While everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, they saw Peter King maneuvering and already dancing in front of Nathaniel Brooks. Then, with a bang, the flashing sword shadow vanished in a flash, and with another "bang," Peter King was sent flying backward, crashing onto the tables and chairs that had already been moved to the corner of the room. With a "crash," the table collapsed, and Peter King fell heavily to the ground again.

"Does this mean I win?" Nathaniel Brooks released his two fingers, and with a clang, the long sword fell to the ground.

Everyone was dumbfounded; no one could have expected this.

Was it really this simple?

Mr. Bennett's eyes flickered. It seemed the Holy Son was truly wise. Having this Lord Brooks guard the county was indeed a brilliant move.

Lord East Haven, who looked sickly, might actually bring surprises when it came to a life-and-death struggle.

David Johnson was also stunned. His impression of this young lord had changed several times in just one day, like riding a roller coaster.

All the clerks of East Haven County were dumbfounded, but Henry Clark immediately started clapping loudly and showering flattery, and the rest quickly followed, erupting in cheers.

Peter King's attendants hurried over to help him up. Peter King struggled for a long time before barely managing to stand, his face already bruised and swollen.

In fact, Nathaniel Brooks had held back ninety percent of his strength with that punch. Otherwise, Peter King would not have survived. He cupped his hands and returned to his seat.

Peter King's mind was buzzing, golden stars flashing before his eyes, a sweet taste rising in his throat, and his chest felt as if it was crushed by a boulder, the suffocation unbearable. Only after a long, long time did he gradually realize what had happened.

He lost!

And he lost completely. This guy had taken his weapon barehanded—could he have lost any more miserably?!

How could this guy possess such exquisite unarmed combat skills? He hadn't even seen how he made his move!

"Peter King, for a transaction you need a market note, and for a debt you need evidence. Write me an IOU first. When you return to Haizhou, sell whatever you can, and good items can be counted directly toward the debt. In short, gather as much as you can first, and for the rest, write another IOU and pay it back slowly. I'm not in a hurry; I'll only charge you one percent interest per year." Nathaniel Brooks's words reached Peter King's ears.

A sweet taste rose in Peter King's throat, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Mr. Bennett and David Johnson exchanged wry smiles. For Peter King, having a fortune of ten thousand strings of cash was already not bad, but he'd have to sell off his mansion and everything else. Even so, with only one percent interest per year, the rate was indeed not high—much lower than many pawnshops.

But the principal was huge—over two hundred thousand, nearly three hundred thousand strings of cash. One percent a year was over two thousand, nearly three thousand strings. Even if Peter King's salary was multiplied a hundred times, he couldn't pay just the interest. Year after year, the debt would snowball, and he'd never pay it off in a hundred lifetimes—it would only grow larger.

"Bring paper, ink, brush, and inkstone! Have Captain King write an IOU!" Nathaniel Brooks gestured.

Nathaniel Brooks felt a bit helpless inside. He had planned to keep a low profile, even wearing a fox fur coat today to appear sickly. But it seemed that keeping a low profile would be difficult from now on. Peter King clearly had powerful backing; if you beat the underling, the boss would surely come.

So be it. He wouldn't wear the fox fur anymore. This world is one where the kind are bullied. Especially for him, coming from a peasant background, many saw him as just lucky. Being granted a fief and the rich land of Donghai was like hugging a mountain of gold.

But he had no backing in the court. If he was bullied once, trouble would keep coming—everyone would want to take advantage of him.

Peter King dared to accept his bet precisely because he thought he had no one in court to rely on.

So, this ends here!

Over there, Henry Clark, upon hearing the lord's order, immediately bustled off to the tavern to fetch paper, ink, brush, and inkstone for Captain King.

The tavern hostess was already stunned, looking at Peter King with nothing but pity, thinking to herself that this officer might as well sell himself as a slave to the lord.

The rest of the banquet became rather subdued.

After writing the IOU, Peter King seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, as if there were white hairs at his temples. He wondered if his sister could resolve this matter, but no matter what, even if she helped, she would probably never care about him again.

Mr. Bennett and David Johnson became even more cautious, treating this young lord as if he were one of those all-powerful princes sitting before them.

Chapter Six: Prison Storm

After the banquet dispersed, Mr. Bennett, David Johnson, and the others returned to the post station. In the moonlight, Peter King's figure looked especially desolate.

Nathaniel Brooks, however, wandered into the county yamen, followed by a large group of people: registrar Lawrence Jarvis, judicial assistant Henry Clark, warehouse assistant William Wade, scribe assistant Stephen King, and other clerks and officers.

Although the East Haven County yamen was not large, it had all the necessary departments. The deputy magistrate's office, chief clerk's office, and the six departments of the county constable were all well equipped. The inner residence behind the main hall was spacious enough for the magistrate's whole family, though Samuel Clark had not lived there before.

On both sides of the main hall were the six departments: on the east, the offices for merit, warehouse, and household; on the west, the offices for military, law, and scholar affairs.

Behind the western hall was the county jail.

With the opening of his office, Nathaniel Brooks would temporarily stay in the yamen, but of course, it would be renovated and expanded. According to regulations, the Donghai state office could even build a palace complex.

As he strolled, Nathaniel Brooks pondered the selection of officials—chancellors, ministers, assistant ministers—for his Donghai state, but truly had no clue where to start.