Chapter 169: The Caravan Steward Who Paid, and the Joint Action of the Merchant Union

Many of the Stewards present recognized which Caravan the captured Shop Assistant belonged to, and they all secretly glanced at that silent Caravan Steward, their eyes filled with disdain.

Even though Knight Jier had no intention of pursuing the matter further and was willing to give them a way out, this person was actually greedy for twenty Gold Coins or property and unwilling to pay the sum.

Jier smiled and said nothing; instead, under the gaze of the crowd, he deliberately slowed his movements to make a show of untying the gag in the Shop Assistant's mouth.

His movements were very slow, but the pressure he applied was immense.

The young Shop Assistant on the ground was also breathing through his nose, preparing to loudly proclaim how his Steward had communicated with him and ordered him to commit murder the moment Jier removed the gag.

Although this would deeply offend his own Steward, well, this foolish Steward of his had already offended Knight Jier, so it was hard to say if the man even had a tomorrow.

Just as Jier was about to untie the binding on the Shop Assistant's mouth, the Caravan Steward who had remained silent all this time finally took out his purse with a pained expression and walked forward, holding it with both hands.

"Knight, Sir Knight, uh, um. How should I put it, this reckless young man under my command has done something wrong, please, please take these twenty Gold Coins and forgive him this time!"

The subtext was a hope that Jier would forgive him for the sake of the gold.

Jier straightened up and, with a smile on his face, patted the middle-aged Caravan Steward, who was much older than him. These few seemingly light pats on the shoulder were actually quite forceful, but the Steward, though in pain, dared not cry out and could only force a bitter smile while holding up the purse.

Jier opened the mouth of the purse and, among the intertwined gold and silver coins inside, took out twenty Gold Coins and put them away.

Finally, he took an additional Gold Coin from the purse and gave it to Weier beside him: "Take it, this is a small token from this generous and wealthy Merchant."

Weier also gave the grim-faced Caravan Steward a meaningful look and accepted the Gold Coin.

Only then did he move his foot away from the back of the Caravan Shop Assistant he had been stepping on and reached out to pull the man up.

Without even removing the gag, the Caravan Steward, whose face looked extremely ugly, dragged and pulled his useless Shop Assistant away, and neither of them came back.

Seeing that the matter seemed to be over, the others breathed a sigh of relief, and the previously tense and frozen atmosphere suddenly livened up.

Someone made a witty remark, but the others only managed a forced smile. Jier, however, laughed heartily and offered a new proposal: "Everyone, since that Xiao Aokesi hasn't woken up from his coma yet, and I don't understand his relationship with you, nor do I want to, if—and I mean if—anyone wants to 'treat' that poor, unconscious fellow on someone's behalf."

Jier cleared his throat: "I am willing to spend fifty Gold Coins—uh, is that a bit too much? Then at the cost of forty Gold Coins, I will transfer him to someone, or some people, willing to pay this amount."

The other Caravan Stewards were stunned, looked at each other, and some even rubbed their ears, doubting if they had misheard.

"You heard right, it's just that cheap." Jier didn't care at all about the schemes these people might have today; after all, every scheme requires a foundation of sufficient strength. And as for today's battle, how should I put it, compared to those slightly dangerous Bandits, the Oakes Brothers' team that appeared later was simply like child's play.

Jier turned and walked away: "If you have this idea, bring the money to find me before we set off at dawn tomorrow."

Afterward, Jier left with Weier.

Once Jier was gone, the Caravan Stewards called back the Caravan Steward who had just left. The group huddled together, first fiercely berating the Shop Assistant they had found for being useless—in a situation as chaotic and crowded as tonight, he couldn't even kill an unconscious man.

Especially the Steward who had provided the poisoned Dagger: "This poison of mine wasn't cheap either. I specifically sought out Hunters in remote villages and had to lose two lives just to capture the poison bees and extract the venom. It can't be exposed to air; I usually keep it in an oil-sealed jar. Now look, it didn't come in handy, and my rare venom was wasted."

He then began to grumble: "This stuff could sell for a lot of money to some Noble lords in big cities. And just now, I had to spend extra money to redeem my Dagger; this business is a real loss."

The Caravan Steward who had sent the Shop Assistant looked even more pained: "Your loss is nothing. Not only was the money I spent on hiring wasted this time, but I was also extorted for even more money by that damn greedy Knight. You're at a loss? I'm the one who's at a loss!"

After speaking, he rubbed his face, where there was a purple patch—the result of a fierce blow from his Shop Assistant after his hands were untied. If he hadn't ultimately paid the money to redeem the man, the Shop Assistant wouldn't have just given him a punch.

"Stop the nonsense. The assassination failed, and Xiao Aokesi isn't dead. Who knows when he'll wake up, see us doing fine, and out of spite, betray us all."

"Right, I don't think Knight Jier is a fool either; he must have guessed our relationship with the Oakes Brothers. Damn it, those two brothers looked quite formidable before, how are they so useless this time? They weren't even as much trouble as the Bandits from out of town. Knight Jier just took a few people and scattered and captured their team. Hmph, I saw Da Aokesi's corpse before dark. He usually acted so tough, but after death, he's just an ordinary corpse."

"Enough talk. Whether Knight Jier figured it out or not, he has already put his words out there. Our caution still had an effect; now we have the opportunity to pay to settle the matter."

"Greedy guy, he won't get another cent from me! So what if Xiao Aokesi wakes up? Can he accuse so many of us, so many Merchant Guilds, based on one person's testimony? Never mind in Duoen Town, even if we go to Suishi Cheng to find a Noble to judge the case, they can't do anything to us! After all, we didn't rebel. Deliberately delaying time on the road, what does that count for? It proves nothing."

"That may be so, but..."

"There are no 'buts'. I'm not paying. Whoever wants to pay can pay for themselves. Forty Gold Coins is not a small sum. Running a long-distance trade, even with valuable goods, it's not easy to earn this much."

Having said that, one of the Caravan Stewards turned and walked away, rubbing his face as he went.

The others looked at each other and discussed it for a few more sentences, realizing that the fewer people there were, the higher the proportion of the payment would be. And if they got their hands on Xiao Aokesi and killed him, those who didn't pay would also benefit just the same. It would be equivalent to those who paid spending more, while those who didn't pay gained the same result as those who did.

Seeing others take advantage of a situation like this is one thing to talk about, but when it actually happens to you, it's as disgusting as swallowing a fly.

The few Caravan Stewards parted on bad terms and returned to their own team's tents.

In Jier's camp, Weier suddenly asked: "Jier, will those Merchants really pay to take that unconscious enemy leader away? And are you really not going to pursue this matter anymore? I could tell, those guys stayed at the 【Zihonghua】 Inn yesterday, and the innkeeper is the two enemy leaders. To say they had no contact or plan is impossible."

Jier turned back and smiled: "These Merchants are wealthy and generous good people; how can you say that about them?"

Hearing Jier say this, Weier, who had caught on, also laughed: "Right, right. If it weren't for the various actions of these people, you wouldn't have gotten that money. Sigh, compared to your actions just now, the times Shanlang Bani used to rob caravans in the mountains were truly a laborious and unrewarding trade."

"What kind of talk is that? I just picked up valuable items that others had lost, and they gave me the corresponding reward for my good deed. As for the reckless Shop Assistant who did something wrong, the Merchant Guild has to smooth over the trouble for their own staff, don't they? This money was all obtained through proper means. Proper, means."

"Yes, yes, yes, proper means." Weier replied perfunctorily.

"Don't worry, the Oakes Brothers still have a valuable inn, and according to some of the captives, they occupy quite a bit of land in a large village nearby. They're rich! Whichever Merchant gets their hands on that, as long as they don't capsize, they can get several times the return of forty Gold Coins. Once they realize this, they will definitely come to me. If no one comes to find me before we set off tomorrow, then I'll have to add another five Gold Coins to the price."

"As for these Merchants, since we still need them to provide the caravan's supply costs on the road ahead, we'll let these things slide for now. At another time, in another place, I certainly wouldn't let these people off."

After speaking, Jier returned to his tent, and Weier also planned to check on that unconscious fellow again. Since he was a key figure worth forty Gold Coins, the other party had to be well taken care of; this person must not die before the Merchants come looking.

In this deep night, it wasn't just Jier and his group who had taken action and gained something; other forces in the shadows had also done many things.

In fact, the entire Shanglu, including the lairs of the Bandit Groups formed by those out-of-towners, was being closely watched by lower-level personnel sent by the Thieves Guild. Whether it was the situation of Jier's caravan or the Oakes Brothers' men, everything was known to the Thieves Guild in real time. Naturally, they also knew about the fierce battle that erupted that hot afternoon the moment it happened.

Through eagle-delivered messages, the Thieves Guild in Duoen Town, led by a veteran Thief, immediately swung into action. The news that the out-of-town Bandit Group that had plagued Duoen Town for some time had been mostly routed by Knight Jier's caravan was delivered to the Senior Stewards of the Merchant Union immediately, and the Merchant Union naturally began discussing how to handle the aftermath within the territory of the underground Thieves Guild right away.

Mr. Vels-Bantolisa of the 【Golden Sickle】 Merchant Guild immediately stated that although the personal control of the newly arrived Refining Qi Soldiers had not yet been completed, as long as the subsequent bounties or other compensatory enjoyments were in place, those powerful soldiers could still be deployed immediately to fight.

With them as the core, combined with some town guards and the personnel of the Thieves Guild, they could quickly crush the entire lair of the Bandit Group.

Mr. Stuoer-Sikete of the 【Burning Furnace】 Merchant Guild expressed his apologies, saying that because time was too tight, the Metal Armor to match those soldiers had not been prepared, but some Leather Armor in their guild's inventory could be used first. However, there was no problem with weapons; they could fully equip those soldiers with various weapons they were proficient in.

Steward Deripari of the 【Wealth Fruit】 Merchant Guild stated that he had already found the traitor within his own guild. This operation, he could lead the team himself, not only to prove his ability but also as an act of revenge. Those out-of-town Bandits, by uniting with the traitor in his guild, had not only caused him significant losses in property and reputation but also brought considerable losses to his guild in various aspects.

Young Master Lipuerde-Autosfiten of the 【Treasure House】 Merchant Guild, in addition to providing support with fast-moving vehicles, additionally provided a Magic Scroll that no one else had ever seen as the core assistance for this operation.

After this Magic Scroll was unfolded and the activation incantation was chanted, it could, under the control of the person holding the scroll, provide Magic assistance to at most one hundred combatants in the vicinity. It had three effects: first, it could allow up to thirty people to receive a one-time, low-level Magic Hudun protection; second, it could give up to sixty people the Magic effect of 【Combat Acceleration】. This Magic could make people's limbs and thinking temporarily faster; to others, the person would look as if they had been sped up. Third, it could give up to one hundred people a 【Movement Acceleration】 Magic effect, which could increase their walking and Running speed by twenty percent and provide better temporary physical stamina support.

With the help of such a composite Magic Scroll, an ordinary team could easily defeat an equal number of enemies just as powerful as themselves. Not to mention applying these to soldiers with astonishing combat abilities; dealing with a bunch of Bandits was truly too extravagant.

The others, including the veteran Thief from the Thieves Guild present, did not expect Young Master Lipuerde to be able to take out such a thing. In comparison, what the others could provide and do really didn't count for much.

"This is too extravagant of you." The representative of the Thieves Guild—that veteran Thief—spoke up.

"You might as well give it to me; I'll take action myself for a while, and I can handle those Bandit Groups just the same." The veteran Thief looked intently at the glowing Magic Scroll that Lipuerde-Autosfiten had placed on the conference table.

Just by looking at its appearance, one could tell this thing was priceless. The entire scroll was not made of paper or treated leather, but was woven from magic spider silk and gold and silver threads. The shafts at both ends of the scroll were carved from large pieces of one-time-use Magic Crystal. Although they were only for one-time use, they were equally expensive.

To this, Young Master Lipuerde only explained lightly: "That won't be necessary. Unlike other Magic Items that can be preserved and used for a long time, Magic Scrolls have a maximum expiration date. From the moment they are made, they have a maximum shelf life. Once this period passes, Mages won't use them, even if they made the Magic Scroll themselves. And this scroll will reach its maximum expiration date next month."

Only then did the others understand why Young Master Lipuerde would bring out such a luxurious item to deal with a bunch of Bandits; it turned out that if he didn't use it, it would expire. Mr. Scott asked with some curiosity: "Then after it expires, this thing can no longer be used?"

Young Master Lipuerde smiled: "It could still be used, but some tiny Magic Power operational errors that even the creator could hardly imagine would occur inside. You must know, this Scroll is cast upon a Human to assist in battle; if the Magic used on a person develops some errors, who could imagine what problems might occur in the end? A spell originally meant to speed up a person's reaction might end up becoming a spell that makes them sluggish. A spell to increase a person's movement ability might even turn into a spell that petrifies a person's legs and feet."

Hearing this, everyone said nothing more, instead letting Steward Deripari take the Scroll and immediately prepare to lead the team to set off. They departed from Duoen Town by carriage, and it would take about a day and a half to get there. The subsequent forces in the town would then follow to handle the other personnel in the Bandit lair and the goods that had been stolen.

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