Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

Inside the local Helderland Chamber of Commerce, the heavy oak tables exude a faint scent of pine resin, and sunlight shines through the stained-glass windows, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Two intelligence officers in black uniforms sat behind the table. A sturdy middle-aged man sat on a creaking chair in front of them.

"Name."

The younger intelligence officer on the left spoke, tapping the quill in his hand lightly on the parchment.

"Bryln Horwood."

The middle-aged man answered crisply and in a deep voice.

"age."

"Forty-three."

"What did you do before?"

The young intelligence officer pressed the issue, his quill sliding rapidly across the paper, recording every word.

Brelin leaned back in his chair, folded his hands in front of his stomach, and fell into a brief memory.

"Served as a captain in the army."

He answered briefly.

"When is the enlistment date?"

The older intelligence officer raised an eyebrow.

"Summer of 1444... I don't remember exactly."

Brelin scratched his head, stroking his short hair with his rough fingertips.

"I was a bandit back then, robbing people all day in the mountains, living in fear. Then I heard that His Majesty John... he was only about sixteen at the time, recruiting soldiers in a village. I thought, robbery is getting harder and harder, why not switch to a stable job?"

He grinned, revealing a row of straight teeth.

“So I joined the army.”

Upon hearing this, the two intelligence officers looked at each other subconsciously, with a hint of surprise in their eyes. What a guy, the original shares of the founding of the country.

"Why do you do this in Yoda?"

The older intelligence officer put down the notebook in his hand and his tone became serious.

“Isn’t the subsidy the state gives you enough?”

Brelin was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head and smiled innocently.

"No, even more."

He explained.

"Besides food, clothing, housing and transportation, the subsidy is enough for my son's college tuition."

He paused, a hint of pride in his eyes.

"My son is studying business at the academy and will directly join the Helderland Chamber of Commerce in the future."

"only."

He changed the subject, his tone sounding matter-of-fact.

"This business seems to make money faster, and I think doing this will also benefit the residents here."

"how to say?"

The young intelligence officer raised his eyebrows, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

In their perception, gangs are often synonymous with chaos and violence. How can they be beneficial to residents?

Brelin leaned forward slightly, spread his hands, and explained seriously:

"Other gangs take the money but don't do the work, but mine does."

He held up a finger.

"Also, the protection fee I collect is based on the size of each vendor. Small businesses get less, while large businesses get more. It's fair and reasonable."

He extended a second finger.

"More importantly, I will not allow any child to be abducted by gangs in my territory."

The two intelligence officers nodded thoughtfully after hearing this.

Indeed, according to their observations during this period, the gang established by the Helderlanders has an excellent reputation in the local area and is even more popular with the residents than the city defense forces...?

When vendors talk about the "Helderland Gang," their words are mostly filled with gratitude rather than fear; and there has never been any news of children being abducted while playing on the streets.

"But what about those casino brothels in your territory?"

The older intelligence officer frowned and continued to question.

“These are not allowed to be operated in the country.”

"Let me tell you about my past experiences."

He looked up at the two intelligence officers, a complicated look in his eyes.

"At the time, I was only fifteen or sixteen years old. My family sent me to work as a kitchen helper in a hotel in a small town. I had to get up before dawn every day and work until late at night. Apart from sleeping, I had almost no time to rest. The boss and some senior employees also ordered me around. If I was slow, I would be pulled by the ears at best, or beaten in the worst case."

"But there was a young cook there who was very kind to me."

Brelin's tone softened.

"She not only taught me how to work faster, but also showed me how to slack off at work without my boss seeing me."

"One day, when I was working the night shift, the cook was called out by the boss. The next day, when I woke up, I heard the cook arguing with the boss."

He clenched his fists.

"It turns out this boss was also responsible for finding women for the soldiers to sleep with. He had originally agreed to pay the cook five silver coins a night, but he only gave her two. Not only did the boss not give her the money he withheld, he even called the cook a slut."

"I was furious when I heard that, so I settled all my old and new grudges together and dumped a pot of hot water on the boss's head. I ran away while he was rolling on the ground and howling loudly."

He smiled wryly and shook his head.

"I hid for a few days and was wandering around the outskirts of town when I saw the cook jump off the bridge. I went into the water to pull her out, and guess what? She scolded me and said I had caused her to lose her job."

"I told her that the boss treated you like an animal and called you names. I did this entirely for you."

"She replied, 'So what if I was treated like an animal? So what if I was scolded? He could pay me. The soldiers who slept with me would sometimes give me some money or food when they were in a good mood. Now she has lost all her jobs. I have several younger brothers and sisters at home and a paralyzed father. How can I survive like this?'"

Brelin took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with a complicated look.

“From then on, I realized that people have different ways of living in different environments.”

He said slowly.

"Even if I wipe out the brothels and casinos here, these people will continue to operate in the dark. Unless Helderlan takes over and manages this place, then our Helderlan gang will be disbanded."

The two intelligence officers were silent for a moment. They didn't expect that this seemingly rough gang leader had such a tortuous experience.

The young intelligence officer clapped symbolically and then changed the subject.

"Have you heard of anyone around here who's doing things in the name of the Helderland nation?"

"Yes, which one?"

Brillin answered without hesitation.

"You mean a bunch of people do that?"

The young intelligence officer raised his eyebrows, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, and there are all kinds of tricks."

Brelin sighed, as if he was already accustomed to this phenomenon.

"With war and chaos everywhere, it's hard to collect taxes. Some more frugal people buy the tax collection rights of a village or town from a local noble. By paying a small amount of money to the noble every month, they can control an entire settlement."

"Those who don't restrain themselves will simply find a remote mountain village and claim to be kings. However, they all like to act under the banner of the Helderland nation, claiming to be governors, nobles, or something like that, personally authorized by His Majesty the King."