The New Guard

The New Guard

The thin mist still had not dispersed, shrouding the seaside town and the nearby woods in white. Only the birdsong from the forest made the morning seem even quieter.

When the first ray of sunlight shone into the wooden house, Roderick naturally woke up as well. With Astartes's assistance, he could ensure that his daily wake-up time was accurate to within a second.

He quickly got dressed and rose. "Astartes? Why have you been so quiet these past two days?" Roderick asked.

"I have been preparing for your plan. Mayor Heni Mareb needs a formal report, the specific guard reorganization plan needs to be arranged, and your genetic organ modification plan is also underway. In short, I am very busy. Also, your performance that day was quite good, Lieutenant."

Roderick stepped outside. Today's task would likely be even more difficult than yesterday's. Only by taking this step properly could he truly have a reliable force of his own.

It was still the grassy field at the training grounds, still the noisy crowd. Roderick once again surveyed the men before him. They had plenty of liveliness, but not enough dignity. They were still far from becoming a true army. Adrian, clad in leather armor with a longbow slung across his back, stood beside Roderick. He too looked dejectedly at the training field, which was as bustling as a market, listening to the people's chatter.

"Why are we gathering for training again? I still need to water the fields I just planted."

"I heard this newly appointed captain wants to reorganize the force. Who knows how these knight lords are going to torment us?"

"If it weren't for the exemption from the autumn harvest tax, who would want to carry such a heavy spear all the way here to train?"

"Have you heard? Our new captain used to be a member of the Order of the Silver Hand. Who would have thought someone so young could be so capable?"

"Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes at the beach last time. Knight Roderick defeated over a hundred Murlocs by himself with nothing but a longsword. He was like a god descending to earth."

"Don't talk nonsense. I'm telling you, there were at least five hundred Murlocs, all with sharp teeth, reeking of stench, charging at us with tridents in hand. I was scared to death. Blood covered the ground, Murloc corpses carpeted the beach, and when Lord Roderick let out a roar, those Murlocs all took a step back. Not one of them dared come forward to die..."

"Lord Roderick is amazing. If I were as strong as Lord Roderick, I could become a knight and wouldn't have to dig in the mines anymore..."

"You brat, keep dreaming in broad daylight. Hahaha."

The conversation grew more and more ridiculous, making Adrian secretly laugh. Roderick acted as though he had heard nothing and kept a stern expression.

With his excellent eyesight, Adrian could already see a small formation approaching at an unhurried pace. He leaned slightly forward and whispered into Roderick's ear, "They're here."

Hearing this, Roderick slowly raised his left hand before him. Once he saw that the crowd's attention had focused on him, he called out, "Soldiers of Southshore, you are worthy of being called warriors. The Shatterfin Murlocs' attack has been crushed by you, and Southshore has once again gained peace. Cheer for victory!"

"Wow! We're warriors too! Hahaha..." Enthusiastic cheers immediately erupted from the crowd. Even a cowardly farmer would gain a sense of honor after a victory and take pride in his own courage.

"To improve everyone's combat strength, Mayor Heni has decided to provide the Southshore Guard with elite equipment: full sets of standard kingdom infantry gear, including helmets, half-plate breastplates, longswords, shields, and iron spears."

Upon hearing Roderick's words, the young men of the guard became even more excited. After all, more complete weapons and equipment would better ensure their safety. The mismatched leather armor and cloth clothing they wore gave them far too little sense of security when facing enemies. At that moment, Alwyn led a small unit into the training grounds in a column. They were dressed in brand-new gear, their silvery metal armor gleaming beneath the sunlight. Each held a longsword in one hand and a shield in the other. The surcoats over their chests bore blue double-headed eagles on white backgrounds, matched with sky-blue striped decorations, making them look exceptionally valiant.

At the rear of the formation, Arnold and Chris struggled to carry a heavy wooden chest. Yet no one paid attention to the strange box. Fired up by Roderick's words, everyone stared at the beautiful armor on the newcomers, imagining how they would look wearing it themselves. The chest was placed on the open ground before Roderick, and the small unit lined up neatly behind him without saying a word.

"Finally, I will bring everyone an even greater surprise. To commend the Southshore Guard's outstanding performance, the Town Council has decided that all members of the Southshore Militia Guard will be exempt from this year's autumn harvest tax. Every member who participated in the previous battle against the Murlocs will receive a reward of ten silver coins, to be paid out immediately. Alwyn, open the chest."

The atmosphere instantly reached its peak, then exploded at the news of ten silver coins. The exemption from the autumn tax had been expected, but hearing it officially announced put many people at ease. Ten silver coins—by the Holy Light, many farmers in town could not earn that much even after working hard for months. Could this be a dream? Some people viciously pinched their own arms before joining the crowd in wild cheers.

The instant the chest was opened, the silver coins filling it glowed enticingly. The crowd became like a beast seized by deadly temptation, turning frenzied. Countless eyes stared fixedly at the money chest, filled with endless desire. Even Alwyn felt a chill crawl down his spine under the gazes of these normally gentle townsfolk and instinctively stepped back. As though encouraged, the crowd surged forward.

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, a thunderous roar rang out beside their ears. "Everyone, halt!" Some of the weaker men were so shaken that they became dizzy and could barely stand. With a clang, Roderick drew the longsword at his waist and strode past Alwyn, who had been forced back by the crowd. Looking coldly at the temporarily cowed people, he shouted, "Anyone who disobeys orders again will be executed!"

The crowd saw only Roderick sweep his left arm. With a booming explosion, blasted dirt, overturned turf, and shattered stones sprayed toward them in a shower.

Amid cries of pain, the people whose eyes had been blinded by the silver coins began to regain their senses. They all hurriedly retreated, pulling back even farther than where they had originally stood, as though anyone who remained too close would be cut down by Roderick's sword.

The training grounds fell utterly silent. Alwyn had recovered from his earlier daze, and shame appeared on his face. Being frightened back by a group of untrained militiamen was truly embarrassing.

The formation, stunned by Roderick drawing his sword, stood rigidly under his gaze. Even those who had been struck by flying pebbles and were silently enduring the pain were stopped by their companions from making a sound. One by one, they stood straight, as though the frenzied beasts from moments ago had not been them.

With a single stroke of Roderick's sword, a small trench dozens of feet long and roughly half a foot deep had appeared before them. Even Adrian and the others gaped in shock, unable to speak. The militiamen in the formation were trembling in fear. If not for their many companions and their familiarity with Knight Roderick from living together in Southshore, many of them would already have dropped to their knees to beg Roderick's forgiveness.

"A prophet once said that those who do not know the rules can be forgiven even when they make mistakes. No one will be punished for what happened this time. I hope everyone present remembers your identity at all times. You are now members of the Southshore Guard. Alwyn will now begin distributing your rewards for the last battle. Anyone whose name is called, step forward. Everyone else remains where you are. Anyone who disobeys will forfeit all rewards and be expelled from the guard!"

Roderick turned and nodded to Alwyn, signaling that he could begin. Alwyn stood solemnly beside the money chest and began checking the list that had been prepared earlier. The militia now behaved as meekly as quails, standing perfectly still at the side, completely unlike their usual loud and boisterous selves.

"Did you notice? Some people didn't push forward with the crowd just now. They stayed near the rear on the left side of the formation," Roderick said, turning to Arnold beside him.

"I saw them, but I don't know who they are either. They don't seem to be from our town." Arnold looked confused, then added excitedly, "Boss, that was so cool just now..."

"They're miners from the Jade Mine. The leader is called Yug. That one there—the bald man in leather armor, the tallest and biggest-looking one." Suppressing the doubt in his heart, Adrian spoke from the side. "He has a lot of prestige among the miners. I ran into him while hunting there before, and he treated me to a feast of roasted spider legs. I heard he's a refugee who fled from Tirisfal."

After hearing the introduction, Roderick said nothing more and waited with the others for Alwyn to finish his task. The formation was exceptionally orderly today. Alwyn completed his work quickly. Before long, the hundred-plus names on the list had all received their rewards and returned to the formation smiling broadly, while those who had not taken part in the battle that day felt both envy and jealousy.

What kind of battle had that been? They had been hundreds of feet away from the Murloc force. They only had to shout a few times while following the crowd, and they earned ten silver coins. That money was far too easy to make. Many who had harbored concerns about Roderick's reorganization plan now began looking forward to it eagerly. Who did not love gleaming silver coins?

"All combat rewards have been distributed. Captain Roderick will now announce the reorganization order for the Southshore Guard," Alwyn shouted.

"The original Southshore militia will now be divided into two parts. Those with stronger combat abilities will be selected to form the new Southshore Guard, responsible for the defense of all Southshore, including clearing out Syndicate bandits and eliminating the Murloc threat along the beaches. The Town Council will provide full equipment, and they will receive thirty silver coins every month."

Although they were still intimidated by the trench created with a single sword stroke, the unexpectedly generous treatment still drew waves of astonished cries from the crowd. Thirty silver coins a month were enough to make these young men forget their fear of death.

"The specific selection tests will officially begin this afternoon, right here. Alwyn will be responsible for them. As for the rest of the militia, they will become members of the Southshore Constabulary. Their main duties will be security patrols within Southshore and guarding the dock district. Under normal circumstances, they will not be required to fight outside town. The Town Council will provide full sets of lightweight leather armor, standard longswords, and simple wooden shields. Their treatment will remain the same as now: exemption from the annual autumn harvest tax, plus one silver coin per month. However, they must attend three training sessions every month to maintain basic combat skills."

"At the same time, the guard now needs clerks, quartermasters, and even kitchen cooks. We welcome anyone with a useful skill to join the Southshore Guard."

"Now, everyone, dismissed."