Chapter 108: Between Neighbors

Only after the fight had quieted down for a while did the doors of the houses lining this somewhat gray alleyway begin to open one by one. You should know that the ground here did not look like the delicate and picturesque water towns of Jiangnan from before George crossed over. It was not only scattered with trash, but due to the heavy foot traffic, the dust on the ground, while not as thick as the three inches of grime in old Beijing before the founding of the nation, was still quite a lot.

After the recent snatching of a young woman and George and Green’s intervention to right a wrong, this commotion had stirred up most of the dust that had settled on the ground in this area into the air. Under the sunlight of the day, these dust particles sparkled, looking like willow catkins floating in the air. Although the sunlight scattered by these particles was not as bright and dazzling as a rainbow, it still had a unique charm, much like the rosy glow over Mount Emei.

“Cough! Cough! Cough!” Although it looked decent enough, breathing in this dusty air was not comfortable at all. Green, who had just relaxed, was immediately made to cough uncontrollably by the murky air. George, however, had a technique to hold his breath, so he was hardly affected.

“Cough! Cough! The people who came to snatch the girl and their tools have been dealt with. Everyone can come out now.” The first person to step out of the house was an old woman who looked to be over fifty, with a weather-beaten face. She leaned on a cane, walked with a shuffling gait, and spoke with a hunched back, her remaining rotten teeth showing as she stumbled over her words.

Seeing this elderly person before them, who seemed on the verge of death at any moment, they had come out first to test if the danger had passed. In their eyes, if there were any danger, the one who would suffer would be an old person with few days left, which was far better than a young person in their prime or an adult who was the pillar of the family getting hurt. Speaking of respecting the old and loving the young, loving the young was indeed true in this world, as it concerned the development of the race. However, respecting the old depended on the situation.

Not long after her words, residents from the surrounding houses began to emerge from where they had hidden. George took a good look and found that everyone there was either very old or very young, and mostly women. Besides the four lying on the ground, there was not a single young or middle-aged man.

George thought it made sense; it was the busiest time of the day. Except for skilled craftsmen who could work at home, everyone else was busy making a living and would not stay at home. The few remaining ones were all lying on the ground due to the recent conflict.

These four strong men were of different ages and appearances, clearly not from the same family. Realizing the situation, George thought, “These four are likely the neighbors who rushed over upon hearing the young woman’s cry for help. It’s a pity that their strength was insufficient; not only did they fail to save her, but they almost got themselves killed.”

George had no fantasies about being a hero saving a beauty and winning her heart. You should know that in this world, even in cities, things were not very peaceful. Of course, a big city like Karada might be better in some aspects, but worse in others.

The good part was that strange creatures with various magical talents, like Magical Beasts, found it hard to come in to hunt. The bad part was that with so many people coming here to make a living, all kinds of open, secret, legal, and illegal organizations arrived. While organizations like guilds and unions might monopolize certain goods or technologies, they at least engaged in production, and those they cheated were mostly the wealthy.

However, various thieves’ guilds or gangs were the main force that exploited these commoners. If the commoners living together did not form self-defense groups by street, they had no room to bargain with them. In such a situation, even the oil in their bones might be squeezed out. Therefore, the relationship between neighbors was not just an emotional bond formed by living together for years, but also involved deep interests. It was not strange at all that when one side was in trouble, help came from all directions.

These old and young people were used to such air. Some women worried about their families crouched beside the men on the ground or lay directly on top of them. They either cried loudly or sobbed quietly. Adding to the scene were those onlookers and the old women who tried to comfort them. For a moment, this scene was even livelier than the farmers’ markets before George crossed over. A few little kids, perhaps not understanding much, stood there blinking and looking around.

Facing such a chaotic scene, George felt that if he left now, more trouble might arise. After watching Green tie up these lawbreakers one by one, George gathered his energy in his dantian and shouted loudly, “Everyone, be quiet…”

Perhaps George’s voice was loud enough, or perhaps the authority he had gained as an Acting Lord over the years took effect. These old, weak, women, and children were truly stunned by him. For a moment, the scene was completely silent. All the old and young people stared at George without blinking.

“Cough! Cough!” Feeling the time was right, George cleared his throat and said seriously, “Among these people who came into the alley to snatch the girl, one might be a Noble. Therefore, this matter cannot be handled by you yourselves. Choose one of you who runs fast. Go quickly to the Carola District and call the Guards. By the way, if they ask, just say that Lord Bolerum and Green from the Farnsworth family are here handling an incident where an exiled Noble tried to snatch a commoner girl.”

After giving the orders, a ten-year-old boy was quickly chosen from the crowd. An adult, likely his mother, said a few words to him, and then the boy took off running at full speed. This sent a cloud of dust into the air that had just become clean.

George could not help but think to himself about the people’s actions here, “Making such a young child run to report? Although it’s not true that a boy without hair on his lips is unreliable, one should never take chances. If that kid fails to explain things clearly to the Guards, I’ll be the one left to clean up the mess in the end.”

Of course, if George had spoken his dissatisfaction out loud, the others would not have cared much. But since he had done a good deed, he wanted them to spread the word for him. Complaining now might make some petty person among them exaggerate and add unnecessary details. He had gone through so much trouble for this; he did not want his efforts to be in vain.

George’s thoughts were not without basis. Before he crossed over, his distant aunt was the best example. For many years, she could be described as diligent and hardworking. When both of her brother’s parents died, as the eldest sister-in-law, she raised her younger siblings. Unfortunately, her mouth was too sharp; she would argue even when she was right and never let things go. As a result, her ten merits were recorded as less than three by others. Later, her relationship with her own relatives was not very harmonious. So, from a young age, her parents used her as an example to educate the original Li Desheng, making George particularly sensitive to such matters today.

Feeling bored, George looked around and noticed the young woman who had been disheveled and covered in dust earlier. She had now tidied herself up a bit and was presentable. Overall, although her figure was hidden under the loose clothes, her face could only be described as quite nice.

Her large eyes, perhaps because she was still shaken, seemed to flicker, but they were also bright and clear. Her face had soft lines, paired with a small nose and chubby lips, making her look sweet. However, due to lack of nutrition and hard work, her skin was not only dry and rough but also dull. Of course, this was not a big problem. Once she was raised in a wealthy family for a year or so, it could be mostly solved. If that did not work, she could spend some money to hire a Priest from the Temple of the Lady of Love. Even if all these were done, the girl showing off a bit of charm before George could at most be compared to Ilena.

“I say, the one from the Ignatius family, could it be that after years of indulgence, she got sick during her escape? As the saying goes, ‘A sow looks like a fairy after three years of soldiering.’ This guy was just holding back for too long and his brain was filled with lust, forcing the issue. Otherwise, judging from the little woman’s behavior now, spending a few Gold Coins would surely allow him to take her home smoothly.” Turning around, George looked at the ‘Baron Ignatius’ lying on the ground like a dead pig. While he felt contempt, there was also a hint of pity in his eyes.

At this time, Green also used the excuse of comforting the victim to chat with the young woman. Bards, in a sense, were all playboys or public lovers. In matters of women, they indeed had their own unique methods. Just look, in a short while, he had made the young woman, who was still a bit panicked earlier, smile. Then, she even showed a shy expression.

“Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!” The sound of relatively neat footsteps came, and these must be the Guards from the city arriving.

When the group of five arrived at the scene, the leader walked to the center and asked, “May I ask, who is Lord Bolerum?”

“I am!” George, understanding the procedure, stepped forward first.

The leader bowed and asked, “Then, are these four lying on the ground…”

“They are Exiled Nobles from somewhere. As soon as they arrived in Karada, they started doing this.” George shrugged, pretending that encountering this matter was purely accidental.

The Guard looked a bit awkward: “But this might be difficult to handle!”

After glancing at Green, George said, “It’s fine. We will go with these four and the victim to the City Guard Station.”

“That is truly too much gratitude.” The Guard looked as if he had met a savior.

Volume 3