Chapter 295 Betrayer
Gabriel struggled internally for a while, then said vaguely: "…If I go to the heart of the desert, I will cause you more trouble."
Jade was a little confused after hearing this.
She thought: Why did Dad say that? Could it be that he has an enemy over there?
Harold guessed what Gabriel was worried about: Sameer and the Thutmose Mercenaries.
He was worried that Samel had not given up the idea of turning him over to the right path, and would see Jade as a virus that contaminated his faith. Just as Samel had spared no effort to assassinate Jade as he had done to Yufei, the caravan would also suffer heavy losses in resisting Thutmose's attack.
However, based on the plot, Harold inferred that the probability of such an event happening was extremely small, because they did not have the red sand slate with them, and the purpose of their trip was not to find the secret treasure left by the Red King.
Moreover, there is a big gap in personnel between the two sides. Thutmose has been developing in the heart of the desert. That area is already short of resources, and most tribes are still under the control of Tanit. It is difficult to develop a mercenary group under such conditions. Therefore, in the "Golden Dreamland" mission, when Samel, the mercenary leader, personally led people to block the "master", he also had to bring the Fatui to support the scene.
In addition, Gabriel's past choice was to draw a clear line with Samer. Without sufficient benefits and overwhelming combat advantage, a traitor alone is not enough to arouse Samer's interest. He will not make a special trip to persuade his good brother to turn back.
But Haroldt could not speak out these analyses openly, otherwise, no matter how powerful he was, he would not be able to make it up.
Harold held his chin with one hand, pretending to be surprised, and asked: "Why did Mr. Gabriel say that?"
Gabriel was silent for a moment, then said, "…It's hard to explain in a few words."
"We can ask Miss Candice to find a quiet place for us to talk slowly," Harold smiled, "I hope the final result will satisfy us all."
Gabriel nodded, not rejecting the proposal as Harold had expected.
The Red Sand Slate was a relic of his late wife, and he could not refuse it. He even felt that Harold's arrival, the actions of the God-King's Legacy, Harold's invitation, the Red Sand Slate...
All these coincidences were arranged by fate. Jade had grown up, and it was time for him and his wife to fulfill their long-cherished wish.
The three found Candice and explained their purpose. Candice then took them to the village chief's house.
"You can talk about anything here. I'll be keeping watch outside for you, so you don't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping." Candice said with a smile.
Gabriel: “Thank you.”
Harold smiled silently at her and nodded in thanks.
Jade's eyes followed Candice until she went out and closed the door, then she turned her gaze back to her father and Harold.
"Okay, Mr. Gabriel, can you explain what you just said? Now only the three of us can hear what you say." Harold said, leaning back in his chair and relaxing.
"…I have some issues with the Thutmose Mercenary Group."
Gabriel uttered the name "Thutmose" with some difficulty. It was not because of fear or nostalgia, but because he had not mentioned it for a long time. Now that the word came out of his mouth, he felt inexplicably strange.
At the same time, scenes from the past began to reappear in his mind, especially those that had played out countless times in his mind over the years: Yufei's innocent smile, her tenderness when she named Jade, their vision of the future when they decided to leave Thutmose and start a new life with Jade, the sadness and anger when the dream was shattered, and Samel's final sarcastic words...
All these memories came rushing back with the appearance of that word, veins popped out on his forehead, and the thought of killing Samel a thousand times, ten thousand times came to his mind again, but the thought quickly dissipated due to Jade's concerned look.
Yufei has fallen asleep peacefully, and killing Samel won't wake her up, but Jade is still here, our daughter is still here, and we can't let Jade and my world be occupied by Samel. We can't live for revenge, we have to live for ourselves, as Yufei said.
Gabriel calmed down and continued in a slow tone: "I was once one of them... No, I once co-founded it with Samel, the current leader of Thutmose."
Jade widened her eyes slightly. She had always heard about Thutmose's style. The cruelty of this mercenary group was comparable to that of the "Legacy of the God-King". Once you were targeted by them, there was no option of spending money to avoid disaster. Your life and property would all be lost.
Dad was the leader of that mercenary group, so he never talked about the past? No way, although Dad is not very talkative, he is a very good person. There must be something I don't know. Jade thought to herself, and she straightened her body and sat up a little straighter.
Feeling the burning gazes of the two, Gabriel paused and continued:
“When Thutmosis was first established, there were only two of us. Later, Samel absorbed some of the Red King’s followers around him, and Thutmosis’s power gradually grew.
I never approved of their actions, but at that time I only considered myself a believer of the Red King. Thutmose was the desert, and I was a grain of sand. I could only move forward in the direction of the flowing sand. This was the belief I had been taught since birth.
So Thutmose asked me to find the relics of the Red King, and I spared no effort to find them. Thutmose asked me to "invite" a scholar to the desert, so I did it. After she came here, I supervised her to find the secret treasure of the Red King according to Thutmose's instructions.
But she told me that this was wrong. Even a grain of sand in the sea of sand cannot move forward with the quicksand forever. It will get tired sometimes. Sometimes it will be carried by the wind in the opposite direction of the quicksand. Sometimes it will stop at an oasis and even float in the wind overlooking the entire sky..."
Jade could hear the tenderness in Gabriel's words, and her heartbeat suddenly accelerated: "Dad, who are you talking about...?"
Gabriel: "Euphi, your mother, Jade, she is your mother, Euphi."
After hearing the news about her mother from her father, Jade felt as if she was dreaming. She asked without thinking, "My mother? Then why didn't you tell me about her--"
Before she finished speaking, she had a guess in her mind, and her heart was instantly filled with sadness and panic.
…No, no way! How could this be?! Dad, please tell me this isn't true!
Jade subconsciously shook her head, trying to get rid of her cruel guess, but Gabriel's silence seemed to confirm her guess.