Benjamin Harris's words sent a chill down George Reed's spine. Although Benjamin Harris spoke harshly, slinging accusations left and right, it was truly possible—no, it was certain—that this had happened to Emily Young.

"Let's go." Upon hearing Benjamin Harris's words, George Reed immediately followed Benjamin Harris and that inner officer, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared among the many soldiers.

Suddenly, Emily Young seemed to remember something and said to an officer behind him, "Take some men and bring me the heads of George Reed, Benjamin Harris, and that officer under his command."

Chapter 011: So This Is Possible Too

Ethan Brooks and the other two were woken up by someone; it turned out they had arrived at Xizhou City. The three of them hadn't expected to have slept for a whole day and night. But as they left the cabin, the first thing they heard was news of a great battle between Zheyun Kingdom and Liujin Kingdom.

They hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly. Before they even reached Xizhou City, word of the battle had already arrived. However, most people on this boat weren't from Zheyun Kingdom, so there was little need for caution in conversation.

It turned out that in the battle a day earlier, Zheyun Kingdom's army had been flooded and ambushed by Liujin Kingdom, and in the end, out of a hundred thousand troops, only a few thousand managed to escape. It could be said the army was nearly wiped out. Reportedly, it was only because they discovered the enemy's plot in advance; otherwise, not a single soldier would have escaped.

Samuel Carter and Brian Cooper looked at Ethan Brooks, their eyes full of admiration and respect. The facts were almost exactly as Ethan Brooks had predicted. They certainly didn't think that, had they not escaped, they would have been among those few thousand lucky survivors.

Ethan Brooks sighed. This Young was all talk and no action; it would have been a miracle if he hadn't lost. Ethan Brooks had already warned them before leaving, but it seemed his warning had been of no use at all. If they had retreated immediately upon his warning, there might still have been hope.

"Let's go." Seeing Samuel Carter and Brian Cooper still in a daze, Ethan Brooks pulled the two of them off the boat. Originally, Ethan Brooks had planned to travel by boat for a few more days, but now they were out of money.

"So this is Xizhou City?" Ethan Brooks hadn't expected Xizhou City to be nothing like the dilapidated, rundown ancient city he had imagined. Instead, it was a grand, imposing, and bustling metropolis, showing no sign of change despite the war between Zheyun and Liujin Kingdoms.

"Now we only have three silver coins. What should we do?" Samuel Carter felt quite uneasy.

Ethan Brooks smiled and said, "Samuel Carter big brother, you must go to the Xiliang Camp. Even though you know the battle is over, you still have to go, because you represent the Wang family of Xucheng. Plus, you have a letter from the Xiangcheng Camp, so you’re sure to benefit from going—not just you, but your whole Wang family will profit endlessly. Brian Cooper can go with you to make a fortune as well. As long as you reach the Xiangcheng Camp, there will be plenty of benefits."

"No wonder you insisted on keeping that letter, Star Bro. You were already thinking ahead for Samuel Carter big brother," Brian Cooper said, even more admiringly.

"Ethan Brooks brother, aren't you going to the Xiliang Camp? Like you said, this is a great opportunity for promotion and wealth—how can you pass it up?" Samuel Carter looked at Ethan Brooks in surprise.

Ethan Brooks shook his head and said, "I'm not interested in joining the army. I prefer a simple life. Samuel Carter big brother, you go ahead. Maybe one day, I'll come find you. If General Hu of Xiliang asks, just say we got separated on the road."

In his heart, Ethan Brooks thought, anyway, he wasn't going back to the Xie family. He didn't care where he went alone, but he had no interest in the military camp—he much preferred a free and easy life.

"Samuel Carter big brother, I don't want to go to the Xiliang Camp either. I want to follow Star Bro," Brian Cooper said, looking at both Samuel Carter and Ethan Brooks, having made up his mind.

Seeing that the two had made up their minds, Samuel Carter didn't try to persuade them further. As a member of the Wang family of Xucheng, he had to return; otherwise, he too would have liked to travel with Ethan Brooks.

The three agreed to meet again in the future and parted ways in Xizhou City.

"Star Bro, what do we do now?" With Samuel Carter gone, Brian Cooper now took Ethan Brooks's word as law.

"First, we need to make some money, then leave Xizhou City. Xizhou isn't a safe place for us—we could easily be found here. Once we have money, the farther we go, the better," Ethan Brooks said in a low voice.

A few days ago at the Xiangcheng Camp, someone had overheard what he said. If that person had died, it would be fine, but if not, they might come looking for him again, and it would be easy to track him to Xizhou City. Although he wanted to leave now, he was penniless and couldn't go anywhere.

The two wandered around Xizhou City for a while, but together they only had two silver coins, not enough to buy anything. Ethan Brooks was looking around to see if there was any way to make money.

"Star Bro, look over there—a big crowd! Let's go check it out," Brian Cooper, who was even younger than Ethan Brooks, couldn't help but be curious about such lively events.

Since Ethan Brooks had nothing else to do, and all his ideas for making money required capital and time—both of which he lacked—he decided to go along.

Ethan Brooks and Brian Cooper squeezed their way in with some difficulty, only to find it was a sign-up announcement for a poetry competition.