Chapter 53: Chapter 53: A Noble Seeks Refuge

In the blink of an eye, the day of the oat harvest had arrived. Spring green had just begun to blanket the meadows, and birds returning from the south chirped noisily.

Thanks to the boost from the manure used during last year’s planting, the harvest far exceeded previous years.

In the fields, Little Eyes’s father knelt at the edge of the plot and prayed earnestly. "Thank you, Four Gods!"

"If you ask me, we should be thanking the Lord!" his wife said, tossing down her farming tools and wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "It was the Lord who taught us to use manure and even made plows for us."

Little Eyes’s father was far more devout than his wife. "Of course I’m grateful for the Lord’s benevolence, but it was the Four Gods who brought the bountiful harvest!"

A bountiful harvest was a gift from the gods, while an empty stomach was punishment for one’s own lack of piety.

But his wife retorted, "Six-Fingers doesn’t believe in the gods at all, and his harvest is even better than ours. Was that the Four Gods, too?"

Years ago, she had been born on Monkey Island, whose rulers were none other than the current King’s family, the Kaine Clan.

The people of Monkey Island didn’t believe in the Four Gods.

Later, she fled with her parents due to the chaos of war, narrowly avoiding enslavement. Later still, she arrived in Porcupine Territory with a group of pioneers, married her husband, and became a local.

Her faith in the Four Gods was lukewarm at best.

Her husband opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say.

Everyone knew Six-Fingers wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He didn’t understand faith at all, but he had endless brute strength. Back then, the Lord had even arranged for someone to teach Six-Fingers how to farm and use fertilizer. Six-Fingers diligently watched over his plot every day, and when harvest time came, the fool’s laughter could be heard from far away.

But everyone’s harvest was excellent, so there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t smiling.

His wife continued, "Besides, Little Eyes is working in the castle now. We owe all of this to the Lord."

"Then—then are you saying our bountiful harvest didn’t come from the Four Gods?" the man asked angrily, but his voice lacked conviction.

"Of course it has to do with the Four Gods," his wife said, kneeling as well, but she faced the castle. She went on, "The Lord is a Divine Favored! He is the messenger the Four Gods sent to us! The Lord is guiding us according to the gods’ instructions, so we should be even more grateful to the gods’ messenger! We should thank the Lord!"

"Thank you, Lord!" The man came to his senses and turned to kneel toward the castle.

The sound of horse hooves and CREAKING wagon wheels approached.

They looked up.

More new slaves were arriving...

Magic is intoxicating; power brings silence.

The first batch of oats from the spring harvest was hauled into the castle on two-wheeled carts, and the granary was already piled high.

Everyone had paid off their debts to the castle and still had plenty of grain left over.

After his routine check on the pregnant Flame-Mane mare, Leech sent for Arkke.

He hadn’t made her a maid just because she was pretty. As a nobleman, if he sought nothing more than beautiful and charming appearances, he could have a different beauty every day, never the same one twice.

But Leech wouldn’t do that. For the sake of one day being able to "live off" his older cousin, he had to keep a clean reputation.

The little maid wore a "maid outfit" that had been sewn by the needle-savvy Lady Sparrow, based on a description provided by the Lord himself.

It consisted of a plain-colored, one-piece dress paired with a frilled apron, and on her head, she wore a headscarf the Lord had named a "Katyusha."

Unfortunately, there were no white silk stockings, much to the Lord’s slight disappointment. Still, seeing the vibrant, youthful maids trade their homespun linen skirts for beautiful, uniform maid outfits was already a feast for the eyes.

At that moment, Arkke’s face was bright red. Before her, a ladybug rested quietly on a leaf.

The ladybug suddenly took flight and landed on the back of Arkke’s hand. She turned to Leech in pleasant surprise. "I did it, my Lord!"

But her voice was too loud, startling the ladybug, which spread its wings and flew away.

"Ah!" She reached for the ladybug, but it was too late.

Leech, however, just smiled. "You did well!"

The abilities of the Insect Control Remnant People were quite something. He had recently started having Arkke practice controlling insects. She had progressed from simply attracting nearby insects to being able to make one land on her hand—a huge improvement.

Praised by the handsome Lord, the maid Arkke gazed at his fine features and felt her cheeks burn. She quickly lowered her head, her heart pounding.

"My Lord," the first manservant, Duckfoot, called out from a distance. He knew that when the Lord was training Arkke, no one else was allowed to approach, and no one knew what they were training. "Master Qiao has returned, and there’s a Knight with him."

"A Knight?" Leech was surprised. He had tasked Gelan and Qiao with recruiting talented people for him—he would take any kind of talent—but a Knight was different. They were part of the nobility.

Every lord was a Knight, but not every noble could become one.

Then again, he thought, ’The manservant probably doesn’t know what a Knight is and just thinks the man looks heroic and imposing.’

"Keep practicing," Leech said to Arkke before turning to leave.

A moment later, Wine Cup, Oak Basin, and Little Eyes came running over. With more people around, their workloads were much lighter, and they had time to gather and chat.

"The Lord just smiled at you, didn’t he, Arkke?" Wine Cup asked, excited and envious.

’Maybe it’s because Arkke is pretty? In any case, the Lord treats her specially here in the castle.’

Arkke nodded.

"The Lord has never smiled at me," Wine Cup said indignantly. "Pitchfork and that Rabbit never let us get close to him. I just want to be a little closer... Hey! Oak Basin, I think the Lord has smiled at you, too."

Oak Basin, who had been standing quietly to the side, hadn’t expected the conversation to turn to her. Her face flushed crimson. "I—I have to get back to work, or Mr. Barrel will scold me."

"We just finished lunch, Mr. Barrel is resting," Wine Cup said, grabbing her to stop her from running off. The conversation, however, devolved from chatting to playful teasing.

They spent their days in the presence of the handsome Lord. They knew nothing would ever happen, but he was like a beautiful flower that they just wanted to look at a little more.

Meanwhile, Leech walked quickly toward the main hall, with Duckfoot hurrying to keep up beside him.

When Leech arrived, Qiao was waiting.

"My Lord!" Qiao immediately walked over. "I was only able to buy 21 slaves this time. Most places are no longer allowing us to purchase slaves. However, some small villages are willing to sell us the bandits and robbers they’ve captured."

"Bandits and robbers?"

"If they lock the bandits and robbers up, they have to feed them. If they let them go, they risk being plundered again," Qiao said with a nod. "So, they want to sell them to us on the cheap."

According to Lu Leiyi law, bandits and robbers are only punished by whipping, not hanging.

However, once bandits were captured, how they were dealt with was up to the local lord. If the commoners were angry enough, they would often choose to hang the bandits themselves. After all, the law doesn’t punish the masses.

"How many?" Leech asked. ’They chose to sell them as slaves instead of quietly killing them. That makes things a little different.’

’Bandits and robbers could also be sold to the arena, but it seems they didn’t intend to do that.’

"61."

"Bandits?!" Leech was taken aback.

’Sixty-one bandits... If they had knives and axes, the Porcupine Territory from before I transmigrated probably couldn’t have stopped them.’

’No wonder they want to get rid of them like a hot potato.’

’Killing 61 people would cause too much of a stir. It’s better to sell them quietly for money. Or is there another reason?’

’So many men... I really want them.’

"We can take them," Leech said. "But only the young and strong. No disabled ones."

’I’m not sure what I’ll do with them yet. It would be best if they could be trained into Soldiers. If not, they can quarry stone. I’m planning to repair my castle, and quarrying stone requires strong, healthy bodies.’

Qiao took out a bag of Jinri, the proceeds from this month’s trades.

"I made a special investigation and found that Becky Simon is having people divide each pill into ten portions, selling each for 5 copper stars." Qiao knew how much one pill sold for, so he had immediately returned to inform Leech upon learning this.

Leech weighed the Jinri in his hand, his mind pondering the thoughts of "Charming" Becky. He had to admit, she was a better businesswoman than him. His own pills could guarantee a "raised spear" for a long time, while Becky’s portions only needed to work for a few minutes—long enough for some men to regain their pride. If they weren’t satisfied, they could just buy more. After all, it was only 5 copper stars per dose.

In the end, it took 50 copper stars to get the equivalent dosage of one of Leech’s pills, but the price had been doubled.

He was making a small profit, while "Charming" was making a killing. Right now, he could only hope she was someone willing to get rich together. Iron Stone City was perfect for commercial operations. If his partnership with her fell apart, Porcupine Territory would likely be trapped and suffocated here in Pig Spine Valley.

"My Lord," Qiao continued, "there is a young nobleman who wishes to serve you. He is Kolan Fosak, the second son of the Fosaks, and he is waiting outside for an audience."