Perfect Operation

Next, they arrived at the study on the second floor of the house.

Here, Ye Wei'an's harvest was no less significant than what they had found in the cellar.

Upon entering the room, Ye Wei'an immediately spotted several blood-stained velvet jewelry boxes on the desk.

"These bear the mark of the Golden Dragon Firm." Cain picked up a jewelry box, his fingers brushing over an emerald necklace that still had dark red bloodstains on its edges. "This firm reported a disappearance in the Eastern Reaches half a month ago... so this is where it all ended up."

In addition to the gold and silver jewelry, they also found a pile of official documents, travel permits, and identity tags belonging to farmers from the Valley, all scavenged from murdered travelers.

These poor souls had not only lost their lives and wealth, but even their identities had become disguises that these villains could don at any moment.

Ye Wei'an did not linger on the stolen goods for long; he walked straight toward the bookcase.

Based on the intelligence from Gray Crow's memories, he easily located the mechanism.

With a crisp "click," the wooden panel of the bookcase popped open, revealing a hidden compartment concealed behind it.

Inside the compartment, stacks of ledgers and letters were neatly arranged.

Ye Wei'an flipped through one at random; it was densely packed with records of the amounts Gray Crow paid to Lady Selina each year, every single profit from smuggling and fencing stolen goods, and the "service fees" paid to the bandit leader Grumman...

The real treasures were right here.

"Young Master, look at this." Ailian handed over a stack of parchment sealed with wax.

They were blank official documents of the Summerstar Family, stamped with the family crest of three gold stars on a blue background.

This meant that as long as those murderous bandits carried these papers, they could run rampant around Firefall Valley. Even if stopped by the Purple Dragon Legion, they could pose as the lord's private soldiers and walk away with their heads held high.

"Lady Selina... is this how she upholds the reputation of the Summerstar Family?" Cain was visibly angry.

"It goes beyond just this." Ye Wei'an said, opening several letters stamped with the "Scales" seal of the Amarisk Family.

In the letters, the lady demanded that Gray Crow cooperate with the Amarisk Family's smuggling team to help them transport contraband.

It seemed she wasn't the only one involved in the smuggling.

"These things..." Cain's hand, gripping his sword, trembled with rage. "She is not only hollowing out the territory, but she is also betraying the Baron."

"Isn't that perfectly normal?" Ye Wei'an sneered. "The Amarisk Family is the guardian family of the Eastern Reaches; without the loopholes they provide, who would dare to smuggle so unscrupulously?"

At the same time, a sense of urgency rose in his heart.

The dark curtain he had pulled back was larger and more dangerous than he had anticipated.

Once a behemoth like the Amarisk Family reacted, they would never let him off easily.

It seemed that after settling the trouble at Firefall Fortress, he would have to leave the Eastern Reaches as soon as possible to avoid being targeted.

Ye Wei'an pored over this stack of letters for a long time, finally finding at the very bottom the direct evidence proving Lady Selina's murder plot against him:

Lady Selina's elegant handwriting was clearly visible:

"...That bastard will leave Suzar in the coming days. Ensure he is dealt with thoroughly before he returns to Firefall Valley; do not let the lord find any traces..."

Aside from these lethal ledgers and secret letters, a heavy cowhide envelope was stuffed into the deepest part of the hidden compartment.

Ye Wei'an pulled it out, and a large pile of thick parchment scrolls slid out.

These were the asset certificates for the spoils Gray Crow had seized through force and extortion in Firefall Town and its surroundings over the years:

A thirty-percent dividend share of the local timber guild, permanent lease rights to the wharf warehouses, ownership of several large storage facilities, land deeds for three mills in the south of the city... and even the ownership proof for the very mansion Ye Wei'an was standing in.

The real value behind these property certificates far exceeded the smuggled goods in the cellar.

But unlike the goods, converting these titles into gold would require some maneuvering.

Ye Wei'an tucked this letter, along with the other letters and ledgers, into his system inventory.

Beyond the hidden compartment, Ye Wei'an also found an iron box in the study. Upon opening it, he found a signet ring and a pair of boots.

At first, he wondered why Gray Crow would solemnly hide a pair of boots in an iron box.

When he held the boots in his hand, the system provided the data:

[Tracker's Boots]

Item Description: A pair of long boots made of soft black deerskin, with extremely fine dark green oak leaf patterns embroidered on the shafts.

Magic Effect: The wearer leaves no footprints while walking and finds it easier to hide in the shadows.

Ye Wei'an hadn't expected Gray Crow to have hoarded magical items.

And he certainly hadn't expected his system to have the ability to identify magical items.

This saved him a spell slot he would have otherwise needed to learn "Identify."

The other signet ring was also extraordinary:

[Amarisk's Forgery Signet Ring]

Item Description: A plain-looking silver signet ring with a blurred scale engraved on the face.

Magic Effect: Three times a day, the user can press the seal onto a blank sheet of paper, and the ring will manifest the mark of any official Cormyr institution on the paper according to the wearer's will.

Ye Wei'an guessed that the former was used by Gray Crow to make his escape, while the latter was used to forge transit permits for smuggled goods.

In short, everything ended up benefiting Ye Wei'an.

Four in the morning, the hour when the fog in Firefall Town is at its thickest.

A cart covered in heavy, tanned hides rolled silently out of the back door of the leather shop.

No one would ever guess that beneath those layers of leather, three grown men were stuffed together, bound tight.

Ye Wei'an maintained the appearance of Gray Crow, wrapping his gray cloak tightly around himself as he sat composed on the driver's bench.

The militiamen at the town exit were yawning incessantly; they merely swept a cursory glance over the leather cart and looked at "Gray Crow's" face, not even bothering to question him before grumbling and lifting the wooden barrier.

In Firefall Town, the recognized rule of survival was: never provoke this leather merchant who had eyes and ears everywhere.

Just like that, they left Firefall Town with the human evidence and physical proof of the assassination.

The entire operation had been executed cleanly and efficiently, without alerting any official authorities.

In the eyes of the residents of Firefall Town, what happened last night was nothing more than a mundane gray-market transaction: the bandit Grumman delivered the "goods," and after the deal was done, the local kingpin Gray Crow spent the night transporting the loot out of the city to fence it.

Ye Wei'an still remembered that Grumman had left a small treasury near the town.

Before leaving, he had found the Abandoned Mill and added another thousand gold to his accounts.

The carriage continued forward until they were several miles outside of Firefall Town and the town was no longer in sight; only then did they stop.

Ye Wei'an dispelled his transformation spell, and the group, having been busy all night, rested briefly in the carriage for an hour before continuing on their way at sunrise, racing back at full speed along the main road.

On the other side, a column consisting of several carriages and over a dozen soldiers was trudging heavily forward.

Having suffered the previous ambush and lost their commander, the entire main force was low on morale, and their marching speed was agonizingly slow.

By evening, as the setting sun spilled over the road like molten gold, the two parties finally met in an open area of Firefall Valley.

When Ye Wei'an appeared at the end of the road driving the hide-covered cart, the sentries in front let out a shout that cracked with emotion: "It's the Young Master! The Young Master is back!"

The previously lifeless group instantly erupted like a boiling pot; the soldiers ignored their formation and swarmed toward the center of the road.

"It really is the Young Master!"

"Captain Cain is back too! They're alright!"

The soldiers crowded around, unable to wait to ask them about the situation regarding the operation.

Ye Wei'an did not get off the cart; he stood directly atop the high pile of hides.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, his young face was plated with a sacred luster.

"Brothers!"

Under the enhancement of 18 points of Charisma, Ye Wei'an's voice was not only resonant but carried an infectious power that struck straight to the heart.

The surging crowd instantly fell silent, twenty-some pairs of eyes fixed upon him.

"I know that having just experienced a bloody attack, none of you are feeling well. Many of us were wounded, and even more comrades have remained forever in that quagmire."

He scanned his surroundings, looking at those weary faces.

"And yet, at the moment when you were in the most difficulty and needed support the most, I took your Knight Cain and left alone. I imagine there has been plenty of private speculation over these past two days—some of you guessed that I took the treasure and fled alone, abandoning you, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many soldiers lowered their heads in shame, and some shifted their feet uneasily.

"But I tell you, I, Ye Wei'an, would never abandon the comrades-in-arms who swear loyalty to me! Just as I said before, I left to dig out the bastard who stabbed us in the back!"

He waved his hand sharply, his voice rising abruptly:

"Now, I announce that the operation was a complete success! The mastermind who bribed the bandits to attack us—has been captured!"

Following his gesture, Cain and Renn violently tore away the leather.

With a "thud," three men, stripped of their armor and bound like rice dumplings, were kicked heavily onto the ground.

The mud-caked Gray Crow no longer possessed the arrogance of a local kingpin.

"This is the mastermind who bribed the bandits to ambush us on the road—Gray Crow of Firefall Town."

A wave of angry curses erupted from the crowd; had it not been for discipline, Gray Crow would likely have been torn to pieces by the furious soldiers by now.

"I am very sorry." Ye Wei'an jumped down from the driver's bench and walked into the midst of the exhausted soldiers, his tone sincere. "This conspiracy was aimed at me; all of you were dragged into this because of me. Since everyone sacrificed for my sake, I will bring you all back in glory!"

He opened a wooden chest on the carriage, and a dazzling light was instantly revealed.

It was full of gold coins!

The soldiers' eyes went wide.

"This operation was a complete success, and we have seized the enemy's black gold." Ye Wei'an's voice was firm and resonant. "Now, I fulfill my promise: every survivor who participated in this escort will receive a bonus of 50 Gold Lion coins! We will register and distribute them tonight!"

The crowd fell into a brief, dead silence, followed by a roar of cheers that nearly shook the remaining leaves from the trees.

50 Gold Lion coins—that was nearly equivalent to their entire year's pay.

"As for those brothers who sacrificed," Ye Wei'an's eyes reddened as he spoke, "their pension will be increased to 200 Gold Lion coins. Once we return to the territory, I will personally take this money and deliver it to each household myself. I will tell their parents, wives, and children that they died protecting the son of their lord, and that they are the heroes of Firefall Valley!"

"You are truly so generous! Lord Ye Wei'an!"

A soldier with a severed arm spoke with a choked voice.

The others cheered one after another, their praises endless.