Perfect Operation

Next, they went up to the study on the second floor.

Here, Ye Wei'an's haul was every bit as impressive as the one in the cellar.

As soon as he entered, he spotted several bloodstained velvet jewelry boxes on the desk.

"These bear the mark of the Golden Dragon Firm." Cain picked up a jewelry box. His fingers brushed over an emerald necklace, whose edges still bore dark red stains. "The firm reported missing in the Eastern Marches half a month ago... So it was all here."

Besides gold and silver jewelry, they also found a pile of documents, passes, and identity badges belonging to Dalelands farmers in the drawers, all looted from the murdered travelers.

These poor people had lost not only their lives and their wealth, but their identities as well, which the villains could use as disguises whenever they pleased.

Ye Wei'an didn't linger over the stolen goods. He went straight to the bookcase.

Thanks to the information in Gray Crow's memories, he found the mechanism with ease.

With a sharp click, a wooden panel in the bookcase sprang open, revealing a hidden compartment behind it.

Inside, stacks of ledgers and letters had been neatly arranged.

Ye Wei'an casually opened one. It was filled with detailed records of the sums Gray Crow had paid Lady Selina each year, every bit of income from smuggling and fencing stolen goods, and the "service fees" paid to the bandit chief, Grumman...

Now this was the good stuff.

"My lord, look at this." Ailian handed him a stack of parchment sealed with wax.

They were blank official documents belonging to the Summerstar Family, stamped with the family crest of Three Gold Stars on Blue.

That meant the murderous bandits could roam the area around Firefall Valley with impunity, as long as they carried those papers. Even if the Purple Dragon Legion stopped them, they could pass themselves off as the lord's private soldiers and saunter away.

"Lady Selina... is this how she protects the Summerstar Family's reputation?" Cain said, his anger mounting.

"And there's more." Ye Wei'an opened several letters stamped with the Amarisk Family's "scales" seal.

In them, the lady asked Gray Crow to cooperate with the Amarisk Family's smuggling team and help them move their contraband.

So she wasn't the only one involved in smuggling.

"These things..." Cain's hand trembled around his sword with rage. "She's not only bleeding the territory dry, she's betraying the Baron."

"Isn't it obvious?" Ye Wei'an sneered. "The Amarisk Family is the guardian family of the Eastern Marches. Who would dare smuggle so brazenly without them opening the way?"

At the same time, a sense of urgency stirred in him.

The conspiracy he'd uncovered was bigger—and more dangerous—than he'd expected.

Once a behemoth like the Amarisk Family realized what was happening, they wouldn't let him off lightly.

It seemed that once he dealt with the trouble at Firefall Fortress, he would have to leave the Eastern Marches as soon as possible, before he drew their attention.

Ye Wei'an spent a long time going through the stack of letters. At last, at the very bottom, he found direct evidence that Lady Selina had plotted to murder him:

Lady Selina's elegant handwriting stood out clearly:

"...That bastard will be leaving Suzar in the coming days. Make sure he's dealt with before he returns to Firefall Valley. Leave no trace for the lord to discover..."

Besides the deadly ledgers and secret letters, a heavy leather-paper pouch was stuffed deep inside the bookcase's hidden compartment.

Ye Wei'an pulled it out, and a large pile of thick parchment deeds spilled from it.

They were records of the assets Gray Crow had seized by force in Firefall Town and the surrounding area over the years:

A thirty-percent share of the local Timber Guild's profits, permanent leases on the docks' warehouses, ownership of several large storehouses, deeds to three mills south of town... and even proof of ownership for the mansion Ye Wei'an was standing in.

The true value of these property deeds far exceeded that of the smuggled goods in the cellar.

But unlike goods, turning property rights into money would take a few tricks.

Ye Wei'an stored the letter, along with the other letters and ledgers, in his system inventory.

Besides the hidden compartment, Ye Wei'an also found an iron box in the study. Inside lay a signet ring and a pair of boots.

At first, he wondered why Gray Crow had carefully hidden a pair of boots in an iron box.

But when he picked them up, the system provided their details:

[Tracker's Boots]

Item Description: A pair of tall boots made of soft black deerskin, embroidered with a delicate pattern of dark green oak leaves.

Magical Effect: The wearer leaves no footprints while walking and can hide more easily in shadows.

Ye Wei'an hadn't expected Gray Crow to have been hoarding a magical item.

Even more surprising, his system could identify magical items.

That saved him a Spell Slot he would've spent learning Identify.

The other signet ring was no ordinary item, either:

[Amarisk's Forgery Signet Ring]

Item Description: An unremarkable-looking silver signet ring engraved with a faint set of scales.

Magical Effect: Three times a day, the user can press the signet onto a blank sheet of paper. At the wearer's will, the ring will conjure the seal of any official Cormyr institution on the paper.

Ye Wei'an guessed the boots were Gray Crow's way to make a getaway, while the ring was used to forge the permits needed for smuggling.

In any case, it all belonged to Ye Wei'an now.

At four in the morning, when the fog over Firefall Town was thickest,

a cart covered in heavy tanned hides rolled silently out the back entrance of the Leather Shop.

No one would have guessed that three grown men, tied up in a bundle, were packed beneath the layers of hides.

Ye Wei'an still wore Gray Crow's appearance. Wrapped tightly in a gray cloak, he sat on the driver's bench with an air of composure.

The militiamen at the town's exit were yawning nonstop. They gave the hide cart a cursory glance, then looked at "Gray Crow's" face. They couldn't even be bothered to question him; they just muttered and pulled the barrier aside.

In Firefall Town, everyone knew the local rule of survival: you could offend anyone, but never the leather merchant with connections everywhere.

And so they left Firefall Town, carrying the witnesses and evidence from the attempted assassination.

The entire operation had been completed cleanly and efficiently, without alerting a single official authority.

In the eyes of Firefall Town's residents, last night's events had been nothing more than an ordinary shady deal: the bandit Grumman had delivered the "goods," and after the deal was done, the local kingpin Gray Crow had hauled the goods out of town in the dead of night to fence them.

Ye Wei'an remembered that Grumman had left a small stash of gold near town.

Before leaving, he found the Abandoned Mill and pocketed an extra thousand gold.

The cart rolled on until Firefall Town was several miles behind them and no longer visible. Only then did they stop.

Ye Wei'an ended his Alter Self spell. The group, who had been busy all night, rested on the cart for an hour, then set off again at sunrise, hurrying back along the main road at full speed.

Meanwhile, a column of several wagons and more than a dozen soldiers trudged along the road.

After the earlier ambush, their commander had also left. The whole force was demoralized, and their pace was painfully slow.

By dusk, the setting sun was spilling molten gold across the road when the two groups finally met in an open area of Firefall Valley.

When Ye Wei'an appeared at the far end of the road, driving the cart covered in tanned hides, the sentry ahead shouted in a voice raised with excitement, "It's the young lord! The young lord is back!"

The lifeless column erupted in an instant. The soldiers forgot all about their formation and crowded into the middle of the road.

"It really is the young lord!"

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

The soldiers swarmed around them, eager to hear how the mission had gone.

Ye Wei'an didn't get down from the cart. Instead, he climbed onto the towering pile of hides.

In the glow of the setting sun, a sacred radiance seemed to gild his youthful face.

"Men!"

With his Charisma of 18 bolstering him, Ye Wei'an's voice was not only loud and clear, but carried a power that struck straight to the heart.

The crowd fell silent at once. More than twenty pairs of eyes fixed on him.

"I know you've just been through a bloody attack, and you're all hurting. Many of you were wounded, and some of our comrades will never leave that muddy field."

He looked around at the exhausted faces.

"And when you needed help most, I left with your knight, Cain, instead of staying by your side. I'm sure there's been plenty of talk these past two days—some of you must have thought I'd fled with the treasure and abandoned you, right?"

At that, several soldiers lowered their heads in shame, while others shifted uneasily.

"But I'm telling you now: I, Ye Wei'an, will never abandon those who serve me! As I said before, I left to dig out the bastard who stabbed us in the back!"

He swept his arm out, his voice suddenly rising:

"Now I can tell you: the mission was a resounding success! We've caught the mastermind who hired the bandits to attack us!"

At his gesture, Cain and Renn yanked the hides away.

With a thud, three men stripped of their armor and trussed up like dumplings were kicked to the ground.

Gray Crow, his face caked in mud, had none of his former kingpin's swagger left.

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

Furious curses erupted from the crowd. If discipline hadn't held them back, the soldiers would have torn Gray Crow apart on the spot.

"I'm sorry." Ye Wei'an jumped down from the driver's bench and walked among the exhausted soldiers, his voice sincere. "This plot was aimed at me. All of you were dragged into it because of me. Since you all suffered for my sake, I'll make sure to bring you home with honor!"

He opened a wooden chest on the cart, and a dazzling gleam spilled out.

It was full of gold coins!

The soldiers stared, wide-eyed.

"We were completely successful, and we seized the enemy's ill-gotten wealth." Ye Wei'an's voice rang out with conviction. "Now I'll make good on my promise: every survivor who took part in this escort will receive a bonus of 50 Gold Lion Coins! We'll record the names and pay everyone tonight!"

The crowd fell silent for a brief moment, then erupted in cheers loud enough to shake the last leaves from the trees.

Fifty Gold Lion Coins was almost a year's wages for them.

"As for the men who died..." Ye Wei'an's eyes reddened as he continued. "Their compensation will be raised to 200 Gold Lion Coins. Once we're back in the territory, I'll personally take the money to their families, one household at a time. I'll tell their parents, wives, and children that they died protecting the lord's son, and that they're heroes of Firefall Valley!"

"You're so generous, Lord Ye Wei'an!"

A one-armed soldier spoke, his voice choked with emotion.

The others cheered too, showering him with praise.