"Wow, that’s a baron’s army. So cool. Do you think the hunters back in our village could beat them?"

"Keep your voice down. Barons are terrifying people. They’re the kind who could kill you without effort."

"But he’s really handsome. Look at that tall posture, whew. He must be the Baron of Wind Tour Territory, right? If I could catch his favor, maybe I could even live in a palace someday."

Low whispers from nearby travelers drifted into Phield’s ears. Judging by their accents, they clearly were not locals.

Did I just hear someone praising my looks?

Turning slightly, Phield saw a group of two boys and one girl. Their clothes were ragged and covered in patches. Heavy backpacks hung from their shoulders, while the boy in front carried an entire deer on his back.

The woman in the group had been chattering nonstop a moment ago, but the instant Phield glanced at her, she immediately shrank back in fear. Lowering her head timidly, she no longer dared to make a sound.

Like villagers entering a city for the first time, completely out of place.

Phield smiled and nodded at them.

Soon after, the army split into two groups. Phield led the cavalry toward Baron Wind Tour’s castle, while Newte took the soldiers to search for their families.

"He smiled at me just now!"

The girl became excited instantly, while the two boys beside her looked utterly speechless.

"Stop dreaming. Nobles only marry noble ladies. They wouldn’t even spare a glance at merchants’ daughters."

"Exactly. Quit fantasizing about impossible things. The Empire used to have the right of first night before it was abolished. Do you know why?"

Little Xi shook her head.

"No idea."

"Haha, because the nobles refused to dirty their noble selves by touching livestock like us."

The two boys burst into laughter. The boy leading the group comforted her casually.

"Come on. Once we sell this deer, we’ll head straight for the Imperial Capital. They say gold is everywhere there. As long as you’re willing to work hard, you’ll definitely find a decent job."

The girl did not get angry. Instead, she smiled and accepted the truth calmly.

In this world, almost every commoner understood their own place.

"Come on, can’t a girl fantasize a little?"

The girl waved her hand, then turned around and flashed the two boys a bright smile.

"Honestly, I don’t really care about living in a palace. As long as we make enough money in the Imperial Capital, we can buy lots of food for the village."

"Then... no more children will starve to death. Nobody will have to eat tree bark anymore."

Sadness surfaced in all three young faces simultaneously. Out of their entire village, only the three of them had survived under the villagers’ care and managed to escape to the relatively prosperous High Castle Province.

Clop. Clop. Clop.

Horse hooves rang crisply against the stone-paved streets.

As he entered the city, Phield saw smiling citizens everywhere. They walked with lively steps, carrying baskets filled with eggs as they busied themselves around town.

The entire place radiated prosperity and peace. Healthy rosy color filled the faces of the citizens, making it obvious they lacked neither food nor clothing.

Only...

The updated minimap showed a population density that seemed unnaturally high.

"The people here live very well."

Phield spoke meaningfully.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a wealthy territory."

The Wind Tour soldier leading the way cast Phield a strange glance before suddenly shouting at the surrounding citizens.

"Move aside, you dogs of the Viper faction! Didn’t you see the honored baron has arrived? Get the hell out of the way."

Only then did the nearby citizens reluctantly retreat.

Baron Busby’s castle stood ahead. Arrow towers lined the walls, and even a massive ballista was mounted above them. Combined with the city’s outer walls, any enemy trying to storm the place head-on would pay a heavy price.

"Greetings, honorable Sir Phield."

Surrounded by a group of guards, Busby stood before the castle drawbridge and greeted him with a warm smile.

"It’s been a long time. Your army seems to have expanded quite considerably."

His gaze unintentionally swept across the cavalry’s gleaming lances and black cloaks. For some reason, Busby felt chills creeping up his spine, as though a vicious wolf were staring directly at him.

"Good day, Sir Busby. Expanding cavalry forces is only natural."

Phield dismounted gracefully.

"I’ve heard that certain lawless elements have objections to Her Majesty’s absolutely righteous rule, so I’ve begun gathering troops in preparation for answering the Empress’s summons."

"I’m sure you’ll achieve great military accomplishments. Please, come inside and sit for a while."

Busby extended his hand politely in invitation.

As far as appearances went, Busby was undeniably handsome. His features carried both softness and firmness at the same time, making it difficult for anyone to dislike him.

The moment Phield entered the castle and took his seat, maids immediately served tea.

"Busby, do you remember the batch of slaves I purchased before?"

Phield spoke calmly, but before he could continue further, Busby frowned.

"My apologies. We’re severely lacking manpower right now. In fact, we’re importing slaves ourselves, so we truly can’t provide any to you."

After speaking, he quickly added:

"It’s because the magical beast population has expanded recently. The territory requires a massive amount of labor."

"That’s not why I came."

Phield remained calm despite sensing something was wrong.

"I only wish to redeem the families of my soldiers. Money is not an issue."

"There won’t be many people involved. At most, a few dozen."

"Ah? Uh..."

Busby seemed startled for a brief moment before quickly hiding it behind an elegant smile resembling that of a lawyer.

"To be frank, there’s really no need for that. They’re merely lowborn commoners."

"The families of slaves are slaves too, so naturally there’s some unavoidable loss during usage. You understand what I mean..."

Phield’s heart slowly grew heavier.

It had only been a few months. How many of the slaves from Newte’s batch had to die for Busby to speak so casually?

"Let’s talk about something more pleasant. Matters involving commoners simply aren’t worth worrying over."

Busby spread his hands.

"How about hunting? Or perhaps the beauties of High Castle Province."

"Mhm. Go on."

Meanwhile, at the butcher shop.

The three youths who had entered the city alongside Phield walked into the store excitedly.

Taz carried the deer on his back as he called out cheerfully:

"Boss, I’d like to sell this deer..."

"Move aside, idiot. Get out of the way."

Two muscular citizens carried a massive wooden crate together as they shoved their way into the butcher shop.

"Right, sorry about that."

Taz stepped aside, but the stag on his back accidentally bumped into the crate.

The two men immediately lost balance.

Bang!

The crate crashed onto the floor.

The wooden boards burst apart, revealing a naked woman inside.

Her entire body was drenched in sweat and other unspeakable fluids. She was clearly unconscious.

"It’s a person!"

The three youths’ pupils contracted violently as their entire bodies trembled in shock. Taz immediately stepped forward and bent down to check on her.

Before he could see clearly, one of the citizens blocked him.

"What the hell are you looking at, brat?!"

The man barked furiously, then instantly pulled out the butcher cleaver hanging from his waist and swung it straight at Taz.