116: The power of unity

Chapter 115: Uniting All Possible Forces

The conversation with the Sheriff ultimately ended on a sour note, but Arthur didn't take it to heart.

His most urgent task now was to quickly investigate the hidden power beneath the local church.

Besides the church matter, he also had another important mission: to unite all forces that could be united.

So, he instructed Old Joe and Flora to walk around the village and inquire about the town's recent situation.

Although Heir had already told him a lot of inside information, Arthur wanted to know the townspeople's true attitude towards them, the outsiders, even more.

This would facilitate his next plan.

The two children of the former Town Chief were clearly worth winning over.

Ismark Lovich was an energetic young man, very different from most of the town's residents.

He was full of hope, and what he talked about most was fulfilling his father's last wish—to protect Mist Town well.

He arranged rooms for Arthur and his group on the first floor of the mansion.

The mansion was large enough for each of them to have their own private room.

According to Ismark, this luxurious two-story mansion was built by a commander from Amn.

At that time, Marcus had not yet become a monster, and his brutal rule not only attracted the condemnation of aspiring individuals but also caused the local old forces to defect to Amn.

This allowed Amn to legitimately send troops to conquer.

It was in Mist Town that various factions gathered to jointly defeat Marcus.

And as a crucial gateway, Mist Town also developed rapidly during that period.

Later, after Marcus became a monster and defeated the allied forces, and Amn's expeditionary force completely withdrew from Qingfeng Valley.

This building became the residence of Marcus's minions until Stepan Lovich reclaimed it.

“So, the current Town Chief is Sheriff Gray?”

Arthur asked Ismark.

“Yes, Your Excellency, my father appointed the Sheriff as Town Chief before his death,” the young man replied, “I know his attitude is very bad,

but please don't take it to heart.

“His son—his poor son—died in the attack.”

Arthur waved his hand after hearing this and said, “I am not the kind of noble you imagine.

“I am not here to contend for any administrative power.

“Our biggest enemies now are the undead, not our own people.”

“Of—course.” Ismark nodded, subconsciously glancing at his sister.

Clearly, the young man had not expected this Baron to be so magnanimous.

Arthur stood up from his seat and paced around the room.

“I heard from Miss Heir about that night's attack; besides various undead, there were also beastmen?”

“Yes, a group of werewolves attacked us during the chaos.” Ismark's voice was agitated, “They killed my father!”

Arthur, upon hearing this, asked in confusion, “I thought werewolves were fighting vampires.”

Heir took over the explanation: “Not all beastmen are fighting vampires for hunting grounds.

“There's a group calling themselves the Forsaken of the Night who have been roaming Qingfeng Valley,

“as long as they can gain enough profit, they can work for anyone.”

“Like mercenaries?”

“You could say that.”

Arthur nodded, “So, someone hired these werewolves to kill your father in that night's attack?”

“Yes, if it weren't for Heir's magic,” Ismark looked at his sister, “we probably wouldn't have survived.”

“Then do you know who is behind this series of attacks?”

Ismark immediately said loudly, “Who else could it be? Naturally, the Kandy family!

“They've long wanted to rule Mist Town.

“Moreover, the strange mists appear frequently, yet their plantation is safe and sound.”

Compared to her impetuous brother, Heir was much calmer.

She reminded him, “Don't jump to conclusions.

“Although the Kandy family is highly suspicious, they are our important food suppliers.

“And father and the Sheriff once investigated their manor, but found nothing.”

A silence fell over the room.

Both young people looked at Arthur, the outsider.

Clearly, they hoped that this priest, who could disperse the mist, could offer some good ideas.

Arthur was also thinking rapidly at this moment.

He didn't have much time left, and his subordinates, with whom he could discuss matters, were not by his side.

If Godwin, Jessica, and others were here now, they would surely be able to formulate a detailed response plan.

After a moment of thought, Arthur spoke, “We don't have many allies left now.

“Since your father passed away, the Night Alliance has disbanded.

“Its members are scattered, and even if we could find them, they might not return.

“So, we can only rely on ourselves.

“I plan to bring all my people into Qingfeng Valley to ensure we have enough combat personnel.

“But what I'm worried about is that doing so will cause resentment among the local residents, further exacerbating internal conflicts.”

After Arthur finished speaking, he looked at the other two, seeking their opinions.

Ismark frowned, thinking was never his strong suit.

Heir, however, lowered her head in thought for a moment, then asked, “How many people do you have, approximately?”

“Around sixty people.” Arthur replied, “Men, women, old and young can all fight.”

Heir analyzed, “Currently, there are about two hundred residents left in Mist Town, with about one hundred capable of fighting.

“Among them, about twenty-odd support us, about thirty-odd support Joshua, and the rest all support Gray,

“so we must get the Sheriff on our side.

“This way, internal conflicts will be greatly reduced, at least to a controllable range.”

Arthur nodded, “It seems I still need to talk to that Sheriff again.”

“Please give Gray some time, Baron.” Heir said, “He will understand; he is not an unreasonable person.”

At this point, Heir seemed to suddenly remember something and asked again, “You're going to the church, aren't you?”

Seeing Arthur nod, she said to her brother, “Gather everyone, let's go to the church too.

“It's a good opportunity for the Baron to personally answer their questions. What do you think, Baron?”

Arthur thought for a moment and agreed to the decision.

Thus, they split into two groups and began to act.

Arthur walked out the door and approached Drax, who was standing on the street.

The Orc carried an axe and eyed every passing townsperson with fierce gaze.

“These people have no fighting spirit.” Drax said to Arthur, “They don't even dare to approach me, let alone challenge me.” Arthur responded, “It's already remarkable that they can still pick up weapons after losing nearly half of their compatriots.

“Don't be too harsh on them; anyone living in a place like this wouldn't have high fighting spirit.”

Drax put away his axe and asked, “Are we going somewhere?

“Yes, accompany me to the church.”

“Understood, Lord. But I don't agree with what you just said.”

“Oh?” Arthur looked curiously at this usually taciturn guard, “Why?”

“They are fighting for their lives, their homes, and their loved ones.” The Orc explained, “Shouldn't they fight to the death?”

“It's difficult for people to rise again from one defeat after another, and that's precisely what we're going to do next.” Arthur said.