Boar Bill and his men naturally drew the attention of the neighbors, who cautiously emerged from their homes and gathered around. These people usually got along well with Alice, which was why they broke from their usual behavior and stepped forward to support her and the others.
It was precisely because these people had joined in that Boar Bill had some misgivings. Otherwise, with his arrogant nature, he would have already taken action and forcibly dragged away the Alice he had long coveted when facing a few half-grown boys and a frail young woman.
After Sean arrived near the scene, he saw from afar Phil and Alice facing off against more than a dozen hooligans holding clubs with four half-grown children. Around them stood dozens of elderly people, women, and children, condemning the hooligans with angry words.
"Shut the hell up, all of you! This brat owes me money. Get the fuck out of here, every last one of you..." The bearded brute at the head of the group roared arrogantly at the people around him. Then he turned to Phil and shouted, "Kid, if you can't pay up, let your sister follow me from now on... Hahaha..." Before he had even finished speaking, the other hooligans burst into crude laughter. The bearded man sneered, "Otherwise, I'll show you what I'm capable of..."
"Is that so? I'm rather interested in seeing this so-called capability of yours as well..." Sean sneered as he rode forward and cut in. At the same time, Thor had already directed the soldiers to surround the hooligans from behind. They held spears and longswords, their weapons loosely aimed at the thugs' vital points.
The ordinary civilians watching nearby had noticed the soldiers closing in earlier. With a discreet yet dazzling series of "avoid trouble" steps, they successfully gave up the front positions and allowed the soldiers to easily complete the encirclement.
The bearded brute turned around in fury, still shouting, "Damn it, you're asking to die..." Then he saw Sean sitting on horseback in armor, staring at him coldly. That icy gaze made him feel as though the blood in his entire body were about to freeze, and he could not help shuddering.
Being suddenly surrounded by fully armed soldiers immediately filled the other hooligans with terror. Amid a series of dull thuds as wooden clubs hit the ground, the thugs looked despairingly at the equally terrified bearded brute.
"Arrest them all..." Sean ordered coldly, without the slightest trace of emotion.
"Yes!" After a unified response, the soldiers moved to restrain the hooligans. They took out ropes prepared in advance and bound all their hands behind their backs. Sean rode over to Boar Bill, the man with the beard, and looked down at the "boar," whose face was filled with despair and fear. He asked coldly, "What... you aren't willing to satisfy my little curiosity?" A cruel smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"M-My lord... please... please spare me..." Boar Bill had fallen completely into terror and pleaded in a trembling voice.
Suddenly, Sean bent down and shot out his right hand, gripping Boar Bill's neck with the web between his thumb and forefinger like lightning. Then Sean exerted himself sharply, and Boar Bill's once fairly strong body was lifted into the air with one hand.
Boar Bill's face turned red as he kicked helplessly at empty air. With his rough hands, he desperately tried to pry open Sean's iron-pincer grip around his throat. Gradually, his eyes began to bulge, while broken, rasping moans escaped his mouth. As his hands slowly weakened, he felt death drawing near. Violent terror and the instinct to survive clashed ceaselessly within him.
Sean's sudden action stunned the nearby soldiers, as well as Phil, Alice, and the others watching him. Only five seconds passed, yet to Boar Bill, it felt as long as an entire lifetime. Seeing the cloudy liquid flowing from beneath Boar Bill's crotch, Sean flung him far away in disgust.
Seeing their leader thrown aside by their commander, soldiers immediately stepped forward and pinned Boar Bill down. Boar Bill gasped desperately for air and coughed violently, while Sean took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped his right hand.
Phil and Alice watched Sean resolve the enormous trouble facing them with a mere gesture, as easily as crushing ants. The sight dealt a tremendous blow to their hearts. While it filled Phil and Alice with delighted surprise, it also stirred a faint fear within them. When Sean turned to look at them, they immediately stepped forward somewhat uneasily to bow in greeting. Phil cautiously said, "My lord, thank you very much..."
"What do you think about my previous proposal?" Sean looked calmly at Phil.
At Sean's question, cold sweat immediately appeared on Phil's forehead. He glanced at his sister. Though her face was equally pale, her eyes held a gleam of hope. He no longer hesitated and nodded. "My lord, I... I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you."
Sean nodded with satisfaction and instructed Thor to bring the siblings and the other four half-grown boys to live in the new residence Sean had purchased. Sean then led the soldiers to meet up with Jason, Donny, and the others before escorting the captured Boar Bill and his men to Linshui City Prison.
The reason Sean had acted somewhat brutally earlier was that, as a noble, he had to earn the awe of the commoners. Especially since he wanted to recruit Phil and the others, he needed to display sufficiently overwhelming strength, whether to intimidate them or to convey a faint sense of threat. Sean understood that in any world, direct action was more intuitive and far more effective than words.
The nearby civilians watching Boar Bill and his men being arrested by the Garrison soldiers immediately broke into jubilant cheers. Some quick-witted people promptly began congratulating Alice and the others, though their words also carried envy and jealousy.
Phil, Alice, and the others moved into Sean's residence that very day. The next day, carrying their Freemen certificates and accompanied by Thor, they went to the Lord's Mansion to complete the formal procedures for entering Sean's service. They also paid the corresponding modest fee, which Sean naturally covered.
The Empire had specific legal provisions regarding nobles recruiting Freemen. It stipulated that Freemen had to apply voluntarily, and the recruitment only took effect after a considerable sum of money was paid. Of course, that only applied once recruitment reached a certain number. For example, Sean could recruit ten Noble Servants relatively cheaply, but after ten, the recruitment fee would rise sharply. This was meant to prevent Imperial Nobles from acting recklessly and arbitrarily recruiting Freemen.
Within the Empire, Freemen not only had to bear heavy taxes, but also labor and military obligations. If large numbers of Freemen became servants of nobles, it would mean the Empire would have no commoners left to command, and its financial system would completely collapse, shaking the foundations of Imperial rule. Therefore, Imperial Nobles would not recruit Freemen in large numbers. Not only would that greatly diminish their wealth, but they would also face joint punishment from the Empire and other nobles. These were consequences the nobles of this world could not accept.
Once someone became a noble's servant, the former Freemen no longer had to bear Imperial taxes or other obligations. Everything they possessed would belong to the noble they served, while the noble was responsible for protecting and feeding his or her servants.
Of course, not all Freemen would accept a noble's recruitment at the cost of losing their freedom. Different people held different views, and every choice depended on the individual commoner's wishes. This was also a long-established code of conduct among Imperial Nobles and was explicitly stipulated by Imperial Law.
However, when a noble personally came forward to recruit someone, it fully demonstrated that the noble valued that person. It also meant that the recruit would be entrusted with important duties by the noble who recruited them. That was why the other commoners envied Phil, Alice, and the others so much.
More than half a month had passed since the arrest of Boar Bill and his men, and the date had reached Thursday, March 25.
That day, after Sean met up with Jason and Donny, he sent Boar Bill and his gang members, who had been rounded up in one sweep, to Linshui City Prison. The entire operation went very smoothly. No gang members dared resist the soldiers' arrest, so naturally none were killed on the spot.
These gang members would be prosecuted by prosecutors from the Local Prosecutor's Office and then tried in the local court. According to past practice, years of hard labor awaited them. Perhaps the only thing they could hope for was an Imperial pardon. As for Boar Bill, who had offended Sean, he would naturally receive special treatment in prison.
Afterward, Sean and Sergeant Jason went together to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's office to report the process and results of the operation. During the more than half month until today, the Barracks had been quite peaceful. With no missions to handle, Sean would stroll around the Barracks each morning before returning to his residence. As the number of his servants increased, he had no choice but to consider increasing his income.
Sean had considered this before, but many ventures were not suitable for him at present. For example, glass and porcelain would certainly bring enormous profits once produced on a large scale, but precisely because the profits were so great, handling them with his current strength would be no different from courting death.
Nobles in this world used metal cups and tableware and rarely used crystal, while commoners mostly used earthenware. There was also glass for windows, which was not only more attractive but also provided better lighting. Once introduced, it would immediately attract widespread attention.
Then there were highly profitable ventures such as salt drying, plant-based spices, tea, silk, tobacco, and so on. These were likewise beyond Sean's ability to handle at present. Such projects would be best carried out after he had his own territory. Otherwise, other nobles would imitate them, expand them, then cast him aside to operate independently, or easily seize him by the throat. Not to mention the ultimate weapon, gunpowder.
This world used well salt, and spices were scarce. Tea was practically nonexistent, silk did not exist at all, and tobacco was smoked through pipes. There were some varieties of tobacco leaves, but there was clearly still much room for improvement. In Sean's previous life, there had been many varieties, and even the same type would naturally taste different when grown in different climates. Sean had more or less learned about these things in his previous life.
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