Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill finished the maze and went straight to the tavern.

Terry was always hardworking, opening the doors by 8 a.m. every day.

And early in the morning, there were already people ordering his Golden Dragon special.

Although Terry had a kind of ordinary cocktail that cost 10 Gold Coins a glass, no one dared to order it because the tiny words written in the farthest corner indicated that this was just for show.

The centerpiece of his menu was the ’Sunrise’ cocktail, costing 100 Gold Coins a glass, which was Lynn’s creation, made with the uniquely flavored Kaulfu as a base and blended with green orange juice, cranberry, and red fruit sauce.

A successfully mixed ’Sunrise’ looked like a swath of red cloud in the sky, very romantic.

Kaulfu was a kind of wine popular in the Sword Bay area, with a unique hue, presenting a bright and clear blue color. Despite its tropical appearance, it didn’t taste fruity, but rather had a floral flavor.

But few people used it as a base for cocktails since a bottle cost 50 Gold Coins.

However, using it for Golden Dragon’s concoctions seemed to give it extra value! Terry’s use of expensive ingredients was well-known among the merchants, who recognized the quality.

Next, to enjoy the service of the Golden Dragon was quite the bargain indeed!

After all, it had been proven by pioneers that the Golden Dragon only cared about the price of the drink you bought, not if you enjoyed his service.

Every day, one or even several upright merchants would loudly order a ’Sunrise’ under everyone’s gaze, sipping the expensive cocktail mixed with envy, jealousy, and resentment from the onlookers, served by the Golden Dragon with a smile and soft words.

The actual cost of that cocktail was solidly just 10 Gold Coins, but the drinks, in reality, cost very little.

If it were a wine with special spices that Hill couldn’t replicate, then yes, but for pure wines made from somewhat special grapes, Hill faced no troubles at all.

In the tavern’s cellar, there were several huge barrels of Kaulfu wine, which was only there since the wine gained flavor with age, something Lynn especially liked.

According to the agreement between Hill and Terry, Hill only charged half the cost of the materials, with the rest, no matter the amount, going to Terry.

For every glass of cocktail, Terry could make a profit of 95 Gold Coins, and he had been very proactive lately.

So even though he was very interested in the forest maze games before, Terry seemed indifferent now, for Gold Coins were his greatest pleasure.

The games were just a pastime.

That was until Hill casually mentioned the specific treasures involved in the treasure game.

When he heard about Mithril, he was completely swayed.

The only remnant of his reason was that he still knew to tell Marsha to call on Lynn to substitute for a few days when Lynn was free.

Lynn rarely appeared now, as he mostly had to stay home and manage the miscellaneous affairs of the domain.

As the population grew, although there were no major issues, it was actually the petty matters that were more exhausting.

Moreover, now that they had Lynn, any issues related to public order naturally fell on his shoulders, much to the Silver Shield Paladins’ convenience.

In the past, everyone voluntarily refrained from bothering Hill with such small matters, resolving them on their own.

Especially for petty theft, brawls, and squabbles, they could only manage according to the legal system devised by the priest of Tyr.

But in truth, they were well aware that the legal statutes made by the Church of Tyr didn’t apply everywhere in Toril, nor was every lord willing to accept them.

It required the whole society to recognize the legitimacy of the law for it to be truly acknowledged as meticulous legislation.

But for Toril, in truth, most of the laws were a facade, with raw power being the true constraint on the lower classes.

More often than not, the law was like a piece of tattered paper, easily punctured.

Hill didn’t intend to get involved, and the people of Silver Shield could understand that; after all, the residents were their own people, already accustomed to observing the laws of Tyr.

But with these outsiders coming in, the Paladins began to sense the newcomers’ growing dissatisfaction.

They didn’t see the need to follow those trivial laws, feeling that respecting the lord’s wishes was sufficient.

Even among Professionals, many couldn’t understand the content of the legal statutes, not to mention the largely illiterate common folk.

The Silver Shield Paladins, after some discussion, decided that the legislative power for the domain’s laws should be transferred to a Mayor appointed by the lord, while they themselves would adhere to Tyr’s laws.

Yet, Lynn unhesitatingly followed their set legal statutes to establish the small town’s rules.

Of course, the cost was Lynn’s sleepless nights for several days on end.

Certainly, Lynn consulted Hill before making a decision.

Then he saw the ’Laws of Saral Country,’ more detailed than even Beatier’s law book, not even in the same league in thickness.

Lynn finally understood why Hill was so rule-abiding.

Toril’s most frantic deities would not dare to devise a law that encompassed an entire person’s life.

Before that, we must first popularize culture; at the very least, we should ensure that the commoners know what breaking the law means.

In a place like Agleya Town with few inhabitants, it might be feasible, but who can afford the cost in the neighboring Deepwater City with over a million residents?

Even the deities are no different—they are not the worshippers themselves.

Lynn had Hill take the book away and resolutely sought the embrace of Tyr.

He clearly understood that Hill, despite his immense strength, still willing to abide by the laws of Saral Country, would definitely not want to see his domain become like any ordinary town in Toril.

Although it was tiring, Lynn was absolutely unwilling to let down Hill’s trust in him.

The Paladins of Tyr were surprised to find that the same legal provisions, when issued by Mayor’s Mansion under Lynn, were readily accepted by the new residents.

Many Paladins at this time suddenly realized why the priests in the Church sometimes even agreed to obey some of the foolish laws proposed by the lords and Nobles.

They also came to understand more deeply why one of the tenets of Tyr’s doctrine emphasized ’enhancing the understanding of various local laws.’

Due to this matter, many Paladins advanced one level.

But Lynn became even busier, as the Paladins focused only on law; he had to manage the economy and the political affairs as well.

After Hill informed him of the livestock acquisition, Lynn instructed the puppets to buy some reasonably priced fresh meat and freeze it to prevent price inflation from affecting the local residents.

Although Hill only bought live animals, Lynn was well aware that the price of frozen meat would also rise. However, be it any type of meat, there wasn’t much that the commoners could afford.

On their dining tables, a feast constituted poultry like chicken and duck, and now few could afford frozen meat.

Nevertheless, Lynn still hoped to be more thoroughly prepared.

Lynn was so busy with his work that he didn’t notice that Terry hadn’t come to learn mixology from him for two days.

After being informed by Hill about the puzzle game, Terry forgot everything and directly reverted to his original form at the tavern’s entrance, charging into the maze.

The tavern again entered a period where only the original flavor alcohol could be purchased from the puppets, as the Golden Dragon’s specially crafted cocktails were temporarily out of stock.

Many wealthy merchants and Nobles who had traveled especially to acquire bragging rights could only sigh in regret.

The merchants were in a rush and had no choice but to continue on their journey, but the Nobles instead checked into hotels, planning to wait here for a few days.

Although the Golden Dragon did not appear, they were still pleased because the next day they saw a huge Silver Dragon circling in the sky, and on the third day, an even larger Golden Dragon granted them a brief glimpse.

Even though both the Giant Dragons headed straight for Sword Mountain, just having seen such large dragons was enough for them to boast for a long time.

With so many witnesses, no one would doubt their claims anymore.

Then the proud Nobles, on the third day, noticed the young traveling heroes preparing to go into the water at noon.

For the Nobles, it was not important to know the scholars living nearby, but they absolutely had to recognize the relatives of Nobles and powerholders from cities afar.

They curiously stood at the very edge of Hill’s Domain, pointing and speculating at the dozen or so individuals getting ready to enter the water, wondering what the four cities were up to.

Although it was regrettable that they could not ascend the hillside with the best view next to Tyr Temple, they did not wish to try and go up and look.

After all, the fully armed Paladins standing atop the slope signaled to these Nobles that it was dangerous.

They preferred standing within the Puzzle Lock and watching from a distance rather than facing risks.

Hill, who was also standing on the terrace watching, noticed that the newly arrived residents of the town, after observing for a few minutes, managed to sell quite a few tables, chairs, cushions, some food and drinks, and even set up parasols for the Nobles.

These artisans were much quicker in their response than Hill’s puppets.

They even took advantage of the local residents’ right to shop at a 20% discount, reselling some exquisite luxury goods to these Nobles.

This was already a channel for earning money left by Hill for them, so he just limited the quantity of their monthly purchases to prevent too much profit yet ensuring a normal life.

Otherwise, Hill didn’t know how else to sustain the livelihoods of so many people he’d brought over.

Prices in Toril were too polarized, and Hill was somewhat puzzled by it.

But the diligent folks, as long as they sold the discounted goods from Hill Shop at a slightly increased price, could at least not worry about the rent.

Hill knew his own problem—he earned money too easily, with a lifestyle too detached from ordinary people; not to mention being down-to-earth, he couldn’t reach the ceiling even if he bent down.

So, if it were not to pull Lynn over, he would have never allowed ordinary people to live in his town.

But it seemed, they were living quite well.

Lynn’s capabilities were indeed strong; serving as Sheriff in Quelva was truly beneath him.

Hill smiled contentedly and exchanged a glance with the captain of the Silver Shield atop the hill.

It appeared that these Paladins felt that Baal’s remnant soul was still around.