Double Standards

Gathering the men of three nearby underlings, a force of five hundred men set off from the Mountain Territory, heading straight for Dadir City.

Judging from their menacing demeanor, they were definitely not there to do business; rather, they seemed to be there to cause trouble.

There was no other way; what I was about to do was bound to attract some hatred, and without bringing a few people to protect me, I was very likely to be ambushed.

As they traveled, they gathered along the way, and by the time the group arrived in Dadir City, the total number of people had exceeded two thousand. All the local nobles along the route who were able to join them also came together.

They weren't exactly strong and well-equipped, but they certainly had a large and powerful force. The idea of crushing Baron Ciss was a joke, but the past demonstrations were genuine.

Thanks to Hudson's efforts, the military strength of the local nobles in the two counties experienced a surge in a short period of time.

While the exact increase in strength and combat power is unknown, the number of troops has certainly increased. If the previous conflict were to occur again, it would at least inflict more casualties on the Northern Nobles.

It was the off-season for farming, and apart from the people under a certain lord who was diligently clearing land and were still busy, everyone else was idle.

One of the main objectives of this operation was to select the strongest serfs, equip them with the finest weapons, and hold an armed parade to bolster their courage and boost the morale of the local nobles.

"Welcome, everyone, from afar. My baron has prepared a banquet. Please follow me to your seats."

"All accompanying personnel, please follow the soldiers' guidance to the camp in the south of the city. Dinner has been prepared there; please enjoy."

From the trembling brows of the old man, it was clear that although he knew there would be many people coming this time, he obviously did not expect that the local nobles would bring so many people.

Isn't it said that southern nobles are most particular about their table manners? Even if they want to cause trouble, they should at least restrain themselves a bit on the surface. Why are they behaving so unpredictably this time?

Before they could think any further, just as they stopped at the city gate, several more groups arrived from behind, as if they had arranged to meet at the same time.

Unsurprisingly, everyone brought a large group of people with them, as if bringing too few people would make them seem less prestigious.

He repeated what he had just said, but before he could lead everyone away, more teams arrived one after another.

There's no doubt about it now; the old man is certain that these local nobles arrived together at the agreed time.

Knowing won't help; they came here on invitation, so we can't just turn them away, can we?

To become a commercial hub, a high degree of inclusivity is essential. Turning customers away for no reason will ruin your reputation.

The nobles, in twos and threes, greeted each other, ignoring the old man's words as if he were invisible. This infuriated the old man, but reason kept him calm.

"Where is your Baron Ciss? So many of us have come from afar, shouldn't he, as our host, come out to greet us?"

Hudson's voice broke the atmosphere.

Frankly speaking, Hudson would never stoop to deliberately picking fights or inciting hatred.

But when you're in the world of martial arts, you're not always in control of your own destiny. Don't be fooled by the fact that the local nobles are gathered together, chatting and laughing, as if they're all united. If you really asked them to confront Baron Ciss head-on, probably not many of them would have the guts.

The fact that Hudson could so easily become the team leader speaks volumes about everyone's stance.

They're fine with cheering and supporting each other when things are going well. But expecting them to stand up and fight against Baron Ciss is asking too much.

Even if they still harbored pride, it had been largely worn down in the previous conflicts. It can be said that the Northern Aristocrats' assertive establishment of authority was quite successful.

The current commotion is actually just a bluff, a way to boost one's own morale.

"Baron Hudson, you're still as impatient as ever! It's just that I'm a little late, but I didn't mean any disrespect to anyone."

The main reason I'm a little late is because there were so many guests today and I was just too busy to handle them all. Please forgive me.

Now, esteemed guests, please join me at your seats!

The barbed words made the situation even more awkward. It was clear that this Baron Ciss was not one to swallow his pride. Even on his own turf, he didn't give his "guest" any face.

The local nobles all stopped and waited for Hudson's reaction, as if they were prepared to advance or retreat together.

"I knew Baron Ciss was generous and wouldn't be impolite in such details. Since Baron Ciss has made all the preparations, let's not stand on ceremony and follow his lead!"

As they were speaking, a massive army suddenly appeared on the horizon. The diverse array of Beastfolk instantly drew everyone's attention.

Fortunately, this is the Southeast Province. If this scene had occurred in the north, everyone would have thought it was Beastfolk army attacking the city.

"Baron Ciss, am I not late? To support you, I've brought all my best slaves, intending to sell them for a good price on your esteemed premises."

Baron Katerley's words instantly sparked laughter from everyone. Looking around, all they saw were Ratmen, Pigmen, Goblins... the likes of trashy slaves, and he called them "top-quality."

Because of his involvement in the slave trade, this previously unremarkable baron has recently gained considerable notoriety among the local nobles.

It wasn't a good reputation, though; he was labeled "the most foolish slave trader." Disdain aside, that didn't stop people from laughing at him.

Hearing the laughter of the crowd, Baron Ciss managed to suppress his anger. After all, he had to argue with his "little brother" in front of outsiders.

Although Baron Katerley never considered himself a subordinate, as the leader chosen by the Northern Aristocrats, Baron Ciss had implicitly accepted that everyone was his subordinate.

"It's not too late, it's good that you came, Kateley. Since you're here, let's all take a seat! Butler Feren, arrange for barracks to be built in the west of the city to house these Beastfolk slaves."

As soon as he finished speaking, Baron Ciss turned around and walked to the front of the group, as if he were leading the way for everyone.

It's clear he's genuinely furious. The fact that Baron Katerley's slaves are unsold is no secret within noble circles; even Baron Ciss has heard about it.

He secretly rejoiced more than once as he watched those he had a grudge against suffer misfortune. You see, he was just a hair's breadth away from being crowned "the most foolish slave trader."

Fortunately, the experienced steward stopped him in time and carefully analyzed the sales prospects of the Beastfolk slaves for him. As expected, they were indeed slow to sell.

Unfortunately, he managed to dodge the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth. This trouble, in a different form, eventually fell upon his head.

According to the original plan, local nobles were to be settled in the south of the city, while Northern Aristocrats frontier were to be settled in the north, thus separating the two groups and reducing conflict.

The plan was excellent, but now that we have an extra group of slaves, we have to create a new western city.

It wasn't a question of whether there was enough room, but rather the vast difference in status between slaves and nobles. If they were forcibly placed together, the nobles, feeling insulted, would undoubtedly turn against him on the spot.

If it were just this little bit of trouble, Baron Ciss would accept it. It was only a few hundred barracks, and since they were all lowly slaves, he could just put up a makeshift enclosure; it wouldn't waste many pieces of wood.

Even if he let these guys eat and drink for free for three days, he would only lose tens of thousands of pounds of grain at most, which Baron Ciss could afford.

Clearly, things couldn't be that simple. Imagine a grand trade fair with over 20,000 slaves participating, and not a single slave was sold—just think how embarrassing that scene would be.

If the guests spread the word, this expensive event will turn into a farce.

The general public won't care why slaves aren't selling well; they'll just assume the commercial market in Dadir City is weak. Then it'll be a case of "it's easy to spread rumors, but incredibly difficult to refute them."

They originally thought the biggest trouble would be the local nobles, led by Hudson, causing trouble, but they never expected that the real trouble would be being stabbed in the back by "their own people".

Inviting a god is difficult, but sending one away is even more difficult!

In front of a group of local nobles, he could not refuse Baron Katerley's party entry. Now, trying to expel them was even more impossible.

With something on his mind, Ciss was out of sorts throughout the banquet. After exchanging a few polite words, he excused himself, saying he wasn't feeling well, and left the banquet hall.

"Young master, the situation is not good! Judging from Baron Katerley's actions, it seems like he came at the perfect time. It's possible that he really is colluding with the local nobles and deliberately coming to cause trouble."

After all, they have so many slaves stuck with them. If they can't be dealt with in time, Maple Leaf Territory's finances won't be able to sustain them for long.

Even if his family is willing to provide support, it would likely provoke opposition from many clansmen if they were to pay out 40,000 to 50,000 gold coins at once to fill the gap.

The only ones with the financial resources and the need to acquire these slaves are the local nobles.

Driven by self-interest, it's not impossible that Baron Katerley might choose betrayal. This situation must be curbed, or the consequences will be unpredictable.

Butler Feren analyzed the situation with a serious expression.

With external enemies on the sidelines and internal strife brewing, for Baron Ciss, it was an absolutely devastating situation, like the sky was about to fall.

Betrayal is something that's most dangerous when someone sets a precedent. Once Baron Katerley is won over by the local nobles, there will surely be more nobles who choose to defect.

In any case, for most of the Northern Aristocrats went south, the most important thing was to gain a foothold in the local area and leave a way out for their families.

As for whether the Northern Aristocrats or the local nobles will be in charge of the two prefectures in the future, it is actually insignificant in the face of survival.

Once you've established yourself in the area for three generations and intermarried with local nobles several times, you're considered one of their own.

Similar cases have occurred throughout history. Even the Coslo Family, which originated in the North, is now widely regarded as a native noble family.

A single tree cannot make a forest. If his underlings all turn against him, no matter how powerful he is as the leader, he cannot defy the tide.

Let alone vying for dominance in the two counties, just avoiding being squeezed out of the local area would be considered a remarkable feat of skill!

"I'll go talk to Baron Katerley. If that doesn't work, I'll try to get everyone to chip in and lend him some money for emergencies."

As for these slaves, let's help digest as many as we can!

If we push him too far, given his character, he's actually capable of betraying us and becoming a traitor.

Baron Ciss said coldly.

While he appeared to have decided to help, deep down he was already plotting how to find an opportunity to get rid of Baron Katerley, this rotten apple.

The ruthless fear the stubborn, and the stubborn fear the reckless.

Baron Katerley is now backed into a corner and has resorted to desperate measures. Either help him through this crisis, or he'll drag everyone down with him.

In any case, Baron Ciss promised to help store the goods. If he couldn't get rid of the slaves in his hands for a long time, Kateryn could leave these 20,000 slaves here to eat and drink for free.

Unless Baron Ciss is willing to abandon his previous plans and forgo building a commercial center, thus relinquishing Dadir City's geographical advantages, he will have no choice but to deal with this hot potato.

The absence of the host did not dampen the enthusiasm of the guests in the banquet hall. In particular, the exotic song and dance performances captivated everyone's attention.

Many nobles even made requests to Baron Katerley in his presence to purchase beautiful women from other races. However, they were ultimately deterred by Ketterle's terms.

You can buy beautiful women from other races, but the prerequisite is that you must purchase a certain number of Beastfolk slaves in a package deal.

Everyone's been through this kind of trick before, except that Hudson previously included pots, pans, and other household items with the purchase, so you wouldn't lose too much money if you bought them.

But Beastfolk slaves are different; no one has experience raising these alien races. What if a slave revolt breaks out and kills these noble lords?

Thanks to the kingdom's centuries-long propaganda demonizing Beastfolk, in the deepest recesses of the minds of many nobles, Beastfolk are a group of super-destructive maniacs and madmen.

No matter how much interest people have in beautiful women from other races, it's impossible for them to buy a thousand packages and take them back just for one woman.

Compared to the outbursts of his colleagues, Hudson remained much calmer. "It's just a hot dance," he thought, "It's not like I've never seen anything like it before."

Although the group of exotic beauties on stage were indeed captivating, reason told him that he had to remain reserved.

Not only Hudson, but all the unmarried noblemen were trying hard to control their emotions.

Just because others can act crazy doesn't mean they can too. If they lose their composure at a banquet and fall into the eyes of a group of potential future fathers-in-law, it will be a major turn-off.

With a reputation for being lecherous and womanizing, finding an ideal marriage is almost impossible.

Most noblemen are restrained before marriage, but become promiscuous afterward. Noble ladies are no exception; few are involved in scandalous affairs before marriage.

If the couple's married life is not harmonious, and the husband's family is not strong enough, then it is easy for a cuckold to appear.

Many couples get so caught up in the fun that they each do their own thing, without bothering each other. In some more open-minded areas, they even hold open-air parties to have a blast together.

Watching an old man walk onto the stage without any restraint and flirt with those exotic beauties, Hudson silently chose his side.

I can't stay here any longer. After all, this is someone else's territory. If I accidentally fall for someone's scheme and get set up for a romantic encounter, then I'll never know what will happen.

If someone observes closely, they will notice that Hudson always shakes his hand near his sleeve before drinking or eating.

There's no other reason; it comes with its own expert in identifying drugs. The miniature bear cub is printed on the clothing like a pattern; it's actually Young Bear that follows you everywhere.

As its strength continued to grow, Beldens also unlocked many abilities. Transformation and the ability to detect poisons were among its talents.

The cost was that all the energy in the Hudson Mysterious Compass was depleted, and now they have to purchase a thousand gold coins worth of Magic Crystal Stone every month to replenish the Compass's energy in order to ensure the daily training of the man and the bear.

Reason told him that this was just the beginning. Given the gluttonous bear's absorption capacity, its energy needs would only increase in the future.

Fortunately, Hudson was clever enough to arrange for himself to assume the identity of a magician, thus legitimately using the Magic Crystal Stone exchange quotas of several relatives.

This is free, and since nobody really needs it anyway, consider it support for the scions of outstanding families. The quota was given to Hudson, but he still has to pay for the gold coins himself.

Unfortunately, Hudson never figured out the exact strength of the Young Bear. In any case, according to Beldens himself, none of the nobles around him could withstand a single slap from the Lord Bear.

The specific power level classifications are all products of humankind's own understanding and needs, refined and developed.

Unfortunately, the Earth Bear never engage in such trivial matters; they only have three stages: infancy, growth, and adulthood.

The difference in strength between each stage is enormous. This is because, according to the Earth Bear's understanding, combat power can usually be judged by physique.

Unfortunately, the Young Bear is clearly an outlier. Although its strength is rapidly increasing and its innate abilities are constantly being unlocked, it is still in its infancy in terms of size.

If Beldens didn't try to hide it and just revealed its true form, everyone who saw it would probably think it was an overgrown Bear Kid.

It is indeed still nursing; honey and animal milk have always been its essential food, and it drinks about a basin of milk the size of its own body every day.

It's as if weaning is the lifeblood of a bear; it will fight anyone who dares to wean it. If this continues, it's estimated that Hudson won't live to see a bear weaned.

Reason told Hudson that it was time to find a way to make money. He couldn't neglect his core job just because he was going to act opposite Baron Ciss.