YM778.TV Chapter 71: Conquest { XXXI }
"I can make my people come live in this place, but then I will have to kill all of Glenwood\'s villagers," Rowan contemplated as they made their way down to Fagin\'s place.
If killing would ensure the evolution of his territory and the happiness of his people, he wouldn\'t mind killing even a thousand innocent people with his own hands.
Sadly, he needed more people to evolve his territory, which made the idea a really bad one.
Rowan brainstormed many ideas to solve the issues, but he finally made up his mind to think about it after obtaining the staff of authority.
After escorting for another hour, they finally arrived at a building that stood out from all the other buildings they had seen so far.
It was bigger, with nice wall paintings, and there was a fence and gate protecting it, which wasn\'t present at the other houses. Rowan and his captains didn\'t even have to question Fagin before confirming that this was his place.
"This is it," Fagin spoke up.
"I know. You wasted a lot of resources building this place," Rowan snorted.
Fagin didn\'t respond, already too afraid of Rowan.
"We don\'t have all day. Get inside and bring me what I asked for," Rowan said, giving him a slap on the back of his head.
"I will, I will… give me a minute," Fagin responded immediately and pushed his fat body forward.
He tripped and fell to the ground, unable to move his body properly due to exhaustion.
"How the heck did your people let you rule them when you\'re this weak and useless?" Rowan asked, unable to help himself.
If Fagin were placed in a fight with a ten-year-old, the ten-year-old would most likely emerge victorious.
"Ren, take him inside and make sure he doesn\'t try to escape or do something stupid."
Ren nodded and helped Fagin up from the ground before dragging him toward the house. Fagin was breathing hard, as if he had just escaped a lion\'s den.
Rowan and his captains waited outside. Rowan ordered his men to form a defensive perimeter around the fences to prevent any unplanned actions from Fagin.
Fagin gave directions while Ren dragged him along.
"You were my best adviser. I even made sure your family lived the best of lives, and still, you betrayed me," Fagin said with a hateful tone.
"You deserved it," Ren snorted.
"I warned you from the start, but you never took my advice. You never appreciated any of the hard work I put into my position because my advice always went against your stupid plans. So I figured I\'d pledge my loyalty to someone smart enough not to reject my advice," Ren continued.
"And if you think you lost because I betrayed you, you\'re underestimating Lord Rowan. He had everything figured out from the beginning. Even without my involvement, he would have won," Ren concluded, pushing Fagin to move forward.
Fagin heard this and couldn\'t help but shiver with hatred.
"You disobeyed the laws of our ancestors just because I didn\'t listen to you? You should be ashamed of yourself," Fagin responded.
Ren couldn\'t help but laugh, finding Fagin\'s response amusing.
"Our past leaders were never as dumb or as evil as you. They stopped watching over you the moment you began defiling those innocent women."
Ren and Fagin went back and forth with their conversation.
Fagin\'s words were filled with hatred and disappointment, while Ren responded only because he felt like it.
He had long since given up his loyalty to Fagin. He had only followed him before because he hadn\'t had the perfect opportunity to tell him the truth and leave.
Seeing that Ren wasn\'t showing any remorse or respect, Fagin tried to strike a deal.
"Help me escape, and I\'ll promote you. You\'ll be in a position where no one in Glenwood is above you, except me. I\'ll give you authority over half the village. How does that sound?"
Ren gritted his teeth at the offer.
"You\'re a fool if you think I\'ll accept your ridiculous offer. If you believe I\'ll help you, then you\'re dumber than I thought."
"But Ren, think about it. Half of Glenwood at your feet. You\'ll have power, respect, anything you want."
Ren scoffed, tightening his grip on Fagin\'s arm. "Do you think that will work on me? After everything you\'ve done? Power under you means nothing. I\'d still be serving a fool, and I\'m done with that."
Desperation crept into Fagin\'s voice as he continued, "We can split the wealth. I can even make sure your family lives like royalty—whatever you want! Just let me walk away."
Ren stopped abruptly, turning to face Fagin with cold, sharp eyes. "Walk away? You\'re bargaining with the wrong person. You\'re the reason Glenwood fell apart, and now you expect me to save you for scraps of power?"
"You don\'t understand!" Fagin stammered. "Rowan will kill me! He\'ll kill all of us! If I don\'t give him the staff, it\'s over. I can still help you, Ren. Just let me—"
Fagin kept pleading with Ren for his life, knowing he had no chance and that Ren had no reason to be loyal after everything that had happened.
Fagin even went so far as to offer to help Ren marry as many women as he wanted, but this only angered Ren more. He threw Fagin to the ground and started punching him.
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At the entrance of Glenwood, the people were still gathered, and the soldiers remained bound, kneeling on the ground before the Winterseed men.
However, amidst the crowd, chaos was brewing.
A group of men were plotting to sabotage the peace.
"We can\'t let them take over our village while we\'re still alive!" one shouted angrily.
"If they take the staff of authority, our village will be nothing but a target for every village around us," another added.
"That bastard is still very young, I can\'t let him rule over the village. When even I haven\'t dreamt of ruling over it!"
"Then we have to act fast!" one of them suggested.
"We need to help Lord Fagin secure the staff of authority and ensure these bastards don\'t lay their hands on it," he continued.
"If we can pull this off, Lord Fagin will definitely give us new positions and we will be able to take some of the beautiful women for ourselves with our new positions!"
The others nodded in agreement.
They discussed the matter further and came to a decision to take action.
The Winterseed men guarding the Glenwood soldiers remained vigilant, ensuring none of the Glenwood soldiers had a chance to react.
However, they soon heard a commotion coming from the crowd in front of them.
They turned their attention to the crowd and saw people misbehaving. Some young men were pushing each other, breaking the line. Others were fighting, and a few ran around—generating enough noise to irritate the soldiers.
"Hey, all of you, shut up!" Winston, one of Rowan\'s soldiers, barked.
But the commotion continued, as if no one had heard him.
Winston and some of his colleagues drew their swords and marched toward the crowd to restore order.
"I said, shut the hell up!" Winston barked again.
This time, the front rows of the crowd settled a little. The youths who had stepped out of line returned to their positions, and things calmed down somewhat, though not to the level of quiet from before.
One of the soldiers raised his sword, his eyes scanning the crowd. "If you know what\'s good for you, stay quiet."
Another soldier added, his voice sharp, "Anyone else causes trouble, and they\'ll answer to us directly."
The crowd murmured, but the sight of the Winterseed soldiers\' weapons was enough to quiet most of the unrest.
Meanwhile, amidst the crowd, the group that had planned to sabotage Rowan\'s plans nodded to each other, pleased with the success of their distraction.
They slipped away from the crowd and moved toward the buildings behind them. With the soldiers focused on maintaining order, they were able to sneak away without getting caught.
"We need to reach him before they take control," one whispered as they moved through the narrow paths between houses.
"I\'d rather die than let these bastards take our village without a fight," another said through gritted teeth.
"We\'ll make sure they don\'t get the staff of authority. Fagin may be weak, but he\'s still our lord. If they take the staff, Glenwood is as good as gone."
The others nodded in agreement, their footsteps silent as they made their way toward their destination, determined expressions on their faces.