Chapter 12

While Aurel was deep in thought, Moses had already returned. Gongsun Murong apologized to Aurel and then followed Moses out again.

"Master, they're all here, the wanted sand bandits, you..."

"Follow me." Gongsun Murong instructed, leading the way back to the inn, which was just one street away from the mayor's residence.

There were a total of twenty-five wanted notices, all for sand bandits.

Gongsun Murong took out the heads according to the descriptions. This was something he and Nalasha had started doing after hearing from adventurers that the heads of sand bandits could be exchanged for money.

The appearance of the ruins had made the sand bandits more rampant. Selling water, let alone asking for money from the sand bandits, would result in them killing you even if you gave them money to eat and drink.

Therefore, Gongsun Murong and his sister Nalasha collected the heads of every person they killed, waiting for the right opportunity to exchange them for money.

"All of these were taken down by you and Miss?" Moses looked at the heads, unable to stop trembling.

Gongsun Murong didn't explain, remaining calm and natural.

Moses found his own reason: "Alright, I understand. The sand bandits choose to act based on the strength of their opponents. Your appearance and looks are very deceptive. In the capital, we'll buy the Pact of Magic first, and I'll give my soul to you. That place where you store things is truly amazing."

"No, Nalasha doesn't want to spend money. We'll save it to build a larger estate. Then you can marry more wives and have more children, making it lively. Nalasha needs a home."

"Master... I..."

"Twenty-five wanted notices, three hundred and ninety people. Moses, you need to find a tool to help transport them to the mayor's residence. The mayor will classify the adventurers we killed as bad people, helping us clear our names. The heads of the sand bandits should be returned to the mayor. Hire a cart."

"Alright, I'll go." Moses didn't say anything more, agreeing and running downstairs.

It didn't take long for Moses to find a cart pulled by two horses. He acted as the driver, carefully placing each head on the cart, and said to Gongsun Murong, "Master, sit next to me."

"It's just a few steps. I'll walk. Dead people's heads are too scary. I, a kind person, can't bear to see blood."

"I absolutely agree with Master."

Indeed, it was just a few steps. The carriage went straight to the entrance of the banquet hall, and then Moses pushed the cart inside.

Nalasha was explaining to the mayor how she obtained the water. Countless tiny water droplets, each less than a millimeter in diameter, were flying in the air, forming various patterns, which she was introducing.

"Grandpa Aurel, this is the bad person. I remember him. He had twelve subordinates, pointing crossbows at me and Brother Murong, telling me to take off all my clothes. Could he even wear my clothes?" Nalasha suddenly pointed to one of the heads on the cart.

"Beast!" Aurel was furious when he heard this.

"Brother Murong said the same thing. Then he cut each of them over four thousand times, taking six days to kill them. They were really tough. By the second day, they begged me to give them a quick death. So I helped them by freezing the bleeding areas to prevent them from dying quickly, then thawing them and continuing to cut. Brother Murong said this was more exciting than taking off clothes."

"Right, right, Brother Murong is resourceful, hahaha." The mayor laughed heartily, feeling extremely pleased, and even the servants nearby felt relaxed.

After speaking, Aurel suddenly realized, a cart full of heads? He asked, "This is..."

Moses spoke up, "Your Excellency, the young lady mentioned earlier that the road to Qishui City was very peaceful, with no bad people appearing, and no danger encountered. It was a pure land. Isn't that strange? As a loyal servant, I must find out the reason to inform the young lady and Master."

"Did you find the reason?" Nalasha played along like a skilled actress.

"I did. I called Master out earlier because I found these sand bandit heads in the mayor's backyard. Miss, look, these are the wanted notices, twenty-five in total, three hundred and ninety people, not one more, not one less. What does this mean?"

"What?" Nalasha asked.

"Miss, you forgot. This means the peace we felt is due to the wise decisions and actions of the mayor."

"Ah? Brother Murong?" Nalasha was puzzled.

Gongsun Murong's lips moved, but only Nalasha could hear him. Then...

"Oh, right, Brother Murong, I remember now. It was really peaceful. I was puzzled at the time. Now I know. Grandpa Aurel was protecting us. He eliminated all the wanted sand bandits without affecting the normal operation of Qishui City. Grandpa Aurel, your wisdom outshines the sun, and your methods are as gentle as moonlight."

Nalasha blinked her charming big eyes, her gaze full of sincerity, making you feel guilty if you didn't believe her.

"Your Excellency, please forgive my sin. To show the young lady the fate of bad people, I brought the sand bandit heads into the hall without permission." Moses bowed his head in repentance.

Aurel's fists were tightly clenched, and he took several deep breaths, finally calming down.

He knew that from this moment on, Qishui City and its surroundings would enjoy at least ten years of peace. Twenty-five notorious sand bandit groups were completely wiped out, and the two children had also killed many greedy adventurers. They were like a heavy rain, washing away all the blood and evil.

Aurel wanted to laugh, happy about the future governance of the city; he also wanted to cry, saddened by human nature. A young boy and a young girl, selling water for a while. Good and evil, gain and loss, had become life-and-death choices for adventurers and sand bandits, indescribable and incomprehensible.

"Grandpa Aurel, Moses is my family. He made a mistake, please forgive him. Nalasha can make ice for you, can't she? You can store it in the cellar to preserve perishable items for a long time."

Nalasha's words woke the mayor from his thoughts. Ice began to form around her, solidifying into strong ice blocks, at least six cubic meters at a time, and she continued for twenty times before stopping.

"So tired, Grandpa Aurel. With so much ice, please store it well. It can last at least a year, for example, in..."

"At least five years. I'll put the ice in the deepest cellar, surrounded and covered with insulating materials to prevent it from melting quickly."

"Then I'll make more for you tomorrow."

"Man is never satisfied. I don't want to be a greedy sand bandit. When the sun is overhead tomorrow, I'll send a magic ship to take you to the capital."

Aurel declined Nalasha's offer to provide more ice.

He had never thought of using precious ice as a cold storage. Putting a few small ice cubes in drinks was the right way. The mayor's residence had hired mages, but the proud ones wouldn't specifically make ice for the mayor.

The banquet continued, and the mayor treated Gongsun Murong and Nalasha like his own juniors, teaching them.

He told them not to think they were very powerful and to learn to hide themselves deeper. When they reached the capital, they would find that geniuses were not valuable, especially with the existence of young geniuses in the capital's academy.

He also told them that even if others were not as strong as them, they would use other methods to calm their jealousy, so they needed to learn humility. Sometimes, appearing to suffer a loss would actually save them a lot of trouble.

There were also many people who seemed useless, and they should not hurt their self-esteem, as they might stab them in the back at a critical moment.

Gongsun Murong and Nalasha listened attentively, and the servants serving them were surprised by the mayor's sudden talkativeness.

"Now let's talk about the sand bandits." After imparting some social survival skills, Aurel pointed to the three hundred and ninety heads in the hall and changed the topic.

The servants and Moses were not used to having a pile of heads next to them, but the mayor and the siblings were indifferent, continuing to eat and drink.

"Grandpa Aurel, these are your harvest." Nalasha emphasized.

"Yes, they are my harvest, but they are also yours. Maintaining the peace of Qishui City is the mayor's responsibility. Eliminating the sand bandits can earn praise from the duchy, but it's just praise. Qishui City is a strategic location, and no matter how much praise I get, I can't leave."

Aurel explained his situation and added, "Thirty years ago, the previous mayor fled cowardly when the Ruye people invaded. The Ruye vanguard attacked other cities, and only a small part of the Ruye warriors came to Qishui City to hold it. Later, the mayor's family was killed by the duchy, and I took over. No one knows this place better than I do, and I will continue to guard it."

"Is it for glory?" Nalasha asked.

"No, only the worm-like nobles in the duchy put glory on their lips. I am for the common people they look down upon. They say I am a greedy and stingy mayor because I increased the luxury tax. Ha, everything produced in the desert, when processed and sold to the nobles, becomes a luxury." The mayor laughed.

"You must be very rich."

"Rich? No, I use most of the money I earn to equip the city's army. The Ruye people are unwilling to attack Qishui City. Qishui City has four million gold coins worth of strategic weapons, three million gold coins worth of regular army, and four million gold coins worth of underground fortresses. I also need to keep some money to hire adventurers and mages to help me fight, as well as to pay the duchy's nobles their annual expenses. So I am poor, at least compared to the previous mayor."

Aurel spoke openly about the city's combat forces, but whether he had revealed everything, only he knew.

Nalasha's expression became solemn, and she said seriously, "Grandpa Aurel, in Nalasha's eyes, you are the true noble. Do Nalasha and Brother Murong need to help you kill more people?"

"Dear Nalasha shouldn't always think about killing. Besides, people only stay vigilant when there is danger. Among the twenty-five sand bandit groups were Ruye spies and scouts, which count as military merit. Under the wise planning of the mayor, the brave and just Gongsun Murong and Sophia Nalasha provided important intelligence. After calculation, they each earn one hundred and fifty points of military merit."

Aurel personally refilled Nalasha's cup with juice and said with a gentle smile.

Nalasha's big eyes blinked, "How much is one point of military merit worth?"

"A competent servant shouldn't only think about eating." Aurel sat back in his seat.

Moses and the seven others knew this was directed at them, so they quickly stood up, and Moses answered the master's question.

"Miss, military merit cannot be directly exchanged for money, but it can save money in other ways. For example, if you see a station on your journey and let the people there know you have military merit, you can eat and stay for free."

"Free? I like that. How much military merit does it cost?" Nalasha's eyes lit up.

"Miss, staying at a station doesn't cost military merit points, and even buying an estate in the capital doesn't require it, but you will get a discount. You only need military merit points when you kill a noble, and the cost varies based on the noble's lineage and title." Moses said proudly, as a master with military merit, even a count among the nobles wouldn't dare to provoke him easily.

This doesn't mean that someone with military merit can kill a count without consequences. The duchy or empire will investigate the matter, and no noble is absolutely clean. Once investigated, they face the risk of losing their title.

George added, "Miss, with enough military merit, you can become a noble."

"Noble? I want to be a noble. I heard that noble estates have lower taxes. What kind of noble can Nalasha and Brother Murong become?" Nalasha could always boil everything down to money.

"Five hundred points of military merit can get you a third-class baron." Moses's voice became softer.

"Oh~!" Nalasha knew the rules of titles, and the military merit she had wasn't enough for the lowest title. Unwilling to give up, she asked, "How do other nobles get their titles?"

"Speaking of most nobles, we should mention the wars from long, long ago. Their ancestors killed enemies on the battlefield. When the war ended, some left tombstones, and some became nobles. The descendants of those who left tombstones are part of the current commoners."

Mayor Aurel smiled at Nalasha, his smile as weathered as the ruins.

"Brother Murong, I'm sleepy." Nalasha's mood was a bit low, but she didn't complain about unfairness. Her grandfather had told her that the strong change things, while the weak complain.

"Let's go back and rest. We'll set out for the capital tomorrow. Thank you for the mayor's hospitality." Gongsun Murong quickly bid farewell to Aurel.

Aurel personally saw them off. The main gate, which hadn't been opened for years, creaked open, and the final 'bang' drew the attention of many people passing by.

The main gate of the mayor's residence had actually opened.

A little girl pouted as she walked out, looking unhappy. An adventurer who happened to pass by and recognized her exclaimed, "The little girl who sells water, Sophia Nalasha."

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