Chapter 153: Godlike Baron, Godlike Nation's White Sturgeon Island (13)

Weilan.

A rural market in a southern coastal prefecture.

In an inconspicuous corner of the market, a large group of farmers formed a circle, and suppressed passionate whispers continually came from the center.

"You know, I have a relative who went to White Sturgeon Island. He told me that the pearls there are cheaper than pebbles, and people soak pearls in water to drink!"

The speaker is a middle-aged man dressed like a traveling merchant.

"Mmm~~~"

The crowd gasped in amazement.

"He also said that the farmers on White Sturgeon Island have an endless supply of cheap fertilizer, and the potatoes they grow are especially productive, nearly 2000 kilograms per mu!"

"Wow~ who could eat all that?" someone exclaimed.

"Of course you can't finish it."

"So not only do they never worry about food, they can also sell the surplus for money. One kilogram of potatoes trades for ten copper coins, 1000 kilograms equals six gold coins, and island farmers receive two mu of land upon reaching adulthood!"

The farmers immediately started calculating.

Those who could calculate quickly arrived at the result: "If a family has three adult laborers, potatoes yield two harvests a year, one harvest brings in eighteen Ogre, two harvests would be nearly forty Ogre!"

Someone immediately replied: "Your calculation is wrong. One harvest is enough to feed the family. The second harvest can be sold entirely, so it's far more than forty Ogre, at least fifty Ogre."

"Who has only three laborers in a family? Normally there are five or six laborers, right?"

"Then with so many potatoes, can they actually be sold?"

"Of course they can. Even if the market doesn't want them, the lord buys at market price, taking however much there is."

"Can the lord really be that good? At least they don't collect taxes!"

"They do collect taxes—our lord won't let us grow potatoes at all, forcing us to grow that damned tobacco instead; my son is starving and wailing every day!"

The traveling merchant immediately said: "The lord of White Sturgeon Island is different."

"They said, nothing is more important than filling one's stomach, so land must first be used for grain."

"Only when grain is abundant, even enough to last two or three years, can one consider planting other things. Doing it the other way around is heretical evil!"

"That's well said~ anyone who can say such a thing must be a good lord!"

"Exactly, if only our lord were like that."

"I spit~ that vampire, I wish I could"

The speaking farmer glanced left and right, then immediately continued: "I'll beat him to death with a hoe!"

Another southern location.

Midnight.

In a large tobacco-processing factory in a southern prefecture, the big dormitory where workers sleep.

After a day of laborious work, a group of workers are still awake.

In the narrow, dim, low-ceilinged room filled with sweat stench, foot odor, and various mysterious smells, a group of people intently listen to a young worker speaking.

"Do you know, the factories on White Sturgeon Island only need to work twelve hours a day, which is three hours less than ours!"

"Then they must surely earn much less than us."

A worker who thought he understood said.

The young worker gave him a contemptuous glare: "You know jack shit!"

"My distant paternal uncle works on White Sturgeon Island; he sent word back that the lowest-paid work there earns one gulun per day, with three meals provided, each meal filling, and they even give a full half hour for eating!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed shock.

"Working only twelve hours a day, yet having an hour and a half for meals—this is too luxurious!"

"Would the factory owner be willing?"

The young worker looked at them as if they were clueless.

"The lord would of course love to make us work twenty-four hours, but the White Sturgeon Island lord doesn't allow it."

"The island has clear regulations: workers may not work more than twelve hours a day, must be fed adequately, must have sufficient rest time, injuries and illnesses must be treated, and whipping is absolutely forbidden."

"Once a factory owner violates the regulation, they will immediately face heavy penalties!"

'Whoosh~~'

The workers, their clothes dirty and smelly, bodies thin and gaunt, listened with eyes shining.

"Does such a good lord really exist in the world?"

"Even if the lord is good, if the factory owner can't make money, wouldn't the factory have to close?"

"Exactly, if the factory closes, then none of us would earn any money."

The young worker spread his hands.

"I don't know that, but our Fulun Knight just bought a new carriage, heard it cost over three thousand Ogre, while his previous carriage was bought only a year ago and is still brand new."

After this, the workers fell silent.

The young worker added: "My cousin said the factory owners on the island are nowhere near as extravagant."

"Their lives are certainly better than ours workers, but they are all commoners by birth, they know life is not easy."

"Not to mention buying carriage after carriage, even buying a new set of clothes requires careful calculation; spending an extra copper coin hurts."

Fearing comparison, a worker gritted his teeth: "So our southern factory owners are just vampires!"

"Not just vampires, but demons!"

"Last year my father died, I wanted to take leave for the funeral. Fulun Knight said my father's death has nothing to do with me, I wanted to punch his father to death and then ask him if it's related!"

The workers began to verbally condemn the factory owners in a clamor.

Dawn City, Harbor District.

The sun set, the light quickly dimmed, and the nightlife of the Harbor District officially began.

In the calm Storm Bay, splendid phoenix ships lit their lamps.

The qin maiden lifted her seven-string zither; one by one, alluring, provocatively dressed beautiful dancing girls energetically danced on the spacious deck.

The dissolute yet generous gentlemen all boarded the ship.

Once the quota was met, the phoenix ship would slightly pull away from the dock, drifting in the bay, allowing the gentlemen to safely and comfortably enjoy the delights of earthly paradise.

「Weigh anchor~depart~~」

With the sailors' loud shout, another splendid phoenix ship carrying passengers left the dock.

On the upper deck, singers and dancers performed energetically, and the spectators were fully absorbed, but below deck the cabins presented a completely different scene.

Men and women sat upright in neat rows of chairs.

From their attire and bearing, it was clear that each person had decent upbringing and social standing.

Each person also wore one or two magical implements, indicating they were likely mages.

But nearly everyone's face bore a troubled expression, showing they were dissatisfied with many aspects of their current life.

At this moment, each person held a beautifully bound illustrated book, while at the farthest side of the cabin a small table stood, where a dignified-looking man was delivering a vigorous speech.

「Gentlemen, ladies~I want to tell you, this is a war concerning Weilan's fate! 」

「If the north wins, Weilan will completely break free from Aaron's control, and the status of us commoner mages will greatly rise. 」

「The Baron Luosen of White Sturgeon Island in the north is a benevolent and generous lord, an enlightened wise mage, and also a brave and strong warrior! 」

「He has implemented a brand-new island citizen participation system on the island! 」

「As long as you are an island resident, regardless of birth, rich or poor, noble or commoner, if you have sufficient ability you can participate in all island affairs; bloodline is no longer an obstacle! 「I tell you, the island's chief administrator is a former ordinary mercenary from Dawn City! 」

「The head of the island's naval department is merely an honorary knight from Shire County. Everyone knows what an honorary knight is—just a bone thrown to a guard dog by a noble lord! 」

「The Alonso mage of the Arcane Department, moreover, was once framed and even imprisoned in the Jialai Mine Prison. Everyone thought he would be destitute for the rest of his life, but now his laboratory has received an investment of up to one hundred thousand ogres. 」

「On the island, there is also the grand Truth Law Ring, a pure experimental artifact built with an investment of up to one million ogres, capable of converting lightning into pure force. 」

「Just think about it and you'll know how much the Baron of White Sturgeon Island values magical ability and disregards lineage! 」

With these impassioned words, the male and female mages carefully examined the illustrated books in their hands.

The books printed various creations of White Sturgeon Island.

There were the wave‑splitting Black Stone warship, the immensely grand Truth Law Ring, and even the detailed contents of the《Island Citizen Participation System》.

All of this made the attending commoner mages feel greatly excited, even deeply shocked.

In the crowd someone loudly asked: 「Will the Baron really do this throughout all of Weilan? 」

The inquirer wore a black gentleman's suit, held a fine crystal staff, and was clearly a capable mage.

The speaker on the stage answered resolutely.

「Yes! 」

Someone else asked: 「Why would he be willing to do this? It brings no benefit to the lord. 」

「Because the Baron not only must lead Weilan to break free from Aaron, but also make Weilan strong! 」

「Strong enough to look down on the entire alliance, strong enough to gallop across the world's seas, oceans, and even the skies! 」

「The Baron said, Weilan is not the nobles' Weilan, nor Aaron's Weilan, but the Weilan of all Weilan citizens! 」

【Oh~~~】

Some arrogant words, however, made the audience feel waves of excitement.

The speaker on stage was also impassioned.

「Mages, White Sturgeon Island possesses the world's finest warship! 」

「Just five ships destroyed the twenty‑ship Storm First Fleet, while our side suffered no damage! 」

「White Sturgeon Island also boasts Weilan's largest fishery, producing countless pearls each year and immeasurable seafood, greatly enriching the Weilan people's tables. 」

「White Sturgeon Island also stores immeasurable fertilizer, enough to at least double Weilan's farm yields, so we Weilan need not rely on the White Continent for food supply. 」

Someone shouted: 「Impossible, the farmlands are all the counts', they won't let anyone grow grain! 」

The speaker on stage immediately raised his arm, clenched his fist and waved it, like an angry man wielding an iron hammer.

「Then let those greedy, foolish counts disappear! 」

「And this, too, is the greatness of this war, for it will truly change the fate of every Weilan person! 」

「Ladies and gentlemen, will you continue to be enslaved by this lot who call themselves counts but are actually greedy vampire‑like exploiters, or will you rise up and sweep them into history's dustbin—it all depends on our own choice! 」

Someone again shouted: 「But we have no weapons! We can't beat the counts! 」

「Counts are nobles, but the warriors of the counts are mostly commoners! 」

「Their parents and brothers are also basically commoners; they serve the counts only because they haven't found a better path. 」

「Show them a better way, and they will cease to be the counts' lackeys and become Weilan's warriors! 」

「Perhaps you think this impossible, and indeed it is not realistic now, but when the island baron's army marches south and the Black Stone warship presses in, all this will become reality! 」

「Weilan's brothers and sisters, will you seize the opportunity early to contribute your strength to building a new Weilan, or will you passively wait, resignedly accepting an ordinary fate—it all depends on your choice! 」

The respectable men and women listened to these words; some wore thoughtful faces, some had eager eyes, some were filled with excitement.

But no matter what, every commoner mage's spirit was greatly affected.

Similar secret lectures like this are happening all over Weilan.

Not only in Dawn City, but also in the major southern counties.

Not only in respectable urban venues, but also in factories, and even in the vast countryside that people look down upon, one can hear many voices.

A grassroots trend is gradually swelling in the south of Weilan, like the surging water at the bottom of a pond: the surface seems fairly calm, but the depths are already nearly roiling and boiling.

The core of the trend is: "The Baron is the best lord; if you want a better future, you must support the Baron!"

But a trend is just a trend; aside from sparking various discussions, it has not yet produced much concrete action.

After all, the south is prosperous, and everyone can barely eat their fill.

If one can eat their fill, there won't be much motivation to change.

One reason is human nature itself; another is the fear that the more changes are made, the worse things become.

Against this backdrop, a diplomatic official ship from Kao slowly sailed into Storm Bay of Dawn City.

This official ship is very large, over 80 meters long and more than 20 meters wide; at a glance it is clearly a refitted warship.

The ship flies the black rose flag representing the Kao royal family, and below the deck are gun ports for a full two layers of sixty cannons.

Above the deck is stationed a troop wearing dark red uniforms and splendid feathered cylindrical high hats.

Those with insight can tell at a glance that this is clearly the Blood Moon Knight Corps guarding the Kao royal family.

In other words, a member of the Kao royal family has come aboard this diplomatic official ship.

As one of the three major kingdoms of the Natural Alliance, Kao may not be strong at sea, but it is a top-tier land power.

At its peak, it once beat down both Aaron and Levinde on the ground, forcing both sides to cede land simultaneously.

Even as recently as twenty years ago, the kingdom's most elite Red Moon Knight Corps once joined forces with Aaron's Lion Ninth Legion, defeating the Radiant Empire badly at the Giant Fortress, leaving the Radiant Empire unwilling to start a war for twenty years.

Such a land hegemony kingdom, a royal family member actually came personally to visit Dawn City; the news naturally spread like a whirlwind, instantly throughout the Harbor District.

Everyone in the Harbor District felt curious, not knowing what the Kao royal family had come to do.

And just as the diplomatic official ship was slowly docking, in the luxurious cabin at the topmost part, Kao Crown Prince Lai En, nearly forty, stood by the porthole, silently gazing at the prosperous Dawn City harbor.

He has an honest appearance, a medium build, and wears splendid yet subdued black velvet robes; anyone who sees him would think he is a gentle good person.

In fact, everyone who has had contact with him, from dukes and marquises down to personal attendants, also thinks so.

But at this moment, in a foreign harbor, Prince Lai En standing alone in the cabin, his gentle face showed a hint of gloom.

He is almost forty; his father was clearly about to die, yet somehow he has noticeably improved, even able to get out of bed and walk on his own.

He can tell at a glance that his old father probably won't last another ten or so years.

The dream of inheriting the throne was dashed in an instant; the prince could only silently sigh before the mirror at his gradually aging face.

"Third brother and?"

This thought made Lai En feel somewhat relieved in his heart.

Just then, the door was knocked, and from outside came the voice of his trusted confidant, the Four-ring Peak Arcane Master Luo Fa Mi Er.

"Your Highness, the ship has docked."

Lai En nodded: "According to the plan, spread the news; make sure as many people as possible learn of this."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Luo Fa Mi Er received the order and departed.

Prince Lai En shook his head, casting the unpleasant thought from his mind, and began to ponder this plan in his heart.

At this moment, looking again at Dawn City harbor, a smile instantly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Mother's plan is truly ruthless; now Aaron will completely lose Weilan, haha~~"

Aaron without Weilan is like a lion missing half its territory; he is only a step away from ruin.

(End of chapter)