"Let’s go, let’s report this to the authorities!"

"Sinbad!"

Victor Blackthorn let out a loud roar, his blood surged, and suddenly, everything went dark in front of him. He immediately collapsed backward.

If it weren't for the quick reactions of the Blackthorn family members beside him, Victor Blackthorn would've fallen hard.

The family heads of Willowbrook Town, who had realized they had been tricked, were all at a loss about what to do. Only two individuals, Walter Ravenswood and Alaric Hawthorne, who prided themselves on their intelligence, were silent at this moment.

After about the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Victor Blackthorn slowly regained consciousness.

At this moment, the other members of the families from Willowbrook Town looked at Victor Blackthorn with apologetic eyes.

Victor Blackthorn knew he had fallen into Sinbad's trap, so he didn't blame the others.

"Everyone, don't panic. The grain we were transporting to Lionheart City was robbed, but we still have the grain heading for Greenwood City. We can still sell that and make quite a bit of money," Victor Blackthorn said weakly.

Hearing this, the others in the room looked relieved.

But before long, several people who had gone to transport grain to Greenwood City came back, their faces covered in bruises and looking like they were mourning.

These people gathered around, whispering into their respective family heads' ears, just like what happened before with Finnian and the others.

Victor Blackthorn, Walter Ravenswood, and Alaric Hawthorne exchanged glances, and their hearts skipped a beat. They immediately thought: "This is bad!"

"What happened? Did the grain heading for Greenwood City also encounter problems?"

"You old scoundrel, stop acting here. If it weren't for the fact that your three families conspired with that scoundrel Sinbad, how could the grain we sent to Greenwood City have been stolen by those bandits?"

The same accusation came again, with the same tone and words!

Last time, Victor Blackthorn had been just angry and confused, but this time, he was so enraged that he spat blood.

The reason Victor Blackthorn spit blood wasn't because of the harsh words, but because he realized that the last hope of their families had been shattered.

Walter Ravenswood and Alaric Hawthorne hurriedly supported Victor Blackthorn, who could no longer stand.

"Hurry, hurry, pinch his acupoint!"

Walter Ravenswood desperately pinched Victor Blackthorn's acupoint, and only then did he stop fainting.

But now, there was no light in Victor Blackthorn's eyes; he was no longer the passionate man who had once eagerly bought up grain in an attempt to corner the market.

Victor Blackthorn sat on the ground, breathing heavily for a long time before finally calming down.

"Now, even the grain heading for Greenwood City has been robbed. What are we going to do?"

One person's shout immediately stirred the other family heads, and soon, the hall was filled with cries of "What should we do?"

Somehow, Victor Blackthorn suddenly blurted out:

"Let's go and report this!"

"Report?" Walter Ravenswood and the others were momentarily stunned.

They knew that they had intentionally bought up large amounts of grain, attempting to manipulate the market. Even if they hadn't openly clashed with Magnus Valorion, the Aedile surely knew that they had been causing trouble with grain purchases.

Victor Blackthorn nodded firmly and murmured, "That's right, we'll report this to the authorities."

Alaric Hawthorne asked with confusion, "Magnus Valorion must know we're secretly opposing him. Will he really stand up for us?"

"We are still citizens of Willowbrook Town. How could Magnus Valorion, as the Aedile, ignore us?" Victor Blackthorn replied.

"Besides, I've heard that Sinbad was captured by Magnus Valorion. Now, with Sinbad leading his men to raid, Magnus Valorion can't escape responsibility!"

Walter Ravenswood's analysis was so convincing that the others' eyes brightened.

"Walter Ravenswood is right. Let's go report this. Magnus Valorion, as the town's ruler, can't possibly ignore us ordinary folk!"

Victor Blackthorn still thought that Magnus Valorion was like the previous Aedile, Dick Long, who could be manipulated. He had no idea that after meeting the great Aedile, he would no longer speak with such confidence!

The family heads of Willowbrook Town, along with their injured family members, rushed toward the town hall.

Victor Blackthorn was about to enter when he was stopped by Duncan Thorngate at the door.

Duncan Thorngate shouted sternly, "How dare you common folk come here to cause trouble!"

Magnus Valorion had already anticipated that the families would come to report after being robbed twice by "Sinbad," so he had stationed Duncan Thorngate outside to give them a warning.

Victor Blackthorn, with his last remaining silver coin in hand, handed it to Duncan Thorngate and smiled, "Sir, I am the head of the Blackthorn family in our town. We are not here to cause trouble; we're here to ask Lord Magnus Valorion for justice!"

Duncan Thorngate shouted again, "Is this how you test the officials?"

"Which official can withstand this kind of test?"

Victor Blackthorn thought Duncan Thorngate was dissatisfied with the amount, so he quickly gathered a few more coins from Walter Ravenswood and Alaric Hawthorne and added them.

A total of seven or eight family heads, along with more than ten injured family members, managed to gather less than ten silver coins—how miserable it all was!

Duncan Thorngate saw that they had no more silver to squeeze out, so he finally allowed them to enter.

"Go in and wait. The Aedile is resting, so let me report it to him."

After thanking him, Victor Blackthorn and the others rushed into the town hall.

Inside, Magnus Valorion was playing chess with Galen Veritas.

"My lord, as you predicted, the three major families have come to report the issue!" Duncan Thorngate said.

"They even bribed me with ten silver coins!"

Magnus Valorion casually moved a chess piece, the queen, and responded indifferently, "A few family heads bribing you with such a small amount of money is truly pathetic! Just split it among your brothers."

"As for those people, let them kneel a little longer!"