Accepting the Refugees

"Sir, please take us in!"

When Lynn turned around, the middle-aged man immediately fell to his knees.

Lynn had just bought slaves from this man. Why was he begging him for help now?

"All right, have some water first. Take your time," Lynn said helplessly.

The man began explaining. "Sir, the Orcs have invaded. There are Orcs everywhere outside the fortress now. The fortress has taken in too many people this year, and we have nowhere else to go."

"Do you have food?" Lynn immediately understood the situation and asked about their circumstances.

"If you want food, sir, we have some! We have some! We brought everything we own!" The man spoke rapidly, afraid Lynn would turn them away.

"Let me see your situation first." Lynn rose to his feet. Free labor. He'd take as many as he could get.

Although it hadn't started snowing outside the city, the wind was howling. In this weather, everyone except those with magic or Battle Qi, like Lynn, Lilim, and Eckley, was bundled up in layers.

Lynn hadn't even reached the city gate before he heard the noisy crowd. His people seemed to be confronting those outside the city.

Aninsbei City had originally been built for military purposes, and it had needed to be constructed quickly, so it was very small. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to defend.

As a result, it had only one gate. There were no gates anywhere else. Lynn's castle still hadn't been completed, either. They'd only added some brickwork around the wooden structure; the second and third floors were still exposed wood.

There was a compartment inside the castle with three tunnels dug out, leading outside to make escape easier.

Aninsbei's walls were built in the Chinese style and were exceptionally thick: six meters of packed earth, two meters of brick, and a Barbican.

Lynn had designed three gates.

As soon as he climbed onto the wall, Lynn couldn't help but freeze. The crowd stretched as far as the eye could see.

Seriously, were all these people here to attack the city?

Lynn grumbled to himself as he looked down at the crowd.

Every one of them had brought food. They really did have provisions.

The people on his own walls were packed in, too. Eckley had mobilized everyone. They all carried spears, had seven or eight Javelins slung over their backs, and wore Javelin Throwers at their waists. Some wore leather armor, others had no armor at all, and a few had even put together suits of wooden armor for themselves.

Eckley was shouting down at the crowd. "Quiet down, all of you!"

"Stay calm!"

"Wait for your representatives to speak with the Grand Commander!"

A few old men stood beside Gray. As soon as Gray saw Lynn climb onto the wall, he led them over.

"Grand Commander, these refugees managed to flee quickly, but most are the elderly, women, and children. Their men stayed behind to fight the Orcs, and their fates are unknown. Based on my estimate and the village chief's account, there are also some underage boys among them. But there are a few rats mixed in, too."

"Rats" meant scoundrels, thugs, and ruffians.

"Sir, please, take us in!" everyone pleaded in unison.

The others began begging as well. Anna glanced at the slave trader before kneeling to plead with Lynn. "Sir, please, take us in! My mother is here, and she's pregnant. My little sister is only a few years old, and my older sister is pregnant, too."

[Magic: Far Sight] A spell that enhanced vision, mostly used for reconnaissance.

Everyone really had brought food, but it clearly wouldn't be enough. Some had brought a lot, others very little. This was tricky.

And there were some rats among them, looking to cause trouble.

"Taking you in isn't out of the question, but I can't stand people who refuse to obey." As Lynn spoke, a staff appeared in his hand. He aimed it at someone below who was sneaking around suspiciously.

The glow of magic caught everyone's attention, and Lynn's words gave those begging for shelter a glimmer of hope.

[Magic: Earth Spike] Spikes of earth formed in the air, then shot forward like arrows, striking several of the rats.

At a distance of several dozen meters, the spell was in its ideal range.

In this world, mages were mid-to-close-range combatants. Their spells were most effective within a hundred meters; any farther, and they were likely to miss. Many spells also had a range of about a hundred meters. Beyond that, only rock-throwing spells remained useful.

For example, spells that threw Wood Spikes, earth spikes, flying swords, fireballs, Ice Spikes, and so on.

But those tricks were still inferior to bows and crossbows—except for throwing flying swords, which was better than using a bow and crossbow.

This was one way the magical world kept things balanced. If magic was already so powerful, why would bows and crossbows still exist?

The few people sneaking around in the confusion were caught by the sudden spell. The earth spikes struck them hard, and they immediately clutched the places they'd been hit, groaning in pain.

Everyone was startled.

"Sir! Why did you do that?!"

Lynn shouted, "Quiet down, all of you!"

Lynn charged up an enormous fireball in the sky.

Everyone was so frightened that they didn't know what to do.

Such an obvious display of power was exactly what showed a noble lord had real guts.