10,000x Reward Multiplier: Hell-level Kingdom Building-Chapter 41: [0] Cale And Kellan

—Blackstone Village—

Unlike Ironside village, whose people were barely surviving, Blackstone village was the total opposite.

It was midday, and the sun shone brightly upon the territory, where many villagers dressed in neat and well-kept clothing could be seen actively beating and commanding another group of people who looked extremely unkempt and malnourished.

"Move your lazy buttocks to the farm. Who said you could rest because the sun is hot?" a middle-aged woman with an ugly scar on her face snapped as she slapped the bare back of her slave.

While the slave wore dirty clothes and looked malnourished, her facial beauty easily overshadowed that of the middle-aged woman hitting her.

Well, it wasn’t only her. The other slaves, both male and female, looked far better than their masters.

"How dare you stare at my wife for more than three seconds? For that reason, you will be weeding all my farmland till the moon takes its place in the sky."

Not too far away from the first pair, a man grudgingly kicked his male slave, who was carrying a large and heavy bowl of seeds on his head.

The male slave was younger, likely in his late twenties. He was taller than his master, and his facial structure was sharp and masculine in comparison to his master, who looked very ugly.

If the sons of Harald or anyone from Blackstone were here, they would easily recognise this man as Cale. He was one of the youths who stood up for their village when Blackstone soldiers first invaded.

Cale bore the beating quietly and continued moving forward without resistance.

He ignored his master’s taunting and observed his surroundings calmly, something he usually did every morning as part of his routine.

This place was very different from where he came from. The houses were sturdy, built with better materials that could withstand heavy rainfall and strong winds, unlike the mud houses in his home village, which would melt under any serious rainfall.

Not only the houses, the people here also lived well. They dressed neatly, ate healthy meals, and although each household had at least one farmland, they never had to stress themselves, as people like him existed to carry out their heavy tasks.

As Cale observed his surroundings, he noticed other people like him going through the same fate. However, unlike him, only a few were able to endure the beating and continue moving.

Some of them had already given up and were now on the ground while their masters beat them mercilessly without pause.

"Dammit!"

Cale gritted his teeth subconsciously and muttered, his voice laced with restrained vengeance.

"Did you say anything, ugly bastard?"

His muttering reached his master, who immediately took it as an excuse to slap his back again.

’Who is ugly between us both?’ Cale thought furiously, but he did not respond.

Although he could beat this man easily if he wanted to, he refrained, because doing so would not only put him in danger, but the other slaves would suffer for it as well.

After all, he had done something like this a few weeks back, and all the slaves were whipped severely as a result.

Because of that incident, most of the slaves now harboured resentment and hatred towards him.

He couldn’t do it again and put them in harm’s way.

’Dammit, if only Lord Ragnar was still the chief of Blackstone and not his weak and useless son,’ Cale thought with deep hatred.

He was among the very few people in Blackstone who were secretly against Floki ruling over them.

His rejection of that leadership only grew stronger on the day of the Blackstone invasion, when he learnt that Floki hid instead of fighting.

’Because of that weakling, we’re all trapped here. If only he was man enough like his father, none of us would still be here.’ Cale’s grudges deepened the more he thought about it, his fist clenching tightly around the bowl balanced on his head.

’If I ever return to Ironside, I will steal the crystal of authority, kill that bastard if he refuses to submit, and become the chief and lead our people to salvation,’ he swore inwardly.

At that moment, he and his master walked past a building which stood taller and wider than the others.

It was the dwelling place of Kellan Blackstone.

====

Inside the vast hall within the magnificent building, Kellan Blackstone could be seen seated on a fine yet basic-looking throne, surrounded by four old men who were his elders.

The four elders looked visibly tense in contrast to their calm and composed chief.

Kellan was unusually large for a chief who had not done any hard labour or personally participated in any war.

He stood over six feet tall with a broad and muscular physique.

At the moment, he wore a fine purple robe and a cheap crown resting atop his bald head.

His black eyes slowly scanned the expressions of his elders.

"Am I scary to you all?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Kellan spoke, his voice deep and masculine, carrying a subtle weight.

The elders flinched at the sound of his voice.

"No... Your lordship..." one of them responded quickly, as they knew silence could easily be interpreted as defiance and lead to their deaths.

"Then why do you all look so troubled?" Kellan asked again, this time in a gentler tone, though it only made them more uneasy.

None of the elders responded.

How could they tell him that he was the very reason they were acting this way?

Since he awakened the powers of the crystal of authority, he had become an entirely different person.

He was once an easygoing man with a lean physique, but everything changed when the crystal of authority granted him power and even gave him the ability to summon a powerful swordsman from another world.

After everything that had taken place, he became a man who was only interested in dominating others with his newfound power.

Even his own subjects were no longer free to speak casually to him or voice complaints.

Kellan’s eyes continued scanning their expressions, clearly noting the fear etched on their faces. He smiled faintly.

’Serves you all right for condemning me years ago,’ he thought.

Then he cleared his throat.

"I have received information that the brat of Ironside is not dead. Who among you reported to me that he was dead?" Kellan demanded.

One of the elders felt his world shake at those words.

He immediately fell to his knees.

"Your lordship, I was there. I witnessed him get beaten to death by our soldiers. I did not falsify any information. I would never dare lie to your lordship." The elder’s voice trembled as he spoke, and he even began to cry and shiver.

Kellan chuckled softly.

"Who said I am angry? I am very glad that he is alive," Kellan responded calmly.

"If he was dead as you claimed, how would I be able to find and seize his crystal of authority?" he continued, his voice rising slightly with interest.

"Breeze is already moving around the village. The moment he catches a glimpse of the crystal of authority, he will report straight to me, and the final deed will be done." The last part was spoken with clear emphasis and controlled excitement.

"But I believe that brat will prove stubborn and continue hiding it. That is where you all come in. I want you to plan another visit. Make it more brutal this time."

The elders immediately fell on their knees again.

"We will do your bidding, your lordship," they said in unison.

Kellan only grinned.

"I am feeling bored. Get me the finest slave, clean her up, and take her to my chamber."

He gave the order casually, and the elders hurried out of the hall without delay.

Kellan remained seated, a grin still on his face.

Finally, he would be able to fulfill the dreams of his father.