Lord of Rot

”Deni, perhaps you could use those sharp, critical eyes of yours to see that Porcupine Territory is more than just pretty houses,” Claude said. ”There are no beggars here. I think this might be the only territory in all of Lu Leiya without any.”

Hearing this, Deni suddenly realized it seemed to be true. They had passed through Livestock Village, with Maitian Village ahead, and he hadn’t seen a single beggar.

”My Lord, you leave me speechless,” Deni exclaimed with sincere admiration.

Only when a lord cares for his residents and ensures everyone has food to eat will the number of beggars decrease.

As for making beggars disappear completely, not even the wealthy royal capital could achieve that.

It wasn’t that one couldn’t earn money in the capital, but rather that there were so many rich people that begging was more profitable than working.

Some people would even capture children, cut off their hands and feet, and force them to beg.

The nobles wouldn’t hesitate to spare a few Silver Moons for such pitiful children.

To completely eliminate beggars like Porcupine Territory had, it wasn’t just due to the lord’s excellent governance. The main reason was that the territory was small and had few people.

A smaller population was easier to manage.

”What are they doing?” Claude asked, puzzled, as he looked at the small plaza ahead.

Hundreds of people were gathered, formed into two lines.

’I didn’t expect Gelan to be so fast.’ Leech thought to himself. ’I just gave the order, and he’s already started. His efficiency is incredible.’

Then he said, ”They’re relocating. That batch of red brick houses has been built, and residents can pay a little money to move in.”

”You mean those beautiful houses we saw on our way here?” Deni was truly astonished. He never imagined the Lord would spend his own money to build houses for commoners to live in.

Leech nodded. ”Of course.”

”You truly are a kind and benevolent lord,” Deni said from the heart.

Not wanting to be outdone by Deni, Claude immediately chimed in, ”Look at them lining up, moving forward in an orderly fashion, not just a chaotic mob.”

”You won’t find residents more orderly or law-abiding than those of Porcupine Territory anywhere else,” Leech said with a smile.

Although the crowd in the small plaza was a bit of a surprise, their long, orderly lines still made Leech look very good in front of the two visiting merchants.

No one likes a chaotic territory; everyone prefers to do business with people who respect order.

This helped to build the image of Porcupine Territory.

Feeling pleased, Leech added a few more words of praise for his people.

...

Little Antelope stood in the crowd, standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck to see ahead.

Her business at the vegetable market had been booming lately. She had not only paid off her debts but also earned a tidy sum.

As soon as she heard the beautiful red brick houses were for sale, she had rushed over at the first opportunity.

But members of the town patrol, holding wooden clubs, stopped them. Everyone had to line up.

Anyone who lived in Porcupine Territory for a while would discover that such requirements were common. People had also realized that lining up fairly made everything more efficient.

There were two lines in total. The specific procedures were still unclear, but it couldn’t hurt to go inside and see. The autumn midday sun beat down on their faces, making their skin burn, yet the people stood lining up in the small plaza, looking ahead anxiously.

No one knew what was happening at the front.

Little Antelope was pretty lucky. The line she was in moved faster than the other, probably because it had more young people, who seemed to understand things more quickly.

Thinking that she might soon be able to buy her very first house and have a home of her own, Little Antelope’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.

Suddenly, two people cut in front of Little Antelope.

”What are you doing?” Little Antelope asked, looking at the two who had just cut in.

One was old, the other young. The old one had graying hair, and the young one was heavyset.

The people behind her also began to protest, ”Why are you cutting in line?!”

”Someone’s cutting!”

When one person cut in line, everyone else had to move back a spot for no good reason. What if moving back just this once caused them to miss out on their chance for a new house?

”I just moved over from that line!” the younger one said. ”Look, we were in this same spot in that line, so we’re in the same spot in this line.”

”But that’s still cutting,” Little Antelope said, unable to let it go.

The commotion immediately drew the attention of the town patrol.

”What’s going on here?”

The club-wielding patrolman still carried a lot of authority.

”They cut in line. They just squeezed in right in front of me,” Little Antelope said. Normally, she tried to be agreeable, but today was different. Her dream was right in front of her. She lived her life by the rules; why should she have to step aside when someone else was aggressively trying to snatch away her opportunity?

”It’s not cutting,” the younger woman repeated what she’d said before, then explained to the patrolman, ”We were also lining up over there, inching forward. When we left, didn’t the people in that line move up? So how can it be cutting if we come to this line? It’s a lateral move!”

She must know an apprentice from the city hall; she spoke with such careful phrasing.

”But I’m two spots further back now,” Little Antelope said, feeling wronged.

The patrolman didn’t know what to do. His job was to maintain order, not necessarily to enforce fairness.

The old woman, who had been silent until now, suddenly whipped her head around, her expression as vicious as a snarling dog’s. ”You’re not from Porcupine Territory originally, are you? You’re a slave, right? We’re from Maitian Village. So what if we cut in front of you? What are you going to do about it? The Lord himself said that those of us being relocated get to choose our houses first.”

Hearing that Little Antelope had been a slave, the patrolman’s attitude shifted slightly. It was also undeniable that he was intimidated by the two belligerent women. They had clearly hit his weak spot, knowing he just wanted to smooth things over and make the problem go away.

”Let’s just leave it at that,” the patrolman said, looking at Little Antelope, intending to forcibly put an end to the line-cutting incident.

”I am a commoner of Porcupine Territory, not a slave!” Little Antelope retorted, breathing heavily as she couldn’t help but raise her voice.

But then she noticed the chaotic scene had suddenly fallen silent.

She saw the patrolman turn his head and followed his gaze to look behind her.

Baron Leech was there, stopped on his horse not far away. He was flanked by two men, one stout and one thin, who looked to be of high status.

At this moment, the Lord’s expression was perfectly calm, betraying no hint of pleasure or anger.

But anyone who wasn’t blind could tell something was very wrong with the atmosphere.

’Did I really just finish bragging to two merchants about the future of Porcupine Territory, about how everyone here could live and work in peace, how everyone was law-abiding, only for someone to immediately make a fool out of me?’

”My Lord,” Claude said with a smile, ”I’m really looking forward to that delicious ice cream. You have no idea, after leaving Porcupine Territory, I’ve been dreaming about that wonderful taste for the longest time.”

Deni, standing beside him, nodded repeatedly. ”After hearing this fellow praise it so much, I’m incredibly curious myself.”

They both wanted to change the subject quickly. The more they were caught up in this atmosphere, the more awkward their position as outsiders became.

”Rest assured, gentlemen,” Leech said with a smile. ”The ice cream is already prepared. Please, follow me.”

The two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Before leaving, however, Leech looked at the patrolman. ”Go to the city hall in a little while. No, come find me directly.”

The patrolman shuddered and quickly replied, ”Yes, sir!”

He knew he was in trouble, and it was these three people who had caused it.

’Especially that Little Antelope. It was just a little line-cutting, wasn’t it? And those women are from Maitian Village. Couldn’t a former slave like you just keep your mouth shut? What does it matter if you’re one spot forward or one spot back?’

’Now that the Lord knows about this, I’m definitely going to be punished.’