This Text Adventure Game is definitely poisonous
Chapter 1361 - 597: Bounty for Bandit Extermination

Chapter 1361: Chapter 597: Bounty for Bandit Extermination

[You cast a skeptical glance at the Crow Man merchant and questioned whether he was in secret collusion with the mafias, deliberately setting a trap for you outsiders.]

["Absolutely not!" The merchant hastily waved his hands, emphatically denying it.]

["For us of the Crow Tribe, mafias are also a huge pestilence. We ourselves are often victims of their thefts. If you don’t believe it, just go to the center of the village and look at the notice boards. There’s always a standing reward announcement for catching mafias, and there are numerous cases of villagers having their property stolen!" The Crow Man merchant explained earnestly, implying that the Crow people also had no love for the mafias; the problem was merely that they were too elusive to catch.]

Mu You didn’t buy the smooth talk of this crooked Crow Man merchant for a second. The Crow Tribe had existed for countless years – how could it be that they found not a single clue, no matter how well the mafias disguised themselves, if they really tried to investigate thoroughly?

Mu You recalled the notice board he had seen when entering the village earlier, which seemed to state that theft was strictly forbidden within the tribe. The village had ’guards’ similar to policemen, and victims of theft could report the crime to them.

Mu You, having mysteriously lost 2000 Divinity, certainly couldn’t let the matter rest. He decided to first probe the depths of this tribe.

[Seeing you about to leave, the Crow Man merchant quickly called out: "Hey, customer, are you still interested in pawning your Knife? I can offer you 1500 Divinity right now!"]

There are two options: [Pawn it] and [Refuse].

Of course, Mu You chose to refuse. He had already spent a lot of five-star materials on crafting the Knife. Its true value was far more than 1500 Divinity; it would be absurd to sell it so cheaply.

[You politely refused the merchant’s offer and turned to leave.]

[The Crow Man merchant didn’t seem to mind, the corners of his mouth lifting into a confident smile, as if he was sure you’d come back sooner or later.]

[...You arrived in the middle of the village, and indeed, there were many notice boards erected in the central square.]

[You went up to read them one by one and found that most were trade information left by various merchants. Only a few boards in the corner were densely filled with numerous cases of theft.]

[Crow villager Mary lost 3500 Divinity in the month of July of the third year of Mirage Energy, reported it to the guards on the same day, and with the assistance of the guards, successfully recovered her property a week later...]

[Crow villager Erin lost 2000 Divinity in January of the fourth year of Mirage Energy, reported it to the guards the next day, and with the guards’ assistance, successfully recovered her property three days later...]

[Villager Abu from the Rock Rabbit village lost 1500 Divinity in March of the fourth year of Mirage Energy, reported it to the guards on the same day... The Crow guards are still in the midst of searching...]

...

Mu You was slightly surprised – reporting to the guards seemed to be effective?

At least according to these notices, there were indeed quite a few cases where stolen property had been recovered.

However, Mu You quickly noticed a pattern: cases where the property was recovered were mostly major incidents involving losses of 2000+ Divinity. The majority of smaller thefts remained ’under investigation’.

Further down, there was also a ’wanted notice’ for the mafias.

[Mafia Bounty Task: Mafias must be captured dead or alive! Catch a sparrow person within the tribe and deliver them to the guards. If it is confirmed that the suspect has committed theft within our tribe, the captor will receive a bounty of 1000 Divinity points!]

The wanted notice was written formally, and the offered bounty wasn’t low – 1000 Divinity, equivalent to the profit of hunting a Seven-star Divine Beast.

At first glance, it appeared the Crow Tribe was indeed putting in a lot of effort to capture the mafias, trying to ensure everyone’s trade security.

Of course, Mu You wasn’t so easily convinced. This could also be a Smoke Bomb, listing some recovered property cases to sing their own praises, to reassure those who came to trade.

Otherwise, if everyone knew this place was a den of thieves, who would dare come to trade?

Whether true or not, Mu You decided to go to the guards and report his situation first, to see if he could retrieve his lost Divinity.

[After walking past the notice area, you quickly spotted a patrolling team of Crow guards at the edge of the square.]

[These Crow guards, armed and equipped, were visibly larger than an average Crow Man, with the Captain of the Guard being seven stars, while the rest of the Guard Team were all of six stars.]

Seven stars...

Mu You pondered for a moment; this Guard Chief was probably the highest combatant in the Crow Tribe.

Being seven stars meant that Mu You could not currently defeat him, to say nothing of the numerous six-star guards assisting him. If a conflict arose, he would have no choice but to flee.

[You stepped forward and stopped the team of guards.]

[Under their inquiring gaze, you explained to the Guard Chief about the theft you had just experienced and requested that they recover your lost Divinity.]

["Understood..." In response to your appeal, the Guard Chief merely took out paper and pen, noted down the time and the amount of Divinity you lost and then dismissed you, leading the team to continue their patrol...]

"?" Mu You was puzzled. They took a report without even asking his name, just jotting down a number before leaving?

How would they return the Divinity to him if it was found?

[You watched the departing guards, standing in bewilderment, when suddenly you heard someone chuckling behind you.]

[You turned around and saw a passing Crow villager who had been watching you all along; seeing your look of confusion, they kindly pointed out, "To file a report with the guards, you must first find the Clan Leader and join the Crow Tribe to become an official resident. Otherwise, they won’t bother with your case."]