Chapter 13

After making his lordly declaration, Tang En felt quite good about himself.

So he continued, "That's right, I am your genuine new lord. Your former lord has been sent to meet the Grim Reaper by me. I can't promise much, but as long as I have a mouthful of food, you won't go hungry!"

Fiona felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, almost fainting.

In Alinx, she had seen many nobles speak and many lords, but she had never seen a lord say such things right after taking office!

As long as I have a mouthful of food, you won't go hungry?

Although it was very practical, it was also too vulgar! It completely lacked the demeanor of a noble!

It was almost like a declaration to recruit bandits!

However, no matter how inappropriate Fiona felt, the reactions of the residents below were genuine. They clearly showed signs of joy, obviously feeling that this new lord was much more reliable than Hogg. Those who had been helped by Tang En yesterday were even more pleasantly surprised.

Tang En was willing to use the precious Blood of the Goddess to help them treat their wounded, which showed that he was not a stingy person. Now that he had become the lord of Ellington, would he be stingy with his people?

Obviously not!

Aberton, standing in the crowd, looked at Tang En and smiled. Ellington had finally waited for its true master.

"I know you have many concerns, but we will discuss these issues later."

Tang En smiled and said, "Now I have to do something very important... Captain Roni, listen up."

Roni, who was yawning at the podium, suddenly came to his senses, "Here."

"Immediately gather all the militiamen who can fight," Tang En paused and smiled meaningfully, "I will personally lead the team to raid the bandits in the mountains!"

Raid the bandits?

Raid the bandits!?

Roni came to his senses, was greatly shocked, and almost showed it on his face, but he quickly calmed down and said, "I'll do it right away!"

Tang En's order surprised the residents even more. The lord had just taken office and was already going to raid the bandits?

And he was going to lead the team personally?

When did Hogg ever do such a thing?

"Lord! Raiding the bandits in the mountains is very dangerous, how can you put yourself at risk!"

"That's right, Lord, you don't have to go yourself!"

Seeing a reliable lord, the residents of Ellington were worried that something might happen to him in the mountains. If they got another unreliable lord, they would be in trouble, so they immediately began to dissuade Tang En.

"My life is a life, but are the lives of the militiamen not lives?"

Tang En looked righteous, "They bleed and sweat, risking their lives to fight the bandits. Can I just stand by and watch? They are your children, and now they are my children too! So I will personally lead the team to raid the bandits!"

After saying these words and looking at the bearded militiamen, Tang En was even shocked by his own audacity.

If Fiona didn't know Tang En's true strength, she might have been moved by his words, but now she could only roll her eyes.

In fact, Fiona was still very surprised. Tang En didn't look like a lord at all yesterday, but now he had already learned to use political tactics.

She quietly looked down and, as expected, all the residents present were conquered by Tang En's tactics.

After the speech, the crowd did not disperse but continued to gather around. Soon, Roni returned with a large group of people.

"You stay in Ellington and organize the financial and tax records accumulated in the lord's mansion. Also, the goods you brought have been stored in the warehouse. You can decide how to handle them."

Tang En lightly patted Fiona on the shoulder and secretly cast a location spell.

This way, he could always sense Fiona's situation and teleport to her side if necessary.

Fiona nodded and then saw Tang En stride into the militia.

Roni shouted loudly, "Someone! Prepare the horses!"

"No need."

Tang En shook his head, took a sword and attached it to his body, and said calmly, "I will walk with everyone."

Ellington was a very poor territory, and horses, as war resources, were very expensive. A good warhorse could cost hundreds of gold coins, almost equivalent to a set of ordinary armor for a cavalryman.

The militia did not have warhorses, and the few horses they had were used by the miller to grind grain. Tang En did not want to requisition their horses.

Without much ado, each person took some dry rations and water, and the militia set off. Captain Roni led the team, Deputy Captain Elsa accompanied them, and Tang En followed closely behind, occasionally glancing at the others.

The militia's equipment was very poor. In Tang En's view, the equipment they wore was not even as good as basic gear. Even this equipment was barely squeezed out by the residents of Ellington, showing how poor Ellington was.

Just as Tang En and his team set off to raid the bandits in the mountains, the person he had expelled from the lord's mansion the previous night appeared at his destination.

"Lord Buck! That bastard, the new lord, killed Lord Hogg!"

This person was one of Hogg's confidants. His comfortable and superior life had been ruined by Tang En, and now he wanted to tear Tang En to pieces!

But he didn't have the power, and the only one who could help him was Buck, a late-stage Bronze Three.

So he came here to find Buck.

One-eyed Buck, Hogg's strongest subordinate, was even stronger than Jordan and was his most trusted subordinate. That's why he was sent here to pretend to be a bandit and plunder wealth for Hogg.

Buck was once an adventurer until he was shot in the left eye.

He almost died from the accidental injury but was saved by Hogg. Later, he sold his life to him.

It was also because of this serious injury that Buck's growth was hindered, and he had not yet broken through to Bronze Four.

However, working under Hogg, he lived very comfortably, and over time, the idea of breaking through to a higher realm gradually faded.

But he never expected that Baron Hogg, an imperial noble, would be killed!

The wine glass in Buck's hand turned into a piece of scrap iron, and his one eye, filled with gloom, stared at the man. "What's his name?"

"Tang En! Lord Buck, his name is Tang En! He is now in the lord's mansion, you must—"

A huge axe swept out, and before the man could finish his sentence, he was torn into pieces by the wind.

"A useless piece of trash, go serve Lord Hogg in the afterlife."

Buck said coldly, stomped on the head that was staring with wide eyes, picked up his huge axe, and carried it on his shoulder. Then he grabbed a wine barrel and drank greedily. After a moment, he threw the barrel to the ground in anger, wiped his face, and roared, "Brothers! It's time to get to work!"

Upon hearing the news, the bandit lair immediately became restless. Under Buck's orders, half the men stayed to guard the lair, while the other half mounted their warhorses and gathered.

Buck roared, "Brothers, follow me to Ellington. This time, I will destroy Ellington completely! Gold, women, food, whoever gets it keeps it!"

"Lord Buck!"

A subordinate shouted loudly, "You must keep your word! Elsa is mine! No one can take her from me!"

Buck laughed strangely, "If you can beat that strong woman, she's yours!"

There was a burst of laughter around.

"Let's go!"

The gate of the bandit lair opened, and over a hundred bandits poured out, their hooves trampling the earth, making the whole mountain tremble, as if unwilling to see the fate of Ellington.

At the same time, Tang En and his team had just left Ellington and entered the forest.

"Roni, you have experience in raiding bandits, right? How many bandits are there in this area?"

"Lord, it's hard to say. Bandits are like weeds on the ground; even if you kill them, new ones will appear every year."

Tang En sneered inwardly and asked, "But you should know where their lair is, right?"

"I can't guarantee that. They might have moved."

Roni still refused to answer Tang En's question directly.

"I know!"

Elsa said, "I know a shortcut. We can reach the foot of the mountain where their lair is by this afternoon."

Roni was surprised, "How do you know that?"

Elsa said proudly, "I tracked the bandits secretly into the mountains to gather information a while ago."

Roni was alarmed, "How could you do that! Don't you fear danger? Uncle Aberton will be angry!"

Tang En glanced at Roni and said to Elsa, "Very good, you lead the way from now on."

"No problem!"

Elsa was very happy. Although she was a member of the militia, everyone always treated her like a child, protecting her and not letting her face the enemy.

Only Tang En treated her as a true adult.

I must try my best! I can't let Lord look down on me!

Elsa encouraged herself and happily went to the front to lead the way.

However, no one expected that Buck would pass them by and head straight for Ellington.

"Ellington is right ahead! Brothers, take out your weapons and follow me to the lord's mansion! Watch me kill Tang En!"

"Roar! Lord Buck is invincible!"

"Roar! Lord Buck is mighty and invincible!"

The residents of Ellington had already noticed the commotion in the distance and were all shocked. They never expected to encounter bandits for two days in a row!

Panic and fear spread quickly. The watchmen sounded the alarm, and the residents stopped their work and hid—though they knew it wouldn't help much.

Buck laughed maniacally, spurred his horse, and charged into Ellington, heading straight for the lord's mansion.

Revenge for Hogg?

Loyalty?

After Hogg's death, everything was fake!

Only the gold and treasures in the lord's mansion's treasury were real!

Kill Tang En, seize the treasure!

Perhaps... he could even deceive everyone and become the lord himself?

Buck's heart warmed, and he became even more excited.