205: Godwin's Plan

Chapter 202 Godwin’s Plan

Godwin woke up from the soft bed, the wild acts of last night still vivid in his mind.

He turned his head to look beside him; his bedmate was long gone, leaving only a slightly cool bedsheet.

Godwin took a deep breath, propped himself up with his hands on the mattress, and slowly sat up.

“Are you awake?”

A voice as melodious as a silver bell came from the direction of the bathroom.

Following the sound, a maid walked in from the outer room, holding a stack of folded clothes, presumably intending to help him dress.

Realizing he was completely naked at the moment, Godwin raised his hand to stop her, politely declining the attendant’s kind offer.

“Come in, it’s still early, why don’t we take a bath together?”

The voice sounded again, sweet with a hint of allure, like a devil’s whisper.

After the maid bowed and exited, the exiled noble walked naked towards the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, it was warm and cozy, with white steam filling the air, enveloping everything in a hazy veil.

Through the mist, Godwin vaguely saw a graceful figure.

Godwin stepped into the wooden bathtub.

The tub was large enough for two, and he suspected Letizia had enjoyed herself with many men here.

The hot water dispelled his fatigue and gradually cleared his muddled mind, no longer solely lost in the desires of the previous night.

Suddenly, the Priestess’s foot playfully brushed against his inner thigh, the teasing touch making him shiver.

“Tell me, Mister Steward, were you satisfied last night?” the Priestess asked.

“That’s what I should be asking you,” Godwin replied.

“Heh heh, I’m not the kind of woman who’s easily satisfied,” Letizia said with a smile.

Although Godwin couldn’t see her face at that moment, he could still imagine the curve of her smile.

“Don’t burden yourself, Steward. You gave me a great gift, so naturally, I should give you some thanks in return.”

The “great gift” the Priestess referred to was the luxury goods transported from Qingfeng Valley.

According to her rough estimate, this batch of goods was worth at least a thousand gold coins.

Of course, if they were transported to Great Al-araksin City for sale, the profits would be even greater.

The price difference was a considerable fortune, even for Letizia.

The Priestess suddenly slipped and dove into Godwin’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Before this conversation gets boring,” she said, “would you like to have a ‘morning workout’?”

“I have a lot of matters to attend to later, and I don’t want to be unable to stand steady.”

“You’re becoming boring.” The Priestess snorted lightly, “Alright then, tell me, what do you really want by giving me this great gift?”

“Cooperation,” Godwin stated directly, “We’re about to fall out with the Little Finger Merchant Guild.

“I need more allies.”

A brief silence spread through the bathroom.

Then, the Priestess finally asked, “Why do you think I would risk offending the Little Finger Merchant Guild to cooperate with you?”

“The Calimshan people have always cooperated with the Zhentarim,” Godwin said, “so relatively speaking, you are not as afraid of offending the Little Finger Merchant Guild as the Amn people are.

“In fact, in many areas, you already compete with them and have long disliked each other, haven’t you?”

However, this reasoning clearly did not convince the Priestess.

She pulled away from Godwin’s embrace, “The higher-ups of the Kalinshan Remnants are indeed not afraid of the Little Finger Merchant Guild; they have the Zhentarim backing them.

“But I am not one of those powerful bigwigs, just a poor woman trapped in this remote, impoverished place.

“I don’t have that much capital to contend with them.”

“A smart and ambitious woman,” Godwin corrected, “I don’t want to delve into your past, nor do I need to know it.

“But I can see that you will never be content to be trapped here.

“The gift I gave you can help you a little.

“But I also know that this alone is far from enough to open up connections with those above.

“So, I will give you more.”

Letizia’s lips curved slightly upward, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes at being understood, then quickly replaced by cunning.

She slipped back into his embrace, her slender fingers gently tracing circles on Godwin’s chest.

“But I also need to be alive to spend it.

“The assassins of the Little Finger Merchant Guild are notoriously difficult to deal with.”

“Are you referring to the Shadow Thieves?” Godwin asked in return.

“Indeed,” she nodded, “those fellows are always causing chaos throughout Amn—assassinations, poisonings, inciting rebellion, infiltrating forces… Who knows, they might already be probing my attendants for information.”

“That’s why we were so wild last night, wasn’t it? To show those eyes hiding in the dark.”

Their passionate lovemaking in bed last night was merely to evade the ears and eyes of the Black Goat Caravan.

To make the spies hiding in the shadows mistakenly believe that their interaction was simply a transaction of luxury goods for pleasure.

And this seemingly intimate bath now was merely to continue this “act.”

“I like talking to clever people, but I don’t like dealing with people cleverer than myself.”

The Priestess snorted lightly, but she wasn’t truly angry.

“If that’s the case, don’t you want to get rid of them?” Godwin asked, “To take the initiative into your own hands.

“You are eager to recruit people, presumably planning to build a team loyal to yourself, aren’t you?

“Those people who were sent last night, especially the children, you probably didn’t intend to send them to the temple, did you?”

“If you continue to guess my thoughts so wildly, then this conversation will probably have to end here.”

The Priestess’s tone grew a bit colder, and she shifted her body slightly, creating some distance.

“My apologies, that’s a bad habit of mine,” Godwin apologized sincerely, “You don’t have to respond immediately; perhaps you can consider it first?”

“Then you tell me first, if we cooperate, what do you want me to do?” the Priestess asked.

“Your temple here is the best source of intelligence,” Godwin said, “These days, I’ve been monitoring the Black Goat Caravan.

“As you know, they represent the Little Finger Merchant Guild.

“I noticed that after Mister Arthur left, a strange carriage entered the caravan’s residence and has not left since.

“Since then, the valuable items transported to the guild daily have increased.

“Fresh food, high-end wine, clean clothes, incense—”

He paused, “I’m very curious about who is inside that carriage.”

“Ah, I see,” Letizia interjected, “You want me to help you solve this mystery.”

“Exactly,” Godwin nodded, “At Lookout Fort, no one is better informed than you.”

“Is that all?” Letizia was a little surprised.

“I hope to establish a long-term intelligence cooperation with you,” Godwin added.

The Priestess chuckled, then straightened up.

She didn’t care that her body was completely exposed to Godwin’s eyes.

“How interesting—someone as clever as you must have thought that the other party would also come to me, right?”

“So, that mysterious person has already come to see you?” Godwin asked.

“Not him personally,” the Priestess replied, “but one of his subordinates, an arrogant and boring noble.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t sleep with him; he’s not as handsome as you, nor as generous.”

Seeing the Priestess voluntarily share this information, Godwin knew she had agreed to cooperate with them.

“I’m not worried that you’ll cooperate with them,” he responded, “If you cooperate with the Black Goat Caravan, you will lose the support of the Warthog Merchant Caravan.

“And the Zhentarim, whom they represent, are an important bargaining chip in your hands.”

The Priestess laughed, “You guessed correctly; I’m not foolish enough to abandon the Zhentarim as an ally.

“Why don’t you use your clever mind to think again.

“Knowing that I couldn’t possibly cooperate with them, he still sent someone specifically to see me.

“And offered many generous terms. Why is that?”

“Arrogance.” Godwin reached out and gently stroked her still-dripping hair, “Nobles always think they are superior.

“They sent an envoy to see you, not just to gauge your intentions, but also as a warning. He wants you to remain neutral.”

The Priestess nodded in agreement, “I can help you solve that mystery.

“As for cooperation—you should know, it’s not easy to keep a wildcat interested in the same thing,” Godwin said, withdrawing his hand and smiling. “It’s alright. I will try my best to keep this ‘interest’ going.”

After leaving the Bastet Temple, Godwin did not stop for a moment, heading straight to the Mother Earth Church.

Lord Arthur’s letter had already made it clear that they would soon leave Lookout Fort and go to the newly acquired land.

The sooner they established a camp on that land, the sooner they could declare sovereignty.

But once they left, they would lose their intelligence source in Lookout Fort.

And their main enemy was within this fort.

Therefore, Godwin had to set up an intelligence network before leaving to continue monitoring the movements of the Black Goat Caravan.

He strode into the temple of Mother Earth, took a silver coin from his purse, and dropped it into a donation box at the entrance.

“Please take me to see Priest Juan,” he said to the servant guarding the box.

He found Juan under the oak tree that guarded Lookout Fort.

According to intelligence previously sent back by scouts, Godwin knew that people from the Black Goat Caravan had already visited this priest.

Although he still didn’t know exactly what they discussed, Godwin understood that he had to win over this priest.

“Steward,” the priest greeted Godwin first, his tone not particularly friendly. “What brings you here?”

“Why does everyone call me ‘Steward’?” Godwin asked, puzzled.

The priest smiled and explained, “Everyone in Lookout Fort is saying that you’re like the Commander’s nanny.

“You practically call the shots on all important matters here.

“That’s why they call you Steward.

“You know, most lords don’t bother with practical matters; the ones who truly manage things are often the stewards.”

“What an absurd rumor.” Godwin didn’t like the title. “Even if I am a steward,

“I should be Lord Arthur’s steward.”

“Don’t take it to heart, child,” the priest said. “They’re just joking. No one would question your loyalty.

“Alright, tell me, what is it you’ve come for?”

“Three days ago, someone came to see you—” Godwin had just begun when Juan interrupted him.

“You sent people to spy on me?” The priest’s face darkened. “Spying on a Priest of Mother Earth is a great disrespect to the Goddess.”

“No, no, no,” Godwin explained. “It was just a child who came here to pray and happened to see it.”

“A fine ‘happened to see it’,” Juan said, displeased. “So, what are you trying to say?

“Do I need to report to you about everyone I meet?”

Godwin respectfully bowed to him, his tone sincere: “Of course not, Priest.

“I’m just worried that those outsiders might harm you.”

“No need to worry about me, young man,” Juan waved his hand, changing the subject. “You should be more worried about those refugees than me.

“You saved them and plan to recruit them, so you’d best look after them well.

“From what I’ve observed, their condition isn’t very good.”

“Lord Arthur liberated Mist Town,” Godwin immediately brought the conversation back, “and rescued a demigod of Mother Earth.”

Following Arthur’s previous suggestion, Godwin intended to persuade this stubborn priest by appealing to his faith.

The reason Juan was relegated here was precisely because he was too devout and inflexible.

Money, power, and beauty could not sway him.

Only matters related to faith could truly open his heart.

This was also why he would help rescue the refugees without expecting anything in return.

“He is establishing a great work,” the priest made a prayer sign on his chest, his face solemn. “He follows the will of the Goddess; he is a true saint.

“Do you know? The biggest difference between you and him is that you never care about others.

“Whether it’s yourself, those refugees, or me, we are all part of Mother Earth.

“We should help each other, not exploit each other.

“Arthur understands this, which is why he succeeds.”

Godwin was silent for a moment, then nodded.

He knew what Juan said was true, but he had long been accustomed to measuring everything by “interests” and “objectives.”

“I agree with you,” he responded frankly. “And I also know you have strong opinions about how we handled the refugee rescue yesterday.

“Lord Arthur truly cares about everyone, which is related to his kind nature.

“But I am different from him; I value the whole more. I only care about how to ensure more people survive.

“Even if the process involves sacrificing some people.

“Because the survival of the whole far outweighs the life or death of any single person.

“On this point, I don’t want to argue with you.

“I came today to tell you: compared to me, the harm brought by those cultists is the real big trouble.”

“I naturally know that,” Juan said. “I have also promised the Commander that I will cooperate with her in eradicating those cultists.

“If you came today to confirm whether I will keep my promise,

“Then you can rest assured; my followers and I will do our utmost to help.”

“Then aren’t you curious who is secretly supporting those cultists?” Godwin asked.

The priest’s brows furrowed: “The Commander has already mentioned this to me.

“She is still investigating; do you have any new information?”

Godwin told Juan the information he had gathered and his own conjectures over the past few days.

After listening, Juan’s expression became even more serious: “The Black Goat Caravan?

“Godwin, you must be careful with your words! Do you have any conclusive evidence?

“The Black Goat Caravan is backed by the Little Finger Merchant Guild; they are not someone we can casually provoke.”

“Currently, there is indeed no direct evidence,” Godwin admitted. “But I know that a few days ago, the Black Goat Caravan frequently dispatched convoys, and each time it was late at night.

“Furthermore, according to information obtained from interrogating cultists, their leader, Ingabado, brought them cartloads of weapons and food.

“This is also one of the reasons why those cultists are willing to follow him.”

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you tell the Commander this information and instead came to tell me?” Juan asked, puzzled.

“Because I can be sure that you are our true ally,” Godwin said. “Lord Arthur reminded us before he left that if anything happens, we can come to you for discussion.”

This pleased Juan, and his tone softened slightly: “I cannot question the Black Goat Caravan based solely on your word.

“Since the Commander is investigating, she will surely discover this point as well.”

“What if she doesn’t dare to offend the Little Finger Merchant Guild and ends up suppressing this?” Godwin pressed. “I can see that although Jafar is a Calimshan native,

“He is constrained everywhere here and cannot act freely.”

Juan pondered for a long time before speaking: “Your concern is not unfounded.

“The cultists must be eradicated. Since you came to me, you must already have a plan to deal with them, right?”

Godwin nodded, “We will bear the consequences.

“If the Black Goat Caravan is indeed secretly supporting the cultists, then their crimes will be reported by us to Rahman II.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” the priest asked. “If so, you will completely fall out with the Little Finger Merchant Guild.

“I don’t understand what good this would do for you.”

“Lord Arthur and the Little Finger Merchant Guild have long been at odds,” Godwin explained. “A confrontation is inevitable.

“They are supporting cultists to attack our convoy; we cannot tolerate such evil deeds.”

Juan sighed softly: “The fact that you are willing to tell me these things shows that Lord Arthur truly considers me one of his own. Good, to be able to help a saint achieve a great work, my life will not have been lived in vain.

“Tell me, what do you want me to do?”

Godwin’s heart filled with joy, and he quickly said, “I want to know what the person who came to see you that day actually told you.”