Unexpected Fortune

After a long while, their crying gradually subsided.

The woman who spoke first wiped away her tears, but a deeper confusion and despair appeared on her face. "My Lord, thank you, but... we don't know where to go. Our homes were long ago destroyed by the Sauron, and even if we leave here, in this wilderness of the Northern Border, we... we are doomed."

She suddenly looked up, her eyes holding a final plea. "My Lord... please... let us follow you! We can do anything! Laundry, cooking, mending... we only beg you to give us a way to live!"

Karl looked at their pitiful state and hesitated for a moment.

Taking them along would undoubtedly increase the burden and introduce variables.

But abandoning these women, who had just escaped hell and were without support, in this wilderness, would make him no different from those Goblins.

He sighed and nodded. "Alright, you will follow my group for now. I will arrange work for you and provide food and protection."

The women immediately burst into tears again, but this time, they were tears of gratitude.

Just then, Richter ran out from deeper within the cave with an excited expression. He leaned close to Karl's ear and whispered excitedly, "My Lord! In the very back! There's a treasure cave! We found something good! Lots of money!"

Karl's spirits lifted. He instructed Brendan, "Brendan, Roland, settle them down first. Find them some warm clothes and food."

After speaking, he immediately followed Richter into the depths of the cave.

After passing through several narrow side passages, they arrived at a cave partially concealed by a large rock.

The cave was now brightly lit by torches.

The sight before him made even Karl gasp.

In a corner of the cave, several wooden chests, old but quite sturdy, were placed.

The lid of one chest had already been pried open, revealing a chest full of dazzling gold coins! The other two chests contained neatly stacked silver coins!

The gold coins gleamed enticingly in the torchlight, and the silver coins piled up like mountains.

Karl roughly estimated that the chest of gold coins contained at least fifty pieces, and the two chests of silver coins combined were definitely over a hundred pieces, not including any other scattered valuables that might be mixed at the bottom of the chests!

This was a huge windfall! It almost covered half of his previous investment and was enough to support his development for a long time to come.

Clearly, this was the wealth accumulated by the Black Tooth tribe's Goblins over many years of plundering, and now, it all fell into Karl's hands!

"Excellent!" Karl couldn't help but pat Richter's shoulder forcefully. "Count it all carefully and take it all away! Not a single copper coin is to be left behind!"

With this unexpected fortune, the reconstruction and development of Carnford undoubtedly gained another solid guarantee.

This fierce battle in the middle of the night ultimately resulted in a dual harvest of both people and funds, far exceeding expectations in value.

The troops quickly regrouped at the foot of the mountain.

Karl quickly took a headcount, and a great weight was lifted from his heart.

Apart from a few lightly wounded soldiers from the initial goblin attack, there were no other casualties.

This night encounter ended with zero casualties, the complete annihilation of the goblin main force, and substantial spoils, a truly exhilarating victory!

The group escorted the five rescued women, carried the heavy treasure chests recovered from the cave, and, with the joy of victory and a little fatigue, returned to the nearby camp.

On the way back, Karl couldn't help but feel a little worried. All the soldiers had been deployed, and only a large number of slaves were left in the camp. After the fighting and chaos outside, would the slaves take the opportunity to riot?

However, as their group approached the camp, the scene they witnessed surprised everyone.

Behind the camp's palisade, torches blazed.

The slaves, who should have been in a state of panic, had not caused any disturbance. Instead, they had formed loose groups.

They were actually holding the crude short spears, wooden clubs, and cleavers dropped by the Goblins, guarding the gaps in the camp and behind the palisade nervously and vigilantly.

Although their movements were clumsy and their formations were uneven, their posture of attempting to defend the camp was clearly visible.

Seeing Karl leading the army back in triumph, the slaves visibly relaxed, their tense expressions easing. They put down their "weapons" and their eyes showed awe and curiosity.

Karl was both surprised and delighted. He had never expected these slaves to organize themselves spontaneously without any coercion and even pick up weapons to try and "defend" the camp.

At this moment, the nine slave captains appointed that morning.

Otto, along with eight others whose faces Karl vaguely remembered, came before him.

Otto, as their representative, rubbed his hands and reported stutteringly, his tone full of apprehension. "M-My Lord... i-it was... us who told everyone to do this. We heard the fighting outside was fierce, and we were afraid... afraid other monsters might sneak in during the chaos, so we had everyone grab the things the little green skins dropped and guard the place as best we could. We didn't dare to have any other intentions, really! We're just slaves, we... we just wanted to help out a bit..."

They lowered their heads, afraid to look Karl in the eye, fearing that this "acting on their own initiative" would bring punishment.

However, Karl's reaction was completely beyond their expectations.

Not only was he not angry, but he strode forward, his face showing undisguised admiration.

He first walked up to Otto, without any of the arrogance of a noble towards a slave. He extended his right hand, grasped Otto's calloused and dirty hand, and shook it firmly!

Otto froze completely, looking at his hand, held tightly by the Lord, in disbelief. His mind went blank. The slaves and soldiers around them were all stunned.

"Otto! You did very well." Karl patted his shoulder forcefully.

Karl went from one to another, asking for their names or codenames, shaking their hands firmly, patting their shoulders sincerely, and giving each person brief but highly meaningful affirmation and encouragement.

These slave captains had never been treated like this before.

In their past lives, there had only been scolding, whipping, and indifference.

At this moment, not only did the Lord not blame them for using weapons without permission, but he personally shook their hands, patted their shoulders, and praised them, just like he would treat meritorious soldiers!

This equal respect and recognition had a far greater impact than monetary rewards!

Excitement, elation, disbelief, and an indescribable sense of loyalty instantly washed over them.

Some trembled with excitement, others had red-rimmed eyes, and some grinned foolishly, unable to utter a word, only nodding frantically.

Karl looked at them, raising his voice to ensure the surrounding slaves and soldiers could hear, "You all saw it! Otto, Morgan, Fenn... these nine, and all the brothers who voluntarily took up arms to defend the camp tonight, you did exceptionally well! Beyond my expectations!"

His gaze swept over all the slaves holding their breath, "I said, as long as you serve with loyalty, there will be rewards, there will be a future! Tonight, you have proven your loyalty and your worth! I have noted this contribution!"

He paused, his voice becoming more solemn, "I promise! Once we arrive at Carnford and settle down, everyone who participated in defending the camp tonight will receive extra food rewards!"

"And for these nine captains, and those who performed exceptionally, I will personally reward your merits! Perhaps more grain, perhaps better clothing, or even... the status of freemen, which you desire most!"

"BOOM!"

The crowd instantly erupted! The slaves let out a massive cheer.

Freemen status!

This was something they dared not even dream of!

At this moment, the way these slaves looked at Karl had completely changed.

It was no longer the gaze directed at a distant and terrifying lord, but at a leader who could guide them toward hope.

The cohesion of the slave ranks, after the bloody battle of this night and the unexpected test of loyalty, had become unprecedentedly strong.