Chapter 78: The Druid

Milson was a devout follower of the God of Nature.

After comprehending the rudiments of the Natural Way, he began traveling the continent in accordance with his faith.

He intended to find a territory to settle in permanently, helping local nobles and serfs make the land prosperous.

Milson initially chose a border region because it was sufficiently barren and agriculture was underdeveloped there.

Thus, he first selected a barony.

After a year of hard work, with his assistance and guidance, the barony enjoyed a bountiful harvest.

However, just as joy spread throughout the territory, a band of bandits arrived upon hearing the news.

The town was breached, the noble was killed in battle, and the freshly harvested wheat was completely looted.

Not only were the fruits of a year's labor stolen, but the serfs were either killed or fled, leaving the territory in ruins until the kingdom reclaimed it.

Milson felt that he had brought disaster upon the barony.

It was the harvest, exceeding previous years by more than double, that attracted the formidable band of bandits to raid.

Reflecting deeply on this tragedy, he sought out a viscounty.

Under his help, this viscounty also flourished, with grain yields reaching three times the normal amount.

Furthermore, being a viscounty, it had sufficient military forces, so no foolish band of bandits dared to raid it.

However, just as Milson believed he would finally find long-term stability, a horde of monsters attacked the viscounty.

The monsters were countless; in the darkness, only screams and wails could be heard.

Milson only remembered that in the final moments, the Viscount sent back a bloodied knight to escort him, the Druid, to safety.

After being escorted ten li away, he looked back to see the Viscount's castle engulfed in raging flames.

Two days later, Milson returned to the castle, only to find it reduced to ruins.

As for the Viscount and the knights, it was said that wheat and humans were the monsters' favorite foods...

Since then, Milson realized that the borders were too dangerous, and a prosperous harvest might not necessarily bring benefits to the serfs and the lord.

Instead, possessing wealth beyond the capacity of their protection became the root of disaster.

Thus, he chose to leave, planning to travel to the heart of the kingdom to select a territory for settlement.

Today, Stormhold would be his final stop on this journey through the borderlands.

After a brief rest, he would head north along the coastline to search for relatively barren lands.

While eating black bread, a squad of knights from the castle stopped not far from him.

From their gaze, Milson understood clearly that they were there to find him.

This was normal; nobles with some family background all recognized the attire of a Druid.

And every Druid was absolutely a welcome guest at any noble's court.

Because Druids practiced the Natural Way, they would devote themselves solely to helping territories develop agriculture, even refusing salaries, asking only for enough black bread to keep them from starving.

Moreover, the Church of the God of Nature never relied on recruiting followers; they pursued nature and bestowed prosperity.

Therefore, a Druid who could help a territory develop without demanding any reward and without spreading religious doctrines that might affect noble rule was the dream helper of all nobles, and they would all want to keep such a person in their territory upon meeting them.

"Lord Druid, allow me to introduce myself. I am Gavis Gale, Baron of Stormhold. I am delighted that you have come to my Stormhold!"

Indeed, the noble approached and greeted him very politely, not treating him as an ordinary commoner or serf despite his linen robe.

Knowing the noble's intentions, Milson, to avoid trouble, simply said, "Hello, noble Baron Gavis. My name is Milson, a devout follower of the God of Nature. It is an honor to pass through Stormhold, but..."

After a pause, Milson continued, "However, I will be leaving immediately to head to the heart of the kingdom. My visit to the kingdom's border was actually to search for some crop seeds."

"Now that my mission is complete, I must return to the territory where I reside!"

Having spoken, Milson bowed deeply.

This was to express that he already had a noble to serve.

Although it was a lie, it was a well-intentioned one.

Since it could avoid trouble for both the noble and himself, Milson felt no shame.

Indeed, the noble on the other side frowned slightly, then nodded in acknowledgment. "I see, Lord Druid Milson. Then we apologize for the disturbance!"

Having spoken, the noble had a knight beside him leave behind a loaf of white bread and a piece of greasy roasted meat wrapped in parchment.

"Thank you for your generosity, noble Baron Gavis!"

……

"This is truly a pity that he already has a territory to serve, my lord. He is a Druid, after all! I have heard that territories with Druids become prosperous, and serfs live carefree lives!" Leaving Milson's side, Knight Mi Gen couldn't help but express his regret aloud.

"My lord, why not try again? I have heard that Viscount Pat's grandfather was originally just a baron, but thanks to the arrival and assistance of a Druid..."

"... in just thirty years, he developed the territory into one of the few prosperous lands in the area. Later, Viscount Pat's father, leveraging the accumulated foundation, allowed the family to break through and rise to the rank of a viscount family!"

Knight Commander Raymon also spoke up with a rare suggestion.

Although poaching from another territory was generally considered disgraceful, Raymon understood better than Knight Mi Gen what the assistance of a Druid meant for the development of a territory.

The Viscount Pat family he originally served had achieved the leap from baron to viscount precisely because of a Druid.

Gavis shook his head helplessly. "That Druid is sincerely unwilling to stay in our territory; otherwise, he would not have lied to deceive me!"

"What? My lord, the Druid lied?" Knight Mi Gen and others were surprised.

"Yes. The Druid claimed he came to the border to search for seeds. I ask you, even if what he said were true, should a noble not have dispatched knights to escort him?"

"Why didn't that noble simply dispatch knights to escort him? It was just collecting seeds; with a name and a portrait, knights could find him even in the Chaotic Wastelands!"

"He is a Druid, truly a pity!"

Knight Mi Gen and others suddenly understood, and their disappointment on their faces grew even stronger.

Although Gavis mainly knew the Druid was lying through his intelligence network, his reasoning was sufficient to expose the Druid's lie!

And the fact that a Druid would lie was enough to prove that the other party was determined not to reside in Stormhold.

Should they just watch helplessly as this Druid left?

The answer was no; Gervas would certainly not be content with that.

Therefore, he had to devise something capable of moving the Druid and keeping him here.

"Knight Mi Gen!"

"My lord, what is it?" Seeing Gervas suddenly halt and call out to him so excitedly, Knight Mi Gen was startled.

"Go immediately to notify Magistrate Thomas, tell him to prepare to begin fertilizing at once, and arrange for a cartload of bird droppings to be transported through the square; furthermore, tell the serfs passing the square..."