Chapter 219 Livan: A City Where Everyone Is Equal (2)
Chapter 219 Livan: A City Where Everyone Is Equal (2)
In the moments that followed, Janis revealed a plethora of reasons why their city was going through the worst crisis it ever had, along with the reason why they were powerless to do anything to help themselves.
The more information he revealed the graver the expressions of the rest of them got. So much so, that even the vampire sisters who had nothing to do with the people or their misery couldn't hold back the level of disgust they felt.
As for Ashton, he was angry, but not at the misery of the residents. The sole reason he had picked the town to establish as his base of operations was because of the rich resources scattered all around it.
But upon hearing that a certain noble has been doing as they pleased with the people and resources the city had to offer, he was pissed. It almost felt as if someone had cheated money out of him.
At the same time, the chief and his wife had ended up in tears. The reason they did not want Janis to reveal any wrongdoing of the noble in question was because, to them, Ashton too was a noble.
Also, since it was obvious a noble would always support another one, they felt if they opened their mouths to ask for help, their situation would end up getting worse. It was for the same reason why none of them informed the king or anyone else about the shit that had been going on there.
"The nobles have been requesting money from the treasury to build this place to uncover the city's 'true potential', and pocketing it instead." Janis' voice was filled with rage, "They even enter the town as they please and... abuse our women. They even force some to go with them and the last time they took my wife..."
'So that's why he was so hell-bent on reciting every bit of wrongdoing going on in the city.' Ashton shook his head, 'The only time people don't turn a blind eye to wrong things, is when it's their turn to suffer. That's why people like me can go unhinged, doing as we please.'
Ashton was no saint. That wasn't a secret. The only time he was good to people was because they either had something that he needed or he was too weak to openly dislike them. In the end, all of them were there to serve as a means for him to take his revenge on certain people.
Despite whatever Ashton looked like to them, his intentions were far from noble. The resources, free labour and its strategic location were the only things Ashton was interested in. Not in the well-being of the citizens.
However, as he heard more and more about their plight, he subconsciously began sympathising with them. It got to a level where he had to remind himself why he was there.
"I can't believe werewolves would do something like this to their own kind." Virgil spat out in disgust.
"Does it matter more because they are hurting their own kind or because what they are doing was wrong?" Ashton gently asked Virgil, "Humans have been on the receiving end of the same abuse for more than a century. It was about time those bastards found a new playtoy, which turned out to be their own kin."
"No, I didn't mean it in that-" Virgil immediately wanted to clear himself out but Ashton dismissively raised his hand, cutting him off.
"Don't worry Virgil, I know what you meant. Someone like you would never say something so insincere. I was just saying what came to my head." He then turned towards Janis, "Is there anything else you'd like to share? Any other problems or anything in general."
"Yes, my lord," Janis spoke through his gritted teeth. His eyes were red from anger and dehydration.
"Speak then."
"I want to kill the bastard who took my wife away from me."
"And how are you planning to do that? With that metal pipe of yours?" Ashton smirked before pointing at Duncan, "It'll barely put a dent on the human standing behind me. Do you think you'll be able to take down an army of trained soldiers with something like that?"
Ashton's words were harsh, but more than revenge, Janis needed a sharp dose of reality. While hatred could fuel someone to achieve things that wouldn't be possible under normal circumstances, hatred alone won't be able to turn something impossible into possible.
There was a reason why they had been abused for so long and it was their weakness. Simply put, it was because they were weak and the abuser had the power to relentlessly abuse them without facing any sort of consequence.
As long as they were weak, they will keep getting abused and taken advantage of. Even if Ashton saved them now, once he was gone someone else would appear to make their lives hell again and the cycle would repeat over and over again. Till they found the courage and strength to break out of it.
"The first step towards taking revenge is getting stronger, believe me, no one knows it better than I do. You might think it's the only way you can ever feel anything in your life. But it's not. Not until you take proper revenge against the ones who made your life hell."
Ashton placed his hand on Janis' shoulder, "Let the metal pipe go, and I'll give you some proper weapons. My friends here will teach you whatever you need to defend yourselves, and I'll protect you while rebuilding the city. However, keep one thing in your head. Your revenge is yours to take, not mine. Is that clear?"
"Thank you, my lord... Thank you!" All of them fell to their knees thanking Ashton repeatedly.
At that moment, Ashton felt the level of cringeness in his words like he never had. But for the sake of getting the people over to his side, it was necessary to act like a hero and a saviour. After all, those were the types of people the weak looked up to.
However, despite saying that they'll have to take their revenge themselves, Ashton wasn't planning on staying put when someone had screwed him over. It might not have been intentional but he wasn't going to let someone who 'stole' his resources go unscathed.
In the meantime, what Ashton had failed to notice was how his speech had not only moved the weak citizens but also his own party members as they stared at him with puppy eyes.
'Yup, cringe dialogues always work like a charm.' Ashton thought to himself as one of the royal knights approached him.
Unlike most of the guards appointed under him, Sheera was the only female royal knight and also the platoon leader in charge of the 500 foot soldiers Ashton had.
Having such qualifications, it was no wonder the brown-skinned lady was appointed as his second-in-command even though he had only known her for a few weeks.
Sporting a shining armoured bodysuit that hugged her curves perfectly, the raven-haired lady was a master when it came to strategic intelligence and warfare. So much so, that even Jonathan had placed her on strategic command of his entire army on multiple occasions.
Even what little bit of success they had had in conquering the swamps, was a direct result of the strategies she came up with. That's why it was a wonder how Ashton managed to persuade the king to let such an important person serve him instead.
"My lord, although it wouldn't be wise to do so, maybe we should let his highness handle this matter?" Sheera respectfully suggested, "A feud between a Baron and some other noble household would not sit well in the eyes of other kingdoms."
"Sheera, you said it yourself. It wouldn't be wise to approach his highness with just a meagre conflict. After all, I have to prove my abilities as a Baron as well." Ashton had his signature sinister smile spread across his face.
He continued, "As far as fighting a noble is concerned. I'm not going to be the one fighting. I'll be defending my territory from an unwarranted invasion. If someone thinks I'm an easy prey then I'll have no choice but to retaliate."
"I see. Then I'll immediately begin setting up defences around the city." Sheera bowed and immediately began barking orders at the soldiers.
"Please do whatever your think will be helpful." Ashton mumbled before turning towards the soldiers, "Unload the resources we have and share them with the citizens. Fae, I know it's a bit too much to ask, but could you take a look at any sort of illness they might have?"
"Judging from how long they have been without proper food or water, it'll a miracle if they aren't," Fae mumbled and immediately got to work, "Whatever the case might be, I'll do my best to help them out."
"I'll help out in building defences. I have a few things that could help in that department. Once that's done, I'll focus on fixing the buildings." Baiter volunteered and headed towards Sheera.
In the meantime, Virgil, Renee and the rest of the royal guards took on the responsibility of training the citizen in combat. Verina and Irina happily decided to help out as well.
Their decision to help was mostly made out of goodwill, but it was also an opportunity for them to prove their usefulness to Ashton. All in all, it was a good start for building his own territory.
"Now all I need to think of is a name for the city..." Ashton scratched his chin, "How about... Livan? A city where everyone is equal. Sounds cringe enough, I guess?"