The Noble Special District wasn't far from Grizzly Bear City. It would take less than 15 minutes to get there on horseback. After crossing the moat at the east gate, there was a wide, straight road leading to the lake in the center of the Noble Special District. On both sides of the road were lush green grass and fragrant fruit trees.
Due to the shortage of demand, the original four aristocratic special districts had now been expanded into eight special districts. This made the aristocratic special district the most profitable real estate development business for the Norton family. Just from the sale of the land, the Norton family had earned more than six million gold fords. What gave Fatty Shi and Spear a headache was whether they should follow the original plan to build the necessary facilities or expand one or two more Noble Special District...
In the final plan approved by Laurist, the Noble Special District had an artificial lake dug into the shape of a gourd as the center, with eight areas around it. Four of the areas were Noble Special District, which provided land for nobles to buy and build their own manors and villas. Two of the remaining four areas were high-end residential areas, one was a boutique commercial area, and the last was a comprehensive area, which provided education, fitness, entertainment, food, and leisure for the nobles and their families.
Currently, all the land in the four Noble Special District had been sold. Except for the fourth district, which still had half of the manors and villas under construction, the first, second, and third districts had all been completed. Many nobles and their families were already living there. The rest of the people were hired by the Noble Special District to decorate the public facilities and do some finishing touches. For example, the greenery on both sides of the road, the oil filling device for the street lamps, the trimming of the evergreen shrubs used for the walls, and the installation of swings and chairs and canopies on both sides of the road.
The other four areas had already been built into a high-end residential area. This high-end residential area was a five-story boutique apartment building, and the property was also sold in the model of three bedrooms and two living rooms. The people who bought the houses here were the managers of the Chamber of Commerce run by the nobles, the senior managers of the production workshops, and the accountants. Some honorable nobles and merchants who couldn't buy the land in the Noble Special District temporarily lived here. Compared to the manors and villas in the four Noble Special District, the people living in the high-end residential area seemed to have a lower status.
The boutique commercial area was the most attractive place in the entire Noble Special District. All the shops here belonged to the Norton family, and they were only rented and not sold. Whether it was clothes, shoes, hats, ingredients, spices, or exotic flowers, they could all be found here. Fatty Shi had once told Laurist that there were more than two hundred registered merchant guilds of various sizes in the Northern Lands, and more than a hundred of them had rented shops in the Premium Trade District to sell the best of the goods they dealt in. Of course, this price was also one or two times more expensive than ordinary goods sold outside.
The general area was much larger than the premium trade area. This was because they wanted to build a standard racecourse, a fencing gym, a rattan court, and other fitness facilities, as well as bars, libraries, restaurants, and other places. Therefore, the progress of the project was not fast. At present, only about half of it was completed. It was estimated that it would only be completed in July or August of next year.
What troubled Fatty Shi and Spear Spear was whether they should change the other site, which was going to be built into a high-end residential area, into the fifth zone for nobles to sell. That way, they wouldn't have to spend the family's money to build a boutique apartment building. If he sold the land, he could immediately get back a lot of cash, but building a boutique apartment required a lot of construction funds from the family, but the price he could sell it for was much higher than the income from selling the land. Judging from the demand in the market, there were still many nobles who wanted to provide housing. For a moment, the two of them could not decide.
Laurist, Howard, and Genolio whipped their horses and rushed to the manor of Earl Lauwell in the second zone of nobles. At this moment, this manor, which Earl Lauwell had named Nightingale, was surrounded by soldiers from the Imperial Guard Camp. Many people had gathered outside the manor to watch the commotion. They gathered in groups of three to five and whispered to each other. Laurist also noticed that the balconies of the villas next to Nightingale Manor were also filled with people. Many of them were even holding Maxis or tea in their hands. Did these guys think that today's hostage situation was a drama?
Laurist got off his horse at the entrance of Nightingale Manor and found Fatty Shi, who was surrounded by a group of people. Fatty Shi, whose face was red and neck was thick, was also surrounded by an angry Overkiss.
"All of you, shut up. Tell me what's going on. What were you arguing about?" Laurist spoke to silence the noisy crowd.
When they realized that the Grand Duke of the Northern Lands, Laurist, had come personally, the surrounding crowd all bowed to Laurist and shut their mouths at the same time.
"Your Highness, Overkiss wanted to forcefully attack just now, but I stopped him. He was very unhappy," Fatty Shi said.
"Why did he want to forcefully attack? Where are the hostages? "Laurist turned to Overkiss.
"Your Highness, it's like this. Those mercenaries were really too rude. They didn't respect the Norton Family at all, so I couldn't hold back my anger. I wanted to show them the power of our family's armed forces …" Overkiss hurriedly explained.
"Do you understand the situation with the hostages?"
"Your Highness, there are a total of seven hostages. Earl Lauwell, his wife, two sons, a daughter, and two maids are all being held hostage. There are a total of 13 mercenaries who entered the manor. They killed two of the manor's servants, and the rest of the servants and servants have already escaped, "Fatty Shi replied.
Laurist was a little angry. "What I want to know is, this is the nobility's special region. Why are 13 armed mercenaries able to swagger into this place? Overkiss, how do you explain this? "
This was indeed Overkiss's responsibility. As the commander of the Third Guard Legion, which was responsible for the security of the Raging Bear City and the southern region of the Northern Lands, the safety of the nobility's special region was of utmost importance. There was a guard battalion stationed here responsible for patrolling and guarding.
"Your Highness, these mercenaries entered the nobility's special region in three carriages with Earl Lauwell. The soldiers on guard at the entrance thought that they were brought in by Earl Lauwell to transport something. They had no idea that Earl Lauwell had already been held hostage by them … It's my fault, and I will take responsibility." Overkiss admitted his mistake honestly.
Laurist frowned and asked again, "Why does Earl Lauwell know these mercenaries, and what's the matter with their dispute? Now that these mercenaries have taken hostages, what are their demands? "
These mercenaries belong to a mercenary group called the Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group. There are nearly a hundred of them. They registered with our family seven years ago and have always been active in Two Mountain Towns. Later on, they also appeared in North Sea City. They often go to the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range, the Barbarian Plains, and the Black Clay Swamp to hunt magical beasts and gather herbs. They also help people escort goods and merchant caravans. The leader of this group is the mastermind behind this hostage taking. He is a three-star Silver Swordsman. This mercenary group has a total of twenty-three Silver Mercenaries. They are considered to be of a high standard in our family's territory.
Laurist nodded. This mercenary group called the Scarlet Flame was actually similar to the mercenary group that his trusted aide, Family Knight Jim, had been in. However, in the Northern Lands, this kind of mercenary group was already considered strong. There were no mercenary groups in the Norton Family's territory.
Fatty Shi continued, "The leader of this mercenary group is called Lind. He used to live in the imperial capital, and he is an old friend of Earl Lauwell. Five years ago, Earl Lauwell moved to our family's territory in search of business opportunities and met Lind. He then funded the mercenary group and hired them to work for his Chamber of Commerce. Because Earl Lauwell's Whisky Chamber of Commerce also dealt in furs, and at the same time, he opened a shop in the Premium Trade Area that specialized in selling high-end leather goods. Therefore, he needed some high-level magical beast furs to make high-end leather goods.
The Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group and Whisky Chamber of Commerce had been working together for five years. Because the leader, Lind, and Earl Lauwell knew each other and trusted each other, the Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group invested their savings into Earl Lauwell's Whisky Chamber of Commerce, hoping to make a good profit. Last year, Earl Lauwell had received an order to make a batch of high-end leather armor from the Black Clay Swamp's Ironback Bay Crocodiles. This mission was also entrusted to the Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group.
Because the Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group had gone deep into the Black Clay Swamp to hunt for the Ironback Bay Crocodiles, they had suffered heavy losses. After completing the mission with great difficulty, there were only 57 people left from the team of nearly a hundred. When they returned to North Sea City, they heard that Earl Lauwell's investment had failed. This time, they panicked. Afraid that their savings would also be lost, they hurriedly came to Earl Lauwell to settle the score.
Unfortunately, their premonition came true. Their savings were gone, and all of it became a few warehouses that had overstocked their daily necessities. Earl Lauwell told them that the investment did not fail, but the discount period was a little long. It could very well take ten or twenty to thirty years. At the same time, they would have to wait for a while before they could receive the reward and compensation for killing the Ironback Bay Crocodiles. At the very least, they would have to wait until the order was completed and they received the payment.
Earl Lauwell thought that with their many years of friendship, the Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group would understand his current predicament. He did not expect the mercenaries to be angry. They kidnapped Earl Lauwell and forced him to take them into the noble district and occupy Nightingale Manor. After searching everywhere and realizing that Earl Lauwell really did not hide the money in his house, they took the entire family hostage. They even killed two servants to threaten Earl Lauwell that he must pay the ransom. "
"How much money do they want? Did you send someone to negotiate with them? "Loriste asked.
"They did. It seems that Earl Lauwell owes them more than four thousand gold fords for their savings, the reward for this mission, and compensation. A few of Earl Lauwell's partners have already expressed that they are willing to pay the ransom, but the mercenaries changed their minds … "
"Changed their minds? Why? "Loriste asked.
"The mercenaries asked for ten thousand gold fords with interest. When a few of Earl Lauwell's partners offered to mortgage their shops in the business district for the ten thousand, the mercenaries asked for another twenty thousand before they were willing to release the hostages. They also told us to leave, saying that this was a financial dispute between them and Earl Lauwell, and that it had nothing to do with the Norton Family. They told us to leave and to ensure that they could safely leave the Norton Family's territory after receiving the ransom … That's why I ordered the soldiers to prepare for a forceful attack and annihilate these audacious bastards. How dare they treat the Norton Family like nothing … "Overkiss said angrily.
"Where are the hostages?" Loriste asked again.
Ovis pointed. "Your Highness, it's in the living room on the second floor of the building facing the courtyard. There's a big balcony over there. Look, those mercenaries even sent two people to stand guard on the balcony. When Baron Shredder went in to negotiate, they even pulled the hostages to the balcony and held their swords to their necks. They threatened to kill the hostages first if Baron Shredder and us acted rashly …
I've already circled the manor and noticed that the mercenaries have people on the roof, the back, and the left and right sides of the building. No matter which direction we attack from, they will notice us. Maybe we'll have a chance to sneak in and save the hostages at night. "
Loriste glared at him. "You're very smart, aren't you? Then why were you so eager to order the soldiers to attack?"
Overkiss lowered his head. "I, I'm angry at those bastards. Just now, they dared to publicly defile the two maidservants who were held hostage in front of us. In the living room on the second floor, with all the windows open, they stripped the two maidservants and pinned them down in front of us. Everyone could hear their cries, and those bastards were laughing maniacally …"
Loriste was stunned. He patted Overkiss on the shoulder. "I understand. I'll go talk to them now. All of you stay here. No one is to follow me … "
Through the gate made of black iron, there was a road wide enough for three carriages to travel side by side. There were flowerbeds on both sides of the road, and in front of the road was a semi-circular space with three four-wheeled carriages parked there. In front of the open space was the four-story luxurious villa made of gray and white granite. There was a protruding gate on the first floor of the villa. Above the gate was a large balcony that could accommodate two tables of people enjoying afternoon tea while enjoying the scenery.
At that moment, two mercenaries standing on the balcony saw Loriste approaching. They stopped him and raised two hunting bows to aim at Loriste. There was a distance of 30 meters between them, which was the maximum range of the hunting bows.
"I am Norton Loriste, the Grand Duke of the Northern Lands. Call your leader out." Loriste continued to approach. His voice was soft, but everyone in the villa could hear him clearly.
There were five or six people on the balcony. The leader was a tall and thin man with long limbs. He seemed to recognize Loriste and was stunned when he saw him. "It's, it's really Duke Norton. Your Highness, y-y-you're not allowed to come here!"
Loriste ignored him and continued to approach.
The tall and thin man panicked. He looked around and hurriedly kicked his companion beside him. "Hostage, hostage, bring the hostage here …"
After a flurry of activity, Count Lauvell, his wife, son, and daughter were all dragged to the balcony. Hmm, there was even a weeping, naked maid next to them. She was trying to cover her body with a torn piece of cloth that came out of nowhere.
The tall and thin mercenary grabbed Count Lauwell and placed his sword against his neck. "You, you stop. If you don't stop, I'll kill him …"
Loriste was less than five meters away from the gate. He stopped and looked up with a sigh. "Your name is Lind? You must be the leader of the Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group. As a former freelance mercenary, I sympathize with what you've been through. Unfortunately, you've chosen the wrong way to take revenge, and you've even harmed innocent people.
As the Grand Duke of the Northern Lands, I'll give you two choices. One is to surrender, and I promise to give you a fair trial. The other is to continue resisting, but I guarantee that you'll die a horrible death. "
"I- I won't choose either! You … You can't lie to me … "Linde shook Count Lawwell in agitation. Count Lawwell groaned in pain as his face was swollen and swollen. It seemed like he had suffered quite a bit. The blade on his neck trembled up and down, leaving a few bright red marks on his skin …
"This bastard embezzled the hard-earned money that we risked our lives to earn. I want our money back. You, you can't threaten me. Otherwise, I'll perish together with this bastard's family! You, you have to swear in the name of your Norton ancestors that we'll get our money back and leave the Northern Lands safely! Otherwise, if something happens to them, you, the Norton Family will become a joke for not being able to protect your subordinates! You, you dare to gamble your family's honor with our lives?! "Lind yelled wildly.
Laurist smiled with a carefree expression. "Of course I dare …"
There were seven meters between them and a height of three and a half meters. This was the optimal distance for the Sanguine Domain. Within ten meters, I'm a god! His vision instantly turned blood red …
"What, what did you say?" Linde thought that he had not heard clearly, but he could no longer speak. A bolt of white light swept across the entire balcony from below, and the world instantly became dark and blood-red. Lind could only hear his own heartbeat. Then, he felt like his body was a water bag with countless holes, and all his strength was drained …
The soldiers in the tavern weren't bluffing … They were telling the truth … The Duke of the Northern Lands was really a sword saint … He was invincible … Before Lind fell into eternal darkness, he remembered the Norton Family soldiers bragging and worshipping Loriste in the tavern. However, he didn't believe them back then …
Loriste sheathed his sword and smiled at Count Lauwell's family, who were standing on the balcony in disbelief that they were saved. He waved at the crowd gathered at the door. Shi Huade took the lead and rushed over, leaping onto the balcony in one leap.
Loriste pointed into the room. "Go. Don't let any of them go."
Nearby, Count Lauwell's family cried as if they had just woken up from a dream …
"Yes, Your Highness." Shihuard drew his sword and rushed into the room.
…
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