Volume 1 - CH 10

On that evening, the group of villagers who had fled from the Rulin Empire gradually descended the mountain under Saul’s leadership. When the residents of Lowell saw the ragged, emaciated men and women helping each other slowly emerge from the mountains, they were shocked. They couldn’t believe that these people were the thieves who had been stealing their food for the past few days.

Once again, Lowell displayed to Saul the simplicity and kindness that had almost disappeared from his era. Despite understanding that these people were from an enemy country and that they had been raiding their food supplies, and despite being deeply guarded, the Lowell residents spontaneously offered everything they could—food, clothes, warm bedding—silently handing them over to the villagers who were coming down the mountain.

The villagers silently accepted the offerings, occasionally nodding their heads in gratitude. Many people’s guarded expressions were diluted by warmth and gratitude. Jessica didn’t even make any explanation, according to the planned schedule. The residents of Lowell already understood the whole situation, which made Saul’s tense heart relax and, at the same time, deeply moved by the behavior of the residents.

Watching the garrison busy with arrangements, he couldn’t help but sigh, “Finally, we brought them down.”

Jessica, however, expressed concern, “But the real difficulties have merely just begun. More than 800 people, their housing, food, medical care, and resolving conflicts between them and the residents of the territory—just thinking about it gives me a headache.”

“Don’t worry; I know you will find a way to solve it. My internal affairs steward management score is at least 95, and she’s very capable.” In order to reduce his own troubles, Saul began to flatter Jessica.

“What, do you want to pat your butt and go to bed again?” Jessica saw right through him.

Saul laughed awkwardly, “Hahaha, how could that be? You misunderstand me too much. I will persevere until the very end.” But he couldn’t help but yawn involuntarily.

“Forget it; they were able to come down the mountain all thanks to your persistence. Today, I’ll make an exception and let you rest. But if I don’t see you tomorrow morning, be careful; I’ll use my rapier to wake you up!” Unexpectedly, Jessica agreed, but by the end of her statement, a smile had spread across her face.

Saul couldn’t believe his ears and couldn’t help but wave his hand in front of her eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing, are you feeling feverish?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

Saul quickly waved his hands and scurried off to the official residence, shouting without regard for decorum, “Dear Marlene, quickly prepare supper for your brother Saul, and warm my bed for me…”

※※※

Watching Saul’s departing figure, Jessica’s eyes softened. She sighed at the upcoming arduous work, stretched lazily, and headed towards the refugees with renewed vigor.

The next day, Jessica didn’t force Saul out of bed with her sword, but he was still dragged out of bed early by Marlene. Seeing her standing by the bed with a mischievous grin, Saul couldn’t help but suspect that this little girl must have received instructions from Jessica.

God, when they first met, Marlene was so obedient, but lately, he didn’t know what kind of spell Jessica had cast on her, and she was becoming increasingly disrespectful to him. Sometimes he really wondered if the true lord was that woman.

Feeling too depressed to eat breakfast, he made his way to the area where the new villagers were settled. Saul was immediately impressed by Jessica’s exceptional administrative ability. In less than one night, using all kinds of materials available, rows of simple tents had been erected in an orderly manner on the vacant lot beside the town. Many villagers slept peacefully, enjoying the rare tranquility.

On one end of the open space, Mercy and Julie led the town’s women in cooking breakfast. A fragrant scent mixed with the morning mist floated in the air. Not far away, Jessica, accompanied by the village chief, was discussing something with a group of the village elders.

When the villagers saw Saul, they respectfully greeted him, knowing that he was the lord who had taken them in. Saul approached and asked, “Is everyone settling in peacefully?”

Jessica nodded and replied, “Things are relatively stable at the moment, but the town is low on food. We have enough for everyone to eat for two months at most. You need to send Reed to purchase more grain as soon as possible. Manson and his men are in the forest chopping wood, and we’ll build the houses as quickly as we can. Otherwise, many people will get sick. As for medicine, the town’s collection of herbs should suffice.”

Saul couldn’t help but feel relieved that Jessica, while stern, was also efficient in her work. He realized that without her, even if they had brought the people down from the mountain, they wouldn’t have been able to provide for them.

Nodding in understanding, Saul said, “I understand. I’ll make sure Reed goes to the neighboring territory to purchase food and other essentials. The rest of the money should be enough. In the meantime, don’t be stingy with the food and use as much as you need.”

The village chief, Albert, expressed his gratitude, saying, “We owe our lives to you, Lord. We will never forget your kindness.” The other elders in the village also echoed his sentiments.

As Saul had anticipated, once the people started enjoying a peaceful life down the mountain, no one insisted on going back. Feeling a little embarrassed by the praise, Saul asked offhandedly, “What about Chipp? Why haven’t I seen anyone from his group?”

Albert sighed and replied, “Last night, he and his men buried the dead villagers. He’s probably still there.”

After asking about the location, Saul found the cemetery inside the forest and spotted dozens of new graves with simple tombstones made of split tree branches. These were only a small portion of the villagers who had recently died. Most of their remains would forever stay in the mountains. Chipp sat quietly in front of one of the graves, with a dozen or so members of the Night Shadow Brigade standing nearby.

Upon seeing Saul, they remained cautious but showed gratitude in their eyes. Saul sat down beside Chipp and said, “The dead will not come back to life. Don’t be too sad.”

After this long night had passed, Chipp’s hair had a few more white strands, and his beard was unkempt. His eyes were calm and steady, without any hint of sorrow or joy. He was already very handsome, but this new look added a mature charm to him, making him seem a world away compared to the rough and bandit looking Saul.

Turning his head calmly, Chipp looked at him and asked, “Are you here to persuade me to surrender?”

Although he had a thousand thoughts in his mind, Saul knew he had to remain composed at this moment, otherwise he would definitely fail. He let out a light sigh and looked up at the sky, trying to make himself appear more profound while also preventing his eyes, which could not remain serious for more than a minute, from betraying him.

“At this point, do you still think I have ulterior motives?”

Sure enough, upon hearing these words, Chipp was visibly stunned. Looking closely at the strange youth before him, all he saw was a pensive profile, which made him even more uncertain about the other party’s intentions.

“Hurry up, big brother, this pose is tiring.”

Finally, Chipp made up his mind and said, in a deep voice, “I am now a lone wolf, no different from those deceased. If the Lord does not mind, my subordinates and I will follow you, but you must agree to two conditions.”

Saul was overjoyed at these words and immediately turned his head, his face breaking into a smile. “Hahaha, you’ve finally come to your senses. I didn’t put on a show for nothing…” Suddenly realizing that his change of attitude was too abrupt, he quickly put on a serious expression and coughed twice.

“Ahem, uh…I’m very glad you’ve made this decision. Please tell me your conditions.”

“First, I hope you keep your promise and take good care of the villagers who came with me. If you say one thing and do another, I will personally kill you, even if I have to chase you to the end of this world!”

This was something Saul had planned from the beginning, so he answered very candidly, “Of course.”

“Secondly, we will not be subjects of the Kingdom of Dinar. We only swear allegiance to you, Lord Saul Lowell. We will not bow to anyone from the Kingdom of Dinar, except for you.”

Saul understood that this was the last bit of pride that Chipp and his men had. Although they did not recognize Dinar as their ruler, Saul himself was still technically under Dinar’s rule, which was a form of submission. Therefore, he nodded in agreement and said, “I promise you.”

It was apparent that Chipp and his men had already discussed this decision, as none of his subordinates voiced any objections. They silently walked up to their captain’s side, and suddenly, everyone drew their Night Shadow Brigade daggers simultaneously.

Saul was taken aback, wondering if they had immediately changed their minds and wanted to silence him permanently. But he soon realized that, from Chipp on down, everyone rolled up their sleeves and used their daggers to cut off pieces of their skin, which had bat tattoos on them.”

Despite the bloodshed, they buried the cut skin and knives inside a pit and paid their respects by bowing down to it. As they stood up, Chipp’s eyes glinted with determination: “From this day on, there is no longer the Fourth Division of the Night Shadow Brigade of the Rulin Empire. We are only a group of ordinary people from the Lowell territory.”

In this moment, Saul knew with clarity that he had earned the unwavering loyalty of these extraordinary individuals. It was worth enduring such hardships, especially considering how many lives they had saved.

Following Chipp’s lead, Saul was introduced to each of his subordinates. Besides the four who had been previously captured, there were nine more individuals. A Night Shadow squad typically consisted of thirty people, but due to the pursuit of their enemies, seventeen of them had perished during their escape. Even with just over half of the original team remaining, Saul felt lucky to have such talented individuals. These people were rare gems that one could only hope to come across.

The man who nearly shot Saul dead last night was the vice captain of the squad, Yoda, who was skilled in the use of bows and arrows. The rest of the team were also shrewd and fierce, and Saul couldn’t help but feel elated.

※※※

On that evening, at Lord Saul’s residence, the leaders of the Blue Wolf Mercenary Group, Village Chief Albert, and Lowell’s important individuals had gathered together to celebrate the villagers’ inclusion into Lowell. During the banquet, Saul noticed a worrisome look on everyone’s face and couldn’t help but wonder, “What’s wrong?”

Jessica’s expression was not good as she replied, “You are the only one here who is carefree. Just now, we were talking about how the sudden increase in population in our territory would inevitably be discovered. The Adventurer’s Guild is also against us now. If they make a fuss about this, how can we explain it?”

Saul was already prepared for this and confidently said, “Don’t worry, I have a plan. There’s no need to be secretive about it. We can report this directly to the king and make it clear in the report. That way, it won’t become a topic of discussion.”

Albert hesitated and said, “Although I am not familiar with the situation in your country, we have been at war for years. I am afraid that it won’t be easy to explain it clearly. If we are caught, it could harm the entirety of Lowell.”

Jessica spoke up, “What did you learn in Almak? You can’t even grasp such a simple truth?”

Saul laughed and replied calmly, “Well, let me tell you a story.” Ignoring the surprised looks from everyone, he continued, “Once upon a time, there was a general who always suffered defeat in battle against his enemy. He lost soldiers and battles over ten times in a row and was in a terrible state. Then, the king suddenly demanded a report on the war situation. The general came up with a plan that not only saved him from punishment for his defeats, but also won him great praise from the king. So, how do you think he did it?”

Kress immediately responded without hesitation, “That’s impossible!”

Rubens thought for a moment and shook his head, “I also believe it’s impossible.”

After thinking for a long time, Chipp finally spoke up, “Besides lying, I can’t think of any other way.”

Jessica frowned deeply, “We asked you for a solution, and you’re telling a story. Hurry up and tell us what you’re up to. If you’re just trying to amuse us, hmph…” She trailed off with a threatening snort.

Saul quickly tried to placate her with a smile, “In such a serious occasion, how could I crack jokes? Actually, it’s quite simple. Although he always suffered defeat, in his reports to the king, he simply changed ‘losing one battle after another’ to ‘fighting one battle after another’ and ‘losing.’ Do you understand the difference?”

After a moment’s thought, everyone understood and applauded. Saul smiled knowingly, anticipating this reaction. He had learned the story of Zeng Guofan’s “repeated defeat in battle” being changed to “repeatedly battling after defeat” in elementary school, and he never expected to use it here. Chinese culture was truly vast and profound and could shine brightly even in a different world.

He continued, “All we have to do is state in the report that the villagers were unwilling to suffer under the empire’s tyranny and admired the kingdom’s civilization, so they came here over mountains and across rivers to surrender. Lowell, in line with the king’s mercy, took them in. And of course, we mustn’t forget to flatter the king and credit his leadership for the victory. I don’t believe any other territory would want to contend with us for this hot potato.”

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Saul in amazement. Those who had underestimated him, like Chipp, Rubens, and Albert, were now filled with admiration. Meanwhile, Kres and Marlene had already been observing him with starry eyes.

“Master Saul, you’re so amazing,” Marlene exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Saul chuckled modestly, “Oh, it’s nothing, really. Don’t praise me too much, or I might become too proud. Marlene, why don’t you come to my bedroom tonight? I have many stories to tell you.”

But before he could finish, Jessica kicked him under the table without hesitation and calmly said, “Let’s continue, shall we?”

※※※

The next day, Rubens led the Blue Wolf mercenaries to bid farewell and promised never to reveal the truth about the villagers’ involvement. In the following months, the entire town of Lowell was fully engaged in construction.

Reed went out to buy enough food and daily necessities, while Saul handed over tools such as hoes, shovels, and wheelbarrows to Manson to improve construction efficiency. With plenty of trees in the surrounding forest, they quickly built hundreds of wooden houses near the town, officially settling the villagers.

During this time, Hiches volunteered to use magic to lay the foundation for the villagers. However, after witnessing his indiscriminate spells, the people firmly rejected his offer. It was no wonder he was a struggling mage with such poor skills.

Meanwhile, the subdued villagers were not idle. The farmers among them developed large tracts of farmland and urgently planted a batch of cold-resistant crops, solving the food problem for the next year. Combining the farming techniques of Rulin and Dinar, they developed an effective farming method that increased their harvest by thirty percent.

The Rulin Empire was powerful militarily wise, and its military industry was well developed. There were many experienced craftsmen among the villagers who helped Manson greatly improve the smelting level in Lowell. Some young people had an innovative spirit and several times improved and optimized the simple design drawings given to them by Saul, producing works that even the latter was amazed by. In this way, the dream of forming a skilled team was realized ahead of schedule.

Chipp and his subordinates joined the Lowell garrison. Their exceptional stealth and espionage abilities greatly impressed Kres. Additionally, Chipp brought some discipline training from his Night Shadow Brigade to the garrison, which significantly improved the previously lackadaisical discipline of the guards.

The new villagers joined various industries in Lowell, bringing tremendous vitality to this remote territory. Only one thing worried Saul: although there had been no conflict between the two sides so far, the original residents of Lowell and the villagers have always found it difficult to truly integrate. Despite their friendly facade, they have always maintained a certain distance from each other.

Saul knew that this was due to long-term habits from both sides, and the best way to address this problem was to slowly reconcile over the course of at least a year or two, provided that there were no conflicts between the two groups. So he had been looking for an opportunity to completely break down this barrier.

Finally, that opportunity arrived.

Jessica found Saul and informed him that the residents were going to hold the Autumn Harvest Festival. The Autumn Harvest Festival was a traditional festival in Lowell, celebrated annually to commemorate the bountiful harvest. Originally, it was supposed to be held two months ago, but due to the “bandits” attack, it had been delayed. Now that life had returned to normal and winter was approaching, people demanded that the postponed Autumn Harvest Festival be made up for.

Saul had also heard about the Autumn Harvest Festival, and he knew that all the residents of the town would participate. Each household would bring out its most exquisite food, and they would sing and dance at night, making merry and having a great time.

An idea struck Saul’s mind. Wasn’t this the best opportunity to reconcile everyone’s differences? After thinking for a moment, he decided, “I want the territory to celebrate the Autumn Harvest Festival differently this year.”

Jessica exclaimed with confusion, “What kind of strange idea do you have in mind again? If you dare to mess around, be careful; I won’t let you off this time..”

Looking at Jessica’s guarded face, Saul didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. Did he really have such a bad image in her mind? He helplessly said, “Where did you get that idea? What I meant was to celebrate in a different way this year.”

At that moment, he thought of a summer festival or a park carnival, with various booths set up offering games and food, not for profit, but for the sake of joy. If everyone went to participate, it would surely be lively.

When Saul shared his idea with Jessica, she wholeheartedly agreed, exclaiming, “That’s wonderful! Everyone will be so happy, and maybe it will bring us all closer together.”

It was no surprise that Jessica, with her intelligence and kind heart, quickly grasped the true meaning behind Saul’s proposal. From that point on, the lazy lord didn’t have to worry about a thing, as Jessica eagerly took charge of organizing everything.

A few days later, notices were posted around town announcing the harvest festival, along with the new approach. The townspeople were buzzing with excitement and interest. Saul even personally convinced Albert to rally the villagers to attend, and the latter willingly agreed, understanding Saul’s heartfelt intentions.

With everything in place, they eagerly awaited the day of the festival.

※※※

Five days later, on a clear night with a full moon, the highly anticipated Loville Harvest Festival finally took place as scheduled. The event was held on an empty plot of land at the edge of town, where Manson and his construction team had set up several pavilions beforehand. Ropes were strung between the pavilions, adorned with lanterns made of red paper and woven into various inventions designed by Saul.

Once the candles were lit, the entire venue was bathed in a festive shade of red, which was quite pleasing to the eye. As night fell, hordes of villagers and townspeople streamed into the grounds, and the atmosphere became lively instantly. Saul, who loved to join in on the fun, refused to sit idle and set up a goldfish-catching booth with Marlene.

In a water tank, dozens of beautiful little fish swam around, and Saul used a thin and light membrane from a fruit that was abundant in the area to make many small nets, shouting and hollering to attract customers. He had planned to dress Marlene in a sexy outfit to drum up business, but Jessica firmly put a stop to it, so they had no choice but to conduct business honestly and straightforwardly.

This novel gadget immediately attracted a large group of children to come and watch, both from the town and the village. The kids didn’t care about any barriers and excitedly gathered together, putting their heads together to watch their peers try to catch the small fish.

Unfortunately, the thin film was very fragile, and several children came away with nothing. But when one failed, there was always another who wouldn’t give up. The adults happily watched from outside, willingly paying a symbolic fee to let the children have some fun. They chatted quietly and created a harmonious atmosphere.

Before long, a skilled boy found a trick and quickly caught several fish at once. This caused their Lord, who usually maintained a noble demeanor, to shout with joy, which in turn led to a chorus of happy laughter.

Manson had set up a stall where he and his apprentices were carving statues. For a small fee, these skilled craftsmen could quickly carve a half-body statue of a person from a small piece of wood, which was very popular among the crowd.

Meanwhile, the food stall run by Mercy and her daughter was also very well received. Mercy set up several large pots and cooked up many delicious dishes, with the aroma spreading throughout the entire venue. With the lively and lovely Julie serving as the attendant, people came in a steady stream to try the snacks, forming a long queue in front of the stall.

Reed, who was eloquent and articulate, opened a puppet theater. Currently, they were performing “Dragon Quest,” a play that Saul had provided the script for and that children couldn’t get enough of.

With a discreet signal from Saul, he coerced Jessica into playing the role of the witch in the play. At first, Jessica was reluctant, but soon she got completely immersed in her role, shouting and making gestures with the witch puppet, delighting the children who were watching from below.

Hiches was not idle either. He had set up a storytelling booth (nobody knew how he had come up with that idea), sitting on a high chair and regaling the audience with his adventurous stories from when he used to be a wandering mage. Because he told (or possibly boasted) his stories so brilliantly, he attracted many curious listeners.

Kress’ booth was for arm wrestling. He and a few burly members of the guards had set up a ring to challenge anyone who wanted to test their strength against them. However, everyone knew about their freakish strength, and after a while, no one showed up to compete. This frustrated them immensely.

After a while, Chipp came over and whispered a few words in Kress’ ear. Kress immediately changed the sign to read “The guard will carry you around the fairgrounds once.” This quickly attracted many children, and Kress and his team joyfully carried them around the fairgrounds, not caring that they weren’t actually earning anything.

Meanwhile, Yoda, the former vice captain of the Night Shadow squad, and a few of his members had set up an archery booth. He had made many small bows and arrows and placed targets with various monster images at varying distances of ten meters or more. It quickly attracted many boys, and the booth was crowded with people. Only the flying knife booth of the guard’s vice-captain, Bocci, could rival it.

In addition, there were many other stalls, some owned by town locals and others by villagers. At this moment, everyone had forgotten their previous estrangement and joyfully meandered around the various stalls, sampling exotic foods and playing games together. The entire venue was filled with laughter and chatter, and everyone grew as close as family.

Saul glared angrily at a young child who scooped up more than half of the small fish. The little kid proudly accepted the reward handed to him by Marlene and walked away with his head held high. Unlike her stingy lord, Marlene was happier than anyone else when the children caught the small fish, and she was more beloved by everyone.

Looking up, Saul took in the harmonious atmosphere of the venue. Just then, Jessica, who had just finished performing a play in the distance and was catching her breath, accidentally made eye contact with him, and both of them couldn’t help but smile.

The future of Lowell would certainly get better.