[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence":3,"chapter-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-221":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Warlord: Starting with Daily Intelligence",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2338684,4572,"Chapter 221: The Serfs","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-221",221,"\u003Cp>“Citizen… Citizen Official, sir, your humble servant greets you, Citizen Official!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both men were terrified inside but could only quickly bow their heads in greeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas didn’t care and asked, “That side is so lively—why aren’t you setting up your stall there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… Citizen Official, we… we thought it was too crowded over there, so we decided to set up here instead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valen and Pika didn’t want to crowd over there, but seeing the Storm Domain’s Citizen Official himself speaking, they dared not refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they quickly agreed and reluctantly moved to the crowded area to set up their stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, after they changed locations, the Citizen Official no longer paid them any attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And very luckily, as soon as they arrived in the crowded area, customers immediately came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven or eight Storm Domain serfs came one after another and bought two rabbit pelts and five or six catties of smoked meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw! Looks like we came to the right place!” Valen nodded, also feeling lucky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the local merchants around them weren’t as bad as they’d imagined—they didn’t envy them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here, black bread—free black bread, granted by the Lord himself, everyone gets one, take yours!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a commotion arose, leaving Valen and Pika stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Free black bread? Given by the Lord? No payment? Did I hear wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, Pika, have never seen it either—I’m truly envious of these Storm Domain serfs!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valen and Pika were utterly shocked—it completely overturned their worldview.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the black bread was handed to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fist-sized loaves weren’t much, but enough to fill half their stomachs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, it was free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, as they looked at the black bread offered before them, they exchanged glances and immediately shook their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank the Lord’s grace, we… we’re not hungry—we don’t want any!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Don’t want any?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their words left the bread distributors momentarily stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, they’d never seen anyone refuse free food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-yes, sir, we’re not hungry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They kept shaking their heads, yet pressed their heads as low as possible, terrified their swallowing motions might be noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for fugitives, hunger was common—they could endure it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for why they refused the black bread:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t Storm Domain serfs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This black bread was a benefit reserved solely for Storm Domain serfs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If fugitives like them accepted it, it would be fraud—stealing noble wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was an absolute capital crime—even a black bread the size of a fingernail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still fraud against the nobility, punishable by hanging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So even if they were caught secretly selling goods in the Storm Domain, they might be let off with a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if they deceived the nobility, they were dead for sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So no matter how hungry they were, they couldn’t take the black bread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Citizen Official, they say they don’t want the black bread!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Don’t want the black bread?” Thomas was stunned—were there fugitives who refused free food?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Citizen Official, we’re not hungry!” Valen and Pika were nearly in tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never in their lives had they been troubled by someone wanting to give them free food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grrrrrrl!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had they spoken than the rich aroma of the black bread made Valen’s stomach growl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, both men shuddered, cold sweat breaking out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas frowned. “Not hungry? Does your stomach belong to us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, don’t be afraid—the Lord gives it for free, you won’t pay a single copper! Just relax!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, this freshly baked, fragrant black bread isn’t like the stale ones you get after ten or twenty days!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas shook his head—these two were truly strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But remembering his lord’s instructions, he didn’t lose his temper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Valen and Pika trembled as they accepted the baked bread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they noticed Thomas returned to his chair on the other side of the square, his gaze fixed on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had no choice but to force themselves to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Valen, what… what do we do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eat. The Citizen Official is watching—we’ve already taken it. If we don’t eat, we’ll draw more suspicion!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worst case, after we finish, we slip away while they’re not looking!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the freshly baked, fragrant black bread tasted like chewing wood in Valen and Pika’s mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wuli, did you assign people to guard the outskirts of town and receive fugitives?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Citizen Official, I did—Porter and Martin, one on morning duty, one on afternoon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Make sure they keep watch—don’t let these fugitives misunderstand the situation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas had suspected those two fugitives didn’t understand the rules, but after hearing his subordinate’s report, he dismissed the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed to noon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas had already thought about going for lunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then he suddenly noticed—the two hunter fugitives were packing up their stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other fugitive merchants, after receiving their free black bread, calmly waited for the afternoon crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these two still had at least half their goods left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas put aside his lunch and walked toward them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two—what’s going on? Why are you preparing to leave so early?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valen and Pika shuddered—they’d drawn the Citizen Official’s attention again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did this Citizen Official do nothing all day but watch them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d never come to the Storm Domain again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Storm Domain was terrifying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so?” Thomas was puzzled but said no more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since it’s a family matter, I’ll make an exception—take your goods over there to be weighed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But remember—this is a one-time favor. If you leave before dusk again, the Storm Domain won’t cover you!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1113,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.338Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","05504a097bff643cde53ae214ebe4c831ae9ffb46a97de899e2e4fe79547ff3c","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-222","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-220",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]