3.Formal dress

Dusk was the liveliest time in the lower city of Silver Port. The heat had subsided, and laborers began to end their day's work, making their way back to their cheap housing by the docks or inland forests. It was also at this time that stray cats and beggars were driven out from the backyards of the wealthy, and guards in red military uniforms stood on the street corners, chatting to pass the time. The dreaded rules and the hidden malice, the useful and useless, the respectable and the shameful secrets, all fell into the long darkness along with the setting sun.

The four men walked under the sunset, moving swiftly, like ghosts crossing the streets. They were the guild's members, and after the unpleasant meeting at the tavern, they immediately set out on their mission. At a guild location in the lower city, Yemir handed a package to Claw.

"Are you really going to wear this?" Eric asked skeptically.

"Yes, at least Rat-Eye was right about one thing: you can't imagine the mindset of the wealthy," Klaw said, pulling out a garishly colored suit from the package. The suit had a bizarre style, with red and blue stripes, and a flamboyant rose hanging on the collar. Yemir stared at the flashy attire, a complex, amused expression on his face.

"Go ahead and laugh, Yemir. But you must understand, not everyone can comprehend the tastes of the nobility! Besides, some people always like to stand out, and I'm playing that kind of guy now."

"This dress suits you perfectly!" Rat-Eye sneered.

"Like swill suits you," Klaw retorted.

"Alright, let's get down to business!" The lanky Eric interrupted their mutual ridicule, saying to Klaw, "I really hope things go smoothly, Klaw. For some reason, I feel a bit uneasy."

"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing," the red-haired Klaw said.

"But he won't know how he'll end up dead," Rat-Eye said.

"Oh, shut up, Rat-Eye," Eric cursed impatiently. "If you have the ability, do it yourself. Otherwise, stop making snide remarks here, like a beggar farting, stinking to high heaven, worthless."

Rat-Eye glared resentfully at the two, but dutifully fell silent. Klaw found humor in the situation; he and Eric were on good terms and equally disdainful of Rat-Eye's pretentious demeanor. Under normal circumstances, Klaw would have pressed his advantage to thoroughly humiliate Rat-Eye. However, with time pressing, they could not afford to squander any more moments on trivialities.

The three adults calmly reviewed their impending operation once more. Having meticulously planned beforehand, this confirmation was brief.

"This is our opportunity to get rich, so we must all give it our all," Eric stated after ensuring every detail was foolproof. "Now, I'm off to the warehouse to mobilize our men as planned. Rat-Eye, you've claimed you can handle the carriage, correct?"

Rat-Eye snorted disdainfully, taking it as an affirmative response.

"Very well... then, I wish you all good fortune."

"Good fortune," Klaw echoed. Rat-Eye slapped a brazen mosquito on his neck and departed from the location without looking back.

Eric shrugged. "Klaw, I must also take my leave. Keep your wits about you and don't fully trust Rat-Eye's dubious intelligence."

"But it is indeed an opportunity, is it not? A chance for everyone to never go hungry again," Klaw remarked somberly.

Eric too departed, and as Klaw donned the resplendent attire, Yemir watched him quietly.

"Klaw, do you think that after tonight, we will become wealthy?" he inquired.

"Should we succeed, yes. At least for a considerable time, we will want for nothing in terms of sustenance and clothing. But it does no good to indulge in idle fantasies now, let's go," Klaw replied.

The two walked side by side, leaving the place and heading towards the most bustling part of the lower city. Yemir appeared carefree and cheerful, his mind preoccupied with bright prospects for the future. Klaw did not wish to dampen the spirit of his young friend, so he offered perfunctory responses to Yemir's words.

"Do you think I have a chance to go to school?" Yemir asked suddenly, "Klaw, you can read and write, right? I don't know many characters. Can I become as smart as you?"

"I assure you, Yemir, in the Silver Port guild, you're already considered a scholar."

"But learning never ends, does it?"

Klaw silently agreed with this sentiment, but he was reluctant to encourage Yemir to think this way. After all, in a place like the guild, too much knowledge could become a lifelong burden. Or worse, he might use knowledge for illicit purposes. Look at Rat-Eye, even as a comrade in the guild, could one truly exchange hearts and be completely loyal to each other? Not to mention Rat-Eye, Klaw himself was a thief and a deceiver; his slender fingers could silently reach for someone else's purse; the stories he fabricated were so vivid and real that sometimes even he was immersed in them, not knowing the difference between truth and falsehood.

This was not the life he wanted. Klaw's dreams were higher, far from the streets, living a life of ease and decency. And tonight, perhaps, was his only hope in this life. He closed his eyes and went through the entire operation in his mind again: he would dress in flamboyant attire, disguise himself as a noble heir, swagger into the rich man's banquet, use bold words to deter the lower class who dared to check the collateral, and bid generously at the auction to take the treasure into his possession. Then, the carriage found by Rat-Eye would transport the treasure away, Eric would operate the warehouse, making the whereabouts of the treasure untraceable. He would also find an opportunity to leave the banquet and escape. The plan seemed dreamlike but was feasible. The key was that his wealthy disguise must be convincing enough.

Alright, that's it, it has to be, the calculations of a mortal have reached their limit, success or failure can only be left to the will of God.