Chapter 367, Huge Bounty
Upon hearing that 'Philipa' had also received a blank envelope, Wu Heng's brow furrowed.
She was placed among the pirates with the primary task of gathering information on pirate activities and plans, which included blank envelopes.
Recently, she had indeed been inquiring about the blank envelope matter.
Now, it had conveniently been delivered directly to her hands.
"What did it say?" Wu Heng asked again.
Philipa responded casually, "What else? Just that the Lingjiao Merchant Guild's fleet is passing by my route soon, so we're to get ready to rob them for supplies. Oh, and also, your bounty has been raised to 500 gold."
Wu Heng was stunned, his brow furrowing even deeper.
Damn it!
His bounty had reached 500 now.
Five hundred gold coins, for a Deputy Steward like him, was equivalent to a Level 12 wanted criminal.
A bounty usually worth a few hundred silvers, and now they've made it five hundred gold.
They're really overestimating me.
"Why don't you help me act out a scene, and we can make some money off of this," Philipa's voice came through again.
"How would we do that?"
"We'll tell everyone I killed you, and see who brings the money."
"What if nobody pays up after declaring me dead?"
Philipa said, "Then forget it. Later, you can just say you came back to life. It's not a loss for us."
"Wouldn't that make people realize we're faking it? You'd be exposed too!"
Philipa paused, then said in surprise, "That might be true."
"Never mind, let's put this aside for now. I need to think about what to do regarding the merchant fleet passing by. What's your take?" Wu Heng asked further.
Philipa munched on something while saying, "There have been some rumors among the pirates lately that the guild has planted a lot of informants among us. I'm worried they might suspect me. Also, the pirate crew hasn't had much action recently, and the crew is complaining. I'm thinking of raiding them."
"Has someone already suspected you?" Wu Heng leaned against the table.
"Not yet, but rumors have been spreading among the pirates. Everyone suspects there might be an guild member among the crew, but no one's doubted the captain yet," Philipa explained.
Only Imiro and Wu Heng knew about Philipa's mission.
Imiro was a steward, and there was no way he would've leaked such information to the pirates. Wu Heng himself had never revealed it.
Most likely, other guild branches had planted informants, and word had gotten out.
Coastal guild branches were always assigned the task of capturing pirates.
Arranging informants, buying intelligence—that wasn't surprising either.
What mattered now was ensuring that Philipa wasn't suspected by the pirates.
"Are you asleep?" Philipa asked when he didn't respond.
Wu Heng said, "You can't actively raid merchant ships; otherwise, it will be difficult for you to ever come ashore again."
"Damn it, I'm a pirate, remember!"
"You're a fake pirate."
"Then what do you suggest I do? Take the crew fishing?" Philipa's tone was tinged with annoyance.
The crew had been recruited, and the ship's equipment was all ready.
Not being allowed to fight—wasn't this just nonsense?
"Just follow the letter's instructions and carry out a normal raid. When the time comes, arrange for them to escape."
"Do you really think I'm a stage actor, to play whatever role you ask of me?" Philipa continued.
Wu Heng said, "If it comes down to a real fight and people are killed, just fly another pirate crew's flag."
"Alright, I get it," Philipa agreed, then added, "By the way, when are you going to send me that money you promised? I'm a bit tight on funds lately and can't really afford to spend anything."
Wu Heng was speechless.
She's really a gold-eating beast.
Among his maidservants, Philipa was the one who spent the most money.
Barrels of silver coins were handed over, and a few days later, she was already complaining about being broke again.
Yet, he relied on her for information, so he had no choice but to provide it.
"Once this is over, I'll arrange for a ship to disguise as a merchant fleet so you can raid it. We'll even put supplies on board," Wu Heng said immediately.
"Great plan. That'll also boost my reputation while I'm out there," Philipa said happily.
"I'll make arrangements then, but don't tell anyone for now."
"Understood. I always handle things carefully."
"Think about what else you might need in the next few days, so I can prepare."
"Got it!" Philipa agreed, then asked, "How's my mother doing?"
"She's fine. The tavern is doing well, and they even helped me catch a wanted criminal."
"She's that capable?" Philipa's tone held some doubt.
"She's not as weak as you think; she handles things quite thoroughly."
"Don't tell me you're interested in her. If you want to be my dad... well, honestly, that wouldn't be bad. Asking for money would be a lot less of a hassle."
Wu Heng was speechless. Her way of talking really was without any filter.
"Don't say such nonsense."
"Hehe, alright, I won't bother you anymore. I have something to do later."
"Alright, stay safe."
"Understood!"
After hanging up, Wu Heng put the receiver back in place.
...
Leaning against the edge of the desk, Wu Heng pondered over the information Philipa had conveyed.
The blank envelope had appeared under her pillow after a night's sleep.
The method of delivery was truly elusive.
How did they determine Philipa's location—based on the pirate ship or the captain's identity?
The letter contained two pieces of information.
First, his bounty had reached an astronomical amount.
This made him even more suspicious that the Secret Cult was behind it.
After all, the schemes to frame him and the assassination attempt had all been orchestrated by Secret Cult members.
Even though those people had died at 'Kalema's' hands, the outside world wouldn't necessarily know that and would surely blame him.
But this was just speculation—whether it was the Secret Cult, he couldn't say for sure.
According to the intel, the Secret Cult was an organization formed by a group of powerful merchants. Using pirates to issue a bounty seemed a bit far-fetched.
The second point was about informants among the pirates.
It definitely hadn't leaked from his side, but he feared that Philipa might be exposed.
Some things couldn't be investigated too deeply.
Especially Philipa's escape from Gold-Silver Island—it had quite a few loopholes if closely examined.
"With Philipa's personality, she shouldn't arouse suspicion."
Philipa's personality was just like a pirate's.
She wasn't pretending; she was genuinely playing herself.
Standing there, her image was that of a pirate rogue.
"Tomorrow, I'll go to the guild and mention it to Imiro."
After making up his mind, Wu Heng walked out of the room.
...
At the door, Minnie saw him come out and said, "Master, the bathwater is ready. Sister Shanaila sent over some flower petals yesterday—would you like some added?"
"Flower petals? What's the point?"
"After the bath, you'll smell nice. Sister Viel and I used it yesterday, and it worked really well," Minnie said with a smile.
"You girls use it. I'm a guy; going out smelling like flowers feels a bit much." Wu Heng walked into the partitioned area, taking off his armor and coat.
Minnie helped him undress while also stripping herself, saying, "Smelling nice is pleasant."
When Minnie finished undressing, her slender, athletic figure was revealed.
Wu Heng embraced her as they moved towards the innermost bathroom.
Together, they sat in the bathtub, with Minnie leaning back into his arms.
He gently caressed the smooth, toned belly of the rabbit-girl, along with her growing fullness.
Enjoying the silky feel of her youthful skin.
It felt like touching a piece of warm, polished jade.
In the past, Wu Heng would never have dreamed of living like this.
Having power, young maidservants, and the strength to change himself.
Any one of those was something he'd once only fantasized about while reading novels or watching shows.
Now, not only did he have it all, it was getting even better.
Minnie shifted to face him, sitting in his lap, her arms draped over his shoulders, and softly asked, "What are you thinking about, Master? You seem distracted."
"Just thinking, meeting you all was really wonderful."
Minnie smiled, cupping his face, and said, "No way, it's Viel and I who should be grateful to have been bought by you. Sometimes I wake up, dreaming that this life is just a dream, that you didn't buy us."
"We're all very lucky!"
"Mm," Minnie smiled, leaning in to kiss him.
...
Near dusk.
Andviel returned from the guild with a small owl perched on her head.
Seeing Wu Heng sitting on the sofa, she smiled, "Master!"
"Mm, anything major at the guild?"
"No, everything's as usual."
Wu Heng nodded; it seemed the news about Kalema hadn't reached Gold-Silver Island yet.
Based on the ship's voyage, even if someone noticed Kalema's disappearance, it would take time to reach port and relay the message to the local guild.
By then, they'd conduct inquiries and then pass the news along.
Who knows how long it would take to reach Gold-Silver Island.
By that point, finding anything out would be even more difficult.
As long as he didn't reveal any of Kalema's unique items, there shouldn't be any issues.
"Good, nothing major then. Dinner's almost ready, so wait a bit." Wu Heng said.
Andviel nodded, took off her coat, and leaned into his embrace.
They chatted about some amusing stories they had heard.
...
The next day, Wu Heng and Andviel went to the guild together.
First, Andviel went to the office, while Wu Heng went to the steward's office.
He knocked lightly on the door before entering.
Inside, two staff members were reporting, so he stood by and waited.
When the staff left, only Imiro, Moya, and himself remained.
"You're here early today; is something up?"
"My bounty from the pirates has been raised to 500 gold coins."
Imiro paused, and Moya, who was not far away, also looked over in confusion.
Killing a Deputy Steward, and the bounty had been raised to such an outrageous amount.