Back in Rhodes

"Mr. Morgan, Mr. Marston!"

Arthur and John rode their horses slowly, almost leisurely, along the sun-dappled roads of Rhodes. It seemed as if every two meters, a smiling face would appear, a respectful voice calling out to greet them.

"Hello, gentlemen, how has life been lately?" Arthur responded, a practiced warmth in his voice, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the people, returning their greetings with a genuine smile. John, riding beside him, simply nodded, a simple, almost childlike gesture, his expression one of benign contentment.

"Very good, sir! Very good!" a man exclaimed, his face beaming, a veritable beacon of happiness. He gestured animatedly at the goods piled high on the carriage behind him as he explained to Arthur.

"Since Mr. Van der Linde cleared out the various gangs in New Hanover, our transportation work has been much safer than before! Now, the profits from trade between Rhodes and Valentine are very considerable, and our lives are much better than before!" He chuckled, a foolish, joyful sound.

"That's good, sir. That's very good indeed," Arthur nodded, a genuine sense of satisfaction filling him. "After all, Dutch's main purpose in clearing out the gangs was to make your lives a little better. I think his efforts were certainly not in vain. Alright, sir, we'll talk later." Arthur raised a hand in farewell, then nudged his horse forward, intending to continue his leisurely ride with John.

However, the man repeatedly called out, his voice urgent, pleading. "Oh, please wait, Mr. Morgan, Mr. Marston! Oh… these are candies we're transporting to Valentine. Please, both of you sirs, accept them. This is just my small, humble token of gratitude. Thank you very much for the Van der Linde Gang's help!" The man stood up from his carriage, then reached behind the frame to pull out two beautifully packaged cans of candy.

He then jogged down from the carriage, his movements surprisingly spry, and handed them to Arthur and John, his face alight with the most sincere, unadulterated smile. He was truly, genuinely sincere, for the Van der Linde Gang's systematic encirclement and brutal suppression operation against the gangs had been a momentous event, one that had profoundly, positively, affected the lives of every single common person throughout New Hanover.

The safe, secure environment that Dutch had so ruthlessly brought about had ushered in colossal changes in their lives. Mutual trade, which was previously an unimaginable, suicidal endeavor, could now be carried out freely, openly.

During this period, countless people had managed to pull themselves out of impoverished lives through this burgeoning trade, and it had also provided a multitude of new job opportunities for others.

Valentine and Rhodes had transformed from places with a desperately difficult job-seeking environment to thriving hubs where workers were now hard to find, and transporters, escorts, and gunmen were in extremely high demand. This economic boom had led to significant positive changes in the lives of countless individuals and had made New Hanover more vibrant, more dynamic, more alive than ever before.

"Alright, sir… thank you!" Arthur, seeing the profound sincerity in the man's eyes, hesitated for a moment, then nodded, a genuine smile replacing his usual stoicism, and reached out to take the offered candy. And when John saw Arthur take it, he, too, reached out, accepting his own can.

"Oh, I think Jack will like it very much. Thank you, sir." John's voice, for once, was soft, gentle.

"No, no, no, it should be us thanking you, Mr. Morgan, Mr. Marston!" the man insisted, beaming with joy at their acceptance of his humble gift. "Without you, without Mr. Van der Linde, I wouldn't have the life I have today! I would still be starving!"

"Alright, we won't bother you anymore. Wish you a smooth journey!" Arthur raised a hand in farewell, then slowly rode forward with John, heading towards the saloon in Rhodes, a place that, like the town itself, had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Compared to just a month ago, the very appearance of Rhodes today was vastly, astonishingly different. A mere month ago, Rhodes had been a suffocating tangle of desire, of numbing despair, of utter hopelessness, with two powerful, warring families co-governing the town, almost completely monopolizing every aspect of its existence.

The ordinary people here could only choose one family or the other to work for, like enslaved cattle, with no other possibilities, no other paths to a decent life. And now, after the baptism of blood and fire, after the gruesome, systematic removal of its former masters, Rhodes, though still bearing the scars of bullet holes and the faint, lingering scent of gunpowder smoke, had ushered in its own vibrant new life.

A safe, secure living environment, robust public security management, the promise of free trade resources, and abundant job opportunities that no one could possibly fail to find… The Rhodes massacre a month ago still lingered as a grim memory in the minds of these people, a haunting echo of the past, but just a month later, a whole new world had miraculously emerged. Truly, no one, not even the most optimistic dreamer, could have imagined it.

Arthur and John rode slowly down the streets of Rhodes, and everywhere their eyes fell, almost every single face was beaming with wide, genuine smiles. The ever-present, cloying smell of marijuana in the air had long since disappeared, banished by a cleansing fire. The noxious tobacco plants that had once choked the fields around Rhodes had long since been burned to ashes, and now, miraculously, grain seeds had been planted in the freshly tilled soil, their tender shoots already reaching for the sun. It was entirely foreseeable that, nourished by the rich wood ash, next year would surely bring a bountiful harvest, a golden future for the town.

"Oh, I feel that Dutch's management methods seem to be very effective, after all," Arthur murmured, looking at the laughing and talking people on both sides of the street, speaking with a slight sense of trance, a touch of wonder. Rhodes, at this time, compared to its former, dismal self, could truly be called free, democratic, and prosperous.

At the entrance of the 'VDL' Clothing Store, a new sight met their eyes: members of the burgeoning women's suffrage movement were holding up signs, constantly shouting their demands, their voices clear and passionate, attracting a sizable crowd of onlookers, with a few police officers diligently maintaining order nearby.

The sole surviving direct descendant of the once-powerful Braithwaite family, a young woman, surprisingly, had no time to worry about the tragic downfall of her family. She was standing proudly in the crowd, holding up a sign of her own, shouting along with the others, proclaiming her new spirit of resistance, her embrace of the changing times.

And as the sole surviving direct descendant of the rival Gray Family, the Gray Family boy, too, stood with her in the crowd, supporting his lover, helping her hold up the sign, a peculiar symbol of their shared future. The downfall of their once-mighty families and the dramatic change in the control of Rhodes had seemingly no impact whatsoever on either of them; they didn't even feel sad, not truly. They were, in fact, eager to enter into marriage, to embrace the new era of civilization that Dutch promised.

But thankfully, as a core ideology vigorously promoted by the Van der Linde Gang, the women's suffrage movement in this particular place was no longer met with as much fierce resistance. Even if some of the more traditional men still scoffed and belittled it in private, Mr. Van der Linde's undeniable backing meant they no longer openly insulted, abused, or even resorted to violence.

And at the entrance of the 'VDL' Clothing Store, another new establishment had opened: a gleaming gold and jewelry store, seemingly run by a German family. At this time, in front of the jewelry store, two children, a cheerful boy and a girl, were busily handing out flyers, their voices bright.

And a German man with a distinctive moustache stood at the storefront with his wife, both smiling warmly as they greeted customers entering the store. As if by some strange twist of fate, the man looked up and inadvertently, his gaze sweeping over the street, glanced directly at Arthur and John. They nodded and smiled at each other, a silent acknowledgment of the new, peaceful order, then each looked elsewhere, content.

New Hanover was now so safe, so thoroughly pacified, that even these high-end gold and silver jewelry stores dared to open their doors in such previously lawless towns.

"I think so too, Arthur. Damn it, look at that jewelry store, it's truly surreal. They actually dare to open such a high-end luxury goods store in our Van der Linde Gang territory! I feel that if we were still like before, this store would probably be robbed tonight, cleaner than a whistle!" John was speaking so much, so effusively, for the first time in what felt like forever; he felt a bit emotional looking at the newly opened store.

He couldn't help but feel a profound wave of sentimentality. Just four short months ago, such stores were their prime targets for daring, lucrative robberies, but now, miraculously, they were the very ones safeguarding these gleaming establishments. The irony was not lost on him.

"Shit, Marston, why do you always, always bring about robbing?" Arthur angrily rebuked John in a low, exasperated voice, his patience thinning. "In Saint Denis you wanted to rob a jewelry store, and here you still want to rob a jewelry store! Why do you always forget that we've transitioned?! That we're legitimate businessmen now?!"

"Come on, Arthur," John retorted, completely unperturbed by Arthur's ire. "I'm sure your very first thought when you saw that store was also to rob it, don't lie!" Damn it, John thought, a triumphant grin on his face.

He had already bitten the bullet and, against all his stubborn instincts, reconciled with Abigail, all to build up a thick skin against Arthur's incessant sarcasm and taunts. Now, he was no longer afraid of Arthur's threats.

"Oh… I don't want to talk to you," Arthur sighed deeply, a genuine sound of defeat, then continued to ride towards the saloon, his shoulders slumped in resignation. The sounds from both sides of the street, the cheerful chatter, the calls of vendors, constantly entered their ears, showcasing the vibrant, undeniable vitality of Rhodes.

"Extra, extra! Mr. Van der Linde is recruiting new construction workers, mining workers, as well as mining scholars and prospectors, and personnel to collect relevant information!"

"Who wants the fourth issue of the Hope Ranch Report, only two cents a copy!"

A newsboy, different from the one in Valentine, kept shouting at the street corner, his voice hoarse, attracting a large crowd of eager listeners to inquire about the plentiful job opportunities. Teams of newly recruited construction workers from the Van der Linde Gang, identifiable by their fresh, sturdy work clothes, were walking purposefully towards the construction site just outside Rhodes.

They had just finished their lunch and would immediately resume construction, continuing to build Dutch's new empire in Rhodes. Arthur and John looked in the direction they were walking, towards a spot not far outside Rhodes, and saw only a few newly built houses and the raw foundations of countless others currently under construction.

A large sign in bold, red cloth was stretched across the houses, proclaiming in stark letters: "Hope Community Phase Two." The future, Dutch's future, was being built right before their eyes.