Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Not That Bad
Raymond gazed into the distance.
An hour had passed since he sent the young man to inform Monbodt, but there was still no sign of him.
Had the young man failed to deliver the message, or had Monbodt simply chosen not to come?
"Lord, shall I go and personally summon Monbodt to welcome you?" he proposed.
Duane shook his head. "There’s no hurry. We’ll wait a bit longer."
That wait turned into another two hours.
Duane and his men finished their lunch by the harbor, rested, and even trained for a short while, yet still no one came.
Duane couldn’t help but frown.
’Did something happen to Monbodt?’
’Or is he colluding with the Broken Wave Gang and refusing to show himself?’
If either of those were the case, Duane would have no choice but to take his men and enter the island on his own initiative.
However, just as he was about to order his men to prepare to set off, a cloud of dust rose from the dirt road.
’Are they here?’
Everyone looked over.
They saw a man on horseback, followed by several carriages, hurrying toward the harbor.
Evidently, Monbodt had received the message and was coming with his people.
Soon, the convoy arrived.
The man in the lead had hair that was half-white, just like Ralph, but he appeared a bit younger.
He swung himself off his horse and ran over, his head covered in sweat. It was hard to tell if it was from anxiety or exhaustion.
"Which one of you is the Lord?"
Monbodt scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Duane.
Black Ox had described the Lord’s appearance, and besides, the young man was clearly the center of the group.
"Monbodt, Civil Servant of Black Forest Island, greets you. Good day, Lord!" He bowed deeply.
Duane nodded. "This is our first meeting, Monbodt, and you’ve already left a deep impression on me."
Monbodt could hear the Lord putting extra weight on the word "deep," and knew he was displeased. He could only offer an awkward, apologetic smile.
Duane asked, "Is it twenty or thirty miles from Broken Wave City to the harbor?"
Without thinking, Monbodt immediately replied, "Not that far, it’s only about five or six miles."
"Five or six miles, and it took you over three hours? My soldiers could have walked here faster."
Duane said coolly, "It seems your horse is too old. How about we butcher it tonight and hold a horse-meat banquet to welcome us?"
Monbodt couldn’t stop himself from wiping the sweat that beaded on his forehead.
As a Civil Servant who advised a Baron, Nobility held a great deal of weight in Monbodt’s heart.
Facing a member of the Nobility, even one as young as the man before him, he felt immense pressure during their conversation.
He immediately dropped to one knee. "Please forgive me, Lord. I was busy arranging for people to clean your castle and preparing all these carriages. That’s why I was late. I apologize for making you wait."
Duane feigned a look of realization and chuckled humorlessly. "It seems I misjudged. Your horse appears to be quite healthy, then?"
No matter how you looked at it, making the Lord wait for over three hours was inexcusable.
Monbodt’s face was a mask of difficulty; he didn’t know how best to answer.
Duane didn’t press the issue. He turned and pointed at Hardy and the others.
"The Broken Wave Gang controls the harbor. What kind of Civil Servant are you?"
Faced with the accusation, Monbodt looked ready to pour out all his grievances.
"Lord, you’ve wronged me!"
He lamented, "The Broken Wave Gang has many Warriors. I don’t have a single Extraordinary under my command. I have no way to fight them."
As Monbodt spoke, he sized up Duane’s retinue.
’Black Ox was right,’ he thought. ’The Baron really does have a group of very formidable-looking guards.’
"Lord, by detaining Hardy like this, I’m worried the Broken Wave Gang will retaliate."
"The Broken Wave Gang is that bold?" Duane retorted.
Monbodt explained, "The leader of the Broken Wave Gang, Bard, is an Earth Tier Warrior. He also has Junior, Middle and Senior Level Warriors under him, plus nearly a hundred members! He’s used to being arrogant and tyrannical on Black Forest Island. He doesn’t understand the power of the Nobility, so it’s hard to say if he’ll attack directly."
Duane had already learned this from Hardy, so he didn’t show much anxiety.
"So your suggestion is?"
Seeing Duane’s calm and unconcerned expression, Monbodt wondered, ’Could the Baron really be so powerful that he’s not worried about the Broken Wave Gang at all?’
Nevertheless, he voiced his opinion. "I suggest you release these men first to de-escalate the situation. After all, they are also your subjects. If you can make good use of the Broken Wave Gang, it could also strengthen your position."
Duane was noncommittal.
’Releasing them voluntarily... wouldn’t that be a show of weakness?’
Duane didn’t know what the Broken Wave Gang was really like, but he knew that if he were actually killed on this island, the Kingdom probably wouldn’t send anyone to avenge him.
Even if they did, they would most likely just be going through the motions.
Although there was some logic to what Monbodt said—making good use of the Broken Wave Gang would be a good thing—he knew it wasn’t something he could achieve just by voluntarily releasing their men.
On Black Forest Island, which had lacked order for many years, might was right.
"Let’s go, Monbodt. Take me to the castle."
Duane commanded, "As for these men, escort them all to the castle and lock them up."
"As you command, Lord!" Raymond began arranging men for the escort.
Monbodt’s lips moved, but it was clear his words carried no weight with the Baron.
The group got busy.
Although Monbodt had brought many carriages, Duane’s luggage and supplies were even more numerous. It would likely take several trips to transport everything.
Duane left a team of men and his followers to help with the transport, while he headed toward the castle with the rest.
The group moved at a steady pace, giving him a good opportunity to observe the scenery along the way.
The road from the Black Forest Island harbor to Broken Wave City passed through Lingang Village.
According to Monbodt, this village had over two thousand people who were responsible for farming the surrounding fields and for fishing.
Hardy, the man Duane had captured, usually lived in Lingang Village and was considered its administrator.
From the main road, Duane looked out at the village nestled in the mountain forest to his left. There seemed to be quite a few houses.
But compared to the Pruck Royal Capital, the houses here were either built from stone and mud or wood and thatch. They had no particular style, let alone any sense of order.
Looking at the farmers who had stopped their work in the fields to stare, it was impossible to tell what their clothes were made of. The overall impression was one of listlessness and poverty.
This was a backward island.
However, the number of villagers Monbodt had mentioned surprised Duane slightly.
After all, the intelligence Lloyd had provided him stated that the entire population of Black Forest Island was just over ten thousand people.
But now Monbodt was telling him that Lingang Village alone had over two thousand villagers.
Duane asked, "How many people are on Black Forest Island in total?"
When asked this question, Monbodt scratched his head in embarrassment.
Duane’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Has he not even conducted a census?’
Monbodt then explained, "Lord, besides Lingang Village, the island currently has four other locations: Broken Wave City, Broken Wave Bay, Forest Village, and Hutou Village."
"Among them, Lingang Village, Hutou Village, and Forest Village are all Broken Wave Gang territory, while Broken Wave Bay is under the jurisdiction of the Holy Hand Association. I don’t know much about those places."
Duane nodded slightly. "So, in other words, you only manage Broken Wave City?"
Monbodt shook his head. "To be precise, I am only responsible for managing one area of Broken Wave City. The rest has been carved up by them."
He returned to the original topic. "Lord, you asked how many people are on Black Forest Island, and I don’t know the answer to that. But as for the population of Broken Wave City, I would roughly estimate it to be around twenty thousand."
He couldn’t manage certain areas of Broken Wave City, but he could still make a fairly accurate estimate.
Duane was quite pleased to hear this figure.
Estimating the other locations based on Lingang Village’s population, they would add up to another ten thousand people.
An island with thirty thousand people already far exceeded his expectations.
If all these people and places were under his jurisdiction, then with a population of thirty thousand and a matching amount of arable land, Black Forest Island would meet the minimum requirements for a Baron’s Territory.
’So it seems that, aside from its remote location at sea, the conditions here are actually pretty good?’
"Monbodt, tell me about the history of the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association. I want to know how they came to be."
