70: The conspiracy begins (thank you for your recommendation and monthly tickets))

In the evening, the heavy rain gradually subsided.

Henry paced with his hands behind his back in the small courtyard of his mansion.

Four trusted subordinates followed him.

"The scout reports that Arthur has changed course and gone to the monastery near Field Mouse Village.

"What do you all think we should do now?"

According to Henry's original plan, once Arthur's expedition arrived,

he would use the excuse of worrying about mutant unrest to have his people settled outside the town.

This was the first step, and its purpose was to make Arthur feel slighted.

If it were Arthur's former personality, he would undoubtedly get angry, and might even challenge him to a duel.

If he endured it, then the second step would come.

He would have people accuse the mutants of stealing, provoke conflict, and force them to act.

Then, he would observe Arthur's response to judge whether he posed a threat.

However, Arthur's sudden change of route disrupted his entire plan.

The Painted Warrior among the four men laughed and said, "My Lord, if you really want to find out that kid's true capabilities,

"Why don't I take some men to meet him? In my opinion, he's nothing but an empty name."

Henry turned to look at Le Fu.

Le Fu was a native he had subdued when he was developing the swamp.

Like most swamp natives, he was reckless, short-sighted, and ignorant.

But he had one advantage: as long as gold jingled, he would bite any target like a hound.

"If I really sent you, could my poor brother still safely reach Qingfeng Valley?"

Henry smiled and waved his hand, "What I want to do is probe his true capabilities, not destroy him."

"I don't understand why you are so fixated on a dead man."

The speaker was Xiahu, a witch skilled in voodoo.

Her thinking was strange, but she had a talent for magic.

So even if her words were offensive, Henry always chose to tolerate her.

"That guy was already dead the moment he was sent to Qingfeng Valley.

"No one can escape that place; he's irrelevant.

"We should now focus our energy on how to dismantle the Eastern Alliance."

Henry sneered, "If he really saw through our scheme, shouldn't he be taken seriously?"

Ingabado, who was nearby, somewhat guessed the young nobleman's thoughts.

He probably didn't want to believe that his incompetent brother could accomplish all this—not only thwarting their plans but also becoming a saint.

Ingabado winked at the half-elf ranger, Janifas.

Janifas understood and suggested, "My Lord, do you remember the bandits of Grey Mud Valley?

"Why don't we use a borrowed knife to kill?"

Henry's eyes lit up, and he repeatedly praised, "Good, good, what a good use of a borrowed knife to kill.

"Although those bandits don't dare to cause trouble on my territory, their constant lurking nearby is annoying.

"If Arthur can repel these bandits, it will be beneficial to us.

"If these bandits successfully plunder the expedition, it means Arthur is not to be feared.

"But there's one problem: can any of you persuade those bandits?"

"Let me go, Young Master," Ingabado volunteered, "It can be considered an atonement."

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

Two patrolling Tieflings heard a sound.

But when they looked around, they saw no one.

The two exchanged glances, their faces showing suspicion.

"I'll go check it out."

Saria drew her weapon and walked in the direction of the sound.

Tonight, she and Warrock were responsible for patrolling the stables.

Here, not only were all the horses and donkeys of the expedition, but also a lot of supplies.

Warrock stayed put, on alert.

Tieflings' innate darkvision was very suitable for night watch.

Before long, her companion blew a whistle.

Warrock quickly walked towards her.

When he arrived at the location of the supplies, he also discovered the problem.

Many pots, bowls, and plates were scattered on the ground, and there were many messy tracks on the ground.

"Thieves?" he asked.

Saria pointed her sword at a series of footprints on the ground and said, "Then this thief is too big."

After careful inspection, Warrock concluded, "It's rats, damn it."

Just as the two breathed a sigh of relief, Jessica appeared at the stable entrance.

"Are there rats here too?" Jessica asked as she walked in.

"Yes, My Lady."

Warrock quickly stepped out from behind the supplies.

"Are there any in other places?" the female Tiefling asked.

Jessica replied, "That's right, the two wagons loaded with food in the front yard are the worst."

"Aren't there cats in the monastery? I remember seeing a few," the female Tiefling asked again.

"Apparently, if there are enough rats, even cats can only hide.

"I asked Old Joe for some rat repellent; you two sprinkle the repellent around the supplies."

The repellent was a toxic alchemical substance that could effectively drive away specific animals.

Old Joe had made a lot of these things before setting out, including bear repellents and wolf repellents.

The most common one was for repelling rats.

The two Tieflings responded and stepped forward to take the medicine.

After sprinkling the medicine, the rats indeed did not bother them again all night.

The next morning, Jessica reported the matter to Arthur.

Arthur listened to the report while eating breakfast.

Upon learning of the rat infestation during the night, he pondered for a moment and said, "You don't need to worry about this; I'll handle it.

"I heard Catherine say that some rainwater flowed into the monastery yesterday evening.

"There will be another heavy rain today, so go notify Godwin and have him arrange some people to help the monks clear the ditches.

"To prevent rainwater from flowing back and flooding the supplies.

"There's a low-lying area north of the monastery where there are many fresh wild vegetables to dig.

"After the heavy rain, take some people to gather them. They might be useful.

"Also, Grey Mud Valley will be plundered by bandits. Send someone to investigate and see if those bandits will pose a threat to us."

"Understood, I'll go arrange it now."

After Jessica left, Arthur reopened the intelligence system and began to review it.

[Green Intelligence] A group of marmots stole many things from the convoy last night. Find their nest, and you can recover the stolen items. There are also four strange stones in their nest.

[Green Intelligence] Henry Glamorgan is secretly plotting a conspiracy against you with his subordinates.

[Green Intelligence] The bandit Mad Dog Kenny will plunder Grey Mud Valley at noon and rest in Grey Mud Valley tonight.

[White Intelligence] There will be heavy rain this morning, and there will be landslides on the mountain road from Field Mouse Village to Grey Mud Valley.

[White Intelligence] There are many edible wild grasses in a low-lying area north of the monastery.

After reading the intelligence, Arthur already had a plan in mind.

He quickly finished breakfast and went to find the abbot of the monastery.

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

At the same time, Jessica happened to run into Godwin, who was coming to find Arthur.

Seeing Jessica's hurried expression, Godwin asked, "Your Excellency is in such a hurry, has something urgent happened?"

"Ah, Sir, I was looking for you."

Jessica stopped and told Godwin all of Arthur's instructions.

Godwin's face became serious after hearing it.

He pulled Jessica aside and said, "Something is not right.

"The person Miss Airo sent back just arrived this morning.

"He said that four riders passed through Field Mouse Village last night.

"One of their horses probably injured its leg due to the slippery road in the rain, so they bought a new one in the village.

"From their attire, these four people did not look like commoners. And they all came from the direction of Black Marsh Town."

Jessica did not speak, but continued to listen quietly.

"They came from the direction of Black Marsh Town and went towards Grey Mud Valley. And you just said that My Lord said there would be bandits plundering Grey Mud Valley.

"According to the information I gathered from the priests, there is only one group of bandits in this vicinity.

"That is the group led by Mad Dog Kenny. They are near Grey Mud Valley."

Jessica began to understand, "Are you worried that My Lord's brother is colluding with the bandits?"

"No, I'm worried that Henry is about to make a move against us.

"I know Grey Mud Valley; it's just a small mountain village with only twenty people.

"Tell me, what is there to steal in such a poor place?

"And why now? Huh?

"It rained all day yesterday, and even the main road was not easy to travel.

"The mountain roads are even harder. To choose such weather to plunder a mountain village?"

Jessica nodded in agreement; she was starting to follow Godwin's line of thought.

"You've seen the map; you should know that Grey Mud Valley is in the middle of the monastery and Field Mouse Village.

"It's only half a day's journey from both places, or even just two hours if you ride fast."

Jessica interjected, "Henry wants to use these bandits to deal with us."

"That's right, what a clever move to use a borrowed knife to kill. It's truly Henry's style."

Godwin sighed.

"I will have Bruce personally take people to Grey Mud Valley to scout.

"But Sir, there's one more thing I don't understand.

"Since Henry knows we've changed course and come here, and this place isn't very far from Black Marsh Town,

"Why doesn't he send someone to invite us to Black Marsh Town?

"If we refused, he could easily use that as an excuse to cause trouble."

Godwin smiled faintly, "From what I know of Henry, his messenger should be on the way by now.

"That way, outsiders will have a hard time suspecting him.

"After all, it's our fault for being disrespectful and not accepting his invitation, so being attacked by bandits would be well-deserved."

Jessica frowned and asked, "Why is he so persistent with us?"

"I can't say," Godwin exhaled, "But what I can confirm is that Henry is by no means a magnanimous person."

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

The abbot of the monastery was cleaning the ditch in the backyard.

After listening to Arthur, the abbot stopped what he was doing and exclaimed, "Rat infestation? Oh dear, I was negligent.

"There's a group of marmots south of the monastery, and these fellows occasionally come to the monastery to steal things.

"Although we keep many cats, their numbers are simply too great; those cats alone can't stop them."

"South?"

"Yes, if you go that way, you'll see their nest; it's easy to identify."

"Why not find rat catchers?"

The abbot shrugged, "Those guys are not like rats.

"They are very smart; they know when to run and when to come back. Are your losses severe?"

Arthur shook his head, "Mainly some food and some cloth."

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you about this sooner," the abbot continued to clear the ditch, "Thank you for your people helping us clear the drainage ditch.

"Looking at the sky, I'm afraid it will rain again. The rainy season in the east is truly annoying.

"If those marmots come again, scare them with torches.

"Those guys are not very brave; they'll run if they hear a sound."

Arthur nodded and then asked, "A group of bandits has arrived nearby, right?"

"Yes, they arrived about eleven days ago and plundered several surrounding villages.

"The Sheriff of Mud Town said the leader was a guy named Mad Dog.

"The Sheriff couldn't do much about them; those guys run as fast as wild dogs.

"Fortunately, it's been raining recently. Even wild dogs are too lazy to go out in this weather, so they probably won't bother your convoy."

"What about the monastery? Are you able to protect yourselves?"

"As you can see, brother, besides various smelly fertilizers and worthless fruits and vegetables, we don't have any valuable items here."

"But now you do," Arthur said, "You've taken us in."

"I'm not worried, brother. You will be back on the road soon. By the time those people react, you'll already be far away.

"Besides, I see that you have quite a few guards among you. Mad Dog won't risk plundering you."

Arthur helped clear a tree branch and then asked, "Do you know my brother Henry?"

"Henry of Black Marsh Town?"

"Yes."

The abbot spat to the side and replied, "Of course."

"You seem to have some complaints about him?"

"Not just me," the abbot sighed, "He hanged all the natives living in the swamp from trees.

"Unless they were willing to accept education and live like civilized people.

"I don't comment on any of this; the establishment of any civilization cannot be separated from violence.

"But his ambition goes far beyond that; he seized a lot of land by cunning and force.

"One of our small communities was forcibly occupied by his people.

"He altered the land deeds and forced the community's believers to submit to his rule.

"Otherwise, their fate would be the same as those natives."

The Mother Earth Church's parishes outside the city usually existed as agricultural communities.

Such communities typically had fertile land and ample labor, making them desirable to various factions.

"This is blasphemy," the abbot said solemnly, "You know, brother, encroaching on a community is disrespect to the earth mother.

"But your brother doesn't care about any of this; he's solely focused on expanding his influence."

Arthur was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you report it to Wolf Den City?"

"Because it requires the church to handle it.

"But you know, the regional bishop is busy building his grand temple.

"All matters have been handed over to his assistants.

"The most crucial point is your mother, brother.

"Your mother is the largest investor in the local church; many people don't dare to offend her.

"Over the years, I've reported it at least nine times, but it's all been in vain. Now, I can only pray for the earth mother to manifest."

"I really didn't know Henry would be such a person."

"You didn't know?" the abbot was very confused, "Didn't you grow up with him?"

Arthur sighed heavily, "The Henry you speak of is completely different from the one in my memory.

"And now I'm increasingly certain that the Henry you mentioned is his true self."