Chapter 56 His Face Turned Blue with Anger
At the moment, Carter and his son Nathan were aboard the fleet, pausing to reminisce about their past domain, given that their departure was imminent.
The father and son looked at the golden wheat on both sides, unable to help but laugh, attracting strange looks from the people on the fleet.
"My Lord, in a dozen days, these will be our spoils." Nathan pointed at the wheat.
"Consider it compensation for our years of service to this land. They won't blame us." Carter smirked. In a dozen days, it would be plundered by bandits.
Today, he came to Eldoria to see the place he had lived for many years and then head for a better life.
"My Lord, is the information we received true? Is Henry really rebuilding Eldoria? Isn't he just trying to make a last-ditch effort?" Nathan asked softly.
A glint of coldness flashed in Carter's murky eyes, and he said, "Although I don't understand why he's making such a big move before winter, the fact that those grain merchants were killed and the trade with Hyratos indicates that Henry is not foolish, but rather cunning and ruthless."
Indeed, the visit to the old place was a pretense. He had long been tired of this barren land and couldn't wait to leave. The reason he returned to Eldoria today was because he saw an opportunity for profit.
"Do you think Hyratos has sensed something?" Nathan's voice grew even softer as he looked around warily.
Carter nodded and looked at the Eldoria dock, which was not far away. "If Hyratos gets wind of the bandit raid, they are likely to transport their property and supplies to Eldoria. Then..."
Nathan understood. If Hyratos really cooperated with Eldoria, its value would be even greater. They could make as much, if not more, than the bandits without having to share with Lord Omar.
Of course, everything had to be true before they could retake Eldoria, putting Hyratos and the bandits' supplies in their hands.
"Will Baron Omar notice anything? I'm afraid he'll come after us if he feels his loot is too little." Nathan expressed his concern.
"Don't worry, I have a plan." Carter smiled mysteriously. The most important thing now was to verify the truth of the matter, and then he could make a decision.
The River of Shadows flowed out of the Azure Peak Range, and Eldoria was located on a tributary of the River of Shadows, with a small dock for the fleet to moor.
Carter and Nathan, along with a few guards, disembarked from the fleet and swaggered into Eldoria. They had all disguised themselves, cutting their hair and growing beards.
The masquerade of this age was remarkably basic and unrefined, involving just a counterfeit beard and a head wrap, which was sufficient to prevent many ordinary people from identifying them.
As soon as they entered the city, both Carter and Nathan's eyes widened. What was going on?
They thought, 'Can someone tell us if those peasants have gone mad? They've torn down the houses and built them with planks and mud. Can those houses be lived in? Won't they collapse in the rain?'
But as the two walked further in, their eyes widened even more at the sight of the strange two-story houses, from which the sound of hammering and banging could be heard.
The narrow, dirty, and smelly roads of the past have now become wide, clean, and paved with some hard stone, a color similar to the walls of those houses.
The trees planted on both sides of the road are not yet leafless, but one can imagine that they will be lush in the coming spring.
What irritated the two most was that the lower-class people were working while talking and laughing, and their actions didn't slow down at all. Such a situation was something they had never seen before.
Thinking back, when Carter gave the order to conscript laborers. None of those people would willing to obey his order, they all drew a long face and worked slowly, like an eighty-year-old man.
Nathan asked, "Has Henry cast a spell on them? How can they be so happy while working?" Nathan stared, unable to believe it.
Carter's face was very ugly. Carter thought, 'These peasants are slapping me in the face. Wasn't I good to them before? Even when conscripting labor, I would give them a bunch of wheat. Could it be that Henry also paid them a salary?'
As he looked around, he saw at least a thousand people working. Carter absolutely did not believe that Henry would pay them a salary. Even if it were just a bunch of wheat, it would be a huge burden, and in three or four days, Henry would go bankrupt.
"Come here."
Carter's face was gloomy as he pointed at a passing commoner and ordered, he wanted to ask in person what was going on.
The commoner, seeing Carter and the others' attire, knew they were people of status and didn't dare to offend, so he went over obediently and asked, "Are you looking for me?"
Carter's face was cold, and he asked in a deep voice, "Are you working for the Lord of the City?"
"Yes, everyone is working for Henry," the commoner said, smiling at the people around him.
"Why are you so happy while working? Did the Lord pay you a salary?" Nathan couldn't help but ask.
"Of course, Henry is a good nobleman," the commoner said naturally and then looked at Carter and the others strangely. He felt that these people were a bit familiar.
Carter said, "It's impossible; how can the Lord afford to pay so many people's salaries?" Carter didn't believe it and scolded angrily, "Are you trying to deceive us? Or is the Lord deceiving you?"
The commoner said, "Yes, Henry pays us in wheat, and he won't deceive us."
The commoner was furious and didn't care about the identities of the few, shouting, "You're not allowed to speak ill of Henry; he's the best nobleman in the world."
The commoner said, "I'm telling you, there was a nobleman named Carter before; all he did was exploit us, conscript us to work, and only gave us a meal of wheat, and that was just half a bowl. If we fainted from hunger, we would be splashed with cold water."
The commoner added, "Henry is much better than the original nobleman Carter, many times better. He not only gives us food but also helps us deal with those grain merchants..."
The commoner went on and on about Henry's virtues, making Carter and his son's faces turn blue.
So, they became negative examples? And the commoner praised Henry in front of the two.
They couldn't refute anything, and there were several more commoners around, looking at the two with unfriendly eyes as if to say if you dare to speak ill of Henry, we'll beat you up.
