Chapter 221: The Serfs

"Citizen… Citizen Official, sir, your humble servant greets you, Citizen Official!"

Both men were terrified inside but could only quickly bow their heads in greeting.

Thomas didn't care and asked, "That side is so lively—why aren't you setting up your stall there?"

"This… Citizen Official, we… we thought it was too crowded over there, so we decided to set up here instead!"

Thomas rolled his eyes. "It's crowded over there, but there are more people! Selling goods? Of course you do better where there are more people! Go now—move over there!"

Valen and Pika didn't want to crowd over there, but seeing the Storm Domain's Citizen Official himself speaking, they dared not refuse.

So they quickly agreed and reluctantly moved to the crowded area to set up their stall.

Fortunately, after they changed locations, the Citizen Official no longer paid them any attention.

And very luckily, as soon as they arrived in the crowded area, customers immediately came.

Seven or eight Storm Domain serfs came one after another and bought two rabbit pelts and five or six catties of smoked meat.

"Valen, the people of the Storm Domain are truly wealthy! They buy meat by half-catties! Did you see? Every one of them has bulging coin purses!"

"I saw! Looks like we came to the right place!" Valen nodded, also feeling lucky.

Besides, the local merchants around them weren't as bad as they'd imagined—they didn't envy them.

And the only thing the two now hoped for was to sell all their goods before dusk, so they could buy half a month's supplies and return to their village.

"Here, black bread—free black bread, granted by the Lord himself, everyone gets one, take yours!"

At that moment, a commotion arose, leaving Valen and Pika stunned.

"Free black bread? Given by the Lord? No payment? Did I hear wrong?"

"Valen, we didn't hear wrong—those people really said it's free, distributed by the Storm Domain Lord! Does the Storm Domain Lord treat his serfs this well?!"

"That's right—I've lived over thirty years, seen taxes on drinking water, taxes on marriage, even taxes on childbirth—but I've never seen a lord hand out free black bread…"

"I, Pika, have never seen it either—I'm truly envious of these Storm Domain serfs!"

Valen and Pika were utterly shocked—it completely overturned their worldview.

Soon after, the black bread was handed to them.

The fist-sized loaves weren't much, but enough to fill half their stomachs.

Most importantly, it was free.

Yet, as they looked at the black bread offered before them, they exchanged glances and immediately shook their heads.

"Thank the Lord's grace, we… we're not hungry—we don't want any!"

"Huh? Don't want any?"

Their words left the bread distributors momentarily stunned.

After all, they'd never seen anyone refuse free food.

"Y-yes, sir, we're not hungry!"

They kept shaking their heads, yet pressed their heads as low as possible, terrified their swallowing motions might be noticed.

They'd traveled to the Storm Domain with only a small piece of dried meat to eat—they were now starving, ribs pressing against their spines.

But for fugitives, hunger was common—they could endure it.

As for why they refused the black bread:

The reason was simple.

They weren't Storm Domain serfs.

This black bread was a benefit reserved solely for Storm Domain serfs.

If fugitives like them accepted it, it would be fraud—stealing noble wealth.

That was an absolute capital crime—even a black bread the size of a fingernail.

It was still fraud against the nobility, punishable by hanging.

So even if they were caught secretly selling goods in the Storm Domain, they might be let off with a warning.

But if they deceived the nobility, they were dead for sure.

So no matter how hungry they were, they couldn't take the black bread.

"What's going on?"

"Citizen Official, they say they don't want the black bread!"

"Huh? Don't want the black bread?" Thomas was stunned—were there fugitives who refused free food?

"Citizen Official, we're not hungry!" Valen and Pika were nearly in tears.

Never in their lives had they been troubled by someone wanting to give them free food.

Grrrrrrl!

No sooner had they spoken than the rich aroma of the black bread made Valen's stomach growl.

Instantly, both men shuddered, cold sweat breaking out.

Thomas frowned. "Not hungry? Does your stomach belong to us?"

"Enough, don't be afraid—the Lord gives it for free, you won't pay a single copper! Just relax!"

"Besides, this freshly baked, fragrant black bread isn't like the stale ones you get after ten or twenty days!"

Thomas shook his head—these two were truly strange.

But remembering his lord's instructions, he didn't lose his temper.

In the end, Valen and Pika trembled as they accepted the baked bread.

And they noticed Thomas returned to his chair on the other side of the square, his gaze fixed on them.

They had no choice but to force themselves to eat.

"Valen, what… what do we do now?"

"Eat. The Citizen Official is watching—we've already taken it. If we don't eat, we'll draw more suspicion!"

"Worst case, after we finish, we slip away while they're not looking!"

"Alright!"

Thus, the freshly baked, fragrant black bread tasted like chewing wood in Valen and Pika's mouths.

"Wuli, did you assign people to guard the outskirts of town and receive fugitives?"

"Citizen Official, I did—Porter and Martin, one on morning duty, one on afternoon."

"Good. Make sure they keep watch—don't let these fugitives misunderstand the situation."

Thomas had suspected those two fugitives didn't understand the rules, but after hearing his subordinate's report, he dismissed the thought.

Time passed to noon.

Thomas had already thought about going for lunch.

But then he suddenly noticed—the two hunter fugitives were packing up their stall.

Other fugitive merchants, after receiving their free black bread, calmly waited for the afternoon crowd.

But these two still had at least half their goods left.

Thomas put aside his lunch and walked toward them again.

"You two—what's going on? Why are you preparing to leave so early?"

Valen and Pika shuddered—they'd drawn the Citizen Official's attention again.

Did this Citizen Official do nothing all day but watch them?

They'd never come to the Storm Domain again!

The Storm Domain was terrifying!

As they thought this, they forced themselves to answer: "Citizen Official, we suddenly remembered something at home, so… so we're leaving early and will return to sell tomorrow or the day after!"

"Is that so?" Thomas was puzzled but said no more.

"Since it's a family matter, I'll make an exception—take your goods over there to be weighed."

"But remember—this is a one-time favor. If you leave before dusk again, the Storm Domain won't cover you!"