There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

The lord's voice was calm: "I know that, but if those bastards weren't trying to steal your credit, they wouldn't have razed Ten Pine Manor to the ground. What crime did they report to me again... colluding with pirates? Do those country bumpkins who only know how to farm and brew wine have the guts to do that?"

He finished speaking with a hint of mockery: "If they hadn't acted recklessly, they wouldn't have attracted this outsider to come and help them. It seems they brought this upon themselves."

I was startled, but a sense of understanding dawned on me. It seemed that this lord had already found out why I was here through interrogation and clandestine means, and knew that I was here to stand up for Shisong Manor.

But isn't this calm-looking middle-aged man the culprit behind all this?

He probably already had ways to know and stop all of this, but the innocent lives of Shisongzhuang were just a bunch of insignificant things to him. He would rather let his subordinates make mistakes and then eliminate the "smart people" among them to establish his authority.

Just then, I took off my stone war mask and slammed it on the table, revealing my excessively youthful face, because I knew it was time to put on a good show!

“My lord!” I said with a grim expression, emphasizing the words, and said resolutely, “No one can quell that lord’s wrath, and the fate of the Loader’s Territory rests entirely on his decision.”

I said threateningly, “I’m not here for lives as insignificant as ants. But since I’m here, I want to know one thing—that day, the Tosspine Manor and the pirates had a trade, but coincidentally, that very night, the privateers easily found the pirates’ goods and weapons at the Tosspine Manor. And even more coincidentally, that was the day Burnett received Lord Shaflin’s protection from me.”

"My lord, was all of this part of your plan?! Was the complete annihilation of Ten Pine Manor to cover up Lord Shafulin's name also at your behest?!"

"This is all too much of a coincidence. I don't believe it's a harmless coincidence! When such underhanded tricks threaten that person's reputation, only iron and blood can wash it away!"

Upon hearing what I said, the lord's usually calm face suddenly contorted into a ferocious expression.

I suspect the information he possesses is that the privateers want to kill innocent people and claim credit for it, using it as leverage to fight against the artisans' guild. At the same time, they want to eliminate the town traders of Shisongzhuang, and incidentally severely damage the artisans' guild's profitability, firmly binding these artisans to the military group's chariot.

On the surface, I'm just protesting their actions, but what I'm implying is that these privateers have already made contact with the pirates of Sabre Bay. Otherwise, how could they have such detailed knowledge of their transactions? Given the impending doom of the entire village, what kind of traitor would selflessly sell their life?

As a ruler, whether he suspects privateer groups of harboring bandits for their own benefit or that their subordinates are colluding with foreign powers, it all far exceeds the limits of his tolerance!

No matter how fierce the internal struggles are, the ruler remains safe amidst the chaos of the ministers. But if he colludes with his arch-enemy, the pirates, then his throne will be in grave danger, and it cannot be saved by killing one or two people!

Why did Sun Quan insist on allying with Liu Bei against Cao Cao? It was because his subordinates could surrender, but he, as the ruler, had no right to surrender!

As for the lord secretly going to other privateers to corroborate and expose my story?

Which prisoner would confess to a crime, especially one punishable by death? The more they plead, the more suspicious the lord will become, even suspecting them of harboring malicious intentions. Their utter slaughter of everyone at Shisong Manor was a fatal mistake; their attempt to cover up their crime became my trump card!

From the moment that mad lord's expression changed, I knew that none of the privateers who participated in the massacre at Ten Pine Manor would survive.

Chapter 334 Disorderly Faction

"My lord, if you cannot explain this..."

I looked at him intently, knowing that although I wasn't wearing a mask at this moment, the role I was to play was far more difficult than the disguise required by wearing a mask.

The man in front of me has begun to doubt my identity. Unlike the one-eyed middle-aged man, this strange lord doesn't cooperate with my performance and doesn't use keywords like "ancient" company to mystify my identity.

However, my advantage lies in the fact that he knows nothing about me. For example, just fifteen minutes ago, he didn't even know what I looked like. So at this moment, my youthful appearance will definitely cause him some confusion.

This is the advantage that information asymmetry creates.

To deal with this teleological believer, the only way is to use something unexpected and beyond his comprehension to shake his rock-solid worldview, so that I can subtly instill the ideas I intend to impart into him.

The lord of the Loader's Territory was now staring at me expressionlessly, his face cold and indifferent. The superfluous micro-expressions that had previously adorned his face had slowly vanished. His patience had also disappeared. I guessed that all he could think about now was capturing all the privateers and prying what he wanted to know out of them.

Therefore, I only have one chance.

If what I say fails to influence his perception, then the subsequent talks will inevitably be canceled, all my follow-up plans for this territory will be scrapped, and we may even fall into crisis.

“I originally intended to wash away your sins with blood and fire…” I coughed lightly, then changed the subject, “but that lord told me that he has other plans, and I will now convey that lord’s decree.”

"First, I reserve the right to pursue the truth."

"Secondly, I need to take one hundred slaves from the territory to make up for the loss of power in Shisong Village."

"Third, to the southeast of the Loader's Territory, I will designate a free zone where all actions will be protected by Lord Shaflin and must not be violated by the Loader's Territory."

As soon as I finished speaking, I saw the lord of the Loader's Territory, whose dead-like, strange face showed a hint of anger. Then his skin turned from red to white, and even turned blue. The veins on his neck stood out, and his eyes almost spit fire!

“Very good…” he read aloud emotionlessly, “Haha, very good!”

He then overturned all the bowls and plates on the table, threw the unseeing head on the ground, and said resolutely.

"I initially thought you were a fraudulent charlatan, trying to make a living by relying on your strength and eloquence, and I was even planning to give you the privateer's vacant position. But I never expected you to be just a reckless madman!"

He roared in a low voice, "You think you can be on equal footing with me just because you're some nobody? You think you can spout nonsense here just because you defeated a few lackeys?"

I put on the stone war mask again, stood up leisurely, and the steel plate armor on my body clanged as it clashed.

The lord's artificial left hand pointed to the side, "You only have one destiny! It's this barbecue grill!"

The bald man standing behind me had his eyes closed and was chanting the Heart Sutra. His bald scalp and face were covered in sweat, as if he was using the power of the sutra to resist the pressure from the outside world.

The elderly man in the flowery clothes who was standing to the side was even more terrified. He quickly knelt down on the ground, trembling and unable to speak. He was almost in a state of collapse under the weight of Mount Tai.

I cannot deny that this lord, who has long held a high position, has indeed developed a very sharp aura, able to decide the life and death of others with a single word. That kind of oppressive feeling from his superior position does indeed make people feel an irresistible urge to look up to him, and the words he speaks seem incredibly real.

In terms of psychological warfare, he has subtly and unknowingly established the image of a volatile and ruthless madman in our minds through seemingly useless casual conversation. In this respect, his operation and my operation have the same purpose: to insert our own plans before the other party's mindset is set and to create a situation that is favorable to us.

But such a sharp edge is actually like a glass blade. Although it is very sharp, it cannot last long. Once it encounters stubborn granite, it will shatter and instantly return to its most fragile state.

I stood up defiantly and roared back without backing down.

"You're stupid and dumb, but you think you're so smart. I hope you won't try to cross my line!"

My voice, filled with gritted teeth, came from beneath the stone war mask: "At the same time, I think you've got some things wrong!"

"First of all, Lord Shafulin's dignity is inviolable! Do you think you insignificant ants can gain his understanding and tolerance? Our tolerance towards you is only because we don't take you seriously!"

"Secondly, your unauthorized massacre of Shisong Manor has affected that person's plans. Using lowly slaves to compensate for the losses is less a small compensation from you and more an unparalleled honor bestowed upon you by that person!"

"Third, the Lord sent me, Seven, here to establish the Free Zone simply to tell you an undeniable fact! It's not to ask for your consent, you hillbilly lord!"

"And also, you think flipping the table is fun, right?!"

The scythe of the first dimension right arm guard popped out quickly, and as I swung my arm, it transformed into countless streams of light that cut across the marble table.

After a loud crash, the shattered table turned into rubble and debris, and then fell silent.

"you!"

The lord of the loader's territory was furious. He immediately opened a tunnel behind him, and a large group of elite troops dressed in desert ghillie suits and armed to the teeth with guns and cannons poured out. They quickly pointed their guns at me.

"Humph."

I felt no fear as I looked at the ambush troops before me. "Although I am just a civil official, killing everyone present and leveling this wretched territory is merely a matter of lifting a finger!"

Then I continued with a cold laugh, "And, my lord, do you really think that the privateers outside are as loyal to you as your core members? Even if you can hold me off for a while, I believe the battle reports from here will soon be on the conference table at Saber Bay... I really hope they will be as ungrateful as you and miss this good opportunity to destroy you."

I'm betting that this lord wouldn't dare to gamble!

Before him lay a group of potentially disloyal subordinates, a band of menacing enemies, and a ruthless thug capable of killing a man in ten steps! In this precarious triangular balance, if he dared to shift the balance at will, he would face an even more frenzied counterattack.

If his loyal men fight me to the death here, then the privateers outside might rebel. If he orders the privateers to fight me to the death, then who can guarantee that these privateers won't betray me or collude with foreign enemies to save their own lives?

On this precarious scale, there is only one weight. Not him, but me—the one who holds the initiative, stands firmly in the neutral camp of chaos, and could turn on you at any moment—the madman he speaks of!

Chapter 335 Mysterious Allies

The order to fire was delayed.

If he had the discernment befitting his status, he would have known that the scythe in my hand had the power to tear him to shreds in an instant.

Moreover, from his ever-changing expression, one could tell that anger and reason were locked in a battle within his mind, the two sides constantly tug at each other, rising and falling in endless conflict.

Giving the order to fire was simple, but facing someone he knew nothing about, he couldn't easily bear the consequences. Unlike the commoners and slaves in his territory—killing them was merely plucking a hair from their bodies—if he wanted to kill me, I would be torn off a piece of flesh, bleeding profusely, perhaps even deep enough to reach the bone.

Our strategy is not complicated, because actions always speak louder than words.

Even though he used language, expressions, and stories to constantly mislead me and did indeed put his stereotypes into my head, I had already completed the steps he had taken long before him.

Yesterday's slaughter in the territory was my way of inducing him, conveying the image of a fierce and invincible madman to his mind.

While he was conducting preliminary investigations and searching for clues about me, I had already subtly gotten him to accept this premise. What's even more ingenious is that all of this was his own initiative in conducting the investigation, so accepting the information I left behind didn't cause him any resistance.

Although he neither ordered the shooting nor agreed to my conditions, his hesitation had already affected the morale of his men. The surging troops looked at each other, no longer having the courage to take any further action.

…………

"Boss, I really thought I was going to die just now..."

The bald man was too weak to walk, and he staggered behind me as we walked out of the once spotless lord's hall.

Unfortunately, after I left, the lord's hall was not only littered with rubble and broken tiles at the entrance, but also littered with food scraps, making it look far from a scene of friendly negotiation.

I walked down the central avenue, carrying my steel halberd. Not far behind me was the grey-robed man beside the lord of the Loader's Domain. The townspeople kept their distance from me—the events that had just transpired in the lord's hall had spread faster than expected, and everyone knew that the armored man before them was a formidable figure who dared to confront the lord and escape unscathed.

Some things don't need to be said too explicitly. I roughly guessed that the lord's actions just now weren't just about killing me, but also a thorough test. People in crisis often subconsciously reveal their hand, and my repeated mention of "that lord" while I was on the verge of death reassured him that I wasn't some suddenly appearing spy or liar.

But in that situation, if he were confident, he would have chosen to kill me instead of letting me leave freely.

Therefore, the moment I stepped out of the lord's hall, I knew that he had already acquiesced to my request.

“You’re just too cowardly. I told you I was absolutely certain I could leave safely, and besides, we have reliable allies.”

The act of going to a meeting alone relies on sheer ferocity; one must possess a ruthless demeanor and superhuman fighting ability.

Guan Yu was able to go to the meeting alone and of course he could come back, but if it were Guo Jia who went to the meeting alone... he would probably be dead on the spot, right?

Even setting aside the example from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Lin Xiangru threatened the King of Qin at the Mianchi Meeting, didn't he also rely on his skillful use of a brick, threatening to crack open the King's skull at the slightest provocation? In such a situation, even the most powerful monarch would have to think twice.

"Allies? What allies?"

The bald man looked around curiously and said cautiously, "Boss, you've been to the Loader's Territory before? When did you make allies with them? I don't see them here."

I said bluntly, "Only smart people can see it, of course you can't."

"...Boss, you don't have to play me like this."

The bald man muttered under his breath, not daring to speak too loudly, afraid I'd leave him here to die. If he were left here, the lord would probably capture him and skin him alive in the next second.

"Want to know who our allies are?" I asked.

The bald man nodded and said, "Of course I want to! Knowing that we have allies here makes me feel a little more at ease..."

"Then answer one question for me first... Why do you think everyone is so afraid of us, and why do they all hide far away when they see us coming?" I continued to ask.

The bald man said, "They know about our outburst inside, right? It's normal for everyone to be scared when such a thug is around."

"So who do you think told the story of our outburst inside? Try to analyze it. If you can't figure it out, you can use the process of elimination. There weren't many people there at the time."

“I’ll use the process of elimination… Of all the people present, it certainly wasn’t the lord himself who said it, nor were it the men in gray, and those lackeys wouldn’t dare say such a thing…”

The more he thought about it, the more absurd and ridiculous it seemed. He tentatively said, "...No way? That's impossible!"

I said dismissively, "You think it's impossible? Then are there any suitable candidates on the field? Could it be that some invisible ghost is spreading the news like wildfire?"