40: Night Raid

A cold night wind blew from the river, carrying a fishy smell.

A clearing on the Stone Forest riverbank was brightly lit by torches.

The flickering firelight cast shadows on the porters, sailors, and gang thugs.

Several small boats lay quietly by the shore, gently swaying with the water.

Two lavishly dressed halflings stood side by side.

They stared fixedly at the river, their eyes filled with anxiety.

The Sheriff peeked out from behind a towering stalagmite, checking the movements of the Black Hand Gang below.

Around her, half of Wolf Den City's law enforcement officers stood ready.

They were all armored and armed, waiting for the Sheriff's command.

A scout, responsible for monitoring the river, hurried over, bending down to whisper a report into the Sheriff's ear.

The Sheriff nodded slightly and gestured to her deputy.

The deputy immediately led several team members away at a quick pace.

After waiting for a while longer, a sailboat appeared on the river.

The two halflings' tense nerves relaxed.

They immediately ordered the porters and sailors to board the small boats and head towards the sailboat.

Before long, small boats laden with contraband began to approach the shore.

As the first small boat docked, Captain Bellowock of the Barracuda stepped onto the riverbank with several Imperial Knights.

The two halflings immediately went to greet them.

One of them, without even a word of greeting, began to inspect the box the Knights had carried ashore.

"You're late, what happened?" the other halfling demanded of the Captain.

Captain Bellowock complained, "You'll have to ask Olaf about that; he was the one who insisted on making trouble."

The halfling didn't press the matter further, but instead urged, "Tell your sailors to speed up.

"Hurry and get the goods ashore; we must get them into the city before dawn."

On the high slope behind the riverbank, Evil Wolf Earl coldly observed everything.

"So what my son said was true," he murmured to himself, "These Imperial Knights are colluding with the local gangs.

"Indeed, everything is connected.

"Damn it, it's time to let those who plot our demise taste the wrath of the Evil Wolf Family.

"Bump, prepare my sword and horse!"

The steward's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he advised, "My Lord, wasn't it agreed that the Sheriff's office would lead the charge?"

The Earl waved his hand, "My sister has a good mind, but she lacks command ability.

"If we wait any longer, we'll miss our chance.

"Do as I say, get everyone ready.

"Notify Robert, tell him to cooperate with our attack."

"As you wish, My Lord," Bump bowed respectfully.

-----------------

What surprised Godwin was not the six slaves with knives.

Nor was it the mutilated corpse.

It was Jessica Hughes, standing not far away.

Godwin knew that the master he had sworn to follow was extraordinary.

But he never imagined that even the Empire's most wanted criminal was connected to him.

"This man is Olaf, an Imperial Knight like the two outside," Arthur explained, "I had you forge his handwriting to write a letter of denunciation.

"You still remember the contents of the letter, don't you?"

Godwin nodded, his gaze sweeping over the others.

He noticed they were all looking at him with scrutinizing eyes.

Arthur continued, "Olaf learned of Captain Bellowock's smuggling activities.

"Out of loyalty to the Empire, he reported the matter to Evil Wolf Earl.

"However, he and several of his subordinates were all killed by Captain Bellowock.

"Their bodies were also thrown into the Nu River.

"Evil Wolf Earl brought his men and captured Captain Bellowock.

"They also seized a box of Chult artifacts on the ship.

"This is all you need to know for now."

Upon hearing this, Catherine and Old Joe finally understood why Arthur had only allowed them to take one-third of the artifacts.

This way, the artifacts in their possession could be safely disposed of.

Even if the Little Finger Merchant Guild traced the leaked artifacts, they would only suspect the Evil Wolf Family.

Godwin tried to piece together the available information.

He quickly figured out one thing.

Regardless of Arthur's motive for killing Olaf.

At the very least, this incident tightly bound everyone present to him.

Because each of them had the blood of an Imperial Knight on their hands.

And murdering an Imperial Knight was a direct provocation to the Supreme Council.

Even the Baron of Qingfeng Valley, who enjoyed immunity, would not escape judgment.

No wonder Arthur had him personally kill that Knight just now.

But this was far from enough; he could see it in the eyes of these people.

So, Godwin drew his sword and stabbed Olaf in the thigh.

"Count me in," he said.

Arthur showed a look of relief, "Alright, first, dispose of the bodies.

"Throw them and everything on them into the Nu River; don't leave any evidence.

"I'll explain the rest once we're done."

Following Arthur's command, his subordinates began to act.

Arthur walked up to Jessica Hughes and asked, "Are you just helping me out this one time?

"Or have you decided to join us?"

"I am a huge problem," Jessica Hughes said, "You don't need to waste energy on me; I'm not worth it."

Arthur pointed to the others, "They, like you, are prisoners condemned to death.

"Do you think they bring less trouble than you?

"I don't care about your past; I only care about how to survive in Qingfeng Valley.

"Give me an answer: will you follow me, or leave?"

Jessica Hughes noticed the expectant gazes of Iron Shovel and Newt.

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

As if having made a decision, he knelt on one knee and offered his dagger to Arthur.

"Very good, but you'll still have to hide for a while," Arthur said.

-----------------

"For the Evil Wolf Family!"

The Earl raised his weapon and galloped towards the riverbank.

"For the Lord of Wolves!"

"For the Evil Wolf Family!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, following the Earl's charge.

William's timing for the attack was excellent.

Most of the people on the riverbank were focused on the goods.

He charged into the enemy camp alone.

To avoid alerting the Black Hand Gang, no cavalry was deployed in this operation.

The soldiers' speed was far from keeping up with William.

But the Earl didn't care; with a swing of his blade, he cut down the first enemy.

He hadn't felt this way in a long time.

This feeling made all the blood in his body boil.

It made him want to shout, "Come on, you damned scum!"

Watching her brother charge ahead, the Sheriff couldn't help but curse.

She quickly rallied everyone to attack.

At the same time, she blew a sharp whistle.

With the whistle, a Dire Wolf galloped over.

"Go, go protect him."

The Sheriff gave the command to her Dire Wolf, Long Tail.

Long Tail shot forward like an arrow, leaping directly from the hillside into the battlefield.

For a moment, screams erupted everywhere.

The two halflings recovered from their shock.

Ignoring the inventory of artifacts, they hastily ordered the Imperial Knights to escort the boxes and retreat through the secret passage.

The Sheriff took all of this in, and she double-checked on her brother's safety.

Only after confirming he would be alright did she turn and rush in another direction.

Having dealt with the Black Hand Gang for so many years.

The Sheriff knew how cunning these sewer rats were.

Their smuggling points often had secret passages to allow them to escape when discovered.

Before coming here, she had confirmed the location of this secret passage with an informant within the Black Hand Gang.

She had also sent personnel ahead to lie in ambush at the exit, and to be safe, she had even sent her deputy to oversee the command.

Originally, all of this would have ended on the riverbank.

But her hot-blooded brother always managed to surprise her.