Bab 11: Making Foothold
Early in the morning, guards patrolled the village, anxious as they watched the forest. Usually, the bandits will perform several raids during the night, trying to weaken and tire the guards. However, there were no signs from the bandits, making the guards wonder if the bandits were planning something.
When they were about to return to the village, they spotted a figure, walking calmly as he seemed to be dragging something. The guards approached the figure slowly, only calming down when they saw Ryker was the figure.
They were about to ask him what he was doing in the forest when they finally saw what he was pulling.
"Mad Killer! Demon Butcher! Raging Slaughterer!" they exclaimed. The three bandits were known figures of course, uniting and leading the bandits in the area and being a deadly threat to the village's wellbeing.
To think, a traveller would come and destroy them in just one day is unbelievable. But with the bodies, there were no other ways to refute it.
"Can you call the chief? I like to talk with him," Ryker asked, making the guards turn their attention to him, before nodding as one of them returned to the village.
In 15 minutes, the guard returned with the village chief in tow.
"What is it? It better be good if you going to wake me up this earl-" the chief growled before spotting the dead bandits.
"What happened?" he asked, knowing that it was impossible for his men to kill the three menace. It's not that he doesn't believe in his men's capabilities, it's just the three become the leader by being the strongest bandits in the area, able to fight several of his guards at once.
"The traveler killed him," the guard told him before recounting what happened during their patrol.
As he heard Ryker had brought the bandits, the chief looked at him before bowing, "Thank you sir for helping us, sir. This village owes you a great favor. If you need anything, we will do our best to fulfill it,"
A bit surprised by the village chief's action, Ryker decided to let him as while the bandits were mere fodder to him, there were more than a threat to this small village.
"I would like to talk to you, but not here. Let's go to the place first," Ryker said, motioning for the chief to follow him.
The chief chased after him, not before bringing an entourage of guards, though. While he thought Ryker wouldn't kill him, the group is more for protecting him against other threats, such as wild beasts or other bandits.
However, as they ventured into the forest, they saw several corpses, all belonging to the bandits. If he had any doubt before, all of them were gone when they passed the twentieth corpses. While Ryker doesn't say it, he no doubt slaughtered the bandits to the last men.
When he was about to ask him about it, they stopped, reaching a hidden small hill, before he led them to an outcrop of rocks. He led them to a hidden opening, big enough to allow a group to enter and exit, but hidden enough that only by seeing it from a certain point would you able to see it.
As they enter, more and more corpses can be seen. Even though the guards used to see blood, they needed to fight and kill the bandits before they were the ones that were killed, it was still gruesome to see so many corpses in one place.
"Is this the bandits' hideout?" the chief questioned.
Ryker merely turned his head before nodding, walking in a certain direction after giving his answer. The village chief was in shock, he and his father had tried to find the bandits' hideout but failed to achieve anything than killing some bandits and losing some guards.
For a traveler to come in and destroy them in just one day was unbelievable, except it was the truth. He was about to ask another question when Ryker stopped, pointing at some blue stones.
He looked at the stones before grabbing one. He was about to ask about the significance of the stones when he felt something coursing through him, making him a bit stronger. Before he could do anything about it, Ryker grabbed the stones before grabbing his shoulder, the energy in his body calming down.
"You a cultivator?" the chief whispered-asked. Ryker merely nodded, making the chief and his guards look at him in shock. The cave is only so big so what was said would be heard by everyone.
"No wonder, no wonder," the chief repeated. While he didn't explicitly say it, everyone in the hideout knew that he meant why the bandits were wiped out so easily.
"Forgive me, young master for not giving you a proper ceremony," the chief bowed down once more.
Ryker merely shook his head. "I don't want that. I prefer if we treat each other like before," he replied, making the chief nod. Deep down, Ryker knew that the chief would still, unconsciously, be both wary and respectful towards him.
Focusing on what he wanted to do, he pointed to the rocks. "These rocks are called energy stones. If you absorb the energy inside, you can take the first step to cultivation,"
The guards and the chief looked at him in shock. To think these stones could be worth so much. If they used it, they could become strong enough to turn the surrounding area, up to several kilometers in radius, into a part of the village. However, they soon sobered up.
"What do you wish to do with these stones, young master? If you wish to, the villagers could come over here and start mining," he offered, knowing in his heart that the precious stones would likely end up inside the young man's coffer.
"Of course, that is my plan," the chief silently sighed in his head. Oh well, if they had the cover of the young man, maybe the village's future would be brighter.
"Though, that is a part of my plan," Ryker, not knowing what the chief thought, continued. "I would like to turn this village into something bigger, to turn into an area under my control," Hearing it, the chief looked at him like he was some god.
"Unfortunately, this village is too weak to protect such treasures. The only protection it has is remoteness, plus no one else knows about it. To offset the weakness of the village, I'm going to give you a Cultivation Art and help make this village into a force to be reckoned with.
Of course, such a thing won't come free. While you still be the village chief, you will become my subordinate, listening to my order," Hearing what the young man has to offer, the chief gave it a thought before realizing there were no cons if he agreed.
While he would be the young man's subordinate, for them to become the subordinate of a cultivator is a great honor for people from remote areas like them. Not to mention, he and his villagers could become cultivators by following him, giving them the strength to properly settle down in the area without worry.
"I agree to become your subordinate. After this, I'm going to talk to my people. No doubt they would agree to be your subject," the chief said. The guards did not say anything, in fact, they were elated as it would mean they would have the strength to better protect themselves. The only worry they have is that their chief won't agree to it.
"Good, We going to discuss the details here first, then we announce it to the village," Ryker ordered, making the chief nod.
Soon, they created a plan to mine the energy crystals vein. A group of miners would be escorted by several guards. The miners and guards would be chosen from the most trusted individuals in the village, to ensure there wouldn't be any leak of info or rumor.
After they were done with the basic outline of the plan, they left the hideout, but not before removing all the corpses and burning them.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone