Imperial Crown.

Chapter 153 Security Forces
The headquarters of the Lower Town Chamber of Commerce of Mon'en City is a three-story stone building located at the junction of the Old Town, the Port District and the Holy Moon District.

Because it is close to the upper city, it was not affected by the riots and is one of the few safe havens in the lower city.

On weekdays, there is always a lot of traffic here. In fact, after the riots began, many civilians from the downtown area who came here to flee and seek shelter gathered here.

But today, the streets were very quiet. Three clearly defined teams lined up in front of the Chamber of Commerce, staring at each other. Although the atmosphere was tense, a delicate balance was maintained.

One group of them were strong men. Even though the weather was still a bit cold, their clothes had no sleeves, revealing the same tattoo on their shoulders - a green fang.

This is the symbol of the Brokentooth Warband.

Opposite them was a group of men with bronze skin, most of them with long arms and legs, carrying harpoons and machetes. They looked at others with fierce and scrutinizing eyes, as if they were looking at live fish waiting to be killed.

These are the Bloody Harpoon gang.

The last party stood close to the wall of the Chamber of Commerce, wearing a neat black windbreaker and a wide-brimmed hat. He looked like a member of the upper class, but his eyes were lingering on other people's throats and waists.

The Silver Hand Brotherhood.

The three major gangs in downtown gathered here, so of course no one would dare to approach this street.

A meeting is currently going on in the Chamber of Commerce under their protection.

The conference room was quite large, but there were only three people present.

Honduras, the "snap-toothed tiger", was wearing an exaggerated red suit, with jeweled rings on every finger. He was holding a pipe in his hand, puffing out smoke that covered his fat face.

"Barracuda" Weber is extremely tall and has dark skin. He is a head taller than others even when he sits. He has a huge frame, so he looks a little thin. The most noticeable thing is his bald head, with no hair or eyebrows, looking like a wrinkled boiled egg.

"Fast Hand" Manson, also known as Mantheni, is the thinnest, but is not inferior in momentum.

She was wearing a black tuxedo, her short chestnut hair was combed very stylishly, revealing her face completely. She crossed her legs, her left hand on her knee, her right elbow on the handle of the chair, her palm supporting her right cheek, her expression indifferent but with a hint of arrogance.

None of the three spoke, and the atmosphere was a little dull for a moment.

"I say, Little Manson." Honduras blew a puff of smoke at Manseni: "You asked us to come to discuss business, but why hasn't the real owner arrived yet?"

Mantheni glanced at Honduras and said, "Put out your pipe first."

Honduras took another deep breath provocatively: "Is it your business whether I put it out or not?"

Mantheni retorted, "Is it your business when Baron Raven comes?"

"You kid!" Honduras' knuckles turned white as he held the pipe. "Don't forget, your father is still in my hands."

"So what? Do you dare to kill him?" Mantheni glanced at Honduras and said, "If you really want to kill him, remember to notify me. I will ask my brothers to go and watch the ceremony."

Honduras's face suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Ha! The fat pig turned into a black pig." Weber suddenly said, "Manson boy, I think the Silver Hand Brotherhood should have let you take over earlier, so that some people wouldn't be so arrogant."

"Fish seller, what do you mean by this?" Honduras stared at him, his body ablaze with a fiery fighting spirit: "You've lived a peaceful life for too long, you want to fight me?"

Purple lightning flowed across Weber's body. He raised his bald eyebrows and met Honduras's eyes: "Okay, I'll just tear you apart and use you as bait. With your fat body, I can catch a lot of big fish!"

For a moment, two balls of fighting spirit, one red and one purple, surged across the long table.

Mantheni moved her chair slightly.

Just then, the door finally opened and a man in full helmet and armor walked out, immediately attracting the attention of Weber and Honduras.

This man has a strong build, broad shoulders and thick arms, and a straight back. He has a strong build, a square face with a fierce and murderous look, and one eye is larger than the other. However, he does not look funny at all, but rather a little scary.

This is Baron Raven? Strange people have strange appearances!

No wonder they were able to get a piece of meat from the Slater family!
Weber and Honduras restrained their fighting spirit at the same time. Just as they were about to speak, the man they thought was the baron suddenly stuck to the wall, and another man walked out from behind the door.

He was wearing an elegant suit and was obviously shorter than the previous man, but he had a more imposing manner. He walked steadily, swept the entire room with a cold gaze, and finally sat down in the main seat.

Mantheni immediately stood up and saluted: "Baron Raven!"

Is this Baron Raven?
You are too young!
Although he deliberately grew a beard, judging from his appearance, he was no more than twenty years old.

Weber and Honduras looked at each other, stood up and saluted, saying at the same time: "Baron Raven!"

This shows the difference between the two people. Both of them saluted, but Weber's bow was a little clumsy, but he bowed deeply enough and his posture was perfect. Honduras's movements were more rounded and natural, but his posture was much more casual, and he didn't even put out his pipe.

"Please sit down." Raven nodded.

The three of them sat down.

Before Raven could speak, Honduras spoke first: "Baron Raven, you are so powerful today. We can understand that young people are greedy for pleasure and sleep, but since you asked us to discuss business, we should be here on time."

In Honduras's opinion, the young man Raven's current achievements are mostly due to the strong bodyguard. How much ability can he have on his own... hehe.

Weber had the same idea, but his intuition was sharper than Honduras's. He instinctively felt that Raven was not someone to be trifled with, so his words were much more polite: "What kind of trouble has Baron Raven encountered?"

"There is indeed trouble." Raven said, "When I came here today, I passed through Tanner Street, Walker Street and Sander Street. There were ruins everywhere and crows everywhere. Even if I wanted to walk fast, I couldn't do it!"

"Then this is your fault, Baron Raven." Honduras raised his eyebrows: "You are also from the Lower City, Little Bee, you should know what the situation is here. Since the time has been set, you should be prepared in advance." Raven looked at him steadily, and suddenly smiled: "Oh? It seems that Mr. Honduras is very dissatisfied with me."

"I dare not be dissatisfied." Honduras added tobacco to his pipe. "I know what you mean by these words."

“The downtown area is too chaotic right now.”

"But you have to understand this. After all, our brothers have been holding back for almost half a year. They can't make money, have fun, or play with women. Now they have to vent."

Raven leaned back in his chair and glanced at Weber and Mantheni: "Do you two families mean the same thing?"

Weber shook his head. "My Lord Baron, I don't want to see riots either, but you know that although we, the Bloody Harpoon, are the largest force in the port area, there are also many second- and third-rate gangs. I have tried to control them, but it didn't work."

Mansene also brought out the speech she had prepared long ago: "Yes, Lord Baron, we have seen the chaos in the lower city, but the members of our gang also need to eat."

Raven nodded: "What if I say I want you to change it?"

"Pfft..." Honduras laughed out loud: "Baron Raven, do you want to listen to what you are saying? You want the gang to do good things?"

He thought he had told a great joke and waited for Weber and Mantheni to agree with him, but no one responded to him. He just laughed awkwardly twice and then stopped.

Raven said word by word: "What if I say that I just want you gangsters to do good things?"

"No offense, Baron." Weber stared at Raven and said, "But as Manson said, members of our respective gangs have to live."

"It's okay to let them chop people, but it can't be that there's no benefit after chopping people."

Raven nodded. Of course he knew this.

Not to mention the gangs, even among ordinary people, not many people would do something that has no benefit. This is human nature, and he is not prepared to fight against human nature.

"So, I have prepared a plan." Raven clapped his hands, the door opened, and several soldiers holding trays walked in.

After entering the house, the mercenaries placed the tray heavily on the table, and the things piled on it flowed down, reflecting the sunlight.

There were badges, lots and lots of badges.

"This is……?"

Weber couldn't help but reach out and took one, holding it in his hand, gently brushing off the dust and green embroidery on it, his pupils trembling.

This badge is the size of a walnut and is made of copper-lead alloy. It looks gray and has a hexagonal shape. In the center is the word "MA" inlaid in pure brass.

Weber was very familiar with this badge; it was the emblem of the downtown security force, and every security soldier would wear it.

The security forces of the Lower Town are affiliated with the garrison of Mon'en City. They are actually funded and established by the Lower Town Chamber of Commerce. They are also an important force in the Lower Town.

Merchants are profit-driven, and the Lower Town has been peaceful for a long time. In order to save money, the security forces in the Lower Town have long been evacuated, leaving only an empty name.

Unexpectedly, Raven actually found the badge!

Honduras and Mantheni also played with these things in their hands.

Looking at the reactions of the three, Raven smiled with satisfaction: "Although gangs don't do good things, for quite a long time in the past, the public security in the downtown area was maintained by your three gangs."

"Today, I will give you a chance - a chance to reform and turn over a new leaf."

"Become the security forces of the Lower City. You will be the leaders of the security forces and can obtain the title of knight. Your subordinates will be captains, detachment captains and squad leaders."

This condition made the gang leaders present excited!

By becoming a law enforcement force, gang members can settle down and not only retain many of their previous business income, but also receive an additional bounty.

What's more, this can whitewash their identities.

If given a choice, no one would want to be a gangster for life, let alone their offspring getting involved in this business!
"Haha, Baron Raven is indeed a young and promising man. He knows that the Lower City cannot do without us!" Honduras' eyes sparkled. "But this security army must have a leader. Among the three of us, only I have experience as a mercenary. Why don't you let me take the position of leader?"

Raven shook his head. "No, there is no leader."

Honduras's expression changed: "What do you mean? Do you want us to work for you for nothing? To tell you the truth, if we leave me, the entire Cracktooth War Gang will never listen to anyone's orders!"

"You probably want to end the riot in the downtown area as soon as possible, right?"

There was an obvious threat in these words.

Raven ignored him and continued, "I only need two troops, one for the port area and one for the old city. Each troop will have its own commander."

"The only common leader is me!"

Raven paused and smiled meaningfully. "So, who gets the spot depends on your performance."

"Within three days, I want to see your sincerity."

"Remember, it's only three days."

……

(End of this chapter)