The next morning.
"Everyone, gather at the village entrance!"
Scotch led his subordinates as they herded all the remaining villagers—mostly the elderly, weak, women, and children, since the laborers had fled—toward the square.
Fear and unease filled the air.
Soon, the assembly was complete.
Scotch approached Gurd and reported respectfully, "Earth Calamity, all the townsfolk are here."
"Scotch, you've done well!"
Gurd patted Scotch on the shoulder before stepping toward the crowd.
Scotch was overwhelmed with emotion.
Not only had the Earth Calamity spared his life, but he'd also been given a chance to redeem himself. He swore to repay this mercy with unwavering loyalty.
Gurd stood at the village square, looking down at the trembling villagers huddled together. Under their terrified gazes, he raised his hand.
Clap! Clap!
At the signal, his men immediately unloaded sacks of grain, pouring the pristine white rice into a massive barrel.
The sight of the gleaming rice made the villagers' eyes gleam with longing. It had been so long since they'd last tasted proper, fragrant rice.
Gurd spoke calmly.
"Scotch."
"Yes!"
Scotch stepped forward and, under the villagers' fearful stares, dragged a frail old woman before Gurd.
Gurd took a sack, filled it to the brim with rice, and placed it in the old woman's hands with a smile.
"This rice is yours."
"For... for me?"
The old woman clutched the heavy sack, stunned, unable to believe pirates were giving her food.
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"Silence!"
Gurd's cold command instantly quieted the square.
"All of you will receive your share—10 pounds per adult, 5 pounds per child. You'll be given this amount every month from now on."
"Now, line up and collect your rice!"
At first, no one dared move.
But their hunger soon overpowered their fear of the pirates. One by one, they stepped forward, and soon, an orderly line formed.
Nearly an hour later, every villager held a hefty sack of rice—even the three-year-olds.
With careful rationing, this rice could last them a month, especially for families with children, who received more.
They couldn't understand why pirates were distributing food.
Gurd spoke again, his voice steady. "I know you despise us. I don't need your gratitude. I only want you to understand one thing."
"As long as you work peacefully for the Beasts Pirates, in this chaotic, wretched world, we can at least ensure you have food. We can protect you from other pirates. We can let you live."
"Now, the laborers on this island have rebelled. Among them are your husbands, your sons, the fathers of your children!"
"These laborers are your family, but they've disrupted the peace of this island. They've destroyed your stability. They are criminals!"
"Even if their rebellion succeeds, even if they drive us out—what then?"
"The New World is teeming with pirates. The moment we leave, others will come to plunder you—to slaughter every last one of you!"
"Can those laborers protect you? Do they have that power?"
"I'll give you time to think."
"Before the sun rises tomorrow, whoever exposes the hiding places of the laborers will be rewarded with 100 catties of rice and 50 catties of fresh meat!"
With that, Gurd turned and left.
The villagers stood dumbfounded.
No one could have imagined a Pirate saying such words to them. In the past, whenever Pirates arrived, it was always burning, killing, and looting—never anything this mild.
And the food in their arms...
At this moment, they actually found themselves agreeing with the Pirate lord's words.
Before the Beasts came, their lives had been just as difficult, constantly facing Pirate raids and forced to flee into the mountains for refuge.
After the Pirates left, the village would be left in ruins.
Even their houses would be set ablaze.
Over and over, they had long grown numb.
For an entire day, the people of several towns on the island received portions of rice, enjoying fragrant cooked meals before sunset.
The feeling of a full stomach brought many to tears.
Night fell at the weapons factory.
Chikara, wrapped in an apron and holding a broom and rag in her hands, her eyes shining, said, "Lord Gurd, the room has been cleaned for you."
"Thank you."
Gurd entered the temporary residence and looked at the spotless, gleaming room, his lips twitching involuntarily.
It was too clean.
When he stepped into the bathroom, his sense of guilt intensified.
The toilet was so clean you could lick it!
How could anyone relieve themselves in such a place?
"Is this how the Celestial Dragons live?"
Ever since Chikara had followed him, his room had always been immaculate. Not just that, every service was impeccably provided, making him truly experience the life of a Celestial Dragon.
By the time he emerged from the bathroom, Chikara had already prepared exquisite tea and books, as if by magic.
"My lord, please enjoy."
"Thank you."
Gurd sat down to drink tea and read.
"The Labor Uprising Army should have received the news by now."
In his view, dealing with the Labor Uprising was simple—just drive a wedge between them and the people.
Without the people's support, the uprising wouldn't stand a chance in guerrilla warfare, and even supplies would become scarce. They'd collapse on their own soon enough.
Truthfully, suppressing the Labor Uprising alone wasn't that troublesome.
But as the saying goes, to kill a man, you must first crush his spirit.
He didn't just want to suppress the laborers; he wanted to extinguish their will to resist, to make them obediently serve the Beasts with their labor.
Wasn't the Revolutionary Army behind this Labor Uprising? Even their second-in-command had come.
He'd see what tricks the Revolutionary Army could pull.
Let's play along!
Knock knock knock!
"Come in."
Scotch pushed open the door, his eyes filled with admiration. At first, he hadn't understood Gurd's decision to distribute food, but now he got it.
After nightfall, villagers had been sneaking in one after another to report information—more than five labor hideouts had already been exposed.
Truly worthy of the Earth Calamity!
Such a shamelessly cunning plan—why hadn't he thought of it?
"Lord Earth Calamity, we've located the laborers' hideouts!"
"I know. You may leave."
Gurd waved him off and continued reading.
Huh?!
Scotch froze.
If they knew the hideouts, why not immediately set out to crush the rebelling laborers? What if they got wind of it and escaped?
Though he didn't understand, Scotch didn't dare question it.
Deep within Zebra Island, at the main hideout of the Labor Uprising Army, a scout urgently reported.
"Captain Gabul, emergency! The Beasts Pirates have arrived. They're not causing trouble—instead, they're distributing food to the townspeople."
The scout laborer recounted the day's events in detail and even pulled out a small half-bag of rice from his robe—a gift secretly given by his wife.
Gabul's face gradually turned pale.
"We're doomed!"