In the afternoon, the blazing sun hung in the western sky, sending wave after wave of scorching heat across Black Soil City. A city garrison patrol strolled lazily through the streets, while a few poor souls stood atop the city walls, baking under the sun.
"Damn this weather! It's killing me in the day, and freezing me at night!" A burly man in battered armor muttered under his breath. Nine of his companions walked alongside him—one squad from the city garrison patrol company.
The commoners nearby gave the soldiers a wide berth, shying away with a hint of fear.
Seeing this, one of the soldiers cursed quietly, "Having to serve under that greedy pig—even some of my elders look down on me for it. That fat bastard is nothing but a leech!"
"Damn it, if it weren't for putting food in my son's and wife's mouths, I wouldn't be caught dead doing this!" another soldier chimed in.
In Black Soil City, the obese city lord's reputation was truly abysmal. The soldiers who had joined the army just to feed their families or themselves privately cursed the detestable lord as well—but none dared to rebel. After all, the city lord had a powerful and tyrannical son who was said to be at the peak of the seventh rank. In an ordinary small city like this, that kind of strength was more than enough to dominate.
"Giddy-up, giddy-up!" Not far away, a mounted knight came galloping at full speed. Spotting the squad ahead, he immediately bellowed, "Brothers, hurry to the city lord's mansion! That greedy pig is dead! Go pay your respects to the new city lord!"
The ten soldiers in the squad froze, exchanged glances, and then burst into excited laughter.
"Haha… Come on, let's go to the mansion!"
In a place like the Maze of Borders, the common people had virtually no sense of belonging. One month this man was city lord, the next month someone else might be. The people's demands were modest—they just wanted to fill their bellies and keep their families from going hungry.
The city lord's mansion of Black Soil City could be called a city within a city.
The entire military force of Black Soil City consisted of two full-strength companies of 1,800 soldiers each. One was the city garrison. The other was the city lord's personal guard. He kept half the military just to protect his own mansion—you could imagine how afraid of death he was.
The mansion was now packed with soldiers. Nearly all 3,600 had gathered.
The mansion grounds could easily accommodate 1,800 people, so the three thousand-plus flooding in didn't feel overly crowded. On the wide training ground, the five Bak brothers stood at the center—their bulging muscles, their iron-cast bodies, making them look like war gods looking down from on high. Especially those terrifying black battle-axes strapped to their backs.
The assembled soldiers stood in stunned silence.
"Brothers!" one of them, a man with short golden hair and a massive build, roared. "That despicable pig and his son have already been hacked to pieces by these five lords' great axes. All five of these lords are mighty ninth-rank powerhouses—invincible ninth-rank powerhouses!!!"
The moment the words "ninth-rank powerhouse" rang out, every soldier was shaken.
"Ninth-rank powerhouses? Ninth-rank powerhouses in a little city like this?" Murmurs rippled through the ranks.
*BOOM!* Gates took a step forward, and the demonic, godlike aura he projected made the soldiers flinch back a step. Gates split his face into a broad grin and bellowed, "Every last one of you, listen up! From this day forward, Black Soil City belongs to us five brothers. My eldest brother, Bak, is the new city lord!"
Gates drew the enormous axe from his back and swept his gaze over the assembled crowd. "My brother Bak is now your city lord. If any of you have a problem with that, you're welcome to try me!"
Fight someone like that terrifying war god?
The former city lord's son—the one who had once made a name for himself in Black Soil City—had been cleaved in two by a single swing of Gates's axe. Of course, most of these soldiers hadn't witnessed that scene. Still, the rugged local custom meant the soldiers sized Gates up. Being tall didn't necessarily mean being strong!
"This axe of mine was forged from countless rare materials, and it weighs five thousand three hundred jin!" Gates swung the massive weapon casually. It moved through the air as if it weighed nothing, and the axe head slammed into a boulder in the distance—one used for weightlifting and strength training.
The boulder, which weighed over ten thousand jin, didn't budge. The soldiers stared, puzzled. "Is that axe made of wood with some paint on it?"
*BOOM!* The boulder suddenly burst apart, reduced to fine powder in an instant.
Moving mountains as if they were nothing!
Every soldier on the field was struck dumb. Splitting a boulder weighing over ten thousand jin was something they had heard of, but turning one into fine powder in a single blow—that was beyond mere strength. Every soldier stared at Gates with awe.
Gates flashed a proud grin. He'd gotten well-practiced with this move in the Eighteen Northern Duchies. The Maze of Borders was the same as the Eighteen Duchies—they worshipped strength.
"Looks like nobody objects," Gates declared loudly. "Good! From this day forward, all of you are soldiers under my brother. And there's a perk to serving under him—starting now, everyone's pay will be triple what it was before!"
Triple pay?
Over three thousand soldiers froze for a moment, and then an earth-shattering cheer erupted—
"Lord Bak, long live!" "Lord Bak, long live!" "Lord Bak, long live!"…
What more could they possibly ask for? Five inconceivably powerful fighters and sky-high pay—this was exactly the kind of leader they wanted.
A new city lord had risen in Black Soil City. The great Lord Bak had four brothers, and all five of them were mighty ninth-rank powerhouses whose weapons alone weighed over five thousand three hundred jin! With such powerful leaders, the entire population of Black Soil City erupted in celebration.
What excited the people the most was this—
The new city lord had publicly declared that under his rule, the citizens of Black Soil City would never be taxed again!