The Mayor's Banquet

By day, Ye Wei'an presented himself as a righteous lawman who fought to rid the people of evil.

By night, he was rubbing shoulders with the local powers, a guest of honor at Mayor Bartok's table.

The banquet was held in the mayor's residence, a building with the distinctive style of southern Faerûn.

The long oak dining table was covered with pristine white linen. Silverware gleamed in the candlelight, while the aroma of ale from oak barrels and golden-roasted wild boar filled the air.

Besides the mayor, the most powerful people in Firefall Town sat around the table:

The heads of several guilds, including the Smiths' Guild and the Brewers' Association; wealthy merchants who controlled half the territory's grain trade; and several estate owners—men with not only money but also plenty of private guards at their command.

These powerful figures, who usually threw their weight around in Firefall Town, now sat stiffly in their seats, sneaking the occasional glance at Ye Wei'an at the head of the table.

Whenever Ye Wei'an cut off a piece of meat or lifted his wineglass, those around him responded with almost fawning enthusiasm.

"Sir, ridding Firefall Town of the scourge that was Gray Crow is the most satisfying thing to happen here in a hundred years!"

"Exactly! We were deceived by him before, and even had no choice but to do some business with him. It's been an absolute misery..."

Ye Wei'an set down his wineglass and dabbed elegantly at the corner of his mouth. A purple glint flashed in his eyes.

Detect Thoughts activated.

If he was only peeking into someone's surface thoughts, the person being observed wouldn't realize their mind was being read.

He watched the tense faces of these old foxes, fully aware of what they were thinking.

They weren't celebrating the triumph of justice. They were afraid of being held accountable.

Gray Crow had been operating in Firefall Town for years, his tentacles of smuggling and profiteering reaching every corner.

He couldn't have managed such a vast operation by himself. These local powers had all been his accomplices to one degree or another.

Gray Crow had used them to drain the town and surrounding villages more efficiently, while they sheltered beneath the black umbrella he held over them, contentedly sharing in the bloody profits.

"Since you've brought up doing business," Ye Wei'an said, pulling a thick stack of papers with bloodstained edges from the pocket of his robe and tossing them carelessly onto the table, "I have some interesting things here."

The atmosphere at the table froze instantly. Even the clinking of glasses fell silent.

"These are Gray Crow's own signed confessions, along with the statements of his personal guards, enforcers, and informants." Ye Wei'an ran his fingers lightly across the stack. "During interrogation, they were willing to name quite a few people to save their own skins. Like which merchant house fenced stolen goods for the bandits, which guild transported their contraband, and even how many gold coins certain people paid Gray Crow to gain a foothold in town. You can see the specifics for yourselves."

The warmth in the room plunged to freezing.

Thorn, the head of the Timber Guild, sat to Ye Wei'an's left. His hands trembled as he took the papers. He had read only a few lines when beads of sweat began to fall from his forehead onto the table.

Without a word, his face pale, he passed the papers to Old Klin, the grain merchant beside him.

The pages passed from hand to hand. All that remained at the table was the faint rustle of paper and the sound of tightly controlled breathing.

The confessions didn't just record which merchant houses fenced stolen goods for bandits and which guilds transported contraband. More damning still, they detailed how Gray Crow had used his wife's connections to interfere with the market, manipulate prices, and extort everyone present into forming a "monopoly alliance."

When the papers reached Mayor Bartok, he stared at the passage detailing how he had turned a blind eye to smuggling and accepted a cut of the profits. The silver fork in his hand clattered into his plate.

The wealthy guests' faces went from red to white, then from white to ashen. Cold sweat streamed down their temples.

They knew all too well how deep their dealings with Gray Crow went. If Ye Wei'an wanted to make arrests, half the people at the table would end up in the dungeon that night.

Ye Wei'an didn't even need Detect Thoughts to sense their fear.

He looked at the flock of lambs awaiting slaughter, then gave a sudden chuckle and snapped his fingers.

Blue-white flames sprang up over the stack of confessions.

Before everyone's eyes, the statements that could have cost them their fortunes—and their heads—twisted and shrank in the magical fire, finally turning to wisps of ash in midair.

"Gray Crow and his men were vicious criminals. How can we trust the accusations of people like that, made on the brink of death?" Ye Wei'an watched the ashes drift down and spoke mildly. "I believe everyone here is a loyal subject of the Summerstar Family. You must have been coerced into going astray. Let the past disappear with the ashes."

After the silence came a burst of gasps, as if everyone had finally been able to breathe again.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, sir!" The head of the Smiths' Guild had been huddled in a corner the whole time, but now he was the first to step forward. "Sir, I noticed some of your soldiers don't have armor. That won't do! I have ten newly forged sets of chain mail. I'll have them delivered to you at once!"

Thorn, head of the Timber Guild, let out a long breath of relief and rose to give a proper kneeling bow. "Your fairness has truly won our respect, sir. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, the Carpenters' Guild knows what to do. Three carts of the finest hardwood will be delivered to your camp tomorrow!"

Old Klin slumped in his chair, his voice catching with emotion. "You're too kind, sir! I'm ashamed of myself... First thing tomorrow, I'll send three thousand pounds of new wheat to your camp. As long as your soldiers are in Firefall Town, I'll provide their rations!"

The others also voiced their gratitude, making one promise after another.

Ye Wei'an leaned back in his chair, looking at the wealthy men as they showered him with thanks. He marveled inwardly, The wisdom of my homeland really does come in handy. After this, negotiating our cooperation will be much easier.

In truth, Ye Wei'an and the local powers all knew perfectly well that burning the confessions was pointless.

They were just confessions, not evidence. What did it matter if they were burned?

Ye Wei'an could simply have the prisoners write another copy. Would those criminals dare refuse?

And in the local powers' eyes, even burning evidence would have made no difference. Their illegitimate young lord was a Wizard—or a Sorcerer; most people couldn't tell the difference. Who knew what wondrous tricks a Wizard might have up his sleeve?

What reassured them was Ye Wei'an's attitude.

By doing this, Ye Wei'an had shown he was willing to let bygones be bygones. That was what truly moved them.

What the local powers didn't know was that Ye Wei'an himself felt a little apprehensive.

He was glad he'd seized the moment and sold this leverage for a good price before it expired.

The current situation was entirely due to the fact that the old Baron was still alive. Out of consideration for his wife, Gray Crow had never openly revealed who his real backer was. That was what made these dealings "blackmail material."

Once the old Baron passed away and the lady took full control of the territory, things like Gray Crow's dealings would become accepted practice. At that point, those confessions wouldn't even be worth the paper they were written on.

Despite the guests' generous promises, Ye Wei'an didn't eagerly accept their gifts.

With a smile, he raised a hand to halt their "tokens of gratitude," and sincerely praised every person at the table for their loyalty.

"I appreciate your generosity, but as a member of the lord's family, I can't accept private gifts without good reason."

At this, the local powers at the table exchanged glances.

Thorn and Old Klin traded an uncertain look. As far as they were concerned, refusing "small change" usually meant the other party wanted "big money"—or was preparing to make an outrageous demand and swallow their businesses whole.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense again, Ye Wei'an lifted his glass and changed the subject.

"But when I seized the Old Oak Tannery, I discovered that Gray Crow had a large number of properties registered in his name: estates on the outskirts, and even shares in quite a few of your merchant houses."

Ye Wei'an sighed, putting on a worried expression. "Gray Crow colluded with bandits in Firefall Town and committed countless atrocities against the townspeople. Now that justice has been served, his victims deserve compensation. I plan to sell off those assets soon to fund it. I wonder if there are any kind-hearted 'benefactors' in town willing to help?"

Everyone at the table froze for a moment, then caught on.

This wasn't really a sale.

He was simply taking the things Gray Crow had seized by force and swallowed up, then selling them back to their former owners under a different pretext.

On the surface, the money would go to the victims as "compensation." In reality, it was "redemption silver" they were paying to save their own necks!

"Count us in! We have to support this!" Thorn finally managed to get in first this time. "An act of charity like this is the Carpenters' Guild's duty!"

"We'll support it, too!" The others chimed in one after another.

Mayor Bartok was an old fox himself. He clapped his hands and laughed, playing along. "Sir, your generosity is admirable! Since everyone here is so sincere, why wait until 'soon'? Better to act now than put it off. Why don't we start the auction right away?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a flurry of eager agreement rang out along the table.

"The mayor's right. That's exactly what we should do!"

"An act of charity that earns merit like this shouldn't leave me out!"

"The Brewers' Association wholeheartedly agrees!"

Seeing this, the mayor clapped his hands. "Servants, clear the table and set up the hall! We'll hold an auction right here in the residence, and I'll personally serve as the auctioneer for Sir Ye!"