Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 44 North Shore

North bank of the Amber River, on the side near the Stag Mountains.

This is a wasteland even more barren than the south bank; apart from aimless goblins, there is almost nothing here.

The closer you get to the mountains, the more mountainous and hilly the terrain becomes. Although there are many caves to hide in, food is still scarce in the surrounding area.

But precisely because of this, the people of Anvil Territory have no interest in this area, and many have never even set foot on the North Shore.

Unsurprisingly, these unregulated places became a temporary haven for refugees.

On the north bank, there lived at least a thousand refugees, divided into more than a dozen groups of varying sizes. They lived together, each occupying a piece of land, and there were disputes between the groups.

Just yesterday, a brawl broke out between two communities in the wasteland not far from the north bank.

The reason is simple: to compete for a piece of land with fertile grass.

After all, not all wastelands are the same. In some places, the vegetation is lush, and even if you eat grass roots, you can eat more than others.

But the brawl did not resolve the dispute; on the contrary, many people on both sides were injured and were preparing for another fight today.

Closer to the north shore is the "Bear Eyes Family," led by Bear Eyes, whose fierce eyes are so terrifying that even bears would be afraid of them.

The refugees who followed him were all serfs from the south.

They were subjected to unbearable taxes by their lords, forcing them to flee their lands and become refugees.

Because they were all from the same place, they were exceptionally united. At this moment, some of the young men who were still able to fight were holding farm tools or wooden sticks and surrounding Xiong Yan.

"Leader! Let's fight Dad's gang! These bastards think we're afraid of them!" a young man with disheveled, hardened hair shouted.

The strongest bear-like creature glared at him and said irritably, "Fight? What are we going to fight with? Are we just going to let those Casalan bastards get all the spoils after we've fought them all?"

"But……"

"Your sister is almost dead, isn't she? If you still risk your life now, there won't even be anyone left to dig a pit for your sister."

Bear Eyes spoke without any mercy, and the young man immediately fell silent.

For these refugees, people die every day; they've become accustomed to it, especially those who are seriously ill, for whom death may be the only relief.

Seeing that no one spoke, Xiong sighed and said, "We can't fight anymore. I've decided to go and negotiate with my father. Continuing to fight will only make those Casalan bastards more arrogant. I don't want to go to the South Bank to plunder with those lunatics."

Just as Xiong Yan finished speaking, a terrified scream suddenly rang out.

"Someone's arrived from the south bank!"

"So many soldiers! They're going to drive us away!"

"God of ironclad laws, why treat us poor souls like this?"

Some women and elderly people squatted helplessly on the ground, their eyes filled with tears as they prayed for the protection of the god of iron law.

Many others panicked and grabbed their weapons, staring incredulously toward the south bank.

One by one, wooden rafts used for crossing the river were pushed into the water, and then rows of neat soldiers, holding spears, stood on them.

Besides the soldiers, there were also some people wearing leather armor, who looked even more terrifying.

Xiong Yan also ran to the shore. His hands were cold and his heart was pounding in his throat.

"How is this possible... Why are there so many soldiers in Anvil Territory!"

Although the refugees were fleeing, they were not running around randomly. They had heard that Iron Anvil Territory was a region without a lord and with very few permanent residents, which is why they wandered here.

But why are there so many soldiers now?

Where did they come from? Did those nobles send people to arrest them?

Xiong Yan gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. He hated these nobles; they weren't leaving the serfs any way to survive!

Just then, a bright voice, seemingly born with a sense of intimacy, rang out from the raft.

"Don't be afraid! We are the Anvil Leader's Guard. We won't harm you. Everyone stay where you are and don't run around!"

"We brought food; those who obey will be able to eat bread!"

Saka shouted at the top of his lungs. This was always his job, and there was no way around it; after all, he was a natural-born public speaking prodigy.

Saka thought smugly.

The bear family on the north shore were stunned when they heard these two sentences.

"Did I hear that right? They're not here to arrest us?"

"Did you hear that?! That blond kid said he brought us bread!"

"Oh my god, I haven't tasted bread in ages!"

Some people who were preparing to escape suddenly froze in place.

Despite their lingering doubts and worries, their desire for food always triumphed over everything else.

Even if it's just a scam, they want to wait until the scam is completely exposed.

Thus, the raft landed smoothly on the north bank without any hindrance. The guards stood in tense rows, their eyes still showing a hint of naivety.

Many people were even trembling slightly with their hands holding the spears.

For example, Karl.

He stood in the middle of Class 1, his eyes sweeping over the refugees who were even more pitiful than he had been, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Bear Eyes boldly stepped forward and asked the guard.

However, the recruits ignored him completely. The 10 days of training had taught them that no one could speak without the permission of their superiors.

Seeing that these people didn't respond to him at all, Xiong Yan's heart pounded even faster. Fortunately, someone soon walked towards him.

Vice-Captain Rossi stared intently into Xiong Yan's eyes. "The Anvil Territory Guard is here on Lord Vilan's orders to patrol the North Shore. Are you in charge here? Tell them not to make any rash moves, or they'll face the consequences."

"Lord Vilan..."

Bear Eyes muttered something, as if he had never heard the name before.

But seeing the group of soldiers with weapons, he dared not resist and could only signal everyone to wait quietly.

Soon, another raft came ashore, and old Hans stepped ashore, cursing and swearing.

"Damn it, my shoes are all wet!"

"Young Master Vilan is insane! I already have enough work to do, doesn't he think I'm working hard enough?"

"Hey, Saka, come help me out!"

Saka reluctantly helped old Hans climb up to the north shore.

Then, Scarface and his hunters came up. They set up a table on the north bank, and old Hans opened his blank notebook and took out a quill pen.

"Alright, let's start registering. Damn, it's colder here than on the South Shore."

The refugees from the Bear Eye family all wore expressions of fear and confusion.

Old Hans frowned. "Didn't anyone tell them how to do it? Am I supposed to teach them this too?"