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When Old Walker heard the request, the worry weighing on his heart immediately lifted. He had thought Renard wanted him to help deal with Gilbert.

He thumped his chest with his rough, powerful palm and assured Renard, "If that's all, then there's no problem. Leave it to me."

"Five days!" He gestured with his right hand, which was missing a finger, then awkwardly but politely raised the index finger of his left hand to make up the difference. "I'll have the job done in just five days."

Renard silently calculated the time and decided it was reasonable. He could use the time to clear out some bounty quests. At the very least, he needed to buy a decent magic weapon from the system shop. "I'll give you ten days. Make the map as detailed as possible."

With that, he waved a hand to signal that Old Walker could leave. Old Walker looked as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders and fled the castle.

Only then did the two lackeys approach with some curiosity and ask, "Young master, you had Old Walker map the surrounding area. You're not really planning to go adventuring, are you?"

They found the idea rather unbelievable. Their young master was arrogant and domineering, but he was famous for only throwing his weight around at home. He might be willing to bully his own people, but would he really have the courage to face monsters out in the wild?

"Adventure? That's right!" Renard nodded without hesitation.

At once, one of the lackeys urged him against it. "Young Master Renard, adventuring is incredibly dangerous. If anything happens to you, how are we supposed to answer to Lord Baron?"

Renard shot the two lackeys a contemptuous glance, then picked up the cigar from the ashtray and lit it again. He took a couple of deep drags and said indistinctly, "Why would I put myself in danger? That's what you're there for."

The two lackeys were speechless. They knew their young master was no good.

Seeing their expressions, Renard shook his head helplessly and said in a solemn tone, "I do have plans to go adventuring, but not now. The most important thing right now is to let people know that Old Walker is working for me."

The two lackeys exchanged glances, unsure what their young master was getting at.

Renard yawned and asked helplessly, "Don't you think something's fishy?"

Fishy? The two lackeys looked a little confused and shook their heads.

Renard looked up at the ceiling and began to gather his thoughts. "If I remember correctly, Old Walker was once a ruthless adventurer. He even registered as a full-fledged mercenary."

"That's right." Tommy nodded. "After I took this assignment, I looked into him in detail. He's quite a man. He's traveled far and wide, is strong, and has a wealth of experience. He's a rare talent."

Ben frowned. "Does young master want to recruit him?"

"How could that work?" Tommy immediately objected. "Old Walker may seem obedient, but he's no good. Just look at what he did to me."

As he spoke, he pointed to his cheek, which was still somewhat swollen and red. "He has very little respect for nobles."

Renard looked surprised, then smiled and nodded. "Good. You really are thorough in your work. Old Walker may act meek and submissive in front of me, but behind the scenes, he's a big shot on both sides of the law."

His praise left Tommy feeling flattered, while Ben, standing beside him, felt a little envious.

Renard paid no mind to what the two of them were thinking and added, "I remember Old Walker's shop isn't aboveboard. All sorts of people go there to fence stolen goods."

He toyed with the medal in his hand, his eyes full of thought. "A man who doesn't even care about the law acted very restrained in front of me, a spoiled young noble. He even seemed afraid. Don't you think his performance was too fake?"

Ben pondered briefly, then asked in surprise, "You mean Old Walker was pretending just now?"

"That's right. His expressions, movements, and words all seemed rehearsed. They looked real, but if you paid close attention, they felt completely fake." Renard crossed his hands and stared intently out the window.

After a long while, he let out a deep sigh. "Tommy, even you know the medal is in Old Walker's hands. How could Wilson, the sheriff and captain of the guards, not know?"

Tommy frowned tightly. "Then why would he..."

"Why not go straight to Old Walker and ask for it?" Renard smiled, though his eyes grew colder. Then he explained, "Perhaps this was a trap all along—a trap set for Old Walker."

Tommy and Ben exchanged another glance. This time, there was no confusion in their eyes. Instead, they frowned and began to think it over.

Renard had no time to let them waste away the moment. He got straight to the point. "Gilbert has coveted my position as heir for a long time. He's come back from far away this time, so he must be planning to make a move. Otherwise, he'd only make my position more secure."

His eyes flashed as if Conan himself had taken possession of him, and he analyzed how everything had unfolded. "Gilbert and Wilson have been in league for a long time. His mother, who comes from a lowly background, has even exchanged suggestive glances with Wilson several times. Did she really think I wouldn't notice?"

Renard sneered to himself. "Wilson must have been Gilbert's lackey behind the scenes for a long time."

Tommy slapped his forehead, vexed. "That's right! How did I not think of that? How could Wilson's heirloom have gone missing so easily? And when Old Walker was about to return it, he just happened to run into Gilbert. That's far too much of a coincidence."

"Coincidence or not..." Ben frowned, still confused, and asked directly, "How does young master know this trap was set for Old Walker? And why would they do this?"

Renard calmly blew smoke rings, the hazy smoke veiling his face. After a long silence, he replied helplessly, "I don't know."

Everyone was speechless. Ben was about to speak, but Renard cut him off. "Whatever their goal is, we just need to ruin their plan."

With that, he smiled confidently. "Bringing Old Walker over to our side is the first step. That sly old fox will make a fine chess piece when the time comes."

Tommy and Ben understood the general idea. They both drew a deep breath, feeling that their young master had grown much smarter than before, but also that he'd become more inscrutable and a little frightening.

Renard felt the same way. He hadn't been particularly clever before, though he would occasionally have a flash of inspiration while playing games. Now, he could piece together the truth from just a few clues. It genuinely surprised him.

Could it be because of Eidetic Memory? He quickly realized that this was probably the key. After all, the Skill Introduction for Eidetic Memory clearly stated: "Enhances the host's logical thinking ability."