Chapter 186: What Now?
Brown climbed out of the mud pit and looked through the fence at the cart drivers who were arriving one after another, his face suddenly turning extremely grim.
"Hurry up and let us in, Rick, I see you! Open the gate quickly!"
"Help us! We don't even want our pay, just open the gate!"
"The Thorn Merchant Guild sent us over, and now the murlocs are chasing us again! Open the gate quickly!"
"Little John, I know you're inside! Open the gate for me!"
"The murlocs are coming..."
"..."
He never expected that Bay Territory, which had struck first, would let these defenseless cart drivers go.
They didn't kill them to vent their anger and throw the bodies into the swamp to cover it up.
Nor did they capture them as hostages to bargain with the Carlisle family or turn them into slaves.
Instead, they maliciously sent them straight to the camp.
The camp already had more than 5,000 people, with about a week's worth of supplies stored.
The transport team delivered supplies every three days, and even in the case of an accident, the camp could hold out until the next supply team arrived.
Now, it was the third day, and there were only four days of supplies left in the camp.
If they took in nearly 1,700 more cart drivers, the supplies would only last for three days for the whole camp.
With Bay Territory watching them so closely, it was certain they would block any reinforcements or supply teams.
By then, the camp would be out of food and water!
But if they didn't let the cart drivers in, the soldiers, who had relatives and friends among them, would certainly be upset.
If a riot broke out, they might collapse on their own before Bay Territory even launched an attack.
"Using devious methods to mobilize the murlocs for an attack and seize all the supplies."
"Then turning the defenseless cart drivers into burdens and dumping them on the camp."
"It seems that Bay Territory has already prepared for the consequences."
"If the camp strikes back, they will definitely fall into a trap, and by initiating an attack, they would be at a disadvantage according to the rules."
"But if we do nothing, Bay Territory can just wait and starve them out without lifting a finger!"
"Unless, while we still have some food and resources left, we flee the camp with everyone, handing over the ruins we're about to excavate!"
"Ruthless! Cunning!"
The more clearly Brown thought about it, the uglier his face became.
Seeing the soldiers around him start to grow anxious, Hawk frowned and leaned in to whisper through gritted teeth:
"How about we gather our forces now, make the first move, and wipe out Bay Territory's transport team…"
Hawk's idea was simple.
Even though Bay Territory hadn't left much evidence, once the fighting started, nothing would be clear-cut anymore.
In the end, it would come down to strength!
Hawk had been through this before, and the Carlisle family were no saints!
Besides, if both sides fought, regardless of the outcome, as a high-ranking knight, his life wouldn't be in danger.
If they lost, the most they'd have to do is pay some compensation, which would cover up his failure and prevent his mission from being seen as a failure.
If they won, it would be even better. Not only would they recover their losses, but they could also profit greatly.
Hawk knew the strength of the Carlisle family well, and he believed the chances of winning were high.
Low risk, high reward—why not take a gamble?
Hearing this, Brown instinctively frowned.
He was highly suspicious that Bay Territory, which had planned so carefully, would leave such an obvious flaw. There must be a trap!
Subconsciously biting his lip, Brown ultimately couldn't let his selfish desires lead the entire camp into Bay Territory's trap.
This camp was far too important and had to be preserved at all costs!
If he held the camp, at worst, the family would think he lacked strong leadership, but they wouldn't punish him too severely.
If he provoked a conflict with Bay Territory, causing the loss of the camp and the ruins, the consequences would be dire!
Brown chose to trust the family!
"Sigh, open the gate and let them in."
Brown's frustrated voice sounded, and the cart drivers gathered outside the camp cheered.
As the mud-covered figures poured into the camp, Hawk's face darkened, and he turned away in silence.
In the crowd, a pair of sinister eyes witnessed this scene and slowly withdrew their gaze, following Hawk as he left.
Seeing the murlocs emerging from the mist, Brown instinctively frowned and ordered the gates to be locked tightly. He then issued commands to ration food and water before retreating into his tent.
He needed to contact the family as soon as possible to find out their plans so that he could make the next move.
...
About a kilometer away from the camp, the Thorn Merchant Guild, which had been waiting for some time, slowly resumed their journey.
They would rest for the night at Murloc Castle and unload their supplies.
Then they would take more supplies and recruited refugees to Bay Territory.
At some point, Matthew had slipped into the caravan and received the latest intelligence from Adam Smith.
Gripping the hilt of his sword, Adam Smith coldly stared out at the mist and clicked his tongue in frustration, saying:
"Excluding the destroyed Sweetwater Town, the Carlisle family controls one viscount and three barons."
"The private army in their territory numbers 3,000, and they've recruited around 12,000 new soldiers."
"However, the Carlisle family doesn't have direct command over these soldiers, as they are to be sent to Blood Fortress as auxiliary troops!"
"Still, there's a chance they'll bring the soldiers to the battlefield."
"After all, they can easily find a reason..."
"The Carlisle family currently has eight high-ranking professionals who can fight."
"Four warriors, one knight, and three high-level spellcasters, including Viscount Carlisle Bach, who is a mid-level arcanist!"
"According to the Assassin's Guild, the Carlisle family has secretly hired more than 200 adventurers, intending to send them to the Misty Swamp, clearly targeting Bay Territory…"
Adam Smith paused, his expression growing more serious. He pointed outside the window and hesitated before saying:
"I suspect there are already Carlisle family spies among the people outside…"
Matthew nodded in agreement and, recalling the murloc camp's guardian golems, calmly added:
"Gather all the adventurers and conduct a thorough check."
"When the refugees reach Bay Town, we'll inspect them as well."
Adam Smith became more cautious in response to the lord's uncompromising stance, and after hesitating for a moment, he asked:
"The Carlisle family suffered a big loss; will they retaliate against us?"
Matthew didn't answer directly but instead spoke a few cryptic words:
"They can recruit adventurers; why can't we?"
"When you return, continue recruiting people, but don't organize any more supply caravans. At the same time, show others our attitude."
"Next time we meet, I want more detailed information on the Carlisle family!"
"In the end, it's not a matter of whether they will strike at us!"
"It's a matter of when we'll take care of them!"