Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

The very next moment, Dorian was seated on a single wooden chair. Standing in front of him was a man dressed in what could only be described as patched, dirty rags, his face smudged with grime.

At the side of the small, cramped house stood Ciel, her arms crossed with an air of indifference.

Maria, on the other hand, was still outside, taking care of yet another task Dorian had given her.

Additionally, the single bandit Dorian had let live was kneeling not too far from the gathering.

Lili, in her humanoid form, stood beside him, her small frame radiating an unsettling pressure that served as a perfect intimidation tactic.

"Alright, I am listening," Dorian said, a carefree look on his face.

The man in front of him glanced to the side, towards the captured bandit, and then back at the ground, a worried look etched on his face.

Dorian sighed at the sight, immediately taking note of what was happening.

'Don't tell me he is still afraid of this dude, even after we captured him.' The thought crossed his mind, causing him to wonder just how badly the gang members of this lawless city had treated the populace.

"Listen. If you speak now, I can guarantee your safety. Not only that, I'll bless you with enough money to completely change your life around," Dorian hinted to the man. "But if you still choose to remain silent, then I'll walk out this door and find someone who will."

"I'll talk!" The man quickly yelled, his eyes filled with conviction for a brief moment.

Seconds later, he glanced right back at the captured bandit, watching as the man sent him a direct death stare, as though daring him to say a single word.

However—

"Stop threatening the poor man with your scary eyes!"

Baam!

Lili slapped the captured bandit across the head so hard that his neck snapped to the side. His body followed, collapsing to the ground.

Lili immediately planted her foot on his cheek, pinning him to the dirt so he couldn't get to his feet.

The civilian man giggled nervously, then finally was able to look at Dorian without feeling any ounce of fear or worry.

It was quite obvious that Dorian was a powerful figure, and he wouldn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance, not again.

"Please help us reclaim our lands."

Those were the exact words that first left the man's lips.

Then he continued, "For years now, we have been forced to live under the rule of the Yaima group. We were stripped of all choices and decisions, and forced to follow whatever rule was left for us, no matter how severe or dangerous. Our wives were stolen, and our children were forced to join the group, forcing them to lift blades and fight for them."

Each word that left the man's mouth was followed by a painful look on his face, as though he was remembering everything as he spoke.

'Terrorism?' Dorian wondered, sounding a bit too familiar, like something that often happened in his former world. But he refused to speak; instead, he continued to listen to the man.

"For so long, we have been trying to get help from the outside world, but every time it seemed like we had found someone to help us, they either never came back or ended up making the entire situation worse for us. It got to a point that many of us lost all hope."

"So if I understand what you are saying, these groups of people took over the entire place, enslaved you all, and stopped you from leaving the city as well. Is that correct?"

"Y-yes, my lord," replied the man.

That confirmed one curiosity Dorian had.

Just as he thought, they were indeed terrorists, a group of people waging hate and death against a certain community.

'The fact no noble has come to their rescue is all the proof I need. Someone is not only funding them but also benefiting from this entire thing.' Dorian began to tap his finger on the arm of the chair.

'As of now, people know the Red District to be a lawless land, but also a place very hard to survive in. That reputation must have been built on fear, meaning they had to have killed a couple of people who entered the city for this rumor to have sparked in the first place.'

He never really got the full gist from Revina, but there was no way she wouldn't have gone to check for herself.

The Red District was still within her land; obviously, she would never let something like this happen for long.

So why hasn't she deployed her men to handle this? She could wipe out the entire gang with just a single order to her knights.

'Hmm… this entire thing doesn't add up.'

Dorian now glanced towards the captured man.

"You there. Why exactly did you people decide to take over this entire city? I mean, if you guys have enough power to do so, why stop at a single city?" he asked.

The captured bandit didn't seem like he intended on answering. As soon as Dorian threw the question at him, he looked away, his lips sealed.

A few seconds after that—

"Ahhhh!"

The man was screaming on the ground, a smoking hole shot right through his thigh at an alarming speed.

The only thing he knew was that Ciel had pointed at him, and the very next second, there was a huge hole in his leg. He grabbed his thigh, his teeth clenched in anger, but not a single word left them.

"Now, I recall my master asking you a question," Ciel said, her voice dangerously calm. "I suggest you give him a decent response, or your other leg will be going as well."

The captured man could already sense Ciel's terrifying mana from where he was. He didn't need to be told before he understood how dangerous the red-haired woman was.

"I don't really know why myself! All I know is there is something here that we can't let anyone have! It's why we have been fighting with the Yins for years now!"

Dorian raised a brow. "Yins?"

The village man chimed in to reply, "I heard they were a special force made for the sole purpose of killing the Yaima group and freeing the people they have trapped here. Some parts of the city have already been secured by them, but a huge chunk has still been left untouched."

After hearing this, Dorian could not hide the disappointment he felt.

He had already figured out the main issue here, or at least, one of the main issues.

And with that issue, also came a solution.

"I get the gist of it now. I am glad you told me all this. My plan can be easier now that I have the bigger picture."

Dorian stood up, his hand now on the man's shoulder.

"You are a strong man, I can tell that much. I don't know what you had to endure. But I do know one thing: now that I am here, you can rest assured this is the last moment of your suffering. This I promise you."

The man suddenly began to tear up, falling to his knees as he bawled his eyes out.

Dorian smiled faintly, staring down at him.

An idea was already popping up in his head, but for the first time, it wasn't one that favored him—at least, not in the way that counted.

[The skill Analysis has been used.]

[Target acquired.]

[Name: Bandi Legins | Class: None | Special Talent: Leadership and Planning.]

'No class, eh? No worries, his special talent already makes up for that.'

"I'll still need more information from you, like how many bases these people have and also who the leader is. If you can gather this from your people, I will truly appreciate it."

The man raised his head at Dorian's request, immediately wiping his tears before standing to his feet. "Yes, my lord! I'll do my best to gather all that you need!"

"Good. Get on with it."

The man had the biggest smile on his face before he ran out of the small house to go inform the rest of his family and friends.

Right after that, Maria walked in as well, holding the communication orb in her hands. She glanced at the running man, then glanced back.

"Did you get all that you needed from him, my lord?" she asked, walking further into the room.

"For the most part. Not enough to mean anything yet," Dorian sat back down on the chair.

"Would you like me to torture the human some more to get questions out of him?" Ciel uttered, already pointing right at the captured bandit.

Immediately, fear hitched on the bandit's face, knowing Ciel was referring to him.

"Of course, but not yet. He probably doesn't know much either." After replying to Ciel, he looked at Maria. "Report?"

"I did as you instructed. The First Division soldiers and the Project Division will be making their way to the royal capital as soon as possible. They should arrive in two to three days."

...

[A/N]

The last chapter was a mistake chapter, unfortunately, it can't be deleted, but i have reached out to confirm.