This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Chapter 051: Why is ×× here?

Without the protection of the evil god, the entire battle was practically a foregone conclusion.

Because of Dick's bounty, which offered three silver coins for capturing the bandits alive and only one silver coin for capturing them dead, the bandit suppression campaign turned into a joyful pig-catching frenzy. Apart from a few stubborn individuals who were still trying to put up a last stand, most of the wild people who were captured to be cannon fodder chose to surrender.

There was no other way! These people were too hungry to run. The Deer Head Gang didn't have much food stored up, and they were afraid that if these wild people who had been taken in were full, they would have the strength to escape. So they hadn't given them much to eat these past few days. They only managed to eat half a meal today before setting off for the battle.

Anyway, Karem was just tricking these cannon fodder into going to their deaths as sacrifices from the very beginning; he didn't care whether the cannon fodder could get enough to eat.

Of course! Karem eventually paid the price for his actions. Because he lost the protection of the evil god, he was torn to pieces by a stag-headed demon.

Kasumi watched all this from the treetop. After completing the surprise attack on the camp, Kasumi was ordered to rush to the main battlefield to scout. She happened to see Karem fleeing, so she decisively followed him, but she didn't expect that she didn't have to do anything at all.

Seeing Kareem turned into "fertilizer," Xayah couldn't help but sigh.

"He deserved it."

Meanwhile, in the other camp, Dick was leading his men to search for treasure, only to be greatly disappointed. The Deer Head Gang was far poorer than he had expected.

Their granaries were practically empty, and Karem's treasure vault contained only a meager two or three thousand gold coins and some worthless junk, making them no match for the Blood Wolves and Vultures.

This greatly disappointed Dick, who was hoping to make another big profit, and he asked the prisoner who had led them the way, puzzled.

"Hey! Where's your money?"

"They're all here."

"That's it?"

Under Dick's persistent questioning, the captives tearfully explained that their main job as members of the Deer Head Gang was as a cult, and being bandits was merely a "side job" in addition to their missionary work. Furthermore, in order to build this black stone altar and create magical artifacts, they needed to purchase a lot of expensive alchemical materials and magic stones, so their wealth was far less than that of those who were truly full-time bandits.

Now that the evil god has been severely damaged, he has withdrawn his divine power in order to protect himself, and all those cult artifacts have become useless junk without exception.

Dick was speechless after hearing this, but he had no choice but to accept reality.

Soon, news of victory came from the main force on the periphery: they had successfully defeated and captured most of the bandits.

Three stags were attracted during the encounter, but fortunately, White and Black arrived in time to provide reinforcements. As high-end combatants at the Saint rank, the two female heroes had no problem taking on the stags one-on-one.

Shortly afterward, Xayah brought news of Karem's death, marking the complete annihilation of the Deerhead Gang.

Two weeks later, the triumphant army returned to the castle with more than three thousand prisoners, attracting crowds of townspeople to watch.

In the past, some governors-general also claimed to be able to suppress bandits, but either it was all talk and no action, and in the end it all came to nothing, or they would lead troops out of the city to "borrow" a few heads from the locals to make a show of it.

Dick, who had been in office for less than half a year, was the only one who was truly serious about suppressing bandits and had achieved remarkable results.

This campaign against the western mountainous region not only wiped out two major bandit gangs, but also captured a large number of villagers who colluded with the bandits and wild people hiding in the mountains, restoring the governor's office's grassroots management capabilities over the western mountainous region.

The villagers who were arrested initially felt wronged. They were only forced to collude with the bandits to make a living, acting as their informants, selling them food and supplies, and even joining the bandits directly. How could they be guilty?

Dick couldn't be bothered to watch these real troublemakers play the victim, so he had them all arrested and sent back to labor camps.

Back at the castle, Dick first took a long-awaited hot bath, then, dressed in a comfortable bathrobe, listened to Belfast's report from those who had stayed behind.

During the time he led his troops out to suppress bandits, the road to Shannan was restored, and several caravans and a small number of immigrants arrived in Laguge.

Representatives from one of the caravans approached the governor's office, indicating they wanted to discuss a business deal.

"What kind of business?"

"That businessman had his eye on the prisoners in the labor camp."

"Ha! So he was a slave trader."

Without any hesitation, Dick immediately refused. The prisoner was not a slave, and he would not make money from the slave trade just because the empire permitted it.

Besides, what Laguge lacks most is people, and he needs to keep these laborers to farm.

Belfast already knew that Dick wouldn't agree, but she still had to ask for permission.

"That's the basic situation, Master. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

"Have."

"Please speak."

Have you missed me these past few days?

Slightly taken aback by Dick's question, Belfast smiled and replied.

"At all times."

She temporarily set aside the documents on the coffee table, strolled over to Dick, and softly said, "Excuse me." She then skillfully straddled Dick's waist, guided his hands to her ample breasts, and then cupped Dick's cheeks to offer him a sweet kiss.

The master and servant were practically an old married couple, and Belfast was a kind and understanding perfect maid. Some things didn't need to be said explicitly; a knowing glance or a suggestive smile was enough for them to understand each other without saying a word.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master."

"You've worked hard too, Belfast. It seems we both need to reward each other properly..."

Having been away from her beloved owner for over half a month, even the usually elegant and dignified Belfast couldn't help but seem a little impatient at this moment.

In fact, Belfast had been trying her best to restrain herself when reporting on her work earlier, because her owner, who was wearing a loose bathrobe and completely unguarded, was just too cute and too tempting. In Belfast's eyes, the allure was more than ten times stronger than usual!

Dick knew what Belfast, who had been staying behind for more than half a month, wanted most at this moment. So he freed one of his hands, which was used for kneading dough, and slipped it under Belfast's skirt. He found the drawstring on one side with practiced ease and pulled it off with a gentle tug.

A good maid knows where to make things convenient for her master.

On the other side, Natasha returned to her room after coming out of the bathroom. She glanced at her roommate Shizuka Marikawa's empty bed. Even though Natasha knew that Shizuka should be at the clinic in town right now, some terrible images involuntarily came to her mind.

Natasha quickly shook her head, trying to banish these distracting thoughts.

Natasha had no complaints about her life after transmigrating to this day. Although the conditions here were not even as good as those in the lower city of Beloborg, fortunately, Dick, who summoned them, was not a bad person. What Natasha had to do was still to help those who needed help.

But upon arriving here, Natasha unknowingly encountered a new trouble that she had never experienced in Belleburg.

In an excellent team, the relationship between superiors and subordinates should indeed be very close, but in Dick's team, the closeness between the leader and some teammates is obviously a bit too much, to the point of being negative.

Shizuka Marikawa, who was summoned at the same time, also fell for him without anyone knowing when. And unlike her usual innocent appearance, she was quite wild in private.

That day at the outpost, she accidentally stumbled upon Dick and Shizuka Marikawa's secret rendezvous. The outrageous actions of the magic tentacles were enough to shock Natasha for a whole year!

She wanted to run away, but her body wouldn't obey her commands. She hid in a corner and spied for a long time, and even did some little things that she is now ashamed to talk about.

Before that, Natasha worked tirelessly, never daring to let herself be idle, because she couldn't help but overthink whenever she was idle.

She recalled her time in Belleburg, when she brought her friend, Pioneer, to meet her long-neglected adoptive parents. The elderly couple were initially delighted, but a subtle hint of disappointment flashed in their eyes upon discovering Pioneer was a girl. Later, her adoptive mother spoke to her privately, earnestly suggesting that it was time for her to seriously consider her own marriage.

Natasha hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, but now it suddenly came to mind again, and the scene of her and Dick holding hands and going back to see their adoptive parents unconsciously appeared in her mind.

"Snapped!"

Natasha slapped herself hard on the forehead, feeling her hysteria getting worse. So she went to the window, wanting to open it and breathe in some cool, fresh air to clear her head.

But as soon as she stood by the window, she looked up and saw a shadowy figure moving around in the study window, directly opposite the main building...

The author says:

Author's note: I'll update again tonight.

Chapter 052: Earning less is worse than losing money

Out of habitual caution, after taking over Lagug Castle, Dick designated the upper area of ​​the castle as an exclusive residential area for himself and his "core members". On weekdays, only some maids who had undergone Tia's loyalty check would come to clean in the morning.

Meetings with lower-ranking officials and visiting guests took place in a separate office area.

For Dick, this place would be more relaxing. He wouldn't have to be so careful in disguising himself, nor would he have to worry about his thoughts and secrets being discovered by outsiders, and thus he would be more open.

When Rita entered the room with a stack of newly acquired documents, the master and servant in the study were at the height of their battle, their breathing, still somewhat immature, mingling with the white-haired older sister's sensual moans.

Belfast's maid outfit and other clothes were carelessly tossed on the sofa, while she herself had changed into a very classic "female teacher's outfit." Wearing a white belted blouse, a short pencil skirt, and black stockings and high heels, the beautiful ship girl sat on the desk, her hands supporting her body behind her back, her two alluring long legs tightly wrapped around Dick's waist, enduring the final impact.

Rita leaned against the door, silently waiting for the two to finish before stepping forward to speak.

"Belfa, why are you wearing my clothes?"

"That's obviously for the thrill! You've worn my clothes before, haven't you?"

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Dick took the documents from Rita's hand. Belfast was still standing by Dick's side. Apart from the blush that had not completely faded from her cheeks, the head maid looked as dignified and elegant as ever.

The documents Rita brought were interrogation reports of prisoners captured during the anti-bandit operation in the western mountains. Dick's main focus was on the trade between the Blood Wolf Gang and the Northern Pirates.

The territory of Laguge is connected to the sea, with fjords and ravines to the north, which actually have many places that are very suitable for building ports. However, two problems have been troubling the local area for a long time.

Firstly, the winters are so cold that the waters in the fjords freeze over.

Secondly, piracy is rampant, posing a serious threat to passing ships.

These pirates were like migratory birds, migrating to the warmer south every winter and returning north in the summer. Moreover, they generally chose places accessible only by water as their hideouts, making them much more difficult to search than mountainous or forested areas.

Otherwise, Dick would love to let those pirates taste Belfast's six-inch guns.

To Dick's disappointment, yet understandable, the fact that both the eastern bandits and the western mountain bandits had some business dealings with the northern pirates was that the transactions usually took place at a pre-arranged desert beach, and no one knew exactly where the pirates' hideout was.

However, Dick noticed that many bandits mentioned the existence of "middlemen" who acted as intermediaries between them and the pirates, and Dick felt that this would be a breakthrough point worth paying close attention to.

Just recently, Dick has put the plan to establish a secret intelligence department on the agenda. This department will be led by Tia, and members of the spy group, ninja group, and assassin group will be assigned to this intelligence department in the future. Therefore, the task of capturing pirate middlemen can be completely entrusted to them.

As for Dick, he plans to focus his energy on developing his territory for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, at the town inn, the leaders of several caravans that had arrived in Laguge first gathered together. Their expressions varied; some had furrowed brows as if troubled by something, while others were calm and composed, seemingly unconcerned about anything.

At this point, the oldest merchant among them spoke first and asked a question.

"Gentlemen, what do you think?"

"Look? Look at what? I think it's great! This year has been unusually peaceful. The caravan didn't even encounter a single bandit when it reached the north side of the mountain. This new governor is a capable man!"

"Heh, he's not here, he can't hear your flattery!"

When someone spoke well of the governor, another businessman sitting next to him immediately retorted, and the others remained silent, resulting in an awkward silence.

The old merchant looked around and had no choice but to start the conversation again.

"Gentlemen, our first batch of arrivals are mostly grain merchants. As you've all seen, the market price for grain this year is unexpectedly low, less than 60% of last year's. But compared to Shannan, it's still profitable. So now we have two choices: either sell our goods as soon as possible and quickly complete this batch of grain so we can secure the next deal, or..."

The old merchant didn't mention the second option, but everyone present was shrewd enough to understand what he meant: hold onto your grain and wait to see if the price would rise further.

Based on their past experience, due to issues such as climate and local population structure, the Laguge region, despite its large territory, has never been able to achieve self-sufficiency in grain production. Therefore, spring is a "good time" when grain prices rise sharply, and coarse grains can often be sold at higher prices than fine grains.

Then they used the money they earned from selling grain to buy furs and herbs from the locals at low prices, and transported them to the more developed areas in the south to sell. This round trip generated several times the profit.

However, this year was different from the past. When the merchants arrived in Laguge, they first learned that the governor had been replaced.

At first, the merchants didn't think much of it. In Laguge, the governor had changed again and again, and it was nothing more than a cycle of bastards, beasts and parasites. They had already prepared the tributes they were supposed to give. But soon they realized that something was wrong.

Why haven't local grain prices increased?

What's the reason behind the new governor refusing gifts?

Holy crap! They're actually suppressing bandits?!

One strange thing after another shocked the businessmen's values, but the most deadly thing was the "agricultural cooperative" that they found completely incomprehensible.

It was this agency set up by the Governor's Office that stabilized grain prices and also took the lead in purchasing local furs and medicinal herbs. The purchase price they offered was about 40% higher than in previous years.

This price drop and increase directly slashed the merchants' profit margins. Although they could still make a profit after careful calculation, compared to the previous huge profits, the feeling of making less money was more painful than losing money.

Some people even felt that the new governor was simply "insatiable". Why did he have to make things difficult for us "kind" businessmen instead of exploiting the poor?

So the merchants tacitly gathered together, trying to come up with some solutions to protect the profits they believed they "deserved."

The author says:

Author's Note: A little mishap. After posting the update at noon, I took a nap. When I opened my eyes again, it was already dark outside. My brain was foggy from a cold, making writing very difficult, but since I said at noon there would be another chapter, I had to put it together... even if it's a bit short.

Chapter 053: Business Tactics

As the saying goes, money is hard to earn, and food is hard to eat!

If it weren't for the prospect of exorbitant profits, most businessmen wouldn't be willing to risk their lives and travel all the way to the frigid north to do business.

Therefore, when Dick used official means to squeeze their profit margins, these businessmen's first reaction was not that it was only natural, but that their interests had been violated.

They complained bitterly about this and even wanted to band together to confront the Governor's Office.