Proud Old Billy

Hey, Old Locke, why are you in such a hurry to go home?" A loud voice came from afar. The one who spoke was a small steward of the caravan. "Come, come, come. Have a drink with me today!" The small steward rode over on a horse.

His name was Bruce, and he was a small steward who followed the caravan. Unlike the baron's steward who managed the caravan and the stewards from the other big families, there were many small stewards like him in the caravan. They all did odd jobs in the caravan. Calling him a steward was to curry favor with him. These small stewards didn't have much real power, but the stewards in the caravan wouldn't interfere much with their small businesses. This was because, to be able to mingle in the caravan as a small steward, everyone had one or two backing them up. They might be the leader's cousin or the merchant's nephew. The stewards only cared about their own fields and rarely cared about others.

Of course, Bruce's backer wasn't a small figure. His uncle was Henry, the fat steward who helped Locke smuggle Suzanne into the barracks and promised to help Locke forge a shield. As the real steward of the caravan, Henry naturally wouldn't go back to Cardoj's domain with the caravan. Time was money. After Henry led the caravan to sell off all the goods in Bideslane, he immediately followed most of the caravans back to the frontline. Although the frontline was still in chaos and there were still battles in many places, there was gold everywhere.

As for stewards like Bruce, he was sent back to his hometown by Henry. Although returning to his hometown could keep him away from the flames of war and he could even go home to reunite with his family, the merchants in the army were the same as the soldiers. They all put their lives on the line to make money and had long disregarded life and death. Thaler was their lifelong goal. If they could continue to stay at the frontline and make a fortune, no one would be willing to come back. However, Henry was the real steward after all, and he was just an underling who worked for him. He could only listen to his uncle and return to his hometown.

Although Bruce was young and his position was low, he had good foresight and was sociable. He could talk to all the people in the caravan. Since he was sent back to his hometown by his uncle all year round, he was familiar with the relatives of the captains in the various villages. Locke was promoted to a squad jarl last year because of him.

Locke Senior looked at the person who brought good news to his family last year and smiled flatteringly. "Oh, it's Lord Bruce. You're back early this time."

Quarryton was the most remote town in Cardoj's territory. It was rocky and dangerous, so it was usually the last stop for caravans. This time, Quarryton was the second stop on the caravan's itinerary, second only to Cardoj's castle. As for the reason, it was right in front of them.

In the past, Bruce had been able to put on an act in front of the squad leader's relatives, because although the squad leader was also a squad leader, he was only slightly stronger than an ordinary soldier. After a fierce battle, there would always be squad leaders who died or went missing, and the difference between him and a small supervisor in the transport team was not just a little bit. Although he was the same rank as the squad jarl, he had the right to be proud. However, he couldn't do that now. Standing in front of him were the parents and elder sister of a platoon jarl. He had to show them enough respect. If any rumors were to spread to Locke's ears, he wouldn't be able to get away with it even if his uncle didn't take care of him.

"Uncle Locke, you must be joking. I'm not a lord. I have good news for you this time!" said Bruce with a smile.

"Oh? What good news? " Locke Senior, Tia and Lia all looked at Bruce curiously. In their hearts, Locke's safety was the best news.

Bruce raised his eyebrows and said proudly, "Your son, Lord Locke, was promoted to platoon jarl by the baron last month!"

"Platoon jarl?!" It wasn't Locke Senior and the other two who spoke, but the townspeople of Quarryton who heard the caravan's arrival. "Doesn't that mean he's on the same level as the mayor?" someone said in surprise. There was a sour taste of envy in his mouth.

"Of course," said Bruce with a smile.

Locke Senior was already shocked by what Bruce said. He was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say. Tia wasn't any better. She didn't care how high Locke's rank was, but she was satisfied to know that her son was safe. Now that Locke was promoted, she was happy and gratified. She felt that she had given birth to a good son. Lia, on the other hand, was much calmer, but there was a different color in her eyes. Bruce, who was next to her, was shocked.

In the end, it was the mayor who spoke up. "Disperse, disperse. Let the caravan enter the town." People came out of the town one after another, blocking the narrow road. It wasn't a good idea for the caravan to be stuck there. Although Billy drank a lot last night, he was also a person who was used to drinking. He woke up early today and happened to hear that the caravan had returned. He hurriedly put on his clothes and went to the town entrance to welcome them.

Billy also heard what Bruce said. Locke Senior's son was promoted to platoon jarl by the baron. I'm afraid I'm not awake yet. Billy patted his fat face. When he woke up, he realized that it was the truth and happily accepted it. If he had heard the news ten or twenty years ago, he might have been jealous or unwilling to accept that a kid who was a generation younger than him was promoted to the same rank as him. However, Billy was already forty years old. As a man with half a foot in the grave, he had already seen through the world. All he had left was the pride of being a fellow townsman.

As far as he knew, there were only four platoons in the baron's army, which corresponded to the four towns under the baron's rule. Each town had two platoon jarls for balance and convenience. Now that Locke had been promoted to a platoon jarl, if the other two platoon jarls were fine, it would mean that there were three platoon jarls in the same town. If word got out, Billy would be more respected than the other three mayors who were also mayors.

But to be on the safe side, Billy saw the townspeople surrounding Locke Senior's family to congratulate and greet them. He quietly pulled Bruce aside and said, "Little Bruce, tell me, are Yoshk and Carl alright?"

Bruce smiled and said to Billy, "Uncle Billy, Yoshk and Carl are in good health. They even asked you to keep some good wine for them. When the war is over, they'll come to you for a drink."

Billy was relieved when he heard that. He smiled and said to Bruce, "Tell them that I, Billy, have saved up a batch of wine for them every year. It's been four years. When they come back, I can treat all the young lads in town who are going out for a drink!"

Bruce smiled and said, "That's great. My uncle and I will join them for a drink when the time comes." Bruce and his uncle, Henry, weren't from Quarryton. They were merchants from the baron's castle, which meant they were from the city.

"No problem!" Billy waved his hand.

Night fell again in Quarryton. Although it wasn't as lively as yesterday, it was a wonderful night for some people.

For example, Locke Senior's family. Locke surviving at the dangerous frontline was an extravagant hope for them. When Locke Senior heard that Locke Junior was promoted to a squad jarl, he was so happy that he couldn't sleep. Tia even talked about Locke Senior for a week. Lia, on the other hand, was extremely proud of her brother.

Now that Locke Senior was promoted to a platoon jarl, wasn't he on the same level as the mayor? The three generations of Locke Senior's family had been commoners. They had never seen such a big shot before. At this moment, Locke Senior just wanted to hurry home and go to the back mountain to tell his father, his grandfather, and all his deceased relatives the good news.

Unfortunately, Locke Senior was disappointed. The small merchants and rich people in the town pestered Locke Senior. Some of them tried to curry favor with him, and some even proposed marriage. Not only did they introduce their daughters to him, but a few of them even brought their young talents over to show Locke Senior and his wife that they had taken a liking to Lia.

It was ridiculous that there were no young talents in the town now. The capable ones had all gone to war, and those who were left behind were either old, weak, sick, or good-for-nothings. Although Locke Senior and Tia were just ordinary commoners, they weren't ignorant. Although they used to hope that their daughter and son would marry into a rich family, it was different now. Locke Junior was doing so well now, so they wouldn't easily decide on their son and daughter's marriage.

Not only was Locke's family busy, but the mayor was also busy. In the past, there were only a few powerful families in the town. If they had to be subdivided, they would be the mayor and the garrison jarl. The clerk was at the highest level, the sheriff, tax officer, and other low-ranking officials were at the second level, the rich and merchants were at the third level, and the commoners were at the fourth level. Now that Locke had been promoted to a platoon jarl at the frontline, he would at least be promoted to a garrison jarl when he returned after the war. He might even join the baron's private army and hold a high position, so that he could bring his family to live in the baron's castle. Therefore, the mayor had to make some preparations at this time, such as gathering the tax officer, sheriff, and other subordinates to discuss the preferential policies for Locke Senior's family, or collecting less taxes, or sending one or two idlers to help Locke Senior's family with farming. Although these were all trivial matters, they were the most touching. It wasn't unreasonable for a mayor to be in a family for three generations.

Quarryton was lively for two consecutive nights, as if it had regained the popularity it had been lacking in the past few years. Everyone in the town hoped that their husband, son, or brother could live safely at the frontline like Locke and even be promoted by the baron. Perhaps this was one of the few times in the past few years that most of the residents in Quarryton were filled with hope.

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