Chapter 20: Discussion

“Lord, Lord Val hopes you will go to the Mayor’s house. There are some matters there that require your presence to handle.”

George had some doubts: “Oh, just me alone?”

That short-haired Guard thought for a moment and then replied: “Lord Val only mentioned you, but I think it would be better to bring a few others along.”

George first looked at the freight carriage under the blazing sun. The wounded gathered in twos and threes, on and off the cart, were sweating profusely in the hot afternoon sun.

George shouted loudly to Anson at his side: “Arrange for someone to go into the town to buy a Wagon later. I saw some in the town before; after what happened last night, there should be extra ones for many Caravans. Exposure to the blazing sun isn’t good for the recovery of injuries.”

“I understand, I’ll do it right away,” Anson responded.

George turned his head and said to Hiren: “Let’s go, let’s go together.”

“That works too; I haven’t seen Father since early this morning,” Hiren smiled.

“Oh! Was Mr. Val not in the camp so early? Hiren, I think he should be happy to see you as you are now.”

George responded to Hiren perfunctorily, but in his heart, he was thinking: “What exactly is the matter that would keep Knight Val away from the camp during the rest period after the team was attacked? It looks like he mostly suspects something about last night’s raid.”

The two walked out of the camp together, and a strong smell of blood mixed with the stench of corpses assailed their nostrils. On the square, the Human corpses had already been collected, but the bodies of those invaders were still scattered here and there on the ground. The houses nearby were all more or less damaged; some had walls and wooden structures scorched by fire, while others were earth-and-stone houses smashed into potholes.

Seeing this situation, George shook his head and thought, “When we meet later, I should still suggest that the Mayor quickly arrange for people to deal with the corpses in the town. The repair of houses and such can be put off, but in this hot weather, the bodies will start to stink in no time. If it causes a plague, that would be even worse. As the Mayor, there is no reason he wouldn’t know this; is he held up by other matters or what?”

After walking to the wealthy district, they found that the situation here was much better. Not only was there not much damage, but even the two houses that were smashed last night had already received simple repairs.

Hiren blurted out: “The gap between these two sides is really too big; won’t it cause dissatisfaction among others?”

“No, it won’t. The main reason the wealthy district can maintain its current state is probably because it didn’t suffer a large-scale attack. You and I might know why this is so in our hearts, but the other poor people might not necessarily be clear about it. Without anyone guiding them, most of the poor would attribute all this to an invisible and intangible fate.” George paused for a moment and then continued, “You think without the help of the wealthy district, the corpses on the square would be so easy to clean up. When the poor are in their most difficult time, these people can then donate some wealth to help them tide over the difficulties. This can basically resolve all potential conflicts. I am used to classifying this as a dynamic balance; it is the embodiment of wisdom on this Continent for many years.”

“Is it really like that?” Hiren lowered his head and fell into thought.

Before transmigrating, if someone asked George what he thought was the most important course he studied in middle school? George wouldn’t even have to think; he would definitely choose politics class. The extensive worldview, methodology, and brief introduction to dialectics in the politics class of his previous life’s middle school were extremely important to George. It was a crucial part for recognizing society and understanding the world. In America, these things could only be accessed in master’s degree or higher courses at the law schools of prestigious universities. In a certain sense, informing children during the critical period of their worldview formation that: “The state is a tool for the class that occupies a dominant economic position to exercise class rule. Class nature is the fundamental attribute of the state.”—whether the place that teaches this theory should be considered enlightened or cruel is hard to say.

While thinking, George and Hiren had already walked outside the wall of the Mayor’s house. A servant who had been waiting for a long time led the two of them into the courtyard. Walking along the path paved with common white gravel, there were trimmed lawns on both sides of the road. The trees and shrubs in the garden were planted in flower beds built with gray mud bricks, and the outer edge of the garden was surrounded by a wall as high as a person, brushed with lime. Different from yesterday, the inside and outside of the courtyard seemed a bit messy today; the ivy-like plant on the wall had been pulled down in a large patch and lay on the ground, and the grass on the ground was also bent over from being trampled.

The walls of the house were built with ordinary gray bricks, but large polished square stones were used for the foundation and edges. The open wooden-framed windows were no different from ordinary people’s homes, but the painted iron railings inside the windows and the window shutters woven from flax or some other plant fiber on the frames proved that the owner here was a person of status and position. Although this style seemed a bit outdated now, it indeed couldn’t be maintained without certain financial resources.

Although largely the same, through slight differences in details, the Mayor’s family distinguished their house from most of the houses in the wealthy district of the town, yet without appearing too conspicuous.

Stepping through the door, one could discover that the large rectangular dining table was gone from the hall of the house, replaced by more than ten armchairs placed in a circle. The armchairs were woven from sturdy yet lightweight rattan, and on the rattan chairs were thickly padded, fluffy cushions filled with woolen fabric.

The people in the hall had arrived quite completely; not only Mr. Val and the Mayor but also most of the group that had appeared at the banquet that day. Even Thomas, who was drunk before, was now sitting bored on the chair, looking around. Most people sat together with their acquaintances, whispering to each other from time to time.

Seeing George and Hiren enter, Mr. Mayor first stood up, clapped his hands, and said: “Alright, everyone, quiet down. Today’s protagonist has arrived.”

Under the Mayor’s guidance, George sat in the empty position in the center of the circle, while Hiren did not find a seat to sit down; he stood like a Guard at the diagonal rear of George’s seat. Seeing this situation, Knight Val secretly nodded.

“First, we must thank Lord Bolerum and his Caravan for the help they gave our town during last night’s attack. Without them, I’m afraid everyone present wouldn’t be able to sit here today.”

The Mayor saw that his speech caused a commotion among most of the people present. So he waved his hand and said: “Alright, alright, be quiet. Let our Patrolman Mr. Kule report on the casualties of the town last night.”

Patrolman Mr. Kule, who was still bandaged all over, stood up straight at once; with his groomed appearance, he looked nothing like the wretched state of last night: “This morning, we collected a total of four hundred and eighty-two bodies scattered in the town. Among them, four hundred and thirty-three were claimed; the rest, apart from eighteen that could not be identified, were all from passing Caravans and Adventurers.”

The confirmed death of over four hundred and thirty people was indeed a large number; everyone present couldn’t help but be stunned upon hearing it. Even George and the others, who had experienced that battle, didn’t expect the casualties to be so high. According to this data, the town lost at least one-fifth of its population due to last night’s attack. In fact, the final result would only be more, not less. In other words, without an influx of outside population, this town would take at least thirty years to recover.

Seeing this, the Mayor waved his hand to signal the patrolman to continue speaking.

The patrolman paused, seeming to have difficulty speaking: “After last night’s attack, only two people remain in the town’s Militia. The Guards and officers sent by the capital also all died in battle, and even the Security Officer Dako died in his own home. The town now has absolutely no ability to defend itself.”

Upon receiving this news, all the residents of Greywood Town present exploded into an uproar.

Understanding this situation, George immediately thought, “Doesn’t that mean the entire town will be defenseless from now on? If there are other bandit groups nearby, such a defenseless town would be a delicious piece of fat meat. It shouldn’t be the case; the Duchy internally should have methods to deal with this situation. However, with a situation like this, no matter how prepared they are, there must be a reaction time. Moreover, the Duchy hasn’t heard of such things for many years, so it should take a while; by then, it might be too late. Then the main purpose of today’s gathering is probably pretty certain.”

“Quiet down, quiet down. Don’t panic; aren’t we gathering now just to let everyone think of a suitable solution together?” Seeing this situation, the Mayor immediately displayed his skill in maintaining stability, “Kule, you should already have a way, right! If you have one, say it quickly, don’t make everyone feel uneasy.”

George couldn’t help but complain in his heart, “Is this the posture of revealing his true intention?”

The patrolman paused for a moment and then continued: “In fact, this morning I already sent people to the nearest town and Knight’s Manor to seek help. But based on my understanding of the Duchy’s troop movements, if everything goes smoothly, the emergency reinforcements will arrive within two to three days. As for the long-term garrison troops, I’m afraid they will have to wait until replacement officials are selected to come over together. That will probably take about half a month to a month.”

George could tell that the Mayor was obviously performing a double act with the patrolman: “The matter of the garrison troops is still very early, so let’s not consider it for now, but the accommodation, food, and even the military pay for the reinforcements probably need to be prepared early. And also—”

“What! The reinforcements actually need military pay? What is going on? The town is like this now, where would the money come from?” A clearly discordant exclamation came from the crowd, interrupting the Mayor’s words. The Mayor’s expression stiffened, and his face turned slightly green.

George laughed secretly in his heart, “They didn’t rehearse or communicate beforehand? Or is that guy’s acting good to a certain level? But judging by the Mayor’s level, it’s mostly the former.”

The patrolman hurriedly came to smooth things over: “Of course they need military pay; they are just Militia from nearby Knight’s Manors or towns. Perhaps there might be some Mercenaries too. But except for the Mercenaries’ part, the other military pay can be paid in installments with our town’s credit. After all, everyone is not far away, and maybe they will need our help in the future too.”

The Mayor continued speaking: “Everything else is actually not urgent, so the most important thing right now is to solve the problem of how to survive these two or three days before the reinforcements arrive.”

As soon as the voice fell, the town representatives present all focused their gazes on George and his group.

“Sure enough, here it comes?” George thought in his heart.