Word of the pirates' defeat spread through Lakeheart Town. The residents took to the streets and gathered at Central Plaza to celebrate.
The next day, the count ordered a victory parade. The troops formed squares by company and marched in step down the main street toward the plaza. A temporary reviewing stand had been built at the northern end of the plaza, where Paul, Schroeder, Bryce, and the other high-ranking officers reviewed the troops.
The troops marched toward the reviewing stand from west to east. As they passed it, each formation instantly shifted into a high-stepping march at its officer's command. The young soldiers held their heads high and their chests out, their faces filled with pride yet still solemn.
The spectators cried out in astonishment, followed by wave after wave of applause and cheers. Even the old knight on the reviewing stand nodded to himself. This peculiar marching style truly gave off an indomitable momentum, displaying the troops' discipline and quality to the fullest. Even the unit he had served in before would not have been able to reach this standard without years of training.
After the troops came the pirates captured in the battle. Unlike the flowers and applause earlier, they were welcomed by rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables. Because of them, the residents of Lakeheart Town had suffered terribly these past few days. Those who left town to farm or work had been on tenterhooks, and even the fishermen had dared not venture too far from shore when fishing in the lake.
Given the significance of this victory, Paul and the senior officers had hastily drawn up a temporary system of rewards and compensation that very afternoon. They announced it during the parade: everyone who had been granted a temporary military rank would have it made permanent. Based on their performance in the battle, those who had died in action would receive first-class merit, those seriously wounded would receive second-class merit, and nearly a hundred others who had distinguished themselves would receive third-class merit. Material and monetary rewards would be issued according to the level of merit.
For the families of those who had died in action or suffered severe injuries that left them disabled and unable to work, the Lord's Manor would provide five Auldo Gold Coins or an equivalent amount in other currency. For commoner families in the Northwest Bay region, that was an enormous sum.
"You bunch of dog-begotten nobles..." The big-bearded man's hands were bound behind his back. He struggled and cursed as he was brought into the hall, and two soldiers worked together to force him to the floor.
"So you're the 'great' Quirk I?" Paul looked with interest at the unconvinced pirate chief. During the battle, the big-bearded man had actually been trampled unconscious by his retreating men. Trampled unconscious, trampled unconscious... Whenever Paul thought of it, he felt as if he had finally gotten his revenge.
"Your grandfather..."
"Tell him to watch his mouth."
Smack! Smack! The sound of slaps rang through the hall. One soldier slapped him alternately with both hands, and before long, Quirk's cheeks had swollen high.
"You... you..." The pirate chief's cursing gradually grew quieter.
"Honestly tell us everything you know. How many of you are there? How much did you take? Where are the other pirates?"
"Beat me to death... hiss... and I still won't reveal... hiss... a single thing." Quirk's face was swollen and bruised, and he could barely speak clearly.
"You've got some tough bones, don't you? Does anyone have a way to pry his mouth open?"
Everyone involved in the interrogation put their heads together and suggested ways to torment him. Thus, one good show after another unfolded in the hall.
First came the whip and the finger press, followed by the tiger bench, chili water, and water torture. They gave Quirk a thorough working-over. What? He still would not talk? Since force was not enough, they tried gentler methods: tickling his armpits and scratching the soles of his feet. One vicious trick after another was used on Quirk.
"Eh! Ah! Eh... hahaha... hahaha... ah... oh!!! Hahaha!!!"
Soft and hard tactics took turns. The big-bearded Quirk was tossed into heaven one moment and thrown into hell the next.
"I'll talk... I'll talk..." After being tormented for half a day, Quirk finally gave in.
"Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. You could have spoken sooner and avoided all this." The young count gave a sinister chuckle like a villain in a movie.
"Soldiers, continue interrogating the other prisoners in the jail. You remembered all the methods we just used, right? Let's see whether their boss's mouth is harder or these underlings'."
"Yes, Count!" The two soldiers gave the newly introduced raised-hand salute, cracked their knuckles, and left with excited expressions.
After chuckling for a while, Paul slowly said to Quirk, "Then, Great Lord Quirk I, tell us everything you know. If anything conflicts with what your men say, we people of Lakeheart Town have always been warm and hospitable. You'll receive an even more wonderful 'welcome.'"
The big-bearded pirate lying on the floor shuddered when he heard this.
After consolidating all the pirates' testimonies, Lakeheart Town finally got a clear picture of the enemy's situation.
There were three pirate groups involved in this invasion.
The first was the Quirk Gang, which had just suffered a crushing defeat in Lakeheart Town.
The second was the Shark Gang. The head of this pirate group was actually named Shark, and they were the pirates who had ambushed Old Paul.
The third was the "Loach" Gaden Gang, which had only just come ashore. They were the suspicious group that had done little more than stand around during this battle. After seeing the Quirk Gang's collective collapse, they had quietly slipped away, truly living up to the nickname "Loach."
The Shark Gang had come ashore first. After looting everything they could along the coast, their luck had soared when they defeated Old Greiman, who had come to punish them. When they learned that only a little brat remained of the Greiman Family, they became even more arrogant. They directly occupied the port city of Fulan, forced the local residents to build defensive fortifications, and planned to settle there for the long term.
The Quirk Gang had come ashore later. By then, the Shark Gang had already looted most of the coastal region, so they headed inland instead. After plundering some villages and towns, they decided to make a big score and came straight for Lakeheart Town. Then they crashed and burned.
As for the third group to come ashore, the "Loach" Gaden Gang, Quirk had only just met up with them and did not know much about them.
What worried the people of Lakeheart Town was that although these three pirate groups were merely minor gangs, they were all affiliated with another powerful force—the Sea Bandit who dominated the North Sea: Walker Edward.
Twenty years ago, Walker Edward had risen suddenly and gradually swallowed up the pirate gangs of every size across the North Sea. The pirates, now bound together as one, had given the lords of the Northwest Bay a terrible headache, so they joined forces and attempted to wipe Edward out.
But the campaign did not go well. The pirates came by sea and left by sea, adopting guerrilla tactics and remaining elusive. Whenever the noble coalition withdrew, they came ashore to attack. Whenever the coalition's main force arrived, they retreated back to the sea.
The nobles tried building ships to hunt them down at sea, but the newly formed fleet was no match for those old hands of the ocean, and suffered defeat after defeat.
In the end, the noble lords could not bear it any longer, so the two sides negotiated. The lords paid a huge sum of money as protection fees and set aside a stretch of coastal land—including part of Paul's family territory—where the pirates could come to "resupply" every few months. In return, Edward had to restrain his pirate gangs from venturing too far inland or entering the capitals of the various territories and the areas around them.
Thus, the lords and the pirates remained "at peace" for twenty years, while the coastal land designated as a "resupply zone" endured exploitation by both nobles and pirates.
When Quirk reached this point in his confession, the count angrily smashed the cup of water he had just picked up. "You bunch of dog-begotten nobles!!!" The exact same obscenity Quirk had used earlier burst from his mouth. Quirk, kneeling below the hall, stared in shock, while the others involved in the interrogation exchanged bewildered looks.
The steward leaned close to Paul's ear and quietly reminded him, "Ahem... Count, please watch your words. Your grandfather was also involved in those negotiations. Most of the lords in the Northwest Bay agreed at the time. Although a few families, including the Greimans, were dissatisfied, they were powerless to change anything and could only agree."
Paul asked coldly, "Oh? So if the pirates hadn't overstepped this time, you would have continued turning a blind eye and enjoying your peace?"
Everyone in the hall lowered their heads and fell silent. The quiet was terrifying. The only sound was a sigh from the old knight, Schroeder...
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