10,000x Reward Multiplier: Hell-level Kingdom Building

{Earlier} 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Their night was disturbed by the night laugher, but the people of Ironside managed to remain calm and sleep peacefully as a result of the meeting with their beloved Chief and the promise he had given them.

When morning arrived, after the first cock crow, the night laugher’s laughter vanished completely, and the people resumed their day with smiles on their faces.

The men strode out of their houses proudly with their work tools. They were mostly farmers and builders, ready to begin their daily tasks.

Old Charleston and his wife could be seen strolling to the farm. Old Charleston held his new hoe with a proud expression on his face. With his improved condition, he no longer had any need for a walking stick as he walked around youthfully, waving at his neighbours who complimented his health and the brand new hoe which he deliberately showcased.

Little Noah and Ryik, after eating to their fill, rushed to gather their agemates and challenged each other to do push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. Their voices were lively, filled with youthful energy.

The women did not have to fetch water today as they had already done so the previous day and still had enough water reserves.

They either escorted their husbands to work or stayed behind with the children, tending to small tasks around the huts.

Angelina and her colleagues had no blood relatives in the village.

Nonetheless, the children of Ironside treated them like mothers. Little Noah personally went to call the women to come and spectate their competition as he was eager to impress them.

Jabba and Anton played the role of guards, patrolling the village and observing everything taking place with alert expressions.

They did not bother to disturb Floki, as they believed he was very exhausted from the previous day. Unknowingly to them, their beloved Chief was still witnessing a fierce beastial battle far away.

The morning was peaceful, much more peaceful than before.

But that peace was very short-lived.

Very soon, the neighs and hurried hoofbeats of horses, combined with a battle cry they had grown accustomed to, tore through the peace.

"BLACKSTONE!"

"Blackstone soldiers are coming!"

"Everyone run!"

The loud voices of the villagers erupted as they began to run in panic.

Jabba and Anton immediately moved to ensure the safety of everyone.

Anton rushed to inform Floki, but to his surprise, Floki was not in his room.

"What!"

Jabba barked when he heard the news, his expression tightening.

What could have happened? Where did their young master disappear to?

A disturbing thought surfaced in his mind, that what had happened to his brother Viktor might have repeated itself with Floki, but he quickly shook those negative thoughts away.

The approaching Blackstone soldiers were drawing nearer and nearer. From the sound of it, they had already entered the village.

Anton and Jabba exchanged glances, silently communicating their resolve without words.

Boldly, the two of them strode forward to meet the approaching soldiers who had already arrived.

There were twenty men, adorned in black leather armor with the familiar Blackstone insignia engraved boldly on their chests. Each of them had steel swords strapped to their waists.

Each man rode on a horse, and in front of them was an elderly man who was dressed differently, wearing a grey robe instead. He carried no visible weapon.

When the unit saw Anton and Jabba approaching, they halted.

The elderly man glared at the two of them, disgust and anger clearly visible in his eyes.

The twenty soldiers dismounted their horses uniformly and quickly surrounded the elderly man, forming a protective circle.

Each of the soldiers were young men, but their eyes shone with experience and vigor.

They stared at Jabba and Anton with no hint of fear in their eyes.

Although Anton and Jabba had come in contact with these men before, at this moment, they could feel something entirely different about them.

"Where is your young brat of a chief?" the elderly man broke the tense silence with his arrogant voice.

His rude reference to their chief made Jabba and Anton furious.

But they did not act on their anger, knowing they would be killed easily by twenty armed soldiers.

The other people of Ironside peeped at the scene from their windows, watching anxiously.

Angelina observed with worry, silently praying that nothing would happen to Anton.

"It is not two weeks yet. Why are you here?" Anton demanded firmly.

The elder scoffed.

"I asked a question," he stated coldly.

Nonetheless, Anton and Jabba did not budge.

The elder gave a nod, and half of the unit with him swarmed the two men.

He did not want them killed yet, so the soldiers attacked without using their swords.

Very soon, Jabba and Anton were engaged in brutal fist-to-fist combat with the Blackstone soldiers.

Jabba and Anton fought back boldly.

They managed to take down at least two soldiers each through pure strength before the remaining ones overpowered them.

The soldiers kicked and punched the two of them repeatedly until their bodies were covered in bruises.

Grinning proudly, the elder asked his question again, yet the two still refused to respond.

Seeing their stubbornness, he ordered his soldiers to enter every hut and bring the villagers outside.

Then he commanded the soldiers to beat every one of them.

The elder was quite surprised to see Angelina and her group.

From what he recalled, all the beautiful young women had been taken away from this village, so why were these women still here? He wondered silently.

He even made up his mind to take them along after capturing Floki and obtaining his crystal of authority.

A grin slowly spread across his face as he imagined the kind of reward he would receive from his master.

On the other hand, the people of Ironside were beaten against their will.

They were extremely weak.

Aside from Floki, Jabba and Anton were their strongest, but the two of them had already been beaten badly and could not stand.

With no one left to defend them, every single villager, both old and young, was beaten.

"I will ask again, where is your chief? Bring him out. We know he is alive and hiding," he said.

But none of the villagers responded, not even the children. Little Noah and Ryik glared at the soldiers with a level of hatred that should not be found in children their age.

The elder grew even more furious.

’Damn these useless people. If I do not bring that brat and his crystal of authority back to Blackstone as soon as possible, my life and that of my family will be in danger,’ he thought, shivering slightly as he imagined the consequences of failure.

"Beat them more until they speak,"

he commanded.

The soldiers obeyed immediately and began to rain blows on everyone regardless of age.

"Yes, continue. If your chief truly cares for you all, he will show up to rescue you right now and end your suffering," he continued with a sharp grin.

The beating continued for hours.

He would make the soldiers stop, allow the people to recover just enough to speak, but upon their refusal, he would order the beating to resume again.

Everyone in Ironside was now covered with bruises. Some had even sustained serious injuries that had begun to bleed heavily.

The cries and flinches of the people echoed throughout the village.

But neither the soldiers nor the elder paid any attention.

Their minds were focused solely on their goal, and the condition of these people did not matter to them at all.

Afternoon came, and a few more hours passed, yet everything remained the same.

’Where could that bastard be? Is he really dead? Did the knight give wrong information to Lord Kellan?’ the elder began to have doubts.

Nonetheless,

his eyes soon spotted a white-haired figure approaching from afar with astonishing speed, causing them to widen in shock.