Cleaned Out

Before anyone could state their position, Roger had already begun assigning ranks.

"First rank goes to Ponytail, Baldhead, and Blackhide Dog. No need to say anything about Ponytail—more than half the pirates here were taken down by him. Baldhead had contributed when we killed the pirate chieftain yesterday, and he was the one who gathered you all. Blackhide Dog still hasn't woken up after helping wipe out the pirates; he traded half his life for some merit. I assume none of you have any objections."

"Second rank goes to Fat Widow, Old Joey, and Black Charcoal. You three were the first to charge down with me. Fat Widow smashed a vicious bandit's longsword apart with one hammer blow—very brave. Old Joey and Black Charcoal kept their nerve in the face of danger and worked with Fat Widow to kill that bandit. That was no small contribution either."

"Gambling Addict, the two hunters, and Missing Tooth—you may have followed later, but you were still brave enough. Gambling Addict especially charged at the very front, and both hunters wounded pirates with their arrows. Missing Tooth, although you didn't manage to kill a single pirate, you took part in the ambush and the seizure of the ship. You did well. You are third rank."

After speaking, Roger raised the cloth sack and gave it a shake. "Does anyone object?"

How could they dare object to Young Master Roger? Besides, the rankings were indeed fair, so they all voiced their agreement.

"Young Master Roger, how exactly will these three ranks divide the money and goods?" Gambling Addict asked, scratching his head awkwardly.

Roger walked over to the long table, cleared an open space, and poured all the gleaming gold and silver coins from the sack onto it.

He picked out over a dozen gold coins and split each one into quarters with his hunting knife. Then he tossed them into the pile of silver coins and stirred them around a few times, mixing the thin fragments of gold with a large number of silver coins of varying purity and make.

The coins came in all sorts of styles and forms, and Roger could not be bothered to distinguish them.

Once they had been thoroughly mixed, Roger drew the hunting knife at his waist and pushed half the gold and silver aside, then roughly divided that half into three piles.

Next, from the half that remained, he pushed out another two-thirds and roughly divided it into three piles as well.

Finally, he carefully divided what was left into four piles.

"I told you already: charge with me, dare to risk your lives, and you can make a fortune."

"The first pile belongs to Ponytail, Baldhead, and Blackhide Dog. Blackhide Dog is still unconscious, so you two choose in order. Whatever remains will be Blackhide Dog's. Pick whatever you like from those goods over there and take it. But you have taken the most money, so do not be too greedy with the goods. Be careful not to eat yourselves to death."

"The second pile belongs to Fat Widow, Old Joey, and Black Charcoal. You three will also choose in order. Each of you may pick three items from what remains on the table."

"The third pile belongs to Gambling Addict, the two hunters, and Missing Tooth. You will choose in order as well. After those ahead of you have chosen, each of you may take three items from the remaining goods."

"Once you have finished choosing, let the fellows outside come in and take what is left. They contributed too. You eat the meat; they should at least get a mouthful of soup."

Roger lightly weighed the hunting knife in his hand. "If you agree with my method, you may begin."

The people in the room hesitated slightly, but Ponytail immediately answered the call. He scooped up coins from the first pile on the table and stuffed them into his clothes, then took the bolt of Italian silk from the long table, along with Second Chief Sea Monster's coat and riding trousers.

Baldhead stepped forward and took his coins as well, but he only took the Second Chief's remaining leather boots, belt, and a wineskin from the wooden table. Then he chose the Third Chief's clean set of outer clothes and said, "Ponytail and I already have clothes. Leave this set for Blackhide Dog. Give it to him when he wakes up."

Roger could not help lifting his head to glance at the solemn-faced Baldhead.

The rest stepped forward in turn to take their shares of gold and silver, each also carrying off a dozen or so slightly more valuable items such as wool, linen, iron pots, and oil lamps.

Though those who received less money later wanted badly to grab more goods, Ponytail and Baldhead had set a good example. Naturally, they were too embarrassed to make their greed too obvious.

The coins on the table were soon taken clean, leaving only tattered clothes, clay jars, wineskins, plates, wooden spoons, cheese, candles, and other odds and ends.

At that moment, Fat Widow opened the mill's doors and called for the Bandit Suppression Army underlings who had been peeking through the cracks for ages to rush inside and divide the leftover scraps...

Cheers and jubilant cries rang out again, both inside and outside the mill.

Once the wealth had been distributed, Roger had Baldhead and Ponytail lead Missing Tooth, Gambling Addict, the two hunters, several other somewhat reliable men, and two honest fishermen who knew how to handle sails. They carried Blackhide Dog, escorted the three captives, retrieved several weapons and pieces of armor from the "brave warriors," and boarded the pirate ship first.

Roger, meanwhile, led the remaining people to sit quietly in the Corpse-Drying Yard outside the mill and await Brodick's arrival. During that time, several Rocklanza Village villagers came up weeping and begging to reclaim the bodies of pirate relatives and friends.

After asking around and learning that those two pirates had merely been underlings dragged into it, Roger agreed to let them take the bodies away.

The sun climbed ever higher. It was likely already eleven in the morning when, just as Roger was beginning to grow impatient, two figures approached from the direction of Rocklanza Village to the south. Looking closely, he saw that they were Bitter Melon Face and Little Horseherd, riding a mixed-breed horse and a donkey.

Before they even came close, the two hurriedly jumped down from their mounts. When they saw the long row of naked bodies beside Roger, mangled and bloody or bruised purple-black all over, the old man and the youth both turned deathly pale with terror, their lips twitching.

"Young Master Ro-Roger, were these... were these all killed by you?" Bitter Melon Face's lips had gone dark with fright. Little Horseherd hid behind him with his head lowered, too terrified to open his eyes.

Roger had no time to explain last night's ambush. He asked in a deep voice, "White-faced John and the others haven't come?"

"They... they're behind us. That little hooligan led them by the main road, so they'll be here soon. We were worried about you, so we came ahead..." Bitter Melon Face could not help glancing at the row of corpses again, only to immediately turn his head away.

Roger cast an indifferent look across the Corpse-Drying Yard and said quietly to the old man and youth, "Take the small path behind us to Sheltered Cape. A ship is moored there. It belongs to me now. Hurry aboard and wait for me. Baldhead and the others are already on it."

Bitter Melon Face looked northward. Not far away, at Lu Jia, there did indeed seem to be a wooden ship with its sails raised.

Bitter Melon Face did not particularly want to go, but Young Master Roger had become more and more unfathomable. He had to stay close, lest more trouble be stirred up.

"Young Master Roger, what about our mixed-breed horse and mule-donkey? These animals have never boarded a ship before. I'm afraid we won't be able to haul them aboard." Bitter Melon Face pointed to the horse and donkey behind him, as well as the gray mule tied beneath the grass shelter outside the mill together with the mixed-breed horses from Brodick Castle. All of them were property of Milkhouse Manor.

"I'll deal with it. You go aboard first." There was not the slightest room for negotiation in Roger's voice now. Overawed by the row of corpses before them, the old man and youth did not dare disobey in the slightest. They quickly tied up the horse and donkey, then headed toward Lu Jia.

"Fat Widow, Old Joey, Black Charcoal, come here." Roger beckoned the three over.