Chapter 221: The Serfs

"Citizen… Civil Affairs Officer, my lord! Your humble servant greets you, Civil Affairs Officer!"

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… Civil Affairs Officer, we… we thought it was too crowded over there, so we set up here instead!"

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

Valen and Picca didn't want to crowd over there, but seeing the Storm Domain's Civil Affairs Officer himself speak, they dared not refuse.

So they quickly replied "Yes!" and reluctantly made their way to the crowded area to set up their stall.

Fortunately, after they changed locations, the Civil Affairs Officer 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 expected—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, given to everyone, take it!"

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

"Free black bread? Given by the Lord? No payment needed? 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, Picca, have never seen it either—these Storm Domain serfs are truly enviable!"

Valen and Picca were awestruck—it completely overturned their worldview.

Soon, the black bread reached them.

Looking at the fist-sized loaves, though not much, they were enough to fill half their stomachs.

Most importantly, it was free.

Still, as they stared 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 it?"

Their words left the bread distributors stunned.

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

"Y-yes, my lord, we're not hungry!"

They kept shaking their heads, yet pressed their heads as low as possible, afraid their swallowing motions would be seen.

The two had traveled to the Storm Domain eating only a small piece of dried meat—they were now starving, belly to spine.

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

As for why they refused the black bread:

The reason was simple.

Because they were not Storm Domain serfs.

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

If they, as fugitives, 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 nobles—punishable by hanging.

So if they were caught secretly selling goods in the Storm Domain, they might get a reprieve.

But if they deceived the nobles, they were certainly dead.

So even if starving, they could not take the black bread.

"What's going on?"

"Civil Affairs Officer, they say they don't want the black bread!"

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

"Civil Affairs Officer, we're not hungry!" Valen and Picca were nearly in tears.

Never in their lives had they imagined they'd be troubled because someone wanted to give them free food.

Grrrrrrl!

No sooner had they spoken than, perhaps because the aroma of the black bread was too strong, Valen's stomach growled.

Instantly, both men shuddered, cold sweat nearly bursting from their skin.

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

"Enough, don't be afraid—the Lord gives it free, he won't charge you a single copper, rest easy!"

"Besides, this freshly baked, fragrant black bread isn't like your old stale loaves, left for ten days or half a month!"

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 Picca 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 constantly.

They could only grit their teeth and began eating.

"Valen, what… what do we do now?"

"Eat it—the civil official is watching; we've already got it. If you don't eat, it'll only make us more suspicious!"

"Worst case, after we finish eating, while they're not paying attention, we slip away early!"

"Fine!"

Thus, the freshly baked, fragrant black bread, in the mouths of Valen and Picca, now tasted like chewing wood.

"Uli, did you assign people to guard and receive the refugees outside the town?"

"My lord, I've assigned Porter and Martin—one guards the morning, the other the afternoon!"

"Good. Make sure they keep watch, so these refugees don't get the wrong idea!"

Thomas also suspected the two refugees didn't understand the situation, but after hearing his subordinate's report, he dismissed the thought.

Time turned to noon.

Thomas had already been thinking about going for lunch.

But just then, he suddenly noticed—the two hunter-refugees nearby were packing up their stall.

The other refugee vendors, after eating the free black bread, calmly waited for the afternoon crowd.

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

Thomas suppressed his urge to eat and walked toward them again.

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

Valen and Picca flinched—they hadn't expected the civil official's attention again.

Does this civil official do nothing all day but watch us?

We'll never come to Storm Domain again!

Storm Domain is simply too terrifying!

As they thought this, they forced themselves to answer: "My lord, we just remembered there's something urgent at home, so… so we're leaving early and will return to sell the day after tomorrow!"

"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 do it again, we won't be responsible before dusk in Storm Domain!"