Reward

"It was actually the Wild Wolf Bandit Group." Wood's expression turned grave, as if he were pondering something.

The miners inside the mine had all been rescued as well. Uncle John and Aunt Anna were among them.

They were in poor condition. They had been starving these past few days while being forced to work at high intensity every day.

The mine's original food supplies had all been taken by the Wild Wolf Bandit Group. They gave the miners only a tiny amount of food, just enough to keep them alive.

Under Count Hardy's employment, workers were normally guaranteed enough to eat.

"Duke, it was actually you." Aunt Anna could hardly believe her eyes when she saw Duke. It was difficult to connect the tall young man before her, clad in leather armor and holding an iron sword, with Duke.

In her memory, Duke had always been that frail, filthy child from the village.

She had never expected him to change so much in the blink of an eye.

Duke was relieved to see that neither of them was seriously hurt. He said, "It's good that you're all right. Sister Loy was very worried about you..."

He explained what had happened, and Uncle John and Aunt Anna immediately went to thank Wood and the other Militia members.

Most of these miners were nearby farmers and commoners, and they were endlessly grateful to Wood's group.

They had already sensed that the day the Wild Wolf Bandit Group left would be the day they died.

Some had tried to escape during that time, but without exception, they had all died at the hands of the Wild Wolf Bandit Group.

Quite a few miners had also been injured by the intense labor. Some of the more seriously injured had even died directly inside the mine tunnels.

The Wild Wolf Bandit Group did not regard the miners as human at all. They treated them only as expendable tools for amassing wealth.

After Wood sent someone to Enderland Town to report the news, he led his men in guarding the mine.

They were unsure whether other members of the Wild Wolf Bandit Group were nearby, so they remained on high alert throughout.

The best option would naturally have been to leave overnight, lest they be surrounded by possible enemy reinforcements.

However, there were many injured people in the mine. They simply could not endure a long journey, and some could not even move.

They could only wait for rescuers from Enderland Town and guard the place until then.

In the middle of the night, reinforcements from Enderland Town arrived, bringing several horse-drawn carts and ox carts to transport the injured.

Duke and the others were responsible for maintaining order and guarding the route.

By the time everything was finished, it was already noon the next day.

Even with Duke's Constitution, he could not help feeling somewhat exhausted by then.

He did not even return to Yining Village. Instead, he went straight to sleep on a pile of hay in the stable beside the training ground, next to Mr. Wood's horse.

The soft dry hay was exceptionally comfortable to sleep on, far more comfortable than the hard wooden bed at home.

Three days later.

The matter at the Southern Mine was completely settled. The five surviving members of the Wild Wolf Bandit Group were all sentenced to death by Count Hardy and sent to the gallows in Enderland Town.

The mine resumed normal operations, and nearby farmers and commoners gradually returned to work there.

Count Hardy also strengthened the mine's defenses and improved the benefits there.

Count Hardy was naturally generous with his rewards for the Enderland Town Militia that had wiped out the bandits.

At the training ground, Wood held a small chest in his hands, with dozens of Militia members standing before him.

"You guarded Count Hardy's wealth and protected the safety of the territory's residents. Count Hardy will grant each of you a reward..."

As Wood spoke, he opened the chest, revealing it filled with glittering Gold Coins.

The crowd instantly erupted in commotion. Everyone cried out in surprise, staring fixedly at the Gold Coins in the chest.

Most commoners could not scrape together even a single Gold Coin even if they emptied their entire household savings, much less a whole chest of them. The sight was immensely striking.

Every member of the Enderland Town Militia received one Gold Coin as a reward.

To them, it was a windfall, enough to last them a long time.

Duke received an additional two Gold Coins because he had killed two enemies in battle.

The rule for this reward was that every person killed earned one Gold Coin.

Duke's two kills already counted as quite a lot. Among the others, the most anyone had was three kills by a veteran soldier.

Most enemies had been killed jointly, so those kills were not counted toward any one person.

Duke could not help feeling regretful. If I'd known, I should have added points earlier and ended the fight quickly. Maybe I could have earned more Gold Coins.

At the time, he had only wanted to hone his combat ability and gain more experience in real battle. He had not considered that.

Looking at the three dazzling Gold Coins in his hand, Duke finally realized that he was somewhat wealthy now.

With this money, he could live comfortably for quite some time.

At that moment, he also understood why the Militia members had fought with such enthusiasm. No wonder no one had shrunk back or slacked off.

Great rewards brought forth brave men. Count Hardy was willing to spend money on those who earned merit, so it was no wonder he had so many loyal subordinates.

After receiving the money, Duke immediately bought three sacks of barley flour and three strips of smoked meat.

He gave one sack of wheat flour and one strip of smoked meat to Mr. Wood, thanking him for his help.

Wood was briefly stunned when he received the gift. Then he smiled and accepted it. "I think highly of you. Keep working hard. Also, I may have a surprise for you after some time."

"What surprise?" Duke asked doubtfully.

"I'll tell you when the time comes," Wood said after thinking for a moment.

Duke could not press further, so he could only carry the barley flour and smoked meat back to Yining Village.

Carrying a sack of barley flour and a strip of smoked meat, he knocked on the door of Uncle John's family next door.

Since returning from the mine, they had not gone out to work these past few days and had instead rested at home.

Although they had not been injured in the mine, their bodies had been greatly worn down and needed time to recover.

"Uncle John, take this sack of flour. Get some proper rest during this time." Duke stuffed the flour into Uncle John's hands.

The moment Uncle John saw the heavy flour and smoked meat in his hands, he tried to stuff them back. Shaking his head, he said, "No, these are far too precious. Aunt Anna and I don't need such fine food. You're still growing..."

Duke smiled. "I have some too, so just take them. Count Hardy rewarded me with quite a bit of money this time. This little amount is nothing. You've helped me so much since I was young; this is only right. Even if you don't eat it, you can save it for Sister Loy."

After much persuasion, Uncle John's family finally accepted the flour and smoked meat.

Flour in this era generally came in wheat, barley, and rye varieties. Wheat flour was used to make white bread, but its yield was very low, and only nobles could afford to eat it.

The flour Duke had bought was barley flour, which was still considered quite good food.

With this sack of flour, Uncle John's family could make plenty of bread and improve their lives a little.