"Tell me what you know …" Loriste said without turning his head as he stood in front of the window, looking at something.
There were three other people in the study. Fatty Shi was sitting on the sofa, and the one standing in front of the desk was the family's chief criminal officer, Baron Kriston. Kriston, the sheriff of White Bird Town who had defected to Loriste from Shirovas Island, had been conferred the title of an honorary baron by Loriste two years ago because he was responsible for the security and patrol of the Norton Family's territory, as well as handling important criminal cases.
The other person was Supervisor Duboff, who was in charge of the civil affairs of the eastern part of the north. He was originally the mayor of Two Mountain Towns, and because the Norton Family had contributed a mountain of barbarian gold, he had been chosen by Loriste to be a high-ranking official of the family.
The hostage situation in the nobles' special region was resolved perfectly after Loriste took action. All thirteen mercenaries were killed on the spot. To be fair, Loriste, who had been a black-iron mercenary in Moronte City for a few years, understood how these mercenaries felt. No matter who it was, it would be infuriating to steal the money that they had risked their lives to earn. However, these mercenaries had chosen the most unsuitable and irreversible method of revenge.
They had only held Earl Lauwell's family hostage to get their money back, but in the end, they had forced the Norton Family to kill them in order to protect the family's dignity and reputation. Loriste had already given them a way out. As long as they surrendered, they would receive a fair trial. Their crimes had to be punished, but they could still live. However, after they refused, Loriste could only kill them. Otherwise, not only would the Norton Family be ridiculed for not being able to protect the nobles' special region, they would also lose the Norton Family's reputation.
"Yes, Your Highness," Supervisor Duboff said. "Most of the mercenaries and adventurers are gathered in Twin Mountain Town, and some of them have already settled down in their family's territory. Because of their natural desire or love for adventure, and because they can't bear to be restrained, they choose to become mercenaries. Some are retired soldiers of the family. Their hands are used to holding weapons, so they aren't suitable for farming. They would rather become mercenaries, hoping to strike it rich overnight …
Basically, foreign mercenaries would go through registration after arriving at the family's territory in order to obtain the right to go to the Barbarian Plains, the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range, and the Black Clay Swamp to hunt and sell goods. These mercenaries earn money by hunting magical beasts, gathering medicinal herbs, escorting goods, and guarding certain merchant groups. There are also some who enter deep into the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range to do business with the mountain barbarian tribes. "
Fatty Shi looked at the thick files in his hands and raised his head, "At present, there are 3,763 mercenaries registered in our family. Among them, there are more than 60 mercenary groups. Small mercenary groups have more than 10 people, and large groups have more than 100 people. There were seven or eight powerful mercenary groups, and Scarlet Flame, who was killed by His Highness two days ago, was one of them.
What is noteworthy is that two-thirds of these registered mercenaries are from other regions, and only one-third are our citizens. At the same time, as Manager Duboff said, there are many retired soldiers and garrison members who are unwilling to be left out. Occasionally, they will become mercenaries and adventurers. They don't register as mercenaries. "
Laurist turned around and asked, "Director Kriston, I would like to know if these mercenaries have done anything illegal in the Norton Family's territory, and how they usually resolve conflicts with our citizens."
Director Kriston thought for a moment before replying, "Your Highness, there are indeed conflicts between mercenaries and the citizens of our family's territory, but it is not often. Generally speaking, these conflicts are resolved with the mercenaries at a disadvantage. To the garrison in charge of the safety of the villages, they hate these troublemakers. Any mercenaries that enter a village will be strictly monitored and warned by the garrison.
Since there are garrison teams in all the villages in our family's territory, many of the members of these teams are retired soldiers of the family, and most of them have awakened combat energy. Furthermore, the Norton Family's military is known to be invincible, so no mercenary is willing to offend the Norton Family's dignity. Unless it is a huge grievance, they will usually swallow their anger and suffer a small loss.
For example, conflicts between mercenaries and the citizens of the family are considered public security incidents. Even if the garrison gets involved, most of it is handed over to the village's patrol team to handle. I've seen some case files. Usually, the patrol team will be biased towards the local citizens. After all, they are all locals, and they often meet each other when they go out. It is inevitable that they will be biased as long as it does not violate the family's criminal and public security regulations … "
Laurist nodded. "Although the hostage incident that happened two days ago with Earl Lauvell's family has been resolved, I discovered a hidden danger in the family's territory. These mercenaries and adventurers are registered with our family, but we do not organize and manage them well. The reason I called the three of you here is to think of a way to solve this problem. How can we effectively manage these thousands of mercenaries? "
Fatty Shi asked in shock, "Your Highness, are you thinking of forming an organization like a mercenary guild?"
Lollister laughed. "Yes and no. Actually, you and I have had many dealings with the mercenary guild in Moronte City. That mercenary guild is called an intermediary and serves mercenaries, but it is actually a business organization that aims to earn money from mercenaries. I want to form a mercenary management organization to learn from the mercenary guild's advantages and fight for the rights of mercenaries at the same time. We are all mercenaries and understand their difficulties, so we should help them if we can.
For example, in the future, conflicts between mercenaries and citizens will be handed over to this organization to handle. Just like what happened to the Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group this time, they can also appeal to this organization and let the organization mediate and deal with it. They can't just take the risk and end up harming themselves and others. I plan to announce that only those who have registered with this organization can engage in the mercenary industry. Otherwise, it will be illegal and they will be sentenced to three months of hard labor.
Also, any merchant association or individual who issues missions to mercenaries must be verified by this organization. The Norton Family will not bear the responsibility for private missions. If there is no verification and another incident like the hostage incident happens, we don't care if they die...
I called the three of you here today because I want you to be in charge of the establishment of this mercenary management organization. After it is established, Supervisor Duboff will be in charge of it. It will be directly under Baron Shred's administrative office. Supervisor Kriston will also be in charge of the criminal cases of mercenaries and the formulation of punishment regulations. It must be fair and not biased, so that the mercenaries will be convinced.
Oh yes, there is one more thing that needs to be emphasized. All registered mercenaries must obey orders and serve the Norton Family in times of crisis. "
"Yes, Your Highness."
… …
After ten days, the mercenary management organization proposed by Laurist was completed. It was called the Freedom Mercenary Association, and its address was in North Sea City. At the same time, a branch was set up in Two Mountain Town. Supervisor Duboff became the head of the association, and Supervisor Kriston became the chief criminal judge.
Master Swordsman Seuss also arrived at Furious Bear City at this time. Laurist did not even bother to set up a banquet to welcome him. Instead, he dragged him to the dojo for a sparring match.
After the intense battle subsided, Master Swordsman Seuss laughed bitterly. "Compared to Your Highness, a level 2 swordsman like me is like a child who has just learned the sword. I am not a threat to Your Highness at all. After advancing, I can only withstand 100 more moves from Your Highness. In the end, I still cannot avoid defeat. "
However, Laurist still felt a little unsatisfied. At his current level, it was difficult for him to find an opponent who could be his match. However, he still comforted Master Swordsman Seuss. "Your swordsmanship has improved very quickly. Before you advanced, you relied more on your bravery and killing intent. But now, there is killing intent hidden in your swordsmanship, making it harder for others to deal with you. I have fought with the level 3 swordsman Duke Fisablun before, and his aura was not as sharp as yours. I believe that even if you cannot win against him, you will not lose easily. "
Master Swordsman Seuss calmed his breathing and made a request. "Your Highness, can you display your Sanguinity Domain for me to see and feel? After the hostage incident, your Sanguinity Domain spread throughout the family's territory. Earl Lauwell's family, who escaped danger, spread the word that you are a sacred swordsman. They said that in that instant, they seemed to have entered a blood-red world. In the blink of an eye, they came back, and the seven mercenaries who held them hostage were all killed by you at the same time … "
Laurist laughed bitterly. He had used the Sanguinity Domain to save Earl Lauwell's family, and it was inevitable that Earl Lauwell's family would be enveloped in the domain. After being rescued, Earl Lauwell told his friends about what he had felt in that instant. If he was alone, people would think that he had been seeing things, but his wife, son, daughter, and that naked maid had all felt the same thing. Naturally, some knowledgeable people could guess Laurist's level of cultivation.
Tagger excitedly came over and asked Laurist what the name of that blood-red world was. Laurist replied that it was the Sanguinity Domain, and then asked Tagger why he wanted to know about it. Tagger replied confidently, "Of course it's to help Your Highness spread the word. The more famous Your Highness is, the more stable the family will be. The nobles who rely on us will feel more at ease, and the subjects will be more loyal to the family …"
Laurist did not know whether to laugh or cry, and told Tagger to leave. He did not expect that master swordsman Seuss would also want to see and feel it. Laurist nodded, "You, you can start when you are ready."
Master swordsman Seuss assumed a defensive stance, and calmly indicated that he was ready.
Laurist nodded slightly, not saying a word.
All of a sudden, Seuss discovered that the entire underground training field had turned blood-red. To him, this blood-red world was exceptionally abrupt and strange. Even though he had mentally prepared himself with full concentration, he still felt that something was wrong with his entire body. It was as if he had thought of something, but his body's reaction had become exceptionally slow. Just as he was about to adjust his body's reaction, the blood-red color suddenly disappeared. Only then did Seuss realize that Laurist's sword had been placed at his throat at some point …
Master swordsman Seuss's sword fell to the ground, and he seemed to be crying as he said blankly, "Is, is this a domain? It feels so strange. I didn't even have time to react before it ended … "
Laurist sheathed his sword, "Actually, I don't know if this is a domain or not. I can only hold it for a few minutes at most. Any longer and I won't be able to control it, and it will be a huge burden on my body. I don't know if this so-called swordsman domain is like this, and no one can guide me. I can only figure it out myself. That's why I casually named this blood-red world the Sanguinity Domain. "
"This is indeed a domain." Master swordsman Seuss sat on the ground, "I once heard a few gladiator instructors talk about swordsman domains, and one of them had truly seen a domain before. He said that Qigda Kingdom's Soaring Fire Swordsman had once practiced it in front of everyone. At that moment, it was as if he was in a furnace, and there were raging flames around him. He was so scared that he wet his pants on the spot."
"Does that mean that Soaring Fire Swordsman's qi is of the fire attribute? That's why his domain is a fire domain. " Laurist asked curiously. Could it be that my Sanguinity Domain was formed from the blood-attribute qi technique that I practiced when I was young?
"Yes, Soaring Fire Swordsman's qi is of the fire attribute." Master swordsman Seuss climbed up and smiled, "I didn't expect Your Highness to become a swordsman at such a young age. For thousands of years, there has never been a swordsman as young as Your Highness. This is truly a joyous occasion!"
Laurist waved his hand, "There's nothing to brag about. Keep a low profile, I don't want the news to spread. Right now, the outside world is only guessing. If you confirm it, the world will be thrown into chaos. It's fine as long as you understand it in your heart. That way, you won't have to kneel in front of the door every day and make people restless. "
Master swordsman Seuss nodded, "I understand. But Your Highness, if I want to ask you for advice, please don't decline. "
"Of course. You are one of us, and I have confidence in you. You will also become a swordsman," Laurist said.
… …
On the tenth of July, Laurist brought Princess Silvia, her son, and his family on a tour of the Drymsk Province. He also accepted Duke Kemus' invitation to attend a summer banquet at the Platinum Beach in the West Grad Province.
After a hurried tour of the territory in the Drymsk Province, Laurist and his party stayed in Baron Dena's territory for nearly ten days. They suffered greatly from the jealousy of his lover, the female knight Aridoli, and his wife, Princess Silvia. Every day, he had to apologize to the two angry women and try to please them. In the end, the angry Laurist threw the two women on the bed and punished them according to the family rules. Only then did he have some peace and quiet.
When they arrived at the Platinum Beach, it was already the twelfth of August. Duke Kemus held a grand welcoming banquet. Only then did Laurist realize that many familiar faces had come. Not only did Duke Hansk and Duke Sabaji come, even Duke Fisablun and Master Swordsman Sandy attended the banquet.
Duke Kemus's toast was also very casual, "Everyone, drink and eat well. Have a good time."
… …
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