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It took a full month to prepare. We assembled a force of over 400 men, along with four light cavalry units for reconnaissance and support.
"Oh, by the way," Dorian suddenly turned to the mercenary captain, Jon Snow. "It seems that it was on that very day that you completed your last mission to the north and returned to the station."
"That's right," Sir Jon Snow, second son of the fifth house, nodded. "I had just come back at that time and was assigned to the battle orders before I even had a chance to assess the situation. If it weren't for the money, I would have preferred to do nothing at all. I almost wanted to rip off the head of Sir Harrison (the landlady) for giving the orders."
Ian raised a hand to silence him, signaling that he didn't need to continue, then turned back to Dorian. "Continue, continue."
"In the end, I don't know if Sir Jon Snow told you, but we finally found a temporary campsite in the woods south of White Wall City. It was a camp of about forty or fifty men. But when we arrived, it was completely deserted."
"So we continued searching, but we didn't find even a trace. Since there was an open plain to the east, there was no way they could have hidden there. Our grand operation failed miserably."
"However," Dorian went on, "as soon as we disbanded, the bandit group resumed its activities as if they had never left. They appeared out of nowhere, like ghosts. So we had to gather again to come up with new plans."
"After the lessons from the previous operation, we eliminated all unreliable mercenaries. We shifted our strategy from direct assault to deception and annihilation. We sent in an elite group disguised as traders, dealing in velvet and silk, hoping to lure the bandits out and then trap them in an ambush."
"Not a bad idea," Ian nodded approvingly. "But you still failed?"
"Yes, the bandit group wasn't fooled at all. We changed the plan several times, but they refused to take the bait."
"Did they stop their attacks when you set the ambush?"
"No! They remained active, but instead of us, they targeted real caravans. By pure chance, they avoided our trap every time. They were like ghosts."
"This is clearly a mole!" Ian said. It was no surprise that the Black Falcon mercenaries and the Knight Alliance were having internal conflicts. This bandit group was raiding everywhere, but they never took the bait. It could only mean one thing: they had inside information.
"My adoptive father and Sir Wilder reached the same conclusion," Dorian said. "But when it came to which side the mole was on, both sides insisted on their own theories, and there was no concrete proof. Soon, our alliance broke apart. After that, we each went our separate ways, looking for the Blackfire national treasure, but we found nothing."
"Wait a minute," Ian stopped Dorian. "Is there something important you're not telling me?"
"Huh?"
"Blackfire's Restoration Treasure? After hearing your story, I don't understand where you made that leap. You've been talking about bandits this whole time. What does that have to do with the Blackfire treasure?"
"Oh, I overlooked that. Sir Simon came to that conclusion during our second joint operation."
"Sir Simon?" Ian thought, What kind of a name is that? Damn Western names!
"Sir Simon Rivers, the sworn knight of the Darry family, was the only knight sent to us by Darry City."
"Sir Bastard of Darry City," Ian muttered to himself, his irritation growing. "The Seven Gods forgive me, but that's the only way I can remember him. What's the basis for his guess?"
Dorian, the adopted son, replied, "The second Blackfire Rebellion died before it could even start. The Earl of White Wall City and his allies must have stockpiled a large amount of supplies for the rebellion. However, history doesn't mention the capture of the 'Blood Crow' in White Wall City, so it's possible that this wealth was hidden in advance."
"So, that Sir Simon from Darry City is still a bachelor, right? How does he know all this?" Ian raised an eyebrow.
Dorian paused, caught off guard. "We didn't ask. He was very sure of what he said."
Ian frowned. Though he vaguely remembered the second Blackfire Rebellion, he hadn't paid much attention to its aftermath since it had been such a farce.
"Indeed, it's possible the Earl of White Wall City hid a significant amount of wealth," Ian acknowledged. "But just the wealth of the Earl of White Wall City alone wouldn't be enough to justify calling it the 'Blackfire Restoration Treasure.' So..."
Dorian quickly added, "That group of bandits has been operating near White Wall City. They must be looking for this treasure. Otherwise, why would they come here? If they were planning another Blackfire rebellion, there's no way they'd start on the east bank of God's Eye Lake, right?"
"But if they're looking for treasure, shouldn't they be more secretive? Why rob so openly?" Ian shook his head, rejecting Dorian's theory.
"My adoptive father also raised this point," Dorian said quickly. "In the end, he concluded that while the bandits had been looking for the treasure for a long time, they hadn't found it. The robberies were a way to replenish supplies and, secondly, to get back at the situation by recouping their losses through theft."
"That makes sense," Ian admitted. "This Black Falcon group… they don't seem like a bunch of brash fools. They're not just muscle-headed idiots."
"So, you think this is what proves the Earl of White Wall City left behind a treasure for the restoration of the realm? Isn't that just a rough guess? There's no evidence, no clues," Ian said, incredulously.
"I don't know," Dorian said, feeling awkward. "But since my adoptive father and Sir Wilder are so sure, they must know something we don't. They just haven't shared it with me."
Ian rolled his eyes, deciding to drop the topic. There were no clues to pursue here. "Has there been any progress in the treasure hunt over the past month?"
"No," Dorian answered. "After the alliance broke, we didn't dare confront the ghosts of White Wall City head-on. We've just been quietly searching for the treasure. They haven't attacked our station, though; they've just continued robbing passing caravans."
"So, no one is dealing with them?" Ian asked, his patience wearing thin.
"You mean, should we report them?" Dorian asked, unsure.
"Exactly. Is this level of banditry enough to report to the Lord? Since you can't handle this bandit group yourselves, you could always go to River Run Valley to report it to Duke Hoster. The Tully family would naturally send troops to deal with it."
Ian smirked. "Even though the Tullys are political opportunists, they still take care of their vassals and subjects."
Dorian nodded, but then hesitated. "Sir Wilder and the others are worried that if the Tullys send troops here, they won't get a share of the Blackfire treasure."