Chapter 126 : Returning the Fee

The streets of Dust Fall City were filled with a calm, cool nighttime breeze. Wooden torches illuminated the rooftops of the sand-brick houses, casting flickering shadows across the streets.

However, tonight was different.

Man Geru and the Fish Gang had taken to the streets, the goat was at centre of the storm that seemed to arrived in Dust Fall.

It walked with its head held high seemingly unaware of what it has brought to the city.

Among the gang members that walked, a man carried a bag full of silver.

Following them at a distance were the people who had gathered to witness the events at the Big Hub Tavern. Among them, the vegetable seller's brother carried the severed heads of Kailava and Hansan.

The people on the streets were chatting, laughing, and moving around, but when they noticed the Fish Gang approaching, they immediately rushed into their homes and shut their doors.

Except for a woman facing away from the Fish Gang. She was carrying water in a mud pot.

"Su Tai, hurry. The Fish Gang is here..." An old man shouted loud while peeking out from a house ten steps away from her. His expression carried a sense of urgency that seemed to reach Su Tai as she halted for a moment.

turning around, she noticed the gang, her expression darkened and hands shook, eventually, she dropped the mud pot and ran.

She rushed toward the house.

The old man opened the door of the house wide and accepted Su Tai inside, right after that, without any delay, he shut the door.

Their act did not leave away from anyone present on the scene.

Yan said, "Let's start with that house first."

"Yes, Big Brother." Man Geru took steps forward, and the man carrying the silver bag walked clumsily next to him.

Behind them, the others walked forward.

"Mo Tefu, hold it tightly. Don't drop even a single coin," Man Geru looked atbw silver bag in the hands of Mo Tefu.

"Yes, Leader." Mo Tefu corrected his posture, held the bad correctly.

Soon, they both stood outside the sand-brick house. The house had multiple cracks, and its wooden door had a long vertical hole.

Man Geru took a deep breath and glanced at Yan, who was watching him silently, then lowered his eyes to the silver bag.

His heart ached, he was reluctant to part ways from the silver as if it were earned by his sweat. Still, he raised his hand and knocked.

Knock!

Man Geru knocked a second time and waited for a minute. Then he heard the sound of breathing coming from behind the door.

Geru glanced at the silver again, then back at the house.

Knock!

Knock!

Knock!

Even after multiple knocks, no one opened the door.

Man Geru glanced at the silver. He sighed and felt relieved.

Then Man Geru turned to Yan with a smile. "Big Brother, it seems like they are not welcoming us. Let's skip this house."

His voice was loud enough for the old man behind the door to hear. The old man, who was about to open the door, halted.

"Old man, I know you are behind the door. Please open it." Ignoring Man Geru, Yan looked toward the door.

"We are here to give back what we took. We mean no harm," Yan assured him.

The old man did not open the door, but he peered through the hole. From the hole, he could see Man Geru, and then he turned his head.

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Through the narrow hole, he could make out several figures standing outside at a certain distance. One of them appeared to be carrying something in his hands. When he looked closer, his legs nearly gave way.

He stumbled backward, making a sound.

"Old man, please don't be afraid and open the door," Yan said, but the door remained shut even after five minutes.

Man Geru pleaded, "Big Brother, let's skip this house. I don't think he is going to open the door."

Then Man Geru took few steps back with smile of victory, but it didn't last long.

"Break it."

Man Geru froze.

"Break the door." Yan repeated.

Man Geru looked at Yan and rimmed his lips, then he looked Mo Tefu.

Mo Tefu understood the implication, and walked towards the door.

Then the door burst open, sending debris and dust flying. Mo Tefu stepped through the dust first, followed by Man Geru.

Inside, they found the old man standing at the edge of the room, with Su Tai beside him.

The old man stared at Man Geru.

The approaching burly, broad-chested, imposing figure made him tremble.

"I don't have money... please don't kill us." The old man dropped to the ground and begged.

Man Geru stood straight while the old man clutched at his feet while Mo Tefu was carried the silver coins beside Man Geru.

"Old man, We are not here to take the money."

Man Geru stood firmly.

"We are here to give the money." Man Geru's voice was loud.

Then the sound of silver coins hitting the ground was heard. The old man glanced up to find Man Geru turning his palm as the coins began to fall.

"Old man, thank me. And buy some good things for her and yourself." Man Geru glanced at Su Tai, and then he turned around and started walking away.

The old man immediately grabbed a few coins from the ground with both hands.

"Wait! Leader Geru, I can't accept these from you..." He shouted while standing and hurried after Geru.

Geru stopped and looked back at the old man. "What did you say?"

"I... I... I... can't..."

"Are you sure?" Man Geru stepped toward the old man as the old man stepped back.

"No, I can... accept them," the old man sighed. Man Geru felt disappointed, he had thought that the old man wanted to give the money back.

"Keep it then. Also, if you ever face any issue, come to me," Man Geru said.

The old man stood still. "I... will..."

Then Man Geru turned around and walked out. Mo Tefu fell in behind him. "Leader, why did you ask him to reach out to you if he is in trouble?"

"Well, at least he tried to give my silver back," Man Geru said.

"I bet many people would not dare to accept this money." Mo Tefu glanced at the silver in his hand.

"He wasn't special for trying to refuse your money," Mo Tefu explained.

"He was the first." Man Geru said.

Mo Tefu looked at Man Geru weirdly, then Man Geru smirked, "Don't you know me? When did I ever stand by my word for any peasant?"

An Understanding appeared in Mo Tefu's mind.

"Understood." Mo Tefu stepped aside.

When they walked outside the house...

"Hurry, next house," Yan said.

"Maa." The goat followed.

One by one, they began to knock on doors.

The familar sound coins falling on the ground sounded.

"Hope you remember my generosity. You and your family for the next few generations should remember me as the one who owe me the silver." Man Geru crouched and grabbed the hair of the man who was touching his feet.

"Yes..yes..leader."

"Move away", then he stood up and kicked the man away with his leg.

When Man Geru and Mo Tefu walked out the shop, Man Geru glanced at the empty bag carried by the Mo Tefu and became gloomy.

"It's time for the funeral, " Yan said when Man Geru and Mo Tefu came out the last shop.

Hearing the funeral, Man Geru clenched his fist and murmured, "fuck! why do I have to perform funeral for a peasant."

After that, they walked toward the eastern outskirts of the city under the moonlight. They stopped when they arrived at a group of abandoned sand buildings.

On top of the largest building, a flag carrying the fish symbol fluttered in the air.

The Fish Gang base was illuminated with wooden torches. At the center of the building, on open ground, two mats made of dried grass were placed. On top of them lay the vegetable seller and his old father.

Not far from them, logs of wood were laid.

The vegetable seller's brother stood in front of the two bodies, holding the severed heads of Kailava and Hansan. Yan and the goat stood beside him.

He threw the heads onto the ground and placed his foot over them.

"Father, Brother, your killers are under my foot."

Seeing the scenes, their dead comrade's heads being trampled by a peasant, Man Geru and others shook in anger.

"Maa.." but hearing the sound the goat and seeing the man beside the goat, they kept their heads down.

The cool breeze of wind touched them.

The moment lasted for a while, then Yan looked at Man Geru, "Let's start."

"Hurry! You damn things, let's perform the last rites," Man Geru hesitated and clenched his fists.

The vegetable seller's brother, Man Geru, Mo Tefu, and Hublu jointly lifted the old man from four sides, while Man Geru stared at the brother of Vegetable seller with red eyes.

Others lifted the vegetable seller, and some carried wooden logs as they walked through the desert toward the old cremation grounds.

Once they arrived at the destination, they placed both of them next to each other. The wood was stacked. The sand here was darker, seemingly mixed with the ashes of the people of Dust Fall City over the years.

Yan looked around. It was a massive ground. The Fish Gang members moved around, lighting it up with wooden torches.

It had four walls, and Yan glanced at all of them. The walls had murals.

The left wall had a mural depicting a man standing on a mountain of corpses. The right wall had a mural depicting a man facing the God of Souls. The back wall depicted a man bowing to the God of Souls, and the front wall depicted a man burning alive while praying to the God of Souls.

The heat from the fire on the wood held by the vegetable seller's brother brought Yan's focus back to the events.

The vegetable seller's brother walked toward his father and brother, who were buried under wooden logs, and extended his hand to light them up.

Fire spread to all the wood, and smoke rose into the air, reaching the sky and depicting the end of a life.

After the funeral, Man Geru stood in front of Yan and asked, "Big Brother... as you said, we gave all the protection fees back..."

"But we still have to pay the Arena and show them our income. What do we do now?"

Yan looked at Man Geru and said, "About that..."