Early morning.
Flea Bottom was always shrouded in a hazy mist, and the pungent smell of fermented overnight garbage mixed with urine and feces was incredibly acrid.
Generally, no one would visit at this time.
But unlike before, as dawn barely broke, a series of neat and loud footsteps brutally shattered the tranquility of this filthy area.
Many people were woken up, pulling back their dirty leather door curtains and poking their heads out of crooked wooden shack windows.
This was the unique vigilance of Flea Bottom residents; even in their sleep, people kept their eyes half-open, lest they be inexplicably retaliated against by enemies or slaughtered and made into soup one day.
But today was destined to be extraordinary.
People who initially thought it was a gang fight were surprised to find a 隊 of Gold Cloaks, about fifty strong, marching in unison with menacing strides, their armor reflecting a cold glint in the thin morning light.
This feeling of grim determination was completely different from the usual lazy patrols and extortion of a few coppers they were accustomed to.
The sensitive residents of Flea Bottom immediately sensed something was wrong and began to panic.
"Oh no!"
"These guys must be after the 'brown broth'!
The face of a brown broth stall owner turned pale, and he quickly rushed to the backyard, frantically kicking over the large pot of thick soup that had been simmering all night.
The eerily colored broth spilled everywhere, revealing a mixture of pig, sheep, and bones that didn't resemble animal bones at all.
He grabbed a wooden stick and vigorously pounded these bones, trying to crush and bury them.
At the same time, many others doing the same business followed suit, and for a while, clanging sounds echoed throughout Flea Bottom, making it seem as if one had arrived at the blacksmith shops on Iron Street.
However, to their surprise, the Gold Cloaks completely ignored the surrounding chaos, walking straight through the streets and deeper into Flea Bottom.
Their target seemed very clear: the location of the Blood Cellar.
The onlookers breathed a sigh of relief. Although they felt a bit pained about their night's 'labor,' their curiosity still made them whisper and speculate.
"That's great, they shouldn't be after us..."
"This direction, are they heading for Ralf?"
"By The Seven, who did Ralf offend to warrant such a large force!"
"Doesn't that guy have Sven Rosby covering him? I heard he also has a big boss behind him..." "Shh, don't talk nonsense!"
Countless eyes peered at the movement of this squad, while some sensitive people already had a premonition that Flea Bottom...
Might be about to change.
"We've arrived, Lord Corleone. Shall we begin the operation?"
Standing in front of the Blood Cellar, Humphrey Viwater's expression was serious, completely unlike his previous fawning demeanor in front of Adam, looking like an upright and brave City Watch soldier.
"You are the commander of this operation, Captain Humphrey."
Seeing him act this way in front of so many Gold Cloaks, Corleone couldn't help but remind him, "And I am just an ordinary person with no position. You don't need to ask me for permission for everything."
"Please proceed according to your established plan of action."
"Yes, Lord Corleone!"
Although Corleone repeatedly emphasized their respective statuses, Humphrey still straightened his back and responded loudly.
He looked as if Corleone was his direct superior.
"Go!"
Humphrey turned around and waved to his subordinates. Several Gold Cloaks immediately took out small battering rams and slammed them hard against the main door.
A large crack appeared in the heavy door. Humphrey stepped forward, kicked it open himself, and walked in.
However, the scene inside was somewhat beyond his expectations.
It was unusually clean inside; tables and chairs were neatly stacked in the corner, and the floor seemed to have been roughly rinsed. Although still dirty, at least no obvious garbage was visible.
He sniffed lightly, and the scent of cheap incense filled his nostrils, yet it still couldn't completely mask the faint, lingering smell of blood and sweat.
The usually bustling fighting pit was exceptionally quiet, with only a few attendants who looked honest, even timid, standing in the corner, eyes downcast.
Unusual.
Humphrey frowned, immediately feeling that something was amiss.
Even for early morning, it was too quiet here.
They hadn't even seen a single drunkard or an all-night gambler.
"Sir!"
At this moment, a slightly timid person came forward: "You're early, we haven't started business yet..."
"Slap!"
His response was Humphrey's merciless slap.
Humphrey recognized this man; he was a small subordinate of Ralf, the kind who couldn't make any decisions.
"Idiot!"
Glancing at Corleone beside him, and seeing his expression unchanged, Humphrey finally breathed a sigh of relief, pointing at the man's nose and unleashing a torrent of abuse.
"Do these fifty brothers behind me look like they're here to gamble, you blind bastard!"
Saying that, he looked around, didn't see the target of his operation, and immediately drew his longsword, pointing it at the man and shouting, "Since when did you become in charge here? Where's Ralf?
"The big boss isn't coming out, so you're sending the small fry to take the fall?"
"Get Ralf out here!"
This fierce and menacing demeanor immediately terrified everyone in the Blood Cellar, especially the small leader with the sword pointed at him, who almost wet himself.
Just then.
"Look, isn't this dear Captain Humphrey!"
A familiar voice rang out. Everyone turned their heads and saw Ralf, leaning on a cane, enthusiastically greeting them from the second floor, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
He smiled at Humphrey, then subtly glanced at Corleone, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes, before limping down.
"So early in the morning, bringing so many brothers to patronize my business?"
As he walked, Ralf feigned familiarity and exchanged pleasantries, seemingly not taking these dozens of Gold Cloaks seriously at all.
"Enough talk, Ralf!"
Humphrey sneered inwardly, but his face wore a serious, business-like expression: "We have received reliable intelligence that you are suspected of organizing illegal fighting, human trafficking, as well as smuggling, murder, rape, and many other serious criminal activities! We are now conducting a search according to the law!"
"Criminal activities?"
Upon hearing this, Ralf spread his hands and exclaimed dramatically, "Everyone in Flea Bottom knows that I, Ralf, only do legal and compliant business!"
"This place of mine is just where some poor fellows gather to play dice, have a few drinks, and at most, sometimes when the mood strikes, someone is willing to step into the arena and spar a bit for entertainment. There are absolutely none of those sordid things you mentioned!"
He swore solemnly, then changed his tone and sneered, "And if I'm not mistaken, this place doesn't seem to be under your jurisdiction, does it?"
"Where's Captain Sven Rosby? We're old friends. Isn't he here today?"
"Sven is dead!"
Seeing this guy act like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, Humphrey also sneered, "He was suspected of accepting bribes. You should be very clear about these things, Ralf, because most of the Gold Dragons found in his home were taken from you, weren't they!"
Upon hearing the news of Sven's death, Ralf seemed not at all surprised. Instead, he pointed at Humphrey with impunity and continued to mock, "By The Seven, this is slander!"
"He's slandering me! Captain Sven and I are not close at all, let alone giving him Gold Dragons!"
"Ha!" As soon as he said this, Humphrey immediately retorted, "Didn't you just say you were good friends with Sven Rosby? Why are you not close now?"
Seeing Humphrey give him no face at all, Ralf unconsciously licked his lips.
After a moment of silence, he turned sideways and made a 'please' gesture, his generous posture indistinguishable from a provocation.
"I am a person who is most enthusiastic about cooperating with all City Watch operations."
"Search! Feel free to search!"
"Welcome, sirs, to inspect. If you can find anything illegal, I will immediately return with you to Gold Cloaks headquarters and confess!"
"Headquarters isn't a place just anyone can go, especially a commoner like you."
Although he felt somewhat puzzled by Ralf's attitude, remembering that he had to perform well in front of Lord Corleone, Humphrey waved his hand: "Search thoroughly!"
At his command, the Gold Cloaks behind him immediately fanned out, professionally rummaging through boxes, knocking on walls, checking cellars, and not missing any suspicious corner.
Watching the ravenous Gold Cloaks, Ralf remained completely unperturbed, even pulling a silver flask from his pocket and slowly taking a sip.
Then, his gaze turned to Corleone, who had been silently observing, and a smirk of undisguised sarcasm and triumph curved his lips.
"Kid, don't think that just because you've latched onto the Lannister's leg, you can run wild in my territory."
"I've been scrambling in Flea Bottom for over a decade, seen every kind of storm. Even Rorger was half-dead because of me. You think you can take me down with a few Gold Cloaks? Dream on!"
"You have friends, and so do I!"
Saying that, he even stepped forward, imitating Corleone's way of speaking, trying to appear more imposing: "Today you brought people to raid my place, this is not good. This breaks the rules and insults me."
"One day, I will make you pay!"
Facing this almost in-your-face provocation, Corleone showed no anger on his face, but rather a slight, almost pitying smile.
This absurd calmness made Ralf feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Lord Ralf."
Corleone's voice was calm, completely devoid of any emotion, like an elder teaching a junior: "Never bring personal emotions into business."
"Captain Humphrey is performing his duty, and as a law-abiding and enthusiastic citizen, it is my part to cooperate with the City Watch's actions, right?"
"And..."
Saying that, he also took a step forward, leaning closer to Ralf's ear and softly asking, "How can you be sure... that 'big boss' behind you won't sell you out at the critical moment?"
give my full efforts to you all make happy but you guys did not support me even in small ways. im very exhausted.🫠more chapter available in p@tréøñ(Atoki_29)