Chapter 10

"Sir, Sir!"

Jack cautiously called out to Dean, who seemed to be in deep thought—although during this time of Dean's contemplation, Jack had very much wanted to escape, the bodies of Basum and Sidley on the ground made him wisely choose to abandon the idea; the former's body once again revealed Dean's formidable strength, which he was far from matching; and the latter? It had driven him into a desperate situation: apart from choosing to cooperate with the person in front of him, Jack could not think of any other way out.

As for going back to beg for mercy from his original boss, 'Wild Fox' Mit?

Having betrayed his own people, Jack was certain that all he would face was the cruel torture his boss loved.

Moreover, the addiction in his body left Jack with no choice—he did not want to die!

Therefore, at this moment, Jack could only hope that the person in front of him would keep his word.

"Good job! Here's the antidote for the next six months, open your mouth!"

Dean, who had been brought back to his senses by Jack's call, threw the prepared item into Jack's open mouth—his antidote was just a random concoction, and Dean could not be at ease unless he saw Jack take it; after all, while there were not many wizards skilled in alchemy, there were still a few.

And any one of them could expose his lie.

Before completely taking over 'Wild Fox' Mit's power, Dean did not want his lie to be revealed.

Indeed, at this moment, Dean had already thought of a use for Jack, who was originally supposed to be silenced—whether it was the smuggling route or some of the shadowy subordinates, Dean needed to take over 'Wild Fox' Mit's power; of course, with the current strength of Dean and Jack, it was far from enough.

More detailed planning was needed.

And because of this thought, Dean softened his tone in the following conversation: "Jack, bring out everything you brought!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Jack, who had just narrowly escaped a crisis, was completely unaware that he was only relieved of the threat of addiction for the moment; however, thinking about the mere six months, he became even more submissive in the face of Dean's orders.

Following Dean's command, Jack ran about twenty yards away and, after a thorough search, began digging with his longsword—obviously, the bandits who came to Horn Town were quite cautious and knew how to hide their illicit goods.

As for using a longsword to dig, which was an insult to the sword's dignity?

Jack, a bandit by origin, did not care about such things; he was not a knight, and he only knew that his hands were injured, so using the sword to dig was more energy-saving.

"Sir, everything is here!"

After five minutes of digging, Jack brought over a chest slightly larger than the previous money box. Seeing Jack's strained appearance, Dean estimated the weight of the chest, which was much heavier than it looked; of course, this also proved its considerable value.

"Search it carefully, then bury them, and remember to dig the hole deep!"

Dean, lowering his voice, gave further instructions to Jack. Although Jack very much wanted to complain about the continuous digging that had exhausted him and needed a rest, he wisely chose to remain silent in the face of Dean's dark, deep eyes hidden under the hood, and began to drag the two bodies to the place where he had dug up the chest.

Undoubtedly, this bandit wanted to expand the pit; at the very least, it would save him some effort, so he would not collapse from exhaustion before completing the order of the terrifying figure behind him.

After all, he could not guarantee how the other party would treat him if he did not complete the order.

Watching Jack dig the pit again with his longsword, Dean said nothing—letting the other person leave his side was just an excuse to bury the bodies; more importantly, it was out of caution. After all, he had used the same 'diversion' tactic to kill Basum, who was stronger than him, and Dean did not want to follow in Basum's footsteps, even if the other party appeared very obedient and respectful.

Snap!

The bronze lock, struck by the hilt of the longsword, quickly twisted and came off the lock—obviously, none of the four bandits, including Basum, had the key, and the lock's existence was to show sincerity, 'Wild Fox' Mit's sincerity.

Dean could easily guess that the key to open this lock was in the hands of the important figure 'Wild Fox' Mit was about to trade with or ally with.

However, 'Wild Fox' Mit probably did not expect that the greed of his subordinates would completely ruin his plan and even cost him his life—indeed, from the beginning to the end, Ruman Pola from Emerald City was just a fat target that the bandits had targeted for their own gain.

As for the person 'Wild Fox' Mit wanted to trade with?

Dean had a certain guess—after all, in York County, there were not many people who could catch the eye of 'Wild Fox' Mit, who was far away in Voban County. According to Dean's memory, there was such a person in Horn Town, or rather, Horn Town was part of his territory.

The second son of the Duke of York, Dren York, who managed two of the eight territories, large and small, in York County, and Horn Town was one of the four towns in the territory outside of Tip Town.

Dean remembered the second son of the Duke of York from his previous life—during the First Blood Moon War, the cavalry of the Kingdom of Seti broke through York County, which the Kingdom of Emerald considered a northern barrier, in less than three days, and the second son of York County played a significant role.

Of course, it was not a rebellion, but rather a struggle between the eldest and second sons of the nobility.

Unfortunately, the King of Seti seized the opportunity and launched a full-scale attack on Emerald City, initiating the disastrous First Blood Moon War for the Kingdom of Emerald.

Therefore, Dean had no good feelings towards the second son of the Duke of York, and even hatred was not an exaggeration.

So, when he picked up the letter at the top of the chest and confirmed his guess, Dean let out a cold snort.

The entire letter did not contain much content, mostly effusive flattery from 'Wild Fox' Mit, only mentioning the 'smuggling route' at the end—although it was just a few words, anyone could see its importance, and Dean was no exception; after all, he had come here for this very reason.

The smuggling route that could turn the Pola family, a middle-class family in Emerald City, into a top family within a year, generated immeasurable wealth, especially for Dean—wanting to participate in a war and change its course required gold, and only with gold could he acquire equipment, weapons, and soldiers.

Of course, to truly 'own' this smuggling route, some arrangements were necessary; first, the informed 'Wild Fox' Mit had to die!

And regarding how to eliminate 'Wild Fox' Mit, Dean already had a very good idea and a ready-made candidate; therefore, in the next moment, Dean's gaze fell on Jack, who had just completed the task of burying the bodies.

"Sir, please give your orders!"

When Dean's gaze fell on him, Jack instinctively straightened his body and respectfully asked, despite his physical fatigue making him want to sit down and catch his breath.

"There is something I need you to do... What do you think of Mit?"

Dean carefully chose his words, speaking in a low tone.

"Boss Mit is very powerful... Of course, you, Sir, are the most powerful!"

Jack did not understand the meaning behind Dean's question and answered instinctively, but he did not forget to add a compliment at the end—flattery and sycophancy were skills that almost everyone, including this bandit, mastered naturally.

"If I asked you to take his place?"

Ignoring the other's clumsy flattery, Dean's eyes, hidden under the hood, silently stared at him.

"What?! I, I... He, he..."

Jack let out an involuntary exclamation and then stammered, unable to speak.

"Do you want to? Remember, some opportunities only come once!"

Dean pressed, continuously putting pressure on Jack.

Sweat poured from the bandit's forehead, forming a dense layer, and his already dry lips, due to fatigue, became even more cracked, causing Jack to involuntarily lick them. His breathing quickened, and the sudden heat in his heart made his voice tremble.

"Yes, yes!"

Jack said.

Then, as if he had lost all his strength, Jack collapsed to the ground. He looked up at Dean, who was standing by the campfire, fully wrapped in a cloak. Dean's shadow, distorted by the flickering flames, seemed to stretch out like the claws of a devil from hell, slowly and powerfully enveloping him, but he could not resist or dodge, for those claws not only carried a deadly sharpness but also the irresistible allure that made him immobile.