Smuggler

"Hmm?" Locke frowned and took a closer look. The faces of the people squatting were covered in mud and their hair was yellow. They probably hadn't been washed for a few days. They were dressed in tattered grey clothes and looked unkempt. Indeed, they didn't look like women at all.

Gulas put on a flattering smile and said, "They're a gang of second-hand dealers. I saw them sneaking around when the city was breached, so I brought my brothers to take them down. I didn't expect them to be such big fish. Look, those boxes are full of their goods. There's a lot of good stuff in them!" Gulas kicked one of the wooden boxes open, revealing shiny jewellery and gold and silver coins.

Only then did Locke understand that there was an unwritten rule for subordinates like him to hand over half of the goods, twenty percent to the battalion, thirty percent to the platoon jarl, and the rest to be divided equally among themselves. The reason for this rule was that the soldiers didn't have a way to get rid of the large amount of goods they seized. Even if they had a way, it would cause a rift between the soldiers and their superiors if they secretly kept such a large amount of wealth.

However, Locke rarely heard of underground soldiers stealing large amounts of goods. Those merchants and rich families who could afford to do so would have long fled before the army arrived. Those who couldn't would also be targeted by the baron's cavalry platoon. The baron allowed the soldiers to make their own money, but he wouldn't allow them to make a profit out of their own pockets. If a soldier tried to steal from the battalion, he would definitely not live to see the sun the next day.

"Not bad," praised Locke. He had never made such a fortune before.

"Hehe." Gulas didn't say anything and just giggled.

Locke looked at the burly man with a full beard. He really couldn't tell that he was so meticulous. You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. "You can go to the logistics department to deal with your share. You can exchange my share for thalers and give it to me. As for these goods, give half to the baron's caravan and the other half to a merchant named Henry in the battalion." Locke wasn't someone who went back on his word. He planned to befriend the fat merchant, but he didn't dare to give him all the soldiers' goods. Who knew if the baron would make things difficult for him because of the profits from the caravan? It was better to be safe than sorry.

Since Gulas said that this was a gang of smugglers, there must be a leader. "Who's the leader?" Locke asked.

The few people squatting on the ground could clearly sense that the person who asked the question was the leader of these soldiers. Although they did not speak, they all looked at the skinny man in the middle.

"It's you?" Locke looked at this ordinary-looking man who looked like a skeleton. If it weren't for his slightly sly eyes, he might have overlooked this person. But looking at his trembling appearance, he didn't have any of the imposing manner of a second-hand trafficker.

"Yes, my lord. My name is Piccolo." Although the skinny man was timid, he was quite eloquent. "This lowly one is a famous merchant in Farlans. My lord, please let this lowly one go. This lowly one can bring you great wealth."

"Heh, a smuggler dares to call himself a merchant?" Gulas sneered disdainfully.

Locke was interested in him, not because of his talent, but because of his wealth. It suddenly occurred to Locke that a second-hand trafficker like this wouldn't do business alone, but in a group. This group was here to sweep up goods, so there must be a buyer. If he followed his lead and wiped out all the goods, there should be a surprise.

The skinny man panicked when he heard Gulas's words. He was especially afraid that the soldiers would think he was worthless and kill him. "I can also see. I've been doing odd jobs in jewelry stores and pawnshops since I was young. I've developed a pair of discerning eyes that can help you find treasures."

"Korby, right? Help me take a look at this." Locke remembered the maid's bracelet he took last night and asked him to see if it was worth anything.

Korby immediately wiped his hands on his clothes and took the golden bracelet. He examined it repeatedly under the light and even flicked the bracelet with his fingers, looking a little professional. However, he quickly revealed a look of disdain. No one else could see it, but Locke, who had been observing him, caught it.

"How is it?" Locke asked calmly.

"My lord, this … this …" Korby stammered.

"If you have something to say, spit it out," Locke urged.

"My lord, this bracelet doesn't seem to be of high quality. Although it's about the same weight as a real gold bracelet, it doesn't have the softness of gold, so it should be mixed with copper. The weight isn't too bad, so it should be mixed with some silver. As for the gold, it should be a layer of gold powder on the surface. I can't tell if there are any other impurities without any tools," Korby explained. "In short, this bracelet is worth five silver coins at most." Korby even estimated the value of the bracelet at the end.

Five silver coins, if converted to thalers, could be exchanged for one or two silver thalers. In the past, Locke wouldn't have minded it, but now, he decided to forget about it.

Locke put the bracelet away. It seemed that he was in a bad mood at the moment. He thought that the women had some powerful background. But it was only the maid's, so it was understandable that it was so close. That was how he comforted himself.

Gulas was indeed a shrewd man. Noticing that Locke was in a bad mood, he quickly kicked Korby and said, "What good stuff do you have? Hurry up and show it to Big Brother Locke."

When Korby heard that the lives of his men were in the hands of the officer, he hurriedly rummaged through the boxes. In the end, he picked out a pair of exquisite earrings and a dark green bracelet. "My lord, these are the best things I have. I suspect that a noblewoman pawned them here. The earrings are the most precious jewellery I've seen in my life. And this bracelet, if I'm not mistaken, is made from a cloudink gemstone. Such a large bracelet must be made from a large cloudink gemstone. In the past, cloudink gemstones were used to make high-end rings."

The earrings were indeed exquisite. Just the diamonds on them alone were worth a fortune. As for the bracelet, Locke didn't see anything special about it. Since Korby said it was good, then it must be good. Locke didn't say much and kept the two items.

There was no point in staying here any longer. Before he left, Locke instructed Gulas, "Keep that kid alive. He's useful to me."

Locke walked around the city. It was still as chaotic as ever. The situation would probably only improve after the baron gave the order to stop harassing the civilians.

First, Locke went to check on his original team. Hans was raiding a grocery store with his brothers, while Kane was sitting on the roof in a daze. Kane was always like that. He was always mischievous and liked to take advantage of others. However, Locke knew that he was the kindest person in the team. He basically never participated in such raids. When Locke asked him about it once, he said that the sight of the Shalorian civilians reminded him of the years when he was a beggar. Everyone tacitly approved of his behavior and even gave him a share of the loot.

At noon, the baron finally gave the order from the mayor's mansion to stop the "search" and stand by in small groups in the west district.

The west district was the area that Baron Cashel had bombarded with casters. It was now barren, but it also meant that the area was clean and the soldiers could set up camp there.

Most of the soldiers hadn't slept for the whole night. Coupled with the fierce battle earlier, they all found a place to sleep as soon as they gathered.

Locke even bumped into some familiar faces from Baron Cashel's troops. Sean was also a civilian squad leader. He had fought side by side with Locke before and they were quite close.

"What's up? You guys are here too?" Locke greeted him. This was a strictly hierarchical world. If Locke spoke first, it meant that he was still willing to be friends.

"Yeah, I'm happy that you've been promoted, Brother Locke. I got some good wine last night. Do you want to come to my place tonight? I'll treat you. "Sean was happy to see that Locke still remembered their old friendship. Although they didn't belong to the same unit, it was only right that Locke's position and military rank were higher than his. There was no harm in making friends with such people.

Those who had been in the army for more than a year knew that the most reliable person on the battlefield was themselves, followed by their comrades. This showed how important a friend was.

"No problem." Locke patted Sean's shoulder and laughed. According to usual practice, there shouldn't be any missions between now and tomorrow afternoon. Locke's injury yesterday didn't affect his drinking after being nourished by impetus.

After spending some time in the camp, Locke returned to his small courtyard with a chicken in his hand. Hans had sent it to him. As expected of an old brother.

Laffey was sweeping the courtyard, but she seemed to have a lot on her mind. Kristin was sitting on the doorframe, fiddling with her fingers. She seemed to have recovered a lot. Grace should be in the house. It seemed that these women weren't stupid. They didn't run away. Locke was sure that they wouldn't be able to escape from the city. The maid's martial arts weren't good enough.

Seeing Locke return, Laffey put on a defensive posture. However, Locke ignored her. He walked past her and threw the chicken in his hand to her. "Can you handle it?" Locke asked.

"Yes." Lafite's mind was still a little muddled as he answered blankly.

"Brother!" Kristin was excited to see Locke.

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