Chapter 236: Blackwood City
Blackwood City was called Blackwood City because it was the territory of the Blackwood family.
It was the private property of the Blackwood family.
As long as nobles paid taxes to the Empire on time, the Empire did not care what they did within their own territories.
Nobles could impose taxes without restraint and even kill people in their lands.
However, commoners could not resist nobles.
Once commoners resisted, disaster would descend upon them.
In the Empire, nobles were the law.
They were absolute rulers standing far above everyone else.
The prosperity and bustle of Blackwood City far exceeded Caelum’s expectations.
He had originally thought that in an era where the economy and transportation were still underdeveloped, there was only so much a city could flourish.
Reality proved he had greatly underestimated the ability of nobles.
After entering Blackwood City, Caelum saw people moving everywhere through the streets and alleys.
Shops lined the roads.
All kinds of stalls filled the streetsides.
Ordinary people, swordsmen, and patrol soldiers moved among one another.
The city was incredibly lively.
"Everything is half price!"
"Freshly baked bread!"
"The tavern has new wine!"
"Customer, what kind of weapon would you like forged?"
"Madam, are you satisfied with this cloth?"
Caelum was taken aback by the prosperity before him.
He used Observation Haki, and everything within a radius of twenty one kilometers entered his perception.
Only then did he discover that Blackwood City had more than one million people.
Industries large and small spread across the entire city, turning this million person city into a massive den of luxury and amusement.
Casinos of every size were everywhere.
Huge amounts of money flowed through them at every moment.
In the alleys, prostitutes constantly received customers.
Some of the larger brothels were so splendid that they rivaled noble residences.
Slave trading was legal.
Merchants openly dragged slaves into the streets and displayed their virtues to passersby.
Things like this were everywhere.
Caelum sighed.
"No wonder it can be this prosperous."
A thief walked past Caelum as though nothing were wrong.
Just as he was about to reach toward him, an invisible ripple spread out.
The thief immediately lost consciousness and collapsed in the street.
Caelum’s control over Conqueror Haki had reached the peak.
Even in such a dense crowd, he could accurately knock out a single person.
The thief’s sudden collapse startled the people nearby.
At that moment, a crisp bell sounded from ahead.
Everyone’s expression changed.
"Clear the road!"
"Drag that unconscious brat away quickly. Do not block the lord’s path!"
In the blink of an eye, a wide road opened through the street.
The vendors hurriedly packed their stalls and squeezed to the roadside.
The unconscious thief was dragged off to who knew where.
The clear sound of bells drew closer.
Soon, an extremely luxurious carriage appeared in Caelum’s sight.
On both sides of the carriage stood guards with imposing auras.
The ones pulling the carriage were not horses, but several thin men with bodies like withered sticks.
They panted heavily, looking as though they might collapse and die from exhaustion at any moment.
Crack!
The noble inside the luxurious carriage frowned and lashed one of the men pulling the carriage.
"All useless trash. You are already out of strength? If you make me miss the first match, every one of you wastes will be executed!"
At those words, the men pulling the carriage showed terror.
They forced out another burst of strength and quickened their steps.
The bells on the carriage rang even more urgently.
Only after the carriage moved far away did the street return to its lively state.
This was what nobles were.
The commoners living in Blackwood City had long grown used to such scenes.
As an observer, Caelum merely found it somewhat surprising.
He was not a hot blooded youth overflowing with a sense of justice.
Nor was he a freedom fighter like Tekular.
As long as the nobles did not provoke him, he did not care how they ruined this world.
Caelum stopped in front of a bulletin board.
Cedran’s latest wanted poster was posted there.
A dangerous individual affiliated with the rebels.
Bounty, one thousand gold coins.
Since the wanted poster had been updated, it meant the kid most likely was not dead.
At the very least, it proved he had not fallen into the Empire’s hands.
"Customer, would you like a bun?"
Looking at the meat bun handed to him, Caelum touched his pocket and realized he had almost no money.
Aside from Cloudrend, his entire fortune consisted of only one silver coin.
The Empire’s basic currency was the copper coin.
One gold coin was worth ten silver coins.
One silver coin was worth one hundred copper coins.
Although a loaf of bread cost only one copper coin, one silver coin would at most last him a few days.
He muttered to himself.
"This is a little too poor."
Nearby, a short old man with shifty eyes looked Caelum over.
When his gaze landed on Cloudrend at Caelum’s waist, his eyes immediately lit up.
That blade seemed rather valuable.
He quickly leaned in with a flattering smile.
"Lord swordsman, pardon the disturbance. If you are short on money, I have a way to solve that problem for you."
Caelum looked the short old man over in return.
The old man was missing one front tooth and had the face of a rat.
One glance was enough to know he was not a good person.
Under Observation Haki, Caelum could even hear the old fellow’s thoughts clearly.
"Tell me."
"That blade of yours must be worth quite a lot. I know a good boss who would surely be willing to offer you an excellent price for it..."
"Forget it. Pretend I never said anything."
Caelum patted the short old man on the shoulder, then stepped into the crowd.
The short old man looked disappointed.
"What a pity. That blade must be worth a fortune."
Just as he prepared to leave, the old man suddenly sensed something wrong.
He hurriedly touched his pocket, and his face changed sharply.
"Where is my money?"
He turned back in fury.
Unfortunately, Caelum was already nowhere to be seen.
The anger on his face gradually turned pale.
The old man said in horror, "It is over. I am finished this time."
He had lost the boss’s money.
Caelum weighed the money pouch in his hand, then opened it and saw more than a dozen glittering gold coins inside.
He smiled in satisfaction.
"So much money. How could one person spend it all? Besides, it is ill gotten wealth gained through deceit and fraud. Let me bear this sin instead."
Out of ten people here, nine were thieves and swindlers.
The last one was a bandit who killed for money.
In this place, glittering prosperity and dark chaos existed side by side.
Caelum did not feel out of place at all.
He was like a fish in water here.
After taking a pouch of gold coins from the old man, he walked familiarly into the largest casino in Blackwood City.
"I beg you, please lend me another sum. Just one more. Ten gold coins will do. I will definitely win it back. I will definitely repay you!"
"Get lost!"
A gambler shouting desperately was thrown out by the casino guards.
The people around him were long used to this.
Every day, someone lost their entire fortune here.
What was there to find strange?
Besides, gamblers were not worth sympathy or pity.
The passersby could not even be bothered to look.
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