Capture Below

The commotion caused by Boar Bill and his men naturally drew the attention of the neighbors, who cautiously emerged from their homes and gathered around. These people usually had a decent relationship with Alice, which was why they broke from their usual habits to stand up and support her and the others.

It was precisely because of these people's involvement that Boar Bill felt some hesitation. Otherwise, with his arrogant nature, facing a few half-grown boys and a frail woman, he would have long since forcibly taken away Alice, whom he coveted so much.

After Sean arrived near the scene, he saw from a distance Phil and Alice leading four half-grown kids in a standoff with a dozen or so thugs armed with clubs and folded arms. Surrounding them were dozens of onlookers—old, young, women, and children—who were verbally berating the thugs.

"All of you shut the hell up! This kid owes me money. Every last one of you, get the hell out of here!" The lead burly man with a thick beard roared arrogantly at the crowd. Then he turned his head and shouted at Phil, "Kid, if you can't come up with the cash, then your sister's coming with me... haha..." Before his words faded, the other thugs let out strange laughs. The bearded man sneered coldly, "Otherwise, I'll show you what I'm really capable of..."

"Oh? I'm quite interested in seeing this so-called capability of yours..." Sean interjected coldly, riding forward on his horse. At the same time, Thor had already directed the soldiers to surround the group of thugs from behind. They now held spears or longswords, loosely aimed at the vital points of the thugs' bodies.

The ordinary civilians watching had already spotted the soldiers encircling them earlier. Through a series of subtle and dazzling "trouble-avoidance" maneuvers, they successfully vacated the front positions, allowing the soldiers to easily complete the encirclement of the thugs.

The burly bearded man turned his head in fury, shouting, "Damn it, you're asking for it..." Then he saw Sean, clad in armor and mounted on his horse, staring coldly at him. That icy gaze made him feel as if the blood in his veins was freezing, and he couldn't help but shiver.

Suddenly surrounded by fully armed soldiers, the other thugs were thrown into panic. A series of dull thuds rang out as wooden clubs hit the ground, and then the thugs stared in despair at their equally terrified bearded leader.

"Arrest them all..." Sean's tone was cold and devoid of any emotion as he gave the order.

"Yes, sir!" came a unified response, and the soldiers swiftly subdued the thugs. They took out ropes prepared in advance and bound all the thugs' hands behind their backs. Sean rode up to the bearded Boar Bill, looking down at the "boar" now filled with despair and fear, and asked coldly, "So... aren't you willing to satisfy my little curiosity?" A cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he spoke.

"Th-this lord... please... please spare me..." Boar Bill, now completely consumed by fear, stammered out his plea.

Suddenly, Sean leaned down, his right hand darting out like lightning, clamping the tiger's mouth of his hand around Boar Bill's throat. In an instant, Sean exerted force throughout his body, lifting the once-sturdy Boar Bill into the air with one hand.

Boar Bill's face turned crimson, his feet kicking uselessly at the empty air. He used his rough hands to desperately try to pry open Sean's iron-like grip around his neck. Gradually, his eyes began to bulge, and a choked, intermittent "gagging" sound escaped his throat. His hands grew weak as he felt death closing in, and intense fear clashed with his survival instinct within him.

Sean's sudden move startled the nearby soldiers and the watching Phil, his sister Alice, and the others. In just five seconds, Boar Bill felt as if an entire lifetime had passed. Seeing the murky liquid trickling from between Boar Bill's legs, Sean grimaced in disgust and flung him far away.

Seeing their leader thrown by their commander, soldiers immediately moved in to restrain Boar Bill. He gasped for air desperately, coughing violently, while Sean pulled out a handkerchief and slowly wiped his right hand.

Phil and his sister Alice witnessed Sean resolve what had been a massive problem for them with a mere gesture, as easily as crushing an ant. This left a profound impact on their minds. While it brought them joy, it also stirred a faint fear in their hearts. When Sean turned his gaze to them, they both stepped forward nervously to bow and greet him. Phil cautiously thanked him, "My lord, thank you very much..."

"How about my earlier proposal? Have you considered it?" Sean asked, his expression flat as he looked at the young Phil.

Hearing Sean's question, Phil broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced at his sister, whose face was equally pale but whose eyes held a glimmer of hope. Without further hesitation, he nodded and said, "My lord, I... I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you."

Sean smiled in satisfaction and nodded, then instructed Thor to take the siblings and the other four half-grown kids to move into the new residence Sean had purchased. Sean himself led the soldiers to rendezvous with Jason, Donny, and the others, after which they escorted the arrested Boar Bill and his men to Linshui City Prison.

The reason Sean had acted somewhat brutally earlier was that, as a noble, he needed to command the awe of the commoners. Especially since he intended to recruit Phil and the others, he had to demonstrate overwhelming strength—whether to intimidate them or to subtly threaten them. Sean understood that, in any world, direct action was far more intuitive and effective than words.

The nearby civilians, watching Boar Bill and his men being fully arrested by the Garrison soldiers, immediately burst into cheers of celebration. Among them, some quick-witted individuals immediately congratulated Alice and the others, their words tinged with envy and jealousy.

Phil, Alice, and the others moved into Sean's courtyard that very day. The next day, armed with their Freemen credentials and accompanied by Thor, they went to the Lord's Mansion to complete the formal procedures for pledging allegiance. They paid the corresponding low fees, which were, of course, covered by Sean.

The Empire had specific legal provisions regarding nobles recruiting Freemen. It stipulated that Freemen must apply voluntarily, and only after paying a substantial sum of money would the recruitment take effect—at least until a certain number was reached. For instance, Sean could recruit ten Noble Servants at a relatively low cost, but after ten, the recruitment fee would increase significantly. This was to prevent Imperial Nobles from acting recklessly and recruiting Freemen indiscriminately.

Within the Empire, Freemen bore not only heavy taxes but also corvée labor and military service. If large numbers of Freemen became noble servants, the Empire would lose its pool of available subjects, and its fiscal system would collapse entirely, shaking the foundation of imperial rule. Thus, Imperial Nobles did not recruit Freemen in large numbers—it would not only drain their wealth but also invite joint punishment from the Empire and other nobles, something no noble in this world could accept.

Once someone became a noble's servant, they were no longer subject to the Empire's taxes or other obligations. Everything they had—body and soul—belonged to the noble they served, and the noble was responsible for protecting and supporting them.

Of course, faced with the loss of freedom, not all Freemen accepted noble recruitment. To each their own; all choices depended on the individual commoner's will. This was a long-standing code of conduct among Imperial Nobles, codified in Imperial Law.

However, when a noble personally came forward to recruit, it fully demonstrated the value they placed on the recruit. It also signaled that the recruit would be heavily relied upon by the recruiting noble, which was why other commoners were so envious of Phil and his sister.

More than half a month had passed since the arrest of Boar Bill and his men, and the date was now Thursday, March 25th.

That day, Sean had rendezvoused with Jason and Donny, then sent the completely rounded-up Boar Bill and his gang members to Linshui City Prison. The entire arrest operation went smoothly; no gang members dared to resist the soldiers, so naturally, none were killed on the spot.

These gang members would be prosecuted by the local prosecutor's office and then tried in the local court. Following past precedents, they faced years of hard labor, and perhaps their only hope was an imperial amnesty. Of course, as someone who had offended Sean, Boar Bill would receive special treatment in prison.

Afterward, Sean and Sergeant Jason went to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's office to report the entire operation's process and results. From then until today, half a month later, the barracks had been quiet. With no tasks to occupy him, Sean spent his mornings wandering around the barracks before returning to his residence. As the number of his servants grew, he had to consider increasing his income.

Sean had thought about this before, but many ventures were unsuitable for him in his current state. For example, glass and porcelain, if mass-produced, would yield enormous profits, but the very scale of those profits made them suicidal for someone of his current strength.

In this world, nobles rarely used metal cups or utensils, and crystal was even rarer; commoners mostly used earthenware. Moreover, glass for windows was not only more aesthetically pleasing but also allowed better lighting. Once introduced, it would immediately attract widespread attention.

Similarly, ventures like salt evaporation, plant-based spices, tea, silk, tobacco, and other highly profitable projects were beyond Sean's current capabilities. These projects were best pursued after acquiring one's own territory; otherwise, other nobles would copy them, grow big, and cut you out, or easily choke you off. Not to mention the ultimate weapon: gunpowder.

In this world, people ate well salt, spices were scarce, tea was virtually nonexistent, and silk didn't exist at all. Tobacco was smoked in pipes, and there were some varieties of tobacco leaves, but there was clearly plenty of room for improvement. Sean's past life had exposed him to many types—even the same variety, when grown in different climates, would taste different. Sean had some knowledge of these things, more or less, from his previous life.