I was a charlatan in India

On the western official road, the sound of horses' hooves thundered like thunder.

That's definitely not the sound a horse should make. Even a heavy draft horse should make a crisp "clattering" sound.

Horses that strike so heavily with each blow, causing their entire bodies to surge forward, are either specially trained warhorses with experience in charging through heavily loaded formations.

It's either not a horse at all, but something else entirely.

However, its performance has far exceeded Dana's expectations.

Aside from the injury to his arm, his escape went better than planned.

As the sun gradually set, the temperature dropped rapidly, and the unique temperature difference in this place brought a chill to the man and his horse.

A faint mist rose from Haiti's body, and his breath grew long and drawn out in the cold night, like a giant beast that inhaled and exhaled clouds.

Before the moon reached its zenith, we arrived at our destination.

It was much faster than we imagined.

Dana planned different routes for his subordinates to avoid them meeting each other and discussing too much, but the final meeting point was always in one place.

This is a deserted village far from the official road.

In earlier years, when the army conquered Gashi, they also ravaged this place into a desolate wasteland.

However, in order to appease the people, the government adopted a more conciliatory approach in its policies.

When the news reached the local officials, it became a very troublesome matter.

After all, these places were conquered by them personally leading their men in burning, killing, looting, and pillaging, so reconciliation was really difficult.

Therefore, the only option was to treat the local survivors as rebels and massacre them all in order to uphold the benevolent name of the capital.

So, apart from homeless vagrants and thugs who have nowhere else to go, no one will frequent this godforsaken place.

He planned to take inventory of supplies, distribute valuables, and reward his subordinates with some items that were inconvenient to carry.

In addition, the layer of cloth on the stone was left for them to keep warm, enough for their men to get through the night, and they could return to Varanasi with their respective rewards the next morning.

As long as one doesn't overspend, one should be able to live a life free from financial worries.

Dana manipulated Haiti, changing from running to strides, then to slow steps, and finally stopping completely.

He dismounted, untied the bridle for Haiti, and took out a slightly damp bean cake from his pocket, offering it to his mouth.

"Alright, that's enough for now, buddy."

Haiti didn't mind, sticking out his tongue to roll up the bean cake, and then sniffing the wound on Dana's hand.

"It's nothing, a bandage will do. I've had much worse injuries when I was younger..."

But he's not young anymore.

Wounds heal very slowly, and the amount of blood loss that can be tolerated decreases with age.

Adding to the fact that he had been traveling all this way, his condition was already extremely poor, and his face was deathly pale.

After resting for about fifteen minutes, Dana felt he had regained some strength and patted Haiti on the neck.

"It's time to part ways, buddy."

"I said I'd give you your freedom once we reach our destination; you can't break your promise to a friend."

To be honest, Dana was a little reluctant to part with the horse.

He liked Haiti very much; he was incredibly patient and strong.

Moreover, he gets along very well with Dana.

But he still rubbed its forehead, then slapped its rump.

"Go, go wherever you want, and don't let anyone lock you in the stable again."

Dana felt like a horse that had just run away.

Although it hurts to give up a large part of the family business, at least I won't have to suffer the humiliation of being a businessman anymore.

To think like that...

I am indeed getting old.

Haiti shook his head, not understanding why this human seemed somewhat sentimental.

It swept its ponytail across Dana's arm again, but this time the movement was very gentle, and it deliberately avoided Dana's wound.

With a neigh, Haiti disappeared into the night.

The shacks in the deserted village have been repaired several times, but they are still dilapidated overall.

Refugees often find their way here, literally robbing Peter to pay Paul, resulting in a patchwork of buildings that look like a patchwork quilt made of different materials.

The servants had already gathered there.

Dana could see those familiar boxes, mostly piled up near a brick kiln.

Dana trudged through the knee-deep dry grass toward his men, his steps uneven.

"Master? Is that you, Master?"

A familiar voice rang out, which made Dana relax slightly.

This was his old housekeeper, who had been with him for over ten years, to be specific, eighteen years.

"it's me."

Dana responded in a low voice and walked over.

Seeing the goods and his familiar subordinates, he finally felt a little relieved: "How was the journey?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, it went relatively smoothly."

The old butler answered respectfully as always, as if it had become a habit over the years.

But Dana's heart skipped a beat.

Something's not right.

Under normal circumstances, the old housekeeper should report the inventory results, personnel, and goods to him immediately.

But at this moment, he was not in work mode.

The situation may have changed.

"Sir, I heard some rumors on my way here."

really.

Dana's heart sank slightly.

"The Gupta family seems to be hunting you down; notices have already started being posted."

"I think you must have known about this, but you didn't inform the servants. Isn't that a failure of your responsibility as a master?"

This is a case of falsely accusing someone.

Household servants are different from slaves; they are somewhat like modern-day employees, only more stable.

The boss's only responsibility to his subordinates is to pay wages on time, compensate for overtime, and give them normal holidays without taking away their rest time.

When a company has problems, telling you is a favor, not their duty.

So when the old servant opened his mouth, Da knew things were going badly.

These servants were indeed waiting for him, but they were no longer under his control, and even coveted more.

That respect was merely a habit formed over eighteen years.

But it was too late.

The servants had already gathered around.

"master."

"I wonder what you plan to do with us servants? Will you pay us off and dismiss us, or...?"

As he spoke, he even laughed out loud: "Let's find a place and make a comeback."

Dana took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress his anger.

He was outnumbered and outmatched; to resist would be unwise.

Despite all their scheming, these servants ended up taking all the benefits.

It seems the gods are truly not forgiving me.

Thinking of this, Dana sighed slightly and simply sat down on the ground.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I haven't treated you all unfairly all these years, have I?"

The old butler shook his head: "No, not at all."

But he had already squinted.

From what Dana means, it seems he doesn't know what's good for him and still wants to fight for something.

If necessary...

"Um."

Dana nodded: "Then this time, I won't treat everyone unfairly either."

The old butler moved his fingers, and the group stood still.

Clearly, they have a new owner.

Dana tried to keep his tone steady.

"As you all know, in addition to the goods you were asked to escort, the Water Rats also transported out quite a lot of goods."

"Besides, I have some business acumen, but I don't have any on hand right now, so there's no need to risk my life for this little bit of money right now."

"You're all waiting for me here because you want something from me. So, I'll distribute these goods among you, just leave me some food and let me go, okay?"

Seeing that the old steward remained unmoved, Dana added.

"Even if I'm wanted, the Gupta family wants to capture me for their own profit, not for my fat body."

"Think about it carefully, everyone. If you kill me and they can't find the goods they want, won't they take their anger out on you?"

The old butler snorted coldly.

"According to you, we can tie you up and collect the reward."

"Your notices are plastered all over the city; taking them over would be worth a lot of money."

"To claim the reward?"

Dana chuckled and finally calmed down completely.

He regained the composure and demeanor of a businessman negotiating, remaining calm and collected.

However, his hand, which habitually reached for the beads, found nothing.

"These goods around you are also part of the Gupta family's scheme. If I am captured, not a single one of these jewels will be spared."

"You might even be accused of betraying your former master and silenced."

"You've been with me for so long, you should know the ins and outs of this."

As he spoke, he closed his eyes.

"Unless it is truly my fault that you are willing to give up your money and your lives to kill me."

"If that's the case, I have nothing to say. Do it!"