Chapter 39: What Did I Do Wrong to Make You Disrespect Me So?
Clang! The sound of a metal sword hitting the ground suddenly rang out.
“I surrender.” A man wearing a metal chestplate decisively dropped his sword, raising both hands high and facing Colin.
The gap between the two sides wasn’t small at all. Despite appearing to have the advantage in numbers, they were utterly crushed. Within a few minutes of fighting, they had already lost half their people. That “Mage” had his head blown off on the spot, utterly dead.
They suffered such heavy losses, while the other side only had a few minor injuries among their servants. This battle was unwinnable.
Following his surrender, the others quickly dropped their weapons, fearing they would be mistaken for enemies and killed by Colin if they hesitated. Seeing Sanna’s performance, they abandoned the thought of fleeing. It was impossible to escape.
“I thought you would be a bit tougher.” Colin smiled. After Sanna charged out, their side’s “battle” slowed down. Sanna’s fighting style was too violent and attention-grabbing. Given the overall progress of the survivors, few could match her. Only those summoned with the “Special Talent Recruitment Card” could compete with her. Unfortunately, they had none.
Collecting his thoughts, Colin’s eyes grew cold. He approached with a lantern, saying in a deep voice, “Control them.”
“Yes, Lord!” Number Two responded, rushing forward with others to subdue the four remaining lords. Following Colin’s instructions, they were all forcibly restrained, their hands tied behind their backs, and their knees pressed into their backs and necks. This restriction reduced their oxygen intake, leaving them too weak to resist. Colin had learned this method from the Beacon Country, perfect for this situation.
“Hand over your servants and open your bags. Let me see.” Colin approached slowly, speaking with authority.
“Aren’t you going too far? We’ve already surrendered. I can offer you compensation. We haven’t harmed your interests at all, and we didn’t even find your ore. Besides, I didn’t lead them…” One woman raised her head, desperately trying to distance herself from the responsibility. In her mind, she had done nothing, said nothing, and wasn’t the one to initiate. She surrendered and didn’t resist, thinking that compensation and a period of captivity should be enough. But Colin’s words indicated he intended to take everything from them, including their precious “parchment rolls,” a crucial asset for any lord. This was unacceptable!Colin narrowed his eyes, feeling a surge of anger. These people had come to claim a share of his saltpeter mine’s profits and even wanted to kill him to seize his spoils. If not for his strength in defeating them, this could have happened.
Without speaking, Colin struck her with the side of his axe, leaving her dazed and bleeding.
“Do you feel wronged?” Colin squatted down, grabbing her hair and lifting her head, looking at her blood-stained face with an emotionless tone: “I understand. You think you didn’t do much, so you shouldn’t be held responsible. But to me, since you didn’t try to stop them, you’re not innocent. You even participated actively. If Sanna were weaker or if we couldn’t fend off your attack, I wouldn’t even have the chance to surrender. You’d stand on my corpse, mocking my folly while sharing my spoils.
“Unfortunately for you, you lost. Now you tell me you had no ill intent despite wanting to kill me and take everything I have. Lady, what did I do wrong to make you disrespect me so?”
The woman opened her mouth, seeing the coldness in Colin’s eyes, and said nothing more, relinquishing all her permissions. Instinct told her that this impressive man wouldn’t give her another chance to bargain. Compared to her belongings, her life was more important.
Soon, Colin took everything from them, including fifteen servants. His team grew to twenty-nine people! Most importantly, he acquired four lanterns, a crafting table, and their parchment rolls. With these, Colin could quickly organize a significant force. This was a true windfall.
As for the four, Colin neither killed nor released them. Each survivor was a mobile human warehouse. Colin intended to give them a chance to atone and contribute to humanity, perhaps by mining. In this chaotic world, Colin was determined to help humanity regain its glory. Taking over some talent wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
“Today, I’m kind as always,” Colin muttered to himself, looking at the parchment rolls. He suddenly remembered the headless corpse in the dense forest. Where were her parchment roll and crafting table?
Without overthinking, Colin approached the man on the ground, the unluckiest of them all, having stepped on a landmine and lost a leg.
“Please, don’t kill me. Brother, I’m sorry for offending you. Everything I have is yours. My life is yours. I’ll serve you!” Seeing Colin approach with a group, the man was terrified. Sanna had taken down his servants and they were of no help.
“You’re smart.” Colin smiled, praising, “If everyone were like you, I wouldn’t have lost my temper.”
“Yes, yes. Those fools dared to provoke you. Brother, you…” He noticed that Colin, after taking all his belongings, left him behind. “Brother, what are you doing…”
Colin, seeing his smile, spoke kindly, “Let’s see if you survive in the gray fog.”
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