Arcane Emperor

Matthew turned his head to look at Butler Ralph.

The latter walked up to the somewhat nervous trio and, under the gaze of countless people, counted out the reported money and handed it over to them.

Now, blinded by the gleam of Gold Coins, their courage instantly swelled.

"If the three of them can, why can't we?"

Suddenly, the atmosphere among the entire caravan began to turn strange.

Angela looked at My Lord with confusion, harboring no doubts in her heart, just pondering why he would do such a thing.

"Nobles and Lords aren't expected to admit their mistakes, that's been an iron rule for thousands of years!"

"Could it be that My Lord has his own thoughts on the matter?"

Of course, Matthew had no idea what the loyal Knight was thinking.

Just like he didn't understand why some people would choose the greedy option even when they knew they had no chance of winning.

Perfect, chickens coming home to roost!

He asked calmly,

"Is there anyone else who feels the number of their merits is incorrect?"

"If so, speak up in a timely manner, and I will make up the difference for everyone."

Upon these words, the convoy immediately erupted with many people gathering together in a flurry of discussion, most of them carefully recalling and calculating.

Only a very few remained calm, silently watching those who were agitated and uneasy.

Before long, four people stepped forward.

Looking at these people rather speechlessly, Butler Ralph didn't say a word, merely grumbling to himself and sneering as he gave them the money.

Matthew continued to call out numbers, as if nothing had happened just moments before.

On the other side, Captain Sean, who was clearing away the corpses of the Mutated Fishmen, shivered involuntarily and couldn't help but curse inwardly,

"This really is courting death in style!"

"The 99th, Misula, severely wounded, contribution of 3, receives 90 silver coins, participated in battle earning 1 Gold 20 silver 96 copper coins, totaling 2 Gold 10 silver 96 copper coins!"

"My Lord, I killed one Mutated Fishman, my companion Carmel can testify..."

"..."

"The 104th, Rolf Carlisle, has been sacrificed."

"Severely wounded contribution of 2, receives 30 silver coins, participated in battle, earning 1 Gold 20 silver 96 copper coins, compensation of 5 Gold Coins, totaling 6 Gold 50 silver 96 copper coins, to be publicly mailed to his family upon arrival at the estate."

"If the remaining family members have not yet regained their freedom, they will be brought to Bay Village to live as freedmen."

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone jumped, staring at My Lord in disbelief.

"Compensation? Will My Lord really pay it?"

"He should, My Lord has fulfilled everything he has ever said..."

"Rolf Carlisle is so lucky, his relatives have just regained their status as freedmen?"

"My Lord is truly merciful!"

"Correct, he is worthy of our deep loyalty..."

Hearing everyone's heartfelt voices, Matthew's heart remained calm, quietly steeling his resolve,

"I'm not a good person; I just want to survive better."

"To do this, I must impose my will upon the majority."

"Only then can we defeat those deities who look down high from above, regarding Humans like cattle and poultry!"

"Only then can we resist the coming of the endless demonic army!"

"Only then can we prevent the world from stepping into the apocalypse!"

"In the old trajectory, you couldn't achieve this!"

"Now, it's my turn!"

"First, let's set a small goal, to destroy the Nesserite Empire!"

Unbeknownst to the beloved Lord, he had decided to drag everyone onto a train headed for despair and death, and gradually, everyone ceased their discussions.

"Number 105, Harick, sacrificed..."

"Number 106, Zhang Kai, sacrificed..."

All who had been prepared to hear more were stunned subconsciously, staring blankly at Matthew.

Lord raised his hand, pointed to Butler Ralph, who had long been ready to act, and walked inside the carriage with Yaya, who was sound asleep in his arms.

That's it?

That's it!

"Wasn't it said that 124 people joined the battle? Where are the others?"

"Even if they made no contributions, they should at least get the participation reward of 1 gold 20 silver 96 copper coins, like the 103rd person did!"

"Right, My Lord? What about ours? We fought in the battle too, didn't we?"

"I seriously wounded a Mutated Fishman; even though the money is not much, for you, Lord, it's negligible, but I really need this money!"

"Also, my family is in urgent need of money, Lord, could you have made a mistake?"

"..."

The flurry of discussions made the entire caravan feel strange.

But they soon realized, no matter what they said, Butler Ralph standing in the center of the crowd remained unresponsive.

An invisible aura spread from him, weighing heavily on the hearts of everyone who spoke.

Within more than ten breaths, the whole caravan had quieted down.

Hands clasped behind his back, Butler Ralph slowly shook his head, and with a gaze as real as substance, he stared at the few cart drivers who had been the most boisterous, and in an unquestionable tone, he directly spoke:

"Everyone after number 107, step forward!"

Housekeeper Narve's tone was quite heavy, instantly intimidating the entire caravan.

At this moment, everyone recalled how Butler Ralph had selected them two months ago.

3,000 people pushed carts, and only the final 100 who endured were chosen!

The cart drivers not called out, some feeling nervous, turned to look around them.

The drivers who had been excitedly shouting just moments ago had now become exceedingly docile.

Hesitantly, they stepped forward, and Butler Ralph raised his hand to point at these ten-odd people, his voice cold as he said:

"Anyone who is not from Kalado, kneel down!"

In a moment of hesitation, they all knelt, and Butler Ralph let out a cold laugh before striding forward and grabbing a person wearing a black cloak.

Without hesitation, the butler threw him into the mud, and in front of all onlookers, loudly pronounced the information Matthew had told him:

"It's this person who, by being selfish and fearing death, is bad enough, and had he been like the other 16 people, would have just lost his chance to become a Soldier."

"But by trying to cling to his pathetic life, he caused the death of a teammate!"

The caravan erupted in murmurs, everyone incredulously watching Butler Ralph, and Kalado, who was just about to get up from the ground, instantly collapsed.

Now, everyone understood that what Butler Ralph said was no falsehood, and they all looked at Kalado with disgust and even hatred.

Every person who joined the battle had an instinctive aversion to someone like Kalado who had caused the death of a teammate.

Kalado's face changed, and he hurriedly shook his head, starting to shout at the top of his lungs:

"I didn't, I haven't, this is slander!"

"Slander? Surely someone witnessed his actions, right?"

"Of course, there's no need for anyone to come forward and testify, as the truth speaks for itself!"