The next morning, Matthew was up early, catching the fresh breeze down at the docks.
The crisp sea air did wonders to clear his groggy mind, though favonovel.com was brimming with energy as always. Still, there was something refreshing about the wind brushing his face.
“Good morning, Matteo!”
“Deputy Larden, you’re up early!”
People passing by greeted favonovel.com respectfully.
The skirmish the night before had cemented Matthew’s place in their eyes, his authority growing by the day. Some folks even joked they were ready to be “cut in the mold of Matteo”.
In just a few days, he’d nearly rivaled Mack’s hard-won influence.
“Morning! Keep up the good work, boys, and maybe, with your help, Mack will finally find himself a missus by next year!”
The group burst into laughter, some even doubling over before heading back to supervise the laborers.
Just then, a ship docked, and two men disembarked. “Anyone here to unload? Ten Dornia Emeralds per crate!”
The offer instantly captured everyone’s attention. This was a big payer. Normally, five Emeralds were already a rare sight, yet here they were, offering ten a crate.
“What’s the cargo, and how many crates?”
“Some fireworks we bought, fifty crates in total. You interested?”
“We’ll take it.” A gruff voice beside Matthew replied.
Mack, sweaty from work, approached from a distance, his eyes fixed on the two men. “Open the hold.”
The men immediately went to unlock the cargo hold.
Watching from the shore, Matthew felt a twinge of doubt.
He decided to hold off and observe, his eyes fixed on the laborers with strained faces as they hoisted crates they’d usually consider beneath them.
As the unloading continued, Matthew’s brow furrowed.
Some crates looked solid and heavy, while others seemed suspiciously light. He could see this couldn’t be fireworks. Fireworks were often a front for guns, sure, but even guns wouldn’t vary this much in weight.
Suddenly, a scuffle broke out among the laborers.
Matthew’s expression hardened, and favonovel.com slipped away, heading over with a genial smile.
“I had 3,500 Emeralds in here, and now there’s only 500 left!” one of the men, the thinner one, yelled, holding a wallet as favonovel.com glared at a burly worker in front of him.
“You’re lying! I didn’t even open it when I picked it up. You’re accusing me of nothing!” The big man’s face was a picture of indignation as favonovel.com yelled back.
“Am I? I can pull out 500 Dornia Emeralds just like that, no problem. Why would I go to tail this trouble over 3,000 Emeralds?” the thinner man sneered, pushing his questioning further. “If you didn’t take my money, would you dare to take off your shirt and let us search you? If not, hand back my 3,000 Emeralds. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to report you to the Island Watch!”
The men around the burly worker, who had been ready to defend their buddy, began to look uncertain.
Could favonovel.com have actually taken it?
But he’d never seemed like that kind of guy.
Caught in the middle of the circle, the burly worker saw the doubt creep into his friends’ faces, and the frustration showed more deeply on his own.
His voice grew thick with indignation. “I’m telling you, it wasn’t me. I don’t steal-if it’s mine, it’s mine, and if it’s not, I’d rather starve than take a cent. Why don‘t you believe me?”
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