The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 11 Clues in the Footprints

The lord's manor is located on the westernmost side of the town, near the Dawn Forest, next to a mountain range that stretches into the forest, and separated from the town by a wheat field.

The location isn't exactly ideal; it was chosen entirely because of the soil conditions.

The closer you are to the Dawn Forest, the higher the quality of the Star Plum.

The star plums planted by the town's residents are mostly jet black with scattered white spots, similar to mulberries covered with a little sugar frosting.

The Star Plum produced by the manor is even more purplish-red, eliminating the possibility of substituting inferior products for superior ones when submitting quotas.

Therefore, whenever someone walks through the dark forest to greet the clear sky and sunshine, almost the first thing they see is the vast berry orchard shimmering with starlight, surrounding a three-story villa.

When Tang Qi finally arrived at the orchard after walking for twenty minutes with the mercenaries, he was certain that Anbi could not possibly be the thief.

How could a little girl like her have time to move a ton of star plums and spend 40 minutes making a round trip?
"Why don't you take me directly to the location of the footprints?" Tang Qi suggested.

The black snake remained silent and led the way on its own.

At this moment, he felt inexplicably irritated whenever he heard Tang Qi's voice.

He realized that he had been unknowingly affected by magic.

So much so that in addition to impatience, there was also a sense of vigilance—

He didn't know why a spellcaster like Tang Qi had fallen to such a state.

Staying vigilant is the least you can do to show respect to the spellcaster.

Upon entering the orchard, the aroma of plums filled the air for everyone.

Because the star plum grows in fruit bushes that are half a person tall and have lush foliage, even after a morning of drying, large areas of land still appear damp and soft.

The further down the mountain you go, the fainter the fruity aroma becomes.

Soon, Tang Qi noticed that only the green leaves remained on the star plum clumps on the side of the mountain.

"over there."

The black snake stopped the group from moving forward and pointed to a series of clear footprints.

The soil was moist, making the footprints clearly visible.

Judging from their movements, the thief lingered in the orchard for quite some time, resulting in somewhat messy and irregular footprints there.

It's even difficult to determine whether it belongs to only one person.

Then, the thief, having apparently collected enough star plums, climbed over the fence and headed towards the town.

The footprints are relatively small, making them somewhat recognizable.

"The fruit farmers all saw it; it was a short thief!"
The footprints are exactly the same now, what's there to argue about?

The jackal pointed at Ambi's shoes.

They had compared the footprints in the morning; otherwise, they wouldn't have put her on the execution platform.

"It really wasn't me, I've never been here."

Anbi gripped Tang Qi's hand tightly, almost bursting into tears.

Her poet brother was her only lifeline.

Tang Qi then examined Anbi's shoes.

These are typical handmade leather ankle boots, still covered in mud and looking quite dirty, yet they seem increasingly familiar the more you look at them.

The boy who was just below the execution platform seemed to be wearing a pair of similar shoes:
Where did you buy your shoes?

"My sister bought it from Toby the shoemaker."

Is there only one shoemaker in town?

"Yes, but my boots were bought by my sister, not stolen..."

Tang Qi looked at the black snake:

“I’ve seen the same style on other people’s feet, only the shoe size is different.”

The black snake could understand his unspoken meaning:
"But the shoe sizes are the same, aren't they?"

“The shoes are a bit too big for me,” Ambi quickly retorted.

Tang Qi shrugged and explained:

"She's still developing, and her shoe size will gradually increase. Catherine can't possibly have a pair of shoes custom-made for her, so she'll deliberately buy a size larger."

In other words, if you call over children of similar age from around the town for comparison, you'll get the same result.

What's more, I heard that the shoemaker's boots were stolen, didn't they?
This cannot be considered evidence for conviction.

"Hmm? So you're trying to clear her name? Well, you've succeeded."

Black Snake crossed his arms with interest, looked Tang Qi up and down, and then said...
“But that doesn’t change anything—even if I can’t find the stolen Xingmei, I will still keep my promise.”

Tang Qi neither agreed nor disagreed.

But Amby, who was beside him, clung tightly to his sleeve.

Even though she had been exonerated, she seemed even more worried.

He touched the little girl's furry ears to comfort her.

Tang Qi bent down again, carefully examining the seemingly messy footprints. This was the only clue.

And also the most bizarre clue—

"A ton of Xingmei plums, even when filled with the most standard wooden barrels, would require a full twenty boxes."

To move such a large batch of star plums overnight, it would either be a gang operation or the movement would be done in batches.

The footprints that led over the fence were just this small, irregular string.

Tang Qi raised some doubts.

The black snake narrowed its eyes in deep thought.

The jackal, however, was confused and said whatever came to mind:
"That means we had to move things for several days in a row. It didn't rain the first two days, so even if there were footprints, they would have been wiped out by the rain."

"It's understandable that we didn't keep a close eye on the orchard after last night's torrential rain. But even on a sunny day, it gave thieves an opportunity..."

Tang Qi didn't explain things clearly.

But the jackal still grabbed his collar, angrily saying:

"You want to say it's our fault? Don't get too cocky, you bastard!"

But the angrier he got, the more it proved that he had hit a nerve—

There have been no thefts in previous years.

These mercenaries, who were paid a salary, naturally only cared about drinking.

As a result, no one fulfilled their responsibilities and diligently cared for the orchard.

Tang Qi looked at the black snake: "We're in the same boat."

Considering Tang Qi's identity as a spellcaster, the Black Serpent was somewhat unsure of his background and temporarily grabbed the jackal:
"Let him take another look."

After the jackal released its grip, it couldn't help but spit.

Tang Qi straightened his clothes and continued to ask:
"So, when was the last time you tended to the orchard?"

"Three days ago."

A thin fruit farmer answered tremblingly.

He discovered the thief last night, but the thief disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The moment he realized the orchard had been robbed, he reported it to the mercenaries who had been drinking all night and were returning early in the morning.

That's how the current situation came about:
"This place is near a forest, so the climate is humid. Even in summer, we only need to water it once every three days..."

"In other words, three days may have passed since the first batch of Star Plums were stolen."

Ambi couldn't help but mutter, "Won't it rot away...?"

Tang Qi continued to observe the only clue, almost lying on the ground, his pupils focused, and carefully analyzed:

"The footprints pointed directly to the town, but almost every household in the town had its own Star Plum, so there was really no reason for them to go to such lengths to steal the Lord's Star Plum."

Furthermore, the small difference in the distance between their steps indicates that the thief moved at a leisurely pace.

Hmm? That's not right..."

"What's wrong?"

The crowd, who had been listening quietly to his logical analysis, now hurriedly asked questions.

"The depth of the footprints is wrong," Tang Qi said in surprise.

The jackal couldn't resist stepping forward and examining the area for a long time, but couldn't find anything wrong with it.

"How come I didn't notice?"

Tang Qi pointed ahead:
“Now follow these footprints and walk as naturally as possible to the fence.”

The jackal retorted, "Are you ordering me around?"

Tang Qi looked at the black snake.

The latter coughed lightly twice:
"Listen to him."

The jackal, with a long, grimacing face, walked to the fence with a pout.

“Walk back.”

Tang Qi ordered,
"This time, we'll go backwards."

The jackal didn't understand Tang Qi's intentions, but under the threat of its leader, it reluctantly complied.
"So what does this mean?"

"Next, bend down and smell it carefully."

"What's so good about footprints... Ugh! When have I ever stepped in horse manure!?"

The jackal then realized what was happening and glared angrily at Tang Qi.

"Wait, are you kidding me!?"

Tang Qi looked at him with a grin as if he were mentally challenged, but remained silent.

But as the jackal acted, not only Black Snake, but even Anbi noticed something amiss:
When walking backwards, do your toes touch the ground first?

(End of this chapter)