Chapter 172: Solving Trouble
When the crowd parted, Duane and his party got a clear view of the two groups fighting. A few of the faces caught his attention.
Raymond, who was with him, noticed as well. "It’s Heck and his crew."
It was indeed Heck.
Besides him, First Mate Mackenzie, Navigator Jim, and Boatswain Barbossa were also there.
Duane had business dealings with them and would later need their help bringing some of the Guards’ families to Black Forest Island.
Since he’d stumbled upon the matter, he decided to go have a look.
"Baron?"
Moer was a bit confused. ’This Baron, so highly praised by the Count, actually has the temperament of a young man who enjoys watching a commotion?’
At that moment, the two parties, having been pulled apart, were arguing fiercely in front of the Guards.
"Captain, sir! Piero bought a batch of iron ore from me seven days ago. We agreed he would pay the day before yesterday. But not only did he refuse to pay, he’s now denying he ever bought any iron ore from us!"
The merchant named Piero put on an innocent look. "Captain Melk, this man is a complete lunatic!"
"I never bought a single thing from him! He’s demanding money out of thin air. This is blatant extortion! Please, Captain, arrest these people for disrupting the order of the trade district!"
The two sides immediately launched into another fierce argument over the issue.
The captain, Melk, bellowed, "Enough!"
Both sides instantly fell silent.
Merkel looked at Heck. "You say you sold him something. Do you have any proof?"
"Yes!"
Jim quickly fished a receipt from his pocket and handed it to him.
"Sir, this is the receipt for what we sold him. It has his signature."
Melk took the receipt and glanced at it, his brow furrowing slightly.
"It’s just a signature. How do you know it was Piero who signed it?"
Jim was stunned. "Sir, what are you implying? Are you saying we would forge a signature?"
"Hah..."
Melk sneered. "These days, there’s nothing some people wouldn’t forge for money."
He tucked the receipt into his pocket.
"Here’s what we’ll do. Both parties will accompany me to the trade district hall for questioning."
Piero didn’t object. "As you wish. I’d like to see just how they plan to frame me!"
Heck and his men grew anxious.
They weren’t blind. Piero and Merkel moved like long-time partners, with a practiced understanding.
It was obvious the two knew each other.
"No! We won’t accept your decision!"
Heck refused outright. "We’ll go to the commoners’ court and request the intervention of a Civil Servant! We want fairness and justice!"
Shouting, they immediately tried to leave.
"Hmph! You dare openly defy an order from the Order Team!"
Merkel’s face was cold. "All of you, on my command! Arrest this unruly bunch!"
"Yes, sir!"
Instantly, the group of Guards surged forward like an eager flood, pouncing on Heck and his men.
In terms of strength, Heck and his first mate, Mackenzie, were both Basic-level Warriors, while Boatswain Barbossa was a Middle Level Warrior. Among commoners, their combined strength was considerable.
But they were facing the Order Team, a professional force, and they were heavily outnumbered.
In a single clash, all of them were knocked to the ground, beaten and groaning in pain.
Among the onlookers, though some could tell something was amiss, no one dared to say a word.
They were either vendors trying to make a living here,
or customers just passing through, unwilling to invite trouble.
"Arrest them and take them away!" Merkel repeated his command.
Boatswain Barbossa, who had a fiery temper to begin with, let out a roar. He threw off the two Guards pinning him down, then launched himself off the ground and shot toward Merkel.
"You’re courting death!"
Merkel was clearly a trained fighter. He sidestepped, then launched a flying kick that sent Barbossa flying backward.
Barbossa spat up blood as he crashed to the ground, skidding ten meters before coming to a stop right at Duane’s feet.
He struggled to stand, and as he looked up, he saw Duane watching him.
He froze, then his face lit up with joy. He scrambled to his knees. "My lord, please, you have to help us!"
Hearing this, Heck and the others looked over as if they’d seen their savior, and all began to plead for help.
Duane asked, "What’s all this about?"
They had done business together, but he still needed to get the facts straight. If Heck and his men were in the wrong, he wouldn’t bother getting involved.
"My lord, we bought a large quantity of iron ore from you, so we found a major buyer in Piero."
"He wrote out a receipt, signed it, and promised to pay in two days. But now, not only is he refusing to pay, he’s turned around and accused us of extortion!"
Heck quickly summarized the situation in one breath. "My lord, please, you must see justice done for us!"
Duane had indeed sold them some iron ore.
It wasn’t much—only 50,000 pounds—but he had made a profit of fifty Gold Coins from it.
By reselling it, Heck and his crew stood to make a profit of a dozen or so Gold Coins.
For them, this was no small sum.
"Who are you?"
Merkel demanded coldly. "The Order Team is on official business. Uninvolved parties should step aside!"
He felt a twinge of apprehension.
But he had lived in Silent Shore for decades and had seen his fair share of scions from both major and minor noble families.
Duane’s face was a new one to him, so he saw no need to be polite.
Duane glanced at the man but ignored him, saying instead:
"Raymond, get the receipt and bring it to me."
"Yes, my lord!"
Raymond strode forward and stood before Merkel. "Hand it over."
"And why should I?"
Merkel sneered. "I’d advise you to leave before my patience runs out. Otherwise, you won’t be leaving the trade district on your own two feet today."
Just then, Moer came forward from behind. He was about to reprimand the captain but was stopped by Duane.
"Raymond, what are you waiting for?" Duane said, a hint of impatience in his voice.
Raymond understood his Lord’s meaning. Without another word, he reached for the man’s pocket.
Enraged, Merkel threw a punch straight at Raymond’s face.
But the punch never landed. Instead, Raymond caught his wrist.
Merkel’s face paled in shock.
He could feel the immense power in that single-handed grip—this man was at least a Human Tier Warrior!
Raymond snorted, snatched the receipt, and sent the captain flying with a kick. In a flash, he was back at Duane’s side, presenting the receipt with both hands.
Wincing in pain, Merkel shouted, "You useless idiots, what are you waiting for? Surround them!"
He scrambled to his feet, still shouting.
"Offend me, and you offend the Kennedy Clan! You’re all finished!"
Duane continued to ignore him, unfolding the receipt and glancing over it.
The details were clearly written, and he recognized Heck’s handwriting. The only thing missing was a thumbprint.
"Remember to get a thumbprint next time."
Duane said, handing the receipt to Moer, who was standing behind him.
"Steward, this batch of iron ore was shipped from my Black Forest Island, and Heck here is my business partner. How do you think this matter should be handled?"
Moer took the receipt without even glancing at it. "My apologies for this embarrassing display, Baron. I will have someone give you a proper account of this matter."
Regardless of the truth, since the Baron had stepped in to protect these men, Moer had to show him due respect.
Besides, it was obvious at a glance that Merkel and Piero were up to something shady, most likely trying to pocket some dirty money.
"Merkel, do you recognize me?" Moer asked, stepping forward.
"You... You!"
Merkel’s legs began to tremble.
To be precise, his heart had sunk the moment he saw Moer.
"You... you’re Moer... the Head Steward!"
Although he didn’t interact with Moer on a daily basis, as the castle’s steward, Moer often came to the trade district to help manage its affairs.
To avoid making a mistake, he had long since memorized the Head Steward’s face.
Seeing that even the Head Steward was being so deferential to the young man before him, Merkel instantly knew he had offended someone he couldn’t possibly afford to.
He put the pieces together—the title of Baron—and quickly recalled Baron Duane, who had been the talk of the town just a few days ago.
When Merkel remembered that this man had an excellent relationship with the Count, Miss Natalia, and the others, his scalp prickled with fear.
"My lord, please forgive my transgression!"
All his earlier arrogance vanished. He scrambled to his knees, kowtowing as he begged for Duane’s forgiveness.
The other Guards, along with Piero, all dropped to their knees, trembling with fear, terrified of being implicated.
Duane paid them no mind. How Merkel and the others were to be dealt with was a matter for the Kennedy Clan, and it had nothing to do with him.
Still, it didn’t take a genius to know that the Order Team captain would, at the very least, be losing his job.
After all, Duane’s relationship with the Count was currently excellent. For one of the Count’s own subordinates to accost him like this was a slight to the Count’s honor.
This was why Moer had immediately apologized for the "embarrassing display."
Heck and his men came to Duane’s side. "Thank you, my lord!"
"If we hadn’t run into you by chance, I don’t know what would have become of us today."
Duane smiled. For him, a matter like this was a trivial effort.
"This is Mr. Moer, the steward of Sea Cliff Castle. He will arrange for someone to help you collect the payment you are owed."
The men all turned to thank Moer as well.
After a brief exchange, Duane led his party onward toward the Magic Scroll Shop.
Moer simply instructed an attendant to handle the situation before hurrying to catch up.
His main task for the day was to accompany Duane on his shopping.
A trivial matter like this didn’t require the personal intervention of the Head Steward.
"Heck!"
First Mate Mackenzie looked at his captain, then turned to look at Duane’s departing figure.
"I think it’s time for us to make a choice."
Navigator Jim was an ordinary man, so his injuries were the most severe.
Jim said, wincing in pain, "He’s right, Captain. If we were the Baron’s men, this never would have happened."
Heck recalled the misery of the past two days, trying to collect his debt. Then he thought about how Duane had resolved the entire situation just by stepping forward, without even speaking to Merkel.
The stark contrast made him understand one thing clearly: sometimes, having privilege saves you a world of trouble.
After returning from Black Forest Island, they had discussed with their families whether they should pledge their loyalty to Baron Duane.
The opinions had been split, half for and half against.
Ultimately, the decision was up to them.
"Barbossa, what do you think?"
The boatswain shrugged. "It’s obvious. The Baron is a man worth following."
Merkel, the man who had sent him flying so easily, had been utterly powerless against the Baron’s subordinate. That sight had shaken Barbossa to the core.
"Alright!"
Heck gritted his teeth, took one last, deep look at Duane’s retreating back, and then ran to catch up.