Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"Oh, oh, oh!" "Long live Detective Biddle!" "Smash Shulton's eggs!" "Hahaha!"

"Shh! Shh! If those old men hear you, our eggs will be the ones getting smashed first! Let's drink—damn!" The place to drink was gone, "When the Hook Bar is rebuilt, we'll drink there! It's on me!"

Orle joined in the ruckus with the others, even though he didn't think the drinks at the Hook Bar were anything special. And wasn't it Bill who was supposed to be treating? But these minor details about only Bill's wallet suffering were trivial; the atmosphere Big Mike stirred up was genuinely great.

"Hey! Don't just mindlessly join in their shouting, you're going to be their leader soon!" Big Mike pointed at Orle.

Suddenly, there was an awkward silence...

Orle didn't know how to respond. Should he say, "Hi, everyone, I'll be your leader from now on?", or "Thank you, I'll lead you all well?", or perhaps, "Of course! I'll be the boss now!"?

He couldn't utter any of those; each option felt embarrassingly awkward. What was he supposed to do?

This completely ruined the relaxed atmosphere Big Mike had created to facilitate Orle's smooth transition.

On the other side, Big Mike's subordinates knew Orle had become a senior patrol officer and was taking over Big Mike's duties. But during the earlier celebration at the police station, everyone had focused on Big Mike, and Orle had been sidelined. Now, by bringing him up, Big Mike made sure Orle couldn't be ignored any longer.

"Hey! Boss Mondale!" Max Watt suddenly called out to Orle.

"Big Mondale!" The simple voice of the Cado brothers followed.

The nickname 'Big Mondale' was too embarrassing for Orle, turning his face red from his ears to his neck.

His blushing made the rest laugh out loud. Though Orle's strength during the riot suppression had sometimes been terrifying, seeing him now, they realized he was just a youth not good with words. Reflecting on his past speech, their perception of him being superhuman faded instantly, along with their fear and caution.

So, having a baby face sometimes had its advantages.

Thanks to Big Mike's deliberate guidance, Orle's past performance, and the unchangeable fact that Orle was now their boss, and his good relationship with the new guys. These newbies, though intimidating and arrogant, had one major advantage over old Maxwell - they didn't covet their subordinates' money, such as bounties. If Maxwell had been in charge, they would have received at most ten percent.

With this in mind, not only Orle but even the new guys seemed likable. After all, who doesn't love gold emblems? The patrol officers softened.

"Big Mondale!" "Boss Mondale!"

"Just Mondale is fine!" Orle surrendered, raising his hands. The title 'Big Mike' was good, but 'Big Mondale'... too daunting. Fortunately, thanks to Big Mike's subtle influence, no one called him 'Big Orle,' which was a relief.

There was another round of laughter, but indeed, no one called him 'Big Mondale' again.

Big Mike breathed a sigh of relief. He even purposely made Orle stand in the middle of the group, rather than following behind him. Who would have thought so much would happen in the Fish Tail District in such a short time? Big Mike had planned to gradually teach Orle the police work as his responsibilities increased. Now, many things had yet to be taught, and Orle would have to learn while doing the job.

However, the toughest task Big Mike mentioned couldn't start right away because the judge hadn't arrived. Surprisingly, this place had only one courtroom and just one official judge.

So, with nothing immediate to do, Big Mike led Orle to the office area. Unlike the courtroom, there were about a dozen offices here, some already open. They entered one of them. It was quite spacious, resembling a classroom in size, with a similar layout, except the front podium was replaced by a desk, and where students would sit, there were only benches without tables.

The patrol officers sat on the benches, with Orle sitting right behind Big Mike.

"Will we be disturbing your work?" Orle thought Big Mike brought everyone here knowing he was curious.

Big Mike turned and winked at him: "Don't worry."

The clerks had already started working.

"What for?"

"Divorce."

"What are their names?"

"Anna Porte." "Shane Porte."

"5 Aikos. Good. On August 3, 1047, the marriage between Shane Porte and Anna Porte is hereby officially annulled. Sign here, or a thumbprint will do. One copy each. There, I declare from now on, you are no longer husband and wife."

Orle watched, dumbfounded. This was... Although divorce had become increasingly difficult before his time travel, the ease of it here seemed almost frivolous.

The couple seemed surprised at how easily their divorce was processed. After receiving their divorce documents, both looked somewhat bewildered, even casting lingering glances at each other.

"Anything else? No? Then leave, quickly! Next! What for?"

This time, a group entered, with one side clearly the plaintiffs, while the defendant was escorted in by three men (not by the patrol officers).

"He swindled our money!"

"I didn’t swindle, I just can’t pay them back!"

"How much money?"

"6 gold emblems!"

"Alright, one arm," the clerk said decisively.

"Agreed!" The plaintiff nodded vehemently, gritting their teeth.

"No, no, no, doesn’t the law say just a finger?"

"The law has been revised recently. The punishment must be carried out in the court. Doing this outside is a crime. So, do you need me to provide the tools? 3 Aikos." The clerk nonchalantly pulled out a handsaw stained with blood and rust from behind the desk.

Orle: "(⊙Д⊙)" Is this a comedy show?

The plaintiff was already taking out money, while the defendant screamed in terror: “Wait, wait! I’ll pay back! I’ll pay back!”

"When will you pay back?!"

“Right now, today! I’ll take you to where I’ve hidden the money!”

"Still pressing charges?"

"No, thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, 60 Aikos."

Everyone: "......"

"Not paying?" The seemingly sleepy clerk suddenly opened his eyes wide, pressed the bell on the desk, and called, "Patrol officers!"

"Hustle!" Ten patrol officers stood up promptly. Orle was a beat slow, looking naive and bewildered as he stood up, like a rookie, while Big Mike and the others had already drawn their batons, tapping them in their palms.

"No, no, no! We'll pay! We'll pay!"

"After these individuals tossed 60 Eikos into a cash box, the clerk suddenly declared, 'Attempting to evade taxes. Call the patrol officers. Fine of 40 Eikos.' He motioned with his hand, indicating they should continue adding money to the box."

"The plaintiffs turned pale, but none dared hesitate, muttering 'Yes, yes, yes!' as they emptied every pocket. In the end, it was the defendant who contributed the last 10 Eikos hidden in his shoe, completing their payment."

"With pained expressions, the group left. Then, the clerk abruptly opened the locked box, took out two 10-Eiko coins for Big Mike, pocketed 20 Eikos for himself, and closed the box."

"Oll, who had thought this place was akin to a mediation court, was taken aback. He now understood why Big Mike had winked at him; staying here wasn’t a waste of their time. On the contrary, it was a lucrative opportunity."

"Next, Oll witnessed a variety of cases. In a dispute between brothers dividing their inheritance, the clerk helped them split it equally, only to charge 'a little' tax in the end."

"In a case of assault, where one man’s arm was broken and sought compensation, the clerk ordered the defendant to have his arm broken in return. But when the defendant resisted and ended up breaking the other arm of the plaintiff, the clerk declared the defendant not guilty, attributing the plaintiff’s second broken arm to his own incompetence. Both were then thrown out."

"In a matrimonial dispute, a girl was married off by her parents to three different men over three days. Now, all three men claimed to be her lawful husband. The clerk let the woman choose her husband herself, after which her parents had to compensate the other two men. The mother-in-law left with the third man, while the father-in-law had to choose between paying double the money and serving a sentence, in addition to paying a fine. Naturally, he chose to pay."

"There was also a dispute between merchants over goods. Merchant A delivered cotton as per the contract, but due to riots in the Fish Tail District, Merchant B suffered losses and refused the goods. However, he wouldn't ask for the deposit back; it was compensation, as agreed in the contract. Merchant A, unwilling to accept this, demanded full compensation for his goods."

"The clerk ruled according to the contract: Merchant B need not fully compensate. Merchant A's demands were extortion, and he was ordered to pay a fine equivalent to fifty percent of the goods’ value. Unsatisfied, Merchant A faced immediate enforcement by the police."

"'What a pity, we can’t go,' Big Mike remarked, watching the two patrol officers, already assigned to the office, escort Merchant A away."

"In summary, the decisions were highly subjective, arbitrary, and heavy-handed."

"He didn't judge according to the law at all. If there was anything commendable about his rulings, it was that he didn't extort the poor and sometimes showed a flash of brilliance. Those he fined for various taxes were always those who appeared to be somewhat wealthy."

"Big Mike, we've got a job," someone called out to them.

"As they entered a passage away from outsiders, Big Mike divided the money among them. It was an equal share, and Oll felt a bit guilty holding those few dozen Eikos. But when he becomes the boss, he would have to collect and distribute money in the same way."

"'This is a good gig.'"

"'Hahaha, only Shuldon's lackeys used to get this kind of work.'"

"'Will we be coming here often from now on?'"

"The others were eager to return, having earned a week's wages in just a while. Who wouldn't be? Oh, except Oll..."

"Today, they hadn’t seen anyone grossly wronged – Oll was sure Big Mike knew his character well and thus chose their tasks selectively. But what if next time they encountered someone unjustly accused?"

"Speak out against it? That would certainly be a futile act."

"Not speak out and just watch an innocent person die?"

"Better not to come at all. What you don’t see, you don’t know, just pretend it doesn’t exist."

"The patrol officers followed Big Mike, chuckling, to the only courtroom. The place was as big as two classrooms, set up almost like a Western courtroom on TV. In the center was the elevated judge's seat, with tiered jury seats to the right. The difference was to the left of the judge, where seats were reserved for clergy: a Bright Church priest with a golden tasseled yellow collar, a Law Church priest in a black thorn-patterned white robe, and a White Light Church priest, almost identical to the Bright Church priest but with a white tasseled yellow collar."

"Oll recognized the Bright Church priest; it was Father Rodrigo who had previously prayed for little Cole at the behest of Snake Anthony."

"On the jury seats sat fifteen well-dressed gentlemen. Some were drinking from silver flasks, others leaned on the jury railing asleep, and some were reading."

"As for the judge... he brazenly had a bottle of liquor on his bench, intermittently reading documents and taking sips. His actions reassured those in the jury sneaking drinks, who then started drinking openly."

"Alright, bring up the first batch of prisoners," the judge belched, tossing a paper. The clerk, in a black vest, picked it up and handed it to Big Mike waiting outside the door.

"Big Mike left two men behind and led the rest out of the courtroom, down two corridors, until a pungent, familiar stench wrinkled Oll's nose—it was the smell of decay."

"'This is the holding cell. It wasn't this bad before, but now, all those we caught are here,' Max Watt informed Oll."

"Of course, there was a five-person patrol team on shift in the detention area, their looks clearly saying, 'It's about time you showed up.'"

"Were all the rioters they had apprehended being held here? Just five officers, could they manage?"

"Upon entering the detention area, Oll immediately realized the answer—of course, they could manage."

"The cells here were much larger than at the police station, about 3x6 meters, and crammed with prisoners in the truest sense of the word, like sardines in a tin. Most prisoners couldn't sit and had to stand, squeezed tightly together. Only the exceptionally thin and small ones could crouch at others' feet, unable to stand or even move, as the forest of legs became a new barrier."

"Moreover, all the prisoners were barefoot, their shoes likely already in some second-hand store's warehouse."

"An officer was splashing water on them from a bucket; those who couldn’t move opened their mouths, hoping to catch some droplets to quench their thirst if they were lucky enough."

"Some of the prisoners were motionless, possibly having passed out, or maybe they were the source of the putrid smell in the room."

"'How are we supposed to take away the prisoners on the list?' Big Mike had received a list of about ten criminals to be brought to trial from the judge."

"'Just like this,' Watt replied."

"'Just like this' meant opening a cell, dragging out ten prisoners, and then taking them away."

"'No need to check the names against the list, their crimes are all the same anyway.'"

"As soon as these prisoners were pulled out of the cell, they immediately collapsed to their knees, some fainting on the spot. Water was thrown on them, but even those roused couldn’t stand; all trembled with weak legs. No matter, chains were looped around their necks, and they were dragged away. After all, the marble floors of the court were slick and smooth, perfect for dragging people along."

"Those who were merely caught stealing food, scavenging for broken furniture to make a fire for warmth, or pilfering clothes, but happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, were mostly let off with a few lashes. The ones brought to the court, however, were not innocent; they had all surrendered unharmed."

"Chief Dalian would execute the scattered rioters caught in isolation, but not those who surrendered unharmed on the 'battlefield.' Instead, he handed them over. Even the lightly wounded weren’t ordered to be finished off; they were simply neglected. But they couldn't escape, as any attempt would be seen as resistance. So the wounded rioters lay where they fell, turning into corpses when checked upon later."

"Most of these unharmed captives now squeezed into this cell. The rest? Probably piled beside the gallows, or in mass graves outside the city."

"Their deaths were deserved, but the way the patrol officers were treating these people like animals was something Oll found hard to accept."

"These villains had acted like beasts, but their skin was human. Oll could now execute these beasts without hesitation, but he couldn’t find pleasure in their mistreatment. He was slowly dragging the prisoner assigned to him by the collar."

"Regardless, they were brought into the courtroom, carelessly piled around the defendants' area."

"The judge, clearly having drunk more since their departure, listlessly read out the names of the accused. The jury didn’t care, the officers didn’t care, and the prisoners themselves didn’t care. Even though the three priests looked serious, they probably didn’t care either."

"'...The above ten individuals, does the jury find them guilty of participating in the riot?' There was no defense, no evidence presented, no courtroom debate, nothing. The trial phase commenced directly."

"'Guilty.' 'Yes.' 'Huh? Yes, guilty.' 'Mhm.'"

"The jurors responded with boredom, yawning, or complete bewilderment."

"'Do the priests believe they should be pardoned?' the judge asked the priests."

"'No pardon.'"

"'The accused are guilty, sentenced to... what was the last sentence yesterday?'"

"'Exile to the Kanwal Islands,' the clerk flipped through the previous records."

"'Oh, then, death by hanging!'"

"'Bang!' The gavel struck the desk, sealing their fate."

Quick and absurd.

But as a patrol officer, Orel, along with his colleagues, had to drag the criminals out for execution.

"Hehehe. Hahaha!" A criminal started laughing while being dragged, beginning softly and gradually growing louder until it turned into a wild cackle.

Danny Cardo was unsettled by the laughter. He stopped and drew his baton, but Big Mike grabbed his arm: "He's about to die."

Danny Cardo pondered for a moment, then smirked and put away his baton.

The criminals were dragged outside, and the executioners came to take them away. In the morning, the front of the sparsely populated courthouse was now surrounded by many people. There were dirty-dressed drunkards, staring dead-eyed at the gallows while drinking from their bottles; ladies with parasols, half-hiding their faces with fans while sitting on chairs they brought, both excited and scared; and well-dressed gentlemen, playing with their canes, faces alight with excitement…

As the people were hanged, the crowd cheered. The executioners proclaimed the prisoners' crimes, and the crowd cheered. When the trapdoor of the gallows was pulled, the crowd cheered. As the prisoners struggled fiercely and then stopped struggling completely, the ladies stood up, the gentlemen raised their canes, and the adults lifted their children over their heads, the cheering was deafening.

The next group of criminals was hanged, and everything repeated.

Oll thought he had become accustomed to death during the riots, but in reality, that sense of a twisted world returned. However, he had plenty of experience dealing with this feeling; he didn’t vomit, nor did his expression change much, but he became completely expressionless.

Compared to the other patrolmen who were joking and laughing, he looked abnormal.

Oll felt a bit ashamed for Big Mac; he had become an outlier again.

After all the criminals were hanged, they had to go back to bring the next round of prisoners for trial. Oll glanced at the guillotine; amid the roaring cheers, the hanged bodies were still gently swaying, while the crowd farther away was all smiles and laughter. If the cheering came from the victims' families, it would be justified, but they were just onlookers – he had to remember this scene, this was the world he now lived in. A world he once thought had disappeared into the annals of history, only to be seen in satirical novels of the past.

“Shall we go to the clerk?” Big Mac asked him deliberately.

“I’m fine,” Oll shook his head.

“Alright then.”

They escorted three rounds in total, and the judge was going to rest because it was time for lunch.

They were going to have lunch too; the court actually provided a meal – two slices of bread, a bowl of peas, radishes, chicken stew, and a small piece of sausage. The food wasn't tasty to begin with, and Oll didn’t want to eat it; eating was merely a sensory pleasure for him.

“Mondale, Bill Butry is looking for you,” the gatekeeping patrolman came over to tell him.

“Thanks.” Great, now he could skip this meal.

Oll put his wooden bowl of food on the table and ran straight out.