The butler finished clearing the hall, and all unrelated personnel had left the dining room.
Marianne carefully closed the doors and windows, sealing off the noise from outside.
Allen deliberately blew out most of the flickering candle flames, leaving only a few faint sources of light that divided the vast space into areas of shadow and dim glow.
The dining hall seemed isolated from the world, the air thick with a heavy and mysterious atmosphere.
The once noisy atmosphere quietly turned solemn. The members of the Wild Dog Gang instinctively stopped devouring their food, looking around in confusion.
Allen had joined a religious order in a previous cycle, so he knew well how a secret society cultivated a solemn and mysterious atmosphere for new initiates.
Allen walked to the makeshift podium. Before him was a brazier burning charcoal, the orange-red flames casting light on his calm face.
On the wall behind him hung a freshly completed banner bearing the symbol and emblem of the Brotherhood of the Children of Dawn—the Ring of Dawn.
The Ring of Dawn’s centerpiece was a simple yet heavy black circle, symbolizing the Old World’s bondage and its long, dark night.
At the upper right of the ring, a sharp crack pierced through the darkness, erupting with fierce golden light like a sun tearing apart the night sky and rising slowly.
At the tip of the light, three full drops of blood quietly dripped down, merging into the deep ring below, symbolizing sacrifice, oath, and the new life nurtured in darkness.
This carefully designed emblem immediately drew everyone’s attention.
The Wild Dog Gang members stared blankly at the banner, an indescribable sense of mission electrifying their long-numbed hearts.
“Everyone, welcome to Laval House.” Allen’s voice was steady and powerful, echoing through the silent dining room. “Have you all eaten your fill?”
The Wild Dog Gang members instinctively put down their food or utensils, their gazes fixed on Allen.
Which mattered more—being full or not—they were well aware.
“Since you’ve chosen to follow me,” Allen surveyed the crowd, “I will give you the returns you deserve.”
Previously, Allen had already wielded the big stick through his ‘terrifying bullying show.’
Now, it was time to feed his beloved ‘little rabbits’ some carrots.
“First, congratulations.” Allen raised his voice. “From this moment on, you are no longer rats living in the sewers. You can live with dignity under the sunlight.”
“Laval House will be your sanctuary. Here, you will receive vocational training, learn to read and write, shed your filthy rags, and become decent people.”
He swept his arm grandly and announced boldly, “As for your food, clothing, and shelter, Laval House will cover all expenses!”
Allen had already heard from his father that the business plan was a huge success; funding was no longer an issue.
When it’s time to splurge, splurge. Spending money to cultivate a loyal core team was a necessary investment.
Laval House was currently deeply in debt but still overflowing with wealth!
Once Allen’s business plan officially kicked off, Laval House would be like a money-printing factory—endless wealth to spend!
Allen’s grand promises left the Wild Dog Gang members exchanging glances, eyes filled with disbelief.
Could such good fortune truly exist?
The benefits had been laid out, but what was the price?
Facing their confused and wary gazes, Allen curled a meaningful smile at the corner of his mouth: “Of course, miracles and magic never come for free. The benefits I give you are no exception.”
“Listen up! From now on, you will hear my true plan!”
Allen once again detailed the grand vision of the Brotherhood of the Children of Dawn and the Handicraft and Labor Mutual Aid Guild.
How the guild would replace the ecological niche of the Thieves’ Guild, provide training, employment security, collective bargaining, internal arbitration, and mutual aid funds.
These concepts, far beyond the current era’s understanding, exploded like thunder in everyone’s mind.
The Wild Dog Gang members listened, dumbfounded, their initial surprise gradually turning into horror!
This once notorious villainous young master was seriously planning to improve the lives of the common people?!
Recalling Allen’s earlier radical declaration in the abandoned factory to ‘smash the Old World,’ even the dumbest could understand—
The Brotherhood of the Children of Dawn was essentially a secret society focused on rebellion!
They had truly boarded a pirate ship!
They had just eaten a full meal, and already wanted the next one.
Some began to waver.
Rebellion? That meant losing their heads!
Allen keenly sensed this hesitation. His gaze turned sharp as lightning and suddenly called out, “Finn Hawk!”
Once a ‘free’ sparrow, after recognizing Allen’s uniqueness, had voluntarily become his most loyal ‘lackey.’
Finn immediately stood, expression serious: “Boss, what are your orders?”
“What do you think of my plan?” Allen’s voice was calm but carried an invisible pressure.
All eyes focused on Finn. He was the backbone of the Wild Dog Gang, the only one who could barely maintain an ‘equal’ stance before Allen.
“Your idea… is good…” Finn carefully chose his words, “But the Thieves’ Guild has dominated Lucien’s underground world for hundreds of years, deeply entrenched, with countless secret channels… More terrifyingly, powerful figures in the Kingdom might be backing them! What… can we use to defeat them?”
“What can we use?” Allen sneered, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. “Absolute force! The fury of the people! The Thieves’ Guild is the embodiment of evil; the people have long hated them! As long as I can crush their organization and replace their functions with our guild, those rats who escape will be trampled by the enraged masses and never rise again!”
“And as for those powerful Kingdom figures?” Allen’s voice suddenly rose, exuding a world-defying aura. “There are plenty in the old order we want to overthrow! What’s there to fear from just one protective umbrella?!”
His gaze swept over the crowd as he passionately declared, “Come! You scoundrels, tell me! Haven’t the Thieves’ Guild oppressed you? Don’t you hate them? Don’t you…”
He deliberately paused, his voice laced with a hypnotic charm: “Ever thought… of replacing them?!”
A heavy silence filled the dining room.
Especially Finn, who understood better than anyone.
Groups like the Wild Dog Gang had to pay protection money to the Thieves’ Guild from most of their earnings.
Dare not pay?
The next day, the Wild Dog Gang would be kicked to death like stray dogs on the street!
Replace them? Who hasn’t thought about it?
But who had the strength to stand against the Thieves’ Guild’s enforcers? Who could hold up the underground world’s sky?
Yet, looking at Allen’s confidence bordering on arrogance, a strange sense of security and trust blossomed in Finn’s heart.
Maybe… he really could do it?
Allen scanned the crowd and smiled. “Actually, I’m not forcing you to stay or join.”
“You can reject the light I offer and crawl back to that dark world.”
“But…” Allen no longer hid the killing intent in his eyes. His tone turned icy and ruthless, “If you do, you won’t just face the oppression of the Thieves’ Guild—you will also face my determination to wipe out crime!”
“I hope those who want to leave… won’t end up dying by my sword.”
This naked threat instantly extinguished any flicker of hesitation in everyone’s heart.
True, death was inevitable anyway—why not choose a death in the light?
“Finn.” Allen’s gaze locked onto the brown-haired youth, “I have high hopes for you. Do you think… you can be a good leader for the Mutual Aid Guild?”
That look was a warning: ‘Dare to refuse, and you die,’ but also carried old affection and trust.
Finn took a deep breath, suppressing his fear, his eyes resolute: “Leave it to me, boss! I won’t disappoint you!”
Allen’s gaze swept over the others: “And you? Are you ready to build a new world?”
Silence. Struggle. Finally, led by Finn, the Wild Dog Gang members slowly nodded, their eyes filled with resolute determination.
At that moment, a disabled man missing an arm struggled to stand and hoarsely asked, “Young Master Laval… will there be a place for someone like me in the Heaven on Earth you want to create?”
Allen looked at him with sympathy. “What happened to your hand?”
The disabled man’s face showed deep sorrow: “I was once… a knight. Until… I lost this arm on the battlefield, cut off by sea raiders… Since then, I’ve had to live by begging.”
Allen frowned and then turned his gaze to an elderly man with white hair and a face full of hardship. “Sir, why did you join such a lowly gang?”
The old man’s cloudy eyes welled with tears. “My wife and children… all died… killed under the persecution of a noble lord. They took away my property… and in the end, I could only wander. The only thing I have left… is the bookkeeping skill I learned doing business in my youth… I keep the Wild Dog Gang’s accounts.”
Bernard carefully examined the old man, then suddenly exclaimed, “Mr. Robert DuPont?! You… aren’t you my father’s business partner? You must have met me as a child. How could you… fall to this state?”
Robert looked at Bernard, his cloudy eyes wide, tears streaming down: “Lord Bernard… it’s you… I… I don’t know either… That day, the sky suddenly fell… I just remembered… I once asked Mr. Jacques to repair my house… but it’s all gone… all gone…”
The old man’s sobbing stirred a profound resonance among everyone.
Shared suffering, shared despair, surged within each person’s heart.
Allen’s heart stirred.
He realized that everyone here was a victim of the Old World’s oppression! Why not seize this opportunity to truly unite their hearts?
“Come!” Allen’s voice was filled with solemn yet determined power. “Tell us your stories. Let everyone hear how many kinds of suffering this world holds, and see how the Old World forced kind people toward destruction!”
Under Allen’s guidance, a deeply moving session of lament and storytelling began.