Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Chapter 16 Night Raid (1/2)
Chapter 17: Chapter 16 Night Raid
“Enar, you take this spear to the Fischer family.”
In the blacksmith shop, Old Ramon instructed his apprentice to deliver a spear that had just been forged to the Fischers in South City.
The Fischer family and the blacksmith shop had cooperated well over the past two years, with all forging needs being taken care of by Old Ramon’s establishment.
Ramon’s son, Hugh, a middle-aged man standing nearly one meter ninety with a body of robust muscle, paused and, after a moment of silence, said,
“Father, have you forgotten? Enar actually left us a few days ago. He said he was going to work in the factories in Fein City.”
Old Ramon’s brows furrowed deeply; his oldest apprentice, Enar, had been with him for over a dozen years, and he hadn’t yet grown accustomed to his absence.
“That place they call a factory is just preposterous, bringing together people from all different places to work—won’t that just be chaos?”
Hugh remained non-committal, the so-called factory indeed being a novel concept, said to have originated from the Empire.
But everyone felt that the factory model wouldn’t last, because for thousands of years no one had done such a thing; the traditional family-based system would surely continue eternally.
Suddenly, Old Ramon caught sight of the plump town chief hurrying down the street with a dozen servants in tow.
What was that greedy and corrupt fellow up to, strutting through the town with so many attendants?
Old Ramon viscerally loathed the thought; the town chief had exploited every powerless household in town, and they had been no exception.
Ever since the blacksmith shop’s relationship with the Fischer family grew closer, the town chief no longer troubled them, acting as if he had never taken money from the blacksmith shop.
The town chief made his way to the jungle outside of Nasir Town, his servants looking nervously at the natives emerging from the dense underbrush, especially wary and fearful of the burly middle-aged priest.
The middle-aged priest waved him over, and without hesitation, the town chief followed, anger spreading across his face.
In a low voice, he said, “I’ve already provided the children for this year, and you promised you wouldn’t do anything more. So why are you calling for me now?”
The annual sacrifice had been a pressing burden for years, and though the town chief knew it was to protect Nasir, he also understood that the ignorant townsfolk would never comprehend his actions.
The middle-aged priest’s eyes were cold, his words cutting like a blade.
“Have you forgotten the promise you broke two years ago?”
The town chief shuddered; indeed, the two children of the Fischer family were still brazenly alive in Nasir, and the older girl, Irene, had even come of age.
Furthermore, the Blood Cult’s old priest who had come to perform the ceremony back then had disappeared.
The lives and souls of the siblings had been the very subject of their agreement.
The town chief had been anxious about this matter until recently, when he finally felt at ease, assuming the jungle natives, embroiled in their internal strife, would no longer dwell on the past.
The middle-aged priest, his face marred by scars, said, “Blood can only be avenged with blood. We people of the East Coast have always been principled in our actions.”
“I’ll give you a chance to make amends. Remove the patrol from the town tomorrow night.”
The town chief’s pupils shrank instantly, and he asked with a tremor, “What exactly are you planning to do?”
The middle-aged priest assured him with an icy tone, as if speaking of slaughtering livestock, “Our revenge is aimed only at the Fischer family.”
The town chief still questioned, “Are you truly certain that it was the Fischers who killed the old priest?”
The middle-aged priest nodded once, answering with detached coldness, “Without a doubt, for it is the answer given by the Blood Lord himself, and you should know that not long after that night, the girl of the Fischer family became an Extraordinary Exponent.”
The town chief bowed his head, hesitating for a long time before responding.
Many towns and villages around the East Coast had been pillaged by the jungle natives, but Nasir had not been targeted for over a decade, and those above thought it was due to the town chief’s excellent governance.
Only he knew of the filthy deal behind it all, aware that more and more of his vulnerabilities were held in the natives’ hands, leaving him powerless to refuse.
“Alright, I agree to your terms,” said the town chief, like air escaping from a deflated balloon, sighing repeatedly.
“The negotiation was successful.”
The middle-aged priest spoke with a chilling voice, deeply disgusted by the town chief who betrayed his own people, wishing he could spit on the fat fool’s face and pull out every despicable bone in his body.
Thankfully, he’s not my kin.
Suddenly, the town chief spoke again, in a manner that was exceedingly serious, “When you plunder the town, could you share some of the spoils with me?”
—
In the courtyard of the Fischer family, Lucius nodded at ten well-armed guards; they had become quite adept at their basic cooperative maneuvers.
He had equipped each of the family guards with a spear and breastplate, long weapons offering inherent advantages over short-handled ones and more easily mastered.