Arcane Journey

Chapter 226 Acting Lord
It is the lord who needs him.

Ballerith reminded himself that, as a wealthy merchant, Graal had a lot of contacts in Mokou Town and the Kingdom of Cormyr. He alone had borne at least half of the cost of rebuilding the town.

If I granted his request, he might be richer, as was his size, he thought.

Still, he looks like he's at least lost a lot of weight, which is a good sign, isn't it?

Since the lord captured Mokou Town, all the arenas in the city have been closed, rectified and rebuilt, and now there is only one largest building called the 'Blood Drink' arena.

The 'Blood Drink' arena is the only arena in the entire Mokou Town that has won a hundred consecutive victories.

The gladiator who won the title of "Bloody Challenger" was lucky, and with his secret help, he successfully escaped from the Zhentarim's control.

May the benevolent gods protect this young gladiator, and hope to find a new home.

The reason why this largest arena has not been re-planned so far is that apart from its large area, the main reason is that Graal, who is in charge of urban construction, deliberately ignored it.

"Your Excellency, you should know why I came here." Graal said slowly.

He had a ruddy complexion, and a loose linen robe hid his bloated body.

As a paladin and sword master, Balleris had an extremely keen sense of smell, and just by glancing at it, he felt the breath of magic on the thin body of the rich merchant Graal.

He guessed that this should be a magic item similar to constant temperature and light body.

Otherwise, he must be panting and sweating from the city to the rock bunker halfway up the mountain.

After all, since the lord established the wizard tower, he issued a ban on the sky, strictly prohibiting anyone from hovering above Mokou Town through flying spells or flying mounts.

Of course, teleportation spells are also included in the air ban law.

Two days ago, a wizard from Waterdeep City tried to crack the air-forbidden magic circle covering the town. He complacently got into the oval portal that he forcibly opened.

As a result, his upper body disappeared, while his lower body remained in Mokou Town forever.

This is a sad story, but full of the deterrence brought by order.

"Of course I know why you came here." Balleris said, "You should know how many times I rejected you."

"Six times, Your Excellency." Graal opened his narrowed eyes and replied confidently.

"Well, then this is the seventh time." Balleris said helplessly, "I still won't allow the arena to reopen in Mokou Town."

Now he is the acting lord of Mokou Town, and his main duty is to maintain order in the town and face any enemies who try to threaten the entire territory.

He believed that the arena affected the order of the town, so he has not nodded to Graal's proposal so far.

Whenever Graal mentioned the arena to him, Balleris couldn't help recalling the scenes he had witnessed in his mind:

"Come on everyone, there's a good show tonight at the Skullcracker Arena, a big bear vs three little boys, one boy covered in honey, another covered in blood, and one covered in rotten fish , now you can bet on which bear will eat first..."

The wild and excited scream, like howling ghosts and wolves, was vivid in his memory.

He will never allow similar scenes to continue to be staged in Mokou Town.

"Then are you willing to continue to listen to my explanation?" Graal smiled on his fat face.

He should try to lose weight, after all magic is such an inconvenience?Seeing the rich merchant's chubby expression, Balleris thought to himself.

"I've heard it six times. Do you have a new statement?" He asked tentatively, "Or, have you already obtained the consent of the lord?"

"No, I don't think this kind of trivial matter needs to alarm our young mage lord." Graal shook his head slightly and said sincerely, "but I believe that my beautiful and humble words can impress a stubborn paladin."

"Okay." Balleris rubbed his temples with a headache, "I am willing to listen to your explanation, remember, this is not because of your humble and beautiful words, but my duty."

"I understand, then I'll be blunt." Sitting on the chair, Graal cleared his throat, leaned slightly, and stated to him.

"Since the establishment of Mokou Town, the arena has been a part of the town. In essence, competition is very noble. You must know that this deadly art is not simply killing, but a display of courage, skill and strength. It can even please the gods. The victor will be loved and praised, and those who died heroically will be respected and remembered."

"In the past, the arena in Mokou Town was very famous in the entire Ennook Desert and the middle of the continent. If we reopen the arena, it will surely attract adventurers and businessmen from all over the world, and their coins will once again fill the desert. The vault of Kou Town."

"Besides, no matter what race they are, they all have a desire for blood, and the arena can just satisfy them, thus making our town more peaceful and stable."

Sound order is the key to the peace and stability of the town, not the arena, Balleris thought.

Talking about a bloody profit-seeking matter so freshly and refinedly is just like businessmen selling their own products. When they sell their products, they will use all kinds of gorgeous rhetoric to try their best to attract the attention of customers.

I just don't know whether he will be like those businessmen who will pay every penny for the management and service in the later stage.

He knew that it was meaningless for him to persist like this, maybe he should really give in.

Balleris looked at the rich businessman with scrutiny.

Just when he was hesitating, a slightly aged figure suddenly walked in from the door.

The two looked at the same time, and it was the old Mr. Ogluer, a terrestrial dragon tortoise who had lived for thousands of years, invited by the lord from the Ennook Desert.

Balleris and Graal did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly got up to greet them.

The old man didn't sit on the chair, but stood there with a slightly hunched back, as if he was carrying a heavy turtle shell.

He should try to carry a turtle shell so that he won't look so thin and feeble, Balleris thought.

"Actually, I don't think you need to argue here." The old man said in an old voice, obviously he heard the conversation between the two.

"Glar's purpose is to earn more wealth for the territory, while Balleris's purpose is to maintain order and maintain order. In this case, you two little fellows might as well give in each other."

"The arena can be reopened." He narrowed his eyes full of wisdom. "But the right to monitor and maintain order is in charge of Balleris. Is there a problem?"

"That's a good proposal." Balleris nodded, looking at Graal opposite.

His main duty is to maintain the order and security of the territory, while Mr. Oglul is more like an internal affairs officer of the territory, responsible for many affairs of the territory.

Balleris never doubted the lord's vision of people, so he naturally had to seriously consider Mr. Augruel's proposal.

In fact, he had considered this proposal a long time ago, but he never implemented it because of the lack of manpower and the imperfect order.

Now that he has said this, he feels that if he persists, he will be too stubborn. As the acting lord of the territory, he cannot be as stubborn as before.

"Of course I have no problem." Graal said, with a happy smile on his fat face, so that his eyes were squeezed into slits. "After all, we are all for the development of the territory."

Looking at the rich merchant's sincere expression, Balleris suddenly realized that he seemed to have misunderstood him a lot.

After all, when the lord had not yet appeared in Mokou Town, the impression of this greedy rich businessman was not that good.

"In that case, Mr. Graal."

He said gently, "Then let's not continue to discuss this issue too much in the future. I will select a suitable person in charge to help you maintain order in the arena."

"Then I will trouble you, Your Excellency Balleris." Graal nodded slightly, then glanced gratefully at the old Mr. Oglul who helped him out, and then turned to leave.

"Actually, your IQ is not low. It's just that the roles of Paladin and Juggernaut make you get used to execution instead of thinking." Mr. Oglul turned to him and said:

"Take your time, little guy, when you adapt to your role, the distance from breaking through the legendary realm will become within reach."

Looking at the back of the old Mr. Oglul leaving, Balleris smiled self-deprecatingly, "Is he praising me?"

However, as a human over half a hundred years old, every time he is called a 'little guy' by the other party, he always feels that his old face is a little bit unbearable.

Old Mr. Ogluer was right, he did prefer execution to thinking.

At the beginning, when the lord assigned this responsibility to himself, the first thought in his mind was to refuse.

Because he has always believed that his first duty is to defend the territory from harm and threats, he also swore to obey the orders of the lord, keep the lord's secrets, give advice when the lord needs it, and keep silent when he does not need it.

Despite his inner reluctance, he bit the bullet and took the job.

"When you adapt to your role, the distance from breaking through the legendary realm will become within reach." Thinking of the words of the old Mr. Oglul before he left, he faintly guessed the real intention of the lord.

This made Balleris lament the impermanence of fate again.

In the past, when he was running his own 'Salamander' tavern, he walked up and down the stairs more than a dozen times a day, and he felt exhausted. His knees and lower back could testify.

He often thinks that sooner or later, he will not be able to climb the stairs and become very old, and then he sighs: Where have all the years gone?
But recently, whenever he knelt by a quiet pool to drink water and wash his face, he could always see strange faces staring at him from the depths of the pool.

He couldn't help but wonder: When will the crow's feet disappear around his pale blue eyes?When did the snow-white hair turn gray?
Even the once vague memory, when he recalled it, seemed like yesterday.

He still clearly remembers the scene when he was named a holy warrior in the Temple of Dawn in Suzar City.

He still remembered Hoster, Archbishop of Lathander, Lord of Dawn, resting the sword on his shoulder, the kiss as soft as a girl's, and his stuttering oath of devotion.

At the dinner party, he drank a lot of tiefling-flavored 'Delayed Explosive Fireball'. This kind of concoction was named after a wizard spell known for its destructive power, and it was by no means a random name.

Sometimes referred to as 'the wine of the flame star,' it's layered with a sweet syrup of ground cinnamon and packed with a punchy punch, making it a fitting match for the eponymous arca.

Spiced bourbon and spicy chili flakes make for a mouth-watering, delicious combination that's easy to eat but kicks into full effect after a few nights.

For 39 years, this taste is still deeply hidden in his memory.

That's a good sign, isn't it?

The afternoon sun was like a bright smile on Ballerith's face.

He came to the training ground of Rock Bunker to train those boys, teaching them the skills of long sword and shield, riding a horse and holding a gun... and more importantly, the spirit of a sword master.

He needs to pass on the spirit of a lord and territory worthy of his life to protect, and Mokou Town also needs more sword masters like him, so he decided to train him himself.

The boys trained by Balleris ranged in age from eight to 16 years old. The initial number exceeded a hundred, but the rigorous training made him understand that most of the children are just for rich food.

Now there are less than one third left, but fortunately there are a few promising students.

No matter how busy he is with his affairs, he still has to spare time for training.

As he thought, he watched as the boys practiced in pairs, battling each other with blunt swords or round-nosed spears.

They are brave, low-born, but have the opportunity to become good fighters, even sword masters, and they love and love their lords with all their hearts.

If it weren't for the lord of Mokou Town, these boys might end up working as slaves to death.

"Raise your sword!"

Balleris yelled as he walked, as if he had returned to the time when he was training in the Temple of Dawn, "Let me see your learning results, and slash together with your sword..."

As the sun disappeared over the western horizon, Ballerith ate a simple supper on the castle terrace.

As the sun set, through the purple twilight, he saw the lord's wizard tower pulsating with a strong magical atmosphere, and the violet spire was surrounded by many shining crystals like eyes, shining brightly.

"Brother." A slightly deep voice interrupted Balleris's viewing.

He drank his last sip of wine and looked up.

It was his former brother Salo who came. He and Salo were the only survivors of the entire mercenary group during the Red Dragon Rebellion ten years ago.

He was clad in black mail and a gray wool cloak trimmed with purple, and his face was pale and travel-stained.

The corners of his eyes were raised higher than those of humans, but they were hidden in the shadow cast by his broad forehead like humans, exuding a faint golden glow.

His control over dragon's blood has improved again, and Balleris thought to himself: If he continues to maintain it, he will definitely have the qualifications to become a legendary dragon vein warlock.

"What's the matter?" He asked knowingly.

"The people of Thunder Lion Tribe don't deserve death." Salo said hesitantly, "They're just teasing..."

"Just flirting with a few women, right?"

Balleris said slightly annoyed, "Have you ever seen someone molesting women with their pants off? If the patrol officers didn't happen in time, what would happen? Do I need to tell you personally?"

"These people are all high-level officials of the Bedai barbarian tribe." Salo tried to argue, "One of them is the son of the patriarch. If we execute them all, my plan to persuade them to join Mokou Town will be completely bankrupt. gone."

"Then let it go bankrupt." Balleris said coldly, "This kind of wild and unruly tribe, even if they are spared once, accidents will happen again sooner or later. The lord said: a perfect order must be Based on strict laws, no one will be allowed to trample on them!"

"I didn't intend to trample on it either."

Salo muttered, "I just want to compensate the victims in other ways, at least to avoid their death penalty. Otherwise, we will not only lose allies, but also create more enemies out of thin air."

"Saluo, you have disappointed me so much." Balleris glanced at him, got up from the chair, turned to look at the streets of Mokou Town, sighed, and said slowly:
"Do you know? When I landed from Falling Star Sea as a mercenary and set foot on the land of Sembia, what a chilling scene I saw: On the street, I saw a nobleman, grabbed A commoner was beaten when he saw him, his body was covered with bruises and blood, without any reason, just because he was a commoner, because he was poor, and this commoner didn't have any complaints, as if everything was normal. From that day on, I Swear, if it is up to me, this kind of thing will never happen again!"

"..."

Salo, who knew his elder brother's character well, was speechless and didn't know how to answer.

"I know that you are the garrison commander of Mokou Town. Not only do you control the armed forces to maintain the law and order of the entire town, but you also set up a garrison camp, trying to imitate the Purple Dragon Knight and train militarized troops to resist foreign enemies."

Baleris's tone was much more relaxed, "It is this urgency that made you recklessly expand your power and incorporate many Bedai barbarians from the desert. Don't you understand the character of these nomads like I do?" ? There are too many of these barbarians, if you don’t have enough ability to control them, you will cause trouble sooner or later.”

"But..." Salo said unwillingly:

"Don't you feel it? Whether it is the Silver Scholars Association in the Wizard Tower, the Purple Dragon Knights and Battle Mages, or even the Stone Giants and Gray Dwarves, as well as the Church, we have become the weakest force in Mokou Town. As their leader, if I don't strengthen the power under my command, sooner or later, with the rise and growth of Mokou Town, I will be forgotten in the end, and I don't want to be a green leaf in the background."

"You're blaming me, as the deputy lord, for not giving you the door of convenience, right?" Balleris looked at his brother flatly.

"I didn't say that." Salo avoided his gaze.

"You're thinking in the long term." Balleris looked down at the entire town, "You've even thought about the future of Mokou Town, and you're even thinking about how to fight for power."

What he dislikes the most is this feeling: intrigue, duplicity, intrigue.

These were the things he only wanted to leave to the Zhentarim and the City of Shadows.

Baleris is not a nerd. When he was training in the Temple of Dawn, he often browsed the scriptures and looked up the glorious deeds of the paladins.

In the sacred scriptures, some paladins become heroes, and some even become weaklings, liars or cowards, but most of them are just mortals—a little more agile and stronger than their peers, with better sword and shield skills, but they will inevitably become pride, ambition, lust, Victims of love, rage, and jealousy, they still covet wealth, lust for power, or commit other sins that afflict mortals.

The outstanding ones among them can still restrain themselves, perform their duties, and die with a sword, while those who have fallen...

"Saluo, I have no objection to you expanding your power."

He was silent for a long time, and said: "But I hope this method is aboveboard, and you also have to understand the truth that too much is too much."

"You go back." He waved his hand and made a final addition, "I hope to see this group of barbarians from the Leishi tribe tomorrow, and you will personally execute the death sentence."

…………

(End of this chapter)