211: Fresh blood

Chapter 208: Fresh Blood

Everything was new to Philip.

Since escorting the Refugees to Mist Town, he had been wandering around the town.

In his opinion, this town was not a good place.

Decay and dilapidation filled every corner.

But he could feel the hope in the hearts of the Townspeople.

He came this time for two reasons: first, to see this liberated small town with his own eyes so he could report back to Godwin.

Second, he brought those important documents.

Since Newt was still discussing the reconstruction of the convoy with Godwin, the task of escorting these important documents fell to him.

Before nightfall, he saw the triumphant returning army.

His Lord was naturally the greatest hero.

Philip had seen similar sights before.

However, each time he felt immense pride.

As one of the first to join Arthur’s team, he was personally received by Arthur.

The Baron of Qingfeng Valley warmly embraced the Water Thief he hadn't seen in a long time, which gave Philip a lot of face and affirmed his identity.

“Is Mr. Godwin doing well?” Arthur asked the Water Thief.

“Very well, Sir works all day,” Philip replied.

“Come, let's have dinner together and talk while we eat.”

During dinner, under Arthur's introduction, Philip met the original leaders of Mist Town.

After some pleasantries, he, Arthur, and Louis sat together.

Those documents, and the most important will, were handed over to Louis.

The Guild Manager carefully secured these items on his person and had Scorpion Tail and Snake Eye guard him closely.

Then, he suggested to Arthur, “My Lord, Lanny and I discussed it.”

“We believe all these properties should belong to you.”

Arthur frowned slightly upon hearing this, questioning, “Then what difference is there between me and Joshua?”

“No, My Lord, please let us explain,” Lanny said softly, “As the Baron of Qingfeng Valley.”

“You inherently own all the assets of Qingfeng Valley.”

“Every inch of land, every tree, every deer here is yours.”

“So this is completely different from Joshua’s forceful seizure.”

“Legally, you are completely in the right.”

Arthur interrupted, “Even so, will the Townspeople agree?”

“They detest Joshua and the Little Finger Merchant Guild.”

“If I do the same thing as them, they will be greatly disappointed, won't they?”

Lanny unhurriedly explained, “It is completely reasonable for you to have such concerns.”

“Owned properties will naturally be returned, but they must pass through your hands, not Fool’s.”

“Everyone must understand that these properties were reclaimed by you for them.”

“At the same time, you must also let them know that everything in Qingfeng Valley belongs to you.”

“Therefore, unowned properties and properties of guilty individuals will belong to you.”

Arthur considered this proposal.

This was equivalent to confiscating everyone's assets.

Except he was the 'public' in this case.

This was similar to the decrees issued by nobles in eastern Amn within their territories.

Some extreme nobles even wanted to levy air taxes and sunlight taxes on commoners.

The law they relied on was that everything within their territory belonged to them, the ruler.

In this way, the distribution of assets would all be decided by Arthur alone.

The downside was that commoners would lose their motivation to strive for advancement.

After all, no matter how hard they worked, what they owned would not truly be theirs.

Philip listened quietly, and seeing Arthur lost in thought, he spoke, “Mr. Godwin also seemed to have proposed this plan.”

Arthur was drawn by his words and asked, “He also thinks this plan is feasible?”

“Yes,” Philip nodded, “However, he believes you would not agree.”

“So he didn't elaborate.”

“My Lord, in this way, we can also reclaim those other lands in your name,” Louis added.

This was perhaps what Louis and the others wanted most.

They lacked a reason to reclaim the assets acquired by the Little Finger Merchant Guild.

“Alright, let's do it this way,” Arthur said, “However, this plan needs to be carefully drafted, and the details confirmed.”

“Since Godwin also agrees, Louis, you can communicate with him and discuss it.”

Seeing Arthur agree, Louis and the others were very happy.

In this way, they could smoothly start their work.

After handling this matter, Arthur asked Philip to introduce the situation of the newly arrived Refugees.

Arthur was very pleased when Philip mentioned that there were blacksmiths and beast tamers among the Refugees.

He asked Philip to bring those people to meet him after dinner.

So, after dinner, Bart the dwarf and his family, as well as the two horse thieves, came.

After talking, Arthur learned that Bart and his family were all blacksmiths.

Arthur then directly gave them the town's blacksmith shop.

Bart and his family were very grateful for this, stating that they would reopen the blacksmith shop as soon as possible.

As for the two horse thieves, they continuously flattered Arthur upon meeting him.

Arthur assigned them to Old Hutu's command.

Conveniently, the rabbit-man doctor was currently very short-staffed.

He focused on treating the wounded.

The task of raising animals could only be done as best as possible.

As the horse thieves were leaving, Arthur suddenly called out to them and asked, “Have you ever tamed Axebeaks before?”

Bill immediately replied, “Of course, My Lord.”

“Although Calimshan people raise them more, there are also many people who raise them in the territory of the Earl of Bulls.”

“Then what advantages do you think Axebeaks have compared to horses?”

Bill put away his fawning demeanor.

He thought seriously for a moment and replied, “In my opinion, Axebeaks are not as fast as warhorses.”

“However, they are more agile, and easier to raise than horses.”

“These guys eat almost anything.”

“Yes,” Holland interjected, “They eat insects too. Calimshan people raise a kind of plump grub.”

“They feed these grubs to Axebeaks as treats.”

Bill nudged his companion with his elbow, probably expressing his displeasure at being interrupted.

He continued, “Additionally, if trained well, Axebeaks are excellent war beasts.”

“They are very dangerous on the battlefield, especially for soldiers without armor.”

“Then, in your opinion, should we focus on horses or Axebeaks here?”

“My Lord, that's hard to say,” Bill admitted, “We just arrived today.”

“We haven't had a good look around this place yet. How about you give us some time?”

“Then we'll give you an answer?”

“Alright, I also have a Dire Wolf pup here. Can you tame it?”

“Dire Wolf?” Holland's eyes widened, “No problem, My Lord.”

“We can tame anything, the more dangerous the better.”

Seeing the other party speak so confidently, Arthur became interested in these two.

“Don't boast. Dire Wolves are the war beasts of the Evil Wolf Family, and how to tame them has always been a secret.”

Holland patted his chest and said, “My Lord, don't worry.”

“My brother and I were born in the colony of Chult.”

“What isn't there? We've even trained Dire Wolves.”

“Good, then let me see your skills.”

“You just wait for good news,” the two horse thieves said in unison.