Chapter 28: Chapter 28: A Humble Residence
Broken Wave City wasn’t the kind of city Duane had imagined, one surrounded by walls with densely packed houses.
To be precise, it was more like a large town. Most of the houses were scattered across fields and hills. Only the area around the central street had a cluster of buildings, which served as the so-called urban district and commercial street.
This street was no more than two or three hundred meters long. It had all sorts of shops—a general store, a tailor shop, a cobbler’s shop, a Blacksmith Shop—but there was basically only one of each.
The rest of the street was lined with a few scattered stalls selling various handmade goods.
Although the shopkeepers’ clothing was much worse than that of the people in the Royal Capital, it was still quite good compared to the farmers toiling in the fields.
As Duane passed by, these people sized him up nervously.
They instinctively thought that the great Lord Bard had arrived, but Monbodt’s attitude suggested otherwise.
Besides, the great Lord Bard’s men didn’t wear such uniform and imposing Armor.
Duane was in no hurry to greet these subjects.
He observed his Territory while listening to Monbodt, whose mouth was dry from talking, recount the origin stories of the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association.
To put it simply, Bard was a criminal who had fled to the island, while Daniels was a vagrant who had drifted to the island with a merchant ship. Neither of them seemed to have a very reputable background.
After arriving on the island and seeing there was no Lord, Bard used his own strength to gather followers and form a faction. His power gradually grew, eventually forming the current Broken Wave Gang.
In the beginning, the Broken Wave Gang didn’t have many Extraordinary Warriors. Later, perhaps because they had amassed a great deal of wealth, the gang members ate and drank well. With improved nutrition, a few local Extraordinary Warriors emerged.
Daniels was a Light Attribute Mage who not only mastered Healing Magic but also possessed some knowledge of Alchemy.
After arriving on Black Forest Island, he earned the love and respect of many people thanks to these two abilities.
At first, Bard valued Daniels’s strength and recruited him into his ranks.
Later, Daniels’s reputation grew even greater. He not only unexpectedly took in Kalina, a Level 2 Mage who had also fled to the island, but also gained the support of the Advanced Warrior Uleir.
It was said that Bard and Daniels clashed over some matter, and the two went their separate ways.
In the period just after the split, the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association clashed many times, with both sides suffering considerable losses.
After several rounds of fighting where neither could defeat the other, and considering Daniels was still valuable to the Broken Wave Gang, the two sides negotiated and divided up their territories.
In the years that followed, the Holy Hand Association bolstered its ranks with another Advanced Warrior, bringing their strengths even closer. Even when they fought, it was only small-scale skirmishes, and the overall situation remained relatively peaceful.
Hearing this, Duane’s brow furrowed slightly.
’Although the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association have friction, they are very likely to join forces when faced with a common enemy or shared interests.’
If these two factions were to team up, they would have four Advanced Warriors or stronger, plus more than a dozen Middle and Basic-level Warriors in total.
Meanwhile, Duane had only four Extraordinary Warriors on his side, including himself.
Even though Kaelon could fight Bard, and Raymond had an impressive record of defeating several Human Tier Warriors, they wouldn’t be safe if they were swarmed.
Although his thirty soldiers were well-trained, they would be stretched thin in a direct confrontation.
Duane didn’t regret taking action against Hardy and the others, though.
If he had shown weakness, setting aside the Holy Hand Association for a moment, the criminal-founded Broken Wave Gang would have surely taken a mile if given an inch.
He couldn’t help but glance back at the captive Hardy and his men, thinking, ’It would be great if all the Warriors in the Broken Wave Gang were at this level.’
The procession advanced at a steady pace. Many people watched Duane’s group for a moment before quickly running off.
They were members of the Holy Hand Association and the Broken Wave Gang, and they needed to report what they had seen to their masters.
Raymond noticed these people. He wanted to grab a few for interrogation, but Duane stopped him.
There was more than one such lookout; it was impossible to catch them all.
Besides, he could get all the necessary information from Hardy and Monbodt. There was no need to waste effort catching and interrogating these small fries.
And so, led by Monbodt, the group arrived in front of the castle left behind by the previous Pioneer Lord.
"Lord, this is your castle."
Monbodt explained, "I’ve been responsible for managing this place all these years. Aside from a few parts in two of the buildings that are in disrepair, the two main buildings at the front are quite well-preserved. You can move in at any time."
Kaelon looked up, his brow furrowed slightly, and then he gave a reluctant nod.
"Although this place is much worse than Lakefront Castle—it’s really just a slightly larger courtyard—at least it’s better than I imagined."
Duane asked with a smile, "What kind of castle were you imagining?"
Kaelon scratched his head in embarrassment and gestured wildly. "I thought it would just be two dilapidated little houses, or even..."
He shrugged. "Even no place to live at all, and we’d have to build a temporary thatched hut or camp out in the wilderness."
"Then it is indeed better than you thought."
To be honest, though it was a bit rudimentary, Duane was still satisfied.
Aside from the complex political factions, everything else about Black Forest Island had exceeded his expectations.
"Let’s go, let’s take a look inside."
Raymond took the lead and entered first. Evans, the Captain of the second team, led his squad members in a thorough search of the large courtyard, checking it from front to back and inside and out, but found nothing suspicious.
Duane scanned the surroundings. There were obvious signs that people had lived here long-term, but now there wasn’t a soul in sight.
He thought about how Monbodt had been over three hours late. ’Could it be that he and his family were busy vacating this courtyard?’
"Monbodt," he called out.
"Lord, please give your command!"
"My entourage this time totals over a hundred people. If there isn’t enough room here, I’ll need you to arrange for more accommodations."
Duane’s servants, Guards, as well as the families of Kaelon and Ralph, could temporarily find rooms in the courtyard, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for the rest of the people to stay here.
"No problem."
Monbodt guaranteed, "There are empty houses nearby. I’ll arrange for people to go and clean them right away."
"Why are there empty houses?" Duane asked casually. "Did the owners pass away?"
"Not exactly."
Monbodt explained, "Some people were lazy and gluttonous, so they sold themselves to the Broken Wave Gang or the Holy Hand Association and moved into their manors. Their houses here were then abandoned."
"If you plan to live in them long-term, you’ll probably need to have them repaired," he added.
Duane nodded, half-believing him. "The people who move in can be responsible for the repairs. For now, just get them a place to stay."
He turned to the Civil Servant who had followed him. "Julian, I’m leaving this matter to you."
"Yes, Lord."
Duane then instructed, "Raymond, have Evans take two men to accompany Julian and ensure his safety."
"Yes, sir!"
Julian was surprised for a moment, but then he understood the Baron’s concerns and felt a surge of gratitude.
Monbodt, on the other hand, felt a pang of panic. It was obvious this young Lord was not as foolish as others his age on the island.
Although he had acted humbly and obediently from start to finish, it was clear the Lord did not trust him very much.
Duane walked over to the bound Hardy and his men, concentrating as he pondered how to deal with them.
Killing them outright would certainly weaken the Broken Wave Gang, costing them a Middle Level Warrior, two Basic-level Warriors, and over twenty gang members.
But doing so would escalate the conflict to a point of no return.
He summoned his attribute panel. His Strength had already increased to 6.2. As long as he had some time, he could grow stronger quickly.
For him, time wasn’t just money; it was strength.
Seeing that Duane seemed to be thinking about how to handle the prisoners, Raymond suggested, "Lord, I think we should just kill them."
Kaelon, standing to the side, nodded in agreement. "I also think killing them would be for the best."
As soon as the two finished speaking, the faces of Hardy and the others filled with terror. They all began to tremble on the ground, shouting and begging for mercy.
They didn’t want to die.
