174: refugee group

Chapter 172: Refugee Group

On the way back, Godwin instructed Philip to gather information among the refugees.

This water bandit, who came from a poor fisherman's family, quickly befriended several young people among the refugees, thanks to his natural affinity with the common folk.

Those young people, who didn't even have shoes, looked at the warrior before them, riding a magnificent horse, clad in armor, and carrying a sharp blade, their eyes full of envy.

Moreover, they had all witnessed Philip's heroic and refreshing attitude as he rode his horse and slew enemies.

Finally, a young man couldn't help but ask, "Your attire must cost a lot of money, right?"

"That's natural," Philip replied with a hint of pride, "This horse is a fine specimen from a Calimshan ranch.

"And the equipment I'm wearing is all custom-made."

A woman nearby couldn't resist reaching out to touch Philip's fur coat, genuinely exclaiming, "This clothing is truly wonderful.

"So beautiful—where we come from, only a Knight Lord is fit to wear something like this."

As soon as she spoke, the young people gathered around immediately erupted in chatter, eagerly asking Philip if he was a knight.

"A knight? Oh, no, I'm no knight," Philip waved his hand, "I'm just a commoner.

"You might not believe it, but a month ago, I was still a slave."

This conversation attracted the man wearing a bird-beak hat.

He slowly rode his old horse over to Philip.

Compared to Philip's magnificent steed, his old horse looked pitifully shabby.

"Buddy, there's a limit to bragging, isn't there?" He grinned, with a hint of mockery, "What sense of accomplishment can there be in tricking these naive country folk?"

Philip looked up at him.

He was a scrawny man, exuding a thuggish aura.

His hair was casually tied back with a coarse leather string, a few strands falling across his forehead, with bits of grass and dried blood clinging to the ends.

His clothes were patched all over, yet the light crossbow on his back was polished to a shine.

Even more striking was the so-called crown hanging from his waist.

It was made of a rusty iron ring strung with seven inconspicuous badges.

Having once been a bandit, Philip immediately recognized the other's identity.

"If you don't believe me, I can certainly show you my pardon," Philip retorted impolitely, "Since we're both in the same line of work, why don't you state your name?"

Gasco didn't get angry, still cheerfully replying, "They all call me 'Garbage King'."

Philip merely shrugged, indicating he had never heard of that name.

Facing Philip's reaction, this mountain bandit was quite nonchalant.

He then asked, "Who was so kind as to pardon someone like you?"

Philip immediately sat up straight, puffed out his chest, and replied with a serious expression, "It was the Divine Envoy of Mother Earth, the Son of the Wolf, and Lord Arthur Glamorgan, the Baron of Qingfeng Valley."

"Ah~ So it's a noble!" Gasco's tone instantly filled with disdain.

His attitude angered Philip.

Just as the water bandit was about to teach this scoundrel a lesson, a commanding voice suddenly came from behind them.

"That's right, he is a noble. What? In your opinion, nobles can't do such things?"

Everyone turned around to see Godwin riding his horse forward.

Compared to Philip, his aura of authority was clearly more pronounced.

His expression and demeanor made it obvious to anyone that he was a ruthless individual who would whip serfs severely.

"No, Your Excellency, I absolutely did not mean that," Gasco quickly explained, "I just feel that nobles wouldn't pardon criminals like us for no reason.

"I'm just curious, what price did you pay to receive such a pardon?"

"Price? I went from being a slave to a free man, and I got a good horse and good equipment—that's the 'price' I paid," Philip replied coldly.

However, the mountain bandit Gasco clearly didn't believe these words were true.

The smile on his face grew wider: "This is absolutely ridiculous, buddy!

"Do you know? When you join the army in Amn, you have to buy your own equipment.

"No noble would be kind enough to provide such good things for a criminal."

"You should go out more and see the world," Godwin said with a mocking tone, "But I suppose a bandit's life probably won't broaden your horizons."

Gasco finally dropped the smile from his face and said stiffly, "Say whatever you want, no one will believe such nonsense anyway." Godwin gave Philip a look, and the two immediately rode off to meet with Bruce.

"Sir, I've already spoken with that dwarf, Bart," Bruce reported immediately upon seeing them, "Most of these refugees are from the Amn border."

"So, it seems the orcs have advanced further," Godwin mused.

"You're right," Bruce nodded, continuing, "The allied army was soundly defeated by the orcs a week ago, and the borders of the Stag Earl's territory and the Evil Wolf Earl's territory have almost entirely fallen.

"Now large numbers of refugees are fleeing west and south.

"Bart said that as they traveled south, the group grew larger and larger, with over five hundred people at its peak.

"But along the way, some died of illness, some were killed by bandits, and others chose to leave midway. By the time they got here, only about a hundred people were left.

"And most of the remaining people are from near Anvil Town."

"Anvil Town?" Godwin stroked the stubble on his chin, his brows slightly furrowed, "That's an important town on the border of the Evil Wolf Earl's territory. Damn it, it seems the allied army's collapse was faster than we expected.

"Bruce, did they say where they plan to go next?"

"They plan to go to Tethyr."

Godwin couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "They'll have a long journey ahead of them.

"I don't think they'll make it that far."

"I've already advised Bart," Bruce added, "Tethyr has just gone through a civil war, and the situation is already unstable.

"Moreover, the people there have always been xenophobic, and I don't think they will treat refugees well."

"So what did he say?"

"He didn't say anything explicitly, but I could tell he was already somewhat wavering."

"Well done, my friend," Godwin nodded approvingly, "We need to find a way to incorporate these people.

"To strengthen our convoy."

After spending these days together, Godwin's attitude towards Bruce had changed significantly.

He gradually understood why Jessica had left Bruce with him.

Bruce was not only a capable commander but also a leader who could unite people.

Godwin didn't want to use a villain's mindset to speculate on Jessica's intentions.

In his opinion, Jessica leaving her most capable subordinate might have been to show her sincerity and put him at ease;

But it was also possible that she simply wanted to leave him with someone useful.

However, his past unpleasant experiences and habits formed since childhood made it difficult for him to completely let down his guard.

Godwin quickly reined in his wandering thoughts and turned to Philip, asking, "Did you find out anything on your end?"

Philip immediately replied, "That fellow named Gasco is with the 'Scrap Army'."

"That bandit group active in the Stag Earl's territory?" Bruce asked.

"That's right," Philip nodded, then continued, "I used to hear bards talk about these people.

"They usually operate under the banner of 'robbing the rich to help the poor' and are quite popular among the impoverished.

"But they also plunder small merchants and small estate owners.

"That bard said they were like a pack of rats, grabbing whatever they could.

"So the nobles call them 'Scrap-men'."

"Interesting," Godwin turned to glance at Gasco not far away, saying, "We happen to be short on combat personnel right now.

"If we can recruit these people, the convoy will be safer.

"Bruce, what do you think?"

Bruce pondered for a moment and said, "Let me go and make contact with them first.

"Let's see if these people truly have the potential to become qualified warriors."

"I should warn you, my friend, that fellow named Gasco doesn't have a good impression of nobles," Godwin said.

Bruce smiled faintly and replied, "That's good then, I don't like nobles either.

"Of course, with the exception of Lord Arthur."

"I'll go with you, old man," Philip immediately said, "I don't like that kid.

"If he dares to insult Lord Arthur again, I'll have to beat him up!"