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"Of course, we're still gathering people. Sir Simon has calculated that it will take 12 to 16 days for the caravan to travel back and forth between the fishing village and White Wall City. It's only been ten days since the caravan left the village, so Martha still has time to recruit more people for us."
"Moreover, if the other side hasn't finished transporting the treasure on this trip, we'll have another 12 to 16 days to prepare."
"Sir Simon of Darry? You didn't mention him before," Ian noted.
"Oh, that's because he's not currently under my command," Wilder explained. "He's returned to Darui City. He asked me to notify him before we take action, and he can still mobilize about 30 men to join the battle."
"Although his forces are mostly infantry, they're elite soldiers from the standing army, and their presence will be crucial for our infantry line. But, naturally, for Blackfire's treasure, he asked for 30% of the cut." Wilder took a moment to explain the entire profit distribution plan to Ian.
"As for the rest, I promised 10% to the three mercenary knights, and they will divide that amongst themselves."
"So, you're keeping 60% for yourself until I showed up?" Ian asked with a knowing look.
"No," Wilder replied quickly. "In the original plan, Willy and I would each take 20%, and the remaining 20% would be shared equally among the others in the Knight Alliance."
"Those who don't participate in the operation but still get a share?" Ian raised an eyebrow.
"They took part in most of the early operations. But last time, when I didn't inform them, it wasn't their fault. At least not anyone except the mole. I take full responsibility for that," Wilder said, with a heavy sigh.
"What a just leader," Ian said with a dry laugh. "And then you gave me 20% of their share?"
"No, my plan was to remove your share from theirs and distribute the rest according to the original proportions. After all, when we cooperated with the Black Falcon mercenaries, you were only entitled to 50%."
"Is that why you insist on waiting for the ghosts of White Wall City to gather all the treasure before making a move?" Ian asked, a sudden understanding forming. "If you raided the abandoned fishing village directly, the treasure you'd get would hardly seem worth the effort after this little half-year of planning."
Just as Ian finished speaking, he froze, an unsettling thought dawning on him.
"What is it?" Wilder asked, noticing Ian's shift in demeanor.
"I've been feeling something was off," Ian murmured, his face shifting through various expressions. "I think I've figured it out."
"What is it?" Wilder asked again, his tone now urgent.
"Gather the treasure together," Ian whispered, then suddenly raised his head and locked eyes with Wilder. "If it were you, and you discovered Blackfire's treasure, what would you do? You'd want to move the treasure to the abandoned fishing village and have a ship waiting to pick it up, right?"
Wilder stared at Ian, blankly.
"I said something's wrong," Ian continued, his expression serious. He paused for a deep breath before abandoning the idea of guiding Wilder's thoughts. "If I were the one with the treasure, I'd definitely move it to the fishing village as quickly as possible."
"Of course, the amount of treasure is vast. If you tried to move it all at once with thirty or forty carts, it would be too conspicuous. But we could easily divide it into smaller caravans to transport it, making the journey take longer, reducing the chances of exposure."
Ian's gaze sharpened as he looked directly at Wilder. "In other words, as you monitored the fishing village, you should have been seeing caravans coming and going."
Wilder shook his head. "No, except for the initial caravan, no one else has entered the fishing village."
"What does this mean?" Sir Wilder asked, confusion evident on his face.
"This means this is all their manpower!" Ian raised his voice, the implications now clear in his mind.
"But isn't that just perfect for closing in? There are more than twenty people in that caravan, and only seven in the abandoned fishing village. If the other side has more than ten people guarding the treasure, doesn't that match the camp we initially discovered? The scale is close to fifty people," Wilder said, still not fully understanding Ian's point.
"Then how do they handle the loot they've acquired over the past few months?" Ian countered sharply. "A bandit cavalry without a fixed camp, one that you can't even track down—how do they deal with the supplies they've plundered?"
Wilder paused, his brow furrowing. "Well, I haven't thought about this," he admitted, glancing at his good friend, Sir Willy. To his surprise, Sir Willy also looked confused. It lightened Wilder's mood a little.
"But what does this have to do with the Blackfire treasure?" Wilder asked, hoping Ian would connect the dots.
"If the ghosts of White Wall City are successfully disposing of the loot each time, there's only one possibility," Ian said. "They must have several companions posing as caravans. Whenever they make a move, they send the stolen goods to these fake caravans, which transport and sell the loot."
Wilder's eyes widened in realization. Ian continued, "And when they discover the Blackfire treasure and prepare to move it, will they not use the caravans? Of course, they will. They'll put all their manpower into moving the treasure. In other words, after they set up defenses in the fishing village and at the treasure's original hiding place, they could easily form several caravans the size you saw."
"But there was no second caravan at the fishing village," Sir Wilder interjected, a sneer forming on his face.
"Exactly!" Ian snapped. "That means these caravans don't exist at all. The only 'ghosts' in White Wall City are the cavalry fighting against you! They have no other help. All those people are their manpower."
Wilder shook his head. "Then how did they handle the goods they stole?"
"It takes them this long to transport a small amount of treasure," Ian said. "How could they manage goods much larger than the treasure? And if they can't move the loot, then they must be hoarding it."
"Impossible!" Wilder exclaimed. "There are no deep forests near White Wall City. Just sparse woods and flat plains. There's no way they have a camp that we haven't found!"
Ian raised an eyebrow, looking at Sir Wilder. "If you hadn't been so specific about the abandoned fishing village, I'd almost suspect the whole thing was a farce you orchestrated."
"Orchestrated?" Wilder's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you accusing me of being behind the ghosts of White Wall City?" His pride flared, and for a moment, he considered challenging Ian to a duel.
"No," Ian quickly reassured him, "I said almost—meaning I believe in your innocence and honor, Sir Wilder." He switched to a more diplomatic tone, smiling reassuringly.
Wilder's expression softened slightly at the compliment.
"And," Ian added with his signature grin, "now that we've ruled out your involvement, I think the truth is finally clear."