The journey was abruptly intercepted by the bandits of "Horse Palm Ivan." Old Bunting died, and his eldest son was tortured almost to the point of disability.
Upon Old Bunting's death, his three sons divided the inheritance, resulting in even smaller and more fragmented lands.
Due to issues with the division of the family wealth, the three Bunting brothers engaged in a lawsuit, which turned out to be very unpleasant.
Now, the people of Wolf Town call them Big Bunting, Second Bunting, and Little Bunting.
After Gerard Mitchell was conscripted, Big Bunting became the acting mayor.
His ascent to acting mayor was quite disgraceful.
As news of the draft spread, the hired hands planned to hide. Being landless, they could go anywhere with their feet.
Big Bunting gathered all his hired workers, claiming he wanted to treat them to a farewell feast.
Seldom generous, the stingy host's unexpected magnanimity raised no suspicion, and the workers ate and drank merrily.