“I can do this because I represent the law!”
Feid announced proudly, “It seems you don’t have enough money. Guards, come forth!”
“Wait a second!”
Wu Ming, after touching his nose, stepped forward.
“Oh? It’s young William?”
Feid sneered, “Are you here to take over Lady Roa’s debt?”
Objectively speaking, both William and Roa were from the lower class of the commoners. However, William had at least once fought in battle and possessed weapons. He was well-trained and physically fit.
This meant that if pushed to desperation, he dared to confront Feid in a deadly struggle.
Moreover, this person had a good relationship with Instructor Lori’an, and it was said that the latter was actively seeking promotion opportunities for him.
With this backing, even though his actual status had not improved, Feid couldn’t help but regard Wu Ming with slightly more respect.
“That’s right!” Wu Ming took a deep breath.
This wasn’t an impulsive decision but rather a repayment of the karmic debt accumulated over the past decade by this physical body.
Anyway, it was just this one time, and after that, he would be free as the sea and sky.
“Very well, five golden Dero and seven silver Taler!” Feid smiled. “Please bring them out!”
“I need some time!” Wu Ming replied resolutely.
“That’s truly unfortunate!” Feid shook his head, and two soldiers silently stepped forward.
“This isn’t my matter alone; it’s also the affair of Sir Takur, and I must follow him to campaign on the plains!”
Wu Ming shamelessly used Takur’s name as a shield.
“Sir Takur?”
Feid raised his eyebrows. When had this young fellow become connected with the knight?
However, this was an easy lie to expose, so he probably wasn’t lying.
“I’ll verify it. If it’s true, the repayment deadline can be postponed until your return!”
Everyone knew that going to the plains to conquer the savages was a journey full of danger and opportunity. Those who survived and returned mostly made a fortune.
Feid folded his hands behind his back, glanced regretfully at Sophia, and then turned to leave.
“Oh! William, thank you! Thank you so much!”
Auntie Roa grabbed Wu Ming’s arm, not knowing how else to express her gratitude. Sophia beside her had also stopped crying and her cheeks were flushed.
“It was my duty!” Wu Ming replied with a smile, silently adding in his heart, “For the departed William!”
Without paying further attention to Auntie Roa’s attempts to detain him, he turned and left, not taking away even a wisp of cloud.
“Five golden Dero, huh?”
After returning to the cottage, Wu Ming pondered silently.
Although this was not a small sum, he could actually afford it now. However, if he did so immediately, he would be ruined.
Because the source of this money was hard to explain, and it was also related to his secrets.
Moreover, the amount was so large that it would attract the attention of the sheriff and tax officials, enough to make them ignore Lori’an’s influence.
“Therefore, even if I can repay the debt immediately, I must wait until after the expedition…”
Wu Ming had confidence that he would gain a lot from this expedition, and by then, his status would be different.
In reality, if the favor Auntie Roa had done for William could be repaid with a sum of money, it would indeed be very beneficial.
…
Three days later, at the town’s entrance, a group of fifty soldiers was preparing to depart.
Among them were thirty regular soldiers, whose every movement exuded professionalism and vigor, and their equipment was relatively superior.
The other group of twenty looked very disorganized. Although they were all physically strong, their weapons were varied, and they didn’t even have a single set of iron armor. They looked like a haphazard mercenary band.
“Indeed… quite a few people!”
Wu Ming scanned the crowd and saw many familiar faces.
“Hey, William!”
A young man with brown hair approached. He wore thick linen clothing, carried a round shield in his right hand, and held a short axe in his left, both blades sharp and gleaming coldly.
“Joey!”
Wu Ming recognized him as the older brother of the boy Awa, who often admired him practicing swordplay. Indeed, the two brothers looked quite alike.
“Thank you for always taking care of my younger brother…”
Joey politely started with a few courteous words, then glanced around, “There are indeed a lot of people…”
“Yeah… even Uncle Andrew has come!”
Wu Ming looked at a middle-aged man nearby who was missing an ear and had a diagonal scar across his face, feeling somewhat speechless.
It was said that Andrew had previously served as a guard in the lord’s mansion. In a battle against the savages, he was severely wounded, spending a whole month in bed and losing an ear forever. This series of setbacks, combined with his advancing age, forced him to retire. He was already in his forties.
A warrior’s career was one that relied on youth. At his age, his explosive power and energy were far inferior to those of the young, making him unsuitable for battle anymore.
Yet, he was still compelled to take this desperate chance.
“Cursed Feid!”
Joey muttered a curse. Obviously, neither he nor Andrew were eager to risk their lives against the savage cannibals in the wilderness.
But to make a living, they had no choice.
Earning ten coppers a day was nothing. The most important thing was participating in the distribution of the spoils of war! If they could seize the opportunity, they could make a fortune!
“Have you heard?”
At this moment, Joey quietly approached Wu Ming and lowered his voice to whisper, “The reason Lord Baron decided to march is that he received intelligence about a gathering place of the savages!”
Not all savages were cannibals.
The gathering Joey mentioned was obviously a collective of farmers and slaves who had fled taxation and servitude. They had skills, knew how to farm, and understood the common tongue, but had evaded their sacred duties. According to continental law, whoever captured them could sell them into slavery.
In the market, a healthy adult slave without disabilities or diseases usually sold for one to two golden Dero.
If he was skilled at farming, the price could increase by another golden Dero. If he also had a trade, he would become a high-grade slave, with treatment not inferior to that of a common farmer.
Although the spoils of war were distributed according to merit, if one was lucky enough, it was indeed possible to earn more than five golden Dero.
“Neigh!”
At this moment, several fine horses appeared at the town’s entrance.
“Everyone is here, good!”
Sir Takur wore only light inner armor, with the rest of his armor carried on another horse. Behind him followed several knight squires.
These squires’ equipment was even better than that of the soldiers. In fact, the more experienced among them were already nearly at the level required for knighthood.
Unfortunately, the restrictions of merit and fiefdoms firmly pinned them in the role of squires.
Without a major war, a squire would rarely have the opportunity to be promoted. However, this time, due to his victory, Lord Garcia had knighted quite a few, attracting more wandering squires to pledge their loyalty.
“Knights’ squires in this era have it tough…”
Wu Ming observed the two squires behind Sir Takur but noticed no trace of any supernatural power, shaking his head inwardly.
As a squire, one not only had to learn combat techniques and horsemanship but also needed to care for the horse and even learn some basic blacksmithing to repair armor in the field.
Yet, Wu Ming sensed no supernatural power from these two individuals.
“Perhaps it’s because they haven’t undergone the knighting ceremony, the prayers and holy oil of the howling castle…”
He immediately thought of the key point: “The Church?!”
In William’s memories, the Church was simply the Church, with no distinction between light and darkness. Even in the town, there wasn’t a proper church, clearly indicating that the local Church was heavily restricted. However, it still possessed some formidable secret techniques, the nature of which was unknown, as well as any agreements reached with the nobility.
“Silence! Form ranks!”
Two knight squires shouted loudly, and soon the professional soldiers lined up in formation as they had been trained.
In comparison, the group of more than twenty militiamen, or rather mercenaries, appeared quite amateurish.
Seeing this, Takur frowned in dissatisfaction and then pointed his horsewhip at Wu Ming: “William! You will serve as the temporary commander of this militia unit! Get them organized! I’m giving you the time it takes to have breakfast before we set out!”
Obviously, this was the result of Lori’an’s recommendation combined with the positive impression from the previous interview.
“What? William?”
Clearly, despite Wu Ming’s changes over the past few months, his previous image was still very prominent. Murmurs immediately arose from the crowd.
Only Joey gave an encouraging gesture.
As for the two knight squires, they cast a mocking glance and then went to have breakfast with the knight.
“Ahem!”
Wu Ming looked at the faces before him, each displaying different expressions, and loudly declared, “I am William! Whether you know me or not doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that after we set out, you must obey my orders!”
“Ha ha!”
Immediately, a wave of laughter erupted from the crowd: “Little boy, go home and drink milk!”
A sarcastic voice came from somewhere.
Wu Ming, however, narrowed his eyes and moved like the wind.
Pah!
He fiercely rushed into the crowd, swung his sword hilt, and struck the speaker’s cheek with force.
The unfortunate fellow cried out in pain, fell to the ground, and spat out a mouthful of bloody teeth.
“Now let me tell you all the reason why I can be the commander! Because I am stronger than every single one of you!!!”
Wu Ming scanned the crowd with his eyes, walked to the center of the field, and unsheathed his long sword: “Now, I give you all a chance. Anyone who believes they can defeat me, come forward and do so! I will hand over the command to you!”
“I obey you, chief!”
Joey loudly supported Wu Ming and walked to stand behind him.
The second person to step forward was somewhat unexpected—it was Andrew!
Without a word, he silently picked up his long sword, walked to Wu Ming’s side, and showed his support through action.
After all, though he was old, his eyesight was still sharp. Wu Ming’s speed and the strength of his strike were already at the level of elite soldiers, even rivaling the knight squires.
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