So what if you're smart?

As dusk approached, the sun hadn't fully set, and faint clouds swept across the horizon, illuminated by the setting sun into a purplish glow.

A gentle breeze swept across the early autumn wilderness, carrying a hint of refreshing coolness.

The enticing aroma of wild mushroom and ham stew wafted from the pot over the campfire, quickly spreading through the camp on the evening breeze, stimulating the men who had been busy all day.

The stout woman's cooking skills were unexpectedly good; with such simple ingredients, she had managed to create a meal that felt like a feast.

Li Ang clutched a piece of bread, similar to a baguette, in his hand, dipping it into the steaming broth and savoring the first hot meal he'd had in two days.

The rich, mellow gravy masked the bread's rough texture. The softened bread, coated in the sauce, was swallowed along with the warm stew, a comforting satisfaction immediately filling every part of his body, easily banishing the day's fatigue.

In its place came a gentle sense of ease and drowsiness.

The food was definitely not poisoned, as the woman had been the first to eat, consuming a whole large basinful.

Most people let out a satisfied sigh after finishing the meal. Then, as darkness descended, snoring erupted from all sides.

The scouts had found no enemy activity in the surrounding area all afternoon, and no other incidents had occurred in the camp.

Even the makeshift nomadic camp was nearly complete.

And tonight, everyone had enjoyed a delicious hot meal.

Everything had gone unbelievably smoothly.

It was as if the Goddess of Order had draped her robe over them.

The next morning...

"Sir! Sir! Wake up!"

Li Ang was roughly awakened by his subordinate, rubbing his eyes as he climbed out of the tent.

Then, in an instant, he was wide awake.

The camp was in chaos, as if it had been attacked by a herd of wild boars... Several mercenaries were frantically searching for clothes, some even rummaging through hidden pockets in their underwear...

Most mercenaries were still asleep, but every tent had been overturned.

Li Ang frantically lunged for where he kept his money pouch—undoubtedly, it was already empty.

Clean, not a single coin left.

Fortunately, he always wore his noble crest close to his chest; otherwise, that would probably have been stolen too.

The stout woman who claimed to be a noble had disappeared, along with the farmers she had brought.

However, the pitchforks and rakes were left behind in the camp, leaning against Li Ang's tent as if mocking the greedy and foolish lord.

"Blow the horn, wake everyone up!"

That incredibly fragrant mushroom soup from last night was probably the problem!

The food wasn't poisoned, but it made people sleep deeper and more soundly—the mushrooms were harmless but had a sedative effect!

Everyone had been knocked out by that meal, allowing someone to sneak into their tents and rob them of all their valuables without anyone noticing.

Li Ang's head was buzzing...

He had always considered himself exceptionally intelligent, only to be tricked by a village woman!

An indescribable sense of shame washed over him, making him dizzy. He slapped himself twice before regaining his senses, his intellect returning, and began a painful reflection.

After suspecting the woman might be Count Oden's daughter, Li Ang's mind had been completely filled with Dinar, preoccupied with how to negotiate a price with Count Oden.

The woman's clumsy acting and words had managed to fool him so easily...

He had seen through her disguise as a noble at first glance—having seen Sarah's elegant demeanor and Ansen's persistent resolve, the woman's imitation was as discordant as Oden's receding hairline.

But, but...

His greedy heart had still eagerly walked into this trap!

Li Ang had always believed that with his modern knowledge, he would be the one tricking others, never falling into a trap on the 'ignorant' Pande Continent.

But reality had slapped him hard—no matter how smart you are, no matter how much you've seen, as long as you're consumed by greed, you'll be deceived.

Moreover, the now-sober Li Ang remembered who Liwa was—a special character from his past life's game who could become a teammate, a bandit impersonating a noble.

Perhaps in the game, which was made of code, she could only stay in a tavern, waiting for players to approach and recruit her as a helper or be kicked out of the party.

But now, anyone could appear anywhere and do unimaginable things.

Besides, a name like 'Liwa' was too common; every village had a girl named Liwa. And... the faces in the game didn't match real people—Sarah was much prettier than in the game, and Liwa looked much sturdier than in the game...

His past knowledge of the game was unreliable when faced with living people and this vast, dangerous continent.

What did it matter that he was a transmigrator? What did it matter that he was a modern person?

For Li Ang, this was a very fortunate warning.

Yes, very fortunate.

Because Liwa only intended to steal money, not take lives.

But this warning was timely, making Li Ang realize that he still subconsciously saw himself as the protagonist of this world.

The human mind is a strange thing.

Although Li Ang had always been aware of the dangers in this world, deep down, he always possessed a halo-like protagonist mentality.

This mentality, hidden in the depths of his subconscious, was probably common to all transmigrators.

But now, Li Ang understood that he had unintentionally made a conceptual error deep in his consciousness, an error called arrogance.

This arrogance, stemming from being a transmigrator, had clouded his otherwise functional mind.

The team had reassembled, and every mercenary's eyes were filled with dejection and sorrow—all their coin purses were gone.

However, the carpenters reported no losses—most of them hadn't brought any money, and that woman didn't seem to have searched their bags.

Fortunately, their weapons and equipment were mostly intact, and the camp hadn't been set on fire.

The woman had even thoughtfully prepared a pot of fragrant oatmeal for them, emitting a faint warmth in the cold morning breeze.

But now, no one dared to drink it.

Such actions indicated that the woman was likely a seasoned criminal, and that she was supremely confident she wouldn't be caught.

At least two things she said weren't lies—she was indeed a good cook, very familiar with the local bandits and robbers, and very familiar with the surrounding environment.

In this wilderness, there was no hope of tracking such a thief.

"Brothers... I am truly sorry! Due to my rash decision, you all have suffered losses—I don't know the extent of your losses, but I must compensate you!"

Li Ang stood on a carriage, waving his arms to rally their spirits.

"Of course, I believe you all know that I was also robbed... So, from now on, after every battle, I will distribute the spoils of war to you all—but for fairness, you must exchange them for heads or captives. The brave will become rich under my command!"

"Furthermore, once my territory is established, I will select those with outstanding achievements from the ranks as probationary knights!"

"No matter your background, no matter what you've done before! I swear by my surname, I will never go back on my word!"

"Therefore, you can start learning to read!"

This was a simple strategy of diverting attention, transforming an existing internal problem into an external promise that was yet to materialize—a tactic modern people were accustomed to.

However, the tradition of mercenaries was that they provided their own arms and worked for pay, with no concept of spoils distribution—though hoarding spoils was common.

Unless an entire mercenary group was hired for independent operations, mercenaries, while often clearing battlefields, could usually only sneakily pocket small trinkets.

Of course, the cash on the enemy's bodies was implicitly left to those who cleared the battlefield; the money from captives also went to the one who captured them, and no one would question it; this was the custom.

Li Ang's decision, however, meant that this hired force was almost receiving the treatment of retainers—with provisions, the right to share in spoils, and even the possibility of becoming nobles!

The mercenaries couldn't believe it at first, but then, a huge uproar erupted.

"We swear to follow Lord Li Ang to the death!"

Li Ang didn't know which clever fellow had first shouted this flattering remark.

But regardless, morale was restored, and his subordinates once again appeared full of vigor.

Li Ang led his men back towards Fletcher Village, walking with his head held high, a carefree expression on his face, but his heart filled with bitterness.

His expected increase in the Command skill hadn't materialized.

Moreover, he truly hadn't expected to suffer such a significant loss in this uninhabited wilderness.

The loss was immense, so much so that Li Ang's heart ached.

The coin purse that had vanished originally contained over six hundred Dinar, but that was a minor matter.

The main loss was the heirloom from the original owner's father, a knight's sword whose crest on the hilt had been worn smooth.

That sword had felt just right in his hand. While not a divine weapon, no other weapon had ever been able to replace it.

Furthermore, Li Ang could guess the original design of the sword's crest.

—A Griffin.