Subdued the Beggars

"Don't touch that!" Nolan heard an angry voice.

He immediately closed the system windows and turned his attention to the group of people around the fire.

Stephany had tried to move the bag of grain Nolan brought, but one of the men around Alfred had shouted at her.

She immediately dropped the bag in fear.

"We are going to sell that bag." The man said as he walked toward her.

He was at most in his late forties and wore torn and dirty white clothes.

"Who told you you could pick up the bag?" With every step he took toward Stephany, she took a step back.

She looked around in fear, searching for someone to help her. But instead of helping her, they just watched without doing anything.

Suddenly, just as she wanted to apologize, she felt a gentle touch on her back. "Don't be afraid," Nolan said gently.

"You ungrateful bastards!!" Nolan shouted from the bottom of his lungs. "She cooks for you, takes care of you, and you still dare treat her like this?!"

"T-There is no need," Stephany muttered, pulling Nolan by the sleeve.

"Hmph! Brat, get out of my way before I teach you a lesson!" The man shouted.

By now, everyone had their attention on Nolan and the man.

And Alfred knew a conflict could arise, but he didn't do anything to prevent it. He just observed.

"Very well, it seems you like to learn the hard way," Nolan said, his expression turned deadly serious. "I warn you, take one more step forward, and I will break your nose."

"Hah! I would like to see a brat like you do that." The man didn't believe Nolan could beat him, so obviously, he did not heed Nolan's warning.

With a provoking smile from ear to ear, he took a step forward.

The moment his foot touched the ground again, Nolan dashed forward.

The man could see Nolan moving towards him, but he could not move his body. He froze.

PAM!

Nolan slammed the man in the face.

The man was thrown a few meters back, falling on his butt.

"AGHHH!" He screamed in pain.

Blood flowed down his nose like a river. Nolan kept his word. He broke his nose.

"You dare!" Alfred shouted.

"Why did you think I don't dare? You think too highly of yourself and your little group." Nolan said. "If you want to fight, let's fight!" Nolan shouted without an ounce of fear in his voice.

"Let's beat him up!"

"I don't believe he can beat all of us!"

The men around Alfred screamed.

However, Alfred had different plans. He raised his hand, and everyone stopped. "Alright, stop it. Let's forget about this. You!" He pointed at a man. "Take him and help him wash off the blood."

"Yes." The man obeyed.

Helping the man with the broken nose stand up, he led him out of the building.

It was not like Alfred did not want to beat Nolan, but he was unsure If they could do it. No, he knew they could beat him, but if what he thought previously turned out to be true, and Nolan was a young master of some rich family, he did not even want to imagine how they would end up. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"Hmph!" Nolan turned back and lifted the bag of grain, placing it on his shoulder. "Where do I put this?" He asked Stephany.

"Umm….Follow me." She led the way out of the building.

They entered another building next to the one they just left, but there were no people in this building and no fire to lighten the way.

Carrying the bag on his shoulder, Nolan followed closely behind Stephany.

"Here, put it down." She said.

Nolan did as told and put the bag down. And though he could not see in the dark, putting the bag down, he touched something. Relying on his sense of touch, he could tell he touched grains. Probably the rice Stephany used to make the porridge.

"Alright, let's leave," Nolan said.

Stephany led the way out of the building. "Thank you." She said.

"No problem."

"But that was too dangerous. What if they decided to beat you?" Just from her voice, Nolan could tell that she was very worried.

"Then I would have fought them to the end. Though I can not beat them all, If I fight with the intention to kill, I am confident to take out at least half of them."

Stephany returned to the building where Alfred was.

Except for this building, there were two other buildings where beggars sat around a fire. However, Nolan did not return to the building where Alfred was, nor did he go to any of the other two buildings. Instead, he walked far away, to the other end of the deserted street. There he entered a two-story building.

It was dark, and he could barely see a finger before his nose. But still, he somehow found his way to the second floor and lay there.

He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

…

Another three days passed quickly. In those days, Nolan continued begging from dawn till dusk. And every day, his income would be no less than a tael o silver.

After the incident on the first day where Nolan broke the nose of that man. Alfred did not bother him, nor did he take his money.

In the past three days, he did not have much contact with the other beggars. His days consisted of a simple routine. After a whole day of begging, he would return to the deserted street. Stephany would give him food. After he eats, he will head to the two-story building and sleep.

Since another three days passed, together with the first day, it was a total of four days.

Only a day remained until Nolan won the bet.

On the fifth day, early morning, Nolan entered the building where Alfred was.

As usual, many people surrounded him.

And Stephany was also there. Every day, she would wake up before sunrise and cook breakfast, so everyone could eat before heading to the streets.

After Nolan beat that man, everyone behaved well toward Stephany.

"Today is the last day," Nolan said.

Alfred turned to him. "I admit defeat."

"Wha…"

The jaws of almost everyone present dropped.

"Elder, we already agreed on what to do!" One man shouted.

"Ahh." Alfred waved his hand. "Though I hate to admit it, I lost the bet. Everyone, from today, I will follow this young man. I bet with him, so I will follow him, but you don't have to follow him." Alfred stood up.

"No, we would follow as well."

"That's right, wherever the elder goes, we follow."

Everyone agreed to follow Nolan.

"Alright. Since it's like this, let's leave." Nolan said.

"Where are we going to go?" Alfred asked.

"We would build a mountain village and live there. I already found the perfect place." Nolan replied. "You have fifteen minutes. Those who wish to follow me, come outside." Nolan left the building and stood outside in the center of the deserted street.

"Alfred has admitted defeat!" Nolan shouted from the bottom of his lungs. " Those who wish to follow me, come out," Nolan shouted again, letting the beggars in the other buildings know the situation too.

Dead silence followed.

Ten minutes passed, but no one came out.

Five more minutes passed, 'Two-faced bastards. You can't even keep your own word.' Nolan clenched his fists in anger. He wasted five days.

Just as he was about to leave, a person came out.

He was shocked by who came out. He expected it to be Alfred because he had lost the bet, but he never expected the first person to step out and follow him to be Stephany.

"I believe you." She said as she walked over to him.

Looking at the determined Stephany walk towards him, Nolan couldn't help but smile.

But that was not the end of the surprises. After Stephany, Alfred came out too, and soon the beggars started coming out of the buildings like ants, without end.

"WE ARE WILLING TO FOLLOW YOU!" They all shouted simultaneously.

Alfred stepped out again. "We decided to follow you."

"But why?" Nolan couldn't help but ask. Though he won the bet, he didn't actually expect so many people to follow him. Even when he proposed the bet, he didn't have in mind so many people to follow him.

"We are beggars. We have already hit the lowest point of life, so what could we lose even If we follow you? We all agreed

to give it a try." Alfred explained.

"I see." Nolan smiled. "You made the right decision! Follow me!" He shouted as he stepped forward.

He moved forward, and the beggars followed behind him.

…

Wherever they passed, fear followed.

The people thought that since such a large group of people gathered, It was one of the underground organizations looking for trouble.

They feared that there would be a war between the underground organizations. And in such wars, undoubtedly, the ordinary people suffered the most.

Even the city guards didn't bother those underground organizations because the officials in charge of the city were corrupt and for money, they would turn a blind eye to anything. As for those few officials who were not corrupt, well, they couldn't do anything alone. Thus, mistaken as an underground organization, Nolan's group moved without obstacles or unwanted trouble.

On their way to the south city gate, they stopped by a blacksmith shop.

There Nolan bought a couple of axes, a couple of pots, and some other necessities.

When Nolan wanted to pay, in fear, the blacksmith gave away the things for free.

Nolan didn't complain. He stored the things in the inventory and continued his way.

After two hours, they finally arrived at the south city gate.

Seeing the large group walking toward the gate, the guards panicked.

"L-Let them pass!" A guard who appeared to be the superior of the other guards shouted.

No one waited to be told twice, whether a guard or an ordinary person waiting to either enter or exit the city. They all instantly moved aside.

'Even they think we are some gang and don't dare bother us. Well, I can't complain.' Nolan thought.

There were still a couple of meters to the gate. "I think they have mistaken us for someone powerful. Don't let it slip you that we are beggars." Nolan whispered to Alfred and a few other beggars who walked behind him.

Alfred and the beggars who heard Nolan conveyed his words to the beggars behind.

The guards shivered as the large group of people was leaving the city. They did not dare to even breathe.

"Ahhh!" The guards let out a sigh of relief as the group finally left the city.

…

Leaving the city, Nolan turned left and continued walking east toward the mountain.

"Where are we going?" Alfred, who walked right behind Nolan, asked.

"Behind that mountain." Nolan pointed at the mountain in the distance. "I don't think we could cross the mountain today. We would set campfires at the foot of the mountain and spend the night there."

"But what about food? They are all hungry."

"Don't worry. I hid food at the foot of the mountain. " Nolan lied. He carried the ninety bags of grain in the inventory, but he can not make the food appear out of nowhere. At least not before a hundred people.

He lied so he could have an excuse if someone asked from where the food came.

…

It was dusk when they arrived at the foot of the mountain.

"Everyone, rest here for tonight. Tomorrow we will cross the mountain and build our village there." Nolan said.

Though the beggars had some doubts, they didn't say anything. They didn't trust Nolan, but they trusted Alfred's judgment.

Nolan knew this. After all, he had still not completed the quest, Subdue the Beggars, which meant only one thing. They didn't trust him and only followed him because of Alfred.

Well, that was alright too.

The beggars rested for a while and then started gathering wood. There was not as much wood as behind the mountain, but there was more than enough wood for them to set campfires.

While they set up campfires, Nolan left the group for a while, and when he returned, he carried a bag of grain on his shoulder. He placed the bag on the ground, letting the others take care of it. He then left the group once again.

After a while, he returned with three large pots.

Stephany took the pots. " Do you have water?" She asked.

Of course, Nolan had taken care of this as well. He had stored large jars of water in his inventory.

"Wait a moment. I will go and get the water." He said and left the group again. When he returned, he carried two large ceramic jars full of water, one in each hand.

But he didn't stop and had gone back for more water.

Returning, he carried a jar of water in one hand and wooden bowls stacked like a tower in the other hand.

Nolan had gone back and forth to get water about four more times, and in the end, he brought more than ten jars of water.

Using the three large metal pots, Stephany and a few other women quickly prepared grain porridge for the group of hundred people.

In the end, almost the whole bag of grain was cooked.

After the beggars ate and drank water, they chatted for a while.

Then with the earth as a bed and the sky as a blanket, they fell asleep.