Chapter 236: Secret Deliberations

At the first light of dawn the next morning, the drivers and Warriors rose early. Because they had enjoyed a rare night of rest in a comfortable inn, everyone had slept well. Once up, they flocked to the inn's backyard to stretch their bodies or seize the time to spar while the morning was still cool.

Since they were staying at an inn, the team did not need to prepare breakfast themselves this morning. The inn's Cook had begun working in the kitchen during the latter half of the night and had already prepared a hearty breakfast for everyone staying at the inn.

But in the dining room, Jier ate a few skewers of water-spitting crocodile meat he had grilled himself with a sour expression, then stood up and clapped his hands at everyone still eating.

People looked up, saw it was Jier clapping to attract their attention, and immediately and consciously put down their cutlery, turning their gazes toward Jier.

"Two things before we set off, listen carefully."

Jier said, tossing the bag of Gold Coins that Xueya Site had handed to him—found on the person who had been devoured by the shapeshifter last night—onto the table to the side. The Gold Coins in the bag clattered, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

The group did not know what this meant, but those who noticed Jier's expression guessed in their hearts that it was likely nothing good.

"The first thing: our team encountered a Thief last night..."

Before Jier could finish speaking, everyone in the dining room gasped. Although the sentence was very brief, the implication behind it was truly frightening.

Of course, the Warriors were not afraid of fighting Thieves; they had even slaughtered terrifying parasitic vines, so they certainly were not afraid of Human enemies. It was just that a Thief—whenever such a person appeared, it meant they had stolen your important property while you were unaware. There were even rumors that professional Thieves could steal all your property, stealing it right in front of your face while you remained completely oblivious.

This was, of course, an exaggerated rumor, but a person's name is like the shadow of a tree; even Warriors from farmer families had heard of how terrifying these people were.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous—" Jier pressed his hands downward in a calming gesture, soothing the slightly panicked crowd.

"Listen to me. Although we encountered a Thief last night, that Thief did not manage to slip away after stealing things. Instead, uh, he was discovered and killed by me. Siter—"

As Jier said this, Xueya Site immediately followed Jier's prior instructions and tossed the pitch-black Light Leather Armor and two long, sharp Daggers onto the table to the side. These items, which looked different at a glance, were clearly the equipment one would imagine a Thief using.

"Look, the person was killed by me, and this is the equipment from his body. Don't ask me where the corpse went; I naturally disposed of it privately last night, so don't ask about that. And this money bag is the coins found on that Thief. Hmph, all of them are Gold Coins, one by one. Fellows, you wouldn't think these Gold Coins were the Thief's personal property, would you? This is clearly the property stolen from you last night!"

As soon as Jier finished speaking, the Warriors could no longer sit still. They stopped eating, and the Dwarfs included, they all ran toward the rooms where they had rested last night. At this time, their personal luggage and equipment were still stored inside those rooms.

Among these people, only the room with Weier and his group did not go back to check, because Weier had drunk too much last night, and the Warrior looking after him had not extinguished the lights or rested all night, so they did not believe a Thief could have stolen their personal money while someone was still awake.

Before long, the wails of some Warriors drifted down from upstairs, along with the relieved sighs of many others. The Dwarfs also walked back, rubbing their heads, whispering and pointing at the Warriors who had lost things, discussing why their own belongings had not been lost.

Soon, the Warriors who claimed to have lost Gold Coins gathered around Jier. Jier pointed to the money bag on the table: "The money you lost is all inside. That guy only took high-value Gold Coins. Siter, you are responsible for verifying the Gold Coins lost by each person. There is only so much money found on that Thief; if the property you claim to have lost is higher than the money in this bag, then there is nothing I can do."

But fortunately, although some people were turning over the idea of reporting a higher amount of lost property in their hearts, in the absence of knowing exactly how much money was in the bag, it would be very embarrassing if the numbers did not match up. Therefore, everyone honestly reported the actual amount of Gold Coins they had lost.

Most people had only lost one Gold Coin; it was the Tusi Brothers who had lost more money.

These two were also cursing and swearing, claiming that if they discovered a Thief in the future, they would definitely not let any Thief go.

The Gold Coins in the bag matched the amount reported by the Warriors who had lost property exactly, which made Jier nod with satisfaction. Not to mention anything else, his subordinates were at least honest with each other internally.

Especially maintaining honesty and loyalty toward him; this was what he valued most.

It did not matter if one's martial arts skills were insufficient; through hard training, everyone could master enough combat skills. Then, with enough food and physical training, any person could become strong and vigorous. Paired with a lethal weapon and thick Heavy Armor, an ordinary farm youth could be transformed into a capable armored Warrior.

"Alright, let's talk about the second thing. Last night, through some means, I found out the location of our destination for this trip. That is, the current location of the Kendall Army. Their position is not very far from us, so the route and travel time need some adjustments. Drivers, come over here, I will explain the situation to you. Weier, you inform the merchant caravan staying at the inn next door, and see if they want to part ways with us now or continue to follow."

The drivers walked over in a scattered manner, looking at a map Jier had taken out. After Weier walked over and glanced at the location of the Kendall Army on the map, he immediately set off to notify them.

The old Dwarf sitting in a corner of the dining room among the Dwarf group stood up and looked at Jier. Jier also nodded slightly at the other party, signaling that they would talk about whatever it was once they were on the road.

Not long after, the caravan set off toward the morning sun after settling everyone's accommodation fees.

In the underground facility of the Red House 【Dahan Linli】, inside a room with various protections and concealments, Lady Flower was waiting anxiously with several men and women wearing Stealth Clothing.

On the wooden table they sat around were some drinks, many of which had been consumed in their agitation, including a few cups drunk by Lady Flower, who did not usually drink much.

"Hasn't he returned yet? It's this time already, it should be bright outside by now. That guy 【Ghost Smoke】 couldn't possibly not return."

A middle-aged man said irritably after taking a sip of wine. He used his finger to fiddle with a Dagger on the table. This Dagger was the same as the one used by the 'Thief' who broke into the inn where Jier's team was staying last night—both were that kind of long, sharp Dagger suitable for a Thrust.

"That's right, and he's different from you; he wouldn't go off to fool around with women or do anything extra after an operation. A professional guy like him would usually return to the Jiedian immediately after finishing. Unless he was injured and is currently receiving treatment in his own Private Safe House?"

A woman next to him, also wearing black Light Leather Armor, said. She spoke while her eyes watched another young man in black Light Leather Armor at the table. Everyone present knew that this person had some private conflicts with the missing 【Ghost Smoke】. It was said that both were brought up by the same master, but their relationship was very poor.

Perhaps...

"Hiding in his own Private Safe House for treatment? You mean he isn't coming back to avoid someone here, right? Are you suspecting me? Thinking I did something to him?"

The young man had a gloomy expression. He knew he hadn't done it, but being suspected by others, his hand still subconsciously rested near the hilt of the Dagger on his thigh.

"Enough, you are all partners assigned to the same Jiedian. I don't believe anyone would move against their own people. It hasn't happened before, and it's impossible for it to happen now!" Don't look at Lady Flower as not wearing clothing or equipment convenient for movement and combat like the others present; her status was the highest.

She clapped her hands on the table, and the other three extinguished their intentions to argue.

Of course, only temporarily.

After another while, just as the young man who had been provoked by words as having harmed 【Ghost Smoke】 was about to say something, a secret door in the room opened. A masked staff member walked in quickly. Without speaking, he simply handed a piece of paper with writing on it to Lady Flower.

This person was the organization member responsible for assisting Lady Flower's work while sitting behind the wall last night. Just like yesterday, he did not say a word throughout the process, and after handing the paper to Lady Flower, he immediately retreated behind the secret door.

Lady Flower scanned the contents of the paper, and her expression immediately collapsed.

Once the secret door was completely closed, ensuring no one else behind it could hear the conversation, the other three people at the table immediately asked: "What does it say?"

"Is there news of 【Ghost Smoke】?"

"Is that guy dead?"

Lady Flower took a deep breath and folded the paper without showing it to the others. She was responsible for the operations of 【Wealth's Ear】 at the Wierstu Checkpoint; only she had the authority to review intelligence documents like this timely report. Others, including the organization's official scouts, could only review intelligence documents after applying.

However, although Lady Flower did not show them the document, it was fine for her to say it out loud herself.

"Sigh, there is news." She sighed and said.

Another young woman at the table wearing black Light Leather Armor immediately asked anxiously: "He's in trouble, right? Is he still alive?"

Lady Flower shook her head: "Dead. He died during the investigation last night. The specific details of how he was discovered and defeated are unclear. There wasn't much commotion, and the corpse did not appear, but his personal equipment, including his commonly used Dagger, was displayed."

"Hmph, usually bragging so loudly, only to fall so easily in an ordinary mission. I think others praised him too highly, causing him to lose the basic skill set of a stealth scout." The middle-aged man in black Light Leather Armor said disdainfully.

He continued: "What now? His corpse didn't appear, only the equipment. I think he was captured alive. Truly shameful. Should we negotiate with the other party?"

The young man taught by the same master as 【Ghost Smoke】 laughed dismissively: "Forget it, this is his own trouble. Negotiating would require paying an unknown amount of resources; it would be better to wait for him to escape on his own. This is a lesson. Hmph—I hope he hasn't forgotten the escape techniques the teacher taught him. If he's forgotten them all, then he deserves it."

"You!" The young woman glared at the man speaking. She had a good relationship with 【Ghost Smoke】, or rather, 【Ghost Smoke】 had recently been pursuing her, and she also had a good impression of him, so naturally, she was unwilling for the organization to do nothing.

Lady Flower tapped the table with her finger and then said: "It's not just that. Last night, who he was investigating happened to be a guest I had just made contact with last night. The matter is very troublesome. The guest we just contacted discovered that our organization was secretly spying on them, and it even resulted in an organization member being captured or killed. If we want to negotiate, considering the organization's reputation and the potential intense emotions of the other party, negotiations should not be conducted in the near future."

Lady Flower paused, and seeing that the others were listening to her, she continued: "The person still needs to be negotiated back, but not now. I will arrange for others to secretly keep an eye on the situation, hoping to find an opportunity to rescue 【Ghost Smoke】, who may have been captured; that would be the best-case scenario. If that doesn't work, or if we can't find an opportunity, we can only ransom the person with intelligence or resources. Before I finish my possible negotiations, the three of you are not allowed to act privately."

"Of course, I won't do anything for such an incompetent person." The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, and said in a relaxed tone.

"I, I understand." The young woman followed, feeling sullen.

The young man from the same master crossed his arms: "Rest assured, this is a lesson; let him stew for a while, it's truly shameful. The organization's reputation is being lost bit by bit by everyone like this, and I'm the one who has to pick it back up."

"Watch your mouth, I have never made a mistake, I have always completed my missions very well!" the middle-aged man immediately retorted.

"Besides not knowing where you're gallivanting all day, owing money until people find the organization, and having the organization pay to bail you out every time, right?" the gloomy youth mocked.

The middle-aged man immediately slammed his fist onto the table: "Every time? It was just once, and I didn't need the organization to be so eager to pay the ransom, I could have handled it myself! That time I was actually about to get away! I don't know who was so eager to send the ransom to them."

Lady Flower did not want to listen to the arguments of these subordinates who were more skilled than her; she held a high position, but she did not come from a background as a professional infiltrator, and before being transferred to be in charge of Wierstu Checkpoint, she was responsible for intelligence compilation and analysis.

She stood up, her body, having stayed up all night, in urgent need of rest, and before leaving the room through the secret door on the other side, she said to the three of them: "That is how it is, you are not allowed to act privately, I will arrange the subsequent matters, whether it is a rescue or paying a ransom, I will arrange it. That is all, I am going to rest, staying up late is the greatest enemy of beauty."

Hearing Lady Flower say this, another woman at the table also immediately stood up: "The boss has spoken, so I'm going to rest too; staying up this late is all that guy Ghost Smoke's fault."

The other two were not sleepy, having long been accustomed to a day-night inverted schedule, but they did not stay here long either and soon left one by one.

However, once he was alone, the gloomy-faced young man finally revealed a trace of worry on his face, muttering to himself: "You guy, you better not die, otherwise Teacher will be so heartbroken..."

?? There is another chapter tonight, but it might have to wait until after twelve o'clock.