Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Docking Fee
The sun had climbed into the sky, its warm light dispelling the chill from the beach.
At that moment, on the dirt road from Broken Wave City to the harbor, Duane’s men and a group from the island had stopped about a dozen meters apart, squaring off in a tense standoff.
Captain Michele of the first Guard Squad glanced back. He saw that the Lord not only had no intention of coming forward himself, but also appeared to be holding back Kaelon and Raymond.
He tensed, realizing the Lord likely intended for him to handle the initial confrontation.
Michele looked toward the man in the lead, who sat atop a horse. The man wore a seemingly flimsy suit of Chain Armor and sported a bushy beard. His appearance was quite scruffy, and Michele couldn’t guess his identity.
’Stay calm!’
Michele puffed out his chest and forced himself to calm down, his gaze becoming unyielding.
He called out in a deep voice, "Who are you, and what is your business here?"
The man in the lead looked to his left and right, and then they all burst into roaring laughter.
"Kid, I see you’re well-dressed, but don’t get arrogant!"
The man sneered. "This is Black Forest Island. Even if you’re the private army of some Nobility, you still have to follow the rules when you’re here!"
Michele’s brow furrowed slightly. He had been about to reveal Baron Duane’s identity, but now he hesitated.
’If I throw out the Baron’s name this easily, won’t it make me seem incapable?’
He couldn’t help but ask, "What rules are there on Black Forest Island?"
The burly, bearded man on the horse raised his eyes slightly, looking at the flags hanging on the three ships in the harbor.
The pattern on the Brian Clan’s flag consisted of a Shield and two crossed Swords. The Shield was on top, the Swords below, and the whole thing was encircled by a pale green, vine-like pattern.
Though the burly man didn’t recognize the sigil, he was certain it didn’t belong to any high-ranking Nobility.
His gaze swept over the hundred or so people at the harbor. ’So many of them, and with quite a lot of supplies. What are they doing here?’
’A problem with their ships? Came ashore for repairs?’
This question flashed through his mind for only a moment before he tossed it aside.
Years of arrogance and bullying had conditioned him not to care about their identities; after all, he’d shaken down plenty of ships in distress over the years.
"All ships that dock at Black Forest Island must pay a docking fee. That’s the rule here!"
He shouted, "Three Silver Coins per person! If you’re short, you can either hand over supplies or hand over people!"
Michele’s anger flared the moment he heard this.
’Three Silver Coins per person? For this many people, that’s over three Gold Coins!’
’Where did these bastards get the nerve?’
He sneered, "You dare ask us for money? Do you have any idea who the owner of this fleet is?"
’Duane is the Lord of this place. The people of Black Forest Island are supposed to pay taxes to him, not the other way around. Now they’re trying to make the Lord pay taxes to his own subjects.’
Just as he was about to announce Duane’s identity, he heard footsteps from behind.
"My Lord!" Michele bowed and immediately stepped aside.
Duane walked forward with Raymond and Kaelon.
Jack, John, and the other two squads of Guards also closed in.
Duane showed no anger, his tone unwavering. "I wasn’t aware of such a rule. Who established it? Monbodt?"
The man on horseback felt the pressure. He had only brought twenty-odd men, while his opponents clearly had more soldiers, and their equipment looked much more official.
Crucially, they didn’t seem to have any intention of paying their way out of trouble, unlike the other crews they had encountered before.
But when he remembered he had backup, his courage immediately returned.
"These are the rules set by my Broken Wave Gang!"
The corner of his mouth curled up. "I’ll be honest with you, Lord Bard is a powerful Earth Tier Warrior. If you don’t want to die, I suggest you obediently follow our rules!"
He didn’t even stop to wonder how Duane knew Monbodt’s name.
Duane’s heart skipped a beat.
’A place that even the Nobility avoids is actually hiding an Earth Tier Warrior?’
’If someone like that went out into the world, wouldn’t they receive excellent treatment from any of the Nobility, or even the Royal Family?’
He frowned slightly. This was going to be difficult to handle.
After all, his strongest man, Kaelon, was only at the Peak of the Human Tier, a whole tier below.
Although the outcome of a battle wasn’t determined solely by Level—personal combat experience, skill, and Combat Techniques all played a part.
However, Duane had no way of knowing the actual caliber of this Earth Tier Warrior.
Kaelon took a small step forward and whispered, "My Lord, even if he’s an Earth Tier Warrior, I can take him on."
Duane nodded slightly, feeling a measure of reassurance.
Kaelon had received excellent guidance and training, and he had been through numerous battles alongside Carter.
’If he says so, he must be certain of it.’
He looked up at the man on the horse. "And who might you be?"
When the man heard the question about his identity, he thought, ’He must be scared!’ and burst into a loud laugh.
"You can call me ’Lord Hardy.’ I’m in charge of this dock and the village behind it!"
He looked down on everyone. "And who are you?"
Duane chuckled. "Then you’d better listen closely."
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he said, slowly and deliberately:
"My father is the Commander of the Pruck Kingdom’s Third Legion, a Fearless Knight personally ennobled by His Majesty, the powerful Celestial Tier Warrior, Carter Brian!"
"And I, Duane Brian, am a Kingdom Baron newly appointed by His Majesty, and the Lord of Black Forest Island."
"Everyone who lives on this land is my subject and must offer me their loyalty!"
His gaze turned sharp and piercing. "’Lord’ Hardy? Heh. Now, get down from your horse!"
Hardy’s eyes widened abruptly.
Celestial Tier Warrior, Kingdom Baron, Lord of Black Forest Island... the titles left him completely stunned.
"Impossible!"
He denied it instinctively. "Since when does Black Forest Island have a Lord? Why didn’t we know?"
Actually, according to standard procedure, the Kingdom sends an envoy to the territory to officially proclaim the new Lord’s title after an investiture.
Unfortunately, this was the disdained Black Forest Island, and its new Lord was a marginalized Baron, so it was only natural that no one had been notified.
Duane naturally wouldn’t explain. He shouted in a deep voice, "What are you waiting for? Seize these traitors!"
"Yes, my Lord!"
Michele and the others’ faces flushed red with excitement.
Hearing the Baron announce his identity like that had been absolutely exhilarating.
So when they heard the order to seize them, they didn’t dare to delay and rushed forward all at once.
Kaelon and Raymond, wanting to ensure this first skirmish went off without a hitch, also sprang into action immediately.
One vaulted toward Hardy, while the other lunged at the two other mounted men.
After all, anyone on horseback was likely to have some status within the Broken Wave Gang.
The remaining small fry were quickly surrounded by the three Guard Squads.
WHAM!
In a single move, Kaelon kicked Hardy from the saddle, vaulted onto the horse himself, and seized the reins, bringing the animal under control in an instant.
Even though Raymond was facing two opponents, his movements were still swift and decisive.
His opponents had no time to retaliate; one was sent flying by a blow from his Shield, the other kicked through the air.
The battle started fast and ended even faster.
In less than thirty seconds, the entire group was on the ground, having surrendered. The Guards had their Swords pressed against the men’s necks.
A single command from Duane was all it would take to end their lives.
Meanwhile, not a single one of his own men was injured.
Compared to formally trained Kingdom soldiers like Michele, the twenty-odd men Hardy had brought with him were complete pushovers.
"They really are... a rabble."
Duane couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. He was starting to wonder just what kind of rabble the Broken Wave Gang really was.
"My Lord, should we kill them?" Kaelon asked.
Raymond and the others also looked over, their eyes asking the same question.
"This is my first day in my own Territory. I’d rather not see bloodshed."
Duane said with a smile, "Send someone to inform Monbodt. Tell him to come see me and to arrange for a few carts to transport our things. As for them..."
He paused in thought for a moment before saying, "Find some rope and tie them up tightly!"
