Duke was naturally grateful to Uncle John's family.
If it weren't for their help, he might have starved to death long ago.
So when Duke learned of the matter, his first instinct was to go to the Southern Mine to find Uncle John.
But he quickly calmed down; the Southern Mine was part of Earl Hardy's holdings, and generally, there wouldn't be any problems.
If something did happen there, it could have deeper implications.
Although Duke had some confidence in his abilities, he wasn't arrogant.
As his skills improved, he began to feel a sense of threat from Wood.
This indicated a considerable gap between him and someone of Knight Level strength, therefore, he couldn't act rashly.
Duke soon thought of asking Mr. Wood for help; he had strength, prestige, and background. Knowing the situation, he certainly wouldn't stand idly by, which was far better than Duke going alone.
"I'll go with you," Loy, at this point, was somewhat lost and grabbed onto Wood's name like a lifeline.
The two left Yining Village one after the other, quickening their steps toward Endland Town.
Duke soon realized that Loy was walking too slowly, unable to keep up with his pace.
He thought for a moment and said, "Sister Loy, let me carry you, this way it will be faster."
Loy's face reddened slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded and said, "Okay."
Duke immediately squatted down and carried Loy on his back, holding her legs in his hands, feeling her softness tightly against him, providing a delightful sensation.
He didn't mind these things too much and started sprinting full speed ahead after getting Loy on his back.
His previous affection for Loy was strong, even having a secret crush on this neighborly sister.
However, in Duke's eyes, she wasn't particularly moving, her appearance was rather ordinary, although her figure was indeed excellent.
Loy was only seventeen, but her body had developed very maturely, truly enticing for a boy of that age.
The route from Yining Village to Endland Town usually took an hour.
This time, it only took Duke half an hour to reach Endland Town from Yining Village, and this was with a ninety-pound girl on his back.
When Duke arrived at the town's entrance, he merely panted slightly, his stamina hardly depleted.
His exceptional physique afforded him strong endurance and stamina, such exertion was negligible.
Wood, upon learning of the situation, maintained a serious expression: "It seems something did indeed happen there; I've received some related information too."
Before Duke arrived, Wood had already detected anomalies at the Southern Mine through some clues.
Wood then picked up a quill from the table, wrote a letter, and gave it to a member of the Militia Team to deliver to Earl Hardy. He then donned his chain armor, took up his weapons, and said, "Let's check out the Southern Mine. Duke, come along."
Duke nodded; naturally, he had no reason to refuse.
Wood took this action seriously, bringing twenty Militia Team members to the Southern Mine.
The Endland Town Militia Team had a little over fifty members; half were taken on this venture.
Within the group, Wood was the only one on horseback, while the others walked behind.
Horses were exceedingly expensive, beyond the reach of ordinary people, only Knights like Wood could possibly have horses.
It was said Wood's horse was also a gift from Earl Hardy, and he personally took meticulous care of it, its food surpassing that of most commoners.
To Duke, it seemed like a money-eating beast; he certainly couldn't afford to keep it.
...
The Southern Mine was a distance from Endland Town, taking the group most of the day to arrive there.
By then, it was already dark; Wood instructed everyone not to light torches, moving forward in the darkness.
The moonlight provided some illumination, and after their eyes adjusted to the dark, they could see clearly enough around them.
As the group neared the mine, they noticed a few guards at the entrance, torches lit within, and faint sounds of shouting and whips cracking could be heard.
"Hurry up! If these ten carts aren't filled, no one eats tomorrow!"
"Get up! Stop pretending to be dead on the ground!"
"Isn't it just one arm broken? Can't the other arm lift the ores?"
...
As they got closer, the noises inside became clearer.
Wood gestured for everyone to stop and turned back, "Those guarding the entrance aren't our people, and according to mine regulations, no work should be happening at night. Whoever these people inside are, they've encroached on Earl Hardy's wealth; they're our mortal enemies."
He quickly assigned tasks, Duke's job was to charge in and clear the left side once the entrance guards were shot dead.
They'd roughly assessed the situation inside, with only sixteen people on the ground level and an unknown number below the mine.
The night wind brought a touch of coldness and several cold arrows too.
The four guards with torches at the entrance were instantly pierced through the neck and chest by arrows, collapsing in agony.
The commotion here naturally drew attention from inside; those inside were about to investigate, just as Duke and the others charged in.
Wood led the charge, wielding a wide longsword, a simple downward slash, cutting through the night with a cold flash.
The man in front of him showed a bloodline on his face, and soon his entire chest was split open, intestines spilling out with a strong, acrid stench of blood rising.
Among those accompanying Wood, most were veterans, but there were four newcomers like Duke, all promising prospects he'd considered.
The reason for bringing the newcomers was, of course, to train them.
Only through the baptism of blood can one grow into a true warrior.
"A true knight can't be trained in the arena," a knight who once instructed Wood had said this, etching it in his memory.
The veterans in the team were accustomed to such scenes, moving without the slightest hesitation, immediately engaging the foes ahead.
The newcomers, except Duke, were different; they had never witnessed such carnage, slowing their pace instinctively.
Those with weaker fortitude even vomited on the spot, seemingly incapable of continued combat.
The bolder ones merely gripped their iron swords tightly, charging forward without looking at the terrifying corpses on the ground.
Duke only frowned slightly, experiencing little emotional surge.
He found it odd how calm he was, feeling hardly any fear, just discomfort from the smell.
With no hesitation in his actions, Duke sprang forward with a footstep, charging at an enemy on the front right.