Recruitment

At this moment, standing beside Miss Amy was a noble girl of fourteen or fifteen, her delicate features showing some anxiety as she tried to pull Amy back with force. The boy, meanwhile, was firmly sandwiched between two noble guards, completely losing any chance to slip away and escape.

"Miss Amy, good afternoon. You seem to be..." Sean smiled at Amy with a puzzled tone, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding crowd. Sean believed that as a noble, Miss Amy had no reason to falsely accuse a commoner, and the situation was clearly at a standstill. Perhaps the boy had an accomplice who had made off with the purse, leaving Amy hesitant to order the guards to seize him.

"Ah... it's Brother Sean... good afternoon. You're just in time..." Amy turned to see Sean, then spotted the soldiers following him and said happily, before immediately pointing at the boy: "Brother Sean, he's a thief. I saw him reach out and steal someone's purse with my own eyes..." As she spoke, a hint of grievance crept into her voice, and she clenched her teeth to finish.

After hearing Amy's words, Sean smiled and said, "I see. Leave the rest to me." With that, he waved to signal Torr and the others to take over preventing the boy from escaping, then sized up the boy with a cold gaze.

"Sir, I didn't steal, I really didn't..." Under Sean's cold stare, sweat began to bead on the boy's forehead.

"Oh... how interesting. By your words, are you saying this noble lady is falsely accusing you?" Sean looked at the boy with a mocking expression. As expected, his words made the boy's face twist in terror. In this world, for a commoner to question a noble's integrity was no different from suicide. Sean sneered again: "Are you questioning this noble lady's honesty? Do you know what punishment such behavior will bring?"

The boy's face turned deathly pale, and he trembled as if trying to explain something. But Sean simply waved at the soldiers and ordered the boy's immediate arrest. He then commanded Torr to lead the soldiers in escorting the boy to Linshui City's prison. The gathered onlookers had no choice but to slowly disperse, and order was restored.

Sean handled the matter so bluntly for two reasons. First, to uphold the authority of the nobility, which in this world would only earn praise and no trouble. Second, to break up the growing crowd and prevent any accidents from crowding or trampling.

"Miss Amy, did you see the victim?" Sean asked Amy with a smile, merely going through the motions.

Amy shook her little head left and right rapidly, then looked disappointedly at the girl beside her. When she saw the girl shake her head, she said in a dejected tone, "He's gone, he's gone... Brother Sean. What should I do... How about I go with you to the Garrison to explain..."

"It's fine, Amy. By the way, is this young lady your sister?" Sean smiled, changing the subject.

"Ah, I almost forgot. This is Sister Eve." Amy introduced her to Sean, then turned to Eve: "Sister, this is Brother Sean." After saying that, Amy seemed to remember something and added quietly, "I met him this morning."

"Good afternoon, Miss Eve. I am Sean Winchester. It's a pleasure to meet you..." Sean introduced himself while performing a noble gentleman's bow. After finishing, he pointed to his two friends: "These are my cousin Jim Horton and my classmate Ben Tels."

"Three distinguished gentlemen, good afternoon. I am Eve Weil." Eve performed a lady's curtsy to Sean and the others.

Jim and Ben immediately stepped forward and also performed noble gentleman's bows to Miss Amy and Miss Eve. Soon, the group of similarly aged youths were chatting animatedly. Half an hour later, Sean had to take his leave: "I'm sorry to interrupt such lively conversation, but I have matters I must attend to. Please forgive me for leaving."

Hearing Sean's words, the newly acquainted friends all showed regret. Sean had to repeatedly apologize and emphasize that it was his duty, while suggesting they could travel together later.

After successfully leaving the square, Sean first returned to his post. He briefly mentioned handling the boy's matter to Sergeant Donnie, then ordered Donnie to take over the duty before riding toward the prison located in the western district near the southern part of the city.

By then, Torr had already placed the boy in the detention room inside the prison and conducted a thorough search. Aside from the clothes on his back, the boy had only a few copper coins and an unusually sharp, gleaming blade.

When Sean entered the detention room, Torr was sternly questioning the boy about his identity and background. Noticing Sean's arrival, he immediately stood and greeted, "Young Master, you're here." Sean smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to sit.

Sean walked around Torr and sat on the other side of the interrogation table, his gaze coldly fixed on the boy with his hands bound. He asked Torr, "Have you figured out his identity?" As he spoke, his fingers began tapping rhythmically on the table before him.

"Young Master, this kid's name is Phil, sixteen years old. He lives in the slums of the southern district, both parents dead, only an older sister named Alice, two years older than him." Torr reported to Sean, then added with a slightly hesitant expression, "Young Master, one of the prison guards knows this kid..."

"Oh... and these are all he had on him?" Sean nodded in satisfaction after hearing Torr's report, then picked up the small blade on the table and pointed at the other items.

"Yes, Young Master. That's all he had on him..." Torr nodded with certainty.

Sean toyed with the sharp blade, recognizing it as the kind meant to be held between fingers, used to cut purse strings or slash pockets, and in special cases, as a weapon for assault.

He shifted his attention to the boy, whose hands were bound by iron chains hanging from the roof beam. Half-suspended, the boy could only barely touch the ground on tiptoe, a posture that made the bound person constantly strain to stand, causing extreme discomfort. Sean knew this wasn't Torr's doing—sometimes discomfort tested a person's will more than pain.

In the police forces of Sean's previous life's country, torture for confessions was generally forbidden. So when a habitual thief was interrogated, they would often deny everything, even hoping the interrogating officer would lose patience and strike them, so they could play dead or feign illness to escape blame. Sean had once seen a method euphemistically called "physical training" for interrogation—stretching ligaments, holding horse stances, and so on. This kind of "training" became unbearable after a certain duration, and then... everyone understood.

Sean waited quietly, watching the boy's sweat-soaked forehead. Finally, he spoke without any personal emotion: "Phil, have you thought it through?"

"Sir... I really didn't... steal. I don't have it on me... either..." The boy named Phil struggled to speak painfully.

"Don't have what... Oh, you mean we didn't find the purse?" Sean looked at Phil with a mocking expression. Then he stared at the blade in his hand and muttered to himself, "Maybe you swallowed the purse into your stomach... Should I cut it open to check?"

As Phil's eyes widened in terror at Sean and the blade, Sean seemed to snap back to reality. He smiled and waved the blade, suggesting, "Or, would you like to try swallowing this blade of mine?"

"Sir, please spare me. I'm really not a thief..." Phil shook his head frantically at Sean's suggestion.

Sean stood up and walked to the boy Phil, pressing the blade against his neck. His eyes, cold as ice, pierced Phil's gray pupils filled with fear. One minute, two minutes... Then, as Phil trembled in terror, Sean returned to sit behind the interrogation table.

Originally, Sean had planned to apply pressure to break through the boy Phil's mental defenses, but when he touched Phil's body, he habitually extended his perception and suddenly saw the boy's physical attribute values: Phil's attributes—Strength: 1.392, Constitution: 1.413, Agility: 1.489.

Sean was momentarily stunned by the surprise, and this completely changed his original plan.

Under Torr's puzzled gaze, Sean called for the prison guards. The guards at Linshui City's prison were usually injured or retired soldiers from the Garrison, under the dual leadership and management of the Lord's Mansion and the Garrison.

Soon, a middle-aged prison guard responded to Sean's call and pushed open the door to enter the detention room. Of course, two other guards waited outside, a precaution against any prisoner resistance.

Seeing Sean, the middle-aged guard immediately smiled and asked, "Sir, what are your orders?"

"Lock this man up here for now. I'll interrogate him again in a few days..." Sean pointed at the bound boy and instructed the guard. After a moment's thought, he added sternly, "Don't let him have it too easy... Understand?"

"Yes... yes... yes, I'll follow your orders exactly." The middle-aged guard smiled obsequiously and nodded repeatedly.

Sean let out an "Mm" sound and stood to leave. At the door, he thought it over and found it somewhat inappropriate, so he pointed at the boy and warned the guard, "Also, in a few days, I want to see him intact..." Sean emphasized the word "intact," and sure enough, the guard nodded with an understanding expression, repeatedly saying "Yes." Sean then smiled and left the detention room.

Sean gave this special instruction because he knew that in a place like prison, making a prisoner have an "accident" was all too easy. He only intended for the boy Phil to suffer a bit in jail, not to lose limbs and disrupt his plans.

Though Torr was somewhat puzzled, he always followed Sean's lead. He directly followed Sean out of the prison.

The boy Phil's attributes had indeed surprised Sean. In the barracks, he had probed the attributes of almost every soldier he'd come into contact with. The average attributes of most soldiers were around 1.2, while junior officers who had trained in the military Knight Secret Method averaged barely 1.4, with standout individuals like Sergeant Donnie averaging only about 1.5.

A sixteen-year-old boy with no trace of cultivation, averaging over 1.4 in attributes. Sean couldn't help but glance back at Torr following him, then, at Torr's confused look, turned and continued forward. He couldn't help but feel grateful for his incredible luck.