True to the woman's word, there is no trap. Once in the area, they'll discover that there is some dried kelp on the ground that should belong to the sea. It's unclear how the kelp made it to the middle of the Badlands. The ocean borders Cadens and Aquila on the other side of the Free Cities. This information can be brought back to the Free Cities. Officials will open a portal if the group or any others want to investigate the coastline of Aquila.

The young man will make it back safe and he will be angry. If characters come across bandits who are his allies they might run into trouble, though with only a description to go by it's possible they can escape recognition. This is most relevant throughout the event if characters will actively continue to roam bandit camps and similar areas in search of more information.

Afterwards, you can make use of this detail how you like to flavor future interactions or CR development. The desert is vast, so characters could avoid confrontation if they don't go near areas heavily occupied by bandits. These areas are typically around the edges of the Badlands close to roads used by merchants and travelers. Eventually, word will fade or leadership will change hands, causing the heat to die down.