34: Meeting in the military camp (Thanks to Yufengzhiyu|||||| for the recommendation vote)

“I can tell you really like this axe,” Arthur said to the orc who was constantly swinging his weapon.

Drax paused his movements, neatly reined in his momentum, and turned around. “Yes, Lord, I need to get used to it as soon as possible.”

“Has Newt returned?”

“You mean that half-elf boy? He’s been back for a while.”

“Good. Get the horses ready. I have something to do later.”

The orc nodded, put the axe into its custom-made beast hide sheath, and turned to walk towards the stables.

As soon as Arthur entered the warehouse, Newt came forward. “Lord, the letter has been delivered. The Sheriff told me to tell you that she wants to meet with you.”

“When and where?”

“She said at lunchtime, at the military camp.”

Arthur nodded, took a copper key from the leather pouch at his waist, and handed it to Newt. “I have a small building in the Upper City.

“It has red bricks and green tiles; it’s very noticeable. You should recognize it at a glance. Take some people over to tidy it up. You can stay there for now.”

Newt took the key, bowed, and left.

Arthur walked to the makeshift desk made of boxes and picked up the six written declarations.

Catherine’s efficiency was indeed high; the six declarations were written so quickly, and the titles and signatures even used the ornate script common among nobles.

He quickly scanned them; the content was fine.

Arthur had originally intended to go to the city hall himself to restore the six slaves’ free commoner status.

But now, he had a more suitable candidate.

So, he took the declarations and the six individuals’ files and found Godwin, who was still deep in thought in the small house.

Ever since he had shown this exiled noble some of the ideas from five thousand years of Chinese civilization, he had been like this.

This couldn’t be blamed on him; Amn’s founding was only about a thousand years ago, having gone through three dynastic changes.

Information about the First Dynasty was severely lacking, so naturally, there was no talk of cultural inheritance or advanced thought.

Therefore, the various theoretical ideas Arthur proposed greatly shocked Godwin’s heart.

Seeing the young Lord come in with a pile of things, Bard quickly stepped forward to help.

“Take these things to the city hall and have the High Judge handle them,” Arthur instructed.

Godwin came back to his senses, reached out, took a declaration, and looked at it, praising, “Good handwriting!

“But Lord, are you sure you want to grant these slaves their freedom now?

“Why not wait until we reach the borders of Qingfeng Valley? That way, it would also eliminate any thoughts of them escaping.”

“Trust those you use; do not use those you distrust,” Arthur replied. “How can you get things done if you’re constantly guarding against this and that?

“Read their files carefully. These people all have impressive ‘achievements.’ You’ll probably have to put in some effort to get the High Judge to process them.”

Godwin nodded thoughtfully and began to study the files seriously.

Seeing this, Bard clicked his tongue in wonder, having never seen his nephew so compliant and obedient.

If Arthur handled this himself, there would be no difficulty. But if it were Godwin, it would be uncertain.

The reason for this was that Arthur wanted to see how much real ability his new subordinate possessed.

After explaining this matter, Arthur then asked Bard about Olaf and the others’ situation.

“Sigh, Young Master, I’m getting fed up with these sycophants. They’re arrogant and vulgar, and they spend our money on revelry all day long.

“According to custom, they should have gone to pay respects to the Lord after disembarking, but they haven’t gone even today. How disrespectful!”

Bard began to complain incessantly.

Arthur interrupted him and asked, “Did they say when they would leave?”

“Let me think, uh… I did hear them mention it. Probably… probably tomorrow.

“Olaf said he’s going to the castle tomorrow to pay respects to the Earl, and then he’ll set off back to the capital after the audience.”

Then they probably won’t be able to go back, Arthur thought.

-----------------

On the way to the military camp, the orc leading the horse couldn’t help but ask Arthur, “Lord, why didn’t you let me go to the dock to keep an eye out too?”

“How many orcs have you seen on the streets since you came to Wolf Den City?” Arthur retorted.

The orc immediately understood and chuckled awkwardly. “I really hadn’t thought of that.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be of great use soon.”

Due to Drax’s identity, he couldn’t enter the military camp, so Arthur had to ride in by himself.

His father told him that Robert was still forming a small team and would probably only be able to depart tomorrow.

Since most of the soldiers had been taken to the border to fight the orcs by Arthur’s elder brother, Robert, there weren’t many soldiers left in the city.

Warden Robert had to consider the safety of other trade routes, the safety of the city, and finally, arrange for the guards and security for the temple inauguration ceremony.

So, forming an elite team was more time-consuming and arduous than he had imagined.

Arthur came for this reason as well; he increasingly felt that the bandits who had appeared outside the city were not simple brigands.

He had to ensure that the team he led was reliable enough.

“Ah~ my dear nephew.” Robert signaled Arthur to wait a moment.

He quickly signed two battle reports, handed them to his attendant, and instructed, “Send these to the Earl.”

Only after the attendant left did he exhale and say, “I heard from the Earl that you decided to go suppress the bandits.

“Very good. The descendants of the Evil Wolf Family must go to the battlefield eventually. Practicing on these brigands will be good for you.”

Arthur didn’t mention his concerns to his uncle but instead asked, “How much do we know about these people?”

“According to the informant’s intelligence, they have about eleven or twelve people. Not many of them are skilled in combat, only six or seven.

“But to be safe, I plan to form a team of comparable size.”

Arthur frowned slightly and asked again, “Aside from this informant’s intelligence, have we sent out scouts to investigate these bandits?”

“Of course.” Warden Robert’s expression was somewhat displeased. “I am not those rookie commanders new to the battlefield, Arthur.”

“I’m not questioning you, Uncle, just trying to ensure everything is foolproof.”

Robert’s expression softened a little. “Come here, I’ll tell you something.”

Arthur rose from the sofa and came to the spacious wooden table.

Warden Robert fully unfolded the map on the table.

Then, pointing to Howling Mountain near Wolf Den City, he said, “According to the scouts’ report, these brigands are hiding in the mountains.

“Their numbers are about the same as what the informant said. Their equipment is crude, mostly axes, and no one was seen using bows and arrows.

“I know what you’re worried about, and I am too. But based on the current intelligence, these guys don’t seem to be hired by other families.”

Arthur was highly skeptical of this and changed the subject: “So who will be my second-in-command?”

“Walter, you should still remember him, right?”

Arthur nodded.

Walter was his swordmaster and a landed knight of the Evil Wolf Family.

Arthur trusted him in both character and ability.

Given the current shortage of personnel, Robert sending his own second-in-command to assist him meant Arthur couldn’t complain further.

“Don’t worry, I’ve also picked a few good men, all veterans who have been on the battlefield. They’re enough to deal with this group of brigands.”