Aftermath

On the afternoon of April 4, 1157 Imperial Calendar, Sean woke from a deep sleep; he sat up with some effort, rubbing his cheeks vigorously with both hands, then turned his head toward the cabin door and called out, "Someone..."

With a creak, the cabin door was pushed open from outside; Torr and Phil hurried into the room, their faces full of concern.

"Young Master, you're awake," Torr said, his expression anxious and worried as he quickly asked Sean.

"Mm..." Sean nodded at his two attendants. Seeing the tense looks on their faces, he found it somewhat amusing and said, "I'm fine... Prepare some hot water for me; I need to wash up..."

"Understood, Young Master. We'll get it ready right away..." Torr replied, but the two didn't leave immediately; instead, they asked again, "Young Master, are you hungry? Should we bring you lunch?"

At that, Sean felt a pang of hunger in his stomach and nodded with a smile. Only then did the two turn and leave, grinning. He shook his head helplessly, then got up and stepped out of bed.

Bathing and lunch took Sean a little over an hour; afterward, he changed into a clean lieutenant's uniform and, with Torr and Phil in tow, left the cabin. The warship he was on was now docked at the pier of what had once been the Water Bandit Camp.

Sean stood on the bow deck, looking out; the former Water Bandit Camp was now nothing but smoldering ruins, wisps of green smoke rising from the rubble. Here and there, soldiers in small groups were searching through the debris.

Further away, on an open stretch of land, a sprawling cluster of tents was tightly enclosed by wooden fences. From the deck where Sean stood, he could faintly make out the figures of patrolling soldiers.

He turned to Torr behind him and asked, "How did the battle go last night?"

Torr, upon hearing Sean's question, paused to consider before replying, "Young Master, after the Water Bandit Camp caught fire last night, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel ordered a full assault. First came a volley of arrows, then the troops launched a landing operation... Later... the fighting lasted about three hours..." He paused, then added, "I heard... all the Water Bandit leaders, big and small, died in that battle..."

"Sir, I heard that afterward, over three hundred bodies were found... and more than four hundred prisoners were taken, locked up in those tents over there," Phil added, pointing in the direction of the tent cluster Sean had been observing.

"Mm... Looks like a complete victory. Then we should be heading home soon," Sean said, his tone light after hearing their words.

"Yes, Young Master. You should have seen it... last night, when the Water Bandit Camp caught fire, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel was laughing heartily, slapping the ship's railing and praising you," Torr recalled. He could still feel the commanding, heroic spirit of that moment—Merkel shouting "Heaven helps me!" and "Good lad, you've got some nerve!" before ordering the full assault.

"Where's Vinson? Go fetch him. We'll take a tour of the Water Bandit Camp together," Sean said, in high spirits, smiling at the two.

"Sir, please wait a moment... I'll go get him," Phil said, naturally taking on the errand, then turned and left.

"Let's go, we'll check out the pier first," Sean said, waving his hand and stepping onto the gangplank with a smile. Torr followed closely behind, also grinning. They slowly descended the warship and soon reached the log-built pier.

Sean and Torr idled about on the pier for a while, and soon Phil returned with Vinson, both jogging over.

"Vinson, did you rest well?" Sean asked with a smile, noting Vinson's fairly energetic demeanor.

"Thank you, sir. I'm fine... The soldiers have all been very courteous to me," Vinson replied, slightly out of breath but still respectful.

"Don't worry. Once Lieutenant Colonel Merkel is done with his work, I'll go see him," Sean assured Vinson with a smile. Seeing Vinson's face immediately brighten, he continued, "Give me a tour of your Water Bandit Camp."

"Thank you, sir, thank you... Please, this way... I'll lead the way," Vinson said, his voice thick with gratitude. He gestured for Sean to proceed, then walked slightly to the side, introducing the camp's layout as they went.

"Vinson, where's your old house? Let's check it out... and dig up that money you stashed away," Sean joked, as they wandered through the ruins for a while.

"Sir, heh heh... I did hide some money back then. No idea if it's still there," Vinson said, scratching his head with an embarrassed smile. He pointed at a building and said, "Sir, that's where I used to live. If you'd like to see, I'll take you there. Hope no one's found it yet."

"Ha! Then let's go have a look," Sean laughed heartily, patting the awkwardly standing Vinson on the shoulder in a teasing tone. He then led the way toward Vinson's old residence.

Under Vinson's own digging, they soon unearthed a leather money pouch from beneath a water vat in the ruins. Vinson patted the dirt off the pouch and immediately handed it to Sean.

Sean waved his hand and said with a smile, "That's your money. Keep it. Check if the amount's right."

"Thank you, sir. This is money I saved over several years—thirty gold coins in total," Vinson said, pulling open the pouch and pouring out the coins as he thanked Sean. Soon, a handful of gold coins rested in his palm.

"Vinson, do you know where any other Water Bandit leaders hid their money?" Sean asked with a smile, then added in a regretful tone, "Too bad they won't get to use it now... might as well support us." His words drew smiles from the others.

Vinson also grinned and replied, "Sir, I heard Chief Gil had a small treasury. Not sure if it's true."

"Oh? Take us to see," Sean said, suddenly intrigued.

"Sir, this way," Vinson said, tucking the pouch of gold coins into his chest and pointing in a direction.

Soon, the group followed Vinson to a residence that had been reduced to ashes. The building had once been quite large, with over twenty rooms based on the ruins. Unfortunately, as the Water Bandit leader's home, it had been a primary target for the Garrison's attack. Even after being completely burned down, it remained a focus of the soldiers' searches.

Sean shook his head in mild disappointment and was about to ask Vinson to lead them elsewhere to try other leaders' homes.

"Sir, I just remembered... there was a rumor in the Water Bandit Group that Chief Gil had a secret residence near the camp's outskirts," Vinson said quickly, noticing Sean's disappointed expression. His tone carried a note of uncertainty.

"Oh? Take us there immediately," Sean said, raising an eyebrow, a spark of anticipation rising within him.

"Sir, this way," Vinson said, glancing around before taking the lead toward the camp's edge.

The four of them walked from the center of the camp to its periphery, passing many soldiers engaged in searches along the way.

Soon, a small courtyard came into view. Because it was on the outskirts of the Water Bandit Camp, it had luckily escaped the fire and fighting of the previous night. The courtyard appeared largely undamaged, its gate wide open, suggesting it had already been searched by soldiers.

But Sean wasn't discouraged. After all, he had initially come just to look around; the idea of treasure-hunting had only arisen later, and he wasn't fixated on finding anything. So he led the others into the courtyard.

Once inside, the group quickly dispersed to search on their own. Sean stood alone in the yard, lightly stroking his chin as he surveyed the place. The courtyard was small, with only two or three rooms, which showed signs of age and minor wear—clearly not from the previous night's battle, given its location on the camp's edge.

If this truly was Chief Gil's secret residence, it was likely a stash point for emergency supplies—money, clothes, and other items to aid a quick escape.

Sean began a careful search. The front hall and two rooms yielded nothing. He slowly made his way to the backyard, which was just a small courtyard. Against the wall stood a latrine, oddly locked.

Puzzled, he approached, and a foul stench hit him. This only deepened his sense of unease—why would a frequently used latrine be locked? What was worth locking up?

Suspicious, Sean called the others over loudly. After hearing his explanation, Vinson stepped forward and kicked the latrine door open. Inside, there was nothing unusual, but Sean noticed a strange tilt in the back wall.

Sean ordered Torr to guard the backyard entrance, then stepped into the stinking latrine. Carefully avoiding the unspeakable mess, he reached out and touched the wall. At the same time, his abnormal perception spread through the contact point, and he soon sensed an empty space behind the wall. Based on the feedback, he pressed a brick on the right side.

With a series of mechanical clicks, a large opening appeared in the wall. The opening led downward, with man-made steps. The group exchanged glances, and Phil was the first to enter, steadying himself against the wall.

After descending about three or four meters, the passage leveled out into a straight corridor. Sean and the others advanced cautiously. About fifty meters in, they came to a hidden chamber, and Phil's voice rang out from ahead: "Sir, there are a few chests here."

"Don't touch anything. Watch for traps," Sean warned immediately, quickening his pace as he stepped into the chamber.