warriors and began to eat and drink with gusto.

Inside the Siren Ganzi inn, the innkeeper saw that the night had grown deep and that the Knight Jier, who had been out, had also returned to the inn to rest. He made one final patrol of his inn and saw Jier's Warriors practicing their martial arts in the inn's lobby and backyard; the sight of those flashing, sharp sword blades and the thick Armor and Shields made him feel somewhat nervous and uneasy.

This group was far too strong. Not to mention the members of those Bandit Groups in the vicinity that had been established for only a few months, even the Bandit Groups he had been with back in Ke'er Shan Jun, those seasoned veterans who had been Bandits for several years, would be no match for these Warriors. The main reason was the vast disparity in weapons and equipment; many Bandits did not even have a proper fur hat, most just wrapping their heads in thick cloth. Against a blow to the head, these armored Warriors would likely not even flinch, while the Bandits would have their skulls cracked open.

Not to mention their primary weapons: these men all carried uniform steel Soldier Changjian, many were also equipped with light and sturdy Mudu, as well as powerful bows and arrows. Some of the more formidable Warriors used axes, both single and double-handed, and they looked like people not to be trifled with at a glance.

Knight Jier had nearly thirty such Warriors under his command, and when combined with the Knight's own strength, it would be difficult to fight such a unit without one or two hundred men.

There was a trace of worry in his eyes, fearing that those Bandit Groups who had just looted a large haul a few days ago would be unable to resist and set their sights on this unit, only to suffer a crushing defeat.

Thinking of this, he could no longer sit still; he called over a Shop Assistant to temporarily watch the counter in the lobby, while he himself stated that he was going to rest.

The Shop Assistant who was called over showed a look of understanding on his face, knowing that the boss was going to sneak out to pass information to people outside again, so he used his chin to gesture toward the Warriors practicing martial arts in the lobby.

His meaning was simple: these guys are so tough, are you really going to contact those Bandits outside to deal with this caravan tomorrow?

Can those newly formed Bandit Groups, who have no real skills other than having many people, really handle these men?

What a joke.

The innkeeper, with a melancholy look on his face, shook his head slightly, the meaning simple: I don't think those people can take these men down either, so this is to go and notify the other side.

After the two finished their secret exchange, the innkeeper returned to his room. He did not notice the subtle changes in the room, pulled his wooden bed aside, triggered the mechanism, gripped the pull ring of the trapdoor on the floor, and pulled upward.

With a clatter, the heavy trapdoor was pulled open by the innkeeper. He caught his breath on the spot, picked up the Oil Lamp in the room, and carefully walked down the steep stairs inside the trapdoor.

Below was a Secret Chamber, not particularly spacious, but it contained several Wooden Boxes and wooden cabinets filled with various items, including Wooden Boxes full of coins, some dust-covered weapons, as well as some treasured books the innkeeper had kept from his time as a Bandit, and valuable, exquisite handicrafts.

Of course, the several large Wooden Boxes placed to the side contained valuable goods that were difficult to sell and not easily damaged; they were all part of his cooperation with the Bandits he had connections with.

He certainly knew about the black market transactions secretly conducted by the Zihonghua inn, and he wanted to do the same, so he had some Bandit Groups he was in contact with send some of the looted goods that were hard to sell to him, and he would sell them on their behalf.

Of course, he would charge a portion of the commission, usually one-third of the profit.

This was not much; after all, for the black market run by the Thieves Guild, the other side would take more than half the profit.

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