Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Moreover, Revodan was small, with just over five hundred households and a population of fewer than three thousand. There wasn't much in the way of government affairs.

The municipal committee only met once a week, and their discussions were mostly about trivial matters like, "The sewers need to be cleaned, let's all chip in some money."

Seeing that Lieutenant Bard was easy to talk to, the always bold blacksmith and municipal committee member [Shaoyi] asked, "Lieutenant, previously Major Ronald... no, the Ronald gang of bandits! They..."

"You don't need to put it that way!" Bard said with a smile, interrupting him, "We are family with Major Ronald, we just have a little bit of a disagreement. Continue to call him Major Ronald. And I am not 'Lieutenant, sir,' you can just call me Lieutenant or Lieutenant Bard, either is fine."

"Alright, alright." Despite the other party's smile, Shaoyi's knees still involuntarily trembled.

He steeled himself and continued, "Lieutenant Bard, sir, previously Major Ronald conscripted the Revodan security forces into enlistment. Without the security forces, all the bad elements came out, theft and robbery went unmanaged. Could you see if you could... "

"Rest assured, we have taken it into consideration. Public security will be managed by the garrison for now. Former members of the guard will be given priority for screening, and if there are no issues, they will be released. In the future, public security in Revodan will still be the responsibility of the city hall."

The governing committee members sighed in relief, a stone lifted from their hearts, as many had been worried for the blacksmith Shaoyi.

The Revodan guard only had twenty men, with families all in town; releasing them wouldn't be an issue—this was the result of a discussion by the group of six.

"You should have just said so," Bard said to the blacksmith Shaoyi with a smile, "Even though Major Ronald conscripted the city guard, he also tightened up security, doing it very well at that. Our arrival, on the contrary, was not as effective."

The relieved hearts of the people were suddenly pulled up to their throats again.

"No, no, not at all..." Shaoyi's head shook like a windmill.

Bard looked at the municipal committee members with a smile, "This is the fact, isn't it? What's there to hide? The new garrison has no ulterior motives; all we want is to be honest and open with everyone."

He smiled shockingly, "I know that what you want the most is the [City Arsenal]."

The breath of every member of the municipal committee halted.

...

The warehouse of the garrison and the warehouse of Revodan city are two different matters, just as the garrison and city hall are two separate entities.

But the impulsive Lieutenant Tang Juan didn't care about that; upon seeing the warehouse, he first searched for the key, and if there was no key, he would blow the door or tear down the wall, not sparing a single warehouse.

According to the original plan, the Revodan warehouse should have been emptied.

But Juan and Moritz decided to switch to a reserve plan, hence all the warehouses were sealed and closely guarded.

...

Bard reassured everyone with a kind demeanor, "I know the members want to request the City Arsenal, but dare not speak up. You fear we kill without batting an eye, fear that we can't save face and will secretly seek revenge, fear that being too straightforward will leave no room for negotiation. I promise that none of that will happen. We are a garrison, not bandits."

Seeing Bard's serene gaze and sincere tone, not seeming at all deceitful, the members of the municipal committee relaxed a bit.

Since meeting Lieutenant Bard, their hearts had been like waves, rising and falling.

It was Shaoyi who gathered his courage, speaking softly, "We indeed wanted to inquire about the City Arsenal, but there was absolutely no intent to demand it..."

"Let's be frank, there's nothing we can't discuss. It's better to be open so we can talk properly." Bard's voice was rich and deep, comforting to listen to, but what he said was quite the opposite, "I can tell you all clearly right here that the arsenal, we will keep. The granary, we will also keep. We need weapons and food."

The municipal committee members couldn't hide their disappointment because Revodan had spent a lot of public funds on both the arsenal and the granary.

After ruthlessly bursting the bubble of hope, they rather easily accepted the reality.

After all, how could the other side possibly return the weapons and food?

"The arsenal and granary are special cases. I hope everyone can understand. But the Revodan Gold Reserve..." Bard changed the subject with a smile, "The garrison will return it to everyone completely intact, ensuring not even a silver piece is missing."

The members of the municipal committee all let out a long sigh, their tense cheeks and furrowed brows relaxing.

Having the Gold Reserve was good, contentment brings happiness.

Bard continued, "As for the re-established city guard, the garrison will provide them with weapons and training free of charge. Ensuring they can take up the responsibility of maintaining public order."

On hearing Bard's words, the twenty-one members of the municipal committee all showed expressions of happiness.

After all, previously they had only agreed to return personnel, not weapons. It seemed the city hall would have to dip into its funds to equip the guard.

But now that Lieutenant Bard had agreed to supply the guard with weapons, they wouldn't have to spend extra money, so let the arsenal be given away then.

"Not only that," Bard wasn't finished, he smiled as he declared, "The contents of Revodan's arsenal and granary will also be compensated for at a fair price. We, the Revodan garrison, will never arbitrarily seize the precious property of the citizens!"

The blacksmith Shaoyi stood up abruptly, clapping his hands vigorously.

The other members of the municipal committee, some quickly, some slowly, also stood up, joining Shaoyi in applause.

A thunderous round of applause erupted in the city hall, as if hundreds were in a heated meeting.

...

The group of six—Winters, Bard, Andre, Mason, Juan, and Moritz—had already carefully discussed: food and weapons could not be returned, but the money could be.

Winters wasn't short of money, not only did he have money on hand, he also had two tons of gold buried in the Great Wilderness.