Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The sound of a horn reverberated across the square, one long, two short, and one long. It sounded three times in a row, signifying the arrival of the lord. The crowd turned around and looked over. It was as if a large stone had been thrown into a calm lake, causing circles of ripples. More and more people looked over, and the noise and questions became one. They all wanted to know what had happened here.
The crowd in front of them began to move to the left and right, revealing a path to the center of the square. Faced with the domineering family guards, who were fully armed and dressed in standard equipment, the people gathered in front of them could not help but show expressions of fear, automatically moving to the sides. Although they didn't know who it was, they could tell that it must be another respected figure.
Captain Jim and nine other guards hung swallow-tailed flags with the emblem of the Raging Bear on top of their spears. They stood in two rows, protecting Laurist and the others in the center. Aire and Padt stood in front of Laurist, while Shiward held the horn to his right. Behind them were Fatty Shi, Josk, and Dolus. Freya commanded a dozen or so marines who had come ashore to form four rows, following behind the group.
"Come here," Laurist said to the sailor who kept retreating, "What's your name?"
The sailor fell limply to the ground, "M-My lord, please forgive me. I shouldn't have offended you …"
A shiny gold coin landed beside the sailor, and Laurist waved at him, "This is for you. You didn't offend me. Get up and lead the way … "
The sailor looked at the coin beside him in a daze, but he quickly recovered and grabbed the coin. Just as he was about to put it in his mouth out of habit, he saw the guard staring at him with a faint smile. He hurriedly got up and bowed deeply to Lollister. "My lord, my name is Potter. I am at your service …"
Laurist did not say anything and pointed to the front. Potter immediately ran to the front of the team. Soon, he shouted, "Get out of the way, get out of the way, Sir Lord is here …"
"Potter, what did you say?"
"My lord, where is he from?"
"What did you say? Earl Norton? Has our lord arrived? "
In front of him was the center of the square, which was surrounded by a large crowd of people. Potter was standing in front of several guards in plain clothes with spears and shields in their hands, gesticulating and saying something. Aire walked over and shouted sternly, "Who are you all? Why are you blocking the way?!"
Potter hurriedly said, "Sir, they are the garrison of White Bird Town …"
"Since it's the garrison, then move aside. His Lordship has arrived. Hurry up and line up to welcome him!"
A few plain-clothed guards hurriedly ran to the side, saluting Laurist and the others as they walked over.
The circle in the center of the square wasn't very big. At the very center was a wooden rack, and a white-haired old man in his sixties was tied to it. His upper body was bare, and he looked rather robust. However, there were now three bloody scars on his body from being whipped. Below the hanger, there were more than a hundred soldiers in black and gray leather armor, holding spears, swords, and shields. Facing them were more than two hundred guards in mixed clothes, who were also holding weapons. In front of the crowd of protestors, there were more than ten guards in plain clothes who were maintaining order.
"Eh? The guards here are not bad. They actually know how to maintain order? "Laurist was somewhat surprised.
Now, everyone in the square turned to look at the arrival of Lollister's group.
Pointing at the old man tied to the rack, Laurist asked, "Potter, is that the mayor, Father Hugo?"
Potter hurriedly nodded, "Yes, sir. Father Hugo is a warm-hearted and fair person. The townspeople trust him. Five years ago, when the second prince's men retreated, they left behind a mess. It was Father Hugo who brought people to restore order in White Bird Town. Everyone had someone to rely on, so they elected him as the mayor … "
Laurist nodded, "Aire, Padt, bring Father Hugo here."
"Yes, sir."
Aire and Padt swaggered over, walking to the rack as if there was no one else around. A few armed soldiers nearby were intimidated by their aura and quickly retreated.
Padt drew his sword, and the rope tied to Father Hugo's body was cut. Father Hugo fell forward. Aire took a step forward and supported him. "Are you alright? Can you walk? "
Father Hugo replied, "I'm alright. My body is a little stiff after being tied up for so long, but I can still walk."
Padt said, "Come with me, sir wants to see you."
A few armed soldiers came to their senses and blocked the way. Aire didn't even raise his eyelids, "Get out of my way. Anyone who blocks my way will die!"
"What arrogance! Who are you? Obediently leave this old man behind! " A knight in green armor appeared to the left of Aire and Padt. He drew his sword with a whoosh, and a golden sword aura wrapped around it. It was a Gold Rank knight.
"Huh? Locke, isn't this the standard armor of the Royal Guards? Were they really sent by the second prince? "Fatty Shi murmured.
"Joe …" Laurist said, "Be careful, don't hurt the onlookers …"
The arrow was like a green bolt of lightning. With a clang, it hit the center of the golden sword. The sword broke, and the arrow flew away, stabbing into the ground half a foot deep. The Gold Rank knight in green armor felt like he was struck by lightning. He took three steps back and spat out a mouthful of blood. He didn't expect the arrow to be so ingenious. The moment it broke the sword in his hand, a huge wave of impetus pressed down on his body, injuring his abdomen.
When the Golden Knight was injured, the rest of the soldiers were shocked. The soldiers in front of Ell, Padt, and Ell hurriedly dodged to the side. They could only watch as Ell and Padt brought Papa Hugo to Lollister.
"Greetings, sir. May I know who you are? What brings you to White Bird Town? "Father Hugo lowered his head and placed his hand on his chest to show his respect.
"I am Earl Norton, and also your lord. Are you the mayor elected by the residents of White Bird Town? Father Hugo … "Laurist said as he looked at the old man in his sixties who was still abnormally strong.
Father Hugo froze and looked at Laurist, "Sir, are you really Earl Norton? Forgive me for being presumptuous, but can I see proof of your title and territory? "
Schwald inserted the horn in his hand and took out a sealed document from the leather pocket on his back. Father Hugo could read. He carefully read the document and heaved a sigh of relief. He then bowed to Laurist again, "Welcome, sir. I am Hugo, the temporary mayor elected by the residents of White Bird Town. I will now hand over the management of White Bird Town to you …"
"No need. Continue being the mayor of White Bird Town for now. I will adjust your positions after I understand the situation of the territory," Laurist said and looked at the guards. As Lollister spoke, he looked at the guards. "Old Hugo, who is the current leader of the guards? I want to meet him."
"Ugh …" Hugo's father immediately turned around and shouted at the White Bird Town garrison that had gathered together, "Victor, get your ass out here! The lord is here! Why aren't you greeting him?"
A middle-aged man wearing a tattered leather armor limped out from the crowd of guards and walked over to them. When he got close, he casually bowed and said, "White Bird Town Guard Captain Victor greets the lord."
Laurist stared straight at him. The middle-aged man called Victor finally put away his nonchalant expression and lowered his head to avoid Laurist's gaze.
"You did well. You didn't forget the safety of the people around you when you were confronting the enemy. You sent the guards to maintain order. This is commendable," Laurist said.
"Sir, Victor is an officer of the Gale Legion. If he hadn't retired due to injury, he would have been a captain by now," Father Hugo said.
"What about you? Father Hugo, you have the aura of a soldier. "Laurist laughed.
"Sir, I used to be the logistics officer of the White Lion Legion. I came back after the White Lion Legion was disbanded. White Bird Town is my hometown. I left home to serve in the army for 35 years. I'm much luckier than those brothers who died on the battlefield … "Father Hugo sighed.
"Oh, the White Lion Legion? Looks like Father Hugo isn't an outsider. A few of my family's knights are from the White Lion Legion. For example, Bodefinger, Rod Wales, and Malek. Do you know them? "Laurist was interested.
"Bodefinger? Of course I do. I know his hometown is in the north. Ross also became a knight in your family? Oh, right, this guy is good friends with Bodefinger. However, it's surprising that the emotionless Malek also became your knight. He's always expressionless, and only obeys military law. He doesn't remember favors. I remember that Ross was caught drunk by Malek once, and he personally whipped him ten times. Ross scolded Malek for not being a friend, and Malek said that it was because he was a friend that he beat you up, or else you wouldn't have learned your lesson … "Hugo's father was very clear and logical when he talked about these three.
"Sir, there's plenty of time to reminisce. Let's settle this first. Tell the residents of White Bird Town to disperse. It's not a good idea to surround them like this." Fatty Shi interrupted the conversation between Laurist and Hugo's father. He pointed at the armed soldiers in black and gray leather armor.
"Alright, Father Hugo, we'll talk later. I want to see what right they have to collect taxes from my family's territory." Laurist led the way towards the group of armed soldiers, and the people beside him hurriedly followed.
"I'm Earl Norton. Tell your leader to come out and talk."
Although there were more than a hundred armed soldiers in black and gray armor, they didn't have the courage to go against Laurist. Just the twenty or so sets of silver-gray standard armor were enough to blind them. Moreover, the Golden Knight who brought them here was wounded by an arrow, which made them lose the courage to resist. When they heard that Laurist wanted to see their leader, all the soldiers looked at the Golden Knight simultaneously.
"He's your leader?" Laurist was a little puzzled. He thought that these armed soldiers were the family soldiers brought by Viscount Aslan to collect taxes. He didn't expect them to be brought here by this Golden Knight wearing the standard armor of the Royal Guards.
Laurist walked towards the Golden Knight. "Who are you? Why did you bring your soldiers to my family's territory?"
The Golden Knight glared at Laurist with resentment. "You bullsh * t earl. How dare you plot against me? Do you know the consequences?"
Laurist spat in disdain. "I don't know the consequences, but you brought your soldiers into my family's territory without my invitation or permission. This means invasion and war to me. I'll give you a chance. Tell me your identity and the origin of these soldiers. Otherwise, I'll hang you as bandits."
"Try and touch me. Aren't you afraid of incurring the wrath of the second prince and having your family destroyed?" The Golden Knight was still stubborn.
Slap! Laurist raised his hand and gave him a slap. "The wrath of the second prince? Haha, I'm so scared! What can you do if I touch you now? "
The Golden Knight was furious. "I'll kill you!" He opened his arms and pounced at Laurist.
"Ugh …" The Golden Knight's stomach was punched, and he curled up like a lobster.
"Pfft …" The right side of the Golden Knight's face was punched, and he spat out two teeth.
"Ugh …" The Golden Knight knelt on the ground and wanted to vomit, but he couldn't. His face was covered in blood and tears.
Laurist grabbed the Golden Knight and gave him seven or eight slaps. The Golden Knight's face was swollen like a pig's head. He threw him to the ground, and the Golden Knight fainted.
"Put down your weapons. I'll count to three. If you don't put down your weapons, I'll kill you!" Laurist looked at the armed soldiers in black leather armor. "One …"
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a clattering sound. All the armed soldiers threw their weapons to the ground. Are you kidding me? As a Gold Knight, I'm just like a punching bag in the hands of this Lord. I'm just an Iron-ranked warrior. Who would dare to resist? I'll just be asking for trouble …
Laurist didn't think that the 100 armed soldiers would give up their weapons and surrender so easily. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "You guys are very smart. I wanted to hang a few idiots to teach you a lesson, but you guys aren't going to fulfill my little wish. Then tell me, who's your squad leader? "
All the soldiers' gazes fell on the sweating soldier in front of them.
"Do you want to come out yourself, or do I have to ask you to?" Laurist asked with a smile.
This guy was so scared that his face was pale. He knelt in front of Laurist. "My Lord, have mercy …"
Why did these soldiers look so weak? Laurist didn't expect the shock he brought to these soldiers when he knocked out the Golden Knight with just a few punches and kicks.
"Tell me where you came from …"
"My Lord, I'm the squad leader of the Seventh Squad, Second Platoon, First Brigade, Third Division of the Iberian Kingdom's First Reserve Legion. My name is Silit. Our regiment is stationed at Port Qilin. The Golden Knight Fevenmont is our squad leader. It's him … "The squad leader called Seelit pointed at the Golden Knight lying on the ground." Today, we followed him here under his orders to help Viscount Aslan collect taxes for the kingdom and the second prince. My Lord, please have mercy on us. We're just following orders … "
"Collect taxes? Where's that Viscount Aslan? Why hasn't he come to see me? I want to hear how the second prince ordered him to come to my territory to collect taxes … "Laurist looked at the soldiers gathered together. He didn't see anyone like that Viscount Aslan.
That's right. Since the lord of this territory is here, then Viscount Aslan who came to collect taxes should have come out to negotiate. Why hasn't he appeared for so long? He didn't even care about the Golden Knight being knocked down. That's too strange. The reserve soldiers quickly turned around to look for him. After a long time, a voice shouted, "That Viscount escaped. Damn it, we've been tricked!"
The soldiers started cursing.
"Escaped? Where does he think he can run to on Syrovas Island? Jim, take two guards and four marines back to the docks. Tell Wilson not to let a ship set sail without my permission. If there's any resistance, just sink it! "
"Yes, my Lord."
"Victor, you're the captain of the garrison of White Bird Town. Find a place to lock up this squad of soldiers. They aren't prisoners yet. They're still victims of a scam. Don't torture them. Give them some food and water and settle them down first. Do you understand? "Laurist instructed.
"My Lord, we don't have money to give them food and water …" Victor said.
Laurist smiled. "Schwartz, give this captain ten gold coins. Tell him to give each of the guards a small silver coin as a reward for protecting White Bird Town. The rest should be enough for them to eat and drink to their heart's content."
Ten gold coins could be exchanged for a thousand small silver coins. With one for each guard, the rest wouldn't be enough for a meal, but for a few days.
Victor finally lowered his head and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your reward, my Lord. I'll settle these soldiers down."
"Alright, Father Hugo. Tell the residents to disperse first. I won't be providing lunch if they gather here."
Father Hugo placed his hand on his chest and bowed. "Yes, my Lord."
… …
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