Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 428 Speech in the Tavern
Soon, the people from the other ambush sites also returned.

“They were all killed; no one was left alive.”

The resistance soldiers reported, their eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

Even Gwen was somewhat shocked.

Ambushing and killing a few cavalrymen is not a difficult task, but the fact that they were able to kill them so cleanly and efficiently, without even making a ripple, still took the resistance fighters by surprise.

They had considered rebelling under Nora's leadership before, but it was difficult to achieve any results.

The cavalrymen wore breastplates, standard military armor engraved with the coat of arms of Count Bazel, which could easily stop arrows. However, when the resistance fighters removed them, they were covered with shocking bullet holes.

This gave them their first real understanding of the firearms in their hands... the bullets that were fired so lightly were actually more powerful than the arrows of the most experienced hunters.

People gradually returned, and excitement spread throughout the camp. These refugees from the north had been constantly chased around, and even with Nora's presence, they still lacked the ability to fight head-on.

They had been holding their breath.

With no future in sight and Nora dead, the resistance fighters could only hide in the woods and eke out a living, their despair deepening time and again.

Today, for the first time, they saw hope.

Even Gwen's eyes sparkled with admiration. She kept telling herself to stay calm, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

They have been wallowing in despair for far too long.

The resistance fighters looked at the muskets in their hands, their eyes no longer filled with doubt, and many even began to show signs of fanaticism.

"Ms. Gwen? Cough, Ms. Gwen?"

Gwen quickly snapped out of her daze; Isaac was calling her name, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

"Ms. Gwen, the operation was a great success. Now it's up to the Winter Wolves to react."

Gwen's expression also turned serious: "Mr. Isaac, how should we cooperate with you?"

"We don't need to do anything, just wait and see."

……

Grizzly Town.

For the past two days, the people in the town have kept their doors tightly shut, afraid of causing trouble.

Not for any other reason, but because the lord's Winter Wolf Guard had been stationed there.

Old Wood sighed inwardly as he wiped the glasses.

His tavern business has been bad ever since those soldiers came to town.

Not only did those bandits drink all his wine, but they also made a mess of his tavern, smashing countless tables and chairs in their drunken rampage.

But he still dared not speak out against his anger—and so did the people in the other towns, who just hoped these people would leave as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and these people stayed there and refused to leave.

"Hey boss, a beer, please!"

Wood looked up and saw a stranger. A slightly thin man was standing at the door, looking at the tavern with curiosity.

"Are you a commander of the Winter Wolf Guard?"

The man at the door paused, then said, "No."

"Are you a relative or friend of the Winter Wolf Guard?"

"Not at all."

Wood said irritably, "Then you should know that we haven't had any wine here for a long time!"

The man paused for a moment, then chuckled: "If I were a member of the Winter Wolf Guard, what would you say?"

“I’ll ask them if they have any alcohol to sell—they’ve taken all the alcohol in town!”

Old Wood angrily threw the rag he was holding onto the table: "Look at this! My glasses are cleaner than new! If anything in the tavern is cleaner, it's the wine barrels in the basement!"

The people inside immediately responded, their cups filled with tea—if you could call tea tea if you steeped the leaves of the winter jasmine fruit in water.

The man smiled as he watched the chorus of complaints from inside the room and casually asked, "So what food do you have for sale now?" "Only black bread, five rios a pound!"

Five Rios a pound?! Are you trying to rob me? Five pounds a Rio is too expensive for me!

The man said loudly.

“You think it’s too expensive, but I think it’s too expensive too. This bread is only five rios a pound and it’s not always available. Kid, you’re lucky today. They haven’t come to collect grain these past few days, so you can buy some bread on the black market.”

"How could this be? I heard this year is supposed to be a bumper harvest."

"Sigh, it's those soldiers again!"

"What soldiers? They're just bandits!"

"That's right, I heard that many shops in town have been robbed!"

"Now, families with daughters are all locked up at home, afraid to go out. Those beasts are capable of anything!"

The once quiet tavern suddenly burst into a frenzy, as if a powder keg had been ignited.

Old Wood was a little worried. He wanted to tell the guests to be quieter, but he just happened to see the short man peek out and then casually close the tavern door.

He gave Old Wood a reassuring look.

Old Wood wasn't entirely at ease, but he really wanted to curse Winter Wolf, so after only a moment's hesitation, he joined the patrons in their protests.

The drinkers unleashed a torrent of curses, their faces flushed despite drinking tea, a clear indication of their deep-seated resentment.

"Boss, a pound of bread, please." The short man squeezed to the counter.

Old Wood was taken aback: "A pound of bread costs five Rios, young man, are you that rich?"

"I have no money!" the man sighed. "But what can I do? I have to survive. The money I work so hard to earn isn't even enough to buy bread!"

The room gradually quieted down, and people's faces showed anger, but they could only helplessly pour the bitter "wine" into their mouths.

“I work hard all week and only earn twenty Leos. If I exchange them all for bread, it's only four pounds! I can eat four pounds of bread in one day, but I'll have to go hungry for the next six days!”

"And even bread that costs five rios a pound isn't something you can just buy whenever you want."

"What can we do? We can only come here to drink!" A group of guests at a table in the distance slammed their glasses down on the table.

"Oh, it's not wine, it's tea. Okay, everyone knows it's just water infused with rotten leaves!"

"Damn it, how did the North become like this?!"

"Those robbers should be driven out!"

The people in the room became more and more excited as they talked. Old Wood's face turned bright red, and he slammed his hand on the table: "I still have a barrel of wine that I secretly hid. I was thinking of getting myself killed, but I'll take it out now and let us have another drink!"

The people in the tavern quickly received their drinks; although each person only had one cup, it was real alcohol after all.

Everyone's face was flushed red, it was hard to tell whether it was from drinking or excitement, or perhaps both.

The short man jumped onto the bar with a glass in hand: "Friends, we can't let old Wood give up this barrel of liquor for nothing. Let's all contribute some Rio!"

After saying that, he threw all the coins in his pocket into the container.

Old Wood was taken aback, and stammered, "This...this might be a bit too much."

"What's the use of having more Leo? It can't buy bread or wine. As long as the cubs of the Winter Wolves are here, we'll go hungry and cold every day!"

A burst of cheers erupted, nearly lifting the roof off.

They tossed coins into the bucket, and the short man, not caring how many there were, simply caught them with the bucket.

Soon, everyone had put in their money, and many people even emptied their pockets.

They exchanged a glance, and suddenly a strange feeling arose within them.

They had nothing left at that moment, yet it seemed as if they possessed so much more.

The man casually tossed the barrel aside, letting the coins inside fall to the ground, but no one paid any attention.

"Everyone, I heard some news on my way here."

(End of this chapter)