48: Going in opposite directions

“Young Master, how do you plan to deal with this fellow?” the Family Knight asked Arthur as he stepped out of the house.

“Let Godwin continue the interrogation. Once he can’t get anything more out of him, just dispose of him,” Arthur replied.

Seeing Dylan seem hesitant, Arthur proactively spoke, “Old man, just speak your mind.”

“I’m wondering if we should take this fellow back to Wolf Den City and imprison him, so he can serve as a witness later,” he said.

“He’s a Doppelgangers,” Arthur reminded him. “Have you ever dealt with such creatures before?”

The Family Knight shook his head.

“They live by lies, and with their unique shapeshifting ability, they can slip away right under your nose if you’re not careful.”

“He’s the informant who has been providing information all along, and this guy is also a middleman.”

Godwin walked out of the house, interjecting.

“Did you find anything new?” Arthur asked.

Godwin nodded and replied, “Yes, My Lord.

“This fellow’s employment fee will be transferred to a special account at the Little Finger Bank.

“It’s quite difficult to trace through the bank; not only do you have to fill out a lot of paperwork, but you also have to submit various applications to the Noble Alliance.

“And from the information currently available, at least three families will oppose these applications.”

“So, we’ve been played for fools by these fake bandits all this time?” The Family Knight sighed. “Godwin, what do you mean by middleman?”

Godwin explained, “Various families inevitably have conflicts or collaborations.

“In either case, they hope for an impartial entity to help with communication, and thus the middleman came into being.”

The Family Knight stroked his chin and said, “Like the guarantors of old?”

“It evolved from guarantors,” Arthur chimed in, “but it’s not a guarantor in the true sense.

“Just someone who gets things done, not much value.”

“Then kill him. Keeping him is just a hidden danger,” Dylan changed his mind.

At this moment, Lady Kadanfu approached with a group of armed mountain folk.

The Family Knight immediately became alert, but Arthur signaled him not to be nervous.

When they drew near, Lady Kadanfu stepped forward and asked, “Son of the Wolf.

“I heard you plan to raid the Fada Family’s tannery camp tonight?”

“The scouts we sent out haven’t returned yet.

“We won’t act rashly until we’ve ascertained the situation there,” Arthur replied. “Lady, what are you doing here with so many people?”

“If you have such a plan, we are willing to help.”

“Why?” Arthur asked, puzzled.

“The Fada Family has been trying to occupy our hunting grounds for years.

“They’ve used all sorts of dirty tricks, and we’ve long wanted revenge.”

Lady Kadanfu said, pointing to the people behind her, “These people all have grievances with the Fada Family.”

“Don’t the local officials do anything?”

“Are you talking about the mayor of Old Wheeltown?” Lady Kadanfu scoffed. “That fellow receives money from the Fada Family every year.

“He always turns a blind eye to such matters.”

“I understand. Then we’ll wait for the scouts to return. If the situation is as you say, you can join us.”

Lady Kadanfu turned and said something to the mountain folk.

The mountain folk all performed a tribal salute to Arthur, showing their loyalty.

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

Towards the latter half of the night, a scout finally returned.

He reported that Airo had captured an armed member from the tannery camp and interrogated him.

The individual admitted that the Fada Family was indeed colluding with the bandits.

However, because the punitive squad had temporarily changed its route, the original plan could not be implemented, and those bandits had already returned to Howling Mountain.

And because they had previously visited the early reconnaissance team,

the Fada Family already knew they were exposed and were in the process of transferring their assets overnight, preparing to flee.

“Who gave these bastards the guts to attack the army?” Dylan was baffled.

This was also what Arthur wanted to know, but now was not the time to ponder it.

Since the evidence was conclusive, they had to eliminate the enemy while they were still in disarray.

Due to his predecessor’s lack of education, Arthur was a blank slate in military matters.

So, when Dylan called the soldiers together to discuss the attack plan, he simply listened intently without saying a word.

He even occasionally jotted down notes.

Sometimes, when Dylan needed him to express an opinion, he would simply respond briefly, never over-commenting.

There’s a good Arabic proverb that says: It’s best not to easily reveal all your abilities, otherwise, others will discover that you don’t actually have much true ability.

Fortunately, he still had Godwin.

This exiled noble was quite familiar with the area and could always incisively point out problems in the attack deployment and offer reasonable solutions.

His outstanding performance quickly drew everyone’s attention.

Therefore, throughout the entire meeting, the most Arthur said was “Godwin is right.”

After the meeting, the troops quickly set off.

According to the plan, Dylan personally led the infantry in a frontal assault on the tannery camp.

His subordinate would lead the cavalry, along with Philip and Drax, to flank the camp.

Godwin would lead the mountain folk to guard the rear, blocking anyone trying to escape.

According to the scout, Airo and another scout would provide support from within.

As for the commander-in-chief, Arthur, he was naturally arranged to stay in the rear, and Dylan even specially assigned two veterans to protect him.

During the march, Godwin specifically came to thank Arthur.

This left Arthur quite puzzled.

“My Lord, if it weren’t for your strong support at the meeting, Lord Dylan probably wouldn’t have accepted my suggestions so easily.”

Is that so? Arthur pondered inwardly.

But he said, “Although Dylan can be a bit stubborn, he’s certainly not someone who refuses to listen.

“Every suggestion you made at the meeting was very reasonable; there’s no reason for him not to listen.”

Godwin smiled and said, “My Lord, please stop trying to make me feel better.

“I am merely a retainer, while Lord Dylan is a Feudal Knight of the Evil Wolf Family.

“Our statuses are vastly different. Moreover, I am quick-tempered and may inadvertently offend him, which would diminish his prestige among his subordinates.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur nodded thoughtfully.

Godwin was meticulous, but Arthur felt this concern was unnecessary.

Because, based on his understanding of Dylan, this knight was not averse to direct advice.

“So, My Lord’s support is especially important,” Godwin continued. “Furthermore, you also entrusted me with the command of the mountain folk. I am honored by such trust.”

Arthur thought to himself, Is there a possibility that you are the only one among us who can communicate with these mountain folk?

“And I noticed that you were constantly taking notes during the meeting, so you must have already seen the problems.”

“Uh, yes… yes,” Arthur responded somewhat against his will.

In reality, he was only taking notes to fill the gaps in his military knowledge.

As a transmigrator in an unfamiliar place, Arthur would seize any opportunity to learn.

Whether it was the language of the mountain folk, the history of Amn, or the recent attack deployment, he wouldn’t let it pass.

The reason was simple: if one day he lost all his special abilities, he hoped to survive by relying on the knowledge he had acquired.

Godwin, however, clearly did not think so; he only felt that this profound Lord was giving him an opportunity to display his talents.