《I am a Guardian in another world!?》


 Prologue - Enter the New World

    David Brood checked his inventory once more. Four health potions and three mana potions in Bag 1, crafting items in Bag 2 and unopened loot crates in Bag 3 along with some cosmetic items in Bag 4. All four of these tiny bags were fastened to his waist.


    His weapon, a blade made from enchanted ice from the pale, frozen wastelands of the Torrhen Quagmire and made even stronger with magic such as Sharpen Blade and many others. His shield, a tower shield made from the bones of a Blood Dragon and made even tougher with alchemical refinement.


    His armour, on the other hand, was made of Dwarven Steel, forged in the hottest fires of the legendary forge, Akarin and was as dark as the night sky, in which David was used to fighting under.


    David looked at the time and he pondered for a moment. Would he be able to complete the dungeon run before he goes to bed at 10.30pm? He needs that 8 hours of sleep or he won¡¯t be able to function properly at the presentation the next day.


    David Brook is the character name for Lawrence Carstein¡¯s level 99 Guardian in the virtual reality RPG game, Ever Dawn, while Lawrence worked as a marketing executive in a small marketing company in Singapore.


    At 10 pm today, he finally managed to install the new update for Ever Dawn and after throwing a bit of money at it for the new collectors¡¯ items and loot crates, he planned to explore the new dungeon, which was named ¡°Howling Cave¡±.


    Boasting monsters level 95-110, this would be a heavily rewarding dungeon that was said to be entertaining and fun according to reviews.


    ¡°Alright, here goes nothing, see you guys,¡± David said into the global chat, with many who are still gearing up wishing him luck. As he stepped in, a cold wave of wind blew across his face and he heard the whispers of monsters and some cackling.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    From the corner of his eye, Lawrence spotted a spider¡¯s leg the size of his thigh and¡ª


    ¡°Howling Roar!¡± David shouted, a large force of red coloured wind, in the shape of a lion slammed into the spider attempting to ambush him and knocked it over. David quickly walked over and stepping on it, thrust his sword into the belly of the overturned spider.


    Virtual Reality had progressed so much according to what Lawrence could remember when he first bought it. Now, you could see, smell, taste and even hear everything in-game. Everything just felt so real¡ª


    The cave was damp and there was the smell of something rotting. Lawrence had gotten used to the smell of it by now, so it was fine, but¡ª


    ¡°Mr Carstein, are you at home?¡±


    Lawrence heard someone at the door and he cursed silently. Why couldn¡¯t his landlord come just a bit earlier?


    As he was about to take off his virtual reality headset and answer the door, he spotted a woman, kneeling on the ground, weeping.


    However, his blade was glowing red, so this was definitely not someone or something friendly. As he backed away, wanting to reach the entrance that was so near him, to go and answer his landlord, in his hastiness, he stepped on a pressure plate.


    ¡°Mr Carstein, uh, we¡¯re having some trouble with our electricity at the moment, some power surges according to our repairman if you could just turn off all¡ª¡°


    Hearing the pressure plate trigger, David immediately leapt forward, diving onto the ground, his armour making a massive crunching sound. Where he had been stepping on earlier, had turned into a ground covered in crossbow bolts. A trap.


    The woman on the ground suddenly jerked her head in David¡¯s direction, and with a massive scream that hurt Lawrence¡¯s ears, charged towards him.


    Suddenly, Lawrence himself screamed, a massive pain shot through his body. The last thing he saw was the banshee charging at him.


    ====


    Author''s Note: Thank you everyone for reading my maiden story on RoyalRoad! I hit a wall when it came t o writing some time back and I''m glad to be back at it again. Do message me your thoughts or leave a review if you are so kind as to help me improve my writing!

 Chapter 1: Black Bay Village

    Cling cling cling cling


    Lawrence opened his eyes and was partially blinded by the sunlight.


    Sitting up, he looked around and there was a man kneeling beside him. He was wearing a suit of leather armour that seemed to be pretty weathered. He had a small scar on his chin and a bushy beard. His curly brown hair was tied into a bun. In his hand was a bow and on his back, a quiver of arrows.


    ¡°Ah, you have awoken. You¡¯re lucky I got you out, you know.¡± the man said happily, his voice gruff but warm.


    ¡°What, I¡ª¡° Lawrence stuttered and that was when he realized something. The escape menu was not working. He pinched himself and instantly felt the pain. The pain was not something you could experience in the game.


    Looking at himself, he could see that he was dressed in the very same armour that his character, David Brood had been wearing. Even his sword was sheathed there.


    On the other hand, the man who was no doubt a hunter laughed at Lawrence¡¯s reaction, which he interpreted as being happy to be alive.


    ¡°No need to thank me! I was just looking for some Blue Mushrooms, but I saw you there, face down in the mud and still breathing! Name¡¯s Craig, Craig Tumbleton by the way.¡±


    Lawrence, who was freaking out internally, did his best to keep calm. He was still able to access his inventory interface along with many other features. Of course, he was not able to access that bloody escape menu.


    ¡°Ah, Craig, thank you for your rescuing me. Can I ask, where is this place?¡± Lawrence asked politely while attempting to access the map function at the same time.


    ¡°Ah, this is Black Bay Village, we are a small fishing village a few leagues from here. You are from?¡± Craig asked, reaching his hand out to Lawrence, who grabbed it and with Craig¡¯s help, pulled himself up.


    Lawrence knew that even among the new update, which he did research before, as well as in the entirety of the world of Ever Dawn, there was no such place. Therefore, this means¡ª


    ¡°New world¡­¡± Lawrence mumbled to himself and Craig, not hearing Lawrence bent forward a little bit.


    ¡°Pardon?¡± Craig said and Lawrence, realizing how rude he was, with a smile¡ª


    ¡°My name is Lawrence Carstein, I am from Singapore.¡±


    ¡°Singapore? Never heard of that one! Is that one of those fancy cities?¡± Craig asked, scratching his head but Lawrence shook his head.


    ¡°It is a trading city. Ah, you were looking for blue mushrooms, weren¡¯t you?¡± Lawrence said, accessing his inventory. Lawrence then opted to take out 5 Glowing Blue Mushrooms. He had plenty left and he was sure the thousands of unopened loot crates had more as well.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Lawrence then realized that as he took it out, his hand would involuntarily reach into his bag and take them out.


    As Craig¡¯s eyes landed on the mushrooms, his face turned pale and his body trembled.


    ¡°My friend, t-the-these are Glowing Blue Mushrooms?¡± Craig asked, swallowing his saliva, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.


    ¡°They are what you¡¯re looking for, yes?¡± Lawrence asked, puzzled at the reaction.


    ¡°B-B-But their glow always dies when they are harvested, those that can still glow can get you at least¡­ 3 gold coins, no, 5 for just one!¡± Craig asked, his lips trembling.


    Eh? Blue Mushrooms lose their glow when harvested? Lawrence had never come across that before, even in the world of Ever Dawn.


    ¡°No matter, you saved my life. This is nothing.¡± Lawrence smiled, pressing it into Craig¡¯s trembling hands.


    However, Lawrence now had a problem. Now, it seemed as if Lawrence had saved Craig¡¯s life, not the other way around.


    Craig had almost knelt down and kowtowed to thank him for giving him these 5 Glowing Blue Mushrooms and thanked him for his generosity.


    ¡°You must be a noble!¡± Craig exclaimed and Lawrence shook his head quickly. If he was really in another world, Lawrence hoped that he would not attract the wrong kind of attention, especially if word leaks out that he may have been a noble.


    ¡°Do you mind being my guide and leading me to your village?¡± Lawrence asked and he noticed that his HP and mana were both full, so it should be fine.


    ¡°That will be no problem at all!¡± Craig said happily, gingerly placing the Glowing Blue Mushrooms into his backpack after wrapping it in what seemed to be¡ª


    Ah, the user interface is telling him that those are bear pelts.


    Lawrence quickly looked at his equipment and he realized something. In real life, he would never have been able to move a single inch with this armour on, now, it felt light and easy to use.


    Craig had placed Lawrence on his own tower shield and dragged him out. Lawrence picked it up and it felt almost feather-like.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mr Carstein,¡± Craig said respectfully and Lawrence laughed.


    ¡°Lawrence is fine, let us go.¡±


    Craig led Lawrence through the forest path and as he conversed with Lawrence, the latter realized through his experimentation with the skills interface that he had could possibly be a bit more than a marketing executive who got stronger.


    He had randomly selected to turn on Passive Prospecting, a skill in Ever Dawn that would have allowed him to look for precious ores or gems that could be mined in his field of sight.


    To his surprise, he was able to see a copper vein being pointed and highlighted to him, of course, he kept quiet about it.


    Does this mean that in combat¡ª


    Lawrence shook his head.


    He had realized that he may most likely have died when his landlord came to warn him about the electric surge, but he would not like to die again.


    Craig was a family man, with a wife and a beautiful daughter by the names of Laura and Quenya respectively. The fishing village had about 50 people living in it, with most of them either being fishermen, farmers or hunters. They sell their goods to a merchant caravan that rolls through town once a month and buy necessities that they need from them as well.


    The Black Bay Fishing Village is part of Lord Black¡¯s domain, in which he swears fealty to Count Boulevard who in turn is loyal to King Carmine of the Carmine Kingdom.


    Oh, a real-life fantasy story, was what Lawrence thought to himself as Craig chatted with him about these facts happily. Lawrence had said that he was an adventurer who had wandered about after losing his home to a fire from Singapore and had been on the roads for a long time.


    After walking for some time, Craig smiled and with a flourish of his hands, announced, ¡°Welcome to Black Bay Village!¡±

 Chapter 2: The Bandits

    For Lawrence, a city boy, it was the first that he had ever seen any village, having only travelled to metropolitans when he went overseas.


    There were wooden and mud huts about and a group of children playing in the sand by the coast.


    ¡°Oi, Craig, where on earth did you go!?¡±


    A woman¡¯s voice that seemed to be furious caused Craig to recoil. Lawrence turned to watch the spectacle that unfolded in front of him.


    Apparently, Craig had promised to help this lady, who by now through her screamings was obvious was Laura, to preserve some fish for the future. He, however, quietly slipped into his hunter¡¯s armour and fled into the forests.


    Craig raised his arms to shield his face, as Laura started hitting him with a large wooden ladle.


    Lawrence couldn¡¯t help but laugh and as he did so, Laura seemed to realise that there was someone else here.


    ¡°Craig, who is this handsome young man?¡± Laura said sweetly, doing a small curtsy towards Lawrence. Now that Lawrence could take a good look at Laura, he could tell that she was probably in her early thirties, a platinum blonde who was slightly tanned. She was definitely a looker, especially with her curves in the right places.


    ¡°Ah, this is Lawrence Carstein, he gave me¡ª¡° Craig hurriedly opened his bag and showed it to his wife, whose eyes widened with excitement.


    ¡°He gave them to me. He is an adventurer from distant lands.¡± Craig said again and Laura smiled sweetly at Lawrence.


    ¡°Lawrence, this is my wife, Laura, whom I told you about,¡± Craig said, formally introducing his wife to him. Laura then bowed once again, the wooden ladle looking oddly out of place in her dirty brown dress.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Ms Tumbleton.¡± Lawrence smiled and Laura giggled with the silliness of a lass who just saw a knight.


    ¡°You seem just like those Crusaders we saw marching through here aeons ago, strong, handsome and with that large shield of yours¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Craig coughed and this prompted Lawrence to laugh.


    ¡°My house is this way.¡± Craig pointed to a house near the beach and edge of the forest, constructed of wood that reminded Lawrence of those houses he saw on documentaries.


    It was made of large wooden logs with a chimney sticking out from the top. There were two windows and Lawrence could see some fish being hung out on a thread on the beach nearby. That must be the salted fish that Laura was talking about.


    ¡°Please, come in for some tea, we don¡¯t have much but we hope to extend to you the full hospitality of our family, Lawrence.¡± Laura smiled warmly, holding open the door for the esteemed guest who had bestowed 5 Blue Glowing Mushrooms unto the family.


    ¡°A bit overly familiar, are you?¡± Craig said dryly as Laura placed a kettle of water above the fireplace. Lawrence was amazed that they actually left an open fireplace unattended in a wooden cabin no less.


    Lawrence set his tower shield against the wall, his armour giving off a loud cling as he sat on the wooden chair.


    ¡°Did you guys build this yourself?¡± Lawrence asked, looking around. The interior was a bit bare bones, but it had two rooms, aside from the living room which Lawrence was in that was combined with the kitchen and dining room.


    ¡°Yes, I spent some time building it. Gorgeous, isn¡¯t she?¡± Craig said proudly, puffing his chest out.


    Lawrence was impressed, but he wondered, whether his Guardian ability, Homehearth would be able to function here. Home Hearth was a skill that let him build a stone hut which had helped him and his clan mates in the past greatly, as it shielded them from harsh weather conditions.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    As the kettle boiled, Laura placed three wooden cups on the table, with some orange leaves in them, which the user interface promptly told Lawrence was Ringo Tea Leaves.


    Pouring the hot water into the tea, Laura sat opposite Lawrence with the sweetest smile on her face.


    ¡°So, where is the next adventure going to take you?¡± Craig asked and Lawrence scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°I will probably get my bearings first, especially since this territory is completely alien to me.¡±


    However, as Lawrence sipped his tea, a loud bell suddenly tolled, as if it was being struck urgently.


    Craig and Laura stood up at once, with Lawrence blinking in confusion. The door of the house flew open, with a girl in a dark grey dress looking rather ragged and tired.


    ¡°Mom, dad! The Hill Bandits are here for real this time!¡± She shouted, not even noticing Lawrence in her hurry and panic. Hearing that bandits are here, Craig, quickly grabbed the longbow and quiver of arrows while Laura ran to the room.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Quenya said, noticing a very confused man drinking his tea.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Lawrence said politely, setting the cup down.


    ¡°I think I better go, Mr Tumbleton,¡± Lawrence said, but Craig shook his head.


    ¡°My friend, I think it best that you follow Laura and Quenya to the storehouse. That¡¯s where the villagers evacuate to when the bandits come. Thick and high walls.¡± Craig said and feeling a pat on his shoulder, Craig¡¯s daughter, Quenya was nodding in agreement and patting him on the shoulder.


    ¡°What about you, Craig?¡± Lawrence asked and the hunter stroked his longbow.


    ¡°Got to help the other men prepare the defences, we¡¯ll see you in the storehouse,¡± Craig said, leaving the hut.


    ¡°Come, Lawrence, we need to go or we will run out of time,¡± Laura said, carrying a rather tattered looking luggage that no doubt contained the house¡¯s valuables.


    Lawrence helped to take one of the bags off Laura¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Come, let me help,¡± Lawrence said, fastening his tower shield to his back and Quenya taking the other one off her mother.


    ¡°Mr Lawrence, you can use a sword right? It will be good if both your hands are free.¡± Quenya said, offering to take the bag from him after seeing a longsword fastened to his waist.


    Lawrence pondered for a moment before shaking his head.


    ¡°I will be fine.¡± Lawrence smiled encouragingly. He knew for a fact that his character was able to use one-handed weapons fine without a shield since he had taken even the dual wielding skill. He could fight with all sorts of weapons.


    Quenya nodded and the three of them made a dash for one of the buildings, which Lawrence understood was much more easy to defend than attempting to fend for the entire village. He could see some sandbags stacked against in front of the massive doors of the warehouse and families rushing in.


    He saw Craig kneeling behind one of the stacked sandbags and walked up to him. Craig¡¯s face was grim and Lawrence was naturally concerned.


    ¡°Ah, Lawrence, you are here,¡± Craig said and Lawrence passed the luggage to Quenya, gesturing that he will be talking to the men.


    ¡°Hey, Craig, who is this?¡± One of the men who was holding to an extremely crude spear which seemed to be that of a sharpened wooden pole asked. He was very plump and was wearing a butcher¡¯s apron along with a rather rusted medium helmet that showed his worried expression.


    ¡°Ah, Lawrence Carstein, explorer.¡± Lawrence introduced himself naturally and the plump man extended his hand and Lawrence shook it.


    ¡°Jacob Witzger, butcher. But uh, you picked a bad time to come here.¡± Jacob said, sitting behind the sandbags. From Lawrence¡¯s eyes, he could see that there were about 14 men, the rest must either be elderly or women and children.


    ¡°Close the doors!¡± one of the men shouted and the warehouse doors, pulled by the women, closed.


    ¡°Apologies, Brother Lawrence, I may have to trouble you to fight with us. We need to cause them enough pain for them to not attack the warehouse itself.¡± Craig said grimly.


    Lawrence could not help but gulp. Fighting? Killing?


    ¡°How many?¡± Jacob asked and Craig shrugged. The man who had shouted for the warehouse door to be closed gathered all the men as they huddled together.


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s 14¡­ No, 15 of us,¡± the man said, adding on that one after looking at Lawrence up and down and looking at his armour and shield.


    ¡°Quenya said she saw at least 50 bandits coming. They must be after the food here in the warehouse. Harvest in other towns haven¡¯t been that good, but we always relied on the seas and forest anyway.¡±


    Craig whispered that this man who was near the 50s and dressed in what Lawrence identified as steel armour, was called Roland Ritz, the village chieftain.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just give them the food?¡± one of the men suggested but Roland shook his head.


    ¡°They are desperate and they sure as hell will be attacking us, why not just kill all of us and get everything we have instead of that small amount we will give them?¡± Roland replied and the man sighed.


    ¡°We can¡¯t fight.¡± One of them said and the rest nodded.


    ¡°We can sure as hell try. You want to give your wife to them, kid?¡± Jacob growled, and in an instant, every man who seemed to be low on morale rallied.


    ¡°They sure as hell am not touching my wife or daughter!¡± one of the militiamen spat, and the men cheered.


    ¡°Okay, everyone, behind sandbags, and you, Lawrence, right? Thank you for helping. If you wish to run during the battle, we will not fault you.¡± Roland smiled and the Guardian smiled.


    He was nervous as hell, but maybe¡­ Maybe he would be able to help?

 Chapter 3: The Guardian of Valour

    Lawrence took a look at the combat user interface and he saw that everyone in the militia were less than the level of 5. The highest was Roland, who was 5. Craig was 4 and Jacob was a 3. The rest were a mixture of 0s to 2s.


    Lawrence confirmed once again that he was level 99.


    Maybe the bandits would be like a hundred¡­. Was what Lawrence thought to himself. Then, some spells to buff himself would be good.


    He chose the spells, Shield of Faith, which strengthened his shield with divine energy, making it even stronger and may even cause some enemies to recoil once their weapons struck his tower shield. Next, he opted for the spells, Divine Favour and Nature¡¯s Strength.


    Divine favour blessed his weapon with the favour of the gods, while Nature¡¯s Strength allowed his armour to be strengthened through natural elements such as the wind, blowing strongly against the enemy while fighting him.


    With that, they waited, as the torches in the evening sky became more and more apparent and it was way more than 50.


    Lawrence counted 120 from his user interface, but they were still too far to examine their levels.


    As they got nearer, Lawrence¡¯s face was that of utter and complete relief.


    They were dressed in ragtag iron, cloth and leather armour, with the highest level out of them being a level 6, who was extremely big sized and wielded a sledgehammer. He was easily twice of Jacob¡¯s size.


    At the head was a level 5, who had this irritating look on his face. He was the kind of person who seemed to be the salesperson who followed you incessantly on your trains asking you to buy a health product.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    However, there was something out of place, given the cries of the village people, and from the militia.


    The ¡°salesperson¡± had placed a leash on an old man who had a collar around his neck and dragged him forward.


    ¡°All of you, Black Bay villagers, surrender now and I may consider letting him live!¡± he shouted and the old man whimpered as the ¡°salesperson¡± kicked him.


    ¡°That¡¯s Old Man Frost, those sons of bitches,¡± Craig said angrily, standing up and nocking his bow.


    Roland quickly grabbed Craig and forced him to lower his bow.


    ¡°I am not surrendering!¡± Roland roared as the militiamen and villagers cheered. However, at this moment, the warehouse door opened and a young girl, probably the age of 10, ran out, only to be pulled back in.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± the girl cried out, kicking and screaming as the other women, holding back tears, held her back. They knew if this young girl ran out, instead of one death, there will be two.


    ¡°How cruel, separating them.¡± The ¡°salesperson¡± laughed and the other bandits laughed with him.


    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s send one on their way first.¡± He gestured and one of the bandits raised his woodcutter¡¯s axe.


    ¡°I love you, Marie!¡± the old man yelled, closing his eyes and as the young girl screamed¡ª


    ¡°Guardian¡¯s Valour!¡±


    A roar, a massive shout, and Craig turned towards the origin of the voice but there instead, was Old Man Frost, looking utterly terrified, but surprised as he opened his eyes. It was as if it was instantaneous.


    Craig turned to where the bandits were and saw Lawrence standing there, the exact same spot the Old Man Frost was in, but his tower shield had already slammed into the bandit¡¯s face.


    Lawrence, who could not bear watching this anymore, remembered that he had a skill, called Guardian¡¯s Valour, which allowed him to trade places with anyone who was in immediate danger of death and perhaps it would have worked¡ª


    As he teleported, Lawrence¡¯s own body acted out of reflex and slammed the tower shield into the would-be executioner¡¯s face.


    Would you like to initiate auto-combat?


    A question appeared and he selected yes.


    What would happen next was chronicled as the Battle of Black Bay Village and the debut of the legendary Guardian of Valour, Lawrence Carstein.

 Chapter 4: A Thunders Storm

    Turning on auto-combat, it was as if Lawrence¡¯s body moved on his own, the way he moved with his blade and tower shield was as if he was dancing in a ballroom, elegant and beautiful, but through the screams of the bandits, it was equally deadly.


    Lawrence¡¯s move served not to kill them on the spot, but to wound them so severely that they are left on the ground wincing. In an instant, ten of them lay there, bleeding into the ground.


    In Lawrence¡¯s heart, it was pounding madly. In a short period of time, his skills in Ever Dawn has barely given any of the ten people a chance to even lift their weapon to defend themselves.


    However, thinking of how Craig and Laura, their hospitality¡ª


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Get him!¡± The ¡°salesman¡± shouted, his face contorted with fury as his underlings rushed at him, brandishing their weapon.


    ¡°Stalwart Defense!¡± Lawrence yelled and his longsword seemed to glow a pale blue and as he cleaved the person in front of him, a forceful pulse of wind propelled itself from the sword and it blew a hole clean through the eight more people behind his victim and many of the bandits yelled in anger, once again charging at the Guardian.


    ¡°What are we doing, sitting on our arses! Charge!¡± Roland shouted and the militiamen, heartened by the damage that Lawrence was doing, made ready to charge forward.


    ¡°No, stay back!¡± Lawrence yelled, his tone commanding and unyielding, like that of a commander on the battlefield. With that, the militiamen faltered. Lawrence did not want anyone to come near as he was afraid that he could not control his own abilities as right now, he had turned off auto-combat and was trying out the skills.


    ¡°Anyone semi-decent with a bow, fire!¡± Craig yelled and a few bowmen fired, their arrows plunging into the mess of men surrounding Lawrence, prompting some cries of surprise and pain.


    ¡°Phoenix¡¯s Damnation!¡± Lawrence said, jumping up and he quickly turned, picking the place where a lot of bandits have gathered. As a fireball in the shape of a phoenix surrounded his tower shield, a mysterious force propelled him towards them, slamming into their centre, fire erupting from Lawrence and enveloping 15 bandits, causing them to scream in pain as the fire consumed them, sending them to a fiery death.


    The bandits have now backed away, as Lawrence, covered in blood and the entrails of his enemies, glared at them.


    ¡°J-Just who are you to offend the Axe Hill Bandits!? Do you know who we are!? I am Jacque Francis, the leader of the Axe Hill Bandits! Announce your name before you fall!¡± the angry ¡°salesperson¡± by the name of David Francis raised his shortsword and bellowed at Lawrence, who despite moving around so much, barely felt like panting.


    Taking a look at the interface, Lawrence could see that the bandits have failed to hit him at all and he has easily taken down a third of them. However, Lawrence could feel the taste of the blood of his enemies and spat it out in disgust.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Pppffft!¡±


    This was more blood and intestines than Lawrence had ever seen in a single episode of Crime Scene Investigation. However, it was as if his body was used to this and he couldn¡¯t feel a bit more than a faint nauseating feeling.


    ¡°My name is Lawrence Carstein! I want no more bloodshed! All of you will leave this village, now!¡± Lawrence shouted, attempting to put up his bravest front, for the sake of the people who ¡°saved¡± his life, for that little girl trying to be with her grandfather¡ª


    However, what Lawrence does not realize is that due to how effective he was, there could no longer be a peaceful resolution to this conflict. Jacque was thinking to himself about several facts.


    Having shown off his martial prowess and slaughtered about a third of the bandits, he has placed Jacque Francis, the leader of the Axe Hill Bandits in an impasse. Jacque was the one who had suggested that Black Bay Village will be an easy mark and by all signs and accords, it should be. Lord Black has deployed his soldiers to help Count Boulevard in his struggle with Count Tasin.


    The soldiers that patrolled the lands were now largely gone and few in numbers. With that, a state of unlawfulness ruled Lord Black¡¯s territories. It was a vicious cycle. Everytime Lord Black¡¯s men returned, they would violently chase the bandits into the hills and these bandits would reappear every time something happened that cause Lord Black to deploy his troops elsewhere.


    The situation was not helped with the poor harvest, meaning that Lord Black had to send even his house guards to potentially restive villages in the event a riot broke out over the deteriorating food condition.


    In short, Lord Black had too few men concentrating on too many things at a time, through no fault of his.


    Therefore, Jacque correctly deduced that the Village of Black Bay that primarily focused on fishing and hunting will be dealing with the poor harvest much better than other villagers and a stockpile of food will sit in the storehouse, ripe for the taking, with the village being poorly guarded.


    However, what no one could have expected was a man in dark blue armour that one could easily mistake as black, a tower shield and a glowing blue blade would be visiting the village and easily wipe out a third of his men in a few minutes and still look as if he had plenty of fight left in him.


    If Jacque cowered and pulled all his men back, he knew that he may very well have his throat slit during the night by someone overly eager to take his spot. Now, he had to at the very least slaughter the skilled heavy infanteer in front of him or he will never be able to stand in the Axe Hill Bandits ever again.


    As Lawrence watched, Jacque raised his sword and¡­


    Plunged it into the neck of the man in front of him who was backing away from Lawrence slowly.


    ¡°No one stays back, everyone forward! It''s just him, a group of old men stopping you from all that ass and ale hiding in the warehouse!¡± Jacque squawked, the surviving men slowly surrounding Lawrence from all sides while a small detachment turned to face the ragtag group of militias of the village.


    ¡°Ah, crap,¡± Craig muttered, as a detachment of some 12 men charged at them, men with obviously far more combat experience, but the arrows of this ragtag crew found true for two of their marks, pinning these two poor bandits in the legs and chest, letting them breathe no more.


    Yet, the 10 continued their reckless charge, their faces gleeful, bathing in the sin of bloodlust, but as they got nearer, a loud crack in the sky, as if it was thunder itself, even in the fairly bright afternoon with clear skies, roared through the air.


    A spark drifted down, as all who heard it turned, a reddish, glowing spark, as if it was a fragment of a tiny firework, fallen from the sky, or maybe it had broken from the lightning that no doubt preceded the thunder¡ª

 Chapter 5: The Downfall of the Salesperson

    That was when a jet of fire, or rather, a massive cylinder of fire that glowed, so much so the flames looked white, slammed onto the ground where the 10 men were, spreading itself out and for a moment, the militia at the makeshift sandbags recoiled, for fear of getting burned, but the fire, rolled out and out and out but stopped short of the sandbags.


    The ten men stood there, as if not feeling the fire, but in a few moments, they seemed to stumble clumsily, clawing their throat, but no sounds came out. All watched in horror as they knelt down as if begging for deliverance from the fire and roasted alive, their bodies crumbling to ashes.


    As the group that surrounded Lawrence watched the horrendous ideal, Lawrence quickly turned on his auto-combat and giving a roar suitable for his motion, his sword piercing the thigh of a distracted man wielding a club, causing him to yell in pain.


    Lawrence then punched the man in the face while gripping his tower shield, his gauntlets smashing into the man¡¯s face with such force that it seemed as if his skull had caved in, while simultaneously, spinning around with his sword, the sharpness of the blade cleanly decapitating a further four.


    ¡°Craig, Jacob, who on earth is this guy?¡± Roland asked, half in awe and another in apprehension as Lawrence practically fought the bandit group single-handed.


    Jacob caught a whiff of the bandits that had been roasted alive and coughed in disgust.


    ¡°Does it matter? He is really saving our arses now.¡± Craig said, having lowered his bow after deciding that Lawrence was moving even faster than he could normally track wild boars. He may actually end up shooting Lawrence instead of any of the bandits around him.


    Old Man Frost was hugging his granddaughter, tears running down his cheeks. The old man¡¯s taut and drawn skin covered in bruises had trails of tears running down it, as he hugged his granddaughter tightly, with the little girl sobbing.


    ¡°Old Man, I think you should go in and join the others,¡± Jacob said, his tummy shaking as if in agreement as the butcher stated that and the old man stood up, looking at the massacre in front.


    ¡°But the hero?¡± Old Man Frost asked he had not even known that man¡¯s name, the man who without asking a single question, came to his aid.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°You mean Lawrence? I don¡¯t know, but that armour doesn¡¯t remind me of any of the crusaders that go by here once in awhile.¡± Roland commented. The armour of crusaders usually are etched with holy engravings and was either in silver or white colour. However, Lawrence was one of a dark colour. His weapon on the other hand¡­


    ¡°That sword isn¡¯t just a normal sword, huh?¡± Roland remarked and the others nodded in agreement as the encirclement of Lawrence Carstein turned into a bloodbath as he twisted and turned.


    The sword was a pale blue colour, a dim light that glowed whenever Lawrence drew blood. Unknown to them, Lawrence¡¯s sword, which was named Shatterspire, upon opening a wound on an enemy, would cause that specific wound to fester, no matter what form of treatment was carried out on it.


    Not that it would be a problem, seeing that Lawrence either wounded them so severely that they are almost unmoving on the ground and whimpering or are dead.


    ¡°Warrrgh!¡± the massive man that Lawrence had detected was level 6, swung his sledgehammer as his fellow men rallied, seeing that he had stepped forward.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Jacob shouted, as the man with a massive hunk of muscle slammed the sledgehammer down on Lawrence, who had simply raised his tower shield to defend against it. A drop of cold sweat fell from Craig¡¯s forehead, if Lawrence was lucky, he may fracture his arm from the impact against this, or if he was not¡ª


    However, a resounding thunk and the muscular man with the sledgehammer staggered backwards, a look of absolute disbelief, the sledgehammer¡¯s head having been shattered against the shield, but not a dent was made.


    Lawrence, responding to this attack swiftly, jumped forward, kicking into the kneecap of the hulking man, a nasty crunch later, the man had knelt down, clutching his broken knee, screaming in pain, which was cut short by Lawrence¡¯s slicing of his neck.


    As he gurgled and drowned in his own blood, the remaining 41 bandits threw their weapons down and ran for it, leaving behind Jacques, the ¡°salesperson¡± and leader of the Axe Hill Tribe all alone.


    ¡°Where are you all going!?¡± Jacques yelled, taking a few steps back himself as Lawrence approached him, his sword drawn, flicking away the blood on his sword, his armoured boots stomping over skulls, intestines, limbs and other body parts of his fallen comrades.


    ¡°Where is your base?¡± Lawrence asked, taking a step forward to Jacques, whose legs suddenly lost strength as he sunk to the ground.


    ¡°Who on earth are you!?¡± Jacques screamed, grabbing the first thing he felt on the ground and threw it at him.


    A head bounces off Lawrence¡¯s armour.


    Lawrence sighed, grabbing the once fierce bandit leader who has been reduced to a whimpering wreck and dragged him to the makeshift barricade of sandbags and throws him there.


    ¡°There, I leave him in your good hands, Village Chief,¡± Lawrence said politely and Old Man Frost himself came forward, rope in hand to tie Jacques up.

 Chapter 6: Prime Real Estate

    ¡°I¡¯m Frost Woodwork, most people call me Old Man Frost, thank you so much for saving my life!¡± Frost said impassionately, while at the same time tying Jacques up roughly, his expressions and hands conveying two extremely different things, causing Lawrence to grin.


    ¡°No worries, I did what I thought I should,¡± Lawrence replied, looking at the blood dripping off of him.


    ¡°Get Honourable Lawrence Carstein a bucket of water and some rags for him to wash up!¡± Jacob shouted at the storehouse, full of curious pairs of eyes to see who had singlehandedly fought off a group of bandits all by himself.


    ¡°If I had known you were that strong, I would have just asked you to help me chop down a few trees while we were coming down the hills!¡± Craig laughed loudly, patting Lawrence¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Honourable Carstein, may I ask, which knightly order do you hail from?¡± Roland asked, his eyes forming a thin line. Lawrence could feel a sense of wariness emanating from the village chief. Of course, Lawrence understood that Roland was simply being cautious. However, he did not realize that Roland¡¯s concern was a lot more than just a simple who are you question.


    Roland was secretly worried if Lawrence was a knight that belonged to another household, Lord Black may suspect that Black Bay Village, especially that it bore his name, had wavered in loyalty. With this, in the future, should Black Bay Village need help, Lord Black may find much fewer reasons to do so.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really an adventurer from a faraway place called Singapore. I swear it by my honour.¡± Lawrence said earnestly and Roland sighed.


    ¡°You helped us, but I doubted you, I should ask for forgiveness, Honourable Carstein,¡± Roland replied, bowing and Lawrence hastily stopped him.


    ¡°It''s quite alright. I thought I could help, so I did.¡± Lawrence replied, gratefully taking the bucket of water from one of the villagers and a towel from a child.


    He then proceeded to clean his armour and sword, the cloth swiftly removing the blood still wet to the touch, turning the bucket red almost instantly. Craig on the other hand, was tasked by Roland to see where the bandits have retreated to and if it was likely that they would regroup and attack.


    Jacob had the task of informing Lord Black about the happenings of the village and a plea for a small squadron of soldiers to be garrisoned at the town. Roland could tell that there was no way that Lord Black will go for that idea seeing that he was short of men, but negotiations had to start somewhere. It was a bargain to and fro. Maybe Lord Black will send some men to try and root out the remaining bandits because he must be seen as doing something if a passerby was the one who had helped protect his village.


    However, this combat had taught Lawrence a precious lesson. Now he knew that he could make use of auto combat during combat situations and turn it off at will if need be. Most if not all of his skills as a level 99 Guardian in Ever Dawn were still working perfectly fine. The effects of all his gear were perfectly fine and worked as well.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    This means that the things he had hoarded in all of his bags of holding should be working just fine as well.


    In the screen interface, he opted to take off his armour set so that he could clean them and he was once again taken over involuntarily by something or someone that released the clasps of his armour set with ease.


    Therefore, it seems that a part of his character¡¯s consciousness was still in effect.


    He then realized how appreciative he was that Ever Dawn gave players an amazing set of clothes underneath their own armour. Lawrence had not modified it since he joined the game. It was a white robe with decorative gold linens of the shape of chrysanthemums.


    The robe was soft and delicate, not too thick so that you felt like you were walking in the sweltering heat of summer, nor too thin that you wonder if you were wearing anything at all. It was perfect, especially in combat, where the clothes¡¯ elasticity enabled one to move around comfortably.


    Frost had brought a cup of tea for Lawrence and many other villagers reciprocated by bringing out foodstuff and other valuables for Lawrence.


    ¡°What are these for?¡± Lawrence asked, confused.


    ¡°The Hero¡¯s Bounty, the tradition of these lands call it. If someone asks for nothing in return for help in the area of strength of arms, it is customary to give something you are willing to offer up to the hero.¡± Roland explained, handing Lawrence a small pouch that was undoubtedly full of coins.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t need these, it is fine.¡± Lawrence had already scanned the Hero¡¯s Bounty and there was honestly nothing he wanted. As for coins, Lawrence had other ideas in his head. The villagers hesitated but Roland shook his head.


    ¡°This is a tradition. I¡¯m afraid the Honourable Carstein will have to accept one way or another.¡± Roland smiled, shaking his bag of coins once again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to carry these things anyway, I don¡¯t have a place to stay.¡± Lawrence insisted, putting his armour back on but Roland¡¯s smile got even wider.


    ¡°Hey, Old Man Frost, didn¡¯t Danker¡¯s house move to the city? He left that house behind right?¡± Roland turned to face Old Man Frost who looked confused for a moment, before nodding slowly.


    ¡°It''s in a bit of disrepair¡ª¡° Old Man Frost was about to finish his sentence when the experienced village chief cleared his throat loudly and shook his head dramatically.


    ¡°It is quite an amazing bit of real estate, a house that faces the sea, a small plot of farmland, perfect for even a noble¡¯s retirement, really.¡± Roland stroked his chin, as if in deep thought.


    Amazing piece of real estate? My ass! But your marketing is on point, by the medieval standard at least, Lawrence thought to himself. Roland no doubt had wanted to tie a strong fighter such as Lawrence such as himself to Black Bay Village to help guarantee the village¡¯s safety. Next, if Roland¡¯s suspicions were indeed correct that he was a wandering knight wanted by the Kingdom, then he can simply offer Lawrence up to Lord Black, having done his part as Village Chief.


    However, where else could Lawrence go for now? He needed a place to stay and technically he could use his skill to set up housing but that house would pop away every 24 hours.


    ¡°How much is it?¡± Lawrence asked, calculating in his mind what he would potentially barter for the house.


    ¡°Oh, absolutely nothing.¡± Roland laughed and he reached over to Lawrence and raised the Guardian¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Let us welcome Black Bay Village¡¯s newest settler, Lawrence Carstein!¡± Roland announced and the village erupted in cheers, one that was not shared by the bandits several leagues away who have finally stopped running and gotten together.


    A man clad in heavy armour had spoilt all of their plans so what are they to do? The 41 of them, are probably only alive because that knight had no doubt was focused on Jacques. They have taken to calling him a knight due to his choice of armour, which was most prevalent among knights and crusaders.


    As the group gathered to discuss their next move, an arrow whizzed through the wind, striking the ground in front of them.


    ¡°They are coming again!¡± the bandits screamed, running off once more, not knowing that it was just Craig who had done so, just to force them to run a bit further.

 Chapter 7: Turning it into Prime Real Estate

    Lawrence¡¯s face twitched.


    Could you honestly, in good conscience, call this a house?


    The roof had caved in at one section of the house and the wooden door had rotten clear through, so much so that when Roland attempted to laugh off Lawrence¡¯s concerns about the viability of this house and opening the door, the door collapsed where it stood.


    Even Roland was having a hard time with this. He did not know that it had gotten that bad. Sure, at most just a leaking roof or a broken window, but now that they were here, this was ridiculous.


    Jacob had loaned Lawrence a wagon to bring back all of the Hero¡¯s Bounty, something that Lawrence accepted as he did not want to show people that his bags of holdings were probably capable of storing everything in this town and more.


    ¡°Ah well, just a few hours of patching up and it should be as good as new!¡± Roland forced a smile and Lawrence laughed bitterly.


    ¡°We both know that¡¯s not true,¡± Lawrence replied and Roland shrugged.


    ¡°Hey, welcome to a small town life,¡± Roland said, waving his hand and walking off before Lawrence could argue with him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow to see what you need, Honourable Lawrence Carstein!¡±


    With that, Lawrence stared at his home, or well, what seemed to be his home. With Roland gone, Lawrence was now able to fully explore what he could do.


    Taking stock of his inventory, Lawrence knew that he had enough resources to rebuild this house completely. He had actually thought of just creating furniture but since the house was in this state, he may as well be a bit more ambitious.


    Opening the construction mini icon, he could see a variety of choices. To do a test, he picked Comfy Couch as the item.


    The counter for the creation of the item floated out, 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­


    In his pouch was indeed a Comfy Couch. Taking it out, he could see that it was exactly as it was in Ever Dawn. In fact, it was rather comfortable, what with the velvet lining and fur blanket that covered it.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s see¡­¡± he moved to the house and touched the wall, and a menu popup appeared.


    ¡°Are you sure you wish to delete this building?¡±


    Lawrence selected yes and just as he blinked, the house disappeared.


    Examining the Buildings tab, he could see a ton of things that he used to construct back in Ever Dawn, from Barracks all the way to Granary.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lawrence scratched his head, looking at the tab, Manors, as it had an exclamation mark on it.


    Apparently, the new update had added new buildings to it and Lawrence selected the one that seemed to have been the most popular, at least until he left the real world.


    A three-story manor house complete with a garden that allows you to grow the most curious herbs! Surprise your guests with the dancing fountain at the entrance. Comes with a wine cellar, six bedrooms, two studies and a massive library. Cosy and grand are how everyone would describe it! Completely furnished at 500,000 GP!This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Lawrence had about 20 million GP in his inventory so it was no big deal and he selected it. Suddenly, he saw the outline of a building, and rotating it slightly, he confirmed the placement.


    Without a sound, the manor house popped up in front of him and true to the description, the only sound emanating from the area was now that of a fountain that sprayed from one end to one end of itself.


    Resources Detected in your Domain!


    An alert popped up and Lawrence realized that in the immediate area, it had been turned into his domain, much like how Ever Dawn recognizes that a certain plot of land is a player¡¯s.


    Iron deposits detected. Would you like to construct a mine?


    Lawrence narrowed his eyes and selected yes.


    On his minimap, he saw that the compass glowed towards the east, which was probably where the mine was built.


    In any case, he now had a proper roof over his head. However, as he stared at his house, he scratched his head and opted for the refund button. As the house disappeared, Lawrence found one that looked almost exactly like the one that he had deleted earlier, just that it is filled with rosewood furniture and trinkets that would place a king¡¯s treasury to shame.


    The reason for opting for the less showy house was that he would have a hard time explaining to Roland how on earth he constructed a house overnight.


    The door was a brown door, nothing too fancy, but it had the emblem of an owl engraved on it. His character was in a clan called the Valour¡¯s Owl, hence the owl engraving on the door, but it did not matter so much now, does it?


    Entering the house, was a dining table, decorated with a fruit basket on top, as well as cutleries and chairs for five.


    The kitchen had a stove, some firewood beside it as well as a large basin which no doubt was for Lawrence to use to draw water for.


    In the living room was a comfortable couch large enough for three as well as two other single seater couches, a coffee table with a tea set and a fireplace in front of it.


    There was one bedroom that had a large bed in it, probably Queen sized, with a canopy red in colour, almost as if this bed was made for royalty to sleep in. Beside it was a dresser in which Lawrence found contained a lot of clothing of the era of fine quality, to his size.


    Beside the bedroom was a large bathing tub, with tiled floors. Lawrence thanked the gods that his character had Create Food and Water so that he did not have to lug buckets around in order to cook and bathe.


    There was an armour stand in the room where he took off his armour and hung them there, leaning his sword against the dresser. With that, he took a towel and after creating some hot water, took a bath.


    As it was evening, Lawrence had gotten tired as well as hungry, but cleanliness first, he could just eat the dry rations that he had always carried around on his character. Maybe he should buy some chickens and use his Farming skills¡ª


    Right, currency.


    Lawrence wondered how different the gold coins in use were compared to the ones used in Ever Dawn.


    He sank into the bathtub, noticing now how he looked like from the reflection of the water. He looked exactly as David Brooks had. Brown hair, large green eyes, a prominent nose and jawline.


    Ah well, it was another world anyway, nothing was supposed to make sense.


    Climbing out of the bath, he picked a black velvet shirt, as well as matching long black pants that reminded him of those regal nobles in shows like Tudor.


    He had already sorted out his Hero¡¯s Bounty through the inventory transfer system. Then, he remembered that Roland had given him a bag of coins. It was a normal leather pouch, nothing of particular note.


    He poured out the bag¡¯s contents on the table in front of him. In it were two gold coins, five silvers and eighteen coppers.


    The gold coins had the emblem of a sword with wings, while the silver coin had the emblem of a clenched fist. The copper one, on the other hand, had that of a shield.


    It was obviously very different from the coins he had. Wouldn''t this make his currency worthless outside of any Ever Dawn purposes?


    He pocketed the coins and then saw that the coin counter had gone up. Lawrence was delighted. This meant that even if he had different coins from this world, it counted towards his total wealth.


    This meant that if he somehow managed to convert his total wealth to that of the currency of this world, things would function as per normal.


    In other words, he is filthy rich.

 Chapter 8: The Port

    The idea of having this sum of money was unthinkable to him. As a marketing executive, he was paid $2500 a month pre-tax and he managed to live from month to month with some luxuries in between and the occasional overseas trip to Bali or Batam.


    Now, he had an immense fortune, well potentially immense fortune at least. He needed a way to convert everything to this world¡¯s currency.


    What are the businesses that he could dabble in?


    He had proficiency in pretty much all the life skills, from being a herbalist to construction to crafting and smithing and even animal training.


    A shop? But he wouldn''t be able to get any business out here and Lawrence was loathed to move from this village now that he had a roof over his head here as well as potential friends here.


    Scratching his nose, a thought came to Lawrence. He was always taught to diversify his investments and that money should grow money.


    However, there was no index funds, government bonds or S&P 500 stocks that he could put his money in.


    Even for his business, he needed capital for it in this world''s currency.


    That was when he remembered, the herbs that he had, seemed to be extremely precious in this world, especially the Blue Glowing Mushrooms that had Craig treating him like an honoured guest in no time.


    Opening his construction interface, he quickly selected an extra-large cellar that cost 1 million gold coins, dividing it into two sections, one where he could forge items and work on carpentry, while another was filled with massive barrels, known as The Ageing Barrel.


    With the size of these barrels, Lawrence estimated that he would be able to produce up to 2000 bottles every three months. Even though The Ageing Barrels sped up the process of fermentation, for it to reach the standard of that of a bottle of wine that has been aged for at least 10 years. He had enough health boosting Korin berries that he wasn¡¯t even sure existed in this world that he would try to use for fermentation.


    Lawrence had no idea how it would taste, but he knew that this was something he could do and Lawrence¡¯s Fine Wines sound amazing.


    As for smithing, Lawrence wanted to try his hand at making a collection of fine swords intended for the use of knights once he finds out what is normally the type of equipment used by knights. He would make maybe 10 with Solingen Steel that he carried in his inventory, decorate it and have them sent free of charge as gifts to knightly orders if he could find them.


    Then, hopefully, word of mouth would allow him to be able to outfit just a few select knights and he would be able to live his life comfortably as one of those artisan swordmakers.


    Lawrence had long heard of people waiting for an extremely long period of times just to get one of the few living katana smiths to make them an actual katana with the traditional methods compared to mass-produced factory garbage.


    Ah¡­ This was shaping out to be a good life indeed. However... He missed his parents.


    Lawrence sighed, munching on a bread dry ration that he had taken from his inventory, which tasted very much like a croissant, exceeding his expectations. The only thing that was honestly troubling Lawrence now was his parents¡¯ reaction to seeing their son¡¯s body in a VR machine.


    Thinking about the happy times he spent with his family, a single drop of tear fell from Lawrence¡¯s eye but he quickly wiped it away.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Now that he was all alone, he had to be strong. He felt extremely sorry for his family, but he was sure that the life insurance would take good care of them. Not only that, his investments locked away in a trust should be good for them for an extremely long time.


    If by some miracle, he would be able to return to his former world, he would do so. Maybe... What if he found someone able to cast the legendary spell, Wish? What if--


    As the moonlight set in, the candles and fireplace in the house immediately leapt to life, leaving a surprised but pleased Lawrence.


    Should he turn in early for the night? A knock on the door brought his mind that had wandered off back to reality.


    Standing up and opening the door, Lawrence saw a beaming Craig.


    ¡°The Honourable Lawrence Carstein it seems. You did a¡­ May I just say you did a fantastic job fixing this place up. Where did you get all these furnitures?¡± Craig asked, popping his head in and taking a look around.


    ¡°Ah, come in, please, let me get you something to drink. Tea?¡± Lawrence said, welcoming the hunter in. He looked weary and he entered the abode gratefully, laying down his bow and quiver of arrows against the wall beside the door.


    ¡°That will be lovely, my dear friend!¡± Craig smiled, sitting down carefully on the rosewood chair, that seemed as if it was carved by a master artisan.


    ¡°It is shameful of me, but I carried all of them in my bag of holding.¡± Lawrence lied, setting down a warm pot of rosemary tea between them and placing a teacup in front of Craig.


    ¡°A bag of holding, you say!? You must really be a rich man to afford that, my dear Lawrence!¡± Craig exclaimed and Lawrence almost breathed out a sigh of relief, at least he did not expect that an item such as a bag of holding existed.


    ¡°How are the bandits?¡± Lawrence asked, pouring the tea for Craig, who thanked him profusely as he drank it. On Lawrence¡¯s interface, he could tell that the temperature was about 21 degrees Celsius. Cooler than what Singapore usually is, a comfortable temperature but a little cold nonetheless.


    ¡°This tea¡­ Where did- Ah, the bandits. They fled even further after some encouragement from me, but I highly doubt they will dare attack us again after what you did.¡± Craig said, holding the cup preciously between his hands, examining the peacock engraved on the teacup.


    ¡°Well, I was lucky. Very lucky.¡± Lawrence replied with a smile, going for a tone as humble as possible.


    ¡°Where did you learn to fight like that? The Crusades? Ah, let me guess, the First Glover War?¡± Craig asked enthusiastically, leaning forward as he asked but Lawrence shook his head.


    ¡°I have never killed a live person until today.¡±


    A silence fell over the house, only broken by the crackling of the fireplace.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t you know that makes what you did today even more admirable? I best tell my wife and Quenya once I get back. The whole town should know by noon.¡± Craig grinned, raising his teacup and downing it all at once, helping himself to another piping hot cup.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that! Anyway, I have something that I would like to ask your honest opinion on, Mr Tumbleton.¡± Lawrence said, making to stand up and go to the bedroom. He waited there for a moment, before taking out a fistful of Agrimony, a herb in Ever Dawn that was well known for its healing properties. He placed it into a small decorative urn and took it out, placing it on the table.


    Sitting back down, he gestured for Craig to open it.


    ¡°Is this a rare herb in these parts?¡± Lawrence asked as Craig held up one of the leaves.


    ¡°Ah, very much so!¡± Craig exclaimed, holding it up, his eyes scrutinizing it as if doubting the leaves¡¯ authenticity.


    ¡°When I was in Ludium, ah, the nearest city from here, it was only sold for use among knightly houses and the church, not something that people like you and I had. Well, maybe just me.¡± Craig grinned, placing the leaf back into the urn.


    Lawrence nodded slowly as he contemplated what Craig said.


    ¡°Is Ludium under Lord Black as well?¡±


    Craig nodded his head a little before continuing.


    ¡°Lord Black¡¯s dominion is well, on paper, smaller than the size of any lord¡¯s dominion. He has Black Bay Village, Ludium and the fortress Everett. They are small, but Ludium is a bustling city full of life, where nobles go to for a holiday as well. It is a shame that Black Bay Village hasn¡¯t benefited much from land¡­¡± Craig nodded slowly as if having said something deep and profound.


    ¡°Actually when I came here, I noticed something. The ports¡­ Seem to be bigger than what a fishing village actually needs, if they even need one. What is it for?¡± Lawrence asked, pouring Craig another cup of tea.


    ¡°Ah, you are sharp for an outsider!¡± Craig beamed, Lawrence was unsure whether he was really happy that Lawrence was so sharp or the fact that Lawrence was pouring Craig what he perceived to be good tea so often.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a story. Someone from around here may be able to tell you more. Well, I came from Goodman¡¯s Hill many leagues from here anyway, just for your information. Apparently¡­ Sirens were the cause of it.¡±


    ¡°Sirens?¡± Lawrence sat up, blinking several times. Well, it seemed that monsters existed in this world as well, not just unlawful hooligans.

 Chapter 9: On Sirens and Lord Black

    ¡°Sirens?¡± Lawrence sat up, blinking several times. Well, it seemed that monsters existed in this world as well, not just unlawful hooligans.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ The tale was that a songstress was given a precious gem enchanted by her husband, who was a court sorcerer. The gem allowed her to sing even more beautifully, so much so that even the wolves would stop howling, just to hear her voice in the streets of the capital!¡±


    ¡°Then, one day, she betrayed his love, having had a tryst with a knight. Her husband quietly vanished and that was when a madness began to take her.¡±


    ¡°She refused to take off the necklace, having torn off the face of a handmaiden who had tried to take it off for her while trying to wash her.¡±


    ¡°Instead of eating and drinking like you and me, she began to go to the pond and then the sea to feed on fish, crabs and drink from seawater.¡±


    ¡°A year later, the king ordered that she be deported. However, the ship she boarded never came back and it is said that she still dwells there, feasting on the flesh of shipwrecked sailors.¡±


    Having finished his story, Craig poured himself another cup of tea.


    ¡°Another tale says that the Siren was a result of the Mad Queen Hydrena having experimented with immortality, fled the royal city as the Crusaders stormed into it to purge the evil from the city. In her desperation, she drank a failed potion and dived into the sea.¡±


    ¡°From the way you are saying the story, it sounds as if you don¡¯t really believe it?¡± Lawrence asked and Craig paused for a moment before replying.


    ¡°I do not believe things I have not seen with my own eyes, but it is true that any ship that comes for our village never makes it here in one piece. In fact, this village was said to not have seen a ship in a good 80 years.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it is really a siren, wouldn¡¯t Lord Black have sent men after her?¡±


    ¡°It is not so easy, my friend. Only extremely wealthy lords can afford to maintain ships, as you should well know how much they cost, not even factoring in the costs of training sailors. From what I understand, the late King Carmine had attempted to launch an expedition to kill the Siren, but all three ships never came back. Old Man Frost will know more.¡± Craig said, wanting to pour himself another cup but the pot was now empty.


    Looking slightly disappointed, Craig stood up.


    ¡°I think it best that I leave. I hope to see you in the town soon, my friend!¡± Craig said cheerfully but was stopped by Lawrence.


    ¡°Can you sell the Agrimony leaves for me? I¡¯ll let you take 20% of whatever it is sold for.¡± Lawrence said and Craig¡¯s face screwed up in the calculation, probably mentally calculating the number of times gold coins will fall into his hands.


    ¡°Well, I would agree, but Lawrence my friend, wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to just bring you to Ludium to sell it? Or you can wait for the merchant caravan to come by if you are lazy.¡± Craig suggested and Lawrence thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°When will you be going to the city of Ludium?¡± Lawrence asked and Craig replied casually, ¡°Next week. I need to make sure the bandits are really gone for good first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go there together next week. I¡¯m going to assume the merchant convoy is coming only after next week?¡± Lawrence asked.


    ¡°Yes, it is only Febriar the 4<sup>th</sup> tomorrow, they only come on the 28<sup>th</sup> or so.¡±


    With that, Craig thanked Lawrence for his hospitality and Lawrence bade him goodbye, watching as the hunter left cheerfully, bow in hand with a quiver of bows on his back.


    Closing the door, Lawrence went to his bedroom and pulled the blanket over himself, gradually falling into deep sleep.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Report! The Village of Black Bay has sent a representative to inform his lordship of a bandit attack that had occurred!¡±


    A man dressed in a polished chainmail and carrying a spear was kneeling in front of a table as he said this. Behind that table was a man who looked like he was in his forties, but in actual fact, he was only in his thirties. However, the state of affairs has made him a man who has aged before his time.


    He had streaks of white hair in his otherwise black coloured hair, a pale sickly complexion with sunken cheeks. However, he had a strong jawline and a high nose bridge, resembling those sickly princes in fairy tales.


    Hearing the guard¡¯s news, Lord Edward Black groaned.


    ¡°How many dead? Those bloody bandits¡­¡± Lord Black cursed but the guard shook his head.


    ¡°No villagers were harmed, milord. I think it best if the messenger from Black Bay Village tells you himself.¡± The guard said after a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    Tired, Lord Black gestured for the guard to allow the audience.


    As Jacob entered, he bowed and Lord Black waved off the gesture.


    ¡°Thank you for coming to me in such haste about a bandit attack. How bad is it? I can spare a few dozen household knights to you if this would help alleviate the situation.¡± Lord Black said, gesturing for his servant to bring a cold towel for the man who had undoubtedly fought through fire and hell to get here¡ª


    ¡°Ah, Lord Black, you are very kind, but the village has successfully repelled the bandit attack with no casualties at all. In fact, I bear a gift for milord¡­¡± Jacob clapped his hands and one of the villagers was holding onto a rope. On that end of the rope was Jacques, the bandit leader.


    ¡°This is the leader of the Axe Hill Bandits, Jacques Francis,¡± Jacob announced and Lord Black, who had been holding a goblet of wine all along, placed it on his table with a loud thunk!


    ¡°Well, well¡­¡± Lord Black sneered, a rare expression of complete glee as he hurried over to the badly bruised Jacques Francis who had collapsed on the ground.


    ¡°It is indeed him!¡± Lord Black said, after closer inspection.


    ¡°Waste no time for a trial, this man goes straight to the gallows at dawn! We will have his corpse hung at the top of this very fortress!¡± Lord Black barked and two guards came in, relieving the villager of his charge and dragging the whimpering bandit with them, no doubt to the deepest and darkest dungeon.


    ¡°I am extremely pleased with this piece of good news, but how did uh¡ª¡° Lord Black hesitated to ask, trying to think of a way to frame it delicately.


    ¡°There was a veteran adventurer that happened to pass by, he helped us get rid of the bandits,¡± Jacob replied and Lord Black, who had sat back down in his chair, raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You are telling me a single adventurer sorted out what dozens of heavy household knights could not?¡± Lord Black asked, his tone cold and serious but Jacob nodded cheerfully, as if not a care in the world.


    ¡°Milord, if you could see how this man fought, I exaggerate not one bit, but he seemed like an unstoppable crusader fending off a hoard of darkness and evil. His sword danced with the grace of Annulia, the Goddess of Beauty, his tower shield stalwart, as strong as the fortress of Bastion, his armour, as tough and reliable as the scales of a Dark Dragon¡ª¡° Jacob began his process of exaggeration and Lord Black listened intently.


    ¡°Is he a hedge knight or a knight from another part?¡± Lord Black asked, scratching his chin and Jacob shook his head.


    ¡°He claims to have come from a faraway territory known as Singapore and has been adventuring ever since.¡±


    Lord Black sat back in his chair and pondered over this. The last time that he tried, truly, to purge the Axe Hill Bandits from his territory was with 90 footmen and 30 household knights. Even then, they came back with several dead and injured. True, this time, the bandits were confronting the villagers on their home ground instead of the forests and hills in which they are adept at hiding in.


    However, who can singlehandedly take on over a hundred men?


    ¡°Thank you, you have been very informative and true to the service of the realm and your lord uhh¡­.¡±


    ¡°Jacob, Jacob milord. Jacob Witzger.¡± The butcher bowed and the lord of the keep gestured for the man to be awarded and led away.


    ¡°Kaisenberg, what is your take on this?¡± Lord Black asked out loud and from behind the partition, out stepped a swordsman, in his mid-fifties.


    On his chest plate was the engraving of a bull, the sigil of the House Black. The armour though polished, showed many dents and scrapes as if tested in battle. On his waist was a longsword, decorated on the hilt with the face of a bull. He had a hair that was white but from the way he moved, which was steady though slow, exuded a confidence that would place even the most panicked lord at ease.


    Kaisenberg Orion is Lord Black¡¯s closest confidant and a tested warrior from these parts. Kaisenberg has served Lord Edward Black¡¯s father and now himself.


    ¡°Milord, I think there is more than meets the eye,¡± Kaisenberg said softly and Lord Black nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Even if you asked me to storm a bandit hideout by myself, I will probably manage thirty of them at most before someone hits me out of sheer luck and overwhelming numbers. However, from how the messenger described, that man had not even a notch on his shield or armour.¡± Kaisenberg reasoned and Lord Black tapped the table idly.


    ¡°Tomorrow, go with the messenger and some gold. While rewarding the man, I want you to find out what you can about him. Take a few knights with you as well. If he happens to be an outlaw, a hedge knight or some undesirable, I want you to finish him off, quietly.¡± Lord Black said and Kaisenberg bowed.


    ¡°It will be done as you command, milord.¡± Kaisenberg replied, his voice so soft that it was barely audible.

 Chapter 10: On the Sea

    ¡°The sea looks calm. Maybe we can reach this Black Bay after all.¡±


    A man with a turban, tanned skin and robes made of thin cloth says in a heavy accent to his captain, a Carminian by the name of Berg Waters.


    ¡°I say this again, the Black Bay Port has been shuttered nearly a century ago. Whyin the goddess Oceania''s name are you so hell-bent on going there?¡± Berg asked, stroking his moustache as he watched the crew busy themselves scrubbing the deck. The crew had earlier complained to Ha¡¯ad about how much Berg worked them and it was their luck that Berg had been within earshot.


    Therefore, scrubbing the decks was a natural method of progression, no?


    ¡°Very simple, once they see the riches that the Hashite Company can offer them, they will tow my ship in so that we can trade. Black Bay is very optimally placed for the planned route that we aim to put into place.¡± Ha¡¯ad Hashite, the founder of the Hashite Company said proudly, gesturing at the cargo hold.


    In the cargo hold was some of the finest wares that the Hashite Company can offer them. Ha¡¯ad Hashite was in a complicated competition with his siblings to take over as the next head of the Hashite Company.


    His father had issued a simple challenge.


    Whoever can earn the most money within three years shall succeed him as head of the company.


    Ha¡¯ad was eyeing the entire peninsular of the Carmine Kingdom as a potential trading ground. Spices have yet to reach the shore in large numbers and Ha¡¯ad was already counting the money in his head.


    ¡°Sire, I am nothing but a seaman but I need to warn you again. You paid me and set sail I shall, but there are rumours of something unholy in the seas there, an unclean¡ª¡° Berg tried one last time to persuade the stubborn merchant.


    ¡°A fisherman¡¯s tale!¡± Ha¡¯ad waved his hand as if swatting the rumour aside.


    ¡°Sire, I have warned you, bear that in mind if anything untoward happens, may Oceania forgive us all.¡± Berg shook his head as he limped back into the cabin, leaving the young merchant behind sitting on his chair. The merchant apparently felt that standing on deck was too much for such a handsome, dashing merchant. He had brought from his cargo hold, a fox skin covered chair that was incredibly out of place on a cargo ship.


    Shaking his head, Berg sat on his bed, before sighing deeply. The money was amazing, for such a trip. However, Berg¡¯s father had warned him about the Sirens of the seas, which were perhaps even more fearsome than the Krakens.


    Yet¡­


    Berg held the cross that his father gave him, a necklace, or a holy symbol, some may call it and kissed it before lying on his bed to sleep. The teal coloured wood in his room started turning darker and darker¡­ Until he closed his eyes.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    In his sleep, he dreamt of his ship, the Proud Vagas sailing through the starry nights under a lullaby. A most beautiful one¡­


    Can you see us?


    We wait for you, our aching hearts~


    That was when there was a massive tremor and Berg felt the shock of pain move through him as he fell face first onto the floor. Groaning, he pushed himself off the floor and rubbed his forehead.


    ¡°Oceania above, what the hell is going on¡­¡± Berg cursed and he was about to open the door, he felt a sense of dread in him. Pressing his ear against the door, he heard nothing.


    That was exactly the problem.


    A tremor this strong would have sent every sailor into what Berg called, an amazing session of stress relieving cursing as everyone either laughed, fell flat on their face or cursed freely.


    Yet¡­


    Berg went to his chest and grabbed his short sword and swallowing his fear, threw the door open. The word in his head¡­ The word in the back of his mind¡­ The word that has stuck with him since he accepted the mission from Ha¡¯ad Hashite.


    Standing on the deck was his crew alright, but all of them seem rooted to the floor, staring intently at something happening at the bow.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here!¡± Berg roared as he stepped forward, pushing his way through the frozen men who seemed to completely disregard the presence of the Captain.


    In the centre of the crowd stood a woman, her long green hair drenched, her eyes a bright orange, dressed in white clothes that were almost see-through due to their being wet, which gave a hit to her voluptuous figure.


    However, where her legs should be, was the body of a snake. The coy looking maiden slithered towards one of the men, who immediately gasped, as if in anticipation.


    Remember, Berg. If you see a Siren, don¡¯t stare into their eyes.


    His father¡¯s words echoed in his head and Berg retreated quickly. What had the tales told him?


    As Berg reached the edge of the crowd, one of his crew¡¯s hands grabbed his shoulder.


    ¡°The maiden says to wait. Where are you going?¡± his first mate said, his voice almost as if he was in a trance. Berg, increasingly anxious, raised his short sword and cleaved the man¡¯s hand off. However, there was no scream. Just an eerie silence before everyone swarmed towards him.


    ¡°This way, Berg!¡±


    Berg Waters has never been so scared in his entire life. The voice of a normal person broke the silence of the night and just in time to see Ha¡¯ad lowering the small boat attached to the side of the cargo ship.


    Without a word, Berg ran towards it, with a group of his crew running after him and the moment Berg jumped onto the boat, Ha¡¯ad sliced the ropes, sending the small boat down to the sea.


    At this point, a scream, almost inhuman came from the deck.


    Berg, who was shaking, felt something wet in his pants.


    ¡°¡­ I should have listened to you.¡± Ha¡¯ad whispered as he rowed away from the ship. Then, all of a sudden, all of Berg¡¯s men lined up on the side of the ship, with an arm raised, as if waving to Berg and Ha¡¯ad.


    Then, each of them, one by one, jumped into the water and Berg quickly stood up. There may be a chance that they could catch up-


    Berg raised his sword, ready to strike down any of his former friends-


    Then, he saw movement under the water, sea snakes, was it? Or-


    More sirens enveloped the area where his crew had jumped into, and the waters turned frenzied, as the blood clouded the waters.


    Berg sat down on the boat as Ha¡¯ad rowed them away from the Proud Vargas. The sky, which had so many stars earlier, suddenly appeared dull and dark. The melody started again.


    ¡°No, no!¡± Berg screamed as he covered his ears.


    Tears rolled from Ha¡¯ad¡¯s eyes. Maybe it was the end.


    There were no screams as Berg watched his crew get devoured by the Sirens. There was only a sense of longing, as if the crew willingly offered themselves.

 Chapter 11: The Guardians Bakery

    Lawrence, having woken up refreshed, had put on his armour after brushing his teeth and changing his clothes. He then pulled the wagon with him back to town, on it carrying a few bottles of wine that he had taken out from his inventory that he knew he would be able to recreate.


    Aside from the wine, he had also brought several baked buns that he thought he¡¯d try to sell. When he had enough money, he would create this world¡¯s first mega mart, was what he thought.


    Need weapons for killing and food to recover your energy!? You¡¯ve come to the right place!


    At the marketplace, Lawrence saw Roland sitting on a stool watching him curiously.


    ¡°Well, I heard from Craig that you cheated a little in rebuilding that little house eh?¡± Roland smirked, raising a waterskin filled with water in his direction.


    ¡°No thanks to you at all, Village Chief. Do I need to pay anything to set up a stand here in the marketplace?¡± Lawrence asked, pointing at his wares.


    ¡°Ah, uh, there¡¯s a fifteen copper fee from the Lord¡¯s Levy and 15% of your profits every month, got it?¡± Roland said, stretching out his hand and Lawrence gave him the coin pouch that Roland had given him the day before.


    ¡°¡­ However, in view of your recent service to the Village of Black Bay, your fee is hereby waived and you are tax exempt for a year. If Lord Black raises taxes, I¡¯ll have to collect that increase in amount, you understand that right?¡± Roland said, quickly pocketing the pouch.


    Lawrence almost wanted to call him out on his nonsense. Lawrence had returned the entirety of the Hero¡¯s Bounty that Roland had given him which far outstripped any tax or fee. Yet, all he got was 15 coppers waived.


    Swallowing his annoyance, Lawrence set his shop up beside that of¡ª


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this the heroic Honourable Lawrence Carstein that Jacob talked about before he left?¡± a plump woman with curly brown hair laughed heartily, looking up from cutting up a thick slab of meat.


    ¡°I am Jennifer Witzger, wife to Jacob Witzger, I believe you two know each other, yes?¡± Jennifer gave another hearty laugh.


    ¡°I watched you fight the bandits but I could not get a very good view of your face, but judging from how you are dressed, you should be him! I will remember the colour of that armour!¡± Jennifer boomed, walking over and taking off her butcher¡¯s glove and extending her hand.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Lawrence gripped her hand and shook it, offering his warmest smile.


    ¡°I will be under your care from now on,¡± Lawrence said respectfully and Jennifer giggled like a girl in her twenties.


    ¡°Jacob will be back soon, I reckon. I see that you plan on setting up a stall here?¡± Jennifer folded her arms, walking over to inspect what was for sale.


    ¡°Have you worked out a price point for these things yet?¡± Jennifer asked and Lawrence nodded confidently.


    The food produced using Create Food and Water spell which was croissants or doughnuts would go for three coppers each, piping hot and fresh as he kept it in an item called the Dragon¡¯s Nest, which in actuality was a massive dim sum basket capable of keeping food piping hot.


    There was a pathetic table provided free of charge at the empty stall, as well a chair that Lawrence suspected may break if he sat on it a few more times. However, he could overlook something small like this. All small businesses started in their parents¡¯ garage, their own bedroom or from a 6.80 vanilla latte in Starbucks.


    Therefore, after quietly asking Craig how much the various things cost while on his way to what he thought was the few stalls and stands available, he came up with the following price strategy.


    Apparently, butter was something that was for nobility in this world and Lawrence knew that his croissants tasted of butter and his doughnuts were all chocolate doughnuts.


    Three coppers each was a steal, but he intended to gradually raise the price after he ran everyone out of business. This was essentially what the Rockefellers did in a way, having bought over their competitors rapidly then shut them down and Lawrence essentially wanted to replicate that, but in the food and beverage business.


    Setting everything down, he also placed the bottles of wine on sale, going at 10 silvers each, which was 10 silvers cheaper than the average wine. However, with both the quality and price of the wine being so much more superior, no one would be able to beat it, Lawrence was sure of that.


    ¡°How much for that¡­ Croissant?¡± a wandering traveller with a mighty belly said, having arrived earlier in the day, pointing at the croissant sitting in the steaming Dragon¡¯s Nest, having lost most of his money aside from 2 silver coins in a bandit robbery en route to Black Bay Village several days earlier.


    Lawrence smiled and welcomed his very first customer.


    <hr>


    It was a small stand, nothing outstanding in particular aside from the fact that a man so heavily armoured ran a food stall.


    I held little, or rather, no expectations of what I would taste with whatever little money I had.


    However, it was on that day, that I knew that something amazing was to be had. The amazingly soft texture of the croissant, the amazing taste of chocolate on the doughnuts so soft that they reminded me of the cotton fields of Baria.


    I knew that I had to let the world know.


    Vol 1. Enik Don¡¯s Guide to the Food of the World


    <hr>


    He would name the food, the Guardian¡¯s Bakery, with their slogan being- The Kingdom runs on Guardian¡¯s Bakery!


    Many historians later attributed the mass increase in production of butter, sugar and other food items that made them readily available as well as affordable to the average family to the sheer popularity of the Guardian Bakery. The average family was able to afford the occasional Guardian brand of wine to go with their meals and what was once an acquired taste by nobles became widespread.


    The Guardian Bakery would go on to become a massive franchise, but that would be a tale for another day.

 Chapter 12: Knight Kaisenberg

    Kaisenberg, with his retinue of knights, rode into the town, greeted by a long line at the village which seemed as if the entire village was gathered there. However, they were all facing the same direction, ah, a queue.


    Well¡­ That smell¡­


    Kaisenberg¡¯s stomach growled, as did many of his knights and they stared at one another before dismounting.


    ¡°Let me see what is going on.¡± Jacob, who had long dismounted and observed the queue with curiosity, having noticed that it was rather near his own meat peddling stall.


    As he moved off, the Knights attempted to move in front of the queue, having started walking up. However, after a moment, one of the Knights held Kaisenberg yet.


    ¡°Commander¡­ I think it best we join the queue.¡± He whispered and Kaisenberg turned around, wishing to reprimand him but it was at that point he noticed the glare of the villagers.


    One of them, a skinny woman in a pink frilly dress suddenly opened their mouth.


    ¡°I bought one and had to queue from the back again. You have to keep that shred of honour you have by going to the back of the queue, knights.¡±


    There was a murmur of agreement and the knights lowered their heads and collectively walked to the back of the queue. However, from how it looked, it seemed as if the queue progressed quite quickly.


    As a little girl skipped away happily, Kaisenberg saw a doughnut and a croissant in her hand.


    ¡°Pastries in these parts?¡± Kaisenberg said incredulously. Pastries required the key ingredients of milk, wheat grounded into flour as well as butter and sugar.


    The first two may be acquired one way or another, however, you can forget about getting the remaining two without some effort.


    Though milk may be readily available, an area which is not rearing cows will find themselves hardpressed to find milk as well as butter, seeing that the former is the key ingredient of the latter. Transporting milk from one city to another is a fool¡¯s errand. No one peddles milk this way.


    For sugar, it has to be imported from the Hassani Kingdom far away and they are carried by massive trading convoys. In fact, some are even named Sugar Convoys, just to symbolise the fact they are carrying nothing but sugar. These ships are escorted by warships from the Hassani Kingdom.


    Seeing that they are the only nation that produces the highly demanded sugar, it is no surprise that the Hassani Kingdom is one of the wealthiest nations in this world.


    As the knights finally reached the front, they came face to face with an energetic Lawrence Carstein. Jacob and his wife were happily sitting behind Jacob, their faces content as they nibbled on Lawrence¡¯s pastries while sipping what seemed to be a small bottle of wine.


    ¡°Welcome, you must be knights or crusaders! I am Lawrence Carstein, the owner of this humble establishment! Once you have tasted the Guardian¡¯s Bakery¡¯s pastries, you will never go to another bakery ever again!¡± Lawrence said energetically, his armour ringing slightly as he said so in excitement, as if in agreement.


    ¡°You are¡ª¡° Kaisenberg put on his most serious expression, intending to make use of this chance to question him. It was amazing that a supposedly invincible warrior was here selling pastries, with the smile of a butler in a mansion.


    ¡°How about a doughnut? A croissant? Both? Or maybe¡­ Just maybe, dear knights, you will be interested in our homemade wine?¡± Lawrence said dramatically, eager pushing the croissants and doughnuts forward.


    As Lawrence relentlessly sold his products, his brain was thinking quickly. He was not stupid. He had seen Jason coming with them in the distance. The knights, before becoming completely stunned or confused had a look of stern, silent judge in a courtroom. In fact, he resembled the poker face that Robert Mueller is often seen with. Anyway, how is that trial coming along anyway? It must be going crazy in the r/politics subreddit.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    However, back to the topic, Lawrence deduced that they must be here because of the bandits. Judging from the appearance of the most senior knight, he was about to ask Lawrence some questions right there and then.


    Lawrence was reminded of the German businessman, Oskar Schindler, known for his heroism in rescuing Jews in his factories. Gestapo officers had visited Schindler, only to leave the place drunk and merry, completely forgetting their mission.


    So perhaps with enough encouragement¡­ Lawrence may be able to turn it around.


    ¡°You know what, such honourable and brave knights like yourselves should get a reward, yes¡­ A reward!¡± Lawrence declared, quickly opening up his inventory and taking out a carton of sake, having bent down to pretend to be taking something from behind the cloth that covered his table.


    In it were six white bottles of ceramic, each containing high-grade sake. Each bottle of sake was extremely strong. With that, Lawrence thrust the entire crate into the open hands of one of the more receptive knights.


    ¡°No, wait¡ª¡° Kaisenberg protested but the cheers of the knights drowned out his protests as they immediately took to drinking the wine and sake that Lawrence had given them.


    Kaisenberg watched on helplessly as his men got rowdier and rowdier. However, he knew what the young man was doing. The experienced knight had seen it before. Kaisenberg turned away from his men and faced the armoured man, who was packing up as if he was done with his work and sales.


    Lawrence, with the small bag that he had bought earlier, looked at Kaisenberg, turned away wordlessly and walked towards his home, towards the forest.


    Keeping quiet, Kaisenberg followed him and when they reached Lawrence¡¯s house, Lawrence opened the door and held it open for him.


    ¡°Come in, come in. Tea? Wine?¡± Lawrence asked and Kaisenberg entered, the warmth of the house enveloping him after the slightly chilly winter weather. The fireplace leapt to life as Lawrence took off his armour, placing his sword against the wall.


    ¡°Neither,¡± Kaisenberg replied, taking off his own sword and leaning it against the wall.


    With that, Lawrence gestured for him to sit by the fireplace, on the single seater couch to be exact. He sat opposite Kaisenberg.


    ¡°So what brings you to find me exactly?¡± Lawrence asked and Kaisenberg breathed in deeply, deliberating on whether, to be honest, or not.


    ¡°My lord has certain concerns about a mighty warrior suddenly appearing in his realm,¡± Kaisenberg replied, his words slow and steady as if hoping that Lawrence will be a more positive influence.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, Sir¡­¡± Lawrence replied, only to realize that he does not know the knight¡¯s name.


    ¡°Kaisenberg Orion, head knight to House Black,¡± Kaisenberg replied and Lawrence nodded in gratitude at the reply as he continued his answer.


    ¡°From the sunny island of Singapore, cross the seas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Adriatic I have travelled, through the lands of Malaysia, Batam, China, Russia, Europe then the Americas did I reach the shores of this land, adrift I had been for a week, surviving on a supply crate aboard the ship and things I hid away in my Bag of Holding.¡±


    ¡°As I spotted land, energy reinvigorated my weary body. I swam across the sea, reaching land, tired and thirsty. A cave I entered to rest myself, but so exhausted was I that I had collapsed the moment I reached the cave.¡±


    With that, Lawrence sat back in his chair and Kaisenberg slowly nodded to himself.


    ¡°I have many primary products for food, but I did not have a stove or a grill to use in order to make food. I have many wares in my bags, but these wares can¡¯t feed me or help a tired man.¡± Lawrence added and Kaisenberg remained silent still.


    ¡°Then¡­ From the sounds of it, you¡­ Lawrence Carstein¡­ Seem to be an adventuring merchant?¡± Kaisenberg asked and Lawrence nodded slowly.


    ¡°Where did you learn to fight like that? Not even I could get through the fight unscathed.¡± Kaisenberg asked and Lawrence immediately checked Kaisenberg¡¯s level, which stood at 15. A level 15 in any game would have no issues fending off low levels, but get enough of them together and they would die all the same.


    ¡°I learnt it from Sir Arthur of the Round Table, have you heard of him?¡± Lawrence asked, putting on a face of slight arrogance as if his teacher was a man of great fame and skill. As expected, Kaisenberg scratched his head awkwardly and shook his head. It was a half lie, Sir Arthur was indeed the faction trainer for Lawrence in the game, Ever Dawn.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Well¡­ You see, I find it hard to believe. I apologize. You speak of nations and seas I have never heard before and legendary sword fighting skills that I have not even heard the faintest rumour of.¡± Kaisenberg said and a silence fell over the two men.


    Lawrence sighed inwardly, hoping that a simple act will suffice.


    However, that was when it struck him.


    Were Ever Dawn cinematic cutscenes still available to him? He quickly skipped to the menu, and saw all his unlocked cutscenes there, which featured his character in them.


    Guardians had a skill called Shared Consciousness, which enabled five parties to enter the mind of the Guardian as a mental safe space so that they may control their body from within his mind while being protected from exterior mind damaging magic dealt with their bodies that would otherwise be fatal.


    ¡°Then, how about I show it to you?¡± Lawrence smiled and clapped his hands as he activated the skill, Shared Consciousness.

 Chapter 13: A Bluff

    With a yelp, Kaisenberg¡¯s mind was transferred into Lawrence¡¯s mind. Lawrence was still seated in a chair in the darkness in front of Kaisenberg. However, Kaisenberg¡¯s face had turned pale.


    ¡°W-What sorcery have you used!?¡± Kaisenberg roared, looking around for his sword in the darkness that is Lawrence¡¯s mind.


    Would you like to confine Kaisenberg Orion to one section of your consciousness? Warning: You can release him by removing the spell.


    Quickly, Lawrence quarantined Kaisenberg to that area of his consciousness and with that, he announced, ¡°Then let me show you my history.¡±


    Playing the cutscenes that he had selected, it was stitched seamlessly together, clear as day, as if Kaisenberg himself was there.


    Lawrence sat still in his chair as the first scene began.


    Kaisenberg watched as the blackness around him seemed to dissolve to a training ground. Lawrence was still sitting in his chair, he could see that. However, there was something odd about the scene. The sky was blue, the trees swaying as if the wind was immensely strong. Kaisenberg could see a much less armoured Lawrence compared to the armour set he saw in the market, walking along the road, beside a knight that seemed to almost glow with a divine light, a greatsword on his back.


    ¡°Follow the path of the Guardians well and you shall protect the weak¡­ That is our highest calling.¡± The man with the greatsword said and Lawrence nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Sir Arthur.¡±


    At that point, as a pack of wolves howled, the training ground scenery dissolved once more and this time, Lawrence was with a slightly better set of armour, as Kaisenberg could tell it was a proper steel plate instead of iron, was with a group of companions.


    Would you like Kaisenberg Orion to view the cutscenes by himself?


    Out of curiosity, Lawrence selected that option and he realized what he had done. He and his chair turned invisible. However, Kaisenberg was too engrossed with the scene in front of him to notice.


    ¡°Rally to me!¡± Lawrence shouted, banging his tower shield as a mage, an archer as well as a barbarian-like man went behind him.


    The mage had a hair of gold, holding a staff that belched forth toxic green clouds that obscured Kaisenberg¡¯s view of who were the ones they were fighting. Meanwhile, the most distinct feature of the archer was his large bow that once fitted with an arrow, the arrow will suddenly burst into flames. The barbarian-like man had a massive beard and a huge Warhammer which he swung around as he roared as if attempting to scare his enemy into submission.


    A horn that screeched Kaisenberg¡¯s ear blasted and from the noxious films, Kaisenberg took a step back, gasping in horror.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Men, women and children alike, with their pale rotting skin as well as missing body parts that would be fatal to a living person, swarmed forward, screaming.


    ¡°W-What are those!?¡± Kaisenberg yelled, scrambling backwards. However, he saw a shadow charge past him, a man clad in heavy armour and carrying a tower shield.


    His sword lobbed the head of the first zombie¡¯s off¡ª


    Then as the scene dissolved, Kaisenberg found that he was now sitting on the ashen ground. Beside him lay the same mage, archer and barbarian that he saw earlier.


    Looking up, he saw a very badly battered Lawrence on a knee, clutching onto his sword and shield which are both firmly placed on the ground, as if for support.


    ¡°You shall fail, Guardian!¡± a massive serpent with a human¡¯s body screeched and lunged forward. With a roar, Lawrence had stood up, slamming the shield into the serpent¡¯s face and sending her flying. He then leapt forward and plunged his sword into her belly.


    Then, as the ashen ground vanished, Kaisenberg was sitting on wood, no, to be precise, the wooden supports of a port. Lawrence was clad in the same armour that Kaisenberg had seen earlier in the market. The same sword that Lawrence had laid down earlier was on his waist as well.


    A group of men in long white robes bowed respectfully as he boarded the ship.


    ¡°Farewell, Saviour of Atlantis!¡± one of the robed men shouted as the ship sailed. Kaisenberg then felt a falling sensation and the colours of the world returned as he found himself sitting in the same chair he was in earlier.


    ¡°Do you believe me now?¡± Lawrence smiled, looking at Kaisenberg who was panting as if he had run a marathon.


    The usually calm, cool and collected demeanour of Kaisenberg was gone.


    ¡°Y-You don¡¯t seem to leave me with a choice but to believe you,¡± Kaisenberg said after a moment, the sight of the zombies still particularly fresh in his mind.


    ¡°Please, I will report to Lord Black that you are a man of upstanding character. I apologize for my rudeness, Lawrence Carstein!¡± Kaisenberg said loudly, bowing his head in apology.


    Lawrence waved his hand quickly, ¡°No worries. Guardians such as I am often mistaken and rightly so that we are here to upset balances of power in the region. I swear no allegiance at the moment to anyone aside from the people.¡±


    ¡°There are more of people of your skill?¡± Kaisenberg exclaimed, plunging his head into chaos. Any nation that had these guardians may very well become a formidable force.


    ¡°Across the sea and beyond. However, in this region, I may or may not be the only one.¡± Lawrence said, walking to the kitchen and returning with a glass of wine.


    ¡°T-Those things¡­ Those¡­ People you killed.¡± Kaisenberg stuttered after downing the entire glass.


    ¡°Zombies, undead. They are not people.¡± Lawrence replied, staring at Kaisenberg.


    ¡°You can leave that part out when you talk to your lord if you please,¡± Lawrence said and Kaisenberg fell quiet.


    ¡°Then¡­ Perhaps with your strength¡­ Would you¡­¡± Kaisenberg started a dangerous line of the question but Lawrence shot him down straight away.


    ¡°I will not be reduced to a lord¡¯s puppet when I have not judged him to be a man of character. We, the Guardians, are very choosy when it comes to picking people to serve and even then, it is a contract that we can break almost instantly.¡± Lawrence laughed and Kaisenberg clenched his fists, biting his lip. Only if he can get this amazing warrior into the ranks of the household knights of Lord Black!


    ¡°I am, but a mere merchant at the moment.¡± Lawrence smiled and Kaisenberg stood up after a few moments.


    ¡°I will gather my men and return to Lord Black. Thank you for your hospitality.¡± Kaisenberg bowed deeply and Lawrence returned in kind.


    ¡°Should I welcome all of you with wine next or with my sword and shield?¡± Lawrence asked and Kaisenberg laughed.


    ¡°Well, you do know the answer, do you not?¡± Kaisenberg laughed as Lawrence scratched his head embarrassingly.

 Chapter 14: Kaisenbergs Report

    The break of dawn. Lord Black sat up on his bed, peeling his wife off of him as she clung to him like a bolster. Unlike her, he had a territory to run.


    Even though King Carmine¡¯s rule was slightly unstable, Lord Edward Black had managed to avoid most of the court intricacies and consolidated most of his strength.


    The current King Carmine was an ineffective ruler and in certain backroom discussions that others will call treason, the term ¡®moron¡¯ was thrown around liberally. When the Carmine Kingdom was undergoing a famine, the current King Carmine had built a new palace, which caused the death of about 19,000 workers, and even more, civilians were conscripted to the palace construction.


    Entire forests were levelled for the palace, rivers dammed and the tax was raised to an obscene 80% for everyone, even the poor.


    This resulted in an exacerbation of the famine. Then, there were King Carmine¡¯s illogical campaigns against the Gerheist Kingdom, which the late King Carmine had an extremely positive relationship with. However, there was an unspoken agreement between King Gerheist and the nobles of King Carmine that if their troops stayed out of the way, King Gerheist will simply aim to attack only the royal forces and force the king to retreat.


    However, the territories of the Black have begun to grow poorer nowadays, due to the increasing amount of levy and unlawfulness. Yet, the talks of overthrowing the King was usually quickly dispelled even among the nobles due to the generosity and kindness the late King Carmine had shown them.


    Lord Black¡¯s taxes brought in about 32,000 gold coins yearly, with 30,000 going to the king. The remaining 2000 coins were barely enough to feed his retainers. However, any form of economic development was next to impossible.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Milord, Knight Kaisenberg has returned.¡± An attendant announced and Lord Black nodded.


    ¡°Let him wait for me in the study. I will be there shortly.¡± Edward Black replied, quickly having the attendants bring him the basin of water so he can wash up.


    Kaisenberg was standing in the same study in which Lord Black had ordered him to check on the man by the name of Lawrence Carstein. He wondered what to tell his liege, should he mention the man by the name of Sir Arthur? The Guardians? The undead? Or that Siren?


    ¡°Ah, you are back. Thank you for making the trip. I¡¯m hoping that you are bearing good news for me?¡± Lord Black said, reappearing in his signature black coat and dark coloured leather clothes of nobility.


    ¡°I do, milord. I testify that Lawrence Carstein is an adventuring merchant who had been shipwrecked and drifted for days in the sea and made landfall in Black Bay Village. He is extremely skilled in the use of a sword and tower shield.¡±


    Lord Black considered Kaisenberg¡¯s words for a moment before asking, ¡°How skilled is skilled?¡±


    ¡°Milord, I think even if we threw the entire knight household at him in the morning, he will have your head before lunch,¡± Kaisenberg replied seriously and Lord Black nodded slowly.


    ¡°Does he want to¡ª¡° Lord Black was about to ask Kaisenberg but the knight shook his head.


    ¡°It seems that for now, he only wishes to settle down peacefully. However, we can now consider Black Bay Village an extremely secure place with his presence. He had sworn an oath of some form to defend the weak.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, at least one thing off our plates.¡± Lord Black said and that was when a knight behind Lord Black brought up a plate full of doughnuts and croissants as well as several bottles of wine.


    ¡°Oh? The cooks have had their budget expanded?¡± Lord Black asked happily, biting into one of the doughnuts.


    ¡°T-This is amazing!¡± Lord Black exclaimed, taking another bite and that was when he noticed that the knights were more or less carrying a small bag filled with pastries as well.


    ¡°These are made by Lawrence Carstein. He has set up shop in Black Bay Village.¡± Kaisenberg said and Lord Black¡¯s face was that of complete shock.

 Chapter 15: The Council of Four

    ¡°You are saying it is possible to ship these to the city?¡± Roland said thoughtfully, sitting back in Lawrence¡¯s comfortable chair. Right now, Roland, Jacob, Craig and Lawrence were all sitting in Lawrence¡¯s house, a glass of wine in hand.


    ¡°I am. I¡¯m thinking of making them a popup stand.¡± Lawrence said and the other three had a confused appearance.


    ¡°A pop-up stand?¡± Craig the hunter asked, scratching his head. Of course, the idea of a pop-up restaurant only came up with the advent of social media, where mobile dining places, or rather, meals on wheels, would be able to travel around a nation while advertising to their fans where they are.


    These concepts worked especially well in Singapore, where rents of buildings are sky high, while renting a food van may seem more economical. On the other hand, Singapore is small, where travelling from one end to another will take at most two hours by rail.


    However, Lawrence had a different idea for it. The place will simply be a large horse wagon where people could buy bread and buns from the side. He intended to make it double the size of a normal horse carriage so there was enough space for at least two staff to move around and more space for dozens of Dragon¡¯s Nest.


    He estimated that at the rate in which he sold the croissants and bread, he would be able to break even for the cost of a single large carriage and the wage of their staff in two weeks and corner a sizeable market share in another two.


    Having asked Jacob who often travelled to the city to sell dried meat, there were indeed possible places for the safe parking of a large wagon with a stable near enough to supply horses for it if need be.


    ¡°Why not just a normal bakery?¡± Roland asked and Lawrence shook his head.


    ¡°If a noble decides to pay a premium fee, we will be able to bake in their mansions and serve them extremely fresh items. Think of the novelty!¡± Lawrence replied and the three slowly nodded.


    To Lawrence, however, it was of little importance on whether he passed or failed in this business concept. He had enough money here that he could just throw at it again and again if he could surrender. He was essentially bankrolling the business. In Singapore, Grab and Uber were locked in a price war that Grab ultimately started to win as Uber was a company with too many goals in too many nations while Grab craved for only Southeast Asia.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Lawrence knew that even though he had money, he still needed to have a sound strategy or no one was ever going to hear of his brand, The Guardian¡¯s Bakery.


    ¡°Ah, anyway, where do all of you keep your gold?¡± Lawrence asked and there was an awkward silence.


    ¡°Well, if you are asking about the town¡¯s gold, there is a nice little safe somewhere that I stash it all in. Please don¡¯t rob us, I think you are wealthy enough.¡± Roland replied, pointing at the stag mounted on his wall which had what seemed like an emerald in its¡¯ eyes instead.


    Lawrence scowled before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t you have something like a bank?¡±


    Another silence.


    ¡°Your country of Sinkapur must be great, to have all these things I never heard of before,¡± Craig said dryly before Lawrence twitched in annoyance.


    ¡°Singapore, not Sinkapur, please. I see¡­¡± Lawrence went into deep thought. He had enough gold bars in his inventory to form a central bank but then again, it would be hard to enforce banking regulations without significant backing.


    Well, that will be a question for another day.


    ¡°Now that you have a bakery, how are you going to actually do anything else?¡± Lawrence asked,


    ¡°But bake every day?¡± Jacob asked and Lawrence laughed.


    To make any great food, there is a great recipe as well as great ingredients. Lawrence planned to buy land in the area to cultivate all the ingredients needed to make his bread while hiring locals here to help him look after his crops while paying them a decent wage. In this way, with the wage, the workers will be able to afford even more products that Lawrence created.


    ¡°Roland, I need you to level with me here,¡± Lawrence said, going to his room and taking out a small chest. As he opened it, Roland blinked rapidly, breathing in deeply. Jacob and Craig looked as if they had been hammered.


    Inside the chest was a few gold bars, alongside several other gems and jewellery. Roland swallowed his saliva.


    ¡°I want as much land I can buy in this village. How much of it do you have? I¡¯ll need you to help arrange for cows and goats for me.¡± Lawrence asked and before Roland could reply, Jacob quickly shot his hand up.


    ¡°I used to work as a herder before I became a butcher, I can help with the latter.¡± The fat man¡¯s cheeks trembled with excitement, his beer belly seemingly agreeing.


    Craig was awfully silent, probably thinking of how he can be of help.


    ¡°I¡¯ll also need someone to construct a mill and a kitchen that connects to it. I¡¯m going to need someone to help me build a large wooden mill as well with skilled craftsmen. I already believe there is a forge so I wish to buy over the forge and hire the family already running it.¡± Lawrence went on to throw a few more of his plans out there and that was when Craig finally cheered up.


    ¡°I can go to the city and write a few letters home. I know some people who can be of help in construction!¡± the hunter said cheerfully and Lawrence clapped his hands.


    ¡°Shall we write a contract then?¡± Lawrence smiled widely and the grins on the faces of the three villagers widened as they clapped their own hands, then downed their glasses.


    History books in the future would note this day as the day in which people will refer to as The Council of Four¡¯s first meeting.

 Chapter 16: Abusing the Construction System

    Lawrence had turned the front of his house from a small clearing to that of a mini office by simply laying a table in front of his main door, with a small pole that had a crudely written sign saying ¡®NOW HIRING¡¯.


    A small line of villagers, mostly youths who were unemployed or limited to doing odd jobs to make ends meet were enticed by the words of Roland, who had casually said that Lawrence was paying a good wage to anyone who was willing to learn and earn his keep.


    Lawrence¡¯s contract was plain and simple. Food for all three meals was covered for, with one silver piece a day. They were bound to work for Lawrence two years. Performance bonuses were eligible for each employee as long as Lawrence felt that they deserved it.


    Next, healthcare for the employee was covered for and that of their family.


    Apparently, the concept of going to see a doctor or herbalist in this world is almost otherworldly or rather, out of this world. Apparently to quote Craig, ¡°I rather die than see a herbalist. I¡¯d have to sell my wife, my daughter and my house to afford them!¡±


    However, since Lawrence was able to examine them, he would be more than happy to do so if they wished to. He had tasked Craig to spread the word to the nearby lands as well as letters and job notices that he needed people to work for him.


    Jacob had gone off to purchase livestock for Lawrence and as Lawrence handed out the contracts to the 15 or so enthusiastic job-seekers, all of them signed almost immediately, not even asking a single question.


    ¡°I will now be handing out the first month¡¯s wage in advance at some time will be needed for construction,¡± Lawrence said, taking out small pouches filled with 30 silvers each. He had gotten Roland to exchange a few gold bars for small mountains worth of silver in this world¡¯s currency.


    However, Lawrence¡¯s dream was to own a large company that was able to take care of its workers responsibly and give back in kind to the people.


    The first step will be to control the essentials. To Lawrence, that will be the bare essentials needed to survive for a person, which will be that of bread and butter.


    Followed by that, Lawrence will then see what he can do about Black Bay Village¡¯s defences and housing.


    From there, perhaps Lawrence will see what he can do about trade over the seas once he understands the socio-economic balance better.


    However, he had the concern of upsetting the political power of this region. He wanted to be the Samsung of South Korea instead of being Samuel Zemurray in Honduras.


    The large companies of South Korea sometimes referred to as Chaebols are sometimes accused of being the true political powers in that nation. There was a scandal where leaked texts revealed how newspaper editors attempted to curry favour with Samsung executives by writing positive reviews in return for securing positions for their children or relatives in the large corporation where their future is almost guaranteed.


    Samuel Zemurray, on the other hand, was a prominent player in the South American Banana War, who was sick of having to deal with Honduras through the United States government and went to the former leader of Honduras and later with the support of the former president, he toppled the Honduras government.


    Lawrence was not interested in those things. He intended to live out his new life in the most fulfilling way possible, pending a way to his actual real life if possible.


    Lawrence has also come to realize that people in this world that can use magic was far and few in between. However, there was a clear distinction between magic and combat magic.


    Normal magic will be for things such as Fireball or Ice Storm that sorcerors in Ever Dawn would be able to cast, or more terrifying spells such as Raise Undead that belongs to the realm of necromancers.


    However, combat magic would be that of skills such as Howling Lion, where a blast of coloured air resembling a lion would tear through an enemy.


    Magicians are revered and feared universally and often regarded as a nation¡¯s protector or backing and their ability to change the tide of a battle or topple nations from behind the shadows.


    A proficient combat magic user will be regarded as an extremely capable knight as most. Apparently, according to the knights that frequented his bakery in the village, having travelled once a week from the fortress to buy his products would trade stories with him.


    Apparently, Lord Black has been caught in a rather sticky situation between the territory¡¯s management and King Carmine¡¯s ever-increasing finances.


    That aside, as Lawrence spent time secretly coming out at night to build a beautiful storefront, complete with a large signage that in bold golden words, announced the name of the store, The Guardian¡¯s Bakery.


    The story was decently large, mainly decorated with oak and potted lavender wood, pillars adorned with cute carvings of bread, doughnuts and other items.


    There were numerous circular tables and chairs that allow their customers to eat and drink there instead of having to bring them home.


    After villagers shrugged off the initial shock of a building popping up overnight, it was a common scene to see families gather together in the caf¨¦, enjoying a cup of coffee that Lawrence had declared was from a nation called Arabia or tea from a place that Lawrence had called Sri Lanka.


    Of course, those were all nonsense.


    Lawrence had even gotten around to hire Craig¡¯s wife and daughter to help him run the shop, paying them the wage of 2 silvers a day due to the sheer volume of customers, near or far that have started to trickle in.


    Aside from the doughnuts and croissants that Lawrence can make easily, he has also placed his cooking skills to great use by coming up with some items available in limited quantities. All Quenya and Laura need to do will be to heat them up and serve them until there was none left.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    For a start, he tried to make things that would go along well with bread, such as cream of mushroom soup which apparently sold out in the first two hours of opening, followed by clam chowder, which was sold out in the first hour.


    As time went by and Lawrence placed more and more people on the payroll, Roland had brought him a breakdown of people who have come in search of a job and was actively being hired under the Carstein Merchant Group, which was what Roland had used as a name for official documentation.


    Now, Lawrence had on his payroll, the following strength.


    21 craftsmen (Wood)


    32 craftsmen (stone)


    40 builders


    23 farmers


    26 labourers


    Lawrence smiled, pleased with the numbers. On the other hand, Roland was absolutely furious. He has had to reorganize the storehouse in order to accommodate the massive increase in the number of people in the village which has almost doubled.


    However, Lawrence has quelled discontent by hiring Jacob¡¯s wife to cook amazing meals for the workers involved and keeping them on the payroll.


    One fine night, Lawrence had gone over to a large piece of land he had purchased and built a row of extremely comfortable dormitories and a few inns as well as a massive storehouse. The dormitories were three stories high, with a single bed, a mirror and a bit of extra space. The colours of the rooms were predominantly that of white and brown, simple and sparse.


    The inn had six levels, with the first three levels called by the user interface, the ¡®Three Stars Lodge¡± where there was a simple bed, and a small shower.


    The next two levels were the ¡®Hallowed Rooms¡¯ where they were significantly larger, with red carpets, chandeliers of Ever Burning Candles that gave the room a never-dimming light which can be extinguished with the clap of a hand as if the candles listened to the wind for your command.


    The top floor was ¡®The Honoured¡¯ where statues of fine make decorated either side of the door, the walls were adorned with beautiful paintings and amazingly detailed furniture with carvings of angels was present in the room.


    Now, with enough to house all the workers, Lawrence turned his mind to how he envisioned his community to be. Water, hygiene, food and more¡­


    To solve the issue of getting clean water, Lawrence opened the construction map once more. Surveying the area, within his large plot of land, Lawrence could tell that the hill nearby had a large spring, where the water was clean. Taking a look at the possible things he could do, he opted for an aqueduct instead.


    In ancient times, the Romans have used aqueducts to deliver clean water to an area, having been approved after strict scrutinization by civilian authorities, surveyed by Roman engineers then constructed by Roman labourers and workers.


    Even in modern times, in war-torn countries such as Syria, the aqueducts, having stood for thousands of years, provided water that was more precious than gems and gold even after so many years.


    With that in mind, Lawrence chose the Consecrated Stone Aqueduct, the pipes within the aqueduct to be lined in ceramic instead of lead.


    Back in the days, Roman and Greek physicians were knowledgeable of the fact that mining and accidental consumption of lead was harmful, which was why ceramic was the preferred choice. However, Lawrence, with his extremely high skill in construction, had enabled a special bonus with this building.


    The Consecrated Stone Aqueduct cannot be damaged by dark magic, any water or liquid that passes through the structure will come out as pure and clean water. No form of necromancy, magic or poison is able to contaminate the water that flows through it, even if the water source has turned completely vile.


    Lawrence was thinking in the long term. What if there was a siege? During the Winter War, as the Soviets stormed into Finland, the Finns poisoned their own wells by placing animal carcasses or animal faeces in them, to place a strain on the Soviet supply chain. However, if Lawrence¡¯s wall was only to protect the buildings in the near area, the logical thing to do would be to actively sabotage the water supply and throw the people into chaos.


    He would be fine because he could Purify Food and Water. However, what about the people living here?


    Therefore, the only way to sabotage the city without outright destroying the aqueduct would be via the means of poisoning their water supply.


    Once the people realize how useful the aqueduct was, Lawrence was certain that to an extent, they would prefer to capture as much of the aqueduct whole as possible instead of having to find an alternative water supply, such as spending manpower to dig for wells or to construct another aqueduct from another location instead of being able to use all that manpower to crush any possible resistance.


    Lawrence could only thank himself for his immense knowledge of history and the unbalanced power of his abilities that he is able to even think, conceptualise and make these items. As he watched his handicraft, Lawrence turned his mind to that of commerce.


    Lawrence envisioned a three-tiered town, where agriculture was the most exterior one, commerce in the second tier and living quarters in the innermost. As for expansion, he envisioned two things.


    Mini-hubs will be built right outside of this new area, linked by well-paved roads and guard posts and with stables and other essential facilities so that various industries can thrive separately.


    Yet, all roads will lead back to¡­


    Right, he needed a name for this new area that he was sure would eventually swallow Black Bay Village whole.


    That simplifies things. He will just call it Tears, as he noticed on his minimap that the area that he constructed resembled the shape of a tear.


    Historians in the future recorded that Tears, later to be interchangeably called Black Bay City or the City of Tears, was the site of several brilliant innovations, the true hub of commerce and even the turning point several times for the Black Family as they stood with their backs to the sea, trusting in the defence of the city. Urban lore even says that the water of the aqueduct can never be poisoned, but no one has ever lived long enough to witness it nor has anyone been foolish enough to try it.


    With the construction of the buildings ready, Lawrence planned to raise a wall once enough people resided within them. However, Lawrence wondered how should the people who guarded his territory eventually be called and be like.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t normal, are you?¡±


    Lawrence spun himself around and there was the village chief, Roland, looking at Lawrence¡¯s handiwork.


    ¡°No, I can assure you I am very much normal,¡± Lawrence said and Roland looked at the Guardian, whose armour seemed to glow a pale white light even under the cold moon¡¯s shine.


    ¡°Very well. Just try to let me live a long time, will you?¡± Roland replied with a smile, patting the Guardian on his shoulder as he walked away. The Guardian looked at the village chieftain wordlessly and he shouted, ¡°Roland!¡±


    The village chieftain turned around, confused.


    Lawrence bowed, the same 90 degrees bow you often saw Korean and Japanese officials take when they are embarrassed or trying to express their sincerity. With that, he heard another laugh as Roland continued walking as if shrugging off the entire incident.


    Lawrence smiled as he straightened his back. He did not know well, although Roland had been wary of Lawrence at first, the two bonded quickly over Lawrence¡¯s intensive injection of capital to the development of the area.


    Roland himself, perhaps wondered why he believed a man decked out in heavy armour staring blankly at a city that he constructed overnight. Years after his death, his daughter published his father¡¯s diary, nicknamed The Memoirs of the Watcher.


    In his diary, Roland had said that for some reason, once anyone cast a look upon Lawrence, they were filled with hope, as if they would be able to weather the harshest storms as long as the Guardian had led them.


    He also wrote that on that day, after witnessing an impossible feat (which has led to centuries of debate as to what it was), he had roused Craig and Jacob for a little fireside chat at his home. The conversation lasted all but fifteen minutes.


    Roland wrote no details of the conversation, but simply said that:


    <hr>


    Everyone was at a consensus that sometimes, living as a rich fool would be better than a dead genius. No one disputed that at any time during our small talk, which we made while drinking the wine that Lawrence distilled and the bread that his bakery made.


    <ul>


    <li>Roland Ritz, The Memoirs of the Watcher (Published by Anna Ritz)</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Of course, unknown to them, Lawrence had the passive skill called Inspire Courage, but that shall be a tale for another day.

 Chapter 17: Agriculture

    Lawrence sat down with Roland, Craig and Jacob the next day to figure out the tax code for Lawrence¡¯s new property. The roles of the other three men were as follows.


    Roland acted as the Town Chieftain, a role that Lawrence was happy to delegate to Roland so that he could pursue pipe dreams instead while Roland was happy to take the role, with the strict understanding that the original Black Bay Village shall eventually be incorporated to the town of Tears.


    Jacob acted as the Chief Agriculturist, where he was placed in charge of Roland¡¯s ambitious agricultural projects.


    Craig on the other hand was given a role known as the Chief Tanner because Lawrence had no idea what Craig could really do. Craig, who lived as a hunter, however, was confident in his skills in making tanned leather.


    ¡°You know, instead of using flesh and animal fat for tanning, I got a better idea, Goodman¡¯s Hill used cedar oil and other items. However, when the war came, most of the craftsmen died and a lot of us fled. I can try to revive that if you give me a chance.¡±


    Lawrence considered Craig¡¯s proposal for a moment and he accepted. In Lawrence¡¯s head, there were to be three backbones of Tears.


    The first would be widespread agriculture. Black Bay Village, though on paper a large tract of land, had severely underdeveloped land which Lawrence would seek to change. Secondly, with the bakery business booming and to expand gradually, Lawrence will also seek to add on more production of goods such as leathers, which could tap on the agricultural sector for the hides. Lastly, Lawrence aimed to reopen the port of Black Bay Village and create a merchant fleet that he was used to running with his clan which they jokingly called the Owl Armada.


    That said, regarding the owl¡­


    Roland had been the one to bring up what flag Lawrence had wanted to fly.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡± Lawrence replied but Roland shook his head.


    ¡°You are going to throw the most incredible amount of money in developing an area, you should at least fly a flag. That flag should be the symbol of you, the Carsteins, for your children, your grandchildren!¡± Roland said adamantly, his growing goatee trembling a little.


    ¡°How about you leave it to me?¡± Roland said assuredly and Jacob clapped his hands together.


    ¡°I will get Ludium to send more of Lord Black¡¯s banner here as well. We need to fly your flag and his side by side, lest he thinks we are trying to rebel.¡± The butcher said, patting his belly and Lawrence nodded.


    Craig brought up a map that he had come up with, which included Tears, Black Bay Village as well as the three surrounding hubs that Lawrence had placed.


    Each hub had another inn, a stable, rows of empty shops, a large warehouse and an armoury as well as a granary. Lawrence through the interface estimated that there can be enough food for each hub to individually survive for half a year each, assuming their own defensive wall that has yet to be erected, holds.


    Lawrence had too many ambitions and he knew that, so he had to rely on the other three to help him with them.


    Money honestly, was not an issue.


    Roland helped Lawrence draft up a tax bill that was simple and low, to attract businesses to set up shop. Gradually, the thought of visiting Ludium slipped his mind. He simply delegated Roland to run with his idea.


    The people that Lawrence hired earlier went about to work, some opting for an alternative proposal that Lawrence had come up with, called the Small-Medium Startup Grant, which was that if any of them wished to try their hands at business, had a sound business proposal was liable to 50 gold in grants, given in tranches of payment whenever the businesses hit a key performance indicator.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    A key performance indicator was the system in which Lawrence had to explain to the businessmen. Basically, both sides had to agree on the points in which everyone can agree that this means that the business is growing.


    Gradually, people from Ludium and apparently from as far away as Hasselhoff, which Craig said was many leagues to the north came.


    The Tears was finally bustling with life.


    Craig¡¯s wife was pregnant again, while his daughter continued working in the Tears branch of The Guardian¡¯s Bakery.


    Jacob¡¯s wife has quit her job as a butcher and having closed the butchery, is now assisting her husband in hiring and managing farmers and herders.


    An important point to mention was that Jacob had spent no expense in bringing over horses, sheep, cows and lambs. All of them were the most premium livestock that he imported live or with Lawrence¡¯s permission, bought at insane prices.


    Lawrence had secretly been flooding the market with cheap foodstuff through The Guardian¡¯s Bakery in order to keep the prices down, but after the first harvest, Lawrence stopped doing so, allowing the price to fluctuate accordingly. Roland, who had anticipated a massive inflation, sighed in relief when the bountiful was more than aplenty, with even previously luxurious items such as milk at readily affordable prices.


    Lawrence had also been lenient with the business grants, prompting the shops to be snapped up with all forms of shops, from selling simple furniture all the way to exquisite glassware.


    As Tears sprang to life, Lawrence pondered the second step of his plan, as he sat in his cabin in the woods, surrounded by the other three as well as Quenya, who was there to update Lawrence on something regarding The Guardian¡¯s Bakery.


    Tears, which has swollen to the size of five hundred people, needed some form of defence. Lawrence also wished to incorporate something.


    ¡°First of all, thank you for being here today. Let us hear the reports of everyone here, starting with Quenya.¡± Lawrence said and Quenya jumped a little, before hastily taking out a parchment from her bag and she coughed, clearing her throat.


    ¡°The village chieftain has left me the task of building up The Guardian¡¯s Bakery in Ludium and we have launched four of the pop-up stands at the four gates, and one extra-large one beside the town square.¡±


    ¡°In just three weeks, we have reached a¡­ brea¡ªbreak¡­?¡± Quenya said, puzzled, thinking about this phrase on the paper. It was taught to her by Roland who had helped dictate her report. But it meant¡­


    ¡°Breakeven?¡± Lawrence replied and she nodded embarrassingly. Roland looked at her and urged her to continue, his hand gesturing for her to go on. Jacob on the other hand, was beaming with pride even at this small let-up. Craig seemed to be holding back tears.


    ¡°Breakeven point. We expect that our make-to-order cakes with the recipes taught by the Honourable Carstein will sell even better as the nobles prepare for The Holy Dawn celebrations.¡±


    Holy Dawn?


    Lawrence turned to look at them for an explanation.


    ¡°The Holy Dawn commemorates the day in which King Carmine¡¯s ancestors held their ground against the Northern barbarians. It¡¯s a national holiday.¡± Jacob explained and Lawrence nodded.


    ¡°For any profits from The Guardian¡¯s Bakery, I would like Roland to invest it in a new system that I have come up with, and I hope that you can pay the farmers for their temporary loss in income from it as they will be buying new seeds,¡± Lawrence said and Jacob scratched his chin, unsure of what to expect.


    Lawrence pulled out a large parchment from underneath the table, unrolling a large schedule as well as a square.


    ¡°I shall like to introduce something we did in Singapore, called crop rotation.¡±


    When a single crop is grown in one field for many years in a row, the crop will cause the depletion of particular nutrients from the soil. This depletion of nutrients leads to poor plant health and lower crop yield.


    Crop rotation also prevents plant diseases and pests by exchanging crops that may be susceptible to a particular disease or pest with a crop that is not susceptible.


    Basically, the crops will grow more efficiently, have a higher yield, and the chances of a famine will decrease.


    The plot of land was divided into four sections. One section shall grow peas, the next, turnips, with the next growing peppers and the last growing lettuce. Of course, these are not the only crops. Lawrence had come up with a list for each section.


    With this, food can be grown efficiently and maintain the fertility of the lands while at the same time increasing the amount harvested.


    Lawrence also introduced another form of a grant, called the Compulsory Livestock Act, where every agricultural household is required to have a minimum of two chickens and two sheep or one cow. 90% of the costs will be paid for by the Town Council, which is really, just Lawrence.


    At the same time, with Roland¡¯s advice, Lawrence has built a massive vault underneath his own home with gold that Lawrence is happy to part with.


    Under his crafting menu, he had more than a thousand gold bars stacked in piles upon piles in his Bag of Holding. Therefore, he was happy to just place a few hundred gold bars around to show Roland that he was indeed serious about the injection of capital.


    Word gradually spread and farmers from neighbouring territories moved almost en masse to Tears, hoping to avoid King Carmine¡¯s high taxes which was felt less painfully here due to the relatively low taxation within Tears.

 Chapter 18: Refugees and Mercy

    As for defence¡­


    ¡°Lawrence, I was hoping that you can train the men yourself. Arm them yourself, drill them yourself, I daresay that no one can do it better than you.¡± Craig said and Lawrence considered it for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to draft farmers, merchants and others for an army. If you find me a hundred labourers willing to try, I can give it a shot.¡± Lawrence said and Craig pondered over it for a moment.


    ¡°Every year, refugees swarm King Carmine¡¯s territories due to the Wars of the Six Kings and Five Princes. If you do not mind, we can write a letter to the Border Patrol of Count Ludwig. We could certainly pay for his transporting of men here.¡± Craig suggested and Lawrence agreed readily.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? In fact, I wish for you to bring me as many refugees as possible. As many as you can! I shall offer a single silver coin for each person.¡± Lawrence said and Jacob looked shocked.


    ¡°You are paying too much, Lawrence. I figured by now you are swimming in money, but by golly, young man!¡± Jacob said disapprovingly, his belly rumbling as well as if echoing his agreement.


    ¡°I have a use for them,¡± Lawrence said and Jacob could only shrug. Right now, even Roland was honestly just town chieftain in the paper. Lawrence had everyone in his pockets. He was paid well, so why argue?


    With that, Roland sent a letter to Count Ludwig who was thrilled to receive the letter. In fact, he even extended an invitation to Lawrence and Roland to his border castle of Skyhaven, where he said he would be happy to entertain them.


    In the next section of the letter, he detailed the number of slaves he could send over, which was about 4000 in which he was barely managing to feed.


    Lawrence then asked Roland to seek Count Ludwig assistance, asking him to detail for each person, a parchment with the seal of Count Ludwig¡¯s House, detailing what their careers were before they became refugees before sending them over.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    With that, what historians called The Great Migration occurred, with over 4000 skilled refugees reaching Tears. Historians would detail that the lands of the Boulesky were filled with an ancient tradition called The Honoured Oath, where men, women and children of Boulesky were taught or even drilled since young to be fiercely loyal and thankful to those that have saved their lives.


    It was said that when Lawrence served every refugee a steaming bowl of mutton and with the softest and most delicious croissant, every man, woman and child who had lost their homes in Boulesky due to the war of their lieges swore their undying loyalty to the Council of Four.


    Lawrence had decided to create three forces from the refugees that had arrived after separating skilled labourers that were in particular demand.


    For example, Roland was tasked to separate former merchants, farmers, herders and herbalists from the group. Lawrence then built a massive spiralling tower that was ten stories high and as per the Deity of Mercy in these lands, Lady Grace, a massive statue of hers was placed at the top of the hospital. Some even swore that at night, the statue glowed once in a while, flooding the tower in an unnatural white light.


    In truth, Lawrence had built the Tower of Healing, in which large clans built in their lands in Ever Dawn to accommodate their injured. The statue at the top served as a massive vessel of holy energy, which channelled healing hourly so that injuries will heal faster.


    The beds were comfortable and wide, water was pumped readily into the tower and patients even had time slots for taking baths.


    One refugee from Boulesky, later Head Nurse in the Tower of Mercy, wrote in her memoirs:


    <hr>


    The Tower of Mercy was more than just a medic¡¯s camp in war or a place where people could go to for medical treatment for free, which was unheard of.


    It did not discriminate against who came to the Tower of Mercy for healing, be it former slaves (Slavery was outlawed in Tears and gradually in Lord Black¡¯s territory) or the most influential noble.


    However, what ceases to amaze me is how The Honourable Carstein has provided the most efficient herbs and underneath the Tower of Mercy, he has built a massive facility he called a Greenhouse, where all these rare herbs continue to grow and I am sure, will continue to thrive even after I have joined the ground.


    In the Tower of Mercy, even the most painful of diseases seem to be less so and I wonder why. A man with a raging fever ceased to moan and groan the moment he entered the Tower, while another who was whimpering from several broken ribs from a hunting accident said he felt the pain gradually dissipate.


    In my na?ve heart, I felt that perhaps, the Lady of Mercy on the tower had carried the pain herself.


    <hr>

 Chapter 19: The Owl Guards

    After separating the skilled labour, Lawrence got about to organize three essential wings of service. The first was the Owl Guard, which would defend the town against external intruders. The second was the Internal Security Department, which Lawrence took to name after its¡¯ real-life counterpart in Singapore. The Internal Security Department was responsible for policing the streets, rooting out spies and investigative work. Lastly, the Civil Defence was responsible for putting out any potential fires, clearing fire hazards and in rescue work.


    The Owl Guard numbered 600 strong, with all their equipment crafted by Lawrence personally, though Lawrence had to really thank the bulk crafting ability of his interface. Though he would go through the motions of crafting one item, in actual fact, in the menu, he was crafting about 50 at once.


    The Owl Guard was further broken down into 3 sections. The Owl Shields, the Owl Bowmen and the Owl Cataphracts.


    The Owl Shields numbered 200 strong, dressed in heavy armour, their steel helmet though with a restrictive view that resembled a slit, gave them complete protection from any lesser weapon. Their steel chest plate and leggings also offered complete protection while their tower shield which was usually bigger than the person themselves made them almost impenetrable from the front. They were given a long sword, similar in length to what Lawrence used. Lastly, they were issued with up to three javelins, allowing them to engage the enemy in a light skirmish before charging in for the kill.


    Next, the soldiers would also be trained in the use of long pikes.


    Unknown to them, Lawrence had also bestowed the buffs of a Guardian onto the armour and weapons, which had the skills, Featherfeet, allowing them to move as though the armour was light or even non-existent, Iron Heart, where the soldiers¡¯ courage is bolstered whenever they see an ally within their vicinity as well as Fortify Strength, which allowed the soldiers to be stronger while wearing this armour.


    As for the Owl Bowmen, Lawrence opted to issue all of them an item called Repeating Crossbows or in the realm of reality may have been called a Chu Ko Nu. The repeating crossbow was said to have been invented by the genius tactician, Zhuge Liang in the Three Kingdoms era. One would be able to fire ten bolts before needing to reload it.


    For the bowmen, Lawrence issued all of them leather armour with a bronze plate underneath, which was still tough, though less so than steel. Each Bowman had a backpack that allowed them to carry ammunition. They also wore a medium helmet that allowed them to have a clear line of sight and offered them decent protection.


    The bows of the soldiers were enchanted with the magic, True Flight, where the weather will no longer play a factor in the trajectory of the arrow.


    Lastly, the Owl Cavalry were horses that Lawrence took a hand in breeding, being trained to be covered entirely in scale armour along with the rider. The rider was issued a spear as well as a sidearm, which Lawrence chose as a mace.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The Persian Cataphracts were considered some of the most fearsome soldiers that the Romans had ever encountered, with their thick armour and thunderous charge capable of shattering some of the most elite Roman legions and Roman arrows were rarely able to penetrate their armour.


    The Owl Cavalry received the blessings of the Horse Gods from Lawrence, where their steeds will never tire even under the extreme burden.


    Lawrence then appointed two former captains from Boulesky who had become deserters because they had to flee to find food for their families.


    One of them was a large and muscular man with an extremely fair complexion, his hair dark brown and eyes lime green, his right hand seemed to have been extremely badly scalded while the other was a tall but skinny man, one of his eyes blind.


    Their names were Longines and Kraft.


    ¡°Longines, I have presented the arms and armour to your men. Are you confident that you will be able to train them well?¡± Lawrence asked and Longines laughed, his tone completely different from his seemingly strict demeanour.


    ¡°Sire, if you asked these men to stand in a battle, I think the enemy may run just looking at them. I have seen no finer arms and armour in my life and it will be an honour for me to be part of the Owl Guard.¡± Longines said, placing his arm over his chest and bowing.


    ¡°I have a plan here, for the formation of the soldiers, for your perusal please,¡± Lawrence said, unrolling a scroll of parchment.


    This was Lawrence¡¯s understanding of the Testudo and Pike Square formation. He had read some books in the library of Black Bay Village which was a miserable existence by the way, but it had books on some of the famed battles.


    It seemed as if this world still lacked a tacit understanding of formations aside from the standard ones. He had never read anything about tortoises, cranes or even items such as the eight trigrams.


    The testudo formation or literally, the turtle formation, proved itself impervious to arrows and can be used to approach a position while under heavy missile fire.


    The pike square formation, on the other hand, was a formation or tactic developed by the Swiss Confederacy for use by its men.


    Facing the overwhelming force that was the Burgundian Compagnie d''ordonnance that consisted of knights, dismounted men-at-arms and a variety of ranged units, which had defeated the French, the Swiss answer was the Pike Square formation.


    While on the move, the pike would be carried vertically. However, the troops were drilled to be able to point their pikes in any direction while stationary, with the men in the front of the formation kneeling to allow the men in the centre or back to point their pikes over their heads.


    While stationary, the staff of each pike could be butted against the ground, giving it resistance against attack. Squares could be joined together to form a battle line. If surrounded, pikes could still be pointed in all directions. A well-drilled square could change direction very quickly, making it difficult to outmanoeuvre on horseback.


    He had hoped that with this armament and proper training that he had bestowed upon the Owl Guards, would allow even a smaller force to be able to challenge a force with numerical superiority.


    As Longines and Kraft examined the parchment, Kraft gave a small smile.


    ¡°I see that it has its practicality.¡± Kraft simply said, his fingers tracing the rough ideas that Lawrence had sketched down from his understanding of history.


    ¡°As for food, pay and lodgings of the soldiers, they will all be taken care of. I wish for the both of you to assist me in turning the soldiers of Tears into the most elite units ever.¡± Lawrence said and the two of them bowed deeply.


    Longines Kempf and Kraft Evian would later go down in history as the two generals that helped cement the fame of the Owl Guards, the term used to group all the services of the Owl Shields, the Owl Bowmen and the Owl Cataphracts.


    The former was nicknamed Longines the Bold while the latter was Kraft the Cunning.

 Chapter 20: Evergarden Designs

    Lawrence built an entire section for the training and accommodation of soldiers, where large fields were singled out and obstacles built to train horsemen, large ranges built to train men in archery and large fields with training weapons to practice fighting.


    Mock houses were built for men to practice fighting indoors within close quarters, while the men shared a large bunk, forging a camaraderie.


    The pay of the soldiers also affirmed their loyalty, being three times the rates of a professional soldier.


    Lawrence was able to erect the buildings without the others witnessing it but the walls were going to be a problem.


    If a wall was built overnight, you will have to be crazy not to question it.


    With that, Lawrence had no choice but to finally leave the bustling city of Tears and head for Ludium, where Craig accompanied him along with Quenya.


    As Lawrence neared the city of Ludium, he observed that the walls were of moderate height compared to the ones he read about in books of history. However, spikes adorned the top of the walls, which would have prevented any siege ladders from crashing against it.


    At the gates, there was a checkpoint manned by a lazy guard that couldn¡¯t have seen an army a mile away. He did not even look up to look at their faces when he issued them a 3-day pass.


    ¡°Welcome to Ludium, Lawrence, this is Lord Black¡¯s most proud work. His father and his grandfather have focused their lives on the development of Ludium and so has he.¡± Craig said, and the first thought that came to Lawrence was how the area reminded him of the cobbled streets of Netherlands along the older areas.


    Along the streets, stalls selling all forms of bubbles gathered, even street food that ranged from slices of delectable smoked duck all the way to honeyed bat wings.


    The buildings were decorated with many signs and symbols, with many of them being textile shops, general shops or even weapon shops


    ¡°The finest herbs that you will ever see!¡± One herbalist shouts, ¡°The finest sword and shield you will ever lay eyes upon! It is dangerous to go alone, buy a dagger!¡± A weaponsmith yells to the passing crowds.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Though Tears was starting to bustle with life, there were still not many shops around and most people haven''t saved enough money to buy things aside from essentials though there was a sign of gradual change.


    A labourer may buy a small pot of tea to supplement his breakfast, or a mother may have been more willing to buy a croissant for her child and a young lass has become more willing to buy an earring made by the new jeweller in town.


    However, it will still be months before any real change is enacted. There is only so much you can do by throwing in huge amounts of money. You can buy the nicest armour, keenest blade but still be unskilled in its use.


    Ludium on the other hand, may not look as pretty but it definitely has more money running around in the pockets of the people.


    As Lawrence followed Craig and Quenya, he noticed what seemed like guards patrolling the city, clad in leather armour, with what seemed like the squad leader in iron armour. Their weapons were slightly rusted. The helmet the squad leader was wearing even had a slight dent in it.


    However, from this Lawrence could interfere that the guards in the city were not untested.


    Soon, the aroma of bread wafted into Lawrence¡¯s nose. In the open city square, he could see a large wagon with workers in a¡ª


    ¡°The uniforms were my daughter¡¯s ideas, I hope you do not blame her,¡± Craig said as Lawrence¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked at the girls busy serving the bread and buns to the crowd of customers.


    The girls had a blue headscarf, with white polka dots, a long blue dress and a white apron, with the words, ¡®The Guardian¡¯s Bakery¡¯ embroidered on them.


    The girls were extremely pretty as well.


    The male servers who were bringing dishes around, on the other hand, were dressed like butlers, their appearance dashing and handsome.


    Quenya stammered, ¡°I just thought it would have been a good idea¡­¡±


    Lawrence roared with laughter, slapping both Quenya andCraig on the shoulder repeatedly.


    ¡°This is an amazing idea! Every one of our workers should get a uniform like this! Maybe we can even have posters of our workers drawn like this!¡± Lawrence said eagerly, multiple marketing angles spinning in his head.


    Uniforms are sometimes important to a brand¡¯s corporate identity. For example, most of us would be able to spot a Starbucks barista a mile away from the attire he is dressed in. Next, they enforce a form of camaraderie between the employees, which helps them to work better, or at least that is the idea behind it.


    Lawrence was so pleased with what he saw that he arranged for Quenya to be awarded a pearl necklace from his inventory, which Quenya the Merchantress would be known for wearing especially even in the paintings of history that hung in the courts.


    ¡°Lawrence, the person who helped you finalize your design for the wagons is from this shop,¡± Craig said, the trio stopping in front of a rather pleasant shop exterior that had a see-through display filled with figurines of buildings that reminded Lawrence of the modular terrains he saw in Dungeons & Dragons.


    On the glass door, the word, Evergarden Designs.

 Chapter 21: The Test of Time

    Lawrence gently pushed open the door, a bell ringing as he did so.


    ¡°Welcome to Evergarden Designs, how can I help you?¡±


    An old lady with her white hair pinned neatly back, a brown shawl covering her dark green dress that had the patterns of roses upon them. Her nose was slightly crooked, a nasty gash down the entirety of her right cheek.


    However, her brown eyes stared straight at Lawrence, then moved briefly to Quenya before stopping on Craig for a few moments before moving to Lawrence again.


    Lawrence Carstein, the man in heavily clad armour, seemed to feel fear for a moment, as the lady bore some resemblance to his mathematics teacher in secondary school.


    ¡°Knight, I sell nothing that you need. Be on your way.¡± The lady huffed, her eyes narrowing as she returned her gaze to the open book in front of her, sitting back down on her blue, cushion-backed chair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, Eveline, the Honourable Carstein came all the way from Tears to see you!¡± Craig said, stepping forward, his tone cheerful and the lady by the name of Eveline sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Craig. How¡­ Lovely to see you.¡± Eveline said, not a trace of joy on her face. You definitely saw him earlier, was what Lawrence thought to himself.


    ¡°Lawrence, meet Eveline Evergarden, the owner of Evergarden Designs,¡± Craig said, after a moment of awkward silence as if he seemed to contemplate if his supposed friendship with Eveline was ever real in the first place.


    ¡°Very pleased to meet you, Miss Evergarden,¡± Lawrence said, bowing a little.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°A knight with manners, how rare. And so you are the puppet master of all your little puppets in Tears, I am assuming?¡± Eveline said, seeming to have the faintest interest in Lawrence, eyeing Lawrence from behind her table.


    ¡°Yes, I need your help in building the world¡¯s best city.¡± Lawrence started but Eveline waved him off almost instantly.


    ¡°Heard that pitch before. Next.¡± Eveline waved her hand airily and Lawrence suddenly received a pop-up.


    Passive Perception Activated. Target: Eveline Evergarden


    Hint: Perhaps Eveline will be more convinced by action than words¡­


    What was Lawrence supposed to do, kidnap her?


    ¡°Miss Evergarden, if you do put your work to my goal of creating a prosperous city of peace and harmony, I will work with you hand in hand to build the craziest cities,¡± Lawrence said, taking out a Scroll of Creation.


    Within this scroll, Lawrence¡¯s mind churned, trying to squeeze out an image to project onto the scroll. In his head, the only thing he could think of was the city of Leviathan, a massive sprawling city in the game of Ever Dawn, consisting of massive towers that helped to provide accommodation, massive shops and large systems of sanitation.


    It was unfortunately destroyed as a frontline city, in which its former glory was only available to the player in a cutscene.


    As Eveline took the scroll, she unrolled it and as she scanned it, her mouth opened, then closed.


    ¡°You came up with this, Lawrence Carstein?¡± Eveline asked, her eyes scanning the man clad in heavy armour once more.


    Lawrence nodded and Eveline rolled up the scroll and placed it on her table.


    ¡°Do you happen to have a space for me in that city that I have heard so much about, Lawrence Carstein?¡±


    Eveline Evergarden, often shunned by nobility due to her gender had etched out a modest living in a shop in Ludium, patronized by small-time merchants and businesses to design their shops.


    However, when Eveline Evergarden became the Chief Architect of Tears, it was said that every day, she stared at the painting in which Lawrence Carstein had given her. Even near death, she requested that the painting be buried with her. However, though she did not manage to build a city quite like it, with Lawrence¡¯s help and innovation as well as his seemingly endless source of income which she freely admits that she uses liberally, Tears was one of the few cities that stood the test of time.

 Chapter 22: The Kings Demands

    Lord Black flung his goblet against the pillar, shattering the goblet into smithereens and splinters of wood, the wine spilling and itself against the pillar and the carpet below.


    In the brightly lit great hall of Everett, the envoy sent by King Carmine remained unmoved by Edward Black¡¯s display of anger.


    ¡°How can I possibly give another 30000 gold coins to you!?¡± Lord Black roared, so loudly that even the guards stationed outside the door opened the door slightly to make sure that their liege has not cut down the envoy already.


    Kaisenberg was so angered that even his calm demeanour showed signs of breaking, with his hand already dangerously hovering on the hilt of his blade.


    ¡°Why, Lord Black, there is no need to anger yourself so. King Carmine has found that it is time for the money invested by his forebears to finally be reaped. However, in the King¡¯s generosity, he only wishes to ask for a one-time payment of 30,000 gold coins on top of your usual taxes of course.¡± The envoy said patiently, his hands wide open as if this was only the most natural thing for Edward to do for his own king.


    Lord Black trembled with rage. He only had a slight surplus of 2000 coins a month and his reserves had almost already been cleaned out. Where on earth was he going to dig 30,000 coins from unless he held a knife to every single man, woman and child in his territories and robbed them blind?


    ¡°This is absurd. I have had enough.¡±


    A voice from a man who was sitting at the side, dressed in almost entirely in dark brown, his coat tattered and torn, his own armour with the sigil of a maple. He had white hair and an otherwise average looking face, nothing too prominent.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    However, this was Count Boulevard, who had come to Lord Black¡¯s fortress as a guest, only to encounter the Imperial envoy here as well.


    ¡°Oh? Count Boulevard, are you saying that the King is unjust?¡± the envoy asked mockingly, turning to face the Count.


    The Count sighed, standing up from his seat.


    ¡°I am not saying if the court is just or unjust, or rather, the king¡­ I apologize, an old man¡­ confuses his words sometimes¡­¡± Count Boulevard rubbed his forehead with his fingers as if it was aching.


    ¡°But what I meant was perhaps you should feedback to the King that both our lands have almost already been bled dry by our support for His Majesty¡­ I myself have sent 5000 men, which is almost all I have to King Carmine¡¯s campaign against the Gerheist. You ought to remember well who had held back the Gerheist Winged Hussars while you were running tail between legs, envoy.¡± Count Boulevard replied, looking at the envoy with an absolute look of boredom, mixed with perhaps, just a touch of disdain.


    ¡°And we are very grateful, Count Boulevard! However, in times of economic crisis, the sense of loyalty among men, women and children towards the nation always prevails! Including the loyalty of noblemen such as yourselves, of course!¡± the envoy bowed respectfully.


    At this point, Lord Black felt like ordering Kaisenberg to cut the envoy¡¯s tongue off, but he knew that he had nothing to hold back an entire Imperial expedition.


    Weak as King Carmine may be compared to his father, he could still easily muster 15,000 men, compared to his own pathetic 500 and if Lord Black decided to scrape the manpower barrel, 1000.


    Count Boulevard took a look at the envoy and tilted his head.


    ¡°Then, I understand that the King will most definitely understand the plights of his loyal servants. You can be on your way, for the night is long and there is plenty of land to cover.¡± Count Boulevard said, gesturing for Kaisenberg to send the envoy away.

 Chapter 23: The Tax Man

    Before the envoy could protest, the doors swung open as if the guards had been waiting for their cue to do so and with a gesture of their spear, ¡°Respected envoy, this way to the stables.¡±


    As the envoy was led away with some intimidating tactics by Kaisenberg and his guards, the doors swung itself close and Edward Black sat back in his chair, sighing loudly.


    ¡°My liege, where on earth do I dig up 30,000 gold coins?¡± Edward Black asked, clutching his own head and Count Boulevard drank an entire goblet of wine and some.


    ¡°I hope he chokes on his chicken and dies tonight, in all due honesty.¡± Count Bouelvard replied and Edward gave another loud and long sigh.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to pay tributaries for me this year. I think you will need it.¡± Count Boulevard said right after but this lifted nothing off Edward¡¯s shoulders. As a sign of respect to his liege, minor bannermen will give gifts to their liege, though this did not exempt them from taxation by the royal family. Every year, Lord Black gave 300 coins to Count Boulevard but honestly, that was a drop in the ocean compared to 30,000.


    ¡°Milord, the tax collector Johannes is here to see you.¡± A guardsman announced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will sort it out somehow with something that does not involve you sending all your men out to start robbing.¡± Count Boulevard said, as if in jest.


    Johannes Trove has just returned from his inspection tour of Lord Black¡¯s territory and it was his duty to help Lord Black collect taxes. In the past, Lord Black¡¯s father could wait till the next day to hear the tax report, but now, in Edward Black¡¯s time, if a merchant was going to donate even 50 gold coins, Lord Black would wake up at midnight if the merchant so requested.


    A short, stout man with a massive beard that reached his chest walked in, his arms muscular and his stride was long and confident. In his sling bag were parchments sticking out of it.


    ¡°Milord, your servant, Johannes Trove is here.¡± Johannes said respectfully, first bowing to Lord Black before turning to Count Boulevard.


    ¡°Thank you, Johannes. Please, tell me you have good news.¡± Lord Black said, as he always has for the past few years as the house got increasingly destitute.


    ¡°Come now. Johannes, let¡¯s start by reminding us of last year¡¯s tax income and expenditure. Summarize please.¡± Count Boulevard said, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms.


    ¡°Certainly, milords. To begin with, last year¡¯s tax income or in the year 205, the total tax income of Ludium, Everett as well as Black Bay Village totalled 3211 gold coins, with the greatest expenditure being that of taxes to King Carmine, followed by the pay of retainers. If I may add, this meant that the sections neglected were¡ª¡°This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°No, please¡­ I know full well what I ignored¡­¡± Lord Black said in a pained voice and Johannes coughed, as if triumphant.


    ¡°This year, in the year 206, as ordered by Lord Black, I have conducted a preliminary inspection of likely income via taxes with the reason of the surprise inspection as unexpected, given by Lord Black¡­¡±


    Sometimes, Lord Black wondered if Johannes took the chance of announcing tax results as a way of shitting on him.


    ¡°In the areas of Ludium and Everett, the total number of gold coins we expect is 2520, a drop from their contribution of 3200 the previous year.¡±


    Lord Black¡¯s heart sank. Count Boulevard sighed deeply, genuinely sympathizing for Lord Black. Count Boulevard was slightly lucky as he was always able to fall back on the fact that he had contributed men to the King¡¯s campaign and he was still tax exempt for a year.


    With that, Lord Black made to stand up and leave, his hopes and dreams crushed. Now, he had to think of a proper way to rob his own citizens without his own head ending up in a chopping block manned by an angry citizen.


    ¡°An unexpected development has occurred in Black Bay Village and by my calculations, the tax income will be that of 3466 and is expected to rise further.¡±


    Count Bouelvard spat out the wine he was drinking and Edward Black who was already halfway across the hall and nearing the exit turned around, as if not believing what he was hearing.


    ¡°The tax income is primarily from the Development Tax that was implemented. Due to massive developments of the area, the taxes are calculated accordingly. Roland, the town chieftain has produced a clear accounting of the books thus far and the gold is already ready and waiting for collection.¡± Johannes said, rolling up his scroll.


    ¡°How can¡­ How can Black Bay Village have so much funds to¡­ No¡­ Nevermind¡­ I¡­ Tell me what happened there.¡± Edward Black said, quickly moving back to his chair. At this point, even Count Boulevard had leaned forward, making sure to catch every word that Johannes will be saying.


    Then, Johannes launched into a story of what he saw, which were massive agricultural fields , massive herds of animals and rows upon rows of neatly lined up buildings, inns and shops.


    To Johannes, the city lacked higher levelled expenditure, but due to the taxation levied on development, the amount that Black Bay Village had to pay was accordingly high as well. On places such as Ludium and Everett, the main sources of tax came from trade taxation as well as income taxation.


    However, Black Bay Village had not yet have that applied to them due to their supposedly extremely small population.


    However, Johannes found out that Black Bay Village had accepted the refugees fleeing from the Wars of the Six Kings and Five Princes and put them to work and given them a steady income.


    Not wanting to overstep his authority to inspect the income of the average worker in the area, Johannes had merely inspected the taxation that was possible to be levied from development alone.


    ¡°Was Black Bay Village ever this advanced?¡± Edward frowned, scratching his head to think about anyone who could possibly fund such a large endeavour.


    ¡°My liege, this was made possible by the founder of The Guardian¡¯s Bakery, Lawrence Carstein. Jacob, whom I believe milord has met, said that Lawrence Carstein was funding everything.¡±


    Lord Black stared at Johannes blankly for a moment.


    ¡°I think you found your road out, Edward.¡± Count Boulevard said loudly, standing up to stretch and yawning as he left the halls, with a vaguely annoyed Johannes and an Edward Black who was positively beaming.

 Chapter 24: The Cavern

    Perhaps, they considered that there will be a bear or two, or even a pack of wolves. However, the Tumbleton siblings were now burdened beyond belief.


    When they entered the cave, they were greeted with the pungent smell of rotten flesh, and that was honestly something the Tumbleton siblings were used to, since their uncle, Craig Tumbleton often loved to tan leather when he was around.


    Once they entered the cave, they found several discarded belongings that would have belonged to people from all walks of life. Pouches filled with coins probably carried by merchants or bandits, short swords carried by adventurers or even upturned baskets of clothing and even rotting food.


    ¡°Kunivia, bring your torch closer,¡± Kessler said, bending down as he stopped his sister from walking forward. Kunivia, decked in black leather that complimented her hair, was also holding a crossbow in her hand and a torch in the other, lowered the torch to where her brother was looking at.


    The torch illuminated Kessler¡¯s black chainmail, as he sat down his round shield and longsword, to examine the tripwire.


    ¡°Traps.¡± Kunivia sniffed and Kessler nodded. Following the wire, Kessler raised his head and saw a large rock with spikes impaled on them.


    ¡°Avalan said that the cave has been explored before right?¡± Kessler asked, standing up and picking up his equipment before sidestepping the trap. The crossbow-wielding Kunivia nodded. This meant that someone had decided to set up shop here.


    The cave had a lack of spiders as well, nor any other insect that would have crawled and moved. In fact, it seemed that this place was devoid of any insects.


    ¡°Crossbow loaded?¡± Kessler asked and Kunivia nodded and they advanced into the cave. Soon, they came to what seemed like a cave wall that has been smashed into.


    ¡°Look, a pickaxe,¡± Kunivia whispered, pointing at the pickaxe leaning against the side of the cave.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be needing the torch.¡±


    Kunivia and Kessler gripped their weapons and swallowed their saliva as the voice echoed down the cave.


    ¡°Come, come. Guests shouldn¡¯t be made to wait.¡± The voice echoed once again, a pleasant male voice as if that of a man in his 20s. The two looked behind, only to see that the path they had come in from had vanished.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Now now, you have come so far, it is only polite to at least have tea.¡± The voice sounded once again.


    ¡°You, stand behind me,¡± Kessler said, raising his shield a little as the siblings walked forward through the darkness that seemed an eternity. The sound of silence stretched on as well, where the only sounds the siblings could hear their own breathing and footsteps.


    After what seemed like an eternity, the duo finally reached a solid iron door, with the insignia of an upside down cross, which held no meaning to the two of them.


    This opened the door to a large furnished room, dark red carpets, red drapes along the walls. Sconces light the otherwise dark room. At the very centre was a large campfire, surrounded by three chairs. A man in a merchant¡¯s clothes sit in it, warming his hands. The man had a scar above his eyebrow, dark red hair and a charming smile that accentuated his sharp jawlines.


    However, standing along the walls were what seemed to be two dozen men, women and children. All of them unblinking and unmoving.


    ¡°Come, come, sit. Tea?¡± the man smiled, flashing his white teeth as he raised a bronze tea pot and held two small cups in his other hand.


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Kessler said, doing his best at managing a smile, his longsword still grasped in his hand.


    ¡°No? That¡¯s a shame. He brought the tea here.¡± The man said, pointing at one of the men standing along the wall.


    ¡°Who are¡­ These people?¡± Kunivia asked, her voice trembling slightly. The calm, cool demeanour of the man sitting on the chair was freaking him out. The fact that two dozens or so men, women and children stood there, not moving, not blinking and not saying a word freaked him out as well.


    ¡°Well, apologies, your names again?¡± the man asked, standing up and straightening his clothes.


    ¡°Hansel and Gretel!¡± Kessler said loudly, stunning Kunivia and the man nodded.


    ¡°Well, Hansel and Gretel¡­ these people are my guests. So you shall join them! Would you not?¡± the man smiled and Kessler, who was shaking a little forced a smile.


    ¡°But, who are you?¡± Kunivia asked, her crossbow already slightly raised.


    ¡°That, good sir and madam, is a good question. I have had many names and a slumber I was in after an ancient warrior confined me in here. Yet, these people¡ª¡° the man gestured to a pair of muscled men that had dirt all over their vests and one of them even had a mining hat on, with an extinguished candle in the front.


    ¡°-awoke me and then I realized that the world is so different now. I hear that there are no longer Paladin orders, nor Crusader Kings¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ And my name is Venti Laughlin, people back then used to call me¡­¡±


    Venti Laughlin snaps his fingers and the room that was brightly lit and well decorated suddenly felt cold and dark. The drapes and carpets disappeared, replaced with splashes of blood, flesh and guts all along the walls and floors.


    The men, women and children that stood there suddenly looked as if they were rotting and moaning mindlessly and they started to amble towards the siblings, with the rotting children scampering forward, as if ready to jump them.

 Chapter 25: Struggle

    ¡°¡­ The Butcher.¡±


    However, Kessler and Kunivia knew all along that something was going to happen, just not in this manner.


    Kessler kicked one of the child zombies and shoved Kunivia out of the cave and slammed the metal door shut behind them.


    ¡°Kunivia, you run, understand!?¡± Kessler shouts, holding the metal door in place with the entirety of his weight and strength.


    ¡°Are you kidding!? Let¡¯s go together!¡± Kunivia shouted, with the metallic door suddenly turning into wood, and a hand bursts through the wood, maggots writhing and squirming in the hand.


    ¡°There  is no way on earth we are going to make it out of here in one piece, Kunivia!¡± Kessler shouted as he brought his round shield up to deflect the blow of the hideous monster, which had seemed human when he was alive. Now, it was a hunk of metal, its flesh having rotted clear off in some areas.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say nonsense like that!¡± Kunivia screamed, her crossbow reloading in a panic as she shot the small skeletons behind.  They had accepted the bounty by the newly established town of Singing Gardens to investigate the odd disappearances around a recently discovered cavern. However, two junior adventurers had no idea what they were in for.


    ¡°Yes, fight! Fight! Entertain me! It pleases me so to watch all of you worthless maggots squirm and struggle!¡± A mad cackle sounds and Kessler, furious, reaches into his pouch as he drops his shield.


    ¡°Take this stone of sending and ask for Uncle Craig to come to our help! Run! I¡¯ll meet you in the old place! I promise!¡± Kessler shouts, tossing a glowing stone towards Kunivia who catches it. Kessler smiles at Kunivia, before throwing his weight against the door once more, forcing it to shut itself once more, though it seems that it would come apart at any time.


    ¡°S-See you!¡± Kunivia says as she runs, tears flowing freely down her face.


    ¡°U-Uncle Craig, we need your help! Can you hear us!?¡±

 Chapter 26: A Call for Help

    ¡°And for today¡¯s agenda--¡± Roland clapped his hands together but a dim blue light glowed from Craig¡¯s bag, along with a slight vibrating noise.


    ¡°Ah, apologies must be my nephew and niece. They are adventurers you see, often asking me for advice--¡±


    Lawrence observed with interest the Stone of Sending which Craig gingerly took out of his pouch and was wrapped in layers of cloth.


    ¡°Ah, yes, Uncle Craig here, what is it?¡± Craig asked cheerfully, his smile bright on his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for uh¡­¡± Jacob said, gesturing at Craig and everyone nodded. However, Craig sat up for a moment, as he listened to the details of the message.


    ¡°Are Sending Stones rare here?¡± Lawrence asked and Roland nodded.


    ¡°Craig here had two, one he gave to his adventuring nephew and niece. You see, he took care of them for quite a while-¡±


    ¡°Okay, Kessler is right, Kunivia, you get to a safe place. The town right? I¡¯ll be right over.¡± Craig said, standing up and grabbing his personal effects, surprising everyone present.


    "Is everything okay?" Roland asked and Craig shook his head.


    "They accepted a quest to explore some oddities at a cave but now they''re being hunted by rotting corpses... I... I need to go." Craig said and Lawrence stood up, holding back his shoulder.


    "Is it far from here?" Lawrence asked and Craig nodded. Singing Gardens was about a week''s travel non-stop. They had to travel to Ludium, then another 3 days towards the border.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Singing Gardens is one of those frontier towns that pops up once in awhile hoping to discover a mine in order to become a more permanent territory granted recognition by a noble or by the King. There should be an Adventurers'' Guild there for sure. We can get more help there." Roland suggested and Craig nodded.


    "Apologies, Lawrence, I need to go help my kin," Craig said and Lawrence nodded.


    "Let''s go then."


    A silence falls over the room and Roland laughs, sitting down and pouring himself a glass of wine.


    "Oh well, the agenda can wait. You can take the Honourable Carstein with you. After all, he should see more of the world before joining us in a game of thrones."


    "We can talk on the way there. It is urgent, yes?" Lawrence said, walking to his room to put on his entire suit of armour as well as his sword. He slung his shield behind his back and fastened his sword to his waist. Roland had taken the liberty to requisition two horses from the Owl Cavalry.


    "How about taking a few bodyguards with you?" Jacob asked and before Craig or Lawrence could reply, Roland shot down the idea.


    "I apologize for sounding harsh, but sending heavy cavalry, footmen or skilled archers thundering through the domain of other lords is a huge way to get attention," Roland interjected and Lawrence couldn''t help but agree. They have been trying their damnest to change the reputation of Tears and Black Bay to that of an up and coming trading city with generous grants and even more generous terms of business.


    However, if any of them led a good fifty men thundering towards a frontier town and anything untoward happen to the town, caused or not caused by them, Lawrence and his men will be blamed.


    "I wish all of you good fortune in the battles to come." Roland smiled as Craig and Lawrence mounted their horses. Lawrence waved and as he and his friend slowly rode out of the town, many of the townsfolks waved at them as well, with some shouting, "Safe passage, Honourable Carstein!"


    As Lawrence waved back, he thought to himself, "Ah, this is indeed the kampung spirit."

 Chapter 27: Forest Altis

    Lawrence and Craig made for Ludium where they briefly stopped for Craig to greet Quenya who was busy working in the Guardian''s Bakery. At Lawrence''s urging, she had included small written cards by a small legion of scribes of all of the Guardian''s Bakery branches around the city and in Black Bay.


    "Father, be careful, they like to go to... Dangerous places." Quenya said indignantly and Craig nodded, pointing at Lawrence.


    "I got him. What are you afraid of?" Craig smiled and Lawrence scowled, prompting both of them to laugh.


    "Anyone who stands in the fire will get killed, Craig. I expect you to listen to me if you want to live to a ripe long age." Lawrence replied sarcastically though his heart sank a little at the thoughts running through his head.


    What if by some difficulty, he would not be able to protect Craig? How would he face Quenya? Craig''s wife?


    Swallowing those fears, Lawrence suddenly recalled the teachings of his parents.


    "Do what you can. As man does their deeds, the heavens watch."


    Lawrence looked up at the grey sky.


    Ma? Pa? Are you well?


    Your useless son is trying to help other people. Will you approve of what I am doing? Beyond this world, will you find your peace in yours?Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Lawrence? Let''s go." Craig said, mounting his horse and as Lawrence did the same, he spent his day thinking about his parents, as their horses stormed towards the Singing Gardens.


    Or at least that''s what they imagined.


    They were supposed to follow the coast, then cross a bridge and continue following the coast.


    However, there is a problem indeed when the bridge is under repairs.


    "No, no, I''m not listening. The bridge is under repairs by order of Marquis Van Shelk!" the extremely bored looking guard said, his spear held limply in his hand. Behind him, a small encampment of workers and bricklayers sit and have dinner around the campfires.


    "Then how do we get across to Singing Gardens?" Lawrence asked and the guard scratched his chin as the guard''s eyes moved from Craig''s bow to Lawrence''s sword.


    "If you really need to go to the Singing Gardens, you may have to dare to go through Forest Altis," the guard replied, his gaze holding what would amount to curiosity.


    "Let''s go then," Lawrence said, making to move back to the horses but Craig held him back.


    "Uh... Lawrence, there is something real about the Forest Altis that you need to understand," Craig said and the guard smirked as if having scored a mental victory.


    "Well, it was a tale from long ago. However, never do groups of people lesser than eight make through the place," the guard said and Lawrence scratched his chin.


    "You buy it?" Lawrence asked Craig and the latter, who had not believed in the existence of sirens, nodded sheepishly.


    "Fill me in?" Lawrence asked and at this point, the guard said, "You can make camp near us tonight. It best not to be on your own especially so near the frontier."


    As Lawrence and Craig led their horses to the encampment and set up tent, they joined the workers having their dinner - A pot of gruel.


    "So, can you tell me about the Forest Altis? What''s wrong with it?" Lawrence asked Craig and before the huntsman could reply, one of the workers laughed.


    "Not from around here eh!? Never heard of the Mad Marquis and the Butcher!?"

 Chapter 28: The Tale of the Marquis and the Butcher

    Lawrence turned to the man whose face and overall was covered in dirt. He had a large bushy beard and the word that Lawrence found quite apt to describe his physique was that of a bear.


    ¡°No, I have not, good sir, do you mind enlightening me?¡± Lawrence asked, giving a polite smile and reaching into his bag for a bottle of wine which he raised. The worker looked at the bottle of wine and broke into a smile, reaching out to take it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the way to tell a story!  Good man!¡± the bearded man laughed, corking open the bottle and taking a swig from it.


    ¡°Well, where should I start¡­¡± the worker said, scratching his chin through his beard. The fire crackled as the workers and Lawrence as well as Craig waited patiently.


    ¡°It started in Marquis Donovan¡¯s domain of the Forest Altis forty years ago. The young man believed that if he bathed in the blood of young children, he will ascend to the heavens as a demi-god.¡±


    ¡°Then, in his domain, he sent out his soldiers to find young children and at night, he would hand them to his right-hand man, Venti Laughlin. They say that Venti enjoyed the taste of human flesh and enjoyed watching people suffer. Of course, we don¡¯t know how much is true.¡± The worker shrugged, taking another sip of wine.


    ¡°And the King let this happen?¡± Lawrence said, incredulous.  Craig interjected this time, saying, ¡°Marquis Donovan¡¯s father was a hero to the nation. In fact, they say that they never intended for him to inherit his seat, but the sudden death of the senior Marquis left a messy succession process in which the young, cruel and evil Marquis Donovan won.¡±


    ¡°However, one day, Donovan¡¯s Gatherers, oh, that was the thing they called the Marquis¡¯s gathering of young children, grabbed a young lass off a wagon.¡±


    At that point, several people whistled and leaned forward, as if knowing that it was near the climax.


    ¡°However, what the Marquis, the Butcher and their men did not know was that the child was the daughter of the Wolf of Seacrest, who was, in turn, the son-in-law to Father Karl Franz, the head of the Paladin Order of Suffering.


    So¡­ Basically, the Marquis offended two powerful people in succession huh¡­


    ¡°The elderly Father Karl Franz, strong and tall even in his advanced age, stormed into the capital of King Carmine, furious and red-faced and held up his gauntlet.¡±


    ¡°He then declared to King Carmine, ¡°If you dare stop me from purging evil in these lands and bringing back my granddaughter, I will drop these gauntlets in these halls!¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Rumour has it that even though King Carmine appeared angry, he actually clapped and rejoiced in his own private chambers.¡±


    Why will he not, Lawrence thought to himself, the King has not been able to get rid of him without worrying the nobles. Now, an opportunity falls from the sky and in front of him.


    ¡°Well, the Father Karl Franz then called for a crusade against Forest Altis and the mighty stronghold of Altland. His son-in-law, Feyland Seacrest mustered rows upon rows of warships which descended the banks along here with sailors, paladins swarming the shore like locusts! But guess what¡­¡±


    As the storyteller pauses dramatically, many held their breath, including Lawrence.


    ¡°The Marquis locks everyone from here to Altis into Altland and he locks himself and the Butcher into their great study where they studied for months on end as Karl Franz and Feyland screamed and shouted for the return of the child.¡±


    ¡°One day, the moon suddenly turned red and the stronghold had buckets upon buckets of blood poured from it. A sense of dread seemed to originate from the castle¡­ Yet, on that same day, fate would have it that Father Karl Franz deciding enough was enough, led a group of elite paladins to sneak into the fortress along with a handful of sailors.¡±


    ¡°What Father Karl Franz saw was so horrible that he personally refused to talk about it and swore every Paladin to silence. However, you know how sailors are!¡± the worker laughed but no one laughed in response.


    Coughing awkwardly, the worker ploughed ahead with his tale.


    ¡°As the Father led the men along the poorly guarded ramparts, they cut down the guards and when they made a turn to the castle courtyard, there were rows upon rows of men, women and children crucified and their blood draining into the center, where a large table stood, a small girl tied to it.¡±


    ¡°The Father instantly recognized the girl as his grand-daughter, and the group made a beeline for the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°The guards spotted them and when the Father reached his grandchild, he cut her loose and hoisting her over his shoulder, his blade blazing with a white light as he warned his attackers that God will strike them down if they dared harm his grandchild.¡±


    ¡°The guards hesitated for a moment and the group retreated, only encountering feeble resistance. As they made for freedom, the girl told his grandfather that they were attempting a ritual to call back something.¡±


    ¡°However, before she finished her sentence, the ground shook and a jet of red shot up from where the courtyard would have been, and a blood-curdling scream was heard.¡±


    ¡°And guess who the Marquis used to replace the sacrifice¡­ You got that right¡­ He used¡­ The Butcher!¡± the worker said, finishing the bottle.


    ¡°But I¡¯m going to assume the good guys won in the end, right?¡± Lawrence said and everyone nodded.


    ¡°Well, of course, why would you expect otherwise?¡± the worker replied, nodding almost as if sagely.


    ¡°Then the gates of the fortress opened, and what flooded through were men, women and children who have long been dead but are rotting away,¡± the worker continued, and the vision of zombies briefly entered Lawrence¡¯s mind.


    ¡°You mean zombies?¡± Lawrence asked and everyone present tilted their heads in confusion. Ah. The word zombie must not yet have appeared.


    ¡°At the helm of the counterattack was Venti Laughlin, looking healthy as ever, clad in his grey robes.¡±


    ¡°The two forces clashed and the unlife seems to have won for a moment until Karl, Feyland and Venti clashed. Feyland, throwing himself to hold onto Venti, allowed Karl to plunge his sacred blade into the body. But guess what? There was no flesh underneath his cloak. Only¡­¡±


    The worker breathed in deeply, before whispering, ¡°Only¡­ bones and a black heart.¡±

 Chapter 29: Sacred Protection

    ¡°Feyland grabbed both of the unlife Venti¡¯s arms and Karl worked his prayers, banishing the unlife leader. And as for the Marquis¡­ No one found him. Some say, he died feeding on the contaminated blood of the unlife. Who knows?¡± the worker shrugged and Lawrence thought to himself.


    Was there ever such a creature? Humanoid in most aspects except the chest? Lawrence could not recall being such a creature. Is it possible that it was in the expansion pack he never played? Lawrence shrugged.


    ¡°So the roads are infected with the unde-unlife?¡± Lawrence asked and the worker shrugged.


    ¡°All I know is that small groups of people never leave the forest. Apparently, the magic number is eight.¡± The worker said and Lawrence nodded slowly. Even if Lawrence were to buy into the superstition, Craig and he were just two people.


    ¡°The bridge won¡¯t be done anytime soon, right?¡± Craig asked anxiously and the worker shook his head.


    ¡°Something tore this bridge clean down the centre. We have to practically rebuild the whole bridge. Where are all of you headed?¡± the worker asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°We are both headed to Singing Gardens,¡± Craig replied and the worker scratched his beard.


    ¡°You could hire a small boat to get you there¡­ But you won¡¯t find any more private hire boats in this area.¡± The worker yawned and Lawrence almost rolled his eyes. What is it this time?


    ¡°A small boat came to shore a few days back, apparently the sirens are hunting now. That captain and the merchant right?¡± the worker asked to a chorus of agreements.


    ¡°They were sent to Singing Gardens before the bridge came down.¡±


    Just our bloody luck! No boat, no bridge! Lawrence almost wanted to curse out loud.


    As the dinner wound down, Lawrence got into his tent and as he wanted to close his eyes, he heard Craig¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I need to save my nephew and niece. I¡¯m strongly considering going through the forest.¡± Craig said, and Lawrence turned in his bedroll to look at Craig, who was fletching an arrow.


    Lawrence kept quiet, weighing his odds. If Craig and himself sat on their asses here, what was going to be the consequence? Well, it was simple enough for the two of them, but what about his niece and nephew?Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    If Lawrence sat here, knowing that someone was in danger and had pleaded for help, what would his parents think? With that, Lawrence gave a small smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go through the forest tomorrow, at first dawn.¡±


    Craig looked at Lawrence for a moment before resuming fletching arrows, nodding slowly.


    ¡°Thanks, Lawrence.¡±


    As Lawrence fell asleep, the dreams he had was of home, not the cabin, but of his actual home, way back in Singapore.


    However, at night, he woke up, his user interfaces sending alarms through his system.


    Warning: SURPRISE COMBAT INITIATING IN TWO MINUTES


    Lawrence sat up, his eyes widening, as what felt like electricity coursing through him. No, adrenaline. It was the same feeling he felt when they did live ammunition firing when he was serving in the army.


    Leaving his tent, Lawrence could see that the guard that was on watch earlier had dozed off, and in the immediate vicinity, there was nothing nearby. However, the interface signalled out about a dozen undead creatures, with ominous titles such as Undead Chef, Undead Commoner (Female), Undead Commoner (Male) among others.


    Their level averaged six but made up for it in numbers and the sheer factor of fear.


    Lawrence quickly shook Craig awake.


    ¡°W-What is it? Bwah¡­¡± Craig yawned, looking at Lawrence bleary-eyed, his hair a mess.


    ¡°Wake up, the unlife is coming.¡± Lawrence hissed and it seemed to take Craig a moment before his eyes widened.


    ¡°T-The unlife?¡± Craig said, swallowing his saliva as he sat up.


    ¡°Go wake up everyone quietly and quickly, I¡¯ll do what I can to make sure we¡¯re okay against them,¡± Lawrence said hastily, standing up as he grabbed his tower shield and sword.


    Think¡­ Think¡­ What works against undead¡­


    Lawrence quickly scrolled through his spells and cantrips, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead even though it was almost freezing at night.


    ¡°Th-There!¡± Lawrence said quickly, reaching into his bag and grabbing a chalk.


    As Craig roused the encampment, the reactions of the workers varied, with only the guard and a few picking up weapons. A few of the workers armed themselves with pickaxes and hammers, while some knelt to the ground, begging and pleading to the Gods silently as Craig asked them to keep their voice down.


    Lawrence ran around the encampment, the chalk haphazardly running along the ground. As the chalk was completed, Lawrence knelt down and activated the spell, Magic Barrier.


    Spell cast: Magic Barrier


    Recite the following lines of your scripture


    Lawrence blinked. He had to recite the lines from his character¡¯s religion in order for the magic circle to take effect.


    ¡°Ah, God of the Sun and the Wise, heed my prayers!¡± Lawrence said loudly, the fact that he could now see the zombies being a factor.


    The circle of chalk began to glow a bright radiant white.


    ¡°Your disciple, calls upon your aid in this dark hour, where the evil creeps towards him and his allies!¡±


    The grass around the chalk stirs as if caressed by the wind.


    ¡°Arise, the God of the Sun and the Wise, arise! Be the bane of our foes!¡± Lawrence roared and the magic circle glows a bright white.


    The zombies descended on the workers, Lawrence holding his breath.


    As the hand of the first zombie, someone who seemed to be a bar wench when she was alive from her torn, tattered and blood caked dressing, reached the circle, a resounding GONG went off, as a sheet of pure white brilliance seemed to hold her off.

 Chapter 30: The Holy Barrier

    Holy white light radiated throughout the chalk marks. As the undead pushed themselves against the barrier, it created a large sound that resonated, similar to what a shield does when a blade strikes it.


    Lawrence got off from the ground, watching his handiwork.


    "T-That...! Not even crusaders can do this!" the worker who had told them the story gasped, along with many others as the undead was kept out of the holy barrier that Lawrence erected. Lawrence, still plenty wary, held his sword and shield tightly, ready to jump at the nearest enemy in auto combat mode if the barrier collapsed.


    "What... Is... All... This..."


    A voice drifted through the air as if every word had to be spat out with some force.


    As the humans turned their attention to the source of the sound, there was a man in plate armour, the image of a dragon on it. His skin was a pale blue-ish grey, part of his jaw missing and an eye dangling limply from a socket.


    "M-Marquis Donovan?" the storyteller''s voice raised an octave, as he sank to the ground.


    The undead Marquis swung its'' head slowly to look at the storyteller, what seemed like a grin spread across his otherwise horrifyingly expressionless face.


    "I never knew that I would see you here as a..... Brick... Layer... Guard Captain Leviathan..."


    Craig looked in alarm at the storyteller who was cowering. The other workers quietly moved away from the disgraced Guard Captain as the Marquis seemed to enjoy the sight of him shivering in fear.


    "Come... It is time... For you to... Be at my... Side... Again..." Marquis Donovan said, taking a step forward, before walking into the same holy barrier.


    "W...What is this..." Marquis Donovan groaned, his hand reaching out to touch the barrier that was impenetrable. Lawrence, on the other hand, noticed more and more undead converging on the area. This wasn''t a choice... Think... Lawrence... Think... What could he do to not leave the circle and get rid of all of them together...The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    These aren''t strong zombies... What could turn them away...


    Exactly!


    Lawrence gripped the amulet he wore, which had the sigil of the Sun God which he raised into the air, selecting his Guardian''s ability to Turn Undead in a massive radius. Any zombies that were too weak will instantly be destroyed.


    The interface once again sprung to life.


    Recite the following lines in order for Turn Undead to activate.


    Lawrence held his amulet up, looking at the moon.


    "Foolish... Mortals... This... Mere... Barrier... Cannot hold me... Hold us..." Marquis Donovan laughed sinisterly as he swung his blade against the barrier. His blade simply bounced off and he scowled. Looks like the mere barrier was doing an incredible job holding him back at least.


    "By the power of the holy and all that is good, I, Lawrence Carstein, compel all of you to turn away and do no more harm! Go back to the shadows! Go back to the abyss, go back to whichever hole all of you have crawled from! Go, now!" Lawrence roared as the holy symbol glowed red, white and back to red.


    From the symbol, a jet of holy light shot into the air, forming an umbrella over the area Lawrence stood. As the undead followed the trail of the white light slowly coursing through the skies over them, suddenly, one by one, they collapsed. At the point where they collapse, a light blue wisp appeared, entering the barrier-


    Wisps!?


    As Lawrence turned his attention to the first one that neared him, it was the shape of a woman who might have been beautiful when she was young, dressed in a bar wench''s attire.


    "Thank you..." the wisp whispered, before fading away.


    More and more wisps appeared as the undead crumbled, thanking Lawrence. They ranged from a man in a monk''s outfit to a small child, their voices however, sounded genuinely thankful to Lawrence.


    As the undead horde collapsed, the only one standing was Marquis Donovan, who was utterly shocked.


    "A...Are you... Related to... Father Karl Franz..." Marquis Donovan hissed as he took several steps back, parts of skin having flaked off, seemingly a consequence of the Turn Undead spell.


    "What? No!" Lawrence denied as he started walking towards Donovan.


    At this point, a large swarm of bats suddenly crashed against the barriers, briefly concealing Lawrence''s vision, before enveloping Marquis Donovan and in a flash, the bats and Marquis Donovan were both gone.


    As Lawrence scanned his interface for any signs of undead, he heard loud sighs of relief from the workers as well as Craig.


    "Nice going there, Lawrence!" Craig said, lowering his bow.


    "Now... Guard Captain Leviathan..." Lawrence turned to the man whose true identity had been revealed, who was sitting on a stump, shaking with fear.


    "It will be amazing if you can be a bit more honest with us now, seeing that you are coming with us through the Forest Altis." Lawrence said, sheathing his sword.


    And with this, Guard Captain Leviathan began his story, the story of a Guard Captain who attempted to sabotage his superior''s orders in every way.

 Chapter 31: The Tale Behind the Unlife

    ¡°It all began when the old Marquis died. We all thought that the will of the old Marquis, bless his soul, would instruct his brother to take over because everyone knew the young master was completely¡­ Unwell.¡± Leviathan said, wiping his forehead as he drank from a water skin.


    ¡°What we didn¡¯t expect was for the old Marquis to die from a simple cold, complete with a set of instructions for Marquis Donovan to take his place,¡± Leviathan continued, looking at Craig and Lawrence.


    ¡°Foul play?¡± Craig asked, rubbing his nose and Leviathan shrugged.


    ¡°Everyone from the Justiciar down to the most common servant suspected that the young child had helped send his father on his way, but what were we going to do? Scream at him?¡± Leviathan shrugged.


    ¡°The problem all began when the Marquis found a book in the library which interested him greatly. They said it was seized by his father from one of those weird peddlers, but¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Then, the order was for female children aged 12 and below to be brought in. Fine, the guards could still do that. Maybe the Marquis likes them young, maybe he wanted more than one at a time.¡±


    ¡°Next, boys aged 12 and below. Fine, maybe the Marquis likes boys too.¡±


    ¡°Then, newborns. Then, women of any age, men of any age.¡±


    ¡°You have to understand that my men and I stopped following the orders after a while,¡± Leviathan said, looking at the judging looks in the eyes of all the men there, especially the guard who seemed that he had half a mind to nab him and hang him on the spot.


    ¡°However, he had a group of people who were fiercely loyal to him¡­ The Devils¡¯ Advocate I think¡­ I¡¯m not sure. They always wore those red robes with their hoods up. Bloody whip in their hand too,¡± Leviathan cursed, spitting on the ground.


    ¡°Then, when they got the girl, Anya¡­ Anya Feyland¡­ The Marquis was beside himself with worry for once. He even had a carriage ready to send her on the way but he was stopped by those Devils¡¯ Advocate. They said that her soul would have allowed him to transcend death itself and make him immortal.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Lawrence scratched his head. Lich? He has never heard of this form of ritual before. Anyway, radiant spells should work if they ever encountered him again.


    ¡°So¡­ They made preparations for a ritual they called the Blood God¡¯s Ascendance, where this Blood God will come down and possess Marquis Donovan or something.¡±


    ¡°They had men, women and children drained of blood to soak the grounds of the ritual in that very blood and they had planned to carve Anya¡¯s heart out. What no one expected was for Father Karl Franz and the Feylands to storm here. There was food enough for half a year and everyone with a brain in the castle knew that we couldn¡¯t possibly allow the ritual to succeed, regardless of whether it was real or not.¡±


    ¡°That night, myself and two other guard captains submitted a plan to Marquis Donovan, called Operation Valkyrie. We said that in the event of an actual attack, it takes too much time to call for a war council to decide the plan of action.¡±


    ¡°So, we suggested that at the very least, guards on the outer walls be placed under our immediate command.¡±


    ¡°We had a soldier sneak out by the eastern walls and pass a message to Father Karl Franz. The Father agreed to our plan and he attacked the walls as planned. We placed a few Devils¡¯ Advocate volunteers there but held back all the actual¡­ Professionals.¡±


    ¡°By the time the Devils¡¯ Advocate and the Father¡¯s men were done fighting, Anya Feyland was gone. We thought that it was the end you see, no more girl, no more siege.¡±


    ¡°What we did not expect was for the Devils¡¯ Advocate to decide that the guards would be the next sacrifice for another ritual.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to guess that all of you did not make it easy?¡± Lawrence asked and Leviathan snorted, a small smile spreading across his lips.


    ¡°Oh, the Devils¡¯ Advocate had no idea that these¡­ Commonfolk guards could fight so hard. They attacked us at our quarter but by the time we were done, we forced them into the dungeons. We were even readying ourselves to open the gates to welcome the Father in.¡±


    Leviathan looked at the ground and sighed.


    ¡°But¡­ They made the Butcher some¡­ Unlife monstrosity, along with all those sacrifices¡­ We were trapped you see¡­ We barricaded ourselves in the Great Hall. We had no idea where the Marquis went.¡±


    ¡°He never went out to join the fight. No one knew what happened. Maybe he snuck away when the unlife attacked the paladins and sailors. But we know¡­ He is¡­ Still¡­¡±


    Leviathan¡¯s voice choked.


    ¡°Alright. At least I know it works,¡± Lawrence said, saddling his horse.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with us,¡± Craig said, pulling Leviathan who was flabbergasted.


    ¡°I¡¯m old! I can fight no longer!¡± Leviathan insisted, attempting to pull himself away.


    ¡°Well, you know the forest better than anyone. I¡¯ll be borrowing him for awhile, thank you for your care through the night,¡± Lawrence said to the guard who nodded.


    ¡°No, thank you!¡± one of the workers said and as Lawrence saddled up, he dragged all the holy spells to the quickslot.


    ¡°If the Marquis wants to really be bathed in holy fire, what can I do to forbid him from it? I¡¯d welcome him instead.¡±

 Chapter 32: Into the Forest

    The forest, save for the occasional crow, was quiet, as if devoid of any other wildlife such as deer or bears. The trees had an unhealthy tinge to them and Lawrence could clearly see that they were rotting in some areas.


    Lawrence, Leviathan and Craig slowly trudged through the forest, leading the two horses on. The branches waved and weaved into the sky, as if all of them were humans in prayers, their hands up in the sky.


    ¡°At least sun¡¯s up,¡± Craig said, doing his best to remain calm.


    ¡°Careful now, saying any good news in the forest is not a good thing to do nowadays, lest the spirits and unlife come to dampen your mood,¡± Leviathan said, gripping the handle of the short sword that is now sheathed on his waistband. Lawrence had handed it to him, a spare from the bandit attack that had descended upon Black Bay.


    ¡°Any news from your niece?¡± Lawrence asked, as his eyes scanned the area. No signs of undead or any other life for that fact.


    ¡°None. Each time I think about that, I want to hurry, but the woods aren¡¯t exactly giving me a friendly welcome.¡± Craig said, pausing for a moment to scan the woods.


    ¡°We need to keep following this path. To the left at the fork ahead will be to the Marquis¡¯ old stronghold. We need to avoid that place like the plague.¡± Leviathan said. For someone so reluctant to come earlier, he is indeed very helpful. Then again, if he wasn¡¯t, they would all be dead and six feet under. Or¡­ With some bad luck, walking around with no life.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Lawrence said, as his user interface signalled a group of¡­


    Wait, why are they labelled as ???


    Literal question marks?


    Lawrence walked forward slowly, gesturing for the two men to wait by the horses. As Lawrence neared the treeline, the near-dead bushes rustled.


    Suddenly, the interface changed the ??? to Banshee.


    ¡°Sacred Fire!¡± Lawrence shouted, his hand instantly pointing at the bush. A jet of holy fire shot down from the sky, slamming into where the banshee had been concealing itself.  A howling scream could be heard as the greenish blue wisp of a banshee drifted out, the outline of a feminine figure in tattered robes clad in white fire, her hand outstretched.


    Another scream and the banshee falls to the ground, turning into a pile of black and purple goo.


    ¡°By the gods, that is a Screamer!¡±  Leviathan said and Craig looked at him.


    ¡°You know too much. Been through here a lot of times?¡± Craig asked and Leviathan hesitated for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°Sometimes¡­ When I find myself with very little money¡­ I have to do some escorts along with the other groups¡­ I¡¯m not proud of it¡­ But I have a family to feed.¡± Leviathan said and Craig waved him off.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, men do all sorts of things for their family. You don¡¯t have to explain to me.¡± Craig said and Lawrence looked at the user interface. Marquis Donovan was Level 40. The Banshee was 35. If Lawrence could one shot even the banshee¡­


    He frowned. He should have just used Pillars of Fire earlier on.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Oh well¡­¡± Lawrence mumbled, beckoning for the group to continue their journey.


    As the trio progressed down the road, they came upon a smouldering wreck of what seemed to be a carriage wagon.


    ¡°A few days old,¡± Craig said, bending down to examine of the decapitated bodies and touching its¡¯ skin. The decapitated body had the clothes of a ¡­


    ¡°Squire huh,¡± Craig mumbled, holding up a dull sword in one of the hands of a boy who looked to not be a day over 12 at most. There were several more bodies strewn around. Lawrence had already checked to make sure none of them was just undead waiting to grapple the next unfortunate soul looking for loot or some kind person trying to help.


    ¡°Soldiers? I¡¯d say from the size of this wagon and the number of people here¡­ Your magic number didn¡¯t work.¡± Lawrence said, inspecting the bodies.


    Medicine check¡­ Commencing¡­


    Necrotic Energies present


    Death Touch used¡­


    Subject dead for 26 hours approximately


    Lawrence breathed in deeply, taking a casual look at the wagon. However, it seemed as if there was nothing to distinguish where they could possibly come from.


    ¡°Hey Craig, I want to ask, there shouldn¡¯t be too many knightly orders around here that have squires right?¡± Lawrence asked and Craig shook his head.


    ¡°I know where you are going with this, but just because they have squires and are most certainly dressed in plate armour, does not mean they are knightly orders. They could be a lord¡¯s personal entourage, crusaders, paladins¡­ All sorts. Well-equipped mercenaries can wear plate armour as well,¡± Craig explained and Lawrence fell silent, glancing at the decapitated boy as he forced back a feeling of disgust and fear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lawrence said, as the three continued on their way.


    As they reached the crossroads, Lawrence and party made to turn the way which Leviathan had described as safe. It would have been uneventful, if not for a young boy screaming and running towards Lawrence.


    "Halt! I said stop!" Craig shouted, loosing an arrow which struck the ground in front of the man. Lawrence squinted. He looked to be dressed in torn leather armour with an empty scabbard at the side.


    "I-I-Don''t shoot! Please! I have a message to deliver!" the young boy shouted, falling to his knees and begging. As Lawrence consulted the interface, it showed Squire, Level 3.


    "Both your arms in the air, I''m coming over!" Lawrence shouted, raising both his sword and shield as he walked towards the young boy who was shaking. Craig moved behind a tree and nocked his bow while Leviathan followed behind, holding his own weapon.


    "A-Are you the holy man? I have a message... F-From M-M-Marquis Donovan," the boy whimpered, his eyes swimming with tears. The holy man? Lawrence scratched his head.


    "Maybe. Calm down, alright?" Lawrence said, placing a hand on the boy''s shoulder.


    Calm Emotions Spell used.


    The boy''s breathing slowly went back to normal and a bit of colour returned to his cheeks. However, he still looked as if he had his daylights scared out of him.


    "What is the message?" Lawrence asked and the boy shivered for a moment.


    "Holy man, I know not from which Order you hail from, but should you wish to free a group of young lasses and lads from my dungeons, come and challenge me. I await you, as the Marquis of Altis. We shall tell if you are coward or hero then," the boy said, perfectly reciting the message.


    "I see," Lawrence said, looking upon the horizon. He could barely see the outline of a castle amidst the thickening fog.


    "D-Don''t go back there! It is a trap!" the boy shouted, clinging onto Lawrence''s shoulder.


    "Any five year old will tell you the same, Lawrence," Leviathan said and Lawrence for a moment, burst into laughter.


    "He''s lost it," Craig mumbled, walking over to the three of them.


    "No, no. I just... I mean... If he really wanted to fight us that badly, he could have come look for us himself, he wouldn''t send a young hostage to come and tell me that... Tell me, young boy, how did you receive the message? Did you see him at all?" Lawrence asked, suspicious that the Marquis Donovan had already been badly injured.


    "H-He was wearing long robes today... And... He just.. Told me..."


    Aha! Long robes to cover his injury from Lawrence''s Turn Undead spell!


    "Well then, Craig, I have a good mind to be a hero today, how about you?" Lawrence asked, turning to the archer whose mouth opened and closed.


    "You seem different today. I got a good feeling about this one, so let''s go!" Craig said and Leviathan nodded reluctantly.


    "Boy, what''s your name?" Lawrence asked, smiling kindly.


    "D-Dunkirk Lee... Cupbearer to Father Karl Franz," the boy stammered.

 Chapter 33: Into the Fire

    ¡°Kid! You¡¯re with THAT Karl Franz?¡± Craig exclaimed but Lawrence scratched his head. Something was not adding up here.


    ¡°You¡¯re not about to tell me THAT Karl Franz is still alive right?¡± Lawrence furrowed his eyebrows and the three of them looked as if Lawrence had said something sacrilegious.


    ¡°O-Of course he is alive!¡± Dunkirk said loudly, a look of horror on his face, whereas Leviathan seemed to be looking around as if afraid that a crossbow bolt would start flying his way.


    ¡°Lawrence, Father Karl is angel-blooded. He has the blessings of the Gods. It took two hundred years for the last one," Craig said, giving a small smile.


    "Forgive him, he came from a very distant land," Craig said and Dunkirk nodded slowly, having almost seemed as if he was offended for a moment. Leviathan on the other hand, muttered a prayer as the party walked towards the route of the Altis Stronghold. The mist seemed to thicken, however, a ring that Lawrence wore glowed a gentle green, as if pushing the mist away from them.


    "Can you tell me how all of you were attacked?" Lawrence asked and Dunkirk took a deep breath, before beginning his story.


    <hr>


    "Father Karl, why are we back here? This place has nothing but... Forgive me for saying this, but this is beyond God''s redemption," Paladin Ulysses said, nudging his horse to ride beside the wagon. The Father used to ride a horse but now that he got older, he has preferred the comfort of the carriage.


    "There... Is something that I need... To make sure," Father Karl Franz croaked, a weak voice coming from the carriage and Paladin Ulysses gave a twitch of annoyance as he departed to join the vanguard.


    Father Karl Franz, was now a shade of his former self. Though he still wore his armour to battle, he now never committed to the frontlines, barely able to stand on his own for a long time. A form of a disease that troubled herbalists was consuming him little by little.


    His hair, which used to only be whitish streaks was now almost entirely consumed by white hair. His hands were now weak, with Dunkirk now having to help him hold his waterskin to feed him. Father Karl had been strangely insistent on visiting this forest after receiving a letter.


    It was said the letter shook Karl so much that he coughed up blood and collapsed and once he woke up, he organized a small expedition, bringing 30 Paladins, 12 Crusaders and his squires. It was uncommon to see paladins and crusaders together as they have never gotten along. However, Father Karl Franz, old and weak he may be, was still a name that commanded respect and if the Father asked, you obeyed.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Father, water?" Dunkirk asked and the old priest smiled, shaking his head. The entourage proceeded to enter the Forest Altis, the wagon slowly creaking its way as another squire, Timothy, who carried the sword of Father Karl drove the wagon.


    The scales in the wagon suddenly dipped to one end. Dunkirk and Karl''s eyes opened in alarm.


    "The Scales of Evil has tipped! Be on the alert!" Dunkirk cried out and the entourage rearranged themselves.


    "Surround the wagon! Protect the Father!" one of the crusaders cried out, all of them moving to line up beside the carriage.


    "Fools! Spread out!" Father Karl Franz roared, surprising Dunkirk who has never seen this strength in the elderly father in a long time.


    As the paladins dived aside, the Crusaders closed rank, their large round shields forming a shield wall. Timothy dismounted the carriage, drawing his own sword, his eyes darting madly from side to side as if scanning the woods for an enemy.


    Dunkirk peeked from the carriage, and that was when he saw the black blot.


    "There! Bats!" Dunkirk shouted and as everyone turned to look there, a loud moan was heard from all directions.


    Father Karl Franz reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle full of yellow liquid and he downed it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he stood up and pulled his sword out of its sheath that was laid beside him.


    "Shield walls all around, Crusaders! Paladins, form ranks right behind the Crusaders!" Karl Franz shouted, and many blinked in surprise at his sudden burst in energy but hurried to carry them out. As the bats swarmed downwards towards the group, Father Karl Franz held up his own holy symbol, shouting, "God shall purge all of you! Holy Fire!"


    A jet of holy fire shot down from the sky, slamming into the bats, killing several of them, however, there were too many. They swarmed the ranks of the crusaders and paladins.


    "Father... Karl... Franz... What a pleasure it is... To see you..."


    Father Karl Franz, while fending off the bats, turned to the direction of the voice and his blood for a moment, felt as if it was turning cold. There it was... There he was...


    Marquis Donovan...


    "Scum! Bastard! Stay dead!" Karl shouted, making to join the Paladins in their ranks but at this point, a large horde of undead zombies and bears stormed their ranks. The bears smashed their way through the thick defences of the Crusaders and the zombies filtering through into the ranks of the Paladins. What had been an organized formation now turned into a brutal melee as the thick armour of the men held back the bites of the zombies as they continued to slice and dice their way through.


    However, a single slam from a bear was enough to shatter the breastplate of a soldier, causing them to die almost instantly. The zombies also began to improvise, simply throwing themselves at the soldiers, causing them to fall and devour them on the spot.


    "Consecration!" Father Karl Franz shouted as Dunkirk and Timothy joined their superior, the both of them shaking and holding their own weapons.


    A jet of white light shot out from where he was, surrounding the area. At least the dead will not join the ranks of the undead.


    "Come... Father Karl Franz! Show me your strength!" Marquis Donovan hissed and the Father charged at him, raising his sword basked in holy light as his two squires, brave in their own way, shouted and charged as well, with the scene of a chaotic melee between the paladins, crusaders and undead underway.

 Chapter 34: Squaring Off

    "For Markath!" Karl Franz shouted, as his blade swung towards the Marquis. The Marquis seemed to melt away and appear right beside where he had been. The elderly priest grit his teeth, "Fight me like a god damn man!"


    Timothy lunged out, his sword plunging into the cloak of the Marquis. A look of pure bliss and joy, as well as surprise, shot through his face. However, the Marquis grinned, pulling the sword deeper into his cloak and Timothy foolishly followed through. Marquis Donovan gripped the neck of Timothy and where the nails were, it erupted outwards, as if turned to blades and poor Timothy''s head--


    "Scum!" Karl Franz shouted in anger, swinging his blade again and again, but they were dodged by Marquis Donovan with ease.


    "Y-Yargh!" Dunkirk shouted, charging at the Marquis.


    "No, back, young man!" Karl shouted but it was too late. With a swipe of his hand against Dunkirk''s arm, the young boy suddenly felt tired and collapsed. As he fell to the dirt, Dunkirk blinked wearily, his hands releasing the sword. The last he saw was of a paladin falling to the ground and Father Karl raising his hand, an orange flame--


    <hr>


    "So that was the battle? Where did you wake up?" Lawrence asked and Dunkirk shrugged.


    "It was a large dungeon. It wasn''t just me there. The Father was there, some paladins and crusaders... Though I think I was the healthiest one there... They all had injuries. Father Karl was barely holding on when I was sent to talk to you,"


    "When the message was told to me, this... Rotting body of a paladin grabbed me and yanked me all the way out of the castle..." Dunkirk sniffed, rubbing his back which was covered in dirt, grime and blood.


    "What did you see?" Lawrence asked, seeing whether there were any points of entry they could infiltrate in from. Lawrence also turned to look at Leviathan.


    "Look, my information is completely outdated," Leviathan shrugged and the boy scratched his dark red hair.


    "Ah... There were a lot of unlives... A lot of them had bows on the walls, they kept shuffling around, I don''t think they followed a routine," the boy mumbled and Lawrence''s shoulder slumped.


    While they were walking, Lawrence had tagged all of his most powerful holy spells. If they weren''t going to be worth their weight here, they never will be. However, Lawrence also had to make sure the small party that followed him was going to leave the place unscathed. How could he do that? Automated AI only goes on the offence.


    Lawrence quickly glanced at his higher level spells. He wouldn''t have the time to draw another magic circle.


    There it is...


    Lawrence smiled, now formulating a little plan.


    As they pushed past the mist, Lawrence and crew came face to face with the fortress of Altis. Lawrence was certain that it had been proud and mighty in the past, but sections of the fortress have already caved in and nature seems to have reclaimed part of the keep, roots clearly visible winding in and out of smashed windows and bricks.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The gate was a mighty iron forged gate, though certain sections of it have already rusted in.


    "I''m going to assume no one is going to open the door for us then," Craig said jokingly.


    "I''ll go and scout around..." Craig said and Leviathan agreed.


    "They can''t have changed the entire wall, I''ll go with you."


    "Uh... Sirs...?" Dunkirk tugged on the sleeve of Craig who turned to look at the kid. Dunkirk pointed at the human-sized hole that Lawrence had cut with his sword. He had cut through the iron gate and simply walked through it.


    "Oh..." Leviathan mumbled and hurried after Lawrence with the other two following suit. The courtyard was bloody and several pillars have collapsed and rubble was strewn all over. Alongside the walls are words written in blood that made no sense to Lawrence.


    God


    God is Dead


    God is Alive


    God is in me


    It seemed much like a mad man''s rambling. Maybe Marquis Donovan was suffering from a God''s complex? Lawrence shrugged it off.


    "Where are... The zombies?" Leviathan mumbled, bending down to pick up a rusted sword that had no doubt belonged to one of the long-dead men who used to guard the castle.


    "There, right there," Lawrence said, pointing at a hallway in which they have all begun to pour out from.


    "Alright, all of you, just stay where that pillar is, all of you will be fine, got it?" Lawrence said, and a hue of blue light landed on the pillar and radiated around a five metres radius.


    "O-Okay...?" Leviathan mumbled, as if only half convinced. Craig shoved Leviathan and Dunkirk over, "Just do as he says if you know what is good for you."


    Craig nocked an arrow and leaned against the pillar, keeping aim at the hallway. It was as if a swarm of locusts have begun to descend upon Lawrence, but instead of locusts, it was a wave of human tsunami, undead in all sorts of clothing, armour and dressing.


    "Alright... Let''s see how useful you are then..." Lawrence said, raising his left arm which held the tower shield, his palm open and facing the zombies.


    "Holy Word!" Lawrence shouted, and his voice boomed as if magnified. The skies above which had been dark and sinister suddenly parted, revealing the sun, which shone down on the courtyard. The sound of--


    "Bells... Church bells!" Dunkirk cried out, his eyes widening.


    The bells tolled, once... Twice...


    On the third toll, all of the undead which had been staring at the sky simply crumpled and fell to the ground, unmoving, destroyed. The clouds then once again covered the bright sky, obscuring the sun. Lawrence rubbed his nose. Well that went well?


    "W-Wh-Who... Are... You!?"


    A loud roar, almost as if it was not human. Marquis Donovan pushed open a door to the right of the hallway, limping, his ears dripping black coloured blood.


    "I am Marquis Donovan! God lives on in me! The world is mine! All of it is mine! You, low born peasant! Bow to me now and I will spare your miserable-"


    "Divine Judgement!" Lawrence shouted, turning on his combat AI, as his character leapt forward, raising the sword above his head, his shield poised to strike the undead Marquis.


    "Greater Inflict Wounds!" Marquis Donovan shouted, raising both his hands to grasp Lawrence. The blade and shield glowed a bright white, as the blade sliced itself into the neck of the Marquis, the shield plunging itself into his forehead. The Marquis'' hands stood just short of Lawrence as the undead menace took a few steps back, peeling himself from Lawrence''s weapons.


    Then, white light emanated from every opening of his head, even from underneath his cloak-


    Blue wisps rose from the undead that Lawrence had just killed and all of them had anguished faces, their firsts burning with a white fire as they all rushed towards the Marquis and began pummeling him.


    "This is God''s judgement!" a man who seemed to be a soldier in his past life shouted, as he punched the Marquis.


    "... Dear Gods..." Leviathan mumbled as the Marquis whimpered, lowering himself, begging for mercy. However, the judgement of God was not kind.


    As the countless numbers of undead punched and kicked him, his bones cracked and folded... And slowly... He turned into nothing but mounds of meat as the wisps let out a sigh of contentment and disappeared with the wind.

 Chapter 35: The Fathers Request

    As the wind calmed from the wisps departing, Lawrence walked over to the blood and flesh stained robes where the Marquis had been standing. Scanning his interface, there seemed to be no longer any undead around.


    "Come on, let''s get the prisoners!" Lawrence beckoned at the three who were huddled over at the pillar.


    "Hey, uh, Lawrence, have you ever thought about joining a mercenary company--" Leviathan said eagerly and Lawrence almost snorted.


    "Sorry, I have two policies in life. I''m afraid to lose and I''m afraid to die," Lawrence smiled and Dunkirk led the way cautiously, always standing within arm''s reach of Lawrence. What particularly amused Lawrence was how paranoid Dunkirk was, which was understandable of course. Even the slightest sound of drapes being blown apart, Dunkirk had grabbed Lawrence''s gloved hands and ran to hide behind the guardian.


    As they walked down the depressing looking corridors and a particularly treacherous flight of steps, they reached what looked like a scene out of Saw.


    Rows upon rows of cells with rusty iron grills as well as men, women and children wearing all sorts of clothes were in the cells, some already dead while some were barely clinging onto life.


    "Father!" Dunkirk shouted, running ahead to the last cell.


    "F...Foolish child... Why did you come back!" Karl rasped, lying on what seemed to be a folded towel. Aside from the father, there were two seriously injured looking man and woman in plate armour.


    "M-Mass Healing Word!" Lawrence shouted loudly, as a wave of healing energy washed through the room and those who were injured suddenly felt better.


    "F-Father!" a female paladin with the sigil of a sun on her plate armour rushed forward, having been healed.


    "A...Ah... God''s energy is it... I feel it..." Karl coughed, as if gasping for breath.


    Could it be...


    Lawrence raised his sword and smashed the lock on the door of the cell and threw it open, rushing to kneel beside the elderly Father.


    "Stand back! That is Father Karl Franz, the head of--" the male crusader stood up, throwing himself feebly at Lawrence who shrugged him off.


    It is... It is the Rot Disease...


    Panacea...


    Lawrence quickly took out a Panacea from his bag, which was a basic item to cure poisons.


    "W-What is this? What are you doing?" the female paladin asked, her eyes wide and eyeing Lawrence''s sword.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Sister Marilyn, this is Lawrence Carstein, a warrior who helped us fight our way in, please, trust him!" Dunkirk begged as Craig raised his own bow, "Sister, Lawrence here is my friend, I suggest you keep your eyes off his sword," Craig smiled and Leviathan moved to peel the crusader off Lawrence.


    Sister Marilyn moved aside reluctantly to allow Lawrence to get closer and Lawrence said gently to the elderly Father, "I will be administering some medicine now, please swallow it."


    "Y-You... Fought your way in... Leav- Leave while you can... The Marquis..." Karl struggled to say before Lawrence tipped the Panacea gently into his mouth. As the Father swallowed the medicine, Lawrence casted Greater Restoration on the man as well, along with Cure Serious Wounds.


    As the glass bottle is emptied, Karl''s eyes, which had been weak and near shut slowly opened.


    "I..." Karl moved to sit up, with Sister Marilyn rushing forward, along with the Crusader.


    "No need," Karl said, raising his hand to stop them. With his own strength, the elderly Father sat up, looking around and then at his wounds.


    "You... What is your name?" Karl asked, looking at Lawrence who swallowed his saliva, "I am Lawrence Carstein, adventurer and merchant."


    "Good lad!"


    As Karl stood up, the paladin and crusader looked at the Father in amazement.


    "You, have done a great service to us and our order. Now, I have business to settle with that piece of--" Karl said, stretching, opening the door.


    "Ah, if it is the Marquis, you need not look for him. Lawrence here has already killed him," Leviathan said, releasing the crusader. Karl turned to Lawrence, an incredulous expression on his face.


    "He is indeed dead, Father Karl," Lawrence said, standing up, picking up unsheathing his blade once more to break open the remaining cells.


    Father Karl and the paladin, Sister Marilyn and the feeble looking crusader left their cells, guided by Craig, Dunkirk and Leviathan left, presumably to see the puddle of what was left of Marquis Donovan.


    Lawrence busied himself freeing and healing the remaining alive in the cells and blessed the bodies of the fallen with a Consecrate spell so that they would not rise up as the dead. Was Marquis Donovan the final level, Lawrence wondered. Would there come a day that there will be someone stronger than he is?


    As Lawrence helped the wounded, the small party returned, with a most gleeful Karl Franz.


    "You, my child, would you like to join the Paladins or Crusaders? You have amazing potential, no, even having far surpassed I!"


    Suddenly, Lawrence''s mind flashed to his experiences playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance and the strict hours to observe for prayers and others.


    "No, I am definitely not interested, Lawrence replied, trying to sound as reasonable and polite as possible.


    "Say, child, what was the medication you gave me earlier?" Father Karl asked, his voice now cheerful, upbeat and even loud, so loud that Lawrence''s ear hurt a little.


    "Ah, we make it in Black Bay, it is called the Panacea?" Lawrence replied, taking out another bottle. If one held the bottom of the bottle against the light, they would be able to see the sigil of the Owl, which was Lawrence''s.


    "Good lad! Maniard, take note of this Black Bay Village, go and see what medicines we can buy for our men! Marilyn, go and search the compound with..." Karl turned around, as if wanting to point out more subordinates for the mission. However, Karl was reminded that most of his men has already perished, causing him to fall silent awkwardly.


    "I think... We should bring all these people to a safe place first, Father," Lawrence said, pointing at all the newly healed, who were looking absolutely terrified. The elderly Father nodded and as Craig helped with the evacuation, Leviatian acted as a guide, with the walls still so familiar to him. Dunkirk, Marilyn and Maniard the crusader followed the Father as he walked beside Lawrence.


    "Lawrence, my boy, this old man needs your help still," Father Karl Franz whispered and Lawrence turned sideways to look at the elderly Father curiously.


    "The Butcher is back. We need to deal with the Butcher."

 Chapter 36: The Devils Advocate

    "We''ll have them sent back to Tir Envar, the Holy City for treatment, a humble suggestion of mine, Father," Maniard said. Lawrence looked at Maniard and observed through the user interface that his mana just seemed to be depleted. However, Lawrence was not about to start pulling medicine for everyone he met. Especially not if the Crusader had earlier attempted to grab him.


    "Good, you go on over to Marquis Van Shelk and have him be responsible for the refugees while sending a messenger bird to Tir Envar-" Karl said before Lawrence coughed politely. Lawrence''s status was now that of the saviour of them all, so they all paused to listen what he had to say.


    "These twenty or so people... I don''t think sending one injured man at the head of them on foot is a good idea," Lawrence pointed out. The survivors consisted of fit, healthy men, elderly men and women or young children. Having such a group bundle together at the head of a crusader who was exhausted sounded like a horrible idea. Leaving the undead aside, the pace that they travel on will be far too slow. Lawrence and gang have left their horses outside.


    "I propose we clear the fortress, then Maniard here can take our horse to get help from Marquis Van Shelk, then all of you can hold out here, which makes more sense," Lawrence suggested, before moving away to join Leviathan and Craig, who was leaning against the wall, as if watching some form of spectacle, as the holy men and woman including Dunkirk huddled together to discuss as Lawrence left.


    "Oi, Leviathan, anything worthwhile in this godforsaken place?" Craig asked and Leviathan laughed.


    "You think that the crusaders and paladins, as well as sailors, left anything of value in this place? Maybe the first two will miss something, but definitely not the sailors. Didn''t you notice? The gold linings on pillars were carved out as well," Leviathan said, tapping the pillar that they were leaning on. Now that Lawrence took a closer look, it was indeed the case.


    "I''m going to go around, stretch my legs and take in the sights," Lawrence said, leaving the courtyard. Past the courtyard was a series of corridors and rooms, which Lawrence pushed open with the tip of his blade or his shield, just in case anything jumped out. They seemed like either bedroom, which was ransacked and left to rot or storerooms with nothing but overturned baskets and containers as if they have been looted thoroughly.


    "Mhm, it does seem a pity..." Lawrence mumbled as he looked around. The walls were stained brown or red, but you could tell they were polished marble at their peak, which was undoubtedly an expensive material for construction. There was an old saying, the elderly create the wealth, the second generation preserves it and the third squanders it. Perhaps the undead Marquis Donovan was the one who had the dubious honour of squandering it.


    "A pity, isn''t it?" The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Lawrence felt a cold wind wash over him and in alarm, he turned- Why did the combat system not warn him!? Was it a stronger--


    Lawrence came face to face with a blue wisp, a wisp of an old man with hair that was combed back, large eyes, a crooked nose and a thin lip, with a scar right above his right eyebrow. He was wearing a noble''s clothes, with a large fur cape.


    "Wait, wait! I mean you no harm!" the wisp cried out as Lawrence raised his sword.


    Lawrence took a close look at the interface and realized why the combat system was not alarmed. The name was familiar.


    "You are... Marquis Donovan?" Lawrence asked and the old man nodded.


    "Marquis Cregar Donovan please, not the bastard of my son that failed the family," the wisp coughed and Lawrence lowered his sword but he did not sheath it.


    "By killing my son, you have released a great many spirits and sent them on their way, for that, as Marquis of Altis, I thank you," Marquis Cregar Donovan bowed, and Lawrence hastily returned the bow. As dead as he was, the former Marquis sounded like a great man.


    "Then why have you not..." Lawrence asked and Marquis Donovan sighed.


    "There is something the world needs to know first, my bastard son was not entirely responsible for his madness, if you will follow me please, Lawrence Carstein," Marquis Donovan said, before walking at a pace of that of an old man and Lawrence trailing behind him.


    "My great-grandfather built this fortress to last a million years, it was supposed to be the pinnacle of the House Donovan, it was supposed to be a fortress where the names of the ancestors of the house was celebrated. It was beautiful when I was alive, but now..." Marquis Donovan sighed.


    They ascended a flight of stairs, up and observation tower, past a crumbling corridor and reached a large oaken door which was badly charred.


    Lawrence opened the door and a large amount of dust was unsettled, causing Lawrence to cough and wheeze.


    "This... However... Was supposed to be my family''s greatest accomplishment. The Library of the Eternals," Marquis Donovan smiled sadly, looking at the large portrait that was still hanging on the wall. It seemed to be a fading family portrait of someone.


    "The founding father of House Donovan was a lover of books and scrolls. He kept everything he had here. This was supposed to be the place where knowledge can be found should mankind plunge itself backwards and sleepwalk into oblivion,"


    However, what Lawrence saw was a mess, books ripped apart, charred books, as if someone had deliberately set the library ablaze.


    "My son and that filthy Butcher got their knowledge from a book I confiscated, true, but all this wisdom... A massive waste," Marquis Donovan sighed, moving ahead and beckoning for Lawrence to follow him. They moved past rows of toppled bookshelves, reaching a corner.


    "Push it, please," Marquis Donovan said and Lawrence reached his shield out, giving the corner wall a good shove. What had been in the corner sank in, grinding against the floor as it is slowly pushed open, revealing a large room.


    "Dancing Lights..." Lawrence muttered and four jets of light shot out from his hand, turning into orbs that lit the room. What greeted him was a disgusting combination of occultic symbols on the floor, walls as well as what seemed to be bone remains of a large group of people.


    "This is where it all began, This was where The Devils'' Advocate changed my son," the Marquis lamented and Lawrence however, was confused about something.


    "Is the Butcher involved in this as well?" Lawrence asked and the Marquis snorted.


    "He was the leader of the Devils'' Advocate."

 Chapter 37: A Higher Calling

    "You mean your son..." Lawrence started, unsure of how to phrase it delicately and Marquis Donovan nodded, giving a deep sigh. The Marquis looked around the room, his face expressionless as if hundreds of memories jogged through his brain.


    "This room was known to the lords as the Tuning Room. Every head of House Donovan uses this room for their less legitimate affairs, assassins, messages from the crown... Things that brought the House to greater heights in servitude to the crown of Carmine but..." Marquis Donovan flopped onto a couch. Of course, no sound or dust was disturbed. He was just a spectre after all.


    "What did they do in this room?" Lawrence asked and Marquis Donovan held up his hand.


    "Before we go there, there is a tale you need to hear. I''m going to assume you are not in a rush?" Marquis Donovan said, offering a sad smile. In Lawrence''s mind was Craig rushing him about his niece but it seemed as if everything is connected. Maybe giving the Marquis a listen will be good?


    "Sometime ago, a man in robes came to our keep, seeking employment as a torturer. Our old resident torturer has passed on and we needed one to work with the headsman. That''s fair and all. However, this man showed an... Unusual skill in torturing people. No secrets were ever safe from him. He would work the... Most cruel tortures or string your family up and have you sing."


    "That man... Was Venti Laughlin, or The Butcher, as most came to call him. It was my single biggest mistake to welcome him to our fires as our own. One could hardly blame me actually... The information he provided... Ah nevermind that..." Marquis Donovan sighed in frustration as he gestured for Lawrence to sit down, pointing at a suspiciously red chair, causing Lawrence to offer a polite smile and shake his head politely.


    "Then one day, as I lay sick in bed, I heard my personal guards shouting at the door and a few moments later, a group of men came into my room, their daggers covered with blood. They wore hoods of red and among them, was my bastard son."


    "I could barely sit up, but I forced myself to and I could see four of my personal guards lying outside. My bastard son... Was of course not even at the head of it. He never had the skills or brutality to be a Donovan!" Marquis Donovan shouted, slamming his hand against the side of the couch.


    "Venti stepped forward, with that disgusting book I confiscated, it was a... Book known as the Necromancy Methods of Archmaester Chevalten."


    "Magic does not exist in this world, but... Watching your melee with my son may change my mind about it!" Marquis Donovan guffawed and Lawrence tapped his chin uncertainly.


    "If magic does not exist, what is necromancy?" Lawrence asked and Marquis Donovan then began his explanation. Necromancy in this realm as people know it is an evil art by removing the souls from one''s body partially and binding it to the husk which is the body."


    "Therefore, the soul is tied to the exterior of the body, preventing a person from dying completely, but forbidding the soul from going to rest."


    "I see..." Lawrence muttered as he pondered over what he just heard. Basically... It was a resurrection, but only on the body without restorative properties? That would explain how souls were readily available to pummel the Marquis'' son.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "And anyway... Onwards with my tale. All of them decided that the head of the family shall be the very first sacrifice in their first ritual! It was not pleasant, if I was ten years younger, I would have carved through all of them like a knife through butter but..." Marquis Donovan shrugged.


    "They dismembered me in this very room, full of weird symbols and stuff... Even my body at the funeral was a fake," Marquis Donovan sighed and Lawrence felt awkward, not knowing what to say.


    "However, it was Venti Laughlin who taught my son necromantic arts and when Father Karl rescued that little girl, it was Venti who volunteered to be the... What was the term... The person to commune with the Devil," Marquis Donovan said and Lawrence nodded. It seemed as if this Venti Laughlin was the head and significantly tougher than what he had just fought.


    "To kill the Communed, you have to bathe it in holy fire, which I see that you are perfectly capable of doing, so this fixes a lot of things," Marquis Donovan said.


    "However, from my time hiding inside these walls to know more about what brought the downfall of my family has taught me a few things that not just an overwhelming blast of sacred fire can fix," Marquis Donovan said, lowering his head and looking at his own shoes before looking at Lawrence.


    "If you were to bath him in holy fire, his soul would wander still and with enough rest, after you are lying in the ground after having served God''s will, it will possess yet another person who craves its'' power," Marquis Donovan said and Lawrence held up his hand.


    "You are losing me here. Does this mean that the unde- unlife has been around before?" Lawrence asked and Marquis Donovan shrugged.


    "Perhaps the period of recovery will be so long that Empires have fallen, families lay below the ground, buildings turned to dust? Or perhaps this is the first time ever? Who knows? But from my time observing him... Well... He has often said this is the best body he has ever gotten in, so who knows?" the Marquis replied and Lawrence followed up with another question-


    "Are there still followers of this cult around?" Lawrence asked but for this one, the Marquis hesitated for a moment.


    "I can say that any during my time and my son''s were slaughtered by either Leviathan and his men or by the paladins and crusaders or by the sailors, of course. But... Today... You will have to find out yourself. After all, I''m sure you will be going on to find the Butcher if you are asking such questions."


    "But first, please go to the painting of my forebear and remove it from the wall. There was something my personal butler, Rior managed to do before his joining me in the coffin," Marquis Donovan smiled and he walked Lawrence to the painting they saw earlier. As Lawrence removed the painting, it was a hollow in the wall, containing a large seal and a sealed letter.


    "This is the seal of the House Donovan. If you can be so kind, I would like you to help me track down the last living member of House Donovan that I suspected has slipped out of here once he realized something was wrong," Marquis Donovan smiled sadly.


    "This... Who will it be? How would I identify him?" Lawrence asked and Marquis Donovan sighed.


    "He is my bastard, the child I had with a lowborn farmer. His name was Gregor Smith, not a Donovan. But please, I expect him to not be young anymore as well. Please bring him here and make him my heir. The letter makes things clear for him. The Van Shelks and Blacks will support my last will, at least I hope so." Marquis Donovan sighed, a small smile, as if that of contentment. Lawrence then thought, perhaps the Donovans were close to the two families?


    "I... I will help your son as well if I find him."


    "Thank you, I won''t be going anywhere anytime soon as well," Marquis Donovan laughed and as Lawrence left, he could see a smile full of radiance on the ghost of Marquis Donovan, as if he had seen hope in a long time.


    "Where were you, Lawrence? We should push on, I need to get to my niece!" Craig barked at Lawrence from afar and Lawrence broke into a jog.


    It was time to sort out another monster. If he had the skills, then by the Gods, he will end this menace.

 Chapter 38: Surveys

    ¡°Are the two of you sure that you wish to push on alone, on foot, no less?¡± Karl said disapprovingly. After securing the fortress, Maniard has been dispatched to Marquis Von Shelk to get help, with Karl and Marilyn acting as guards. Lawrence has left the other horse with them as well, in case it was needed.


    In other words, Craig and Lawrence were leaving.


    ¡°Apologies but we need to push on to the Singing Gardens,¡± Lawrence replied, adjusting his waistband.


    Father Karl walked closer and whispered, ¡°If you see the Butcher, don¡¯t try to deal with him yourself, fall back and wait for us.¡±


    Lawrence smiled as he nodded, walking to Craig who was waiting for him.


    As they waved farewell, Craig¡¯s smile slowly faded, as an expression of determination replaces it. With the death of Marquis Donovan, it seemed as if the skies were clearer, though¡­


    In the distance, after two hours of trekking through eerily silent woods, on the horizon, at the new town of Singing Gardens, it seemed as if a thunderstorm was brewing. Ominous clouds hung in the sky, the flashes of lightning and roars of thunder.


    ¡°A frontier town, how charming,¡± Craig said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.


    ¡°Hey, it is an adventure after all¡­ Coupled with a rescue mission,¡± Lawrence replied as the two continued on their walk to the town. The grass was significantly greener compared to that of the forest.


    As they got closer to the town, a massive signboard, is at the side of the road.


    Welcome to The Singing Gardens, where exploration is the new frontier


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lawrence said to Craig and the two of them walked towards the town. The walls were wooden palisades, with some wooden spikes driven into the ground. The town gate seemed to be reinforced wood. The door however, was closed, with a lone guard standing outside.


    ¡°Hold there, good sirs, hold. Welcome to the Singing Gardens. Before you enter, we need to ask you a few basic questions,¡± the guard said, smiling. Lawrence was instantly reminded of the slimy second hand car salesmen.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Sorry, who are you?¡± Craig asked and the man¡¯s smile widened.


    ¡°I am with the town, of course! My name is Dendar Laughlin, and I am a member of the Order of Joy,¡± Dendar said, throwing his arms wide open in welcome, almost oblivious to the fact that Lawrence and Craig seemed even more unnerved by his friendliness.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Come, take a seat here, just a quick note I need to take, some details of all of you¡­¡± Dendar said.


    Dendar points them to a set of table and chair at the side, beside the gate, underneath a canopy.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just go in?¡± Lawrence said, asking, hesitant to sit down. He was in fact, reminded of an odd settlement in Fallout 4 where people are given weird surveys to fill in before entering a town to drink suspiciously made lemonade.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, good sir!¡± Dendar said, shaking his head stubbornly as he sat down, paper in hand, along with a quill dipped in ink.


    ¡°What on earth is the Order of Joy anyway?¡± Craig asked, scratching his head. He had never heard of such a thing before and it was unheard of having to take part in some form of question and answer before entering any town.


    ¡°Oh, all in good time!¡± Dendar smiled, tapping his finger on the table, his head nodding in the direction of the chairs. Lawrence and Craig sat down, their hearts uncomfortable with going along with this. Whatever, they have to save someone anyway.


    Lawrence scanned the perimeter walls with his eyes. He may not be sharp with his own eyes but the interface was definitely far sharper than him. Underneath the flags of the town, which had the symbol of a lone gold coloured eye, were men who were crouched, with the interface only picking them out because the tip of their crossbows was poking out from the wall.


    The town was a fortress. This is not some upstart community.


    ¡°First question. Names?¡± Dendar asked and Lawrence gave a side eye to Craig.


    ¡°Craig Tumbleton!¡± Craig said immediately and Lawrence sighed in defeat. The man was not that alert to certain things.


    ¡°Tolf Hilm,¡± Lawrence replied and he noticed that Craig clenched his fist.


    ¡°Good, second question. Purpose of visit?¡± Dendar asked, offering a kind smile.


    ¡°Adventuring,¡± Lawrence replied and Dendar duly noted that down. Dendar twirled the quill in his hands before asking the next question, ¡°Religion?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± Lawrence replied and Craig nodded, indicating the same.


    ¡°Great, all of you! Welcome to the Singing Gardens! I am sure you will enjoy your stay here!¡± Dendar said, smiling, reaching across the table to hug both Lawrence and Craig.


    What on earth is this place¡­ It is so weird¡­


    As the gates opened, the place was bustling with life, filled with housewives that gossiped with one another, men walking around going about their daily duties.


    However, what completely unnerved Lawrence was the smiles on their faces. How on earth do you have every person in your sight smiling at the same time? Was this North Korea? Was he in a propaganda town?


    As they entered, they were offered a single parchment by a bald young man, dressed in golden robes.


    ¡°Lost sheep, if you need rest, head to the Golden Eye Inn. If you require adventures to test your mettle, head to the Joyful Guild and should you need guidance, Father Laughlin will be more than happy to guide all of you,¡± the young man smiled.


    Looking at the parchment, Lawrence swallowed his saliva.


    The Singing Gardens, where everyone shall find eternal peace, prosperity and happiness. Join the Order of Joy today, let the Joyful God into your hearts!


    Below the text was an illustration.


    The outline of a castle¡­


    ¡°This¡­ This is¡­ Fortress Altis, is it not?¡±

 Chapter 39: Trust, Pray, Obey

    "Lawrence, can we opt to not stay in this town at all and sleep outside? I''d like to take my chances with wolves and the lot instead of this weird place," Craig whispered as they moved through the town, pretending to browse the wares on sale.


    "Don''t you even find it unusual that the marketplace is still open at this time? Shops I understand but... It''s like everyone is trying to sell everything," Lawrence replied, looking around at the many mats laid on the ground, with many smiling peddlers selling things from clothes to pots and pans.


    The town, even near the evening, was bustling with activity. Lawrence and Craig have both resolutely refused to enter any of the establishments, from the overly friendly store owners to the bald men and women giving the pamphlets and trying to persuade the duo to visit the Church the next day. The church was called the Church of Joy. Instead of a regular cross, it had the symbol of the eye at the top.


    "No word from your niece?" Lawrence asked and Craig shook his head.


    "Well, she must be somewhere around here. Listen, Craig, let''s do this. We''ll go to the guild and ask about them. Then, we''ll get lodgings. We won''t order anything to eat, we''ll just eat the rations I bought," Lawrence said and Craig nodded, agreeing with the plan. It is a start.


    Pushing open the door to the inn, Lawrence found that the tables that would often be occupied with adventurers were completely empty. Yet, at the counter, was a lady with emerald green eyes, fair complexion and her hair in a neat bun. She would have been gorgeous, if not for the eye symbol''s tattoo on her head, as if carved by a dagger.


    "One bloody nutjob after another..." Craig cursed softly as Lawrence put on his best smile.


    "Excuse me, I''m here as an adventurer on personal business," Lawrence said, heading over to the counter.


    The girl smiled, almost like a doll and bowed, "Welcome to the Joyful Guild! I am Neriya, the Guild''s manager,"


    "Would you be interested in easier quests? Or will you--"


    "I''m here looking for two adventurers. Kunivia and Kessler Tumbleton," Craig said, interrupting Neriya. Neriya smiled even more so brightly as if the interruption never happened and Craig has heaped praise upon praise on her.


    "Ah, the Tumbleton siblings! Thank you for making your inquiry at the Joyful Guild! I am Neriya, the Guild''s manager. They are currently serving Father Laughlin in the Church of Joy!" Neriya smiled and Lawrence''s jaws almost fell open if not for the fact that he had been bracing himself for some form of absurdity.


    "What!?" Craig shouted, slamming his hand on the desk of the counter.


    "Dear adventurer, I am Neriya, the Guild''s manager. I ask that you refrain from shouting so that you will not disturb the rest of other weary adventurers," Neriya smiled, bowing. What adventurers? And did she just repeat the same thing thrice?Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Craig, let''s go," Lawrence grabbed Craig''s shoulder and as they stepped out the door, Lawrence noticed the expression of Neriya fading as she continued staring into space, unmoving. However, she was by no means, charmed with magical means. It would have been something that Lawrence could detect.


    "Craig, I know what you''re thinking but you cannot contact her anymore," Lawrence said, stopping Craig from taking out the Sending Stone.


    "If they have been captured by Laughlin, who happens to be the same last name of the Butcher, then... We cannot let them know anymore," Lawrence whispered and Craig, fighting back tears of anger and confusion, swallowed his saliva and wiped his eyes, tossing the stone back into his bag.


    "Let''s go to an inn. Then we''ll go to Church tomorrow," Lawrence said, leading the way into the Golden Eye Inn, a two storey high establishment, a combination of wood and stone holds up the building. Upon entering, the area where there should be people drinking is completely void of any merrymaking. Instead, there sits only a single woman, a lantern on the table, a frown on her face. Seated in the chair beside her was a little girl, with a long sleeved dress.


    "Oh, welcome. You all should leave as early as you can!" the woman said, eyeing them while the girl stood up quickly, moving to clean one of the tables.


    "Thank God, one normal person at last..." Craig mumbled, sitting down.


    As the girl scampered away, Lawrence could see that the long sleeves covered signs of injuries. The woman on the other hand, had her arms covered almost completely in blisters. They did not appear to be self-inflicted.


    "Why are you here? Lost a kin? That''s how a lot of people started," the woman said, standing up, walking over to the bar and pouring out two mugs of ale and placing it on their table.


    "Wait, why are you two normal?" Lawrence asked, and the woman laughed.


    "Well, because everyone goes here goes to that damn church to pray, that''s why! My name is Tiefna, and this is my daughter, Laura," Tiefna said, pointing to the little girl who fidgeted nervously and kept staring at the door, as if expecting something.


    "The wounds?" Lawrence asked, holding a hand over Craig''s ale as he scanned for poison.


    "They tried to get us to join the Order. We refused."


    "Then how are you still running this establishment?" Lawrence asked, narrowing his eyes and Tiefna sighed.


    "Well, they call it the Foreign Debt. Once a week, we have to accept a flaggerant''s whip and once a month, the Church people come to collect a fee for not being part of the Church. We''ll fold soon enough. We can''t keep it up. They''d prefer if we left town by ourselves or join up... Or maybe just kill ourselves," Tiefna said and Lawrence breathed in deeply.


    So... Going to the Church screws your brain.


    "Is it instantly? You know, going to the church thing," Craig asked anxiously but Tiefna shook her head.


    "It depends on you. But if you buy into their nonsese of mutual prosperity, growth and whatnot bullcrap, go ahead and just get that eye tattoo somewhere on your body," Tiefna snorted.


    "Have you seen two adventurers?" Lawrence asked and Tiefna raised her hand.


    "No more answers, folks. New folks always mean trouble. Look at what my daughter got for those two," Tiefna said, rolling up her daughter''s sleeves. Carved into the whip marks, were the words I shall not lie to the Father.


    "Please, I am their uncle!" Craig cried out, standing up, his voice pleading and begging.


    At this point, the church bells rang.


    "Everyone is going to Church now, except us," Tiefna said, moving to extinguish all the lights in the inn.


    "At this time, everyone is... Unhinged," Tiefna whispered. As Lawrence peeked from the window, he saw hordes of townsfolks moving mindlessly towards where the church is, their arms in the air, as if chanting something.


    The Advocates we are,


    To join our Eternal Lord we shall,


    In the otherwordly plane where there is only joy,


    Join us, the Order of Joy!

 Chapter 40: The Father

    "Craig, stay here with the ladies, will you? I''m going into the Church," Lawrence mumbled and Craig looked as if Lawrence has just slapped him across the face. Craig shook his head, "I''m coming with you,"


    "Well, the two of you have a death wish? All of you adventurers are like that... What people tell you not to do, you must try," Tiefna said and Laura hid herself behind her mother, shaking.


    "The bad men... They will come here after..." Laura whispered and Tiefna sighed.


    "Why don''t the two of you try to run now? Isn''t everything unguarded?" Lawrence asked and Tiefna looked at him as if Lawrence had fallen on his head.


    "My father opened this frontier town, he wanted people to go forth an explore. He wanted the inns and taverns to be full of merrymaking. He may have been hung as a heretic by the good men and women here, but mark my words. I''m not leaving them to do whatever they want... uh..." Tiefna paused, realizing that she had never asked for their names.


    "My name is Lawrence Carstein and my good friend here is Craig Tumbleton," Lawrence replied, checking all his gear again. Lawrence had no idea how strong was this Venti Laughlin, or whether Father Laughlin was the same person at all as the Butcher.


    "Craig, if you see your nephew and niece in the church, I don''t want you to start pulling your bow and shooting people. We''ll do it if we have to but..." Lawrence looked at Craig who nodded. As the two left the inn, the place was eerily silent, except for singing. A massive choir it seemed, inside the church was the source.


    As Lawrence and Craig approached the large church, Lawrence could see that the original symbol of a cross on the large wooden doors have been scratched out, replaced with a crudely drawn eye. Pushing the door open, the singing seemed to be magnified. As the followers sang their praises to the Order of Joy, at the very front, at the podium was a man. The man had a scar above his eyebrow, dark red hair and a charming smile that accentuated his sharp jawlines.


    He had his hands held up high, his eyes closed, as if he was taking in all that prayer while basking in the moonlight that shone from the windows of the church.


    Lawrence inhaled deeply, before taking a single step forward into the church.


    As he did that, the singing stopped.


    "Now, children, what are the three rules of the Order of Joy!?" the man who was undoubtedly the Father shouted, his voice echoing in the church.


    "No otherworldy possessions!" the crowd shouted back and nodding, the Father shouted, "Number two!?"


    "In the God''s Advocate we trust!"This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Number three!?"


    "Be ready to resist, at any time!"


    At this point, everyone raised a dagger or short sword in the air as the Father closed his eyes, before opening them again. This time, looking at Lawrence and Craig kindly.


    "My children, we have new unguided sheep in our midst! Let us welcome them!" the Father shouted and all the members, almost as if on cue, put on a smile, saying cheerfully, "Welcome to the Order of Joy!"


    "Come, my children, I see that you are already embracing the third rule of this faith!" the Father said as he looked at the weapons and armour that Lawrence had equipped, along with Craig''s bow. The church laughed readily, as if ready to entertain the Father''s every will.


    "I am Father Laughlin, the head of the church. Welcome, my child, to the beautiful frontier town of the Singing Gardens, where you can leave all of your old worries and troubles behind," Father Laughlin said.


    Activating passive spell...


    Crusader''s Mantle... Detect Magic... Counterspell (Reaction)... Shield Mind (Mass)... Misty Step... Mass Fear (Bonus Action), Ready Item: Scroll of Divine Lightning


    "Father Laughlin, I''m here looking for two people," Lawrence said loudly, after laying out his offensive and defensive plans in the user interface. Father Laughlin smiled, nodding understandingly.


    "Everyone who enters the church as a lost lamb, will not be lost soon, after they meet the Advocate of the Church of Joy!" Father Laughlin shouted, raising his hand, prompting a cheer from the receptive crowd.


    Charm Person resisted: Targets (Lawrence Carstein, Craig Tumbleton)


    Father Laughlin smiled, gesturing, "Come, my children, step forward!"


    "No, thank you, Father. I would love to see the adventurers, Kunivia and Kessler Tumbleton, actually," Lawrence said loudly, his voice now slightly raised, signalling his intention to Father Laughlin that he was not here to hold hands and sing Kumbaya.


    Father Laughlin took a step back, almost as if surprised. Level 60 Undead Necromancer huh...


    "Now this is interesting..." Father Laughlin rubbed his hands together, and flicking his fingers, the interior of the church, which has been clean, suddenly turned-


    Many men, women and children were hanging from the ceiling, their eyes open in horror.  The floor which was polished wood was now cracked and covered in blood. The crowd who had been busy worshipping Father Laughlin did not even seem to flinch. However, their gold coloured cloaks were now stained with blood.


    Craig nocked an arrow but Lawrence raised his hand and Craig, slowly raised his bow, but did not loose the arrow.


    "And the two of you are pretty good at this, I see..."


    The Butcher masquerading as a priest smiled, stepping forward. With this, his entire group of charmed followers drew their weapons as well. It was no wonder Lawrence could not detect any magic. Charm a person long enough repeatedly and they will follow you to the end of the world.


    "Well then, you want to know where those two are I see... They''re being entertained by some of my followers downstairs in the basement... You''ll join them soon enough..." Venti Laughlin clapped his hands and all of his brainwashed followers drew their weapons.


    Triggered: Mass Fear


    A wave of bloodlust shot out from where Lawrence stood as he glared at the fanatics. They shuddered where they stood and even the Father Laughlin took a few steps back.


    "W-What are you!?" Venti Laughlin shouted, raising his hand and summoning a ball of necrotic energy.


    "Someone who wants to go back to his village, you piece of shit!" Lawrence shouted, as his boots suddenly sprayed a jet of mist, propelling him forward. Craig charged behind Lawrence, firing an arrow at the Father.


    They say it is a sin to spill blood in a Church, but Lawrence was sure that if the man had no blood to spill, it would be fine.

 Chapter 41: Hide and Seek

    As Lawrence sped forward with his Misty Step spell, Venti Laughlin''s orb of necrotic energy grew wider and he hurled it towards Lawrence, who dodged it nimbly, narrowly missing Craig who threw himself to the ground. The orb of necrotic energy engulfed a few followers, who disintegrated into a slimy mixture of flesh, bones and skin instantly.


    Lawrence, almost reaching the Undead Necromancer, tilted his sword sideways-


    "Sun''s Radiance!" Lawrence shouted, before slamming the blunt side of the blade against the necromancer. Sun''s Radiance gave supreme holy energy to a blunt weapon, so Lawrence was technically exploiting a game bug here. However, does it really matter as long as it worked?


    Venti''s head was struck by the holy blade, causing him to scream in anguish and fear, as for a moment, his head was bathed in a blaze of holy fire. As the fire extinguished itself after briefly illuminating the room, Venti attempted to grab hold of Lawrence and cast Inflict Wounds.


    However, the automated combat AI was too smart for that and swiftly removed the offending limb that had attempted to grab Lawrence by means of amputation via his sword. As the sword removed a bone, Venti, though in great pain, sneered.


    "It will grow back in no time-"


    However, obviously, Venti had not fought someone with truly powerful holy weapons before and as such, knew not the consequences of being an undead that was dealt holy energy.


    It simply stopped them from regenerating at all.


    As Lawrence offered a triumphant smile as Venti''s eyes widened in horror as he waited for his arm to grow back, Venti shouted and cursed, "You''ll pay for this--"


    The tower shield that made contact with his face shut him right up, coughing some teeth to fall out as well. He must have a religious symbol somewhere in order to cast these spells...


    Lawrence spotted a necklace on Venti''s neck and quickly cut it off. It was a pendant fashioned in the shape of a horn. Venti shouted and attempted to dive forward to grab it but Lawrence''s kick cut him off, causing him to double over.


    Craig who had caught up, smashed it with his boot.


    "W-Why am I here? Where is this place?"


    One of the followers looked around in bewilderment as the charm is permanently lifted off all of the crowd.


    "Get out of here!" Lawrence bellowed, using his fear effect and the crowd stared at the man with a skeleton''s body but the face of a human. Slowly, one of the people at the front moved towards the door and as if it was a dominoes'' effect, everyone herded themselves to the door.


    "What did you want to be? Jim Jones and this was your Jonestown?" Lawrence muttered as Venti attempted to scamper away, his origin of magic broken. Even if he could cast something now, it would not be as powerful or strong. Venti reached into his pocket and pulled out a potion and he threw it in his mouth. At this point, he suddenly vanished.


    "A potion of invisibility!" Lawrence cursed, as the door to the back of the church suddenly seemed to open by itself, along with rapid footsteps, undoubtedly that of Venti attempting to flee.


    Lawrence reached into his inventory and pulled out a lantern that was lit.


    "Craig! Hold this up and keep beside me!" Lawrence shouted as he passed the lantern to his friend and the two of them ran into the door. There, they found a cellar door had been thrown open as well.


    "Craig, follow me and let us go in... Slowly," Lawrence muttered, the two of them entering the cellar. The scent of decay immediately hit them, the cellar was dimly lit, but thanks to the magic lantern that Lawrence had, they could see everything clearly. In the cells were numerous dying or already dead people. Craig''s relatives must be somewhere here. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    As Lawrence and Craig proceeded cautiously along the rows of cells, the lantern light that Craig held up seemed to surprise many of the people in the cells.


    "Please, please, you are not one of them, are you? Are you with Countess Vuitton? Please, let us out of here," one of the man stumbled forward in his cell, looking at them with pleading eyes. Lawrence shook his head.


    "Two adventurers. Brother and sister. Seen them?" Lawrence asked and the man nodded.


    "They are at the back I think, I saw the man in a pretty bad shape while the girl seemed to have dislocated an elbow or something. They were sent there by the Herders, so be careful! Can you let us out?" the man pleaded.


    "Wait in there, the Butcher is still around here, I don''t want to save you and end up being some undead raised against me," Lawrence replied. As the duo proceeded down the corridor, there was a shimmer in the corner which was illuminated by the light from Lawrence''s lantern held by Craig.


    "Sacred flame!" Lawrence shouted and even in the confines of this room, holy fire erupted from Lawrence''s hands and shot it at the shimmering figure in the corner.


    A scream that no doubt originated from Venti Laughlin. The shimmering figure fled once more, suffering another 2 Sacred Flames in the process.


    "Craig, this lantern illuminates hidden doors, traps and people. Shoot first, ask questions later," Lawrence muttered and the archer nodded, having attached the lantern to the side of his backpack.


    At the end of the corridor was a room. As the lantern showed no signs of a trap, Lawrence simply pushed it open. This opened the door to a large furnished room, dark red carpets, red drapes along the walls. Sconces light the otherwise dark room. At the very centre was a large campfire, surrounded by three chairs.


    However, standing along the walls were what seemed to be two dozen men, women and children. All of them unblinking and unmoving.


    In two of the chairs were a man and woman tied there. The man is unconscious and the woman groaned in pain. In the chair in the middle was Venti Laughlin, much more pale as he was before and half his face having melted away, revealing bones and rotten flesh.


    "Welcome. Can we talk?" Venti smiled and Lawrence smiled back in kind. Another illusion it seemed. The people standing alongside the walls are undoubtedly either mindless slaves or undead. The interface then clearly informed Lawrence that there were 24 zombies of levels 15-20.


    "I can grant you powers that you have never imagined. Imagine your power as an undead lich!" Venti raised his hands and preached.


    "We''re not listening to him, are we?" Craig whispered, his eyes widening at the man and woman.


    "I''ll even return these two to you! What do you say?" Venti proposed, a twinkle in his eye as he took out a small chest with a large diamond in the middle, almost buried in gold coins.


    "Hang on, just another 6 seconds," Lawrence replied, leaving Craig''s eyes narrowing. As Lawrence opened his mouth, Venti smiled. There was no way that someone could refuse him, Venti Laughlin!


    "Mass turn undead!" Lawrence shouted, a wave of holy energy blasting itself within the room, causing all the illusions rip it self apart, revealing a room strewn with corpses, body parts and walls tainted with blood. The undead that stood guard against the walls simply crumpled into dust.


    The blast was so strong that Venti was knocked over in his chair, coughing up black blood.


    Standing over him, Lawrence raised his hand-


    "Wait! Wait! We can still discuss this!" Venti cried out-


    "Divine Judgment!" Lawrence shouted and for a moment, the air was still. Did something go wrong? Lawrence scratched his chin as Venti looked around terrified. Suddenly, the metal door that was opposite the door in which Lawrence had entered, shook and flew open and cold air drifted in. And from the ground underneath him, several blue and grey wisps appeared, in humanoid form.


    One of them--


    "Wait, I recognise you!" Lawrence shouted at one of the wisps. It was the same man in the painting that he had seen in the Donovan Castle. The man offered a bow in response, "Briar Donovan, I would say that I am at your service, but I have mere minutes to settle my scores with this man."


    The wisps all held a translucent dagger in their hands. Craig and Lawrence took a step back each as the wisps politely asked for them to stand aside so they can surround Venti who was on the ground, moaning.


    "I am Baroness May Donovan and this is for the family," one of the female wisps snarled and stabbed Venti with the dagger, causing him to howl in pain.


    "... A holy ghost dagger? Interesting," Lawrence mumbled as he took out two Greater Restoration Potions and passed them to Craig.


    "Untie them and get them out of here, I will make sure things wrap up here," Lawrence whispered and Craig cut his niece and nephew loose and fed them the potions.


    "I am Lord Sigur Donovan and this is for the family," a balding man, with the robes of a merchant said in anguish and stabbed Venti.


    As Craig supported Kunivia and Kessler out of the room, only half of the ghosts were done with their vengeance. Lawrence knew that this divine judgment was that Venti Laughlin shall be subject to a slow death, at the ancestral members of the House Donovan, because this was a debt of blood, that has to be paid in full.

 Chapter 42: Departure

    As Venti Laughlin moved no more, his skull slowly melted into a puddle of disgusting goo, after having been repeatedly stabbed by members of the House Donovan. The wisps bowed to Lawrence before a gust of wind swept them away and the metal door swung itself shut.


    Lawrence walked over and uncorked a bottle of holy water from his bag onto the remains, watching as the holy water splashed onto the remains and making a hissing sound. Indeed, Venti Laughlin was no more. Whatever magic he wove in this town was now gone. Anyone who came to town and was charmed into not leaving and pledging fealty to Venti Laughlin will find that his influence has subsided, with many questions in their heads on what has happened since they gave their minds to him.


    "Are they okay?" Lawrence asked Craig, who had propped Kunivia and Kessler against the wall. The young lady, Kunivia, seemed much more alert, having watched the Butcher''s execution by some ghosts and looking at her brother worriedly. Kessler, on the other hand, seemed to slip in and out of consciousness. Walking closer, Lawrence knelt down beside the young man.


    "Sir, can you do something?" Kunivia pleaded while Craig looked at Lawrence, "Hey, if you can help him, I''m in your debt for sure."


    "You already are terribly indebted, I''m sure that a few more debts are fine," Lawrence said, the user interface scanning Kessler''s body. The man''s stamina was rapidly depleting for some reason. No signs of poison either. Some bone fractures but...


    Possession


    "Christ almighty..." Lawrence sighed, taking out another bottle of holy water and tipping it into the mouth of Kessler, who was shivering and ice cold to touch. As the holy water was swallowed, Kessler coughed and choked. However, as he opened his mouth, there was a low moan, that of the Butcher and a very faint voice, almost a whisper.


    "... No... Not like this..."


    With that, Lawrence watched as the status bar, Possession, disappeared, replaced with Fatigue. Feeding him another Greater Restoration potion, Lawrence watched as the colour returned to the face of the man. He wearily opened his eyes and the first person the man saw was Kunivia.


    "Are we... Are you okay?" Kessler asked, attempting to muster the strengthto grab his sister''s arm. Kunivia''s eyes watered, as she embraced him.


    "It is okay now..." Kunivia sobbed, as Craig and Lawrence watched, smiling as the two of them comforted one another. As the two calmed down, they helped Lawrence and Craig release the prisoners, where their standing in society ranged from wealthy merchants to minor nobles and travellers. For those who were dead, Lawrence made sure to bless their bodies before opening the cells, just in case some undead shenanigans decided to unfold itself as a plot twist, courtesy of Lawrence failing to note subtle hints in the user interface.


    As Lawrence stepped out of the church, a large group of people were gathered at the entrance, holding torches and the likes, the light illuminating the area in front of the church. At the front was Tiefnaand Laura.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Laura still looked terrified, however, Tiefna had the look of someone who was thoroughly impressed.


    "I must say that I am pretty impressed," Tiefna said, folding her arms.


    "Everyone back to their senses yet?" Lawrence asked, looking around at the faces of the people around him.


    "They are slowly starting to remember the things they have done, but it seemed like it will take some time before they know it fully," Tiefna replied, brushing the hair out of her eyes.


    "You''re the leader for now, I suppose?" Lawrence asked and Tiefna nodded.


    "Alright, we''re just going to leave this place. You can do me a favour, however--"


    "Wait! Take us with you!"


    Lawrence turned around and saw two men. One in a dirtied sailor''s garb and the other in what seemed like a turban and merchantile robes, which reminded Lawrence strongly of those middle eastern Arab merchants.


    "My name is Ha''ad and this is my friend, Berg. Thank you for rescuing us, but please, can you take us with you? Once I get in touch with my family, I will reward you greatly!"


    Lawrence almost sighed in annoyance. Another escort mission?


    "Where to?" Craig asked and Ha''ad''s eyes lit up.


    "Black Bay Village!"


    "Oh... That''s along the way then...?" Craig looked at Lawrence uncertainly who shrugged and nodded. Kunivia and Kessler, who have retrieved their gear, hugged Craig and Lawrence.


    "We''ll join you in Black Bay soon. I just need to take Kunivia home first, I''m sure our big brother is worried," Kessler remarked and Craig nodded in agreement. Slowly, the crowd disperesed, with a few awkward thank yous to Lawrence and party.


    "Do me a favour, if you ever hear of a man called Gregor Smith, do send word to Black Bay," Lawrence said to Tiefna who smiled and nodded.


    "Look, thank you, say thank you to the big boy?" Tiefna urged the little girl who shuffled forward quietly, looking at the ground.


    Lawrence knelt down, smiling and patting the girl''s shoulder.


    "T-Thank you..."


    <hr>


    As the group left The Singing Gardens, Lawrence had bought four horses to make it back to Black Bay Village. Apparently, Ha''ad and Berg were en route to Black Bay Village until their ship was attacked by sirens.


    "Interesting, you mean to say they charmed your men?" Craig asked and Berg nodded grudgingly as if finding Craig''s taste in things that were interesting to be in poor taste.


    "I think that''s a Siren''s skill of Bewitching Melody. Hear enough of their song and you will join them. Unless you are mentally capable enough of resisting it of course," Lawrence replied, quietly gathering information from Craig and Berg''s conversation.


    "I wish to set up a trading company in Black Bay, the company is also willing to help develop the port as long as the rights to trade in the company are given to only me, Ha''ad Hashite!" the heir to the Hashite company proudly declared and Craig nodded appreciatively. By now, Craig has gotten used to Lawrence''s act of pretending to be someone unimportant that he just plays along now.


    "I''m Lawrence Carstein, a resident of the village, along with Craig here, I''ll be happy to bring you to the village chief, Roland for further negotiations. But it is getting late so we should make camp at Castle Altis," Lawrence said and the group readily agreed.


    It was a fool''s errand to attempt travelling at night especially through that forest. Though the undead by the Butcher and Marquis Donovan are no more, who is to know if the necrotic energy has not influenced other things?


    From a distance, they could see the fortress Altis.


    There seemed to be several men with torches moving along the walls. For once, Lawrence felt not the dreary feeling of looking at the fortress.

 Chapter 43: Curtains

    Approaching the fortress of Altis, Lawrence could see that a larger force has made camp in it. As the four of them rode towards the fortress, they were stopped by a man with a cone-shaped helmet and chainmail that almost reached his knee. If Lawrence didn''t know better, it looked as if it was a size too big for the man.


    "Halt! In the name of all that is good and holy, state your purpose, travellers!" the guard said loudly, and Lawrence watched as several guards with bows peeked over the battlements as well.


    "Rest for the night? We''re just four people from the Singing Gardens, in fact, if Father Karl Franz is still around, he would know me. My name is Lawrence Carstein, perhaps Marilyn or Maniard?" Lawrence asked, putting his most friendly smile in an attempt to persuade the guard.


    "They are okay, let them through! Wahaha! Look who is back!"


    A familiar voice sounded and Lawrence looked up and at the battlements, the torches illuminated the face of a man that Lawrence has pulled from death''s door. The elderly Father Karl Franz.


    The guard promptly stepped aside and placed his hand on his chest, bowing his head a little. As Lawrence and Craig went on ahead, Berg and Ha''ad simply seemed to be more at ease having entered a fortified stronghold to pass the night. After all, what is safer than being behind thick walls and strong men?


    As they entered, a few young boys, in the darkness of the night, could be seen scrubbing the fortress grounds, while others seemed to be drawing water from a nearby well. The disgusted looks of the acolytes were obvious to all. Scrubbing remains, rotten remains at that, was terrible business.


    "I see you come back to me in one piece from The Singing Gardens no less! Tell me, was that place as screwed up as I told my men to begin with?" Karl Franz asked, placing a hand on Lawrence''s shoulder as he gestured for his boys to take care of the horses.


    "Guests, this way please," one of the acolytes bowed, talking to Craig, Berg and Ha''ad. Craig looked over to Lawrence who nodded as he went with Father Karl Franz. It almost feels like taking a walk in the moonlight, as Lawrence related details the fight and attempted flight of Venti Laughlin to Father Karl Franz, though omitting several facts, such as the use of Divine Judgement, instead choosing to tell the elderly father that his way of purging the evil as thanks to his sword, which was blessed with holy energy.


    "You would make a fine crusader or paladin, or even a member of the clergy, if you so preferred!" Karl Franz praised, giving Lawrence a thumbs up. The two of them passed soldiers carrying crates of supplies, more acolytes cleaning and rows upon rows of coffins.


    "The dead deserve a proper rest. Courtesy of Marquis Van Shelk," Karl Franz said, pointing at two members in robes of a priest saying prayers and laying each rotting body into the coffin before an acolyte sealed them.


    "We spend our lives purging evil, blessing and healing people. Or at least we try to. I thought the chapter on my book was closed but you, my friend, have allowed me to write a few more pages," Father Karl Franz said happily.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "I thought Priscilla was going to have my body dumped in the ocean for dying on her so early, but at least that is averted for awhile now," Karl smiled, watching the acolytes hammer a nail into a coffin.


    "What are your plans for this castle?" Lawrence asked and Father Karl Franz looked to the ground for a moment.


    "Do you want it?" Karl asked and Lawrence took a step back, startled. The idea of owning a fortress was infinitely appealing but he made a promise...


    "Can I propose something?" Lawrence asked and Karl Franz opened his arms in welcome.


    "I would like to be the caretaker of the fortress until someone appropriate is found and... We can discuss recouping my investments into the fortress... Something like that..." Lawrence said and Father Karl Franz kept quiet for a moment.


    "When I go back to Tir Envar, I''ll see that something is done about your request," Karl Franz laughed, patting Lawrence on the shoulder.


    "I wish you good fortunes in the wars to come," Karl Franz said as he left and the next morning, Lawrence and company departed.


    Just three days after reaching Black Bay Village, Lawrence was welcomed back by Roland and Jacob, with the two being thrilled to entertain Ha''ad and Berg. However, before Lawrence could rest proper, another guest appeared in the town. This one, requiring a huge act to be put up.


    <hr>


    ¡°I regret to inform you that Lawrence Carstein is not in his log cabin at the moment. I do recall that he said something about training the Owl Guards¡­¡± Jacob, who had come forward to receive Lord Black and his entourage said, scratching his chin.


    Roland, on the other hand, had made ready for the finest inn for Lord Black, ¡®The Honoured¡¯ rooms.


    However, Lord Black was not going to waste time waiting around. In fact, he had only left his meagre luggage inside the inn.


    ¡°Milord, perhaps we should wait at the inn,¡± Kaisenberg said but Edward Black refused. Only a fool will wait for a living walking bank to run away.


    ¡°Where are the barracks?¡± Edward asked and Jacob had brought his own horse, leading the entourage past the massive fields that were growing four crops at once.


    ¡°What is the logic for this?¡± Johannes asked, pointing at the four crops growing in each field.


    ¡°Ah, this is something that Lawrence insisted on. He says that in the long run, it will benefit the farmers and the people that it is feeding.¡± Jacob replied, leading the entourage forward past the rows of shops in the wide paved roads, which was slowly gaining steam from the various crafts being sold there.


    ¡°I think to give this place a few years and Ludium will be in its shadow,¡± Kaisenberg whispered to Johannes who nodded silently. However, the entourage stopped at the visitors turned their heads to observe a group of soldiers, clad in dark blue heavy armour, a small group of crossbow-wielding soldiers clad in blue cloth walked past.


    ¡°That is the Internal Security force. Lawrence asked that it be created to police the streets. It''s basically guards.¡± Jacob explained, nudging the horse onward.


    ¡°Then, the entourage went past the large meadows with grazing animals before finally reaching a large, fence that fenced off the field.


    Just beyond the fence, as the entourage laid eyes on them, there were audible gasps and Lord Black himself stared, in awe.


    Formations of horsemen clad entirely in armour moved about to what seemed to be against the beat of a drum as if they moved entirely as one form and matter with almost pinpoint precision.


    The soldiers behind were also clad in plated armour, their shields large and tall, marching in tightly knit formations. The longbowmen march behind, orderly and with their arrows nocked.


    The drum beats stop.


    A loud voice carries itself over the field, ¡°Now, the enemy rains arrows, what do you do!? Squad leaders, issue your instructions!¡±

 Chapter 44: The Drill

    Across the field, the horsemen stood still, the archers rushing forward as the infantry parted into two, before reforming and raising all of their shields. The testudo has taken shape, shielding not just the infantry but the archers as well.


    ¡°Enemy archers are reloading, what do you do, men of the Owl Guard!¡± Longines barked as Kraft took notes quietly.


    The squad leaders barked commands at their own men and the testudo immediately opened up as the cavalry charged forward, their spears pointing down. The testudo then immediately transformed itself into a shield wall as the archers loosed their arrows.


    ¡°Amazing discipline!¡± Kaisenberg said in amazement as another blast of the trumpet seemed to signal the end of the drill.


    ¡°Yet, they are too few.¡± Lord Black sighed but Jacob shook his head.


    ¡°This is more than enough to defend the entirety of the Black Bay region. Lawrence has no ideals or ideas beyond that.¡±


    That¡¯s what you say now, Lord Black thought to himself. At this point, a man in the field applauded, stepping forward. At this point, everyone in the training ground stood at attention.


    ¡°Very well done, all of you. I have absolute confidence in all of you that you can protect the dignity of the soon-to-be City of Black Bay. Many of you have fled across seas, mountains and fields, robbed of your homes and livelihoods, but I hope that we will be able to find you one within Tears, itself.¡± The man said, his plated armour gleaming off sunlight, his voice loud and clear though it carries itself with a degree of authority.


    ¡°Milord, that man there, he is Lawrence Carstein.¡± Kaisenberg nudged his horse forward and whispered to Edward Black¡¯s ear.


    At this point, Jacob dismounted and announced loudly, ¡°Let us welcome Lord Edward Black, Ruler of the Black Dominion, Head of the House Black!¡±


    Lawrence¡¯s head snapped to Jacob, his eyes drifting to the lord atop his black mount.


    Hmm¡­ Level 3 huh. Noble chestplate and other noble armour. In fact, Lawrence thought that he looked sickly. He probably lowered his constitution scores¡­


    His entourage had some of the familiar customers from The Guardian''s Bakery as well as Kaisenberg himself.


    ¡°Good morning, Lord Black,¡± Lawrence said simply, over the din which was soldiers walking around and chatting during their break.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Edward Black dismounted, putting on his most polite smile.


    ¡°Good morning, Lawrence. Please just call me Edward.¡± He extended his hand Lawrence responded in kind, shaking the man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Can we talk, in private?¡± Edward Black said earnestly, Lawrence throwing Jacob a glance at the plump man gave him the thumbs up.


    Actually, unknown to the visitors, the entire thing has been a farce.


    Roland had purposely tied down Johannes in the town centre so he would not be able to make a much clearer assessment of the assets of Tears and Black Bay Village.


    Jacob was then tasked to bring the lord and his knights through the routes that will showcase their wealth. Lord Black, Kaisenberg and the others, though they may have a rough idea of how valuable something is, will not be able to do it as well as Johannes, an experienced tax collector.


    Next, the show of military strength was to give Lord Black a thin red line. Push us too far at the negotiating table and you may get way less or way more than you bargained for.


    ¡°Thank you for your enormous contribution to the people. No one has ever, in such a short time, done so much.¡± Lord Black said, his voice full of warmth and it sounded as if it was trembling.


    Lawrence smiled awkwardly as Lord Black began to rave about how many merchants were not fit to hold even his shoes and that surely the Guardians must be a magnificent order and as Lawrence¡¯s attention was wavering, Jacob stepped forward.


    ¡°Milord, I think it best we continue the discussion in the comfort of the Honourable Carstein¡¯s lodging.¡±


    Lawrence¡¯s face twitched, why was his house the best place? It is, after all, his home.


    Kaisenberg dismounted, bowing a little towards Lawrence who waved his hand, silently hoping that such formalities are dispensed with.


    ¡°Milord, were you satisfied with today¡¯s drill?¡± a voice spoke, slightly out of Lord Black¡¯s earshot.


    Lawrence turned his head slightly, noticing the soft-spoken Kraft standing there, his eyes squinting under the daylight. Apparently, Lawrence found out that though Kraft was an able mace user, he often stayed behind guarding essential chokepoints or supply lines, in which he was extremely skilled at. In fact, Longines straight out called him a tactician.


    ¡°Very, however, make sure the men are proficient in using spears as well, in fact, in spare time, the men should practice fighting in the forests, in the mock cities. I want you to expose them to all forms of fighting. The men of the Owl Guards should be capable of fighting in the hills, the mountains, the snow and in the cities. Any man who dares to claim Tears as their own should know the price they have to pay.¡± Lawrence replied and Kraft bowed a little, before walking away.


    The reason Lawrence came to their large-scale drills was so that he could activate his ability, ¡°Accelerated Growth¡± so that the soldiers and commanders could level up faster. Right now, the average levels of the soldiers were 10, already better than the bandits but weaker than your average knight.


    However, one must take note that knights were far and few in between, so by and large, the Owl Guards, which was well rounded, extremely well armed and well led, which already put them on par with the more elite units that existed.


    Of course, everyone except Lawrence knew how well defended this city was. In Lawrence¡¯s head filled with fantasy novels and exaggerated medieval stories, he half expected an army of rampaging nomads to come forward and tear the city into pieces.

 Chapter 45: A Discussion

    Once the group entered Lawrence¡¯s house, Lawrence lit the fireplace as it was still slightly cold. That was when Lawrence wondered if even this world¡¯s weather worked the same way as in reality. Were there four seasons and other silly questions as he changed into a nobleman¡¯s clothes in the privacy of his room as Jacob happily went to Lawrence¡¯s basement to retrieve a few bottles of wine.


    As Lawrence re-entered the room, there was a knock on the door as it opened and in came Roland and Johannes, with the both of them having what resembled a smirk on their faces, meaning both of them walked away with what they wanted.


    Now, the room was roughly divided in half. Kaisenberg, Lord Black and Johannes were huddled together, discussing something in a hushed voice.


    Jacob, Lawrence and Roland were together and Roland whispered, ¡°I was right, they are here to raise money from taxes. Aside from the construction tax, they wished to implement a trade tax from the increasing number of merchants coming through as well as a Bread and Butter tax, which is a tax usually enacted on noble families by the crown.¡±


    Essentially, the Bread and Butter tax was a tax that King Carmine implemented on nobles that had the luxury of owning their own herds and churning their own butter. Essentially, Johannes wished to leverage on the fact that Lawrence owned the fledging The Guardians¡¯ Bakery, which heavily used such items.


    ¡°What did you give them?¡± Lawrence replied and Roland smirked.


    ¡°They will waive the development costs of the port, I mean, of course, they want you to rebuild the Black Bay Village¡¯s port. Next, the Bread and Butter tax is levied at 10 percent only and to grow to 25% over the course of 5 years. By then, the villagers should be able to shrug off the increase in pricing off the items.¡±


    ¡°Next, I have also asked that the port, once built, will be completely exempt from tax for the first 3 years, and no additional taxes may be levied on the city of Tears aside from any that is mutually agreed on or agreed today.¡±


    Lawrence nodded.


    The Bread and Butter tax was something that barely hurt Lawrence and he understood that the finances of the realm were dire, not through any fault of Lord Black¡¯s. It was important to give some leeway to Lord Black to manoeuvre around since he was, after all, the territory¡¯s leader.


    If Roland had denied everything, there will be no ground for negotiation at all.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Of course, Lawrence being the neutral good alignment that he is, wanted to be as friendly to Lord Edward Black as possible.


    On the other hand, Lord Black was listening with excitement at the outcome of the negotiations that has transpired.


    To Lord Black, development and reopening the port would have cost an immense amount of money and if Lawrence was as skilled as the stories say, he may even be able to kill the Siren that menaced the seas of his domain.


    Next, the new Bread & Butter taxation would probably net him some 3200 gold coins this year and though a small amount, in the long run, will ramp up as The Guardians¡¯ Bakery continues to grow.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t get them to move at all on the trade tax but I think they understand it as natural if the trade here flourishes,¡± Johannes said and Edward Black nodded. Kaisenberg, who knew little about trade, stood and listened. The only parts he could really understand was whenever Johannes mentioned gold coins. He had a rough idea as to what was going on, but right now, his important duty was to nod sagely as he listened, as if he understood.


    ¡°Now, the Honourable Carstein, would you be open to a discussion?¡±


    Lord Black was the one who finished their session first and Lawrence hurriedly sat back in his chair to face Lord Edward Black.


    ¡°Please, Lawrence is fine.¡± Lawrence laughed, the other two men sitting behind him, one at each side. For a moment, Lawrence was reminded of Kongens Nei, as the Norwegian King, King Haakon VII argued with the German diplomat, Curt Brauer as the latter pushed for the former to recognize the puppet government led by Quisling.


    Lawrence gulped.


    He was only a marketing professional, not a politician though he has done his hardest to try and be one so far, having gone as far as distributing soup for the refugees or telling stories to orphans.


    ¡°Lawrence, I am going to be very honest with you here. Will you be ready to invest more in my territory and in turn, my people?¡± Lord Black leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. At this point, Lawrence felt a hand on his shoulder as Roland sat forward instead, preparing to open his mouth.


    ¡°Roland, please. I¡¯m talking to Lawrence. One honest man to another. Let the man speak.¡± Edward Black said, raising his hand before Roland could even say a word to stop the man in his tracks. From what Johannes has said, Edward could tell that Roland was a shrewd man. He wanted to be able to converse with Lawrence, not ¡°Lawrence¡±


    ¡°I would say that I already have, but you seem to have something else in mind?¡± Lawrence replied and Lord Black nodded, crossing his arms as he sat back in the comfort of the chair that he now wanted to have and place in his own bedroom.


    ¡°Would you be willing to inject 50,000 gold coins into the regime¡¯s finances?¡±


    Johannes bolted up in his seat, which he had sunk into earlier.


    ¡°Milord!¡± Johannes hissed but Lord Black waved him off.


    Lawrence sat back, looking at his notification, hoping that this was how the skill, Passive Perception worked. He had tried it while walking around but felt that they only occasionally proved their usefulness by pointing out certain details, such as a man whose boots were caked with mud and others.


    The person seems to be telling the truth¡­


    ¡°What do I get in return?¡± Lawrence asked and Lord Black¡¯s face was unreadable for a moment. Jacob¡¯s stomach grumbles.

 Chapter 46: Gratitude?

    ¡°My gratitude.¡±


    Lawrence considered Lord Black for a moment.


    First, let¡¯s think about Lawrence¡¯s finances. He had thrown in what many consider to be an unattainable amount, but the fact is that he had plenty leftover in other forms aside from coins itself.


    First, in his crafting inventory were mounds of gold and silver bars as well as bronze. All these can be melted down or traded away.


    Next, in Lawrence¡¯s head was ideals and ideas from the 21<sup>st</sup> century that was worth an immense amount of money. Ideas and methodology even in hearsay can be experimented with.


    Lastly, was a man¡¯s gratitude worth anything in the end? If cable TV shows taught him anything, the next thing that would happen would be for a knife around his throat with the line, ¡°I did warn you not to trust me¡±


    Idly, Lawrence looked through his roleplaying skills which he had categorised aside from the combat skills. Roleplaying skills were skills that allowed skill checks like Deception or Diplomacy to work better in the game world.


    He took a look at a curious skill that he had dragged away to a corner of the box by itself a long time ago.


    Zone of Truth.


    The Zone of Truth was a useful spell where any attempts to resist the spell would come in the form of telling a lie, where the spellcaster will instantly become aware of.


    Activating it, Lawrence could feel an odd sensation on his fingertips. He could see what seemed like invisible threads connecting each and every person in the room to each of his fingers. The threads glowed a little blue but it was obvious that only Lawrence could see it.


    ¡°What is your goal, Lord Black? Or rather, tell me, what will the gold be used for?¡± Lawrence asked and Lord Black¡¯s expression, unmoving, calmly replied, ¡°The King has levied something unreasonable against us. Only with your assistance can we in this domain circumvent this crisis.¡±


    ¡°Milord!¡± Kaisenberg and Johannes, both flabbergasted, stared in horror as Lord Black laid bare his hands.


    ¡°The remaining money¡­ I wish to spend some developing infrastructure in Ludium and Everett. We haven¡¯t been able to budget anything for maintenance or development for quite a while now.¡±


    ¡°What Milord means is that this is only a temporary measure as you are well aware of, the prosperity of Ludium when the taxes come in¡ª¡°


    The string that was attached to Lord Black was unmoving. However, the one which was attached to Johannes glowed red and tugged gently on Lawrence¡¯s finger.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°But really, gratitude aside, which is something we cannot survive off, a noble such as yourself should know that quite well but that aside, I¡¯m going to name my terms for the loan,¡± Lawrence said and everyone in the room held their breaths. For Roland and Jacob, this was an undiscussed territory and for Kaisenberg and Johannes, it dictated that whether this was a genuine reprieve for the House of Black or sweet tasting poison ¨C A moment¡¯s relief but only to kill later.


    ¡°First of all, once the port is open. There will be no taxes. It will be a special economic zone.¡± Lawrence said and there was a weird silence in the air.


    ¡°Apologies, what is a special economic zone?¡± the shrewd taxman, Johannes asked quickly.


    Free trade zones are not a new concept that emerged with capitalism as some might think, or even associate them with Communist regimes that wished to dip their beaks into the ever deep well of wealth.


    The world¡¯s first documented free trade zone was in 166 BCE on the Greek island of Delos, which lasted a good 100 years or so until it was overrun by pirates. Then, even in the Roman Empire had many civitas libera or free cities that need not pay an annual tribute to the Roman Emperor. The Hanseatic League established several free trade cities as well, one of which was Hamburg.


    ¡°A free trade zone is a small, fenced-in, duty-free areas, offering warehousing, storage, and distribution facilities for trade, transhipment, and re-export operations that¡­¡± Lawrence began, coughing a while before re-choosing his words.


    ¡°Basically think of it as a port on its own, where there is no taxation.¡±


    ¡°Special economic zones apply a multisectoral development approach and focus on both domestic and foreign markets. They offer an array of incentives including infrastructure, tax and customs exemptions, and simpler administrative procedures.¡±


    ¡°Now, think of a port by itself. People come and go. But what if at this port, there are warehouses, simple tax codes when there is a need for one, law enforcement and more?¡± Lawrence asked and Lord Black listened quietly, his body leaning forward slightly.


    ¡°So, you essentially want me to entrust the running of Black Bay to you?¡± Edward Black asked and Lawrence shook his head.


    ¡°You are welcome to proclaim war and ask for men to be dispatched if you so wish for us to. You can levy your taxes on us, as you so wish. The Council of Three will represent my interests. I have no desire to be called¡ª¡°


    ¡°That will not work.¡± Lord Black said, cutting Lawrence off.


    ¡°No one would allow a landless noble and man without title to such a position of import,¡± Edward replied but he slowly broke into a smile.


    ¡°However, if Black Bay was presented to you as your reward for repelling the bandits¡­ Well, Knight Carstein does not sound so bad, does it?¡±


    What a cunning man, Lawrence thought to himself. Lord Black was essentially trying to tie Lawrence into his service. However, if Lawrence wanted what he was asking for, gold or no gold, he understood what Lord Edward Black was implying.


    From nowhere, Lawrence would be pushed to a place of power and yet, with nothing to his name, he would only be stonewalled everywhere he goes.


    ¡°I will resign my office the moment I am forced to do something against my morals as a Guardian,¡± Lawrence said and Lord Black nodded.


    ¡°The investment of 50,000 gold coins will carry a three percent interest yearly at a compounded rate, to be paid back over a period of ten years,¡± Lawrence said and Johannes broke into a wide smile.


    In comparison, borrowing from neighbouring lords, dukes, barons or others had an outrageous interest rate of at least 10% a year.


    Assuming everything goes well, the project of Black Bay Village and Tears would pay the loan off by itself.


    A pigeon coos on top of Lawrence¡¯s house, loud enough to be heard through the silence of the room.

 Chapter 47: Two Honest Men

    ¡°I accept.¡± Lord Black said, standing up and extending his hand.


    ¡°Good. Then would everyone here like some lasagna?¡± Lawrence said, standing up, clapping his hands.


    ¡°Ooh! I would love that!¡± Jacob said loudly, pounding his fist on the end table to signal hid approval while Roland nodded sagely, ¡°A lasagna after a tough negotiation is always good.¡±


    ¡°What is a lasagna?¡± Kaisenberg asked loudly, echoing the sentiments of Lord Black and Johannes.


    ¡°Just a cuisine from Singapore. Will you stay for dinner?¡± Lawrence asked, beaming. His cooking skill was not pumped to the maximum for nothing.


    ¡°Very well, I always loved food anyway,¡± Johannes said happily and Lord Black allowed himself the first sip of wine for the night. He had leapt past a hurdle at last.


    However, even as the guests feasted on the traditional dish from Italy, Johannes and Roland continued to talk out the terms of the agreement.


    To sum it up simply, it was as follows:


    <ol>


    <li>A trading tax of 5% (to coincide with any raises and falls from Ludium, subject to the approval of Lord Edward Black and Lawrence Carstein) will be levied on traders bearing goods to trade within Tears/Black Bay Village valued at 1500 Gold Coins and above.</li>


    <li>A Bread & Butter tax of 10% will be levied on the value of sales of dairy products from The Guardians¡¯ Bakery, which will increase gradually over the next 5 years to reach 25%.</li>


    <li>Lawrence will inject 50,000 gold coins as a loan into Edward Black¡¯s treasury and the gold will be escorted by a legion of heavy knights and footmen.</li>


    <li>The investment of 50,000 gold coins will carry a three percent interest yearly at a compounded rate, to be paid back over a period of ten years.</li>


    <li>Lord Black will formally anoint Lawrence as a knight and make him a member of the House of Black. However, Lawrence shall not be bound to:


    <ol>


    <li>Lawrence is not bound to take part in knightly missions that would otherwise be considered necessary to take part in</li>


    <li>Lawrence will not be paid a stipend from the Black treasury. His pay will come from the management of Tears as he sees fit as long as all tax obligations are met</li>


    <li>Lawrence will be allowed to withdraw from the House of Black if he deems that what they do is against his teachings and morals without prior notice</li>


    </ol>


    </li>


    </ol>


    The fifth point was a massive contention between Kaisenberg and Roland, with the former arguing that knights had a sacred duty in these lands and the latter answering that Lawrence was already bound to his order as a Guardian and was merely, in his own words, ¡®doing them a favour¡¯The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    As the rest made merry inside Lawrence¡¯s cabin, the man from another world, well, Lawrence, stepped out, bathing himself in the moonlight which glowed through the gaps of branches and leaves. Sitting in the rocking chair outside, he sighed as he watched Tears from where he sat.


    He breathed in deeply. As a marketing executive by profession, he had no idea what he could or could not do properly in this world.


    He has been aided by the body of David Brood, his character from the game. In all parts, he looked exactly as David Brood has, Lawrence had wondered what if he had died from the surge while creating a new character to play in. He would start from level 5 and be lacking in skills of any form.


    Taking a deep breath, Lawrence gazed at the owl that hooted happily atop a branch.


    ¡°I hope that one day, we can converse with two honest men.¡±


    Lawrence turned his head slightly to see Lord Black standing there, closing the door behind him to mute out the din.


    ¡°I¡¯m always honest. It is all up to you.¡± Lawrence replied and there was no reply from Edward.


    ¡°That is good. Perhaps we can after all.¡± Edward replied.


    ¡°I will personally escort the gold as well. I wanted to see how Everett is like.¡± Lawrence said after a moment of silence and there was an appreciative nod from Edward, who sat down on the ground beside Lawrence.


    ¡°This world is so full of tyranny, blood and the sadness of the people. I hope to be a lord like my father who wished to change all that.¡±


    Edward¡¯s father, Lord Roderick Black was known for his kindness and benevolent rule, as was Edward¡¯s grandfather, Lord Ivan Black.


    However, as the King in his high castle seats atop mountains of gold extorted from his subjects, the nobles increased their taxation in order to keep up with the king¡¯s preposterous demands for gold.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure if you really wanted to be a good man, no one can stop you, Lord Black. The only thing you have to fear is fear itself.¡± Lawrence replied, borrowing a quote from Roosevelt, which he felt quite apt in this situation. Roosevelt took over the reins of leadership in the midst of the Great Depression, which he felt was similar to Lord Black¡¯s position, where he is struggling to revitalize the local economy amidst heavy tax burdens.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    Lawrence turned to look at Edward Black who was staring at him.


    ¡°Lawrence Carstein, the first of his name, do you guys say that here? Yeah. What else do you want?¡± Lawrence asked, suddenly weary.


    ¡°No. Not particularly.¡± Edward said as a silence fell between the two.


    ¡°Tell me, Lord Black, what do you want? What do you really want? That is the important thing.¡± Lawrence said, mimicking a particularly short character in one of his favourite TV shows.


    ¡°Would it be too na?ve to say that I want every family to go on a full stomach in winter? Bandits fear to harass my land? Intellectuals educating my citizens?¡±


    ¡°No. No, it is not. Perhaps you may even see it happen if you try enough.¡±

 Chapter 48: The Spymaster

    A grey pigeon hoots happily at its cage. Josiah Koha reads the message that the pigeon had sent.


    His face, already pale from the cold wind whitens as his eyes scan the message. He stuffs the parchment into his pocket and runs down the stairs, past several shocked guards and maids, storms through a small group of courtiers and into the royal palace.


    The guards upon seeing him snapped to attention and pushed the doors to the main chamber open. King Carmine was seated on the throne, a scantily clad whore sitting on either of his laps, as he sucked one of their teats.


    The documents on affairs of the realm have been swept off the table. Another girl laid on it, her legs wide open, tempting the young King.


    ¡°I have grave news! King Louvre Gerheist has passed on!¡± Josiah shouts and the King looks up, his eyes darting to Josiah Koha, his Spymaster.


    The Spymaster, who was nearly 60 had white hair and wrinkles, dressed in an unremarkable grey robe. He had served his father before him and often come with no great tidings at all, which Josiah was quick to remind, ¡°I am a Spymaster after all.¡±


    ¡°So what if that old fart dies? This means that we have a better chance of taking that lousy country, now that the Lion of Gerheist is dead.¡± King Carmine said lazily before one of the girls teasingly offered her chest to his tongue again.


    ¡°My King, this means that his son, who has always advocated a stronger position against us will be taking the throne. I suggest that we place our soldiers under Duke Fantasia and Duke Clark on alert at once.¡± Josiah, who was used to such sights, said loudly and the King reluctantly removed his mouth from the girl and gave an overly dramatic sigh.


    ¡°My dear Spymaster. That king who barely sat his bum on the throne will not think of starting hostilities so soon. In fact, he should be sending us tribute! Right? We are the powerful ones in this realm, are we not?¡± King Carmine said loudly and one of the girls giggled, ¡°You¡¯re the powerful one¡­¡± as she traced her finger along his stomach.


    ¡°My King, the Gerheist soldiers are well-trained, well provisioned and due to recent events, have become increasingly defensive against us. I urge that you refrain from¡ª¡°


    Well, more of the fact that you are a bloody idiot who sent troops to a kingdom whom we were extremely friendly with at a point of time, thought Josiah as King Carmine ringed a bell.


    A courtier hastily ran in, ¡°Anything for you, my King!¡±


    ¡°Send a messenger to the new brat, the new King Gerheist. Tell him I expect 20,000 gold coins in payment to our treasury so that we can maintain good relations.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The courtier hesitated as Josiah protested angrily, ¡°My King, you will be insulting the Kingdom of Gerheist and it is unlikely that they¡ª¡°


    ¡°Silence! I am the King!¡± King Carmine roared and threw his goblet of wine at Josiah.


    Josiah swallowed the words he wished to say and he bowed, before leaving.


    One day later, the Spymaster had disappeared. Some say he retired, some say he was executed at night.


    However, he would pop up in history at a later time¡­ Yet, that was a tale for another time.


    <hr>


    Lawrence decided that the current gold coins he had from the RPG game ought to be melted down. In his basement, which he had happily been able to expand beyond his wildest dreams thanks to the extremely adept construction system that Lawrence inherited from the game.


    Now, he had built an advanced forge that would allow him to melt down gold en masse. He also had a greenhouse going enchanted with magical light that would act as daylight so that he could grow all forms of seeds that he had in his inventory.


    Next, he also had an alchemy room so that he could craft some potions once in awhile. He realized that only the herbs from the game actually had any real effect. Anything crafted of items from similar properties in this world was useless or significantly weaker.


    The Tower of Mercy has swollen in ranks from the number of herbalists and nurses. Many were disbelieving at first of the free treatment promised there but now, people from around Tears and Black Bay Village travelled to have their ailments examined.


    Lawrence frequently dropped off herbal harvests and health potions in the Tower of Mercy to the nurses there. As refugees gradually trickled to a halt as Lawrence has imported all of them, he took efforts to create cultural integration programs.


    However, Lawrence has overestimated the cultural differences between the people from the Carmine Kingdom and Boulesky. The people were extremely similar, with slight differences in tradition and culture and the latter having an extremely strong emphasis on honour, which was a trait that something that the people of the Kingdom of Carmine appreciated.


    The former on the other hand, had a tradition of respecting the elderly, which Lawrence noted was quite similar to certain aspects of Confucianism. It seemed that the coming together of the Bouleskians and Carminians reminded Lawrence of how Singapore was like, a tolerant multicultural society.


    On the other hand, Lawrence has slowly levelled the soldiers to 15, which meant that theoretically, they should be able to out fight Kaisenberg. On the other hand, Lawrence, Kraft and Eveline Evergarden have gathered day after day to come up with a suitable design for the city walls.


    The usually silent Kraft completely shocked Lawrence when Eveline suggested that the walls forfeit archery towers in favour of trebuchets. The usually silent man pushed back almost immediately, explaining what he envisioned for the walls to have.


    Kraft laid down a plan called Operation Unthinkable.


    The operation puts forth the theory that an enemy strong enough to smash through King Carmine¡¯s Royal Army, Count Boulevard and Lord Black and turns the region of Black Bay to a frontline city.


    Kraft¡¯s plan is on the assumption that the enemy has a 20 to 1 numerical superiority. Lawrence had brought in the food reserve numbers from Craig, who had assisted Jacob in compiling them.


    The food reserves in the city would be able to sustain the entire population for six months at the current time.

 Chapter 49: The Walls are Strong

    Kraft¡¯s plan called for:


    <ul>


    <li>All ¡°survival-essential¡± buildings are reinforced with stone. These buildings include but are not limited to The Owl Guard Headquarters, the Barracks, the Granary.</li>


    <li>Every able-bodied man will be armed and sent to patrol the streets and if need be, fight on the walls and in the streets</li>


    <li>The division of the city of Tears into four zones.


    <ul>


    <li>The Outer Walls where the majority of the fighting will take place</li>


    <li>The City Walls</li>


    <li>The Merchant Quarters</li>


    <li>The Inner City (Town Hall etc)</li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    </ul>


    The City Walls, therefore, had to have three key elements. Firstly, the element of support, where they can assist any soldiers fighting outside the walls. Secondly, the element of defence, where they can assist any soldiers fighting on the walls. Lastly, the element of vulnerability, where it would be possible for any soldiers to sally forth and recapture the walls in a counterattack.


    Eveline Evergarden then sat back in the round back chair, closing her eyes for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to humbly add my opinion as well¡­ When I went to Ludium, I noticed that the walls were fairly thin¡­ If it was possible, I¡¯d like for you to make the walls thick, much thicker.¡± Lawrence said and Eveline nodded slowly. Of course, Lawrence knew that by European standards, this was standard, even considered tough and almost impregnable in an era of bow and arrows.


    The result of two weeks of discussions, sketches and revisions as well as Lawrence¡¯s subtle inputs from his memory of history, it was a fusion of European defence fortifications and Chinese strength in walls.


    The walls were to be ten to twenty meters thick at the base and five to ten meters at the top. Lawrence insisted that the walls had tamped earthen cores and the walls were made to be sloped instead of straight as well.


    Next, a large ditch will be dug in front of the walls, with two gates forged with steel in the three areas of entry from land. In the event of a siege, both gates would have to be breached in order to enter the city.


    Along the walls, large circular towers were placed on them, with heavy reinforced wooden doors as the only way of entry and stocked with medicine, food as well as arrows and javelins, so that defenders could seal themselves in and continue to harass the enemy while being relatively safe from enemy attack.


    A hole was available over each gate to pour boiling oil over their enemies while wall towers capable of mounting ballistas and trebuchets shall sit atop of the city wall.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Lawrence then explained to Eveline and Kraft his reason for insisting on a slanted wall as well as tamped earth cores.


    He took them to the beach where he dug a small hole. Picking up a pebble, he threw it on the undisturbed ground. The pebble landed where it was aimed, creating a small hole and kicking up some sand in the process. Lawrence then picked up the same pebble and aimed for the sloped area of the hole. The result was that the pebble glanced off, skipping away. Most Chinese walls were also sloped rather than vertical to better deflect projectile energy.


    China was the birthplace of gunpowder, however, compared to the nations of Europe, the guns there remained relatively small and light, weighing less than 80 kilograms or less for the large ones, and only a couple kilograms at most for the small ones during the early Ming era.


    According to Tonio Andrade, this wasn''t a matter of metallurgy, which was sophisticated in China, and the Ming dynasty did construct large guns in the 1370s, but never followed up afterwards. Andrade provides is simply that Chinese walls were much less vulnerable to bombardment.


    In Europe the height of wall construction was reached under the Roman Empire, whose walls often reached ten meters in height, the same as many Chinese city walls, but were only 1.5 to 2.5 meters thick. Rome''s Servian Walls reached 3.6 and 4 meters in thickness and 6 to 10 meters in height. Other fortifications also reached these specifications across the empire, but all these paled in comparison to contemporary Chinese walls, which could reach a thickness of 20 meters at the base in extreme cases.


    Even the walls of Constantinople which have been described as "the most famous and complicated system of defence in the civilized world," could not match up to a major Chinese city wall.


    Had both the outer and inner walls of Constantinople been combined, they would have only reached roughly a bit more than a third the width of a major wall in China.


    Lawrence, however, incorporated some European defensive tactics, opting for the design of the ramparts to follow the European style, instead of the slightly more flashy Chinese style tiled towers that always adorned the walls.


    The same form of walls was planned for after the construction of Black Bay Port, to face the sea.


    Kraft then insisted that bricks be laid over the earthen cores after construction to prevent erosion.


    The construction of the walls will then take place over the span of half a year, with Lawrence secretly speeding up certain aspects of the construction, such as slipping strength and stamina potions into the food and drinks of the workers.


    Dugen Strongheart, a retired general who travelled the world, reached Tears many decades later. He later wrote in his memoirs in the same inn that Lawrence had built.


    I pity any army that had thrown its forces against the walls of this place. In this city, I may even sleep well at night knowing that an army of millions stood outside. From the stalwart guard of the Owl Guards to the keen eyes of the Owl Bowmen and the thunderous hooves of the Owl Cataphracts and the walls of which the world has never seen, I, Dugen Strongheart, who thought he has broken all the enemies of my liege, only thank the Gods that no city like this has sprung up in my conquest.

 Chapter 50: Transport

    ¡°All the gold bullions have been loaded up, Honourable Carstein.¡± Old Man Frost bowed. The pitiful old man has found a place as Lawrence¡¯s assistant after his granddaughter, Marie, not knowing the workings of the world, had walked up to Lawrence and asked, ¡°Can you give grandpa a job? Grandpa has a bad back, so he cannot do many things.¡±


    And the soft-hearted Lawrence recalled how his father who had a bad back, was unable to do many jobs, as much as he was willing to. The result?


    Old Man Frost was now working as Lawrence¡¯s assistant, taking note of Lawrence¡¯s schedule and reminding Lawrence on things that he had forgotten to do. As a former office drone, Lawrence was used to tight schedules on marketing projects, but¡­


    Not when you are overpowered and have the ability to do the things you could only imagine in a good game of Dungeons and Dragons.


    Lawrence noted that a lot of the herbs he owned were impossible to harvest in the condition that he possessed them. In response, he had met Eveline Evergarden one day.


    ¡°Eveline, is it possible for you to design the gardens of gardens?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Eveline asked, taking off her glasses momentarily and crossing her legs, looking up at Lawrence Carstein.


    Lawrence scratched his chin before opening his mouth.


    ¡°I want to grow a garden enhanced by magic that the world shall rarely find ever again. It shall be a place where a fountain stands in the middle, filled with honey water and trees that could quench any thirst and herbs that can cure any disease. It shall be a place for all to enjoy,¡± Lawrence said and Eveline frowned.


    ¡°Y¡­ Your description hardly counts as a brief¡­ But I¡¯ll come up with something,¡± Eveline said, her hand making a shooing gesture and Lawrence quickly got out of her office.


    ¡°Frost, please make sure that uh, Miss Evergarden follows up on this,¡± Lawrence said and Old Man Frost nodded, taking note of what Lawrence just said. Old Man Frost had apparently worked as a scribe before and this meant that he could read, which was a huge boon in this world.


    With that taken care of, Lawrence got onto the horse easily due to his high Animal Handling skill. It was a brown stallion that Jacob and Craig had gotten for Lawrence and was saddled with heavy armour.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    This day, the men escorting the wagons of gold shall be the Owl Cataphracts or some have taken to calling the Owl Cavalry.


    Old Man Frost was clad in leather armour and Marie was tearfully waving goodbye. On this trip, 100 Owl Cavalry will be following, along with 50 Owl Shields and another 50 Owl Bowmen. Behind were Craig and Jacob following behind.


    Roland was left behind to hold down the day to day operations of Tears, which was increasingly encroaching on Black Bay Village¡¯s land. Therefore, he was working on a plan for a merger.


    Quenya, on the other hand, has picked up the running of the Guardian¡¯s Bakery.


    Craig¡¯s tannery has also begun producing leather goods of artisan quality, which greatly pleased Lawrence who has always loved leather shoes in his own world.


    ¡°Manufacturing¡­ Service¡­ All that is left is¡­ Education.¡± Lawrence mumbled to himself as the convoy made its way slowly forward.


    ¡°I say, Lawrence, I have never seen a city more alive than Tears. What you have done in such a short time here¡­ I cannot imagine this nation called Singapore that you come from,¡± Craig said, nudging his horse beside Lawrence.


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ I miss the food there¡­¡± Lawrence said, involuntarily swallowing his saliva as he thought of chicken rice and the fish head curry he always loved.


    ¡°Tell me, when we get back, can you make that thing you called a Cheese Pizza for my wife? Our anniversary is coming soon,¡± Craig asked and a smile spread across Lawrence¡¯s face.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to assume you have already extorted Quenya to a free cake, and now a pizza? How am I going to run a business this way!¡± Lawrence said jokingly as he nodded.


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ Now that we¡¯re earning more, the missus is asking for more, of course, through no fault of hers¡­¡± Craig stammered and Lawrence nodded, patting him on the shoulder.


    ¡°All is in order, Honourable Carstein,¡± Longines said as he rode his horse over and reported.


    ¡°How are the men¡¯s training going? Please, ride with us.¡± Lawrence said and the three rode alongside the convoy.


    ¡°They are well-trained milord. Milord, if it is possible, do you mind if we spar one day?¡± Longines asked, a hint of excitement in his voice and Lawrence laughed, shrugging.


    Lawrence was afraid that if they sparred using auto combat, Lawrence would automatically kill Longines or anyone who wanted the experience. Therefore, this meant that he had to practice in secret in the basement.


    What he would do is to turn on auto combat against a fighting dummy and then cast a minor illusion of what he had done so as to copy what the artificial intelligence combat system had performed earlier.


    Right now, he only memorized certain forms and he was pretty sure that if he had tried swinging a sword around without the combat AI, Longines would knock him down in moments.


    With that said, Lawrence wondered how the HP bar worked in all due honesty. Lawrence had suffered paper cuts and the likes while going through documents before but not a dent was created in his HP bar. Not even the deduction of one.


    Maybe it takes a real weapon?

 Chapter 51: Legio Aeterna Victrix

    In any case, Lawrence will not appreciate a being stabbed so he would prefer not to find out about it at all.


    ¡°Eternal Guards victorious!¡±


    Lawrence who had been daydreaming looked around and saw that it was his own men chanting. Was it a marching song?


    This is nostalgic, it brought him back to the days when he was a recruit in the army after being conscripted. They would march 24km with their field gear while singing songs to keep their spirits up.


    ¡°Tears O Tears!¡±


    ¡°Her strength is in honour, our duty to protect our homeland!¡±


    The way in which the soldiers sang the song sent shivers down Lawrence¡¯s spine. Instead of sounding like the lethargic songs he has often heard in road marches when he was a conscripted soldier, it was a song that sounded as if the soldiers believed in it themselves.


    ¡°Eternal Guards victorious! Tears oh Tears! Flies the Owl of the Guards above the land of the Black Bay!¡±


    ¡°Eternal Guards victorious! Tears oh Tears!¡±


    Lawrence smiled as the men marched on happily.


    ¡°Tell me, Longines, you have been in the military awhile now. What is the usual stipend and food for a soldier?¡± Lawrence asked and Longines tapped his chin.


    ¡°Honourable Carstein, it varies from army to army. The most generous one after the Owl Guards will be Prince Horn of the Wars of the Six Kings and Five Princes. He offered a one silver piece a month and the men can keep any loot they get from sacking.¡±


    ¡°In general, most armies offer maybe 30 coppers a month, or more if the soldiers are the elite troops. Nothing like here, Honourable Carstein.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Never have I seen a liege gives an advance on salary for newly trained soldiers and once a man joins an army, his family gets tax exemptions when he is out on deployment. Then, not to mention the free land they get thirty silver pieces a month.¡± Longines grinned, not that he disapproved of what Lawrence was doing, but it seemed that Lawrence was simply sinking money into the system.


    However, what they did not know was Lawrence¡¯s understanding of economics.


    Lawrence aimed to drastically raise the living standards of the people living in the Black Bay area. In medieval times, the rapid injection of capital may not become apparent as long as things were controlled and kept under wraps. It was not the same as forging your own currency and attempting to screw over every King and Prince in the vicinity.


    By enforcing a minimum wage in the territories here, he ensured that every villager would be able to afford a certain standard of living.


    For example, a farmer in King Carmine¡¯s holdings may not be able to see more than 2 gold coins in his life, nor place a pearl necklace in his wife¡¯s hand or to buy decent clothes for winter without some creative use of hay.


    Yet, in Tears and Black Bay, thick clothes for the colder tundra seasons would be normal while unemployed people gain assistance from the Town Hall to find a job.


    All in all, this made people in Black Bay affluent and with that wealth, they will put it back into the economy through spendings and help kickstart a more productive economy.


    As for paying army soldiers well, it was due to his experience in the army as well as that of his knowledge of history.


    Lawrence, as a conscript, was given $560 as an ¡°allowance¡± which the military was clear and quick to let you know early on. The money, after his bills, became a completely insignificant amount and he was hard-pressed to afford anything that cost more than $10 in general without some serious budgeting concerns.


    Lawrence had read before that the contribution of Allied soldiers in post-WW2 West Germany as they are garrisoned there has been massive. As allied soldiers were posted there, they had to spend money as they stayed in the occupied territories. If the garrison was insignificant, that will be it, but not when you had hundreds of thousands of men in West Germany.


    Now, Lawrence was to become an anointed knight of the Black household, with many terms and conditions dictated by him.


    ¡°I wonder, was this how real power felt like behind the scenes?¡± Lawrence mused as the convoy moved through the Hushed Forest and towards Everett.

 Chapter 52: A Gesture

    ¡°¡­ Therefore, King Carmine, by his grace and generosity, demands that King Gerheist immediately send tribute worth the value of 20,000 gold coins. That is all.¡±


    The messenger haughtily stated his demand and the court of Gerheist was silent.


    The palace was small and the main hall was many times smaller than that of King Carmine¡¯s. The floor was made of polished marble while the pillars were cast of solid steel, painted gold.


    The large stained glass panels depicted the image of a man wrestling with a lion.


    The young King Gerheist, barely 16, stared at the messenger.


    The courtiers were silent, many offer the messenger a scathing stare.


    ¡°I say, King Carmine has really learnt to be a lion, hasn¡¯t he?¡±


    A man with a long white beard that reached his waist and slightly messy hair stepped from among the ranks of the courtiers.


    ¡°It is my King¡¯s inauguration, yet King Carmine is here to¡­ Blackmail, my King?¡±


    ¡°Calm yourself, Duke Fiesen, my King is only asking for his rightful due, a compensation, if you will, for your unlawful incursions into the Carminian territory.¡± The messenger replied calmly and Duke Fiesen¡¯s face soured.


    ¡°Your territory, you say¡­ It was my lands in which your horses trampled on!¡±


    Another voice from the courtiers and this time, a muscular man, looking like he was in his forties pushed forward, clad in chainmail.


    ¡°Ah¡­ And you are¡­?¡± The messenger feigned ignorance, turning to look at the man as if he was a filthy pest.


    ¡°Earl Malai!¡± the man shouted angrily and the King slammed his hand on the arm of his chair, the resounding impact attracting everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Enough bickering!¡± the young King Carmine roared, his golden brown robes quivering ever so slightly as the petite brown haired boy whom they called King shouted.


    ¡°Today is a good occasion and let us not sour the mood.¡± King Gerheist said loudly, smiling as he walked from his throne and held the hands of the messenger, to audible gasps in the main hall.


    ¡°My King, you can not¡ªYou must not!¡± Earl Malai said loudly, horrified while Duke Fiesen¡¯s face was that of complete rage.


    ¡°We shall not only pay the 20,000 gold coins that they wish for, but Earl Malai and Duke Fiesen shall be scheduled for execution, at dawn.¡± King Gerheist smiled and as guards grabbed the two members of the nobility, Duke Fiesen roared, ¡°Death before dishonour, my King! You must not! You must not!¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The nobles¡¯ yells gradually faded away and the feast began, with the Carminian envoy looking absolutely smug about things.


    However, in the dead of the night, as Duke Fiesen and Earl Malai sat in his cell, the former cast a weary look on the latter. As Duke Fiesen stood up to stretch his bones, Earl Malai finished up the last bit of the cheese.


    ¡°My knees already hurt. I¡¯m too old for this kind of thing,¡± Duke Fiesen complained, pouring himself a goblet of wine from the food and drinks that they had requested the guards to bring in.


    Earl Malai twitched in annoyance, ¡°Just wait for our King to come. This was his plan after all.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Honourable Carstein, or should I call you Sir Carstein?¡± Kaisenberg laughed as he rode his grey mare towards the Owl Guards escorting the gold. Truth be told, Lawrence could have hidden everything away in his inventory and brought it here but Lawrence¡¯s motives were two-fold.


    Firstly, he did not want to make it a habit for anyone to overly rely on him as he had things he wanted to do on top of building Tears. What if they wanted to transfer arms and weapons next? Was Lawrence to become the Intercontinental Shipping Company? DHL? FedEx?


    Next, with the construction of the defensive walls underway, Lawrence wanted to compare it with Everett, which was proclaimed as a fortress.


    The place that Kaisenberg and his retinue received Lawrence was known as Bone Back Creek, where it was a narrow cliff overlooking the sea to the left, while a dense forest to the right.


    ¡°Please, just call me Lawrence, there is no point for such a thing between us,¡± Lawrence replied and the knights divided themselves into two lines, one on either side of the convoy.


    ¡°No trouble along the way, I hope?¡± Kaisenberg asked and Lawrence shook his head. The journey has been nothing but quiet so far, which was not a bad thing.


    ¡°Honourable Carstein, we have a problem,¡± Longines said, his horse galloping towards Lawrence and as he reined the horse in, he bowed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lawrence asked, having not heard any war cries or sounds of battle.


    ¡°The wheels of one of the wagon has broken off. The road is narrow and we can¡¯t go around it without risking some of the cargo falling into the sea.¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Lawrence dismounted and Kaisenberg followed suit. Sensing the commotion, Craig and Jacob followed behind. There, it became painfully obvious what a trainwreck it has become.


    One of the wagons carrying chests of gold had its wheel completely break apart from the weight of the gold and a few chests have spilt its contents open.


    ¡°Alright, boys, get the gold back into the chests, come on.¡± Jacob, stepping forward said, as he bent down to pick up some of the gold bars and place them back in the chests.


    ¡°I can ride back to Everett and get more wagons-¡° Kaisenberg said but Lawrence had knelt down beside the wagon to examine it.


    There was no way in hell he could fix it with what he knew and so blatantly in the open.


    There was no repair option for the cart so the interface must have already considered it junk since it was constantly showing the scrap option instead.


    ¡°The two of you, come over here,¡± Longines pointed at two of the Owl Shields looked at each other puzzled before walking over.


    ¡°Put both your shields on the ground, side by side, no the other way. Face down,¡± Longines instructed and the two lost looking Owl Shields soldiers did so.


    ¡°Load the gold from the chests onto it, the two of you, hold onto either sides of the shield.¡±


    That was when Lawrence looked at Longines approvingly. What a smart man! He had basically used the two shields to create a sled.


    ¡°Rather a smart move, I¡¯d say,¡± Craig nodded approvingly, as the convoy now managed to move again.


    Yet, within the woods, hungry eyes eyed the convoy. A man nocks his bow and a signal was given. He raises his bow and aims¡­

 Chapter 53: Ambush

    ¡°Arrows, arrows! Everyone, testudo!¡± Longines shouted, leaping off his horse and shoving Jacob and Craig behind the wagon. The soldiers quickly raised their shields and closed ranks, with the archers hurrying to dash into the safety that the shields offered.


    As the arrows glanced off harmlessly, the Owl Cavalry turned around, facing the forests, their shields raised to protect their eye slits. The arrows simply bounced off the thick armour of the rider and the horses.


    ¡°Who the seven hells is attacking us!?¡± Jacob shouted, covering his head with his hands. Craig had moved to join the archers inside the relative safety of the testudo while Lawrence himself had taken cover as well, having pulled out his sword.


    However, the same could not be same for Kaisenberg¡¯s escort. The arrows plunged into the ranks of the surprised knights, the arrows piercing into the unarmoured horses. As the rain of arrows pelted the knights, those who were thrown off their horses were simply shot full of arrows or pinned under their dead horses.


    As the rain of arrows faltered, a loud war horn blared and the knights from Kaisenberg¡¯s escorts rallied, moving to position themselves beside the ranks of the Owl Guards.


    ¡°Protect the cargo!¡± Kaisenberg shouted, his horse among the few still standing tall as the arrows completely missed him and a few others.


    As the enemy emerged from the woods, the first thing that Lawrence noticed was the blue war paint on their faces. The men charging out of the woods did not shout as well, but their expressions said much.


    That of bloodlust and glee.


    ¡°Barbarians of Deep Vale! Knights, to arms!¡± Kaisenberg shouted, as his knights clumsily clashed against the front ranks. Mounted knights charged still atop their horses, while the knights who were unhorsed or not as seriously injured drew their swords or maces and charged into battle.


    The barbarians wielded battle-axes and warhammers.


    ¡°Owl Guards, shields down, loose!¡± Longines shouted and the testudo formation immediately responded, with the soldiers who were shielding the top rescinding their shields, allowing the archers to release their arrows to the barbarians who were still charging down the hills.


    Their arrows flew like locusts, guided by the magic of their bow and their hard training as they found their mark, easily puncturing the soft flesh of their enemies as these barbarians were poorly clothed and armoured.


    The barbarians wore armour made of hide and Lawrence could spy a group of archers with longbows, dressed in a similar fashion. Lawrence¡¯s Ring of Protection simply caused arrows to fly past him harmlessly as he stroked his horse to calm him down.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Longines, help them!¡± Lawrence shouted, pointing at Kaisenberg¡¯s knights that had entered a horrendous melee with the barbarians. What the barbarians lacked in equipment, they made up for in ferocity. They fought not just with their weapon in hand. Lawrence watched as one knight cleaved off one of the barbarian¡¯s arms, causing him to drop his weapon. The barbarian, with his remaining arm, threw himself on the knight, attempting to bite the knight¡¯s face off.


    ¡°Owl Cavalry, wedge formation!¡± Longines barked and the knights immediately rearranged themselves into a triangular formation, tightly packed together.


    The wedge formation is a very old and very effective formation when employed correctly. Historically used with cavalry, the formation involves a mass of troops in a triangular wedge with the tip charging at the enemy. The ensuing charge would penetrate into the ranks of the enemy, usually infantry, and scatter the opposing force. When charging thinner lines, the wedge could completely separate a line into two groups, dividing a force and making them easier to defeat.


    Alexander the Great personally led his cavalry in a flying wedge to great effect in many battles, most notably his resounding victory at Gaugamela as he faced off a numerically superior Achaemenid Empire.


    The squad leader at the front of the cavalry shouted, ¡°Onwards, for death and glory, charge!¡±


    Moving as a whole, the triangle smashed into the side of the barbarians ranks, trampling them underneath the hooves of the horses as the thunderous roar of the charge of a cavalry drowned out the screams of pain.


    ¡°Archers, take down their archers!¡± Longines shouted and the Owl Bowmen turned their sights towards the group of archers hiding behind the ranks of their melee. As the barbarian archers attempted to pelt the cataphracts with arrows, the Owl Bowmen stopped their goal with a well-placed arrow to the chest or the neck.


    ¡°Get one of them alive!¡± Kaisenberg roared, his face covered with blood and sweat, a part of his plate armour with a particularly nasty looking dent.


    As the barbarians were slowly pushed back, one of the barbarians broke rank and ran towards the gold.


    ¡°No!¡± Lawrence shouted, identifying the Level 8 Barbarian, who threw his entire weight against the wagon and started to try and push it towards the sea.


    This is a chance for me to try fighting without the user interface, Lawrence thought to himself as he led the horse onwards.


    Lawrence rode up beside him and swung his sword down, and with a grunt of pain, the barbarian collapsed.


    ¡°Victory!¡± one of Kaisenberg¡¯s knights shouted, raising his mace as the men cheered. Lawrence turned to watch as one of the barbarians, barely alive, was dragged towards Longines.


    ¡°Lawrence, watch out!¡± Jacob shouted.


    For a moment, Lawrence wondered something utterly useless, he has never heard Jacob shout so loudly before. The interface flashed red-


    Surprise combat in 3 seconds, turn on auto combat?


    Lawrence was shocked for a moment and hastily attempted to select yes.


    Then, he felt a pain against his shoulder as the barbarian whom he thought dead, cleave his battleaxe into his shoulder.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Lawrence shouted in pain, and the barbarian, poised to take another swing at Lawrence, met his end as four arrows planted themselves into his chest.


    Lawrence watched as his health bar dropped by 20.


    The damage I take in this world is realistic, I am not a God.


    That was Lawrence¡¯s thoughts as the feeling of pain sent him reeling into darkness as he fell to the ground. The last thoughts he had was that of his comfortable brown office chair he had at home, for some odd reason. His eyes, heavy, slowly sealed shut as he saw men running towards him.

 Chapter 54: A Game of Kings

    ¡°Duke Fiesen, Earl Malai, thank you for waiting.¡±


    King Gerheist strode into the royal chambers, with the two nobles standing up to greet their king. The King waved for them to sit down and taking a seat at the front of the table, removing his crown and setting it on the table, much to Ungel Harth¡¯s chagrin. Standing beside them was a uniformed man, dressed in the red and orange uniform of a Gerheist General.


    Ungel has been his father¡¯s butler since his rule and now he is his son¡¯s.


    ¡°My King, you cannot so carelessly set down a-¡° Ungel protested, reaching out his gloved hands to the crown but Johan Gerheist raised his hand.


    ¡°No one enters this room until the two gentlemen leave.¡±


    Ungel kept quiet and immediately bowed, taking the crown with him, cradling it as if it was a baby and locked the room behind him.


    As the large oak doors with ornamental lions shut itself, King Gerheist looked at the two men.


    ¡°General Donovan, what has the General Staff said about the troops?¡± King Gerheist asked and General Donova, a man in his thirties but a distinguished veteran of the Carmine-Gerheist Wars, took out a scroll.


    ¡°Right now, we estimate 8000 men on the Carminian Border. Along the 25 kilometres wide border, there are a total of 6 defensive positions by the Carminian army. Their overseeing commander is Colonel Dusse.¡± General Donovan said as he read through the details of their briefing.


    On the deathbed of King Johan Gerheist¡¯s father, the late leader had summoned the entire General Staff.


    ¡°My time¡­ Will be coming soon.¡± The man whom they had called the Lion of Gerheist croaked, slipping in and out of consciousness as his men held back tears, watching their King in such a frail state.


    ¡°That no good disgrace to the Carminian name¡­ Will¡­ Attempt to¡­ Wrestle us to submission.¡± Volos Gerheist said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.


    ¡°Make plans for war¡­ Even if we are to lose¡­ Force it into a stalemate¡­ Let them know that my son is not a pushover¡­¡±


    ¡°Propose this to my son¡­ When it is ready¡­¡±


    ¡°Father, you should stop talking now. You need rest.¡± Johan said, kneeling beside his father and caressing his father¡¯s forehead.


    The sick man managed a smile as his son held his hand.


    ¡°And so I have lived 86 years of my life. I came to this world, my kingdom in ashes, but I shall leave it, a city of stone,¡± Volos Gerheist says, his strength seeming to return for a brief moment as he said those words out loud.


    Then, his hand slips from Johan¡¯s, as he breathes his last.


    ¡°That is a lot of defensive positions for a small border.¡± Johan groaned and General Donovan nodded.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°That is correct, my King. However, the General Staff is of the opinion that a chance of victory is not at all impossible.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How so?¡± the King leaned forward, as did the two nobles.


    ¡°Colonel Dusse is famous for being incompetent, even by the standards of the Carmine army nowadays. I believe we need to draw all of his men out onto the field to engage us.¡±


    ¡°And how do you propose to do that?¡± Duke Fiesen asked, furrowing his eyebrows.


    ¡°Duke Fiesen, the General Staff has learnt that Colonel Dusse is in a power struggle with certain sections of the loyalists. We suggest bribing Colonel Vava, a close friend of Colonel Dusse under the cover of a merchant company we can set up.¡±


    Earl Malai nodded as he heard this.


    ¡°We can do it easily on my end. We have bribed many Carminian soldiers before,¡± Earl Malai said and General Donovan smiled appreciatively.


    The discussion continued deep into the knight until dawn broke. Ungel knocked on the door several times, receiving permission to bring food and wine for all there. He left quietly each time, not looking at the parchments on the table.


    In a game of kings, the less you know, the better.


    <hr>


    Lord Black skipped his breakfast, instead opting to ride to the gates of Everett to watch for the convoy. In fact, he was not alone. Both he and Johannes were so happy that they have not slept for the whole night. In fact, Lord Black has sent out Kaisenberg and the knights earlier than usual to head out to greet the convoy.


    ¡°Milord, you are here too?¡±


    Lord Black turned to face the accountant, Johannes, who seemed to have headed out early to wait for the convoy as well.


    ¡°How can I not? I think I have never been so anxious in my life,¡± Lord Black said, stretching himself, stopping when he heard a satisfying crack. Nowadays, even the servants remarked that Lord Black looked as if he had received a new tithe.


    Truth be told, what Lawrence was carting over was worth more than a tithe anyway.


    In the distance, a convoy of wagons rolls forward.


    ¡°Knight Kaisenberg and the convoy, my lord!¡± one of the soldiers ran forward to inform Lord Black who nodded, his lips quivering. Finally¡­ Salvation is at hand¡­


    As the knights rode forward, Lord Black saw what were splatters of blood on the armour.


    Activating passive skill ¨C Staunch the Bleeding


    Replaces status condition: Bleeding


    Activating passive skill ¨C Hero¡¯s Will


    Replaces status condition: Shock


    ¡°Open the gates!¡± Kaisenberg yelled as a group of soldiers that Lord Black did not recognize rushed in, carrying a large wooden plank with someone laying on it. Old Man Frost was amongst the men carrying the plank.


    Hurrying down, Lord Black and Johannes stared in horror at the person on the board. It was Lawrence Carstein, barely conscious, his face pale and a large axe embedded in his shoulder. A particularly nasty looking axe seems to have embedded itself in the area where the rivets linked his shoulder plate to the rest of his armour.


    His attacker was lucky. Extremely lucky.


    ¡°What in the devil¡¯s name happened!?¡± Lord Black shouted and Kaisenberg turned to salute his lord immediately.


    ¡°We were attacked by barbarians and we beat them back, but the Honourable Carstein¡­¡±


    ¡°P-Potion¡­¡±


    Activating passive skill ¨C Blessed


    Replaces status condition: Poison (Nervosa)


    Craig and Jacob were kneeling at Lawrence¡¯s side and Lawrence reached into his pouch, barely taking out a potion of healing before his hands fell limply to his side again. Old Man Frost was about to reach for the potion but Jacob moved with a nimbleness that you would be surprised with, quickly feeding the potion to Lawrence who swallowed it quietly.


    Soon, the colour returned to his face and he moaned in pain, ¡°Pull out the axe!¡±


    ¡°Let me!¡± Craig said, taking out a bandage and slowly pulling out the axe to avoid messing up any muscles. Lawrence truth be told wasn¡¯t concerned, but being able to heal such a large wound immediately would raise some suspicions with Lord Black, which was why Lawrence sat through the entirely painful process of having the axe removed.


    ¡°God damn it¡­¡± Lawrence gritting his teeth as the axe was finally removed. Lord Black on the other hand, was angry to the point where he was red in the face.

 Chapter 55: Realism

    ¡°Why did those barbarians attack!? We sent them running into the hills and yet they come, they come again! Find anyone else still alive and hang them!¡± Lord Black shouted at Kaisenberg who hastily nodded and ran to the direction where all the other knights stood.


    Longines marched in with all the other men from the Owl Guards came in, first led by the Owl Cavalry and others came in. The wagons of gold were untouched, aside from the Owl Shields that had to use their shields to transport some of them.


    ¡°Milord, the gold is safe,¡± Longines reported to Lawrence who nodded, as Craig bandaged his wounds.


    ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± Lawrence waved his hand, standing up. Jacob and Craig stood aside as Lawrence stood up, wincing a little as he stood up.


    ¡°Lord Black, we have upheld our duty and promise to you. My men need rest,¡± Lawrence said and Lord Black immediately nodded, clapping his hands.


    ¡°Show these men their quarters!¡± Lord Black bowed as the Owl Shields, Owl Cavalry and Owl Bowmen stood in formation, unmoving even though their ushers have come forward.


    ¡°Owl Guards! Dismissed!¡± Longines shouted and the men immediately relaxed, following their ushers for a day¡¯s rest.


    ¡°Lord Black, after I wash up, please allow me an audience with you, there are other things that ought to be discussed,¡± Lawrence said and Lord Black immediately smiled, as he watched Johannes already working with other scribes to tally the value of the convoy delivered.


    ¡°Of course, Honourable Carstein. However, the knighting ceremony¡ª¡°


    ¡°Can we discuss this later, Lord Black?¡± Old Man Frost said but Lawrence placed a shoulder on the old man¡¯s hand, gently pushing him away.


    ¡°If it can be quick and informal, that is preferable. I am in some pain as you can imagine,¡± Lawrence grimaced and Lord Black nodded, signalling his understanding of Lawrence¡¯s condition.


    ¡°Good, of course. Johannes has already drafted up a formal agreement, we look forward to receiving you at dinner today. Also, allow me to send someone to guide you to your room¡ª¡°


    Lord Black ordered a servant, who hastily ran forward, his robes caked in dirt. Lord Black looked around as if hoping to find a more presentable servant but Lawrence waved his hand. He was tired and it could be Venti Laughlin showing him to his room for all he cares.


    Lawrence was led to his room first.


    ¡°Are you sure you will be okay?¡± Jacob asked, patting his stomach and looking at Lawrence in concern.


    ¡°You sure are lucky today,¡± Craig remarked and Lawrence gave a thumbs up.


    ¡°Sire, if you need my services, simply call for me, I will be in the room opposite yours,¡± Old Man Frost bowed and Lawrence gave him a nod before closing the door.


    The room was small and simple, though it does seem that an attempt has been made to make the place more hospitable. A red tablecloth was placed over the table and some fragrant candles have been lit.


    The room has a window facing the fortress courtyard, which was a humble garden. Lawrence removed the bandage, grunting a little at the pain.


    Cure Critical Wounds.


    Lawrence watched as his wounds closed and he placed the bandage over it as usual to feign injury.


    Next, Lawrence pondered over the limitations of the combat system that he possessed.


    However, it failed the means to evaluate one thing.


    Human nature.


    Sure, it could tell a lie from a truth, but it could not tell things like the fighting spirits of a dying man. It could not understand the nature of a dog forced into an alley with nowhere to run, forcing it to fight.


    If not for the fact that Lawrence¡¯s armour was thicker than most, he would have surely perished already. He now also knew that any damage he received was the exact same as how someone would be hurt in real life. The only advantage he had was knowing how badly injured he was.


    Somewhere, a bell tolls, signalling that meals were being served for the soldiers.


    Everett had steep stone walls, which reminded him of those that he saw in Turkey, known as the Theodosian Walls. However, it made Lawrence proud to say that though it looked strong and mighty, it was still much weaker than what he had ordered to be erected and constructed. However, Lawrence understood that Everett¡¯s defence was hinging on not just the strength of arms, but also its¡¯ geographical location.


    Everett stood on a hill, which made defending fairly easy and hard to move any form of siege equipment near. The gates were made of hardened wood reinforced with iron grills, with arrow slits along the top for archers to shoot any soldiers carrying rams.


    Lawrence, also noted how there seemed to be two distinct types of soldiers, unlike the Owls. First of all, was the knights, led by Kaisenberg. They wore metal plated armour, carried broadswords or longswords in general and had a horse.


    On the other hand was the average soldier, in fact, judging by how lazy they were standing, Lawrence might even think they were conscripts. They seemed lazy and had weapons of iron. Some even had armour that seemed to be rusting.


    Lawrence recalled the days when he was a soldier in the armed forces, they were made to learn how to dismantle their SAR21 and properly maintain it. It was the worst fear of any conscript for their sergeant to find even a bit of rust in their weapons. This meant they could not return home for the weekend.


    Ah, home.


    Lawrence for a moment thought about the Kopi C Siew Dai that he always had every morning. Was there coffee in this world? Maybe he could make a killing from coffee since he had the beans anyway.


    He laid on his bed, pondering about the next grand scheme. Maybe an inn named after himself after he gets knighted? Maybe a brand of coffee? Coffee was a type of cash crops anyway¡­


    As he thought about these, his eyes slowly closed, and his last thoughts were of prata from home.

 Chapter 56: Good Fortunes

    ¡°¡­ I have never heard of a tribe of tongueless barbarians before,¡± Lord Black said, sinking into his chair. He was truth be told, more relieved that the gold arrived than the news that Lawrence was alive, for the briefest of moments. However, in the long run, Lawrence was far more profitable to his territory and he knew that.


    With the Guardian¡¯s Bakery expanding, the newly agreed on tax would contribute greatly to the coffers.


    ¡°We are unsure milord, but if I were a barbarian warchief, I wouldn¡¯t have sent them anywhere men with plate armour. I mean, even if we weren¡¯t there, the uh¡­ Owl soldiers¡­ They are well equipped,¡± Kaisenberg threw his hands into the air in exasperation. The head of the knights have sent the men on a patrol of the hills to hang every barbarian they come across if any.


    ¡°I remember we drove them far away from here, so why did they suddenly come back?¡± Lord Black scratched his head, puzzled. As the servants brought water and wine for the people in the meeting, Johannes cleared his throat.


    ¡°Milord, Lawrence Carstein has fulfilled his end of the bargain. The gold has been accounted for,¡± Johannes said, tapping a book he held in his hands. In that book was the entire detailing of the Black family¡¯s fortunes.


    ¡°Good, please allocate them accordingly to King Carmine and to the maintenance of the household. See to it that any infrastructure that needs repair or building is done at once,¡± Lord Black instructed and Johannes nodded.


    ¡°I have spoken to Jacob who has informed me that they wish to discuss an expedition to purge Sirens from the neighbouring waters. They have some information on them apparently,¡± Johannes informed Lord Black as the lord took a sip of water.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I grant them permission to exterminate the sirens. But uh¡­ I mean, it is covered in our agreement, after all, to build a port but¡­ We don¡¯t actually have warships and trade ships are not exactly meant for fighting,¡± Lord Black said, wondering how the subjugation was going to take place.


    Everyone knew that the last subjugation attempt was a horrendous failure, so what makes the next one different?


    ¡°They say Lawrence Carstein will have the details in tonight¡¯s meeting,¡± Johannes replied and Lord Black could only nod. If the port was reopened and trade came to the area, Lord Black¡¯s wallet would only be fattened, his coffers packed.


    However, if they sent a group of ships on a one-way journey, that is a different issue altogether. The economic costs of building ships, especially for war, was immense. This was different from a simple fishing boat that can be as easy as rows of wood tied together.


    How far has Tears and Black Bay been developed? Perhaps they already had a shipyard?Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Lord Black needed these answers before he gave such sanctions. If he sent an expedition on a one-way trip, he would become the laughing stock of the nobles and his standing will plummet even further.


    A loud knock on the door and the doors slowly creaked open.


    A messenger in the colours of Count Boulevard stumbled into the hall.


    ¡°Lord Black, I bear word from my liege, Count Boulevard. He has asked me to inform you to keep this news to yourself,¡± the messenger bowed and handed a letter with a waxed seal on it.


    ¡°Thank you. Pay the messenger and arrange for him some food, water and a fresh horse,¡± Lord Black said to Kaisenberg who escorted the messenger out.


    Breaking open the seal, Lord Black began to read the message.


    Lord Black,


    Urgent times. We have barbarians marauding towns, cities, roads in various territories of minor nobles. Countess Barovia has already had a narrow brush with death, after her castle was stormed by barbarians, only to be repulsed after her knights returned.


    There is something off about the barbarians. Their attacks are actually planned and coordinated for once.


    I urge you to increase patrols of all of your more vulnerable territories. I am engaged in pitched battle at Cairn Hill, where one of the barbarian tribes are at. They are insisting that they have nothing to do with the raids even though there is near indisputable proof of such. However, I am puzzled as to why our previous treaty of peace with them has been revoked.


    I have also heard rumours that the royalty may be levelling a new tax soon.


    I wish you good fortunes in the battles to come,


    Signed


    Count Boulevard


    Lord Black sighed. He, as a minor lord, had no issue sitting inside Everett waiting out a siege. However, his poor people¡­


    ¡°Kaisenberg, send out all the knights of the household. Then have the gates of Everett be shut,¡± Lord Black ordered and Kaisenberg immediately protested.


    ¡°Milord, at least leave 30 good men here¡ª¡°


    ¡°Take those 30 good men and protect my people. The soldiers here will be fine. If the gates are closed, they will have to siege their way in and you will be back by then,¡± Lord Black said dismissively and Kaisenberg, though hesitant, agreed and departed immediately.


    ¡°Johannes, make the preparations for dinner and invite the esteemed guests,¡± Lord Black instructed Johannes who had already assured Lord Black several times before that everything was already in place, did so again.


    ¡°Mmpf?¡±


    Lawrence woke up as Old Man Frost knocked on the door. Looking out the window, Lawrence could tell that the sun was already setting.


    ¡°Sire, the feast is about to begin,¡± Old Man Frost notified Lawrence who nodded.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Lawrence said loudly and Old Man Frost opened the door and a servant girl who did not look a day over 20 came in with a basin of water and towel which Lawrence used to wipe his face and gargle his mouth.


    Old Man Frost was carrying a robe of some form.


    ¡°Sire, Roland had me bring this with us for you to change into for the feast. It was made by our own tailors,¡± Old Man Frost said and Lawrence pointed at the table.


    ¡°Place it there, I¡¯ll come out when I¡¯m done. Thank you,¡± Lawrence said and as the servant girl and Old Man Frost left, Lawrence changed into the clothes.


    They were long brown robes with patterns of owls embroidered on them. However, they were slightly thick, presumably to keep the wearer warm in this area where even the ¡°summer¡± temperature is at a stunning 17 degrees Celsius.


    Now, to not make a fool of himself. He can at least do that, right?

 Chapter 57: The Feast

    The halls were brightly lit with braziers and sconces along the walls, already in attendance was Lord Black, Johannes, Craig, Jacob and following behind Lawrence was Old Man Frost.


    There was also a group of musicians playing some tune to brighten up the atmosphere. Lawrence was given the privilege to sit at Lord Black¡¯s right hand side. The dishes served ranged from whole chickens to duck slices, the drinks were beer or wine.


    ¡°Ah, the main character of tonight¡¯s feast is here! Everyone, to the newly knighted Lawrence Carstein!¡± Lord Black said loudly, raising a glass as a toast.


    Thanking everyone sheepishly, Lawrence took his seat in the feast.


    ¡°Ah, Law- I mean, Sir Carstein, you have no idea what a great deed you have done for the Black family. We are in your debt, literally,¡± Lord Black joked and polite laughter echoed through the room.


    ¡°So¡­ Are we skipping the entire uh¡­ Formal ceremony?¡± Lawrence whispered to Jacob beside him who was stuffing himself with a roasted chicken.


    Jacob chewed rapidly, a gulp of red wine assisting the process.


    ¡°Yes, I believe so, but you gonna have to tell people that he did. I guess making 50,000 gold in payment helps speed up the process, eh?¡± Jacob guffawed, before resuming his slaughter of the food on the table.


    Lawrence turned his nose at the food because they all seemed so oily. However, to keep up appearances, he opted for the potatoes as well as slices of duck meat.


    ¡°Lord Black, I wanted to bring to your attention of a planned expedition some months from now, as well as some possible developments in the area of Black Bay,¡± Lawrence said, chewing on a slice of potato. Lord Black nodded, continuing to eat, but his eyes trained on Lawrence.


    ¡°We will be building a shipyard and hiring some experts to take part in building some warships for the purpose of destroying the sirens, followed by a maritime protection force,¡± Lawrence said, putting down his cutleries entirely and folding his arms.


    Lawrence knew that even though Johannes did not seem concerned, the money grubber was perhaps listening to the conversation even harder than Lord Black himself.


    ¡°Ah¡­ But you know what happened to the last expedition right?¡± Lord Black asked and Lawrence casually glanced at Craig before nodding.


    ¡°I have heard, but I shall attempt to nonetheless. Great risks come with great rewards, no?¡± Lawrence replied and Lord Black seemed troubled.


    ¡°We are going with good intelligence. There were two survivors bound for Black Bay which some information on how the Sirens fight. I do believe we have a chance with the right methods,¡± Lawrence replied and Jacob stopped eating for just a moment and added, ¡°The shipyard is being built as we speak, based on Lawrence and Evergarden¡¯s specifications.¡±


    Lawrence had described to Evergarden a type of shipyard that in the long term, could expand to include armories. It was to be called the Storm Arsenal, with Lawrence simply removing the actual name where this innovation came from. Venice.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The Venetian Arsenal was leaps and bounds ahead of its medieval counterparts which utilized guilds as their most efficient methods. The shipyard on the other hand employed, almost 16,000, and the streamlining of production within the Arsenal itself.


    Production was divided into 3 main stages: framing, planking and cabins, and final assembly. Each stage employed its own workers who specialized in that particular stage of production as well as using standardized parts to produce an almost assembly-line process.


    The Arsenal often kept up to 100 galleys in different stages of production and maintenance. That way, once a galley was launched, another could be immediately put into the finishing stages of production. The layout of the Arsenal itself was modified to enable minimal handling of materials during the stages of production.


    The Arsenal also saw the use of standardized, interchangeable parts.


    Lawrence had informed Roland and Evergarden that the way forward should see the standardization of arms, equipment and parts. Therefore, if things ever got desperate in the city, it would still be easier to manufacture based on one standard instead of a hundred others.


    ¡°¡­ Are the terms for the port still the same or should I give you my blessings and assistance, is there anything we can get out of it?¡± Lord Black asked, expressionless and Jacob immediately put down the lamb leg he was gnawing on to pay attention. Craig on the other hand had given up trying to understand what is going to follow and opted for the salad instead.


    ¡°I¡¯d say we have already offered enough and based on any taxation of reasonable proportion, the reopening of the port will still directly benefit your rule. I think we should not discuss any further regarding any more concessions on my part. I mean, I am the one boarding the ship to kill the Sirens after all,¡± Lawrence replied, equally expressionless.


    Lord Black nodded slowly, replying, ¡°Fair!¡± as he poured himself a mug of ale.


    ¡°Next, I would like to talk about the iron mine of Black Bay,¡± Lawrence said and the ale that Lord Black had just swallowed was spat out.


    ¡°What iron mine?¡± Lord Black asked, his voice an octave higher than before. Johannes eyes brightened, his face flushing red, as if he had just heard the most beautiful maiden whisper in his ear.


    ¡°There is indeed an iron mine that has been excavated and we will begin operations in a matter of weeks. I wish to discuss the share in which your family gets, with some terms of my own,¡± Lawrence said and Johannes leaned forward.


    ¡°For this, you will discuss it with Johannes, Sir Carstein,¡± Lord Black said and Johannes¡¯ own smile broadened, revealing his crooked teeth.


    ¡°First of all, any proceeds derived from the mine will be channeled directly to the house, at the market rate of 20%. Then, we will also require periodic shipment of iron gathered amounting to 15% of the iron mined daily. Lastly, for construction¡ª¡°


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m only going to agree to point one. Anything else is your wishful thinking,¡± Lawrence said, holding up his hand.


    ¡°I rather not even open the mine to begin with in this case,¡± Lawrence shrugged, silently enjoying the look of horror on Johannes and Lord Black¡¯s faces.


    ¡°But Sir Carstein, this is the market rate¡ª¡° Johannes attempted to reason but Lawrence held up a hand and spoke even louder.


    ¡°With all due respect, the loan I gave you was probably unheard of in history. If I were to go by the market rate for loans, I suspect I will be bankrupting you faster than your own liege, Lord Black,¡± Lawrence stated, his finger tapping on his table.


    ¡°You want 20% of the proceeds derived from the iron mine? Fine. Shipping the iron anywhere else or to help you in construction? That will not be possible I am afraid. This is my baseline,¡± Lawrence said, smiling and drinking his mug of ale.


    Johannes opened his mouth angrily¡ª


    ¡°We accept.¡±


    Lord Black raised his own mug of ale and smiled at Lawrence. This ended the first business discussion with Lord Black. In fact, Lawrence thought that he did rather well.

 Chapter 58: The Epitome of Foolishness

    ¡°The epitome of foolishness, milord,¡± Johannes almost shouted in the quietness of Lord Black¡¯s study. Lord Black laughed at this rare outburst.


    ¡°Lawrence wasn¡¯t going to give us anything else for it, so why press the case?¡± Edward Black reasoned and Johannes shook his head. Johannes looked at Edward Black in fury.


    ¡°No one has ever, in history, EVER given concessions to this degree,¡± Johannes said, beginning to lecture his liege lord. However, Lord Black nodded.


    ¡°I agree, and I want you to send word to the corners of this realm about the lenient terms that I have given, as well as sounding out that the territories of the Blacks are open to business and are willing to offer generous terms for businessmen,¡± Lord Black smiled and Johannes froze.


    ¡°Ah, so this is what you are playing at,¡± Johannes sighed, collapsing into the couch.


    ¡°Look, I keep Lawrence¡¯s friendship, which effectively means I still keep a hand in his purse, while I bring more aspiring businessmen into my land. I do not see anything particularly wrong with this,¡± Lord Black said casually, staring out of the window. The quietness of Everett made this fortress his favourite place in his territories.


    ¡°But every other merchant is going to start walking all over us!¡± Johannes protested feebly and Lord Black shook his head.


    ¡°This means more of my people have jobs. Then do you know what this means? Our tax income goes up as people gets wealthier. To me, it is a win-win,¡± Lord Black said, walking to the window.


    ¡°Kaisenberg has not reported back yet?¡± Lord Black asked and Johannes shook his head.


    ¡°Call it a day and make sure the gold is sorted out properly. Let Sir Carstein say as long as he wishes and do not delay him if he wishes to leave tomorrow,¡± Lord Black replied, leaving to his own bed chamber.


    As Lord Black left for his own room, he walked down a corridor made of stone and he stared at the moon as it hung brightly.


    ¡°Father, am I doing it right?¡± Lord Black whispered to no one in particular as he looked at the night clouds.


    As Lord Black returned to his bed chamber, where a beautiful maiden is asleep on the bed. Of course, that would be his wife, Tatyana Black. Climbing into his bed, Tatyana moaned softly as Lord Black pushed her aside to make space for himself.


    ¡°If I should make the wrong call today, I will be damned as a criminal for all centuries,¡± Lord Black whispered, before taking a well-deserved rest.


    ¡°Phase one has been initiated, Your Majesty,¡± General Donovan reported, placing a leather binded folder in front of King Gerheist who was enjoying the imported tea from the lands beyond.


    ¡°The hill tribes are now fighting amongst each other and the various nobles of the lands are riding out to attack the barbarians they were at peace with as well,¡± Earl Malai said, grinning from ear to ear.


    ¡°Can we not import anymore battle slaves?¡± King Gerheist asked, feeling it a pity that they could only sneak 600 or so battle slaves that they have purchased from slavers and smuggle them into the Carminian territory.


    ¡°Anymore and it gets obvious, Your Majesty,¡± Duke Fiesen said, the usually serious duke entertaining a small smile on his face as well. The mood in the king¡¯s study was incredibly upbeat, with the notable exception of General Donovan whom none of them have ever seen smile.


    ¡°Phase two will be initiating shortly. Earl Malai¡¯s merchants have already established contact with Colonel Vava and we shall start our process of influencing the Carmine military leaders that are less than¡­ Intelligent,¡± General Donovan said, looking at the documents in his own hand.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    King Gerheist nodded, starring out of the window. The moonlight oddly peaceful.


    ¡°I wonder if we can win the war before the next full moon.¡± King Gerheist asked out loud, a rhetoric question that needed no answer. However, an answer he did get.


    ¡°If the house of cards fall quickly enough, perhaps,¡± Duke Fiesen replied.


    ¡°Oh, Sir Carstein, you should stay a bit more!¡± Johannes said, bowing politely and Lawrence shook his head.


    ¡°There are many things to plan for and I would like to return earlier,¡± Lawrence said, giving the thumbs up to Longines to begin the march.


    ¡°Men, march!¡± Longines barked and the squad leaders issued their orders, causing the squads of men to fall into neat lines, with the cavalry taking either sides or the infantry at the front and rear, with the bowmen in the center.


    ¡°It is a shame, Everett shall await your return, whenever, Sir Carstein,¡± Johannes sighed in an exaggerated manner.


    You probably couldn¡¯t wait for me to leave, Lawrence thought to himself before offering the most courteous smile that one could offer.


    ¡°I look forward to what Everett has to offer when I return,¡± Lawrence replied, with Craig and Jacob offering their own compliments for Lord Black¡¯s hospitality during their short stay here.


    The entourage slowly departed, making their way back to Black Bay. The journey was largely uneventful, aside from Jacob grumbling about how there should be a better cook in the army. This struck Lawrence with an idea.


    ¡°Why not train chefs for the army?¡± Lawrence asked and Longines looked at Lawrence quizzingly.


    ¡°How will that help?¡± Longines asked, ¡°The men are already much better fed than other armies.¡±


    ¡°Simple, good food gives men good spirits. People in good spirits fight better and listen to instructions better,¡± Lawrence reasoned but Longines shook his head.


    ¡°It takes too long to cook individual meals anyway,¡± Craig sided with Longines but Lawrence shrugged.


    ¡°It is a mess hall for a reason.¡±


    As the men returned to Black Bay to a grand welcome, having successfully entered battle and emerged victorious, Lawrence held a briefing with the members of the Internal Security Department, headed by a serious looking man by the name of Trey Reed. Trey Reed was recommended by Kraft.


    Trey had the most average look you can possibly imagine of someone. He was a middle aged man who had normal brown hair, baby skin, brown eyes and medium in stature. He always dressed in common peasant clothes despite being a man of high rank.


    ¡°Yes, Sir Carstein, Trey Reed reporting,¡± the unassuming man said with a bow and within the confines of these four walls, aside from Lawrence and Trey, also stood Longines and Kraft. On a table was a large humanoid sized figure covered in cloth.


    ¡°On our way to Everett, we encountered hill tribesmen. This would have been normal except¡­¡± Lawrence trailed off and Kraft stepped forward.


    ¡°Except for the fact that the hill tribesmen have constantly denied being involved. In fact, they have refused to engage Lord Black¡¯s knights heads on and have retreated to their ancestral homes in preparation for a siege,¡± Kraft said, looking at the information that the Military Intelligence has gathered.


    ¡°And I have it on good information that you hoisted a corpse back here, Longines!¡± Trey rubbed his hands together as the soldier nodded, a mix of disgust and wonder on his face.


    ¡°How did you know? Almost no one knew about this,¡± Longines asked and Trey shrugged.


    ¡°Is that important?¡±


    Trey lifted the cloth covering the body of the barbarian that had given Lawrence a good hack in the shoulder.


    ¡°Hm¡­ He is very poorly fed for a barbarian?¡± Trey muttered, observing the muscles on the barbarian.


    ¡°Oh, his tongue is gone as well?¡± Trey said, as he opened the mouth of the barbarian.


    After some more prodding poking around the body, Trey pulled off the pants of the dead barbarian.


    ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± Longines hissed but Lawrence raised a hand, signaling for him to stop.


    ¡°Let the man do his job before we criticize him,¡° Lawrence said and Longines coughed awkwardly.


    ¡°You should listen to your boss, Longines¡­ See?¡± Trey said triumphantly as he pointed at where the man¡¯s penis should have been.


    ¡°¡­ He is castrated.¡±


    Lawrence stated the obvious loudly.


    ¡°In a land some distance away, they delight in owning battle slaves for amusement. I would wager that this man was one of them. Part of the process of becoming a battle slave is castration and the removal of your tongue, so that you can have no worldly desires nor can you communicate any displeasure to your owner.¡±


    Trey placed the cover on top of the body and looked at Lawrence.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make my own discrete inquiries into this matter.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Lawrence replied, looking at the body.


    Was this the start of something bigger? Lawrence could not have known, nor any lords or princes. After all, this was a game played by Kings and the ones who truly held power.

 Chapter 59: A Gift

    ¡°A gift from the Gallavants Merchant Consortium, Colonel!¡±


    Colonel Vava was seated on a large feathered chair that he had custom made from the finest artisans that the Kingdom of Carmine has to offer. His own tent was less of a tent and more of a large portable house. His own soldiers would like to mock Colonel Vava as a man with no accomplishments on his own, except for the fact that he was an excellent sycophant.


    ¡°Ah, bring it in!¡± Colonel Vava, a man who exercised solely to keep in shape and detested reading reports barked at the staff officer who attended to him. He had silver hair and was considered good looking but many could not stand his narcissism. He was a man who thought that he had the world.


    A group of servants came in, dressed in comfortable clothing, carrying exotic gifts ranging from ivory tusks to porcelain.


    ¡°Ah, give a reward to the servants!¡± Colonel Vava rubbed his hands together enthusiastically, looking over the new items that he can add to his hoard. He picked some of the prettiest looking items and barked the order to the staff officer, ¡°Send these to Colonel Duffe, with my regards!¡±


    The Staff Officer bowed, a few low ranking soldiers running in to bring those items out, led by the Staff Officer. Colonel Vava looked around his now empty tent, before reaching for one of the offerings, a chess set. Flipping it over, he slid open a false compartment and with the note in hand, he quickly read it.


    Dear Colonel,


    We are pleased with your latest efforts to assist our endeavours. Kindly remove the border patrols at Section C which is under General Kaffe. His men are the only ones confiscating our other shipments.


    Should you succeed in removing the inflexible General Kaffe altogether, we are willing to award you greatly and bring our working relationship to a higher level.


    G.M.C


    Removing General Kaffe, but how? Colonel Vava tossed the note into the fire at the brazier. General Kaffe is one of the old guard and even as much as Colonel Duffe does not like that man and General Kaffe¡¯s authority has been reduced to a mere outpost, he still commands immense respect among the rank and file.


    What can he do?


    Colonel Vava, drinking an amazing vintage wine, pondered over how to oust General Kaffe, whose nickname ¡°Poison Dwarf¡± was reflecting his short stature but stubborn defensive tactics. It was not as if Colonel Vava was a fool. He had done his own background checks into the Gallavants Merchant Consortium and he knew very well what he was getting into.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    However, he always lived by one single life policy.


    ¡°Always come down on the right side,¡± Colonel Vava muttered to no one in particular and as if making an invisible toast, he raised his goblet and took a sip of wine.


    <hr>


    Today, Lawrence had big plans. He wanted to take a break by 4pm tonight. He had been hacked at, shot at among other horrible things the other day. He was supposed to survey the mines and that was it.


    But¡­


    ¡°Yes¡­ There is a copper mine there¡­¡± Lawrence said, exasperated, having been dragged around by Roland and Quenya, with the latter having dual appointments, not just the Chief Operations of the Guardians¡¯ Bakery but also as personal assistant to Roland.


    ¡°Anything else? One iron mine already mysteriously built, tin and copper veins now. Did you happen to miss out a salt or mithril deposit somewhere?¡± Roland asked, taking off his leather gloves and wiping his perspiration on his sleeve.


    Though Roland was still relatively fit, climbing up and down hills was definitely exhausting.


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s it. Can I go please?¡± Lawrence sighed and Roland finally gave his nod of approval, turning to Quenya and giving instructions to her to pass construction orders to the local guilds. Quenya also had to issue notices to local guilds on construction requirements and make use of the bidding system in order to ensure that the costs of the various guilds in the area was competitive.


    The sun had already set and the moon was in the night sky.


    Lawrence went to the nearest tavern, where he was greeted by the increasingly rowdy crowd of adventurers, workers and artisans. He chose a seat near the window so he could look at the people coming and going in the streets.


    ¡°One ale!¡± Lawrence said loudly to the barmaid and as soon as the ale was served, Lawrence slowly enjoyed his alone time. Though Lawrence loved to socialize, he wanted his own alone time as well, just to drink ale, beer or tea and watch life go by.


    ¡°May I?¡±


    Lawrence looked up to see a fairly tall, tanned and brunette woman pointing at the available chair at Lawrence¡¯s table. Looking around, Lawrence realized that the only remaining chairs were extremely near or with increasingly drunk men.


    ¡°Please, go ahead,¡± Lawrence smiled politely and the woman nodded gratefully.


    ¡°This town is amazing, you know, are you new here as well?¡± the woman asked, pointing at Lawrence¡¯s armour as the barmaid took her order of an ale.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here awhile. I think it is a great town as well!¡± Lawrence said, attempting to sound as humble as possible. The woman nodded, watching the group of people go by.


    ¡°Where did you come from?¡± Lawrence asked.


    ¡°Salafite, have you heard of it?¡± the woman answered and Lawrence noticed that she had an accent that strongly reminded her of Russians.


    ¡°Is it a desert region?¡± Lawrence asked, guessing from the name.


    ¡°Indeed, they are very famous for their colosseums! My name is Halafina Tark, by the way,¡± the woman said, offering her hand and Lawrence shook it, replying, ¡°Lawrence Carstein.¡±


    ¡°Colosseums where they duel, I am assuming? What brings you to a small town like Black Bay anyway?¡± Lawrence asked, a small suspicion in the back of his head. Black Bay though gaining popularity shouldn¡¯t have been something that reached even the realms beyond the sea.


    Halafina¡¯s face sank, as she sipped her ale quietly.

 Chapter 60: Chat

    ¡°I was a gladiator. I bought my freedom some time ago and made for Boulesky and worked my way downwards following the refugees this place after hearing that this place had a lot of jobs,¡± Halafina whispered and Lawrence nodded slowly.


    Though the Wars of the Six Kings and Five Princes was drawing to a close, Lawrence had received consistent reports of the devastation and how savage the commanders were when it came to war. They catapulted diseased corpses into cities, set fire to entire fields of harvest when they retreated and were not beneath sending children into battle as well.


    ¡°Gladiator¡­ That is different from a battle slave right?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina seemed impressed that Lawrence knew what battle slaves were.


    ¡°Yep! The battle slaves are bred from birth in captivity while gladiators were former soldiers captured by the Salafite Caliphate,¡± she replied and Lawrence nodded.


    ¡°Are battle slaves castrated at birth or something?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina smiled.


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about that place! Ever gone there?¡± Halafina asked and Lawrence shook his head. All he knew was what Trey said before.


    ¡°I only know what my friend told me. They castrated their battle slaves and pulled out their tongues as well. Then¡­ What happened to girls?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina looked away before looking Lawrence in the eye.


    ¡°They were made sure that they could never give birth, ever.¡±


    A chill shivered down Lawrence¡¯s spine, something he covered by taking a large gulp of the ale.


    ¡°Potato wedges please!¡± Lawrence raised his hand and Halafina raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°What are potato wedges?¡± Halafina asked and a genuine smile spread across his face. Lawrence was always thrilled to share recipes and discuss about food.


    ¡°A specialty of this town, I¡¯d say you quite enjoy it.¡±


    As a small plate of potato wedges came, Lawrence urged Halafina to eat, ¡°My treat¡±


    Halafina gingerly picked up one of the potato wedges, holding it up and sniffing it. She swallowed her saliva and took a bite, her eyes lighting up after chewing it.


    ¡°This is delicious!¡± Halafina whispered, taking another. Laughing, Lawrence was thrilled that this was so well received even by a foreigner.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that this is to your taste! Can you tell me more about your time as a gladiator, if you don¡¯t mind?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina smiled, revealing her pearl white teeth.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Halafina asked, enjoying the combination of ale and potato wedges.


    ¡°How did you¡­ Pay your way out¡­ Sorry, I mean, how did you buy your freedom?¡± Lawrence asked, choosing his words carefully. He did not know whether his phrasing of his questions would come across as rude, so the safest way to ask the question would be to use what she had said earlier.


    ¡°Of course! So, I was a mercenary fighting for the Namad Caliphate which was swallowed by the Salafite Caliphate. The mercenaries were allowed to surrender and become a gladiator or face the death penalty.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ A lot of us opted to become a gladiator. The price was that if you won 100 battles in the colosseum, you get your freedom!¡± Halafina said triumphantly. Lawrence¡¯s eyes traced the skin where Halafina¡¯s skin was visible. She wore a leather gambeson, her weapon of choice being what seemed to be two daggers strapped to her waistband.


    On her skin was numerous scars and burns, giving Lawrence the brief vision of Ben Hur or the Rise of Rome.


    ¡°I fought my way out, plain and simple!¡± Halafina smiled brightly and Lawrence nodded, a sense of awe and respect now in him.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t there a chance that they will still forcefully keep you anyway?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina shook her head.


    ¡°No. These records are kept in public and any gladiator who stays on actually do so as an employee with their own free will and are paid rather well!¡±


    So perhaps these things were in sway with public opinion as well? Perhaps they even got a cut from the winnings if they did well enough?


    ¡°You must be very skilled to survive,¡± Lawrence said admiringly and Halafina smirked, raising her own mug of ale in response. Lawrence knew that in actual historical recordings, gladiator battles were not the immense blood sport that television always made it out to be. In fact, gladiators though capable of holding their own in battle, often coordinated with one another to provide an entertaining show to the audience, where they could potentially earn even wealthier sponsors and in return, a much more comfortable life even in service.


    ¡°What kind of jobs were you looking for in this town anyway?¡± Lawrence asked, curious what a former gladiator could possibly wish to do in a town leagues away from her own home.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The town just seems so different. Do you know what people usually do when the weather is like this?¡± Halafina asked Lawrence and Lawrence shook his head.


    ¡°They curse that the weather is like this and hole up in their home for the rich ones. The poor huddle together. But here¡­¡± Halafina twirled her hair as she looked at the people bustling about in this town that never sleeps.


    ¡°Are you planning to put your arms to good use again? Or are you here for the more uh¡­ Low key life?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina was silent for a moment.


    ¡°I heard the army here is incredible. At least, common folk like those walking around in the streets seem to think their army is invincible. But fighting people like you and I will know more if we ever see them fight,¡± Halafina replied and Lawrence knew what she meant.


    In societies that are not functioning well economically or politically, the army was always seen as a bastion of strength and comfort. People looked to strength in arms to bolster their own confidence in the system. In times of peace and prosperity, the army was looked upon as an instrument to deter aggression and help protect key influences held by the people and the state in order to further that prosperity.


    Peace is simply preparation for the next war.

 Chapter 61: Civil Defence

    As the potato wedges ran out, Lawrence introduced Halafina to another dish, Deep Fried Chicken Wings.


    These things that were crunchy always went along with beer extremely well. The other thing that was going well was of course, Lawrence gathering information.


    ¡°Where are you staying anyway?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina¡¯s eyes brightened up at the mention of the place of stay.


    ¡°There is this fantastic inn-¡°


    Of course it is fantastic! I built it!


    Or at least, that was what Lawrence thought to himself.


    ¡°Indeed! The best inn in this town! We all know what it is!¡± Lawrence said cheerfully, ordering more ale for the two of them. The bells at the door jingled as Trey, with a stylish coat walked in, his eyes scanning the crowd and stopping at Lawrence and walking over. Lawrence noticed that Trey had taken a quick look at Halafina¡¯s face, hands and shoes before turning to Lawrence.


    ¡°Sir Carstein, a minute of your time please, ma¡¯am if you will excuse us?¡± Trey said politely and Halafina nodded. Lawrence muttered, ¡°Be right back¡­¡± as he left the table, following Trey outside.


    As they walked outside, Trey brought Lawrence to an alleyway behind the tavern. Looking around, Trey said in a low voice, ¡°We have rounded up six people who have attempted to enter town with forged merchant papers.¡±


    ¡°Their purpose?¡± Lawrence asked and Trey shook his head.


    ¡°We are still interrogating them. However, they hid weapons and supplies in a secret compartment in their wagon. We¡¯re working to see if any of their accomplices got in,¡± Trey said, a small smile playing on his lips. Lawrence shuddered to know what interrogation techniques are being used but whatever works to protect this place that he built.


    ¡°Who is that lady, Sir Carstein?¡± Trey asked, his smile widening and Lawrence took a step back involuntarily.


    ¡°An acquaintance, we only just met. Why?¡± Lawrence asked, wondering if he had just met a swallow.


    On the first day of military training, Lawrence was taught to identify Ravens and Swallows. Ravens was the term used to identify male spies while Swallows represented female spies.


    ¡°Well¡­ Just for my little black book,¡± Trey smiled, licking his lips and walking away. Lawrence made a mental note to watch his own shadows more carefully now that Trey has become more and more active in his role. Rumour has it that Trey has a single book binded in black cloth which contains list of important people and all sorts of dirt on them.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    What dirt could he possibly¡­ Hmm¡­


    Shaking his head, Lawrence entered the tavern again, to find Halafina looking at him oddly, shifting between narrowing her eyes and twitching awkwardly.


    ¡°You are a knight?¡± Halafina asked and Lawrence rubbed the back of his head.


    ¡°Well, yes, recently knighted.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ Knights don¡¯t exist in our homeland,¡± Halafina explained and Lawrence listened as she explained that distinguished men of service were raised to what were called Maharaja and granted a piece of land by the Shah, who ruled supreme.


    There were only the Shah and the princes as well as the Maharajas which were considered minor nobles at best. The army specialized in fighting in the desert and has never ventured beyond the deserts to fight as the rulers know that they can only hold their own mostly within the deserts.


    It resembles a mixture of India and the Arab nations huh¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re a talented person, so why don¡¯t you just drop by the employment office? I¡¯m pretty sure you can find a job in the army, the internal security or even the Civil Defense,¡± Lawrence suggested.


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of artisan openings as well along with uh¡­ Well, a lot of people need assistants,¡± Lawrence said and Halafina sighed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t escape killing here either?¡± Halafina whispered to herself and Lawrence shook his head.


    ¡°Go to Civil Defense then. Their duty is fire watch, assisting civilians and a lot of other work.¡±


    ¡°What is Civil Defense?¡± Halafina asked, trying to find the equivalent of whatever it was in her head but coming up with nothing.


    Lawrence coughed and began his explanation.


    ¡°They have a few important duties. They inspect shops and houses to make sure that in the event of a fire, they can leave the area quickly and safely. That is fire hazard inspection.¡±


    ¡°Then, in the event of a fire, the Civil Defense will be activated to put out the fire and only in the event that they can¡¯t cope, the army may get involved. They also have a duty to evacuate the civilians and carry the wounded to the Tower of Mercy.¡±


    ¡°Next, they patrol with the Internal Security Department. If a family at night has a man so ill that he should be sent to the Tower of Mercy, you will be the runner that brings that man there.¡±


    Lawrence finished his explanation of duties to Halafina who scratched her chin.


    ¡°So¡­ Militia without the fighting part?¡± Halafine asked and Lawrence squinted before nodding reluctantly. That is like calling salmon sashimi sushi without rice.


    ¡°Does it pay well? I mean¡­ It isn¡¯t that it is an issue but¡­¡± Halafina hesitated and Lawrence understood this hesitation. The reason being that civil servants in these times are usually poorly paid.


    ¡°Healthcare, life insurance, performance bonuses and a monthly wage,¡± Lawrence said, finishing his acting of a businessman giving a pitch. At least he didn¡¯t attempt to do it like insurance salesmen who stopped you outside the rail stations asking for a minute of your time.


    ¡°I should get going, Halafina. I hope to see you around in this town again,¡± Lawrence reached out his hand and Halafina shook it. Lawrence could feel the bumps and calluses on her hands. Her hands were used to manual and heavy labour.


    ¡°See you around, Sir Carstein?¡± Halafina said, a hint of a question at the end.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Lawrence smiled and leaving, he felt the cold wind on his face. Drawing the coat that he had from his inventory, he walked down the streets, gently pushing his way through the crowds of people even at night.


    He could hear the hammers falling on anvils, the yelling of town criers and more. Lawrence for once, congratulated himself.

 Chapter 62: Meetings

    ¡°The Storm Arsenal will be complete soon. We have hired in total 632 experts on shipbuilding-¡°Roland began his briefing but Lawrence already shook his head.


    ¡°Not enough. Not enough at all. More or train more,¡± Lawrence said and Roland seemed as if he was about to object.


    ¡°Well¡­ It is your money after all¡­¡± he muttered, making a note with his quill.


    ¡°Next, Quenya?¡± Lawrence asked and Craig¡¯s daughter stood up, straightening her dress and opening a notebook.


    ¡°The Guardian¡¯s Bakery has seen r-revenue grow 12% over the past quarter, and profit margins have went up as the production of key ingredients have increased¡­¡±


    Lawrence has recently taken to teaching Quenya the principles of business, such as profit and loss, line-of-credit and other things. He felt that he could always come in to clean up after Quenya if need be but Quenya was proving herself to be an extremely capable administrator and Lawrence was happy to let someone handle his brainchild while he focused on other things such as the navy and the pacification of the Sirens.


    As Quenya explained the growth of the Guardian¡¯s Bakery and how they have begun to appeal to higher society as well, Quenya explained her plan to expand into the neighboruing wartorn Boulesky as well, but only in the much more secure capital regions.


    As the prices of produce sold by the bakery was cheaper than the regional food supply, Quenya felt that though this was a risky venture, it had the potential to increase the influence of the bakery.


    ¡°What are our options for protecting the bakery in such an unstable place?¡± Lawrence asked and Jacob scratched his head before replying, ¡°Mercenaries will be the best bet. Sending in any of the Owls is sending a sovereign army, so we can¡¯t go beyond that.¡±


    ¡°Any mercenary company we can rely on?¡± Craig asked, looking at the people in the room.


    Present in the meeting today was Trey, Lawrence, Roland, Craig, Kraft and Jacob.


    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Trey smacked his lips, flipping through his black book. A silence fell over the meeting, every person wondering which person he will be extorting to help.


    ¡°I would suggest the Silver Banners if need be but¡­ It seems that our Spymaster has something else in mind¡­¡± Kraft said quietly, enjoying his morning cup of tea.


    ¡°Next, on the current agenda¡­. Kraft, please?¡± Lawrence said, looking at his notes.


    Kraft set down his tea cup, opening his own notebook and glancing at Lawrence before continuing.


    ¡°Firstly, The Owls are indeed battle ready, but without warships, rehearsing naval tactics on land is next to pointless as it is simply theoretical. I suggest that warships be built and actual drills be carried out on ships to simulate an actual naval environment.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Secondly, the new regiment requested called the Military Police to implement military law has also been created as a sub section of the infantry, which means that they will be able to act as two entities altogether should the need arises.¡±


    The reason why Lawrence called for the establishment of the military police was due to his own experience in the army. Soldiers who committed crimes and offences were subject to a different set of law, which was military law. However, in this world, Lawrence wondered if it would be suitable for civilian laws to apply to military members and his answer was no.


    The standard for soldiers should be much higher compared to that of civilians as they are men in uniform and should behave themselves appropriately, carrying themselves in a manner that makes them a member worthy of the organization.


    Aside from that, Lawrence is also faced with the issue of what if regarding matters of occupation or war, when the civilian police will not be there to implement martial law.


    Therefore, Lawrence decided in favour of the formation of the military police.


    ¡°Thirdly, we have decided to divide the city sections into three layers, Sector Maria, Sector Rose and Sector Shina due to some revisions we are considering for Operation Unthinkable, with input from the Internal Security Department¡­¡±


    Kraft seemed almost loath to admit that Trey was involved with the planning.


    ¡°Firstly, in the event of a siege, all food reserves that is stored in the warehouses will be locked and sealed under the protection of the Internal Security while all sources of water will be collected and cleaned by the Tower of Mercy under the protection of the Owls.¡±


    ¡°Secondly, in the event of a breach of any sector, any surviving troops are to withdraw to the nearest sector and defend them. Coordinated attacks will be done through coloured flags.¡±


    Lawrence nodded. It made sense. Lawrence could hardly think of another way to improve the city defences, which was why he left it in the hands of Kraft and Longines who ended up turning to Trey in order to minimize the ¡°what if¡± factors of any plan that could possibly go wrong.


    ¡°Craig¡­?¡± Lawrence urged the former hunter turned associate to give his own briefing.


    ¡°Ah, the leather tanning factories are working well, as per your instruction, we have come up with a branding for the leather as well and divided the leather into two different quality types. The top quality is available to the public in limited quantities while made readily available to the army. Next, the leather available en masse to the general public is of good quality as well¡­¡±


    Lawrence wanted to brand the leather and call it Craig¡¯s Leather, since Lawrence was out of original names to go by. Lawrence wanted the men of his army to feel that only the best of equipment was provided to them, similar to the fashion in which top quality watches were provided to the military officer corps of Italy ¨C That watch brand is the now famous Panerai.


    ¡°Jacob?¡± Lawrence called out and the plump man sat up, adjusting his belt a little before running through his own list on the mines.


    ¡°We have placed out hiring notices for miners but as of now, we have 21 sign ups, mainly from foreigners coming here. We may need to expand the worker dormitories soon, so we will be requisitioning some funds for construction¡­¡± Jacob looked at Roland who nodded.


    ¡°Next, we expect the mines to be fully functional in two months, with the iron mine being able to start producing as early as next week once the necessary equipment has been made by the smiths¡­¡±


    ¡°Roland?¡± Lawrence turned his attention to the village chieftain who now dressed in fine robes instead of those rough patchwork leather that he used to wear. Roland called it, maintaining an image.


    ¡°Nothing on my end.¡±


    ¡°Meeting dismissed.¡±


    ¡°Sir Carstein¡­ A word with you in private, if you may?¡± Trey smiled and everyone else looked at Lawrence before quickly moving out of the room. Trey sipped his mug of wine and Lawrence sat uncomfortably, as if it was a headmaster and a student in trouble.

 Chapter 63: Warships

    ¡°The Civil Defense force has recently gotten an application by a¡­ Halafina Tark¡­ Do you need us to look out for her?¡± Trey said, looking at Lawrence¡¯s eyes. Lawrence hated it. It felt as if Trey was burrowing into Lawrence¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Just let her join and treat her as a normal staffer. Why are you asking me this?¡± Lawrence asked, slightly annoyed. Does he have to start approving every small matter now?


    ¡°Ah¡­ I thought you were interested in Miss Tark, it seems that perhaps I was mistaken,¡± Trey laughed, rubbing his hands together as he set down his mug.


    ¡°That will be all, Sir Carstein, I will take my leave. Thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    Bowing, the man left, whistling an eerie tune. Shivering, Lawrence cleaned up after his guests and sat in the comfortable chair by the fireplace, with a fresh pot of tea.


    Now that a lot of things are out of the way, Lawrence only needed to wait for the shipyard to be finished and have military and naval experts gather to design a ship. Of course, Lawrence had a design in mind as well.


    To understand this design, one had to understand an event known as the Battle of Myeongnyang. In the Battle of Myeongnyang, on October 26, 1597, the Korean Joseon kingdom''s navy, led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, fought the Japanese navy in the Myeongnyang Strait, near Jindo Island, off the southwest corner of the Korean peninsula.


    With only 12 ships remaining from Admiral Won Gyun''s disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chilchonryang, Admiral Yi held the strait as a "last stand" battle against the Japanese Navy, who were sailing to support their land army''s advance towards the Joseon capital of Hanyang (modern-day Seoul).


    The actual numeric strength of the Japanese fleet that Admiral Yi fought is unclear; various sources indicate the number of Japanese ships could have been anywhere between 120 and 330 ships, though the low end of this range appears to be a count of actual warships and the high end appears to be referring to the entire Japanese fleet (including roughly 200 supporting non-combatant ships).


    In total 30 Japanese warships were sunk or crippled during the battle. Todo Takatora, the commander of the Japanese navy, was wounded during the battle and half of his subordinate officers were also wounded or killed. Given the disparity in numbers of ships, the naval battle is regarded as one of Admiral Yi''s most remarkable victories, and a humiliating naval defeat for the Japanese.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Many different versions of the turtle ships served during the war, but in general they were about 100 to 120 feet (30 to 37 metres) long, and strongly resembled the panokseon''s bottom structure. The turtle ship was technically a hull that was placed on top of a panokseon with a large anchor held in the front of the ship and other minor modifications.


    On the bow of the vessel was mounted a dragon head which emitted sulfur smoke to effectively hide its movement from the enemy in short distance combat. The dragon head, which is considered the most distinguishing feature of the vessel, was large enough for a cannon to fit inside. The dragon head served as a form of psychological warfare, with the aim of striking fear into the hearts of Japanese sailors. Early versions of the turtle ship would burn poisonous materials in the dragon''s head to release a poisonous smoke.


    In the front of the ship was a large anchor. Below the anchor was a wooden crest that was shaped like a face, and these were used to ram into enemy ships.


    The turtle ship had two masts and two sails. Oars were also used for manoeuvring and increased speed. Another advantage the turtle ship had was that it could turn on its own radius.


    The turtle ship had 10 oars and 11 cannon portholes on each side. Usually, there was one cannon porthole in the dragon head''s mouth. There were two more cannon portholes on the front and back of the turtle ship. The heavy cannons enabled the turtle ships to unleash a mass volley of cannonballs (some would use special wooden bolts several feet in length, with specially engineered iron fins). Its crew complement usually comprised about 50 to 60 fighting marines and 70 oarsmen, as well as the captain.


    Sources indicate that sharp iron spikes protruded from hexagonal plates covering the top of the turtle ship. An advantage of the closed deck was that it protected the Korean sailors and marines from small arms and incendiary fire. The spikes discouraged Japanese from engaging in their primary method of naval combat at the time, grappling an enemy ship with hooks and then boarding it to engage in hand-to-hand combat.


    Of course, since cannons were not available, Lawrence planned to make do with massive ballista in their place instead, with explosive tips.


    Lawrence had already heard about the other war ships available in this era. The reason why Lawrence did not want the ships already in existence was solely due to the fact that Lawrence was aiming for the control of the seas in two steps.


    First of all, the navy should be capable of all defensive operations. Then, they should be capable of defending their trade routes or even conduct offensive operations if need be.


    The first one should be accomplished within three years while the other in five. Lawrence had no interest in forcing anyone to do something beyond their scope and training only with disastrous consequences.


    When Lawrence was in the army, he often faced problems with people disconnected from the ground, used to sitting behind desks issuing orders without knowing what on earth was going on. For example, Lawrence had heard officers grumble about how training schedules have been planned without consideration of the officers themselves or involving them with the training, which meant they practically have zero rest in between each training session.


    Therefore, Lawrence made an effort to head down to his men¡¯s training to watch them, while always reminding Longines and Kraft that they are humans and should be treated as such, regardless of how they drilled men in the past.

 Chapter 64: Action

    Lawrence turned around, thinking that his eye deceived him, but no, he was right. It had been a few months since he saw Halafina but¡­


    Lawrence caught up with the small platoon of men and women in blue, holding small shields and a long stick made of metal. Upon seeing Lawrence, the platoon commander shouted, ¡°Attention!¡±


    The platoon fell in rank and saluted. Lawrence had to suppress a snigger seeing Halafina saluting him so seriously.


    ¡°At ease. Anything out of the ordinary, platoon sergeant?¡± Lawrence asked and the sergeant gulped, shaking his head as the rest of the platoon relaxed, standing at ease.


    ¡°No, Sir Carstein!¡±


    ¡°How do you find serving in the Civil Defense to be?¡± Lawrence asked the first man in blue who seemed nervous to talk to one of the founders of Tears.


    ¡°A-An honour, Sir!¡±


    Moving onto the next man, he was stout in stature and seemed to be perspiring a little even in the cold weather.


    ¡°How is it then, how is the Civil Defense force?¡±


    ¡°F-Fulfilling, Sir!¡±


    Then, as Lawrence purposely went down the row getting these answers, he stopped at Halafina, whom Lawrence could tell was doing her best to not break into a smile.


    ¡°So? How is the Civil Defense force? Fulfilling? An honour?¡± Lawrence asked, looking at her from head to toe, as if inspecting her attire. Lawrence noticed from his Passive Perception skill that in her boots, there was a small bulge that looked like a dagger. The Civil Defense force has three steps of engagement.


    First of all, they would attempt to dissolve a potentially combative situation through dialogue and failure would result in the use of the metal batons to bring them in for arrest. However, should any of the parties attempt the use of deadly force, all the Civil Defense soldiers have a short sword.


    In the event of a fight that is beyond the capabilities of the Civil Defense force, they can call upon the Owls to reinforce them and impose martial law in a specific sector. However, obviously Halafina was concealing an additional weapon.


    ¡°Well¡­ It has been¡­ Interesting¡­¡± Halafina said, as if choosing her words extremely carefully.


    ¡°I see. Sergeant?¡± Lawrence said loudly, and the sergeant immediately snapped to attention, prompting the others to do the same with the exception of Halafina.


    ¡°Give her extra duties tonight.¡±


    Halafina¡¯s jaw fell open as a look of betrayal, fury and anguish flooded her face, the anger in her eyes was apparent. Lawrence leaned in and whisper, ¡°Same tavern.¡±


    It was only at that time did Halafina relax a little, giving a small nod and wink. The sergeant however, was flabbergasted.


    ¡°Of course, Sir Carstein! At once! Extra duty tonight! But¡­ Why?¡± the Sergeant asked, as if daring himself to ask Lawrence on why she was punished without reason.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°We know each other, so it is fine.¡±


    As Lawrence left a thoroughly confused sergeant and his platoon, Lawrence turned into the craftsmen alley where all sorts of goods were being peddled and made, the shops giving off the distinct smell of wood shavings and clay, an oddly comforting smell to Lawrence.


    The sight of craftsmen and their apprentices hard at work and merchants hard at work gave Lawrence a form of comfort. At least he had dinner to look forward to after his daily walkabout.


    <hr>


    Night.


    The moon shining at its highest. The chatting of men making the otherwise boring frontier outpost life bearable. General Kaffe looks at the latest imperial order, asking him to pull his soldiers back from their current position.


    He even held the letter up against candlelight to make sure that King Carmine¡¯s seal was not forged. When Colonel Vava informed him that the General Staff wanted him to pull out, he disregarded the upstart and sycophant military officer¡¯s words, thinking it another way to screw him over.


    He even sent a few men to Colonel Haussen and Count Boulevard to confirm that such a thing has happened.


    Yet, just a few days later, an Imperial missive arrives, along with confirmation from Colonel Haussen and Count Boulevard that such a discussion had taken place.


    In fact both Colonel Haussen and Count Boulevard offered additional information from their own point of view. A military man, Colonel Haussen has stated that General Kaffe should delay obeying the order for as long as he can, at least until he and Count Boulevard is able to convince the king that doing such a thing leaves the border wide open. He also states that General Kaffe¡¯s position in the border is as such that he is able to reinforce any other position that is in trouble, while being able to defend his own position with relatively few men.


    The plateau that General Kaffe has stationed his troops on were the few defensible points on the border and through the general¡¯s work reinforcing the position, it was almost unassailable.


    Count Boulevard on the other hand, lamented that within the general staff, himself, Colonel Haussen and General Tarn were the only ones who objected to the withdrawal of General Kaffe¡¯s army. All the other members which had joined or replaced the past members of the general staff had agreed with Colonel Vava that General Kaffe¡¯s expenses on the border have been way too high to justify the defense, which was utter rubbish.


    Count Boulevard as well, asked that General Kaffe delay the orders of withdrawal as much as possible.


    Sighing, General Kaffe rubbed his forehead. He had fought six wars, large and minor and his fellow generals and officers who saw the writing on the wall early retired soon after the young King Carmine ascended the throne. However, General Kaffe stubbornly held onto his position and after several clashes with Colonel Vava and many other sycophants, he has been relegated to the frontiers.


    Frontier guard duty, in a time of peace, no matter how uneasy, was considered a punishment to many officers but General Kaffe accepted, under the condition that he was able to choose the men he brought with him, along with the position in which he would set up.


    Therefore, the defensive position was simply called the Kaffe Plateau.


    It consisted of elites from other campaigns and were part of Kaffe¡¯s Army Group Central and they were devoted to General Kaffe who disobeyed an order by King Carmine to launch suicidal attacks against the troops of Gerheist. Of course, this in part, caused his value in the eyes of King Carmine to plummet.


    To King Carmine, a military officer simply should obey.


    Of course, the old blooded military officers could not accept that, so many of them resigned or retired, opting to live out their lives with their grandchildren without risking themselves being so angered as to slap the king.


    Naturally, General Kaffe missed home, but an order was an order.


    ¡°A missive, General.¡±


    General Kaffe quickly rolled up the Imperial order and turned to face the soldier who was bowed, clutching a letter. General Kaffe reached out to take the letter and the soldier left. Alone in his tent, General Kaffe looked at the seal on the letter.


    ¡°¡­ Who is this?¡±


    General Kaffe opened the seal that bore that of an owl and opened the contents of the letter.


    General Kaffe spent minutes reading the contents before the colour drained from his face and he set the letter down, clutching his head.


    ¡°Guards! Bring me the merchant we caught earlier! Also, is the messenger who sent this still here!?¡± General Kaffe barked loudly.


    With a stroke of luck, General Kaffe may still be able to do something.

 Chapter 65: A Private Discussion

    ¡°It has been sent?¡± Roland asked Trey who nodded. Their meeting place was in Roland¡¯s home. The spy network that Trey had set up on request of Lawrence was probably far wider than Lawrence knew about because Lawrence¡¯s intelligence briefing consisted mainly of the immediate vicinity. However, Roland received the full intelligence briefing.


    ¡°Are you sure it is okay to not inform Sir Carstein about informing General Kaffe first?¡± Trey asked and Roland smiled, opening a bottle of wine that he has stored away for a long time. Trying it, Trey made a face showing his disgust.


    ¡°Sir Carstein¡¯s own brew is still great. I hope more gets sold¡­¡± Trey muttered, bearing with the drink. Of course, Lawrence was gradually expanding the operations under his house, but no one needed to know that.


    ¡°Why, is the legendary Trey, the head of the Internal Security afraid of consequences at last?¡± Roland asked, sitting down on his new polished wooden chair.


    The room was dimly lit, the stuffing of a bear decorating a corner of the room and a simple study table at another. The fireplace was not lit and the only light source was that of a candle on the table between them.


    ¡°Not that. Us in this business is always ready to be fired or purged at any point in time, but to send a letter in his name is¡­¡± Trey said hesitantly and Roland waved his hand, as if dismissing it altogether.


    ¡°Would you agree that Lawrence Carstein is a remarkable man? I¡¯m not talking about how good he is in a fight. He refuses to spar but his prowess in combat is perhaps unmatched. Anyone who watched him tear those bandits apart would tell you the same thing.¡±


    Roland looked at Trey who seemed to be evaluating his words. The man¡¯s expression gave away nothing. It was a perfectly cold and still poker face.


    Roland took it as his cue to continue.


    ¡°Extraordinary things are happening in this realm. Even more extraordinary things are happening in Black Bay. What we can agree on is that the world is a mess.¡±


    ¡°King Carmine¡¯s taxes, his upstarts asking for the lord¡¯s rights in their own towns¡­ The old King is probably spinning about his grave. Queen Lorian regarded as a night¡¯s whore by her own husband¡­ The state of this Kingdom is horrifying indeed.¡±


    ¡°What if¡­ A man could come in and clean house? Scrub the filth away from the walls, throw all those who wish ill upon this great nation into the gutters?¡± Roland leaned forward, asking in a hushed voice.


    Trey said nothing, tapping his finger against the chair, but Roland could tell that he was thinking.


    ¡°By doing this, we gain the friendship of General Kaffe and perhaps any other lord who is loyal to the regime but against the immense stupidity of the king.¡±


    ¡°The King has one son. No one has ever seen him in years. Word is that Queen Lorian raises him by herself, along with just a handful of maids.¡± Roland continued and Trey at last sighed.


    ¡°Lawrence is going to be furious when he finds out what you have done,¡± Trey said after a momentary pause.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Would he? Lawrence is a man who looks at the big picture. If we shoved this onto him, he would take it if we explain the benefits that yields him.¡±


    Trey raised his hand, signaling for Roland to stop talking.


    ¡°Lawrence is a pacifist. It is obvious. If you and I had an army like the Owls, we would have stormed Everett a long time ago and taken over this kingdom!¡± Trey exclaimed and Roland nodded in agreement.


    ¡°But perhaps, a man who knows that war may be an inevitable answer to peace is really what we need.¡±


    ¡°He knows that war is inevitable. Look at the expense we put on the Owls¡­ Look at the Storm Arsenal¡­ Is that something a man who only thinks about peace dream about? We have enough food and water to probably live by ourselves and so many other things that the likes of this world has ever seen!¡± Roland said enthusiastically and Trey shrugged.


    ¡°I will categorically deny having ever sent that letter. What he does with you is your own problem, Roland. Good night.¡±


    Trey stood up, putting on his coat and opening the door, he paused, turning to look at Roland before saying, ¡°I hope to believe that man as well¡±


    As the door closed, Roland smiled, sipping his wine in contentment.


    <hr>


    ¡°Who did you say?¡± Lawrence said, looking at Old Man Frost in surprise as the guardian sat in his room, reading a book. He was waiting for night to come for his appointment with Halafina.


    ¡°Eveline Evergarden, Sir Carstein. She is most¡­ Insistent on meeting you.¡±


    Shrugging, Lawrence closed his book, setting it aside and he went out to greet Eveline Evergarden who was examining a decorative ornament on his end table, a bronze brazier encrusted with rubies, emeralds and sapphire.


    ¡°Ah, Lawrence Carstein, I thought that going to meet Father Karl Franz may have been easier than meeting you!¡± Eveline said, adjusting her glasses as she narrowed her eyes at Lawrence who gave an awkward laugh.


    It is alone time! Do you not understand!?


    Lawrence gestured for Eveline to sit as he made himself comfortable in an armchair as well.


    ¡°The garden you asked for, the design is done. Please take a look. If you permit, we will have it constructed behind Sector Shina where there is still a lot space, due to the fact that there is an area cordoned off for special facilities such as the Storm Arsenal.¡±


    ¡°As it faces the sea as well, I think that will be the ideal place for the garden.¡±


    Lawrence took the scroll of parchment that was no doubt the design that Eveline had painstakingly drawn up.


    The garden was in the shape of a square, with each side approximately 30 meters long. The garden was tiered, with the uppermost gallery being 22 meters high. The walls, 6 meters thick, were made of brick. The bases of the tiered sections were sufficiently deep to provide root growth for the largest trees, and the gardens were irrigated from the nearby aqueduct.


    There were various types of trees, flowers and shrubs that would be grown there, with gardeners tending to them to rotate the plants with the seeds that Lawrence would provide. Lawrence made a mental note to create a greenhouse powered by magic so that these crops that would not grow in a certain season could continue to blossom in the greenhouse.


    There were several statues as well, each of these statues made in stone depicting the various gods that existed in this world, as well as folk heroes.


    There would be benches and open spaces for people to rest during their walks around, as well as a small stage large enough for a few bards and minstrels. Festivals will be held in this garden as well. This was a place that Lawrence wanted for more casual events. If every event was held in a town hall, there would be a degree of formality there. If the location was not formal, the people will be more open to attending instead of thinking that it was a snobbish event for wealthy people or those connected politically.


    ¡°It looks good. Can you include a large rectangular area? Let¡¯s say¡­ large enough to house all the plants if they were uprooted.¡±


    Eveline raised an eyebrow, shrugging after awhile.


    ¡°Fine, anything else?¡± Eveline asked, standing up and straightening her dress.


    ¡°No, please carry on. Thank you for your hard work,¡± Lawrence said, bowing a little. As Eveline left, Lawrence got changed into a nice attire that Old Man Frost said made him resemble a minor noble and donned his armour.


    He had dinner and supper to attend to.

 Chapter 66: Ambition

    It was the same tavern as before. Lawrence didn¡¯t want to go to the bakery because this may put some pressure on Quenya who is gradually getting better at handling it. Of course, Lawrence will eventually scrutinize Quenya¡¯s actions more and more.


    As he entered, several of the regulars who spotted him raised their mugs of ale or beer in pointed respect before leaving Lawrence alone. They knew he liked his privacy. The table by the window was empty as usual. Lawrence sat down, ordering fish sticks as well as a mug of ale.


    The barmaid quietly took her order ¨C There was no flirting by her unlike what she did with the other patrons.


    Lawrence reached into his inventory and took out a book that he had in his inventory since the day he joined the game. It was a simple book, titled Tales of the Bard.


    It was a highly amusing book about a bard that travelled to different lands to deal with different situations, be it through songs or dance.


    ¡°That bored waiting for me?¡±


    A familiar voice and Lawrence looked up from his book. Halafina, in the signature dark blue robes that distinguished the Civil Defense from the others. Laying down her baton on the table, she got the attention of the barmaid, simply pointing to Lawrence¡¯s mug and raising her finger.


    A mug of ale.


    ¡°No, its just that I like to read once in awhile.¡±


    ¡°A knight who can read, not many people can read you know?¡± Halafina smirked and Lawrence placed the book aside, turning his attention to Halafina.


    ¡°How do you find the Civil Defense?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina nodded satisfactorily.


    ¡°There is free food, free lodging and the pay is good. Can¡¯t ask for more. You won¡¯t be finding a better deal in these parts, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Did you enroll for insurance?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina shook her head.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t understand it. But they said it would be compulsory for everyone to get it soon anyway. You want to make it easier for a dumb woman to understand?¡± Halafina smirked, brushing her hair aside.


    The idea of insurance was never new. It started as early back as 800 BC.


    Circa 800 BC, the inhabitants of Rhodes created the ''general average''. This allowed groups of merchants to pay to insure their goods being shipped together. The collected premiums would be used to reimburse any merchant whose goods were jettisoned during transport, whether to storm or sinkage.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Separate insurance contracts were invented in Genoa in the 14th century, as were insurance pools backed by pledges of landed estates. The first known insurance contract dates from Genoa in 1347, and in the next century maritime insurance developed widely and premiums were intuitively varied with risks.


    The first life insurance policies were taken out in the early 18th century. The first company to offer life insurance was the Amicable Society for a Perpetual Assurance Office, founded in London in 1706 by William Talbot and Sir Thomas Allen.


    In 1883 the first national compulsory health insurance law was passed in Germany. The compulsory health insurance idea spread slowly from Germany, accelerating after the turn of the 20th century.


    With people now becoming more and more affluent, Lawrence introduced the first state mandated healthcare, which resembled Singapore¡¯s CPF system. Employers were required to pay an additional 20% of their employees¡¯ salary to a separate government coffer which was used for state investments and healthcare coverage.


    On top of that, within the taxation, employees had to pay 10-15% of their income depending on the amount they were making.


    When one fell sick, they could simply be treated for free using this amount that has been saved. If one hurt themselves in an accident that rendered them immobile, they were liable to be compensated as well.


    With this, craftsmen, farmers and many more felt safe and covered ¨C Knowing that seeing a doctor was no longer a dream to them. In medieval times, seeing an actual practicing doctor, no matter how archaic the practice, was only available to the wealthy and powerful.


    The Tower of Mercy however, maintained a policy on keeping census on the poor locally and they were offered free medical treatment if need be. However, Lawrence was told that the poor would have no issues finding a job soon as the place was getting busier and busier, even as winter sets in.


    Lawrence then proceeded to explain the types of insurance there was now.


    Healthcare, which covers for when someone falls sick. Life insurance, in the event that you pass on and doubles as a long term savings plan and accident insurance.


    ¡°So¡­ As a civil servant I already get them or¡­¡± Halafina asked, comprehension not one of her strongest suits.


    ¡°Well, yes and no. If you opt out, you get more cash on hand, but you don¡¯t qualify for the life insurance plans. You see, the money put forward by the employer and yourself is guaranteed by the government here.¡±


    ¡°It is also used by the government here to invest in certain ventures, be it within this town or outside of it. When there is a profit, it is split accordingly to the people who invest in them.¡±


    ¡°So I can earn more money as well?¡± Halafina said, almost a bit too loudly. Lawrence grinned. No one hated money.


    ¡°Well, kind of. Some years when the fund earns less, you will get less back. When times are good, you get more, to put it simply,¡± Lawrence said.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I better go and sign up then¡­¡± Halafina said, tapping her chin and happily drinking her ale after it was served. She mercilessly dug in on Lawrence¡¯s fish sticks.


    ¡°So what¡¯s next for the knight? Expanding your fief? Conquering distant lands? Joining on a crusade?¡± Halafina asked and this reminded Lawrence about Karl Franz. Perhaps Lawrence should write him a letter?

 Chapter 67: Visits

    ¡°Well, I just want to run this place well,¡± Lawrence said embarrassingly and Halafina wagged a fish stick at him.


    ¡°It is already well enough. A man with no ambition will only get swallowed and eaten by other people!¡± Halafina said, as if attempting to correct Lawrence¡¯s vision. Halafina was unused to being around someone as humble as Lawrence ¨C The merchant princes or merchant families that she used to fight for often had rumours of violent struggles for power.


    Aside from the towns and villages she dropped by on her way here, Tears was probably the only place where power was concentrated in the hands of one person safely and even at that, the power was given to Lawrence willingly, both by the lord of the region as well as the more senior figures in this place.


    ¡°Sometimes, it is best to not be overly greedy and take things one step at a time, you know?¡± Lawrence replied and Halafina shrugged in reply.


    To Lawrence who had reports of massive armies out there, chaos and instability, this place sounded like paradise. He was not wrong ¨C Many, if not all of the townsfolks considered it as such.


    ¡°Well, taking it slow isn¡¯t a bad thing¡­¡± Halafina said, with Lawrence in agreement.


    ¡°Have you tried the Guardian¡¯s Bakery?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina¡¯s eyes lit up, as if remembering the taste of something.


    ¡°Yes, breakfast is served by the Guardian¡¯s Bakery! Bread and butter! It has the most amazing bread I have ever eaten! When I was still in my fighting days, breakfast was sawdust bread. Sawdust.¡±


    ¡°Can you imagine my surprise when it was nothing but actual, fluffy bread?¡± Halafina said excitedly. Lawrence wondered for a moment if perhaps Halafina was journeying around for the best food in the realm but quickly dismissed that thought from her head.


    The epithet of ¡®sawdust bread¡¯ has been applied in past times to many breads of uncertain constitution and gritty, hard texture which have been produced in times of great privation or punishment such as wars and prisons. Sometimes such bread did literally contain sawdust ¨C or ¡®tree flour¡¯ as it is also called, as this sounds slightly less inedible.


    Nineteenth century scientists were able to justify the addition of sawdust to ordinary bread by claiming not only its nutritional value but its digestibility. The subject of ¡®sawdust bread¡¯ got quite a bit of journal space at the time on account of the possibility of it assisting the feeding of the poor at little cost to the rich during times when wheat prices were high.


    The reason was that bread was sold by weight back in the days, and people don''t really have a good way of knowing what flour is and what sawdust is. Therefore, this was used as a business tactic to undercut honest businessmen.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°But what this town lacks¡­ Is really¡­ Hmmm¡­ Everyone is just busy working or they go out and eat. There isn¡¯t something that brings the town together! Like¡­¡± Halafina said, struggling to find the right word.


    ¡°Festivals? We have some planned¡­¡± Lawrence mumbled and Halafina shook her head.


    ¡°Right now, the people rally behind you. What happens after you are gone?¡± Halafina asked, prompting Lawrence to go into thought.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the thought of home enough?¡± Lawrence asked and Halafina wagged her finger.


    ¡°People can uproot and move. It is common. But what would make people stay, you know what? I¡¯m not going to go any further than this. No matter where I go, I don¡¯t call myself a Carminian but a man of Black Bay?¡±


    ¡°In the Sand Kingdoms, or even the merchant empires, they have a cause for people to rally around. The Caliphates may call for a crusade against the heathens or¡­ The Boulesky always revolved around tradition and honour. What about your legacy for Tears and Black Bay Village?¡± Halafina asked, downing her ale in one go and ordering another one.


    As Lawrence pondered over this question and made more idle talk through the night with Halafina, he was reminded by the awkward barmaid to pay for the tab in private.


    <hr>


    ¡°Milord!¡±


    A soldier stumbles as he runs from the messenger post in Everett and without even knocking, throws open the door to the great fortress, stunning Lord Black and Kaisenberg, who were in deep discussion.


    ¡°Milord! A letter from Tir Envar! Father Karl Franz and a group of emissaries will be visiting Black Bay Village!¡±


    Lord Black, who had taken a drink of water, spat it out as the perspiring soldier held up a letter and ran to the lord and gave it to him. Quickly opening the letter, Lord Black¡¯s face started to pale as he read the contents of the letter.


    ¡°Kaisenberg! Pick the knights and have them receive Father Karl Franz and his entourage! They will stop by here first before moving to Black Bay!¡± Lord Black said loudly and Kaisenberg immediately bowed, leaving to carry out his duty.


    ¡°Johannes! Get Johannes!¡± Lord Black cursed as he ordered the soldier who immediately began on another leg of his run, lap two.


    ¡°Clean the place up! Servants! Servants! Guards!¡± Lord Black roared, throwing open the doors of the Great Hall as he summoned every living being to clean up the place. After all, a senior ranking member the clergy was coming, with paladins and crusaders following behind.


    The contents of the letter was as follows:


    To Lord Black,


    This letter is sent by the High Clergy to inform you that Father Karl Franz and his entourage of 120 men have set out towards you. Their final destination is that of Black Bay Village. We humbly request that you play host to our elderly Father. May God¡¯s light always shine upon you.


    By God¡¯s Authority:


    High Clergy ¨C Church of Torrens


    No mention of the reason of arrival. What if they were here to extort donations to the church? Wait¡­ What if that was it?


    ¡°Lord Black, you called for me¡ª¡°


    ¡°Johannes! What is the decent amount to give to the Church if the requesting member of the church is Father Karl Franz?¡± Lord Edward Black asked, collapsing into his chair and rubbing his forehead.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Johannes sat down, taking a book from his bag and seemed to look through a few numbers.


    ¡°Which bridge would you ideally want collapse from disrepair?¡± Johannes asked ¨C This was his way of saying, tell the church to screw themselves.

 Chapter 68: Visit

    ¡°No lower than a hundred gold pieces¡­ And we can¡¯t afford that expense now.¡±


    Tir Envar was a small state that was guaranteed independence by both Boulesky as well as the other two kingdoms of Carmine and Gerheist. However, over the centuries, their reach has grown far and wide, their territory expanded, so much so that other kingdoms, warlords or distant empires fear what they do, yet require their support to stay in power with the masses who are enthralled by the divine words of God.


    ¡°Send word to Lawrence Carstein, tell him to expect an entourage that has Father Karl Franz in it,¡± Lord Black said, tired and weary though the day has barely begun.


    <hr>


    ¡°An Honour Guard¡­ Why do I need that?¡± Lawrence asked, confused as he sat at the meeting table in the town hall. Lawrence despised formalities such as these because when he was in the army, he loathed foreign military leaders visiting his camp ¨C This meant they had to do a pointless drill or parade.


    ¡°If people of stature come here, you have to roll out some sort of red carpet, Lawrence ¨C Things are not that simple. Not everyone is like you. Imagine if King Carmine comes here and all that welcomes him is me¡­ It is going to be a problem!¡± Jacob said as he feasted on his third turkey leg.


    ¡°¡­ Anyone with experience in ceremonies?¡± Lawrence asked, looking around the room. Everyone averted his gaze except Kraft.


    ¡°We can go by the noble traditions of this region, if you wish,¡± Kraft said and Lawrence nodded.


    ¡°Please tell me we don¡¯t need ceremonial attire?¡± Lawrence said in a slightly annoyed tone and Kraft shook his head. The gear of the Owls were good enough for both ceremonial and combat purposes.


    ¡°Storm Arsenal?¡± Lawrence asked, this time Jacob answering again. Roland was informed that there were some ravens and messenger owls that have arrived for him and had left to take a look.


    ¡°Good. The first section of the shipyard has been completed and designs for the ship by Miss Evergarden under your direction has been completed. The shipmakers are working on it now. However, we may need to expand the lumberyard-¡°


    Wood. The traditional boat building material used for hull and spar construction.


    It is buoyant, widely available and easily worked. Its abrasion resistance varies according to the hardness and density of the wood and it can deteriorate if fresh water or marine organisms are allowed to penetrate the wood.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Woods such as Teak, Totara and some cedars have natural chemicals which prevent rot whereas other woods, such as Pinus radiata, will rot very quickly. The hull of a wooden boat usually consists of planking fastened to frames and a keel. Keel and frames are traditionally made of hardwoods such as oak while planking can be oak but is more often softwood such as pine, larch or cedar.


    Sometime around the 12th century, northern European ships began to be built with a straight sternpost, enabling the mounting of a rudder, which was much more durable than a steering oar held over the side. Development in the Middle Ages favored "round ships", with a broad beam and heavily curved at both ends. Another important ship type was the galley which was constructed with both sails and oars.


    Outside Medieval Europe, great advances were being made in shipbuilding. The shipbuilding industry in Imperial China reached its height during the Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, and early Ming Dynasty, building commercial vessels that by the end of this period were to reach a size and sophistication far exceeding that of contemporary Europe. The mainstay of China''s merchant and naval fleets was the junk, which had existed for centuries, but it was at this time that the large ships based on this design were built. During the Sung period (960¨C1279 AD), the establishment of China''s first official standing navy in 1132 AD and the enormous increase in maritime trade abroad (from Heian Japan to Fatimid Egypt) allowed the shipbuilding industry in provinces like Fujian to thrive as never before. The largest seaports in the world were in China and included Guangzhou, Quanzhou, and Xiamen.


    Of course, this was a different issue ¨C Lawrence was looking at a traditional Korean naval ship as the very first warship that was flexible enough to be used in defense as well as offense.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a prototype out. How are we with sailors?¡± Lawrence asked and Longines leaned forward, preparing to answer. Lawrence had requested that the Owls be at least ready to fight on water as well if need be, but Longines has requested that a force that specialized in the navy be formed.


    This was the birth of the Sea Owls ¨C An experimental group of soldiers made up of ex-sailors or fishermen put through naval combat strategies.


    The Sea Owls would specialize in being experts of maneuvering and attacking using the equipment on the ship, while the Owl Guards would focus on their task at hand and assist the Sea Owls.


    ¡°They will need many more days of training. At least, they are familiar with the ballistas on the ship¡­ Right now, they are still practicing with using them on land.¡±


    ¡°Lawrence! Lawrence!¡±


    The door burst open, a slightly out of breath Roland burst in, clutching a letter.


    ¡°Father Karl Franz¡­¡± he panted, stopping to catch his breath.


    ¡°Oh, he finally sent me a letter?¡± Lawrence said innocently, raising his hand to accept the letter for him, or at least that¡¯s what he thought.


    ¡°No! Father Karl Franz and his men are on the way here! Tidy this place up!¡± Roland shouted and it was as if a holy power had compelled the most untidy of men, even Craig, to rush home and clean up his own house and the yard in front of it.

 Chapter 69: Signal

    Roland, Quenya and Jacob were now hiring children at one silver coin to clean up the streets and as the town criers announced that Father Karl Franz was coming, the slightly more devout already preparing small offerings of gold and silver.


    Lawrence understood what the fuss was about though he couldn¡¯t say that he particularly cared for the elderly father whom he had saved. It was simply the right thing to do at that point.


    Lawrence understood that the church was a symbol of hope, a symbol of the future for the poor. Those who went from rags to riches donated generously to the church as well, believing that it was due to their faith in the gods that allowed them to prosper.


    As wars were waged, civilizations, cities and towns crumbled, none would dare attack churches, and these places served as beacons of civilization even in the darkest hours of humanity.


    However, whether the members of the clergy believed in gods themselves were questionable. Though there were many who were kind and devout clerics, paladins or crusaders in this world, Lawrence was sure that there were many who were cruel and hungry for power as well.


    ¡°Our city has already been clean enough, I don¡¯t get why they are overreacting,¡± Lawrence grumbled as he walked past a child diligently sweeping the already rather clean looking ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t grumble so much, Lawrence. Having someone so senior visiting us is nothing but benefits. Anyway¡­ What exactly did you and Craig do in that place?¡± Roland asked, frowning. Aside from the two questionable men they brought in, Craig had offered a variety of non-answers to Roland while Lawrence skipped the topic entirely.


    ¡°¡­ You won¡¯t believe me even if I told you.¡±


    ¡°Try me,¡± Roland said and Lawrence shrugged.


    ¡°Are the two guests settling well into the city?¡± Lawrence asked and Roland nodded. How could they not? They had room service at their back and call while the captain was promised a new ship in return for his help.


    Of course, the merchant talked of dreams of grandeur once he returned home, the goods he would bring in and many other things. Of course, Lawrence slightly bought into the delusion of grandeur as well, dreaming of a flourishing trading post here.


    Of course, he has not missed out the fact that Roland took time out to dine with this merchant and often sent gifts to him. Lawrence was not blind.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°How¡¯s cosy-ing up to Ha¡¯ad Hashite? People tell me you gave him a decorated sword?¡± Lawrence said as Roland sniggered.


    ¡°Looks like you are aware of these things as well? It is going well. His friendship will be extremely beneficial to us,¡± Roland said, adjusting his clothes which seemed a bit wrinkled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with that, which is why I don¡¯t bring it up at all.¡±


    Somewhere out there, a noble fidgets nervously as he stands atop Everett, watching the flags of the church pull nearer and nearer and several palanquins come into view.


    <hr>


    The gates swinging open, a wagon slowly rolled down the road. It was a quiet night and William King, a farmer returning home after a night delivery of food that they have requisitioned from him to the camp of Colonel Vava.


    William, a citizen of King Carmine, like many other farmers in the area, was suddenly informed by the Carminian military that  was a need for food and by royal order, each family was to hand over any grain in their granary.


    Of course, not one farmer would follow that order to the letter. Many have hidden away the grains elsewhere and simply handed what the soldiers could find in the granary. That was the same for him. The entire day, farmers trickled in and out of the Carminian camp to hand over grain.


    For those who reared livestock, it was much harder for them to escape. They had to hand over a few sheep or even a herd if they were wealthier.


    Farmers with a poor harvest resorted to paying with either their eldest son if he was of the age to be conscripted or borrowed from their neighbours. Luckily, William had hidden away most of his harvest, leaving just a pittance for the government.


    He wondered if his wife was going to cook up potato soup to maintain a cover in the event the soldiers came knocking at night.


    Shivering from the cold wind breeze, William pulled the bear skin blanket from the chest below his feet and wrapped himself in it.


    The village he hailed from was called Gotrex which was under what was called the Frontier Border Rule, which meant it answered directly to the royal authorities and was not ruled by any lords.


    Nowadays, the village was bustling with life. Merchants from the Gerheist Kingdom came by, they even bought up some land or rented land from the farmers to build houses. They were even far more polite than those Carminian merchant families.


    When the barbarians attacked the village, these merchants even pushed them back with their guards and they never attacked again.


    Well, whatever. William King was just happy that there was more traffic and business going around the town.


    As William¡¯s wagon rolled into Gotrex, he could see that most of the village was already asleep, aside from the merchant¡¯s houses that seemed to be brightly lit even at night. William waved at one of the guards standing outside of the merchant house and the guard smiled, waving back.


    Stopping the wagon, William got off, guiding the horse back to the stable. Suddenly, light illuminated the area.


    Looking up, William saw what seemed to be a firework being shot from the merchant¡¯s house and into the air.


    William furrowed his eyebrows but shrugged. Maybe it was a celebration.

 Chapter 70 - Offensive

    King Carmine was awoken with a loud pounding at the door. Pushing one of the prostitutes aside, he stared at the closed door angrily, before shouting, ¡°Come in!¡±


    A rather pale and anxiety-stricken Lieutenant Colonel Windfell rushed into the room, the many medals he had pinned on his uniform through generous contributions of wealth to the state making a loud tinkling noise as he entered.


    ¡°What is it about? I gave strict instructions not to be disturbed when I am sleeping!¡± King Carmine shouted, his voice causing one of the prostitutes to stir a little.


    Windfell immediately went on his knees, stuttering. He had resisted reporting the various requests as he was well aware of the king¡¯s temperament to being awoken in his sleep but Colonel Hassan had arrived at the Imperial Castle and threatened to challenge Windfell to a duel if he did not convey the immediate seriousness of the situation. In fact, Windfell and his entourage of armed military officers were still fuming and pacing around in the castle grounds after Colonel Hassan roared at Windfell.


    ¡°The Gerheist army has begun attacking our positions all along the border. Colonel Vava has already retreated with the Frontier Forces¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Just beat them back¡­ What¡¯s the problem?¡± King Carmine said, raising an eyebrow. To the king, this was probably a show of strength by King Gerheist against King Carmine.


    ¡°How many men are they attacking with?¡± King Carmine asked and Lieutenant Colonel Windfell swallowed his saliva.


    ¡°5-50000 men at least¡­ From initial reports¡­ Colonel Vava¡¯s forces have received heavy casualties, however, I have received personal assurances from Colonel Vava that the enemy is of no threat-¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s a steaming pile of horseshit!¡±


    Another voice, a much more masculine voice. Colonel Hassan walked into the room, having used his officers to hold back the servants trying to stop them.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we have received reports that there are at least 50,000 men pouring through the gaps that Colonel Vava has left in our defensive line. The only person who has yet to retreat is General Kaffe and his soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Secondly, we have reports that several villagers from the borders all the way to the capital have been seized by Gerheist infiltrators. If we do not act quickly, they will have a clear way to here-¡°


    ¡°Then just push them back!¡± King Carmine shouted, still not truly grasping the magnitude of the situation. Colonel Hassan resisted jumping across the room to strangle his liege.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°We need to raise the banners, all of them. We also need Your Majesty¡¯s permission to use the reserve troops!¡±


    A silence fell over the room. The only sounds one could hear was the sounds of the servants attempting to get past the wall of officers who have stood outside the room.


    ¡°You want the reserve troops?¡± King Carmine asked and Colonel Hassan nodded, keeping his eye contact with the King. At this point, Windfell had a smug grin on his face. The Imperial Reserve troops can only be activated by authority of the King. However, the issue was this.


    What was supposed to be for the defense of the nation has been twisted into the current King Carmine¡¯s private army, which he used to crush dissenting nobles. Basically, it has become a joke.


    ¡°That is out of the question. Use what you have. Rally the nobles if you have to, but you will not be using the reserve troops,¡± King Carmine replied, a calm expression in his eye. However, Colonel Hassan could feel the King glaring at him.


    Colonel Hassan opened his mouth, wanting to object. However, he closed it and saluted. Walking out, his leather boots made a clicking sound against the polished floors of the castle as he is joined by more officers walking out, presumably to go to the frontlines.


    <hr>


    ¡°We have completely occupied the frontier lines, with the exception of the Kaffe Plateau. The resistance there is stubborn. However, we expect it to fall within 72 hours. Colonel Vava has completely underestimated our forces and our spies have reported that they will not be sending reinforcements to the frontlines or counterattack,¡± General Donovan reported, King Gerheist sitting in his war tent set up some ten kilometers away from the frontlines.


    Barely able to repress a smile were the two lords, Earl Malai and Duke Fiesen.


    ¡°Our casualties were about 600 men and we attribute this to the tougher soldiers dispersed within the frontier forces that managed to rally and make a stand. However, by and large, the discipline the Carminian army used to have is gone,¡± General Kaffe reported and King Gerheist nodded approvingly.


    ¡°Have the cavalry keep on harassing anyone on the retreat. I want as few survivors rejoining Colonel Vava¡¯s new positions.¡±


    Though Colonel Vava had expected war, he had not expected for Gerheist spies to infiltrate all areas of the Kingdom. The moment he had heard that there was trouble in his flank, he simply uprooted his entire army and fell back, making camp in the dense forest behind, perhaps hoping for the Gerheist army to simply march into it and fall prey to defensive positions already waiting.


    However, Colonel Vava was foolish. If he had simply dug in with his army, this plan would have been foiled on many levels and there may even have been a decisive battle where the victor could have been decided. Even though the recruits of the Carminian Kingdom was inexperienced, the more experienced commanders also led the veteran elites of the army. A combination of the two would have led to some serious headaches to the Gerheist offensive.


    However, the backup plans that the Gerheist generals and officials have drawn up in the event of a counteroffensive by the enemy seems to have been for naught. They have inflicted serious casualties, forced the enemy into the defensive and they have surrounded the most elite soldiers under General Kaffe at the plateau. Things could not possibly get any better¡­


    Could it?

 Chapter 71: A Consideration

    ¡°Our esteemed guest! Father Karl Franz!¡± Lord Black stood up, raising his goblet and everyone else in the hall stood up, paladins, clerics, Lord Black¡¯s adjutants and Father Karl himself, responding in kind with a goblet filled with wine.


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Black for your kindness in hosting all of us in such short notice! No wonder Lawrence is a knight in your household! You are a skilled man for someone your age!¡± Karl Franz replied, as all those present downed their wine before sitting back down.


    ¡°It is a terrific honour to have a man as esteemed as yourself to be with us in Everett no less,¡± Lord Black smiled and Karl roared with laughter.


    ¡°This old man killed a few more things in his life, that¡¯s all!¡±


    As Karl happily conversed with Edward Black, the topic shifted from affairs of the church to Lawrence Carstein himself.


    ¡°Lord Black, may I ask where did you find a man of such talent? If that man is a mere household knight, I¡¯m assuming you hold your own in a duel?¡± Karl Franz said with a wicked twinkle in his eye.


    You know the answer, old man!


    At least that was what Lord Black thought to himself.


    ¡°Ah, I was lucky. He had helped clear out some bandit troubles and I decided to award him with the governace of Black Bay Village and its surrounding lands¡­ Of course, I had to give him an appropriate rank as well!¡±


    That¡¯s a lie. You wanted to tie him to you! Hmph! How long do you think I have lived!? By appointing him as a knight to tie him down as being associated with you¡­


    Under the smiles of these men¡¯s thoughts, they exchanged information with one another while being careful. However, as Lord Black asked for the roasted lambs to be brought in, a crusader walked in as well, bowing politely to Lord Black before walking over to Father Karl Franz.


    As Karl listened on, he nodded slowly.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Ah, then I¡¯m afraid some news have come from our messenger pigeons,¡± Karl said gravely and the hall fell silent. What could possibly shake the elderly Father so?


    ¡°The Kingdoms of Gerheist and Carmine, which you are a part of has declared war on each other. The Gerheist army has smashed the frontier forces. I¡¯m afraid that you probably will receive word to rally your own forces soon.¡±


    Lord Black, for the first night today, let his expression show.


    It was a mixture of fury and horror.


    Lord Black forced a smile, turning to Kaisenberg and nodding. A signal, to rally the men in preparations for receiving orders. Kaisenberg left his seat and after leaving the halls, Lord Black looked at Johannes, who could do nothing but shrug. War is expensive business and since Karl had graciously refused the tithe to the church, they had some money for war.


    Lord Black couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    Just how many men will he have to muster? But¡­ This time¡­ Would he be able to rally those soldiers he saw the other day? What did Lawrence call them?


    The Owls? The Owl Guards?


    <hr>


    ¡°Troubling news, Roland. Most troubling,¡± Trey mumbled as he passed the report on to Roland who seemed startled that even Trey was shaken.


    Kraft and Longines who had read the missive that Trey just passed to Roland seemed to be dead set on avoiding committing any troops, however.


    ¡°It is troubling, but this is all the more that we should persuade Lawrence not to send any soldiers. This is a feud between the royalties!¡± Longines said loudly and Roland shook his head after reading the missive.


    The missive had come from one of Trey¡¯s spies. The message was short but simple.


    Gerheist army defeats Carmine frontier forces. General Kaffe surrounded on Kaffe plateau. Colonel Vava abandons defensive positions. Counter-offensive unlikely.


    ¡°What would you say is the possible benefit of us committing any soldiers, at all?¡± Kraft reasoned and Roland had but one very simple reason.


    ¡°If we were to win a huge victory, Lawrence¡¯s position here will be unshakable. If the Kingdom of Carmine should lose, as a vassal of Lord Black, Lawrence¡¯s position will be called into question entirely.¡±


    The two military leaders understood where Roland was coming from. However¡­ The two leaders were reluctant to commit soldiers to bleed for something that in the long run may not have concerned them.


    In wars, people are a finite resource, so are trained people.


    For example, in the Second World War, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea saw most of Japan¡¯s experienced pilots killed, with the Battle in China further dragging out precious manpower which the Japanese did not have.


    Though what they lacked in equipment and men were made up for in fighting spirit, they were eventually overwhelmed by the large number of American soldiers as well as China which tied down a massive portion of their forces.


    ¡°Roland, what do you want to tell Lawrence?¡± Trey asked, once again evaluating the man.

 Chapter 72: War Council

    ¡°Well. I will be honest with him. I expect that he asks for no less than that from me.¡±


    Roland walked to the mirror, adjusting his hair a little before taking the dossier and walking off to find Lawrence, who had said that he will be processing documents relating to the town in his home.


    The military leaders and spymaster looked at each other before hurrying after Roland.


    <hr>


    Lawrence looked over at the report that Roland had brought over. He was flanked by the military leaders as well as that Trey, whom Lawrence always felt uncomfortable to be around.


    The reports were grim news for the Carmine Kingdom.


    Frontlines smashed, even entire units that were surrounded and trying to break through have been rooted out. The only surviving units intact was General Kaffe¡¯s Plateau as well as the entire army group that Colonel Vava has pulled back.


    News was coming that a general mobilization order would be sent out by the military to mobilize the lords¡¯ armies to help repulse the invasion and there was a strong likelihood that Lord Black will ask that Lawrence to rally his soldiers as well and have his men do the bulk of the dying.


    All these were things that Lawrence were highly negative towards.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we put them on a ship and say that they have gone for the subjugation of sirens?¡± Lawrence asked and Roland shook his head.


    ¡°It will look too obvious that you are trying to wiggle your way out of this.¡±


    ¡°According to the reports here¡­ It says that the Reserve army has not been called up. Why?¡± Lawrence asked and for this, Trey was the one to interject.


    ¡°The Reserve Army has saved the Kingdom countless times but the current King Carmine treats it as his own private army to subjugate disobedient nobles or generals who went out of line in his opinion. Therefore, it is not acceptable to him to weaken his own authority.¡±


    What a fool, even France had wished that they had this reserve army to call upon in the Second World War.


    As France faced total defeat in the Second World War, Churchill, the prime minister of Great Britian had flown to Paris and in a meeting with French commanders, he had asked, ¡°Where is the strategic reserve?¡±


    To fans of history, you will know that as German forces faced off with the French in the First World War, the reserve that was committed to France¡¯s defense had helped to turn the tides of the First World War.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    However, General Gamelin replied, ¡°There is none.¡±


    Churchill later described this as the most shocking moment of his life.


    ¡°Why should I send out my troops? Shouldn¡¯t Lord Black¡¯s soldiers be enough?¡± Lawrence asked, bordering on denial. He knew the Owls were too well trained and equipped for their own good.


    ¡°A few dozen knights and a handful of peasants is as good as not sending troops at all although the knights can be used to some effect. Kaisenberg is a competent commander and the soldiers are not weak,¡± Kraft muttered and Lawrence looked at the four of them, seated on his chairs, in his house.


    ¡°You four obviously came to me intending to send troops. No?¡± Lawrence asked, his voice low. It was the first time that Roland had seen Lawrence with such an expression. It was one of anger, depression.


    ¡°No, Sir Carstein. You misunderstand. The military here is against war,¡± Longines said, leaning forward, small drops of perspiration on his forehead. He had sensed Lawrence¡¯s anger and moved to placate him.


    ¡°Kraft and I are both against the notion of war entirely. However, if it is going to be that-¡°


    ¡°If it is going to be that Lord Black is going to mobilize us, we may as well mobilize first and await his orders. This way, we have more time for supplies and preparations,¡± Kraft added on quietly and Longines nodded, sitting back. Lawrence looked at the floor, then at the parchment that Roland had prepared ordering for the mobilization of the army in anticipation of Lord Black rallying the banners.


    Lawrence reached for the quill, dipped it in ink and signed his name and Roland stretched his hand out to accept the mobilization order.


    ¡°Longines, Kraft, what are our chances?¡± Lawrence asked and Kraft took the troop assessment from Trey. As Kraft looked through it, Trey answered on his behalf.


    ¡°Well¡­ Light cavalry, heavy infantry, really not your standard Gerheist setup¡­ I¡¯d say the invasion has been planned for a long time. Given the geo-political situations in both countries, I would say the Gerheist soldiers would most likely not retreat until total victory or an overwhelming defeat is dealt.¡±


    ¡°Right now, King Gerheist still has more to lose than King Carmine overall. King Gerheist is new to the throne and a major defeat here will only weaken him after he has united his power base in favour of action against King Carmine,¡± Trey explained.


    It was common for leaders to rally disunited civil and military officials with military threat. Sometimes, the enemy presents them with an opportunity automatically. For example, when the United States had yet to enter the Second World War, the majority of Americans favoured staying out of the war (isolationism).


    However, with the bombing of Pearl Harbour, and the vote was 82 ¨C 0 in the Senate and 388 ¨C 1 in the House in favour of declaring war on Japan.


    In times of confusion or uncertainty, leaders also opt to rally their people against an external threat, be it real or not. However, King Carmine had very kindly rendered the people of the Gerheist Kingdom his enemies simply by insulting the royal house which was respected in the nation and forcing anyone who had might have had dissenting views against King Gerheist to fall in line with the noble family for fear of being accused as being a traitor and putting personal gains ahead of the nation¡¯s.


    However, a defeat that completely reverses the fortunes the Gerheist Kingdom may start shaking nobles or military commanders dissatisfied with the existing rule of King Gerheist, may be able to start rallying commoners shocked by perhaps a string of defeats or the destruction of an entire army group.


    Therefore, mistakes were not allowed. Or rather, there cannot be mistakes.

 Chapter 73: General Kaffe

    ¡°How many jars do we have?¡± General Kaffe asked, looking at his adjutant. They were standing in the war encampment and the entire army was on high alert. General Kaffe had sent men after Colonel Vava to request reinforcements but none of them had returned.


    Right now, the only reason why the Plateau¡¯s forces have not been completely decimated was because of a letter he had received from a Lawrence Carstein. No one in the camp recognized the sigil of the Owl upon the seal.


    The letter had detailed exactly when and where the Gerheist army was going to attack, the estimated troop strength opposing and that General Kaffe must not fall before reinforcements reached him.


    But what reinforcements?


    ¡°Two hundred jars, General,¡± the adjutant replied, looking at his notes. They were of course, talking about boiling vats of oil.


    In preparation for the enemy encounter, General Kaffe had placed traps all along the approaches of the plateau, hammering stakes into the ground to hamper cavalry advances and placing archers there to shoot them down.


    After several costly attempts, the enemy has opted to surround the camp, hoping to starve him out. A possibility that is very likely.


    War? General Kaffe and his men were ready. However, the rest of the Carminian military not so.


    They had food and provisions for thirty days. General Kaffe, by his own calculations, was assuming the worst ¨C That the skilled enemy would smash Colonel Vava¡¯s new defensive line and dash straight for the capital. In this case, should he order a breakthrough?


    ¡°Get me 100 more. We should have enough oil to boil for that. We got not much to cook anyway,¡± General Kaffe scoffed and the adjutant nodded, sighing. At this point, an officer walked up to the general timidly-


    ¡°What is it?¡± General Kaffe asked and the officer mumbled, ¡°Uh, sir¡­ There¡¯s a man wanting to see you¡­ He says he has a message from Lawrence Carstein?¡±


    General Kaffe, upon hearing that, immediately demanded loudly, ¡°Where is he? Bring me to him at once!¡±


    The officer, anxious and timid, bowed and the two of them made past the medic¡¯s tent which was crowded with the injured and tired herbalists, past the guard posts and into the general¡¯s tent.


    In the tent was a man in brown robes befitting that of a noble and a small pudgy belly. He was rather tall, and there was a sword affixed to his waistband. He had made himself rather comfortable, already seated and drinking what was undoubtedly wine from his waterskin.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Ah, General! I was asked to deliver this to you!¡± the man beamed as he saw the general, taking out a letter. The same type of letter that had an owl sigil.


    General Kaffe accepted the letter with two hands and dismissed his adjutant and assumed his seat as the commander of the camp, at the head of the table.


    ¡°Sorry, your name is¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, my name is not important. I answer to Black Bay Village and the City of Tears, that is all that is important. I suggest you read the letter now, General,¡± the man smiled and as he reached across the table for the apple on the plate, General Kaffe noticed the calluses on his hands. Even though he was dressed well, it seemed that the man was putting up quite an act. It was the hands of a man used to battle.


    ¡°How did you get past their lines?¡± General Kaffe asked and the man smiled, not replying as he munched on his apple.


    ¡°One person is easier to sneak past than an entire army, General, I suggest you perish the thought.¡±


    The man laughed, taking another swig from his waterskin.


    The General, slightly annoyed at the man¡¯s behavior, eagerly opened the letter. The letter¡¯s contents were brief but to the point.


    Dear General Kaffe,


    If you are reading this, it means that my man has managed to reach you. He will be of great aid to you as a means of conversation between you and I.


    I am Lawrence Carstein¡¯s second-in-command, we will meet in due time. The news is that the reserve army¡¯s use has been rejected. The banners are being rallied and Lawrence himself will lead the elite soldiers of the realm to your aid.


    Hold on, hold strong and hold fast.


    The spirits of the men of the Kingdom of Carmine do not break easy.


    Regards,


    Roland Ritz


    The letter¡¯s contents were worrying and comforting at the same time. The most powerful army was not coming to their rescue but a group of squabbling lords that will take days to band together, a few more days to decide who the coalition leader is and another few days to reach the battlefield.


    Upon reaching the battlefield, they will spend another few days deciding on who is the vanguard before finally going to battle and losing most of the time.


    That was the problem with nobles in general. They talk too much and listen too little. General Kaffe¡¯s only hope is that Colonel Hassan or someone with actual skills in commanding to be at the forefront of the General Staff instead of all the sycophants who have no doubt already begun to make plans to liquidate their properties and flee somewhere where they can continue their life of debauchery.


    ¡°Sir, when will your lord¡¯s reinforcement come?¡± General Kaffe asked the man who folded his arms.


    ¡°Oh, soon, I hope. I don¡¯t think the encampment can really take a full on and relentless attack from the Gerheist army.¡±


    ¡°A student of war are you?¡± General Kaffe asked and the man roared with laughter, so much so that tears flowed down his eyes.


    ¡°Ah, no. I usually stay behind the curtains of a show, behind the doors of taverns and whisper things from behind a chair. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m no good in general.¡±


    General Kaffe smirked.


    ¡°If all of Lawrence Carstein¡¯s men are this capable, I think he alone may sort everyone out.¡±


    ¡°You know what?¡± the man looked at General Kaffe seriously.


    ¡°I think he actually might.¡±

 Chapter 74: To War We Go

    A message. Or rather, an order.


    Of course, the order bore the seal of Lord Black. The contents were obvious enough. Lawrence¡¯s heart still sank once Jacob came in with the order. It was a call to arms, a general mobilization order.


    Everyone will gather at the Romanus Line, a defensive line created by Colonel Vava, but now guarded by Colonel Haussen and General Tarn. Colonel Vava has now withdrew to a resort, citing health reasons. Now, the military of the Kingdom of Carmine has effectively been consolidated within the hands of the experienced military leaders once again.


    However, the one thing holding back these leaders were the fact that their own ruler has refused to send out reinforcements and the army is now forced to wait for squabbling lords and petty nobles to slowly bring their army forward.


    Yet, at the end of the day, these experienced leaders had no doubt about who would get credit for the military victories and who would get blame for any defeats.


    ¡°Lawrence! Is it true that you will be going to war!?¡±


    Lawrence had to entertain Ha¡¯ad Hashite as well, the person who had promised to setup a trading company once the trading route was free of Sirens.


    ¡°Yes, I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Outrageous! Then when will you finally clear the route of those Sirens!?¡± Ha¡¯ad said, almost a tad too arrogant and Lawrence who was already in a poor mood, grimaced.


    ¡°When I come back, alright? Look, if you tell them to cancel the war, I¡¯ll go do it now.¡±


    Lawrence¡¯s sarcastic answer caused Ha¡¯ad¡¯s expression to sink a little as he sighed.


    ¡°You cannot die, you understand? We need to make money together!¡±


    As Lawrence had some of his guards drag Ha¡¯ad away, Kraft, decked out in a full suit of plate armour walked up to Lawrence.


    ¡°We have enough food for 180 days exactly. This is double what most lords would bring, but I suppose we should prepare more, Sir Carstein. If we are surrounded, the other lords won¡¯t be sharing their food.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Good thinking.


    Nodding in reply, Lawrence watched as the soldiers got into position. In the absence of the Owl Guards, the Civil Defense placed under Jacob and Craig¡¯s command would become the predominant force in the city.


    Roland had insisted on coming along and Lawrence, despite being uncomfortable, had asked that Trey follow along for the campaign as well. Lawrence knew that he would need top quality information to fight this war and that was something that Trey offered readily. Lawrence was also warned by Jacob that it was possible that many lords will leverage heavily on the Owls to reduce their own casualty as Lord Black, Lawrence¡¯s liege lord, was not someone influential enough to deny a Count, Baron or even a more influential lord, let alone the General Staff.


    ¡°Lord Black¡¯s orders is to march to his fortress first. Let¡¯s get this over and done with,¡± Lawrence sighed, mounting his horse, a fine black stallion. He was told that it was an amazing horse and he pretended to agree, seeing that he knew nothing about horses.


    Lawrence had asked that extra equipment be prepared as well, in the event that they were indeed surrounded and forced to carve a bloody way out. Longines had taken care of that. Lawrence, though a powerful character, felt that he was actually in the care of people with far more experience than him.


    Kraft, for his skill in planning, Longines, for his skill in leading his men. Trey, his network of spies. Roland will be there to assist Lawrence as well. He felt thankful to Roland for all the assistance he is rendering.


    ¡°To war, we go?¡± Roland said, having urged his own horse beside Lawrence and the Guardian in Another World nodded. Giving the signal to Longines, he took out a large horn made of ivory and blew it.


    The loud blare of the horn reverberated through the city of Tears. People going about their lives stopped to watch as the army departed. Wives stood at the sides, tears streaking down their faces and men in the army held back their tears as they marched off to war.


    Elderly mothers and fathers watched, holding back tears as they stood stock still, watching their sons going off to battle. No matter how far the column went, they followed to the outskirts of the city, for it may be the last time they saw their children.


    Lawrence looked ahead, where the men and women of the Civil Defense force stood in salute, a trumpet playing a triumphant tune, their way of wishing the men going to war, good fortunes in the battles to come.


    He spotted Talafina who forced a smile upon seeing Lawrence. Lawrence responded with a small smile of his own and he looked straight ahead. Not one person marching forward looked back towards home and Lawrence thought that he understood why.


    If one were to see home for the last time, you would never leave.


    Lawrence''s heart ached.


    For whom is he fighting this war for anyway?

 Chapter 75: Karl Franz

    Karl Franz listened to the report from his aide. By all aspects, the war was going poorly for the Carmine Kingdom, with the Holy Order¡¯s spies estimating no more than a month to total capitulation.


    However, Karl had noticed something in Lord Black. While he was rallying the banners, it seemed that he took extra care in dictating the message to Lawrence Carstein. The Holy Order had reported that Black Bay Village has evolved into something a lot more than just a village and the locals called it Tears, after the shape of the walls.


    They also boasted an elite force that many locals have taken to call the Owl Guards, with one Holy Order spy claiming that they were superior to the Paladins. However, the Holy Order spy admitted that there was insufficient time for observations as the local Internal Security Department which acted as a counter-espionage agency paid him a visit and politely asked him to leave.


    Karl had decided to stay behind in Everett with Lord Black¡¯s permission as a guest. The Holy Order was a neutral party in this conflict. Though it was ironic, war profited the Holy Order though not many holy men openly spoke of this point. When a war breaks out, donations swell the coffers of the Holy Order, as many pray for peace and divine intervention. A usually miserly lord may donate generously in order to meet the priest of the local parish, hoping that he will help him negotiate with the forces sieging his keep.


    Karl¡¯s order had no need for these donations because he never completely considered himself a man of the cloth. Before being forced to pick up a sword and shield, he was a merchant and he had often followed where it was convenient.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Did he believe in the positive ideals of the Holy Order? Indeed he did, but he could care less about the other less desirable things, such as enforcing a common religion through the peninsular.


    Karl privately carried out his old religion of ancestral worship, which was banned by the church. Bunch of pissants, he called them. Only those extremely close to Karl knew about his true behavior. The Holy Order often portrayed him as the unyielding crusader against heretics, which couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. Within Karl¡¯s small dominion granted to him by the Church, it is the most tolerant of pagan religions and overly zealous members of the Holy Order often find themselves transferred to other regions within a week.


    Yet, Karl was excited. Lawrence Carstein had single handedly destroyed an undead threat that would have surely caused much chaos and destruction. And now, an elite counter espionage and an elite army?


    Karl had actually brought news of the Forest Altis and the fortress Altland for Lawrence. Lawrence was to be appointed intermediate caretaker until the true heir is found ¨C As per Lawrence¡¯s wishes.


    ¡°Interesting man, he is,¡± Karl mused as he sat at the window side, diligently writing his memoirs, which his wife had instructed him to write. It was for his retirement fund, she said.


    Yet, from the view from his window, he saw a group of flags. The flags bearing the symbol of a flag.


    Karl grinned, putting down his quill. Lawrence Carstein had answered the call. In fact, from where Karl was sitting, he could see Kaisenberg and a small knight retinue ride out to welcome Lawrence. Just who was this man, Lawrence Carstein, then got everyone riled up?


    Karl Franz donned his casual clothes, one that blended well even among peasants. Walking out, he was flanked by two paladins of the Holy Order which held beliefs similar to his. Clutched in the hands of Karl was a deed, signifying the Holy Order¡¯s recognition of the Forest Altis and Altland as being temporarily under the care of Lawrence Carstein.


    In a distance, Lawrence sneezed.


    Was he falling sick? ¨C Our level 99 guardian wondered.

 Chapter 76: Battle Plan

    ¡°So that is the situation, Lawrence,¡± Lord Black said, as he finished his briefing to Lawrence and what he called his Joint Staff.


    Lord Black had intended to join his own liege lord, Count Boulevard, as soon as possible and everyone present was in agreement of that fact. However, Lord Black had already made it clear that advancing ahead first may be seen as insulting to certain lords who wish to be seen as leading the vanguard, which is supposedly an incredible honour.


    ¡°By the time every lord finishes arguing who should take which position in the campaign, the kingdom will be in flames,¡± Kaisenberg said, not hiding his low opinion of lords in general. Coughing, Lord Black turned away, hastily drinking a large gulp of his wine.


    Upon arrival, Lawrence, Longines and Kraft was immediately ushered into a strategic meeting with Lord Black and Kaisenberg, who showed an overall view of the situation in the kingdom.


    ¡°Let¡¯s march tonight then, after the men have rested. A forced march will take them to Castle Skip, just a few kilometers away from the Kaffe Plateau,¡± Longines said, pointing at the castle which was rumoured to have been abandoned by the Carmine army.


    ¡°I disagree. Putting our men on a forced march means they have to fight an enemy in a position that a semi-competent commander would have turned against us. In fact, I say that we should avoid putting ourselves in a situation where we have to siege anything at all. We can dig in around here and sneak a messenger to General Kaffe to breakthrough here and link up with us.¡±


    ¡°By forming a defensive line in front of Colonel Vava¡¯s position, with some luck, we can compel him to move the line forward for a single decisive battle, which is something the Gerheist army should be avoiding.¡±


    Kraft even traced out a possible way to march there. It seemed that he had already been thinking about it before reaching this meeting.


    ¡°I agree with Longines, having a castle would be most beneficial to us,¡± Kaisenberg said ¨C However, his logic was not flawed. With ample food supplies, recapturing Castle Skip was a shot in the arm for morale as well as potentially forcing the enemy to tie down their military strength to prevent any counterattacks from the soldiers within the castle.


    A castle, properly manned, defended and supplied can keep thousands, if not the entire army on its toes. There have been many stories of heroic defenders, vastly outnumbered, defending castles until reinforcements that could turn the tide arrived.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°With enough time, the lords can assemble and counterattack. I may not like how they do things, but the lords, when they get their shit together¡­ Can properly do battle¡­¡± Kaisenberg said.


    ¡°It will take too much time. Right now, the situation stands that without decisive action, the capital will fall. And he who controls the capital controls the nation,¡± Kraft gently rebutted.


    ¡°Lawrence? What do you think?¡± Lord Black asked Lawrence, who had maintained an expression of neutrality, tapping on years of experience as a salaryman.


    ¡°First of all, I would like answers to a few questions. Can someone get Trey in here please?¡± Lawrence said and the door opened, presumably Longines who had gone off to get Trey who had been waiting outside.


    ¡°Trey, what is the situation with Colonel Vava¡¯s defensive line? How long do you think it can hold?¡± Lawrence asked and the spymaster tapped his chin.


    ¡°The narrative is that it is impenetrable, with most of their new camps on hillsides and rather crude wooden stake defenses driven into the ground¡­ But, from what I am aware of, the defensive line can be entirely cut off from the rest of the kingdom.


    ¡°How?¡± Lawrence asked and Trey walked up to the map.


    ¡°You see, the defensive line has one thing in common. Their source of water is Lake Camilia. By surrounding them for awhile and depriving them of water, having infantry charging down hills is not the most brilliant idea.¡±


    ¡°I give them a week at most, which is a worthwhile investment into destroying the entire army of this Kingdom,¡± Trey said and Kraft nodded silently.


    ¡°Second question. How long do you think the lords will take to actively begin in the defense of the nation?¡± Lawrence asked and Trey shrugged.


    ¡°Assuming the General Staff gets them in line¡­ 3 weeks? 4? Hard to tell. But that¡¯s my best estimate. The fact that the King will be putting up a reward for those who have made huge contributions to the campaign actually is not helping. They will wish to fight over the various positions in the vanguard, flagbearer and many others. Some may even argue who to take the flank, because fighting off a flanking maneuver is a large contribution by itself,¡± Trey replied and Lord Black¡¯s face considerably darkened.


    ¡°Why, are you sad that you¡¯re missing out on the action?¡± Lawrence said jokingly and Lord Black sighed.


    ¡°War is expensive, Lawrence. If I were half as rich as them, I won¡¯t mind arguing with them. I just want to stay in my land, but Count Boulevard has already activated his banners. Failing to do so will make me a traitor to the realm.¡±


    ¡°So, Lawrence? What is your choice?¡± Lord Black asked and Lawrence stared at the map for a few moments.


    ¡°Trey, do you think we have a good chance to smash into the units surrounded General Kaffe and force a general withdrawal of the Gerheist army?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely. However, I do think you have a good chance of relieving General Kaffe for him to withdraw, regroup and fight again.¡±


    ¡°General Kaffe¡¯s men are battle hardened soldiers. One of them is easily worth ten of Colonel Vava¡¯s. Their loss would be significant,¡± Kraft added on subtly and Lawrence nodded.


    ¡°We have a plan then. We¡¯re going to help our allies.¡±

 Chapter 77: War Comes

    A major compromise made by the Gerheist King was to allow young lords, eager for achievements to ingrain their house in the annals of history. One such lord was Lord Eugene, a man that was known to be tall and not much else.


    Senior generals would describe him as ¡°mediocre, at best¡± while his own underlings would call him a ¡°gentle man with his quirks¡± ¨C Basically, the man was nothing exceptional. However, he had a very simple duty.


    General Kaffe was pinned down in this area. The strategy is to simply encircle him and starve him into submission while constantly hurtling insults at them to entice them to fight. It was a cozy job and there was little doubt that his family would at least gain some fame and recognition from his duty here. The enemy was not expected to be strong enough to break through ¨C More than a dozen petty lords with their banners were here alongside Lord Eugene and every day, it was to feast or drink.


    The army surrounding the veteran Carmine troops under these lords and Eugene himself were a mix of knights, squires, mercenaries and peasants given training and outfitted in some haste. However, they outnumbered the opposing force by a good 5 to 1.


    General Kaffe, cutting his losses, knowing how distant reinforcements are, fortified his position and the only sign of aggression that he has allowed was for his soldiers to shout back at the men of the Gerheist forces with various colourful insults.


    ¡°Food?¡± Lord Eugene asked, shaking his wooden cup filled to the brim with honey water. Honey water was issued to all participating nobles by order of King Gerheist ¨C It was something that the poor nobles could never have afforded on their own. Therefore, it became a massive hit with the less well-off nobles, such as Lord Eugene.


    ¡°All is in order, my lord,¡± Lord Eugene¡¯s squire replied. Even his squire was dressed in crudely made leather armour with the sigil of his house embossed on it. Compared to the more fancy nobles who could afford metallic armour on a whim, Lord Eugene¡¯s house was a far cry compared to them.


    ¡°Good. Have the soldiers carry on with routine.¡±


    With a wave of his hand, the squire understood his duty. To leave the tent.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Turning his eye to the map, a small smile on his lips. This town and that. What if he could loot this one¡­ Ah but this meant he has to give up the food warehouses that is abundant in this other town¡­


    Right¡­ If they managed to kill all of General Kaffe¡¯s men, they could even just repaint the Carmine army¡¯s metallic armour into their own fashion¡­ Then he could go down in history as the best lord in his house¡¯s annals.


    Not only that, they could carry back truckload upon truckload of gold if they could find it. The edict has been simple ¨C The complete and utter destruction of the foundations of the Kingdom of Carmine.


    This meant:


    <ul>


    <li>The Eradication of Farms


    <ul>


    <li>Any noble or army has the right to salt any captured fields or seize grains. However, the family in which resources have been confiscated from must have the seized assets detailed and deported into the Gerheist Kingdom.</li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li>Knowledge Acquisition


    <ul>


    <li>The libraries and schools of the Kingdom of Carmine in any captured territories with any learning resources such as, but not limited to books, scrolls and the writing materials shall be systematically shipped back via the merchant companies. Anything of historical value to the Kingdom of Carmine will be uprooted and sent back to the Kingdom of Gerheist.</li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li>Enemies of the State


    <ul>


    <li>Captured enemy nobles with a history of insulting the Kingdom of Gerheist can be put to death after making a report of treasonous comments are submitted to the High Command.</li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    </ul>


    With all these, the invasion force having made decent progress, pushed their way deep into the lands of the Kingdom of Carmine. If they were war dogs, they would be salivating, their feet ready to pounce at a moment¡¯s notice to rip out the heart of the enemy.


    They were this close to the heartland of the Kingdom of Carmine. Lords could already foresee the number of people they could put to work at the fields and the number of educated men and women that could take up positions such as teachers that would in the long term, benefit their own territory.


    The tent entrance opens and the squire reappears, looking rather panicked.


    ¡°My lord, there is a flare in the air!¡±


    ¡°A flare?¡± Lord Eugene said incredulously, standing up and taking some care to try and straighten out the fur coat he had recently seized. A bright green flare is soaring upwards into the sky.


    At this point, the sound of drums from within the Kaffe encampment.


    ¡°Ha! The fools are desperate enough now!¡± Lord Eugene shouted, raising his sword for perhaps the first time outside of training.


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±


    However, the sound of war came from around them.


    Lord Eugene, turning his head, saw the flag of an owl and horses clad in what seemed to be full bodily armour.


    ¡°Onwards, no retreat!¡± the horsemen roared as they thundered towards he and his men.


    The Battle for the Kaffe Plateau has begun in earnest.

 Chapter 78: Battle for the Kaffe Plateau

    The cataphracts stormed towards the hastily formed spear wall, the horses kicking up a dust of sand and soil as the brave men upon the armoured horses led the way. The horses and spears that the cataphracts wielded slammed into the spear wall, sending men of the Gerheist army flying and instantly coughing up blood as their internal organs are shattered.


    The Gerheist men hastily attempted to reform the line, however, the cavalry proceeded to plow forward, mowing down any who stood in their path, their spears bathed in blood and guts.


    ¡°Onwards, onwards!¡± the men at the head of the charge shouted, murder in their eyes. One of the cataphract riders hurled his spear and it smashed through one of his enemies, which held up a shield.


    The spear smashed into the shield and pierced the soldier, who simply collapsed.


    ¡°Hold the line! Hold the line!¡± one of the enemy nobles shouted, waving his sword in a futile attempt to halt the flow of his men trying to run back against the horde of cavalry.


    Lawrence watched as Kraft nodded to Longines who blew another note on his war horn. The cavalry neatly regrouped and pulled back. This time, the Owl Shields marched forward, their shields raised and long spears held out. A phalanx.


    ¡°Archers, fire!¡±


    Lord Eugene had rounded up the archers and they fired upon the advancing foot soldiers advancing towards them.


    ¡°Testudo! Shields up!¡±


    The commanders in each individual unit raised their shields and closed ranks, the arrows bouncing off harmlessly. The formation slowly advanced towards the reformed line of swordsmen who have rushed forward, after the line of spearmen was decimated.


    ¡°You¡¯re armies of the King of Gerheist! We will not falter here! Charge!¡± Lord Eugene shouted above the chaos of war and the swordsmen, in an unorganized chaos, rushed forward, surging past the corpses of their fallen friends.


    ¡°For Lord Black! For the Carmine Kingdom!¡±


    A trumpet blares, and Kaisenberg and his retinue of knights charged forward-


    ¡°Aim for the horses! Loose!¡± Lord Eugene shouted, the arrows producing a resounding twang as the archers began to fire towards the unarmoured horses-


    ¡°Loose!¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Arrows looking like locusts flew towards the archers in response, as if guided by the wind, they penetrated neatly into their thin protective armour, blood spewing from their wounds as the Gerheist archers collapsed one by one. To be fair, these weren¡¯t even properly trained archers, just hunters or trappers with some experience in the usage of bow and arrows.


    These weren¡¯t professional soldiers, just levies.


    Lord Eugene grabbed a shield that a soldier had dropped and shielded himself as the arrows slammed into it. He flinched. Why were the arrows so heavy? Casting his gaze to the side, he could see the archers being cut down as the arrows pounded their formations. Some had even ditched their bows and are using their fallen friends as human shields while trying to retreat.


    The Owl Shields now were simply slaughtering the swordsmen who came forward. The Gerheist swordsmen could not even physically reach them as their long spears simply impaled them once they got near.


    If Lawrence had to describe it, it would be like a bulldozer slowly ploughing its¡¯ way forward in a demolition site.


    Slowly and surely, the Owl Shields made great progress.


    To make things worse for the Gerheist forces, Lord Black¡¯s knights have stampeded into the rear of the swordsmen in a pincer movement, sandwiching them. For the swordsmen, it was either death by horses or death by being impaled on the spears.


    ¡°Reform the line! Fall back to the camp! Shut the gates!¡± Lord Eugene shouted as he rallied the soldiers back into the encampment instead of engaging in the open. The surviving soldiers sealed the doors leading into the camp.


    Lord Eugene looked anxiously as the soldiers from the Carminian side withdrew and spread themselves out, as if readying to lay siege. Laying siege would actually benefit him but¡­ Why does it feel like they seem really relaxed¡­


    This time, what seems to be three trumpet blasts can be heard.


    ¡°S-Sire, my lord! Look!¡± a soldier pointed in the direction of General Kaffe¡¯s camp and Lord Eugene, tired, bloodied and battered, turned to look.


    From atop the plateau, burning logs were set up. From where he stood, Lord Eugene could make out General Kaffe.


    The general kicked one of the logs and the rest of his soldiers followed suit. The burning logs tumbled downwards towards the camp and rolling black smoke seemed to engulf the camp as the logs burned-


    ¡°Bastards! They coated it with tar!¡± Lord Eugene screamed in anguish as the toxic fumes enveloped the encampment in a wave of toxic black smoke. Then, arrows once again scattered the disoriented and disorganized Gerheist soldiers.


    Through the smoke, Lord Eugene could barely make out what seemed to be a large wooden log used as an impromptu ram by those men with large shields¡­


    Lord Eugene opened his mouth, wanting to shout a command for the men to block it. However, no voice came out.


    His squire screamed as he watched an arrow pierce his own lord¡¯s throat.


    The Gerheist soldiers surrendered and General Kaffe¡¯s troops could be seen withdrawing and moving towards Lawrence and co.


    Kaisenberg¡¯s retinue suffered some casualties, men being thrown off their wounded horses. The Owl Shields had some light injuries and the Owl Cavalry had sustained one dead from being thrown off the horse and then being trampled on.


    However, the Gerheist casualties were far worse.


    Some lords will never ever be called lords in their homelands ever again, even if they did survive the onslaught. Their powers were broken ¨C If a lord proved incapable of protecting their own levies, which were their own citizens, this was a guarantee that grieving families would be holding a grudge against their lord.

 Chapter 79: Moving Out

    Their powers were broken ¨C If a lord proved incapable of protecting their own levies, which were their own citizens, this was a guarantee that grieving families would be holding a grudge against their lord.


    The luckier ones will simply fade into obscurity while the less lucky ones will find themselves insulted or even mobbed in their own dominion, where their guards¡¯ efficiency is spotty at best.  Some so-called lords simply are ruling over villages. Getting outright hung by the villagers are not an impossibility.


    ¡°A smashing victory, I would say, sire!¡± Kaisenberg said, beaming with pride, having already wiped the bloodstains off his face. Lord Black almost gagged from the smell of the burning tar and the corpses that were on fire. The smell of blood and death filled the air along with the many injured from the Gerheist army moaning, screaming and crying.


    ¡°Let us leave this place quickly after General Kaffe gets here. We need to rejoin the defensive line. Those were our orders,¡± Lord Black said as he raised a piece of cloth to cover his nose and reining in his horse, turned towards his own camp.


    Roland on the other hand, was beside himself with glee as he watched an entourage of men with General Kaffe riding towards Lawrence and himself.


    Now, you have seen our power. This is Lawrence¡¯s time for his stage.


    Longines had already begun to strip the enemy encampment of their food supplies and all their equipment and had the soldiers shifting them back towards the supply train.


    ¡°Roland, is that General Kaffe?¡± Lawrence asked, his eyes, gazing at the general with a wide grin on his face. It was not Roland who answered, but Trey. Trey smiled at a man near the general and gave an affirmative grunt at Lawrence.


    ¡°Yes, General Kaffe, perhaps one of the most legendary generals in the Kingdom of Carmine, reduced to being a border guard. His nicknames, the Lion of the East, the Carminian Butcher and the Rocky Hills Defender¡­ Many more¡­ But he has a less interesting history as well, of course¡­¡± Trey said as he recalled some points off his memorandum.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°You! You must be Lawrence Carstein! Those are some soldiers! Give me five thousand of those and I¡¯ll sweep the enemies off our kingdom!¡± General Kaffe boomed the moment Lawrence was within earshot.


    ¡°Indeed, General, Knight Lawrence Carstein, I am glad to meet someone of such repute and renown,¡± Lawrence bowed his head a little and the General¡¯s laughter only grew louder.


    ¡°Skilled, and comes with a glib mouth too!¡± General Kaffe laughed, getting off his horse and Lawrence did the same and the general held Lawrence in a slightly crushing embrace.


    I can¡¯t breathe¡­


    ¡°Thank you for coming to our rescue! I have no doubt that the sycophant would have left us to our deaths! He will see the most talented men and women of this great nation hung, drawn and quartered as long as he can continue to sip the finest wine and have the most beautiful women,¡± General Kaffe cursed and Lawrence used this opportunity to break from his embrace.


    ¡°Your men must be tired from the assault, however, General, I must insist that we not sit around for more men from the Kingdom of Gerheist to arrive. We should rejoin the line with the General Staff. The General Staff on our side,¡± Lawrence said, having been briefed in detail by Trey on the inner political machining within even the military.


    ¡°Very well, Lawrence, we shall share our celebratory wine on horseback then,¡± General Kaffe fully understood that if they did not withdraw now, more and more Gerheist men will throw themselves at the two forces.


    Barking an order, the exhausted defenders in General Kaffe¡¯s encampment began to pack up. Longines stood in the front of the supply train, with the sacks of grain now already with the Owls¡¯ symbol.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Roland asked the tactician who was staring at the grain intently.


    ¡°How do you make grain bad quickly?¡± Longines asked and Roland looked at him as if he was mad.


    ¡°Why on earth would you want to do that?¡± Roland asked and Longines turned to look at the former village chief.


    ¡°Very simply, I may not be a man of politics as much as you and Trey. However, I want to do enough to protect my men and my liege lord. Now, Roland, if you would kindly tell me.¡±


    Roland stammered and scratched his head, ¡°Well.. Just¡­ make it really wet. By the time we reach our destination, they should already have gone bad.¡±


    ¡°I thank you,¡± Longines said as he clapped his hands and some of his assistants stepped forward.


    The armies quickly withdrew, with the wet grain on the outsides of the supply train.

 Chapter 80: Good News is an Ill Guest

    Colonel Vava applauded the dancing courtesans, his face a slight red from the amount of alcohol he had been drinking. Around him were all the other members of the General Staff roaring their approval at the skimpily clad courtesans in a provocative dance.


    Since the Gerheist offensive started, Colonel Vava¡¯s strategy had been simple. To drag out the conflict for as long as he possibly can without losing the initiative and then striking a mortal blow to the Gerheist offensive.


    Why did he want to drag out the offensive? It was simple. He knew that the loyalists would commit their soldiers as much as possible to the best of their abilities in an attempt to push back the invading forces.


    If he dragged it out well enough and long enough, he can not only blame the loyalists for their incapability and claim credit when the final victory has been achieved. He can only imagine being called Chief of the General Staff, Colonel Vava, or even to become a landed noble, House Vava had an amazing ring to it. He has in fact gotten a famous painter to design his house crest as well in secret.


    As the song and dance came to an end and applause ringed the tent, a rather pale faced adjutant came in, a parchment in hand. He put on a smile that seemed so forced that even the more tipsy officers in the tent turned to look as he walked to Colonel Vava and bent down, whispering into his ears.


    ¡°Colonel Vava, General Kaffe has successfully broken out of the encirclement. He is joined by Count Boulevard¡¯s associates, Lord Black.¡±


    Colonel Vava¡¯s face twitched as he heard the mention of General Kaffe. That meddlesome fool should have just died in battle. That would have saved him so many problems. General Kaffe still commanded respect in the rank and file and his popularity made him a threat to Colonel Vava.


    ¡°Well¡­ I imagine he lost a lot of men getting out?¡± Colonel Vava smiled as he whispered in reply. The adjutant shook his head, while trembling as he gave the news. The Gerheist lords were completely crushed and it was a stunning victory. In fact, the only reason Colonel Vava would be aware of this piece of information now was solely because of the fact that a lone Gerheist noble, in his haste to escape, had fled towards the direction of the Carminian encampment instead by accident.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Breathing in deeply, Colonel Vava nodded, waving his head, a signal that the adjutant has said enough and he can leave now.


    ¡°Come now, Colonel, what is the news?¡± one of the officers said, breaking the tense silence in the air. Colonel Vava sipped his wine quietly and did not reply, for he was thinking. Should he just send his own army to surround the General¡¯s army and crush them enroute?


    Accidents happen in the middle of the night. And if he sent his own officers to lead the men that was loyal to him, he would be sure that there would be leaks that are minimal.


    However, this means that General Kaffe becomes a martyr. Sometimes, a man dead is more terrifying than a man alive.


    With a smile, Colonel Vava replied, ¡°Everything is good. General Kaffe has successfully smashed the enemy and I expect them to be joining our defensive line soon.¡±


    No one met the news with applause or congratulations. Everyone in fact, looked extremely disappointed. The fire in the middle of the tent cackles, as if giving its¡¯ agreement.


    ¡°Count Boulevard¡¯s associate is among them as well. I will be assuming they are heading for Count Boulevard¡¯s sector. I think it is time for a counter-offensive gentlemen. The Gerheist King has let loose his forces long enough. Let us have General Kaffe assist us in wiping up the remnants, shall we?¡± Colonel Vava laughed and the room returned his laughter, some forced, some genuine.


    ¡°Well¡­ Let¡¯s see how many lives you have then, General Kaffe¡­¡± Colonel Vava whispered to himself as he gestured for the next courtesan to begin her performance.


    As night reached its¡¯ peak, Colonel Vava stared at the map. This map detailed troop deployments of his army. His sight was on Count Boulevard¡¯s position. It was an easily defendable pass called the Phoenix¡¯s Fall. It had strong, tall walls and provisions to outlast any defender trying to assail the pass to enter the Kingdom of Carmine¡¯s homeland.


    Colonel Vava had wanted to assert his command over the area by ordering Count Boulevard to withdraw from the area and position his own men there. However, Count Boulevard had replied that due to his injury, he was unable to move from the position. A load of trash.


    ¡°Adjutant!¡±


    Colonel Vava called for his assistant who promptly came into the room.


    Colonel Vava took out a quill, inkpot and parchment. In it, he detailed Count Boulevard¡¯s exact position. Rolling it up, he handed it to his adjutant.


    ¡°Go surrender to the Kingdom of Gerheist with this.¡±

 Chapter 81: Courtesy

    ¡°That, gentlemen, is Phoenix¡¯s Fall!¡± General Kaffe said triumphantly, as the army neared a mountain pass. The walls were steep, fires from torches burned in the distance ¨C No doubt from the men on watch.


    To Lawrence, it reminded him greatly of the so-called ¡°unassailable¡± fortresses depicted in epic novellas such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms, such as Hulao Gate.


    If those TV serials were anything to go by, Lawrence was Hulao Gate¡¯s Lu Bu.


    The army continued their slow and steady march towards Phoenix¡¯s Fall, the night sky hovering over their heads. The first through the pass was General Kaffe and his army of brave fighters that held out against the continued Gerheist onslaught. Then, it was the supply convoy led by Kraft and then the Owl Army with the rest of the leadership such as Lawrence, Longines and others.


    With a mighty groan, the gates made of solid steel barred itself shut.


    Lawrence looked around to see the Carmine Kingdom¡¯s flag flying high, along with only maybe a handful others. One of which is Lord Black¡¯s.


    ¡°Lord Black! I heard about what you have done! Good work!¡±


    Turning to the source of the voice was a man dressed in almost entirely in dark brown, his coat tattered and torn, his own armour with the sigil of a maple. Dressed in chainmail, there was a mace affixed to his waistband. Flanked by two men in plate armour with the sigil of a maple as well, he had the smile of a child who was offered a fistful of candy.


    Yet, to this man, Count Boulevard, seeing General Kaffe, his men and even more reinforcements were much better than any ale or booze you could drag out.


    ¡°Is this man, Lawrence Carstein? The man you told me so much about?¡± Count Boulevard turned to Lawrence, who was dressed in a plate armour of a curious colour and on his back is strapped a tower shield.


    He stood out almost immediately. Lord Black gave Lawrence a push forward and Lawrence lowered his head a little.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°These are your soldiers? You shouldn¡¯t be under Lord Black, serve under me directly, I¡¯ll make you a lord!¡± Count Boulevard roared with laughter and General Kaffe shook his head seriously.


    ¡°With his men, I wager he can replace you, Count Boulevard!¡± the General swaggered forward, coming almost eye to eye with Count Boulevard. The Count smirked, ¡°Well, the last I heard, it was your sorry ass that needed rescuing, General¡­ Maybe he should take over you instead!¡±


    Lawrence flinched, taking a step back. What are two senior¡ª


    Suddenly, the two men roared in laughter and embraced each other.


    ¡°It is good to see you alive, Kaffe,¡± Count Boulevard sighed and General Kaffe nodded.


    ¡°Colonel Haussen is waiting, General Kaffe. I imagine he would want to hear your reports.¡±


    Before General Kaffe and Count Boulevard moved, however, there was a blast. That of a trumpet. The tune sounded somewhat pompous.


    ¡°The Imperial anthem. Must be a messenger¡­¡± Trey frowned and everyone focused their attention to nearing sound of hooves and the gates slowly creaked open, allowing for the men on horseback to enter.


    At the lead was a man that was dressed in heavy plate armour and as he leapt off his horse, it was almost as if the horse felt liberated of a load.


    Suddenly, an observation bubble was in Lawrence¡¯s view.


    Passive Perception: User is not proficient in heavy armour


    Lawrence almost snorted. The man moved, sorry, he sauntered forward, with his longsword dangling limply by the side. As Lawrence looked around, the regular soldiers in Count Boulevard¡¯s camp looked at the man almost in contempt.


    ¡°I am the Imperial messenger, Captain Tosh! I am hereby here to requisition supplies from the expeditionary force that was capable of eliminating the Gerheist forces! This is an order by Colonel Vava, carry it out!¡±


    The captain read out his order from a scroll and kept it, almost with practiced flair.


    No one moved even after hearing his order.


    ¡°Did you not hear me!? This is an Imperial order! Carry it out at once!¡± the Captain yelled at one of Lawrence¡¯s Owl Guards who turned to look at Longines who shook his head. Longines then turned to look at Kraft who stepped forward.


    ¡°Ah, great messenger, I would have given it to you at once, if not for the fact that tragedy has struck¡­¡±


    Kraft bowed to the Captain who looked mildly appeased after seeing the bow.


    ¡°At last, someone here who knows manners! The Crown is not without mercy and consideration! Speak your mind!¡±


    Who died and made you the owner of the crown? Lawrence thought to himself.


    ¡°Our grain has rotted, sire, please¡­ Take a look!¡± Kraft said, walking over to one of the sacks of grains that he had wet days before and cutting it open. Pouring out of it was grain that was mouldy.

 Chapter 82: Trickery

    The Captain moved forward, a look of disbelief on his face. Yet, his eyes were not deceived. The grain indeed were filled with mold. Some of the soldiers who were unaware of this gasped as well, adding only to the realism of the act.


    The Captain bent down to feel the grain, almost as if doubting Mother Nature herself.


    Without a word, he stood back up, drawing his own dagger and walking over to another random cart laden with grain, and with a clean stroke, cut open, the contents pouring out. Lawrence gulped. He had no spells to cause grain to spoil instantly if he-


    The moldy grain poured forth and a look of annoyance was obvious on his face.


    ¡°Well, we have to rely on Count Boulevard¡¯s resources from here on out then!¡± Lawrence said loudly, bowing to Count Boulevard, whose face was that of complete horror as he inspected the hordes of soldiers in heavy equipment in Lawrence¡¯s army. Lawrence was only quietly informed by his generals of this safeguard.


    Some of the grains seized from the enemy lords were purposely placed in large sacks and then crossed with Lord Black¡¯s sigil or the Owl Guards. Then, the ones that were manipulated to be moldy were placed on the outside. Of course, this is gambling that the person investigating it doesn¡¯t go down row upon row of grain to check them. A gamble, but reward only awards itself to the brave and scheming.


    The Captain scowled.


    ¡°This is regretful, however, the Imperial Crown still requires your resources!¡± the Captain said haughtily and Count Boulevard¡¯s face was that of sheer fury for a moment before he smiled and any signs of anger disappeared from his face.


    ¡°Come now, Captain Tosh! How about some women and fine wine while we talk things over? It is so unlike people of your caliber to make such hasty decisions!¡± Count Boulevard said, stepping forward, his eyes wide open in welcome, as if he was greeting a son who returned home for the first time in a long time.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    A look of lust and happiness crossed Captain Tosh¡¯s face which reminded Lawrence of the time in which he always heard about officers or non-commissioned officers when they heard that there was free flow beer in the mess hall.


    Roland whispered into Lawrence¡¯s ear, ¡°If need be, we should make sure that he does not leave this place alive.¡±


    However, Captain Tosh quickly regained his composure, ¡°I have an order from the Crown, Count Boulevard! Please comply!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ What a complex situation¡­¡± Count Boulevard rubbed the back of his head, like an old man pondering his choices.


    ¡°I¡­ Suppose we can offer whatever little rations we have¡­¡± Longines said after a long pause and a sigh. He looked at Kraft who nodded after a long pause, almost with an accompanying shrug.


    The pass once again fell into silence. The only sounds are that of nature and the sounds of fire cackling from the torches of the men on guard and those of the fire braziers lit to light the way.


    There seemed to be a nervous tension in the air, as the men from the so-called Imperial Authority, and the men in the garrison. The men in the garrison, if hating gazes had knives, would have completely eviscerated Captain Tosh and his team.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Captain Tosh asked Longines who nodded slowly, and clapping his hands, some of the men revealed large sacks of grain, with the symbols of the Owl Guard on it.


    Truth be told, these were actually grain seized from the enemies. However, they did not need to know this.


    The men under Count Boulevard watched as the adjutants of Captain Tosh hurriedly loaded the sacks of grain or requisitioned the Owl Guards¡¯ wagons, much to Lawrence¡¯s chagrin.


    ¡°The Imperial Crown looks forward to working with all of you to repel the Gerheist invaders!¡± Captain Tosh said and with a bow, he climbed aboard his horse. Lawrence paused for a moment, before selecting Animal Friendship under the list of scrolls he had.


    ¡°This is a great horse you have!¡± Lawrence said loudly, walking to the horse and then patting the horse.


    ¡°Indeed, it was a gift from the great Colonel, who is leading the coalition!¡±


    Lawrence leaned in and whispered to the horse, ¡°Throw him off later at the most dangerous possible place then run back here.¡±


    The horse neighed, as if replying. Lawrence gave the horse one last pat as he watched them leave with the convoy.


    ¡°You did something didn¡¯t you?¡± Roland whispered and Lawrence shrugged.


    ¡°I have a new horse soon, I guess.¡±

 Chapter 83: The Rotting Keep

    Within the rotting old keep, after the leaders gathered together and Lawrence revealed the cunning scheme did Count Boulevard give the first hint of a genuine smile all night. The military situation of the nation was dire.


    First of all, if the enemy broke through here, there would be almost nothing to stop the onslaught towards the Imperial Capital. Second, with the prolonging of the war and the fact that the Gerheist troops have seized some of the most productive lands, food was slowly but surely becoming a problem.


    Yet, in this dark, dimly lit room where maps hung everywhere, there was a man seated in the middle, his face in his hands after hearing the reports from Count Boulevard of the Imperial messenger and from General Kaffe on the victory that defeated the minor nobles.


    Colonel Haussen sat there, stoic and unmoving.


    The only people in the room was Count Boulevard, Lord Black, General Kaffe and Lawrence who represented the minor nobles in general.


    He had eyebags under his eyes, almost as if his eyes were bloodshot. Beside him was a massive pile of missives and messages, be it cries for food relief or cries from individual holdouts asking for reinforcements.


    Most of them were read but cast aside. There was something everyone in this room knew very well.


    Phoenix¡¯s Fall must not be taken. No man can be spared, no grain can be spared.


    As Lawrence entered the keep, he could tell that Colonel Haussen has basically decided that this place would be his grave.


    In the keep itself, plenty of arrows itself was available, huge logs ready to jam up any corridor and sandbags to delay anyone. Lord Black had claimed that Colonel Haussen was a strategic man, however, it seems as if strategy was at its last leg.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    It almost seemed as if he is determined to buy time with lives.


    ¡°We need to attack back immediately, pull everyone together and force them to battle on our terms!¡± General Kaffe said as the strategy meeting started and he was immediately rebuffed by Count Boulevard, ¡°With what men? Colonel Vava will see this land burn if he can still be known as the Colonel by the end of it.¡±


    ¡°What of the reserves? We must activate them at once. They saved us in history before, we need them again!¡± Lord Black suggested almost too enthusiastically but he received his answer in the form of a deadpan gaze from Colonel Haussen.


    If it was up to Colonel Haussen, he would have already made use of the reserves. But no¡­ He had to deal with¡­ The failing leadership of¡­


    Holding back a sigh, Colonel Haussen evaluated the man known as Lawrence Carstein. He was in hulking plate armour, his eyes scanning the ones very fiercely in argument.


    ¡°The issue here is that we really need to gather their attention on another force, right?¡± Lawrence asked, stepping forward to look at the map. Phoenix¡¯s Fall was located at a location that can only be described as the gateway to the Imperial Heartland. However, what if¡­


    ¡°What if we dug massive line upon lines of trenches in front of and behind Phoenix¡¯s Fall? We would commit them to having to fight us every inch of ground and keeping their siege equipment away from us.¡±


    ¡°That is ridiculous, this means we have to fight them in the open!¡±


    Lawrence shook his head.


    ¡°If the archers and spearmen work together well, they will barely get near enough and any other trench nearby can help each other out. From the pass itself, we can still hit them with ballistas and other machinery. This also completely negates their advantage with horses.¡±


    The room was silent.


    ¡°Technically¡­ If we dig in¡­ The entire Gerheist army is bound to notice¡­¡± Count Boulevard said slowly and General Kaffe nodded.


    ¡°This means they know they have to break us here or lose the war.¡±


    Colonel Haussen lowered his hands and took a deep breath. Finally, some plans are taking shape. Something that can help to prolong the conflict enough to make His Majesty see reason.


    Of course, Lawrence was no brilliant tactician. He had drawn inspiration from the Soviets, where they had constructed perhaps the world¡¯s largest defensive line against the Germans, which gradually eroded and negated their offensive capabilities and dragged the battle into a standstill.


    ¡°In the middle, we should construct what seems to be a fort as well and make it look like a point worth taking¡­¡± Lawrence mused.


    However, little did Lawrence know that the Battle for the Phoenix¡¯s Fall will soon be one of the most famous battles in history.

 Chapter 84: War Comes

    Lawrence stared at the shovel in his hand as he paused from the digging that he has done for the past hour or so. Everyone else around him was either continuing to dig or laying logs and rocks. There was now a series of trenches with complex tunnel systems. Every squad leader watched as the digs unfolded, then huddling together to add onto their maps how the trenches weaved about.


    The idea of the trenches is to not only slow the enemy down but to act as a massive maze. When the Carmine soldiers retreated, they can simply collapse a section of the tunnel by removing a support beam. Lawrence had also made use of magic to create a massive reservoir of water that can be dumped into the trenches, drowning any soldiers still stuck in trenches when the water is released from its confinement.


    However, Lawrence had been placed in charge of the overall digging of defences. He had replaced the Soviet artillery with ballistas and Scorpions, swapped out mines with spiked traps and drove logs into the ground in front of the trenches to replace the tank obstacles that he hoped would slow down an army of horsemen down significantly enough for them to be taken down by arrows.


    It is crazy to Lawrence, that as a person laying traps, it is curious that he himself would not be able to see its effects.


    As more and more of the Carmine soldiers, as well as that of the knights and Lawrence himself, set to work, through several days, the front of the fortress looked barely recognizable. The trees have been felled, replaced with stretches of trench lines that could hold many of the brave men that would fight in them and even more in the tunnels, where an unsuspecting Gerheist soldier would have his throat slit by a sneaking Carmine soldier.


    Lawrence¡¯s defence plan for the trenches can be divided into roughly three stages.


    The first line was a massive mix of logs driven into the ground and spiked traps, as well as sharp rocks, tossed all around. This was supposed to slow down or even stop foot soldiers and horsemen as the archers got to work on them. Those who supposedly breached the first line of defence would hit the first trenches, armed with spearmen, equipped to keep them away from the trench for as long as possible with dismounted knights in their heavy armour armed with their broad steel swords to deal with anyone who slipped past the wall of spears.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Lastly, the archers behind the swordsmen would assist the spearmen in taking down foes coming near.


    Should these lines of defences be breached, they would withdraw into the tunnels, where in certain areas, grain is stored as well as equipment and clothes dyed in black. They would slip around Gerheist lines and attack troops, causing confusion at the night and other soldiers hidden in the tunnels would come out and retake the lines in the confusion.


    It was a mix of Hacksaw Ridge and traditional Defence in Depth.


    Colonel Haussen dropped by often, watching the works. He had confided in Lawrence that the original plan was simply to commit most of the strength to the walls, as trenches were more traditionally used to besiege enemy settlements by gradually digging your way nearer and nearer. Using trenches as a delaying action was often seen as suicidal and used by troops making a last stand. Lawrence replied, with some snark after being made to dig for hours, that this was the last stand for them, one way or another.


    Lord Black on the other hand, not unnoticed by Lawrence, had secretly made arrangements for his knights to be as far behind from the frontline as possible. It wasn¡¯t as if Lawrence did not understand ¨C He was a minor lord and if all his men went to meet their makers in one battle, he would be powerless.


    Count Boulevard on the other hand, along with Colonel Haussen and General Kaffe seemed to thirst for blood, concentrating their forces in groups, enthusiastically volunteering their soldiers for various positions around the trenches. All that was left was for Lawrence to plug his troops in the gaps that these armies did not fill.


    After a week of silence, Lawrence had even asked Roland and Trey on whether it was possible for the Gerheist army to have broken through somewhere else and simply flank Phoenix¡¯s Fall, which seemed to be impossible.


    Lawrence was worried about the Gerheist troops pulling off a Maginot but at dawn, the flags bearing the sigil of the royal crown of the Kingdom of Gerheist appeared on the horizon.

 Chapter 85: Skirmish

    ¡°Line! Line!¡± Lawrence yelled, jumping into the trench at the front and the Owl archers stood at the back, while the other soldiers stood at the forefront with their spears raised and ready to impale anyone coming near.


    In the distance, a man on horseback seemed to ride forward a little, his eyes scanning the defenses and Lawrence observed a brief look of confusion on the man¡¯s face, as if he had not expected this at all. Lawrence then moved his eyes to the men that stood behind the man on horseback. The soldiers looked tough, shields and armour with scratches on them. They were not knights, from the lack of platemail but they seemed to be some form of battle tested army as well.


    However, there was no sigil identifying them that Lawrence could see aside from the royal flag of the Gerheist kingdom.


    Not in range, not yet. Lawrence gulped.


    The man on horseback drew his sword and raised it, bellowing, ¡°Forward! For Gerheist! For the Fatherland!¡± and upon his command, the warriors who were ready to lay their lives down for their nation yelled, screaming, swinging their swords as they charged or raising their pikes and running forward.


    Three¡­ Two¡­


    A drop of perspiration falls to the ground.


    One¡­


    ¡°Fire!¡± Lawrence shouted and with a loud mechanical click, bolts from the repeating crossbows flew forward, finding their marks within the ranks of the charging Gerheist soldiers. Some keeled over silently, while others fell, trampled over by their brother in arms. Yet, some had nimbly dodged or raised their shields in advance. However, what would temporarily halt their charge was very simple.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Again! Again!¡± Lawrence yelled, giving a brief pause between each word, as the repeating crossbows cranked and fired, the aim of the crossbowmen becoming more and more deadly with each shot. The storm of the soldiers faltered a little, however, the ones who have yet to brave the barrage pushed the tide of soldiers forward. Lawrence was now close enough to see the eyes of the first line of soldiers, their eyes dizzy with blood lust, covered in perspiration, their mouths open as they screamed deaths to their enemies.


    ¡°Spears! Spears! Brace! Brace!¡± Lawrence yelled, his voice boosted with Thaumaturgy as it blasted through the battlefield.


    ¡°Brace! Brace!¡± the squad leaders shouted in unison and the clatter of men leaning back, digging their heels into the dirt of the trenches with their shields dug into the ground and spears raised forward held their breath as the archers scrambled to lines of trenches further behind.


    Lawrence drew his own sword, blazing in it¡¯s blueish fire. The first man that leapt towards the trenches was promptly speared, the weapon going clean through the man¡¯s chest as the Owl trooper promptly withdrew his weapon, ready for his next foe. Then, the entire line slammed towards the trench. The spears held them a mere 2 meters away from the actual trench line itself, with the swordsmen standing at the back drawing their swords as well, waiting to cut down anyone who made their way through the spearwall.


    It was almost methodical and systematic, the spearwall held the enemy off, thrust your spear, withdraw it, thrust it again. Lawrence watched as a Gerheist soldier gripped a spear and began a sort of tug of war with the spearman, pulling his spear away and throwing it back towards him, which was intercepted by the shield. As if triumphant, he leapt towards the trench, only for another spearman to jam his spear into his eye, calling him to scream in pain and as he twisted and turned, impaled on the spear, a bolt from a repeating crossbow planted itself in his chest and he moved no more. He was then thrown aside by trash for the eager spearman, ready to add another notch in his belt.


    Drums.


    Drums?


    Lawrence heard drums. Then, the men that had been so eagerly charging forward, pulled back. The crossbowmen took the opportunity to pepper them as they fled, planting death in their back.


    Yet, as the mob retreated, Lawrence saw on the horizon.


    Catapults.

 Chapter 86: A Brief Discussion

    Catapults.


    The catapults groaned and creaked as their crew pushed them forward. Lawrence watched as they seemed to be calculating their projectile distance. Raising his hand, Lawrence gave the signal for everyone to duck into the tunnels and within moments, the soldiers quickly ran into the system of underground tunnels, leaving just the crossbowmen and swordsmen in the surface tunnels while the others fled deeper underground.


    As the catapults fired, their massive rocks hurled themselves towards the defensive lines, slamming themselves onto the ground before skipping against the surface and landing elsewhere. However, they caused merely cosmetic damage against the defenses. Lawrence waited for the bombardment to stop, before ordering the crossbowmen and spearmen out again. The moment the first wave of Gerheist soldiers were cut down by arrows, the commanding general of the opposing army raised his hand and the attack halted.


    He tore a piece of blue cloth and tied it to his own banner before riding forward alone.


    ¡°In accordance with traditions, I raise my banner and this blue flag to request a talk with the enemy commander!¡± the commander shouted and Lawrence could see him much more clearly now. He rode on a black stallion, his face was heavily scarred and he sported a great greying beard. His weapon of choice seemed to be two blades. Lawrence climbed out of the trench, raising his hands high in the air and the Gerheist commander dismounted, taking long strides to reach Lawrence.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I am Field Marshall Brezveck, you are?¡± Brezveck saluted briefly and Lawrence returned the salute.


    ¡°Lawrence, Lawrence Carstein, a humble knight of Lord Black, at your service.¡±


    Brezveck seemed surprised for the briefest moment, before giving a small grin. He nodded, placing his free hand on his hip.


    ¡°You¡¯re giving me quite a bit of trouble, Lawrence. Our intelligence told us that this place was supposed to be pretty straightforward,¡± Brezveck remarked and Lawrence laughed. He was slightly pleased that the enemy intelligence had considered this place a piece of cake. In all due honesty, the defenses inside the keep was weak. They have gambled everything on the exterior defenses. Lawrence had already planned to escape with most of his men if the place fell. However, it seemed as if everything was going nicely.


    ¡°I aim to please, Field Marshal. I hope this place gives you headaches for days and months to come,¡± Lawrence said, standing aside a little, showing off the massive defensive measures that he had in place. In the distance, the other Carmine commanders stood on the walls and watched in silence.


    ¡°I have orders to tear this place down in three days, Sir Carstein. I¡¯m afraid I wish to persuade a remarkable commander such as yourself to surrender first. I promise you and your men fair treatment if you surrender,¡± Brezveck said, extending his hand towards Lawrence who smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I have a good position in this place, men to fight alongside with and a hole to die in. Quite literally, even.¡±


    Brezveck smiled in reply.


    ¡°I, the Phoenix Commander will storm your keep if you do not surrender. I make no guarantees for the safety of your men who surrender, Sir Carstein.¡±


    Lawrence¡¯s face rearranged itself to that of a man completely at peace.


    ¡°Then, bring forth your storm, Field Marshal, and remember if you will, the name of this place.¡±


    With that, their parley was over.

 Chapter 87: Trying Something

    The next few days, catapults bombarded the positions non-stop, barely giving even those who were in the tunnels any rest to sleep. Most people only fell asleep after their bodies completely gave up. Even Lawrence was getting annoyed by the constant bombardment. They hurled anything from large boulders to rocks that seem to have been torn up from houses.


    The previously orderly mess of trenches became riddled with holes, or blocked up by boulders. Lawrence, as best as he could, had these things thrown out of the way to ensure the smooth passage between each line of defense. However, after five full days of non-stop bombardment, the assault came again, at night, or so they thought.


    The gongs, bells and drums played at night from the Gerheist camp, signaling war at night and as everyone rushed to the ready, no one came, depriving them constantly of a good night¡¯s sleep. Lawrence was becoming increasingly worried. His men were well trained, well buffed but sleep deprivation was a serious problem. Increasing paranoia, sensitivity and increasingly poor judgement will soon happen.


    Lawrence was also worried regarding the position of the besieged forces. No reinforcements seem to be coming and Lord Black had privately confided in Lawrence that everyone who was not in this keep would probably want this to be their last stand. He had no intention of dying in a ditch before he saw the city he built become a glorious accomplishment. Therefore, Lawrence himself, after supervising the removal of a boulder, sat atop a wagon full of hay, staring blankly into the sky.


    He had to break the siege, while maintaining a defensive position he could retreat to without jeopardizing their position, should the offensive fail. However, he was confident about the quality of his men. Yet, should he commit all his men to the offensive, Lawrence could not trust the lords and generals¡¯ men. Undoubtedly, examining their stats, they were far more inferior, with some obviously peasants hastily given a sword and shield.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    As Lawrence was lying there, he watched as two weary looking Owl soldiers walked by, no doubt from the archer regiment. They sat some distance away but their grumblings were still clearly heard.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t they swap us out for just the other lords¡¯ soldiers? Just for one day? Why do I have to beg to be able to go into the keep just to get a nice nap?¡± one of the soldiers grumbled and the other soldier looked as if his friend had just hit a hornet¡¯s nest.


    ¡°Shhh! The walls have ears! What do you want them to do anyway? Look at their equipment! Only Sir Carstein has given us anything remotely resembling an army.¡±


    ¡°Look, I respect Sir Carstein, but at the rate we are going, we¡¯ll be sleeping when the enemy comes over the trench.¡±


    I know that, Lawrence silently cursed as he continued to eavesdrop. The two soldiers decided to consume their lunch at the stables near the horses, where Lawrence understand is a popular place for rank and file to slack off at, since the high ups do not like the smell of horses and manure.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we attack them? At least force them back a few kilometers.¡±


    ¡°You fool, what are you going to do when they swarm us left, right and center? The reason why we haven¡¯t even left the trench is because they outnumber us so badly that any of us that is capable of fighting will be cut down once we get out of our little hidey hole.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just start rolling towards them? Cover ourselves in mud and start rolling. Maybe they won¡¯t see us at night, ha. Hold up those big wooden boards and start running towards them in a congo line.¡±


    Among their laughter, Lawrence looked at the wagon he was in.


    Wait.


    Back in ancient China, they utilized something called war wagons, then later used to great effect in the Hussenite Wars, that can be used as offensive wagons and converted to defensive use almost immediately, allowing them to dig in almost on the spot. Lawrence quietly got out of the wagon, not wanting the two soldiers to see him. Thanks to them, he had an incredibly stupid idea.

 Chapter 88: War Wagons

    Lawrence began by first constructing a primitive box on wheels, and then adding slits for crossbowmen within to work with. Using materials from his inventory, he added metal platings to the exterior of the war wagon. He made sure there was enough space to add a simple way for people to push the wagon from within, similar to how slavers rowed large ships, but this was just wheels on land.


    In the end, it became a lot wider than what Lawrence remembered it to be. It could comfortably have 8 crossbowmen inside, firing from all directions, and two footmen pushing the wheels and controlling the directions. The iron platings protected the people from exterior attacks.


    Lawrence scratched his head. It should work, right?


    Stepping out, Lawrence called for Longines and asked him to bring in two footmen and 8 crossbowmen.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Longines asked curiously, touching the cold metal plating of the war wagon.


    ¡°Something I think can help us break our deadlock. Get them to go in!¡± Lawrence said and the soldiers scrambled to enter via a hatch underneath. Some simple tests were carried out, such as turning the wagon and opening and closing of the silts and firing a few bolts with their crossbows. For all intents and purpose, it worked.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Get Kraft in here, then arrange a meeting with the entire upper leadership. We¡¯re going to fight,¡± Lawrence said simply, turning his eye to the next war wagon he was in the midst of making. He needed a sizeable number of these for his tactics to take effect.


    After three days of hard work and delegating Kraft and Longines to the frontlines instead, Lawrence began whittling away at the many wooden blocks he had in his inventory, as well as reinforcing them. The briefing for the big bosses were coming soon and he wanted to make sure everything was in order. Lawrence just wanted this war to be over and done with. If he captured a big enough victory, he¡¯d ask for sick leave and withdraw everyone back to Tears and the Black Bay.


    In all due honesty, Lawrence was relying on the wisdom of his forebears in order to gain victory. He was keeping his fingers crossed that the peasants that faced off against knights weren¡¯t fake news and that the Chinese really rolled a form of war wagon down the road against their enemies. This was like a Kaiserschlact, and it could very well be the last thing the Carmine Kingdom could muster, since it became increasingly obvious that Colonel Vava was not coming.


    Therefore, a smashing victory would rally anyone or those lords who have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for a clear victor to emerge.


    And at dawn, Operation Thunderous Wrath began, supported by the most elite of soldiers with a curious new vehicle of war, the War Wagon.

 Chapter 89: Clash

    Dawn. The mercenary, Clive Hardworth got out of his tent, walking over to a vat of water where he queued up to take a scoop of in order to wash his face and brush his teeth. The Carmine soldiers were an extremely stubborn bunch over here compared to some of the minor nobles who defected almost immediately. Yet, even Clive knew these were upstart nobles. The nobles who had long lineages in the kingdom were almost to a point of immovable in terms of stubbornness.


    In one case, a messenger to some old minor lord was returned with his tongue missing and the lord led his household guards to fight in his own mansion when he numbered less than a hundred men. There was something about this kingdom¡¯s old blood and guts that impressed the mercenary captains of the army, much less the Gerheist leadership. They had hoped to have as many of the older ruling families intact as possible, changing their loyalty to another nation only. However, it seemed that the old kings have treated these families well, regardless of the ineptitude of the new one.


    ¡°Eh, want a smoke?¡± Clive asked another mercenary captain, taking out a pipe of his filled with some looted tobacco leaves. As he was rejected, he went for breakfast. Today was a gruel again, but at least there was meat in it. It tasted bland, but at least food was constant. The pay from the Kingdom of Gerheist was good and there was no need for them to have to salvage their own food.


    The Carmine soldiers here, however, were of a different breed. The mercenaries purposely avoided banners that had owls on it for they were the toughest soldiers. They often hung back and let the Gerheist¡¯s own force deal with those - that have always ended up in defeat on their side.


    Then, the problems came when you actually get into the trenches which they seem to willingly give you, there were tunnels that proved almost impossible to clear and the best you could do is to guard the exits. Yet, at night, they would attack and force you to clear out of the trenches, restoring the integrity of the battlefield to what it was before.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    There were plans to build larger trebuchets to simply bombard the gate and the walls, but that will take time. Therefore, the only orders now was to starve them out and probe their positions as well as making a ruckus at night near their lines so that they can¡¯t sleep properly. Squatting in front of a supply wagon, he sipped his gruel slowly, along with a cup of water. Yet, at the distance, this mercenary saw a sandstorm being kicked up. He squinted. They were too slow for horses but too fast for infantrymen.


    ¡°Battlestations! Carmine sortie! Carmine sortie!¡± the man on the watchtower shouted, putting on his helmet and bellowing. The camp descended into chaos as everyone threw down their breakfast and hurriedly grabbed their weapons and shields.


    ¡°Shield wall! Shield wall!¡± Clive bellowed, his Argentavis Mercenary Company rallying around him. They were in an assortmen of armour, but at least their tower shields and short spears were the same. What had gotten Clive and his company out of every sticky situation was that he knew when he was going to win and when things were going to go wrong.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Clive mumbled as he saw what seemed to be wagons rolling towards them, covered in sheets of metal platings.


    ¡°Archers! Archers! Nock! Draw!¡± he heard another commander give the order and the archers raised their longbows, nocking an arrow and aiming the bow into the air.


    The rumbling of those wagons got closer and closer and now, Clive could see them for what they are. They were large wagons with metal plating charging right at them. Was this a suicide attack?


    ¡°Loose!¡± the commander shouted and the arrows flew like locusts towards the wagons which were roaring towards them. The arrows simply glanced off them and suddenly, the tower shield which had guarded Clive had a bolt stuck into it and several others around him collapsed.


    ¡°Crossbows! Crossbows from inside the machines! Shields up! Shields up!¡± Clive shouted, raising his own shield as his men closed ranks, taking over those who had fallen from the attack. Then, the war wagons crashed into the shield walls.

 Chapter 90: Onslaught

    The first of the war wagons kicked up dirt and dust as they were pushed from the inside, bouncing against the uneven surface of the ground. The crossbow bolts continued their rapidfire, causing the first of the lines to simply fall away as the Gerheist soldiers were wounded or killed by bolts.


    The mercenaries, in the second line, however, were far more seasoned.


    "Spearmen! Spearmen! Ready your spears! Once the wagons get stuck in the first line, aim for the holes they''re shooting at us from!" Clive yelled, raising his own sword and readying himself by bending a little, giving himself more cover from the tower shield that protected him.


    Then, the first wagon smashed into the first line, screams of pain and agony arose as these heavy machines slammed into flesh and bone. Some died from the impact, but some would suffer a broken bone or two if they are lucky. As the remaining wagons joined the first, pounding away at the first defensive line manned by Gerheist''s green soldiers, the mercenaries moved.


    Just as Clive was about to give his signature grin, soldiers suddenly emerged from underneath with those damnable owl sigils on their shield, moving with almost inhuman like grace, aiming straight for the knees of the spearmen, pushing their spears out of the way. As one of the Owl soldiers got too close, Clive shoved one of his own men on top of the soldier, causing the Owl soldier to stagger. With one stroke, Clive cut the soldier''s throat, sending him into the ground, writhing and twisting as the blood seeped out of him. Clive planted a boot into the soldier''s chest, watching as, on the horizon, wave upon wave of troops gathering under a Carmine banner surged forward, climbing out of trenches or running over them.


    "Stand fast! The remaining wagons, jam the wheels with your weapons when they go by!" Clive yelled as another wave of war wagons found itself in Gerheist lines. This seemed to have worked, with even just a wheel dislodged, the wagon would topple over on one end. However, it can be argued that it worked against the Gerheist troops as well. As a single wheel is dislodged, the whole wagon was sent flying, smashing into a group of unlucky souls. However, the Carmine soldiers would emerge almost unscathed and carry on to do battle.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Then, a horn blast.


    The main of the Gerheist troops were committing themselves to the battle as well and these were no rookies. They formed the backbone of the Gerheist army. Clive, hearing the horn, ordered a fighting withdrawal, to place the frontlines of the Carmine army within the range of Gerheist javelins. Clive, in his head, calculated that if they stopped as many of the war wagons as they could, right here, the chance of winning would lean towards their side.


    "Who do you fight for!?" a shout from a commander of the Gerheist army at the back, echoed by Gerheist captains.


    "For the land, for the sea, for the Gods and our King!" the infantrymen shouted back, a booming voice that caused even some of the charging Carmine soldiers to stop and stare.


    "Cavalry! How are your steeds!" the same commander asked, looking at the Companion cavalry, some of Gerheist''s most elite legions of horsemen.


    "As swift as it can be, to carry out the King''s deeds!" came the reply from the Companion cavalry, not wishing to lose to the infanteers.


    "Skirmishers!" the commander shouted as the line neared them. These lightly armoured men raised their javelins, waiting for the command. Clive and his league of mercenaries have almost succeeded... They just need to hold on...


    "Carmine cavalry on the horizon!" a scout reported to the commander who watched as the gates of Phoenix''s Fall opened, and outcame the slower Cataphracts. However, the extra weight made for a loud and terrifying stampeded of hooves as their heavy armour glinted in the sunlight.


    The war wagons, however, were being slowed down by the sheer volume of men the mercenaries and Gerheist troops trying to stop them. Losing their momentum, the footmen emerged, clashing head to head with the mercenaries. The Carmine frontlines was about to join the battle.


    Clive then raised his hand towards the Gerheist commander, a signal.


    "Skirmishers! Throw javelins!"


    A massive wave of javelins swarmed through the air and Clive grinned. The battle was won.


    However, a gust of wind blew, so ridiculously strong that it buffeted everyone and the javelins fell backwards, slamming into the Gerheist lines, inducing screams of panic and shock from the Skirmishers.


    There, Clive watched as a single man in heavy armour and a tower shield, along with a sword that blazed with a blue light stood there, a terrifying aura around him.


    Lawrence Carstein has joined the fray.

 Chapter 91: Against the Bulwark

    Lawrence swung his bluish sword and from it, a large jet of air seemed to blast through the air, cutting through ranks of infantrymen who were still staring at him. Screams of their pain was only drowned out by the continued onslaught by the Owls. Now, the cataphracts were closing in as well.


    "Commander, he is the commander! Swarm him! Swarm him!" Clive shouted at the mercenaries around him, grabbing one steadily retreating man and pushing him forward. Upon hearing that, all the mercenaries shouted, putting on a brave front as they charged at Lawrence, while from the other side, Gerheist rank and file lowered their spells and sprinted forward.


    Lawrence''s response was to raise his sword into the air, and from there, the skies turned a bright orange. A rain of fire poured forth, and those that touched this fiery spill were instantly coated by the fire that they could not extinguish even if their friends dropped everything to try and put out the fire.


    Clive then raised his hand to give a signal while whistling. He was going to pull back.


    The mercenaries followed Clive to retreat several steps away while the Gerheist rank and files fell into chaos as the Fire Storm consumed them.


    Then, Clive raised his arm wildly to get the attention of the Captain of the Longbowmen some distance away. They made eye contact as Lawrence continued pushing through with brute force, seemingly as if no weapon could hurt him. Whatever that attempted to strike him seemed to hit a shield of light before being pushed away.


    However, Clive did notice that when one attempted to strike him, he had to raise his tower shield to block off a javelin or spear that another man has thrown. This means...


    Clive pointed at Lawrence, mimicking the drawing of a bow and nodded at the Captain who nodded in response. Raising his hand, the captain gave the command for the archers to draw their bow.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Clive lowered himself amongst his men, ready to give the signal.


    As the arrows flew forward, slamming into the Shield of Faith that Lawrence had conjured, Clive rushed forward, having observed enough on how Lawrence had been using his blade. His sword was good, but not his skill in using it-


    "Your first move is... The whip!" Clive shouted as he ducked , just an inch before the bluish jet of air cut down the men all around him and he lunged forward, his blade pushing through the magic shield and making direct contact with Lawrence''s armour.


    His sword made a resoundingclangagainst the armour and both men stared at each other momentarily, before Clive raised his own blade again.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t let you use anymore magic!" Clive shouted as he kept up with a flurry of bows.


    Automated Combat System Turned On


    Suddenly, Lawrence seemed to vanish, but an overwhelming presence from behind Clive cause him to dive forward - Not a moment too soon as the blade missed him by inches. Standing up, Clive reached behind him and pulled out a dagger, ditching his round shield. He needed to keep Lawrence sufficiently busy until the Gerheist army won the day. He was doing the job he was paid to do.


    Charging forward, he kept himself in a lower position than Lawrence but made sure the distance was consistently close so that Lawrence would be unable to make use of the full length of his blade. His blows did nothing to Lawrence''s armour but he was aiming to distract. Once the whole Carminian army was more or less crushed, everyone could simply overwhelm him in numbers.


    Lawrence''s sword was long, while Clive''s was a shortsword and a dagger. This wasn''t fighting with honour, but honour gets you nowhere.


    However, Clive felt that something was off. The person he was now fighting against was almost certainly the same person, but the way he kept keeping his distance and moving his blade... There was none of that amateurish, needlessly large strokes, but now, just precise blows. If it weren''t for luck and Clive''s own skill, he would have been cut down a long time ago.


    "I-Is this a bloody show!? Join in!" Clive screamed his frustration and the bystanders broke out of their daze, charging forward in a cry. Clive suddenly saw a flash of white emitting from the shield.


    Then, there was a ringing in his head as he felt himself kneeling. Then, darkness.

 Chapter 92: Single Combat

    Lawrence blasted the battlefield with a Dazzle spell, causing the first line of Gerheist soldiers in front of him to kneel and fall unconscious. Sheathing his sword, he pulled out gripped his shield tightly, pulling it closer to him. Two crescent blades erupted from both ends of the shield.


    Leaping forward, he continued pushing. He knew he only had to push to a certain point that broke the armies sieging this place and victory would be his. His men rallied behind him, pouring into whatever gap that Lawrence smashed, sending the organized Gerheist army into disarray.


    As he continued his unstoppable push forward, suddenly there was a long horn blast and the men that were desperately throwing themselves at Lawrence cleared out. In Lawrence''s immediate view, the men stepped aside, forming a clear way. In that path was Field Marshall Brezveck, clad in armour of red and gold. In his hands were two polished scimitars. His visor was up and Brezveck smiled.


    "I did not expect you to be such a capable fighter, Sir Carstein! Looks like our intelligence services need a good kick in the rear," Brezveck laughed as he moved into the clearing, his men closing the gap behind him.


    "Indeed, what brings a Field Marshal all the way here? Surely you did not come here to admire my handicraft?" Lawrence replied, his heart pounding silently. For some reason, the Field Marshal''s calm composure unnerved him.


    "Boy, I am the Phoenix Commander. If my men are dying, the commander cannot sit back. Come, show me your spirit, Lawrence Carstein. I wish you good fortunes in the wars to come," Brezveck grinned, pushing his visor down, lowering his posture.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Lawrence''s automated combat system was still on so he was not overly worried but all the same, he nodded and gripped his shield tightly.


    "None of you are allowed to interfere in this fight no matter what, understand? Go and face those Owls if you have nothing to do!" Brezveck shouted as he dashed forward with unnatural speed. His blades flashed in the sunlight, and in Lawrence''s eyes, the sunlight was projected into them. However, his protection charms allowed him to withstand being blinded.


    Twirling in the air, the senior commander spun with his blades, a deadly dance. Lawrence raised his shield, jumping up, slamming into the dance and ending this act of elegance as he fell. However, he recovered almost immediately, resuming his low posture, his hands waving the blades around so quickly that to the untrained eye, one may have assumed he was simply turning his weapons around.


    However, Lawrence could see that Brezveck''s weapons were actually firmly in his grip at all times and if Lawrence had decided to attack him at the same time, Brezveck would have been able to fight as if the weapon has been ready at all times.


    Brezveck then dashed forward again, this time, aiming for Lawrence''s feet. The tower shield was slammed into the ground, stopping the attack, but Brezveck, with the other side of the curved weapon, hooked it onto the top of the crescent weapon of Lawrence''s shield and leapt upwards, plunging down at Lawrence.


    Suddenly, Lawrence noticed a glint in the gloves of Brezveck''s armour.


    The bolt fired, and the interface identified it as adamantine, one of the few things that could penetrate his armour.


    The auto combat system moved Lawrence back, but the bolt was sticking out of Lawrence''s beautiful tower shield as Brezveck landed.


    "Very nice, Sir Lawrence, you are the only person who have dodged this."


    "Thank you, commander. But I am afraid that it is the time to get serious."

 Chapter 93: A Gentlemans Dignity

    Field Marshall Brezveck grinned as Lawrence said that, tossing his helmet aside, revealing beads of perspiration all over his face. In fact, even his own soldiers haven''t seen him break a sweat over several bouts of sparring. The old lion was grinning, not because he felt a thrill running through him.


    He couldn''t let his men know the fear he was feeling right now. That pale complexion he had wasn''t from the adrenaline, but from the fact that he had no idea how Lawrence had survived every blow he had dealt that would have skewered even his toughest and boldest subordinates.


    And now, he was to hear that Lawrence had barely been serious. This means that he would be dead in a bout or two. Brezveck had always knew that he would probably die on the field of battle, but not as someone on the losing side of the battle. Maybe a stray arrow fired by a desperate archer would strike him down right as they raised his proud nation''s flag, but not like this.


    The sound of the frontlines were coming closer. Not a good sign. This meant that Brezveck only had one chance. He had to kill or seriously injure Lawrence so that his own men can finish him off.


    Right now, it seems like a pipe dream.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Brezveck tightened his hold on his scimitars and lunged forward again, slamming a single blade against the tower shield and aiming to sweep him off his feet in a falling kick. His feet connected as he fell, slamming into Lawrence. However, Lawrence did not fall. Instead, he saw a tower shield shoving him, throwing him back several feet, kicking dirt and sand into his face.


    The old lion coughed, spitting out dirt from his mouth. Suddenly, almost as if Lawrence had moved with superhuman speed, the tower shield connected directly into his face. The pain sent Brezveck yelling as he reeled backwards slamming into one of his own men.


    Brezveck staggered to his feet, only one scimitar left in his hand.


    With wild abandon, Brezveck charged, screaming as he dashed forward but he saw a blueish flame from a sword that Lawrence had.


    "With dignity, please..." Brezveck whispered and he thought he saw Lawrence blink a few moments.


    Suddenly the shield that was guarding him seemed loosely held. Brezveck dealt a singular blow that made Lawrence stagger a bit, revealing a chest plate that Brezveck knew he had no chance of cutting. Yet, he still stabbed, throwing his whole weight into the blow.


    He connected with the metal and he felt a massive pain in his abdomen as Lawrence plunged his blade into the elderly commander''s stomach.


    "T-Thank you..." Brezveck whispered as Lawrence held onto the gentleman as he fell to the ground.


    Seeing their commander fall, the Gerheist soldiers began to rout, as Lawrence sat with Brezveck, the elderly man whimpering.

 Chapter 94: Victory

    As General Brezveck bled out, the Gerheist army broke, the invisible will of the lion that had held the army together crumbled. Gerheist soldiers pushed past one another to flee the Carmine soldiers'' onslaught. As the last Gerheist soldier was swept from the field, Lawrence ordered the severely injured but stablized Brezveck be loaded on a wagon and taken care of as a distinguished prisoner.


    Gerheist casualties numbered in the thousands, while Lawrence''s side had numbered a little more than a thousand. This was a thousand less men that could help with the harvest, a thousand less men that could attack and seize positions. Lawrence sighed as he surveyed the sea of corpses.


    "Honestly... What are we even fighting for..." Lawrence grumbled as he began his slow trek back to Phoenix''s Fall. He could see regular Carmine soldiers and Owl Shields carrying stretchers with both the injured and dead, intending to clear the field as soon as possible. Owl engineers have already begun digging new trenches in order to extend the frontline as far as possible.


    Carmine soldiers carry shovels made from rusted metal, reluctantly lugging equipment after the Owl engineers who are staring at parchment in their hands, giving instructions to the exhausted looking soldiers. Tonight, at least, there will be rest.


    Other soldiers lie around Gerheist corpses, stripping them of equipment.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Trudging his way through the mud, blood and dirt, Lawrence was greeted by a beaming Colonel Haussen, whose eyes were filled with tears and rosy cheeks like a maiden having seen her hero. The tired colonel seems to have seen the light after a long night.


    "Very well done, Ser Lawrence! I must see that you are elevated to a national hero for this! You must have a statue of you in Capital Square!" Colonel Haussen cries out, giving Lawrence a pat on the shoulder.


    "No, thank you, Colonel Haussen, I would like to rest for awhile, if that is okay. I don''t want the attention."


    ==


    Colonel Vava stared at the tactical map. Once Phoenix''s Fall was taken by the Gerheist soldiers, he would pour all his troops into the valley, forcing the Gerheist soldiers to stay inside and that was probably the extent of their conquest. Anything else that came after would be someone else''s problem.


    His political opponents would be dead and his family could only scale to greater heights and in due time, his name will go down in the history books.


    Smiling to himself, Colonel Vava leaned into his chair, pouring himself a glass of wine and sipping it. His forces had ample food seized from the peasants and could drag out the supply lines for as long as they could against the Gerheist army which had to seize food supplies from the places they captured.


    The flap of his tent moves and his associate, a youth in his twenties step forward, with a sharp salute.


    "Sir, news from the front. Phoenix''s Fall is in fierce battle with Gerheist forces."


    Colonel Vava nodded, dismissing the young adjutant.


    In time, he will march to Phoenix''s Fall and watch his enemies fall.