Chapter 176: People Are the Greatest Wealth

【Dear Demon King, this morning while patrolling my territory, I discovered a beetle with a special color pattern. Its markings are like a four-leaf clover, very beautiful, and it shines under the moonlight like a moving gemstone. I want to offer it to you, hoping it can bring you good luck for the whole day.

Additionally, the wine you bestowed upon me is delicious, but compared to the fruit wine brewed by the pointy-ears, I prefer human red wine more.

A long time ago, I heard a senior say that those pointy-ears use their feet to stomp on those berries when brewing fruit wine. Please forgive my presumption; I am not intentionally affecting your appetite, but it really sounds like foot-washing water, especially since they often walk around the forest barefoot.

If you like the flavor of fruit wine, the Nightmare Homeland can also serve you, and we generally rely on flying; we rarely walk on the ground.

This is purely out of consideration for your health.

Of course, as long as it is your gift, I like it.:)】

—Queen of the Nightmare Homeland, your most loyal claw, Cici】

【I have received your sentiments, but next time, please do not put a living beetle in the letter; recently, I have been a bit allergic to living bugs.

My meaning is, consider making it into a specimen with amber? That way it can be preserved longer, and it would be convenient for me to make it into a necklace.

Of course, I like your gift very much; thanks to your auspicious words, quite a few lucky things did happen today.

Additionally, based on my understanding of the brewing techniques in Lei Ming County, they should also be brewed using traditional methods.

The so-called blood of Saint Xisi is just a gimmick.

—Luo Yan】

A long time ago, Luo Yan had discovered that people were the greatest wealth.

Although many miracles in this world were the will of gods, in the final analysis, they were the embodiment of human will.

Even the gods themselves were created by people.

The people here were not just humans, but sentient beings in the broad sense on this planet, including Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Demons, Demon-kin, and even Goblins and Rat-men.

Even "Little Gray," who had awakened self-awareness although it lacked a specific manifestation form, was included among them.

It was just that the self-will possessed by different individuals was different, and the weight of their souls also differed, so the favor received by different races from the gods was not equal.

From this perspective, the humans of this world were indeed lucky ones.

Whether it was the Demon God or Saint Xisi, both had poured a great deal of attention upon them.

Even Luo Yan, a novice who had only recently stepped onto the "Path of Ascension," after tasting the sweetness, had begun to give a certain degree of favoritism to the humans on the surface, even "usurping" the role to respond to the prayers of those suffering people on behalf of Saint Xisi.

And as time passed, the name of the Necropolis gradually spread among the refugee group, even forming a "word-of-mouth effect" in people's oral traditions.

Especially for those refugees gathered outside Lei Ming City.

No lord drove them away; they gathered together all day, either waiting for work opportunities at the docks or ships to the colonies, or waiting for relief from citizens at the camp at the city gate or the slums near the Underground Street.

This kind of place was the easiest for rumors to breed.

Especially since the Underground Street also had a "Godfather" of the Brotherhood like Jack, who secretly believed in the Demon King.

Under the instigation of those with ulterior motives, rumors soon spread—

Legend had it that in the southwest corner of the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain range, there was a benevolent magician who, in order to save the displaced people, used forbidden Necromancy.

He used summoned undead to help refugees build houses to shelter from the wind and snow, and used the skeletons of the dead to build city walls for those in need. He used the gold and silver snatched from the rich to exchange for food to give to the poor, and he used prepared potions to heal the injured...

There were even wandering poets who turned the things that the legendary magician had or hadn't done into catchy ballads.

Although there were locals who debunked the rumors, saying that the one occupying the Beifeng mine was not some benevolent magician, but the Demon King famous for evil in Lei Ming County, these debunking voices mostly couldn't reach the ears of those refugees; they often just caused a stir in taverns where adventurers gathered, serving as talk to mock the stupidity and hopelessness of those wanderers.

However, refugees couldn't enter those places at all, so naturally, they couldn't hear what those well-dressed people were saying.

And even if they heard it, that mockery with obvious sarcastic meaning would only make them feel harsh and noisy.

Compared to those harsh mocks, obviously, those beautiful legends were warmer to the heart.

Being in the cold winter, they were already pitiful enough; they didn't want to, and had no obligation to, endure the lectures of those who shut them out.

That they hadn't turned into robbers was entirely for the sake of Saint Xisi. And because their prayers hadn't been answered for too long, now even the morality and faith remaining in their hearts were facing the test of human nature; they couldn't care less about what was true and what was false.

Moreover, even if that benevolent magician was the Demon King, so what?

The Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng didn't have a labyrinth, and the fear of the Demon King among the residents there couldn't compare to the residents of the Campbell Principality, let alone the citizens of Lei Ming City. In their view, the so-called Demon King was just a slightly larger demon; by comparison, the Ogres of the Dimensional Desert were even more terrifying to them.

And recently, they had heard from other beggars that their relatives might have already arrived in the northern part of Yinsong Forest and received the protection of that Lord...

More and more people were harboring the idea of going there to try their luck.

And it was precisely under the influence of this trend that on that vast land covered by white snow, a second trajectory of migration was gradually formed.

The last time was from the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng to Lei Ming County.

And this time, it was from Lei Ming City to Yinsong Forest...

The suburbs of Lei Ming City.

Five gorgeously decorated carriages, surrounded by a troop of cavalry, were advancing toward the North Gate of Lei Ming City.

Whether from the decorations of the carriages or the armor of the mounted guards, it wasn't hard to see that the status of this group was either rich or noble.

And the facts were indeed so.

The gold-stamped emblem printed on those five carriages was the family crest of the Campbell family, which had been passed down for a thousand years!

And the prominent person sitting in one of the carriages was the Princess of the Campbell Principality, the one chosen by the Light of Eulogy—Ailin Campbell!

In fact, as early as a month ago, when the Chaos crisis had just broken out, she should have brought the Light of Eulogy here.

That was the most dangerous time for Lei Ming County, and also the time when the subjects of Lei Ming City needed her the most.

However, it was unfortunate that it happened to coincide with the power transition at Campbell Castle, and many things had happened in the court.

Some nobles were dissatisfied that her eldest brother was getting too close to the new nobles of Lei Ming City, so they made things difficult for her eldest brother on the issue of succession. And instigated by some nobles, her second brother also began to stir, plotting for a title that didn't belong to him.

These things actually originally had nothing to do with Ailin; she had lived under her father's protection since she was small, and apart from practicing swordsmanship and court etiquette, she had almost never participated in the upper-level politics of the Campbell Principality.

Faced with her eldest brother's jealousy and the olive branch thrown by her second brother, she, who was forced into this power struggle, could only deal with it exhaustively, maneuvering between the two forces, trying to persuade her two brothers to remain calm and not be used by those with ulterior motives... and so her trip to Lei Ming County was delayed.

At the recent New Year's banquet, the atmosphere between her two brothers had finally eased somewhat, and she could finally set her mind at ease to go to Lei Ming County to fulfill her duty as a Chosen One.

It was just that when she was halfway there, she heard from a nearby lord that the Chaos Gate that appeared in the labyrinth seemed to have been closed by a new Demon King.

The journey, which originally had a clear goal, suddenly lost its urgency.

However, considering that a new Demon King had appeared in Lei Ming County, she still chose to continue the journey instead of turning back.

In case the new Demon King caused trouble, she had to stand up at the first moment to protect the subjects of the Campbell family.

Of course, she also admitted that part of the reason was because the atmosphere in the castle made her feel suffocated.

Although she also hoped to mediate the conflict between her brothers, at the same time, she also had the thought of escaping this vortex in her heart.

These two things were not contradictory.

Looking through the glass window at the vast expanse of snow and the silver-clad pine forest, Ailin yawned with some drowsiness.

The carpet stitched with heating inscriptions made the carriage as warm as spring, and the dry, warm air made her, dressed neatly, feel drowsy.

She somewhat regretted putting on the fleece-lined inner layer.

Faced with the persuasion of the maid serving her, perhaps she should have shown more of her own opinion.

"How much longer until we arrive?"

Hearing Princess Ailin's voice, the female guard sitting on the opposite seat said respectfully.

"We are almost there; ahead is the gate of Lei Ming City, and the Viceroy and the Mayor will be there to welcome us."

Her name was Theresa Pegg, the second daughter of the "Knight Family" Pegg family, two years older than Ailin.

Because Theresa's father had a life-and-death friendship with the former Grand Duke of Campbell, the two had been playmates since they were young and had always been very close.

Later, when Ailin reached the age where she could hold a sword, Theresa even served as her swordsmanship instructor and, after breaking through to the Silver Tier in strength, became a knight loyal to her.

Ailin, who had always stayed away from politics, didn't have her own direct line in the court.

But if she had to find one person she could trust unconditionally from everyone she knew, she would choose the one sitting opposite her without hesitation, rather than her two brothers.

Looking at Theresa, who was sitting upright, Ailin couldn't help but say in a teasing tone.

"I always feel like I've heard you say similar things since just now."

Theresa was slightly stunned.

"... Have I?"

"Maybe, it's just that you don't remember."

"Sorry, I..."

Looking at Theresa, who was subconsciously lowering her head to admit her mistake, a mischievous smile appeared on Ailin's face.

"No need to apologize; the one who should apologize is actually me... I'm sorry, I admit I remembered wrong; you indeed didn't say that just now. It's just that I saw you were too serious, and I couldn't help but want to tease you."

A look of being unable to laugh or cry appeared on Theresa's face.

"Princess..."

Ailin blinked.

"Can you forgive me?"

"This subordinate wouldn't dare; what I mean is... of course you can," looking at that pitiful face, Theresa changed her words temporarily, and then continued, "No matter what you do, I will forgive you, but I still hope you can raise your vigilance higher; after all, this is not Campbell Castle—"

"But this is the territory of the Campbell Principality, and it is the heartland of the Campbell Principality; no petty thief would dare to attack the Campbell family's convoy, right?" Princess Ailin said with a confident smile, calm and unhurried.

Her confidence was not without reason.

The Ryan Kingdom was the home of knights, and the Campbell Principality, which could hold autonomy firmly in its hands, went without saying; if it weren't for those with abundant martial virtue, it would be impossible to snatch a corner of the northeast coast of the Vortex Sea from the Lizardmen.

Bandits and robbers couldn't survive on the land of the Campbell Principality at all, and they couldn't possibly be the opponents of her personal guard.

Looking at the confident Ailin, a helpless smile appeared on Theresa's face.

She wanted to say that this might not be certain.

Not all petty thieves were real petty thieves; there were also some who were assassins disguised as petty thieves.

Before the start of this journey, her father had specifically instructed her to be careful of the dangers hidden in the dark.

Although assassinating Princess Ailin wouldn't bring obvious benefits to the two forces currently wrestling, sometimes even without visible interests, muddying the water itself was a kind of benefit.

Covetous gazes might not only come from the court, but also from outside the court.

For example, the demons who feared the Light of Eulogy.

However, looking at that innocent face, she ultimately didn't disturb her interest.

Actually, Princess Ailin was also right.

Relaxing a bit might not be a bad thing; being too tense could easily lead to poor performance at critical moments.

Just as she was trying to relax the expression on her face, the convoy finally approached the northern suburbs of Lei Ming City, and the towering city walls and city gates were brought into the view of the two people sitting in the carriage.

That towering city wall was said to be a legacy of the Isaac Dynasty era, and it was still playing a role to this day, even though the vast majority of people had forgotten how it was built.

Looking at that towering city wall, Ailin's gaze suddenly moved down a few inches, and her attention was attracted by the low shacks on both sides of the road.

Those shacks made her couldn't help but think of the sheds for raising geese near the pond by Campbell Castle.

However, the ones living in these sheds were not livestock like chickens, ducks, or geese, but people in rags.

Some of them were wrapped in old linen and clothing, some were curled up in mattresses made of reeds or straw, or a dozen people were guarding a small flame... and this could already be considered wealthy.

More people were just lying or sitting motionless, their disheveled faces and the skin exposed outside were full of chilblains, their eyes looking blankly in a certain direction, making it impossible to distinguish whether they were dead or alive. She hadn't seen poor people, but it was the first time she had seen so many.

Presumably, even Hell wouldn't be more miserable than this.

"... What is that place?" Ailin's voice carried a hint of trembling, and she couldn't help but hold her breath.

Theresa said in a low voice.

"Those people should be refugees from the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng... I heard that the situation there has been turbulent recently, and Ogre tribes fallen to Chaos have sent small groups of troops to bypass the Brass Pass to plunder, causing some lords to abandon their territories, and many villages were forced to migrate..."

The province was the direct territory of the Kingdom, and the land was mostly in the hands of the King himself; the local lords had neither the motivation nor the ability to defend the land.

This crisis could be said to have swept through the entire Ryan Kingdom, and as a vassal of the Kingdom, the Campbell Principality naturally couldn't be spared.

Although she sympathized with the plight of those refugees, Theresa didn't approve of Ailin pouring too much attention on them.

Benevolence was a virtue, but excessive nobility could potentially burn oneself before saving others.

Moreover, she didn't possess the ability to help these people.

=9+Shu_ba

The "Light of Eulogy" in her hand didn't possess it either.

And the person who truly had the ability to solve these problems was currently facing more important issues...

"Stop the carriage."

Theresa didn't know what Ailin wanted to do, but she still called a halt to the convoy as she said.

Surrounded by the cavalry, the Campbell family's convoy slowly stopped on the side of the road.

Ailin pushed open the carriage door, declined Theresa's help, and jumped onto the snow alone.

She wasn't that kind of pampered young lady, and she had also practiced swordsmanship on days when the wind and snow were howling.

However, the moment her leather boots stepped on the snow, the cold transmitted through the leather still made her tremble uncontrollably, and she had to rely on circulating the extraordinary power in her body to dispel the cold invading her skin.

This year's winter seemed different from the past.

Having left the castle for so long, only now did she truly feel this point.

She couldn't imagine how these people without extraordinary power persisted in this cold wind.

"Princess, your boots are not suitable for walking in the snow..."

Theresa stepped forward, wanting to ask Ailin to return to the carriage, but the latter interrupted her words and ordered in an indisputable tone.

"Let the convoy follow."

Looking at the expression on Ailin's face, Theresa was stunned for a few seconds, and ultimately nodded respectfully.

"Yes."

The convoy set off again.

It was just that unlike before, this time the cavalrymen were no longer surrounding the carriage, but following closely behind Princess Ailin.

Theresa was walking beside Ailin, her right hand constantly pressing on the sword at her waist, her vigilant gaze scanning the surroundings, not letting go of any place where danger might be hidden.

As for Ailin, her gaze was always focused on those dilapidated and simple shacks.

Most of the tents in this camp were built of old linen and wooden sticks, which couldn't block the invasion of the cold wind at all, and even slightly larger snow could crush them.

In fact, such things should have happened many times; in the snow pile not far away, one could see the wreckage of shacks, and even corpses that no one had collected were just abandoned on the snow, left to be buried by the wind and snow.

Only when they turned into undead would someone deal with them.

Looking at this scene that was like a human hell, a hint of sadness couldn't help but appear in her eyes.

The only thing that made her feel comforted was that as she continued to move forward, the scene that came into view finally no longer had only misery and despair, but still retained a glimmer of light emitting warmth.

That was a shed made of wood, inside which a large pot was propped up, bubbling in the pot, the broth thin as water.

However, even so, the outside of that wooden shed was still crowded with people in rags.

Those hungry faces were filled with longing.

While feeling comforted, a hint of curiosity couldn't help but rise in Ailin's eyes.

She stopped her steps and ordered Theresa to randomly find a passerby from the side to ask.

"What place is that?"

Not daring to look directly at the two noble people in front of him, the man in rags buried his head and said timidly.

"That is the porridge shop of the Flame King... a place where you can drink porridge for free."

Ailin hadn't spoken yet, and Theresa, standing on the side, frowned slightly.

"Flame King?"

She didn't remember that Lei Ming County had such a lord, and even if an ordinary lord called himself King, it seemed a bit presumptuous.

However, these commoners obviously didn't think so.

Those complex court etiquettes and titles corresponding to different ranks would even confuse some rural nobles, let alone these guys who didn't know a single word.

"That's right, this is opened by him."

The man in rags nodded repeatedly, a rare flush of excitement appearing on his face, and his voice couldn't help but carry a bit more admiration.

"That Lord is a famous person nearby, even more famous than the magician Lord of Beifeng Mountain... The legends about him couldn't be finished in two days and two nights!"

Intuition told Theresa that this kind of guy who boasted about himself was generally not a good person.

However, the Princess standing beside him didn't think so, and instead continued to ask curiously.

"Is he here?"

"Uh, of course he is not here; he is busy making amulets for us poor people..."

Ailin continued to pursue the question.

"Then has anyone seen him?"

The man in rags said with slight embarrassment.

"No..."

"Seems like a guy who comes and goes like a ghost." Theresa glanced at the porridge shop not far away.

The man in rags hesitated for a moment and continued.

"Although I haven't seen him, I heard that he appeared in Yinsong Town before and even helped the people there drive away a dragon."

"Dragon?!" Theresa's face changed slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

How could that kind of legendary creature appear in Lei Ming County?!

What was even more unbelievable was that she was hearing about it for the first time!

Ailin's face also revealed an expression of surprise, but it wasn't entirely because of the legend about the dragon.

Yinsong Town...

She had some impression of this name.

That place seemed to be one of the entrances to the labyrinth, and the nearby Barony was also one of the targets of her itinerary!

Before the Princess could speak, Theresa continued to pursue the question.

"Do you know what that Flame King's name is?"

The man in rags shook his head and said.

"Don't know... maybe his name is Flame King?"

Theresa was silent for a long time and sighed.

"Didn't expect that there is still someone in this world who does good deeds without leaving a name... truly rare."

Ailin nodded, her voice also carrying a hint of emotion.

"This fully shows that we know too little about the situation outside Campbell Castle."

Then, after asking about some rumors about the Flame King, she ordered the accompanying servants to reward the man in rags with an Au-Silver coin, and then sent the latter, who was full of gratitude, away.

Then she looked at the porridge shop in front of her, pondered for a long time, and looked at Theresa.

"Since we have already arrived at our destination, let's leave the supplies in the convoy here."

"Yes." Theresa responded to the order and soon relayed the things the Princess had ordered.

More than ten cavalrymen dismounted, unloaded the dry rations in sacks from the accompanying supply wagons, and left them in the porridge shop that was providing relief to the refugees.

This act won the admiration of the surrounding refugees.

Although they no longer had the strength to cheer, the gratitude written in their eyes was not half-fake.

In fact, wanting to buy people's hearts had never been very difficult, especially in these hard days.

It was just that the vast majority of nobles were unwilling to do so, and even resented those mavericks who did so.

Princess Ailin's good deed unknowingly earned a good reputation for the Campbell family in the refugee camp, but at the same time, it also aroused the vigilance of some new nobles in Lei Ming City.

Under the city gate not far away.

Learning that Princess Ailin had gotten off the carriage near the refugee camp, Viceroy Wilson couldn't stand still, and hurriedly led the welcoming team to rush over.

Including Mayor Mill Lucius, who represented the citizen class of Lei Ming City, it was the same.

Only one person didn't move, and that was Yang Andi, who was looking down from the city wall.

As the head of the Andi family, he was a guest of the new Grand Duke Edward Campbell, and also the richest tycoon in Lei Ming City, as well as the actual power holder who truly controlled the lifeline of this city.

His gaze crossed everyone, staring fixedly at the sword at Princess Ailin's waist, his thumb rubbing the ring worn on his index finger, his face expressionless, seemingly pondering something.

And at the same time, the satisfied Ailin had returned to the carriage and continued to advance surrounded by the cavalry.

Recalling the legend about the Flame King she had just heard, she looked at Theresa and smiled.

"If there is a chance to meet that gentleman, it would be great."

It sounded like that person was a hermit with great magic power, and he also had the blessing of Saint Xisi.

Now the situation on the northeast coast of the Vortex Sea was turbulent, and the threat of Chaos was approaching.

If he could be persuaded to come out and serve the Campbell Principality, it would also be a fortunate thing for the subjects of the Campbell Principality.

However, upon hearing Ailin's words, a hint of concern appeared on Theresa's face.

"Such a strange person might not necessarily be a good person..."

A true Chosen One couldn't possibly be born in obscurity, let alone wander in the wilderness.

Guys who held the banner of a Chosen One were almost without exception people with ulterior motives.

What they relied on was nothing more than the ignorance of the vast masses.

However, Ailin had a different view.

The gods could only decide whether a person's soul was noble, but couldn't decide whether a person's soul was pure.

At least so far, what she had seen was positive.

"Regarding this point, I will confirm it with my own eyes."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 177 =====