Harvest, Part 1

After warning Phil, Sean immediately led Vinson briskly into the secret chamber. The chamber was not large, and several torches were set into each of its four walls. Their bright flames illuminated the entire room.

Sean's gaze swept across the chamber. He found three boxes stacked against the wall, varying in size, while another exit stood in the wall opposite the entrance.

Sean could not help thinking, So this was the escape passage the Water Bandit leader had reserved for himself. These boxes should contain the wealth he had hidden away. Unfortunately, he would never have the chance to use any of it again.

"Carefully inspect the chamber and see if there are any hidden compartments..." Sean gathered his thoughts and gave the order. Then he added, "Be careful..."

As he spoke, Sean walked toward the boxes. Upon hearing this, Phil and Vinson immediately began searching the chamber carefully. A moment later, the two returned to Sean's side somewhat dejectedly.

"My lord, we checked everything and found nothing unusual..." Phil said, looking toward the boxes before Sean.

"Looks like there are no other traps..." Sean said with a smile. He then picked up the small box on top and said, "Let's see what good things are inside..." As he spoke, he cautiously and slowly opened the box in his hands.

The box was small, and it did not feel particularly heavy when held. As Sean slowly opened it, everyone raised their heads to look. Inside was a thick stack of parchment, as though it contained important documents. Sean handed the box to Vinson, then picked up the top sheet of parchment.

Sean carefully read the words on it and discovered that it was a letter the Max Bandit Group had written to the Water Bandit leader, Gil, which Vinson had mentioned before. After reading it, he could not help frowning, and an even greater doubt arose in his heart.

The letter contained nothing but a bounty for an old blacksmith named Tack, repeatedly demanding that the Gil River Bandit Group capture him alive. This made Sean even more curious. What was so extraordinary about this old blacksmith Tack that the bandits were so obsessed with him, thinking of nothing else day and night?

There was clearly too little information, so Sean quickly abandoned his speculation. He began opening the other sheets of parchment one by one. His heart suddenly jolted, and his expression gradually darkened.

It turned out that aside from a few letters written to Gil by other bandits, most of the parchment consisted of letters from merchants within Linshui City. In those letters, they revealed that they not only purchased stolen goods looted by the Water Bandit Group, but also occasionally sold them food and intelligence.

All these letters, which could be considered evidence, were now in Sean's hands. Yet there was not the slightest joy in his heart, only a deep sense of danger. Among the merchants he knew, several were representatives of certain nobles' interests within Linshui City.

Sean could not help thinking, With my current status, if I hold these so-called evidentiary letters, I'll probably end up suffering for it instead—especially during this sensitive period right after the Water Bandit Group was wiped out. If I could keep this secret...

He immediately gave a bitter smile and shook his head slightly. Once word that these letters are in my hands leaks out, even if only the faintest rumor spreads, I probably won't know another day of peace. I'll not only face all kinds of schemes against me—my life may even be in danger.

After all, nobles wore refined and courteous masks to hide their bloodthirsty true faces. Whenever faced with a possible threat, they were accustomed to crushing danger before it could take root.

At that thought, a chill ran through Sean's heart. The faint joy and excitement he had felt upon discovering the Water Bandit leader's hidden treasure vanished like smoke.

Sean raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over the two men before him. Phil was studying the entire secret chamber with great interest, as though he had never noticed Sean's somewhat ugly expression.

Vinson, meanwhile, stood respectfully to one side with his head lowered. Yet from his faintly trembling body and the cold sweat covering his forehead, it was clear that he was extremely uneasy. Perhaps he was afraid—afraid that Sean might make a decision unfavorable to him...

Sean frowned slightly as he looked at the two of them and cursed inwardly, Damn Gil, hiding these things here—was he trying to harm someone? But he quickly dismissed the notion that Gil had intended to hurt anyone. Gil had likely kept these letters for his own future and placed them here so he could take them with him if he ever needed to flee.

They were meant to ensure that Gil's partners would not hunt him down after he fell from power. If something happened... he would still have a means to strike back.

At that moment, an idea suddenly flashed through Sean's mind. A plan immediately formed—one that would serve both purposes perfectly. Not only could he dispose of the hot potato in his hands, but he might even gain a little from it.

The method was actually simple. Sean planned to disguise the source of these letters and hand them all over to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel. After all, when people of different statuses handled the same problem, the results were often completely different. These letters were Gil's protection in his hands, a disaster in Sean's hands, and in Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's hands...

Sean chuckled darkly to himself and set down the letters. Then he smiled at the two men before him. "Hehe... you don't need to worry. I already have a foolproof plan." The moment his words fell, the two men almost simultaneously let out breaths of relief. Clearly, they had both finally put down their worries.

"Let's see what gifts the Water Bandit leader Gil prepared for us..." Seeing that the two had relaxed, Sean continued with a smile. He reached out and opened the second box. Under the light of the torches, a dazzling burst of color immediately shone from within. A box full of jewelry and gemstones appeared before the three of them.

Sean casually picked up one piece of jewelry. It was a gemstone necklace, entirely forged from gold and set with all kinds of precious stones. It felt quite heavy in his hand, and one glance was enough to tell that it was extremely valuable. There were dozens of other pieces of jewelry and gemstones in the box as well, causing all three men to reveal excited, delighted smiles.

"My lord, we really gained a lot this time..." Phil said with a smile, though there was not a trace of greed in his eyes.

"Yes, yes. These things all belong to you, my lord..." Although Vinson's eyes burned as he looked at the jewelry, he still understood his current status and situation. He then asked, "My lord, how are we going to transport them back?"

Sean saw that neither of them asked about the method he had mentioned earlier. Instead, they seemed unconcerned as they asked about something else. They had clearly put the earlier awkwardness behind them and fully trusted him to handle everything properly.

"Wait a moment. There's still one large box we haven't looked at..." Sean was equally pleased. From this moment onward, this jewelry was his private wealth. Though he was still uncertain of its exact value, it should be enough to ensure that he would not have to worry about food or clothing for a long time. After that, he could devote himself wholeheartedly to knight training. From what he understood, advancing in the knight realm could also increase a practitioner's lifespan. He had never forgotten the wish he had carried in his previous life.

"My lord, let me do it..." Vinson hurriedly said. Then, before Sean could act, he reached out and opened the box that had originally been at the very bottom.

As the box opened, a blinding golden light immediately filled everyone's vision. The three of them squinted at the same time. Only after a moment did they clearly see that the box was packed full of gold coins. Sean silently estimated that there were no fewer than three thousand gold coins inside.

"Looks like we really need to think carefully about how to transport all this back," Sean said with some difficulty.

There were only four of them in total, including Torr, who was standing watch above. Even transporting this one box of gold coins alone without attracting anyone's attention would be nearly impossible, let alone the jewelry and letters.

"Phil, go scout the way ahead..." After thinking it over, Sean pointed at the passage opposite the secret chamber and said to Phil.

"Yes, my lord. I'll go right away..." Phil answered immediately, then turned and ran toward the passage.

Phil's hurried footsteps immediately echoed through the dark passage, quickly growing fainter and fainter. As Sean looked around for tools or other useful items, he thought, The Water Bandit leader who hid this wealth must have prepared some means of transport. Otherwise, how was he supposed to move it? Did he suddenly lose his mind?

Before long, the nearly inaudible footsteps grew clearer again as Phil hurried back. Sean and Vinson could not help turning their gazes toward the passage, and they soon saw Phil emerge from the other end.

"My lord, there's a cave at the end of the passage that leads directly to the river. The entrance is well hidden... and there's a Water Bandit Speedboat docked there..." Phil hurriedly reported what he had discovered to Sean.

Sean could not help feeling pleased. As expected, the Water Bandit leader had prepared in advance. He then turned to Vinson and ordered, "Vinson, go back and bring Thor here immediately. Remember... make sure you close the entrance when you return..."

"Yes, my lord." With that, Vinson turned and ran back toward the entrance.

"Phil, let's move all of this onto the boat first. Once Torr and Vinson return, we'll head straight back to the warship..." After saying this, Sean picked up the wooden box containing the jewelry, turned, and entered the passage opposite them.

"My lord, wait for me..." Seeing Sean disappear into the passage, Phil called out urgently. He then turned and dragged the heavy box of gold coins, slowly pulling it into the passage.

Sean soon reached the cave Phil had described. It was actually the outlet of an underground river. About twenty meters farther ahead, he could vaguely see where it connected to the swamp waterway, concealed by reeds. The Water Bandit Speedboat Phil had mentioned was quietly docked inside the cave entrance.

Sean placed the jewelry box in his hands onto the boat, then turned and returned to the passage. Phil was currently dragging the heavy box of gold coins forward through the passage with great difficulty. Only after Sean had hurried through more than half the passage did he meet the panting, sweat-soaked Phil. Smiling, he said, "Phil, wait here for a while... When Thor and Vinson get here, the three of you can work together..." As he spoke, he gave Phil a gentle smile.

"I'll go back first and bring the box containing the letters..." Sean continued. Only then did he pass Phil and leave.