Chapter 90 Wild Thoughts
Riley caught the parchment, quickly scanning its contents. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"So that's it... Omar had it all planned."
Riley's mouth twisted with bitterness as he finally understood why Omar stripped him of his knighthood and marginalized him. It was all about Omar recognizing his character and fearing that he might ruin their plans.
The parchment detailed the bandit operation plan and what Carter was supposed to do as per Omar's request.
However, the letter ended up in Henry's hands, a twist of fate that neither Omar nor Riley had anticipated.
Omar, understanding Riley's character, knew he wouldn't peek at the letter and would definitely deliver it to Carter. Little did he know that Carter had already passed away two or three days ago.
Traveling from Solanis to Eldoria would take three to four days, but with fast horses on land, they could cut that time by a day or two.
Riley assumed it was a routine exchange between two cities, perhaps involving business transactions, as he frequently traveled to other towns and completed many tasks assigned by Omar.
However, the ultimate revelation was that Baron Omar was the mastermind behind the bandits, targeting Hyratos and Eldoria.
As Riley's sweat poured out like it was going out of style, he anxiously exclaimed, "Henry, I truly had no idea. I was just a messenger following orders."
Now, unless one was a fool, Riley also knew that the Lord before him wasn't the individual named Carter and as for what had happened to Carter, a brief moment of thought revealed the likely outcome.
"Mr. Riley, having seen that letter, do you think I should believe you?" Henry asked calmly, adjusting his sleeve.
This was truly a pleasant surprise; the source of the bandits had been uncovered, and knowing their plans emphasized the importance of intelligence.
"Well..." Riley faltered. Anyone with a shred of sense, upon seeing such conclusive evidence in the letter, would have their temper flaring, likely leading to severe consequences.
"Take them both to the dungeon. They are not to be released without my orders." Henry instructed Wyatt.
"Yes, my Lord!" Wyatt replied.
Riley fell silent; he knew his situation was dire this time. It was either facing execution or being reduced to slavery.
Soon enough, guards escorted Riley and his servant to the dungeon. When they would be released entirely depended on Henry's discretion.
"Quite interesting!" Henry exclaimed as he took the parchment Mila had recovered. Who would have thought it would be such a lucky coincidence?
"Henry, what do you plan to do?" Mila, twirling a military knife in her hand, asked coolly. "Should I go and take the head of Baron Omar?"
Henry twitched his mouth, pointing his index finger at Mila's forehead without much enthusiasm. "We don't need to act for now, and besides, it's a thankless task."
Mila rubbed her forehead, her sky-blue eyes filled with confusion.
"Remember, we are the second target. Hyratos is the primary one." Henry reminded.
Henry reached out to stroke the catgirl's ears, watching Mila with a gentle smile as she enjoyed the gesture, her eyes squinting in contentment. "All we need to do is provide Hyratos with a copy of the intelligence..."
In reality, he was also concerned about Mila's safety; who knew if the other party had protective measures in place.
"I understand. Let them make the first move, and we'll finish it." Mila's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Yes! Let's avoid unnecessary conflicts and..." Henry paused, closing his mouth. After a complex look at Mila, he remembered the intelligence reports mentioning a significant number of orc enslaved people.
The unfamiliar sensation in her ears made Mila blush slightly. She looked at Henry, her voice soft, "Henry? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just thinking about some complicated matters." Henry lightly shook his head, changing the subject, "It's time for lunch. Where did Ellie and the others go?"
Mila suddenly chuckled, giving Henry a strange look.
"Is there something amusing?" Henry inquired curiously.
He knew Ellie was a mischievous person; despite being older than Mila, she had a childlike nature and only got serious when necessary.
"It's a secret. You'll find out later." Mila said playfully, blinking her blue eyes mischievously before swaying her hips and leaving.
Once Mila was out of sight, Henry exhaled softly and handed the parchment to Wyatt. "Uncle Wyatt, transcribe the information from this, omitting anything about Eldoria, and send a shrewd person to deliver it to Hyratos."
"Henry, it can't be a gift; otherwise, they won't believe it." Wyatt reminded me from the side.
"Of course, it won't be free. Have Hyratos exchange this information for two large ships." Henry chuckled, preparing for future trade.
"Two large ships? They only have two in total. They won't agree." Wyatt shook his head, finding the proposition unrealistic.
"It's just a starting point; we'll negotiate. At the very least, we should get two medium-sized transport ships." Henry's dark eyes sparkled with wisdom.
"Understood; I'll convey the message to them." Wyatt nodded, understanding the bottom line. However, he doubted Hyratos would agree to provide two medium-sized transport ships.
Henry's smile widened; this was an unexpected windfall. The bandits were like free miners sent right to him.
As for Hyratos, they wouldn't stand a chance against those bandits. Henry's plans went beyond just those two ships.
"It looks like Eldoria's docks will need expansion. Maybe even extending them to this side of the river would be better?" Henry rested his chin on his palm, muttering to himself.
"What if the river was given the Eldoria side? Would it be better?"
"No, we don't have enough workforce for that at the moment. It might be better to expand the city to the river instead."
"That would require more cement and steel for the city walls. The four-month winter..."
Wyatt's eyes widened as Henry's bold and imaginative ideas startled him.
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