In the pouring rain, the carriage returned to the Lord's Mansion.
Lian had been busy all day and finally sank into his soft bed.
"Anna, Annie, you two should go rest as well."
After dismissing the two Maids, Lian opened his Item Mall.
There were still only three items in the mall, but his accumulated Points had already reached 4900.
'Is it because I don't have enough Points to afford a new item, so no new ones have appeared?'
Lian felt this was highly likely.
But he had already pushed past his limits today. His body couldn't handle any more work, much like the exhausted Priest Simo.
If his Physical Strength hadn't reached 9, far exceeding the level of a One-star Knight, he never would have been able to endure performing 26 cleanups in a single day.
Right now, he just wanted to get a good night's sleep and think about everything else tomorrow.
Lian closed his eyes, a familiar scent reaching his nose.
The air temperature seemed to drop a little. He pulled the blanket tighter, and with his eyes still closed, he asked softly,
"Sophie, are you back?"
"Yes."
Sophie replied faintly.
"Good night."
"Good night."
Sophie sat by Lian's bed, wiping her transparent flowerpot. The seed inside had not yet sprouted.
Lian drifted off into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Lian opened his eyes to a familiar notification sound ringing in his ears.
[Physical Strength +1]
'Huh? What's going on?'
'I practice Swordsmanship every day and never get a "Physical Strength +1" notification.'
'I just woke up and already got a pleasant surprise.'
'Could it be because I pushed past my limit yesterday?'
'Testing this theory is simple. I just have to try pushing past my limit a few more times.'
As it happened, Green Shade Territory was in the middle of a city-wide inspection, and there were still many infected people gathered outside the High Wall.
"Sophie, good morning."
Lian greeted the Ice Witch, who was standing by the windowsill.
Sophie gave a slight nod.
"Anna, Annie, good morning."
Lian waved at the twin Maids.
Annie handed Lian a brand-new formal suit. "My sister stayed up all night to make this. Please try not to get it dirty again, my Lord."
Lian looked at Annie's dark circles, smiled, and nodded. "Thank Anna for me."
Anna was standing right there, pretending she hadn't heard a thing.
"Anna, how is the Romayada family?"
Lian asked, turning his head to look at Anna.
"Master Romayada expresses his immense gratitude. He is willing to pay a tuition of 500 Gold Coins a month and hopes you can cultivate his daughter's talents."
'500 Gold Coins a month? That's blatant extortion!'
Lian hadn't expected Anna to be so ruthless. He had only planned to charge 1 Gold Coin a month, which was already the top rate for an elite private tutor for a noble family.
The lowest common currency in this world was the Copper Coin. A commoner's monthly income was only about 1,000 Copper Coins, which was equivalent to 10 Silver Coins. It would take ten months of income to equal 1 Gold Coin.
500 Gold Coins was equivalent to a commoner's wages for 5,000 months—that's over four hundred years!
'This is the stark gap between the rich and the poor!'
"If you think I charged too little, I can go back to Master Romayada,"
Anna said.
"No, this is perfect."
After changing his clothes and washing up, Lian opened his bedroom door.
The familiar faces of his three ministers appeared before him. The Minister of Finance was wiping away sweat, the Minister of Internal Affairs was looking in a mirror, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs was staring blankly into space.
Clearly, all three had been waiting for a long time.
"Lord Lian, per your instructions, we've had everyone in Green Shade Territory go to the churches for Holy Water Purification. But the population of Green Shade Territory is simply too large. Even with 22 churches working simultaneously, we can't accommodate everyone."
The heavily made-up Karel Dennis put away his exquisite little mirror and spoke with a serious expression.
"Anna, the map."
Lian held out his hand.
Anna handed him a map. He drew two circles on it as he walked.
"For the inner city, prioritize a 3,000-meter area expanding outward from the Romayada estate for Holy Water Purification. For the outer city, prioritize a 6,000-meter radius radiating from Fogen Inn for Purification. Figure out the rest of the problems yourself. I trust you can handle a small matter like this."
Lian knew Karel Dennis was capable—otherwise, Moria wouldn't have left him behind. The key was to give him a clear direction first and not let him make his own judgments.
"Understood."
Karel Dennis immediately understood Lian's intentions.
"Lord Lian, the Guards have assembled and are heading outside the territory. Captain Cobb is leading them in building a village near the Bone Forest to take in refugees,"
said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alex Pool.
The division of labor in Green Shade Territory was clear: Karel Dennis managed internal affairs, while Alex Pool handled external matters.
If those refugees were to enter Green Shade Territory, Alex Pool would hand over the task of settling them to Karel Dennis.
Finances were managed by the Minister of Finance, while the military was under the Lord's direct command.
The three ministers were also directly responsible to the Lord.
This ensured the Lord's absolute authority.
The military was divided into the Knight Army and the Guard Army. The Knight Army, composed of nobles, had been taken by Moria. The Guard Army, formed from commoners, was still defending Green Shade Territory.
Captain Cobb was just one of four captains; the other three also reported directly to Lian.
Below the four captains were numerous sub-captains who collectively handled military affairs.
Lian nodded slightly. "Let's go. We'll head outside the city and see the refugees from Blue Moon Territory."
Just as Lian walked out of the Lord's Mansion, he saw the petite Loli Riel.
Riel ran over excitedly.
"Teacher, can we start learning Swordsmanship today?"
"No, I'm busy today."
Lian rejected Riel's request outright.
Riel lowered her head in disappointment.
Considering the hefty tuition fee Romayada was paying, he patted Riel's shoulder. "You can start by learning from Bill."
Bill was Lian's Swordsmanship teacher, with a monthly salary of 3,000 Copper Coins, or 30 Silver Coins.
'So I'm still making a profit.'
Riel nodded excitedly again and again. She couldn't wait to become a Knight.
Lian, Sophie, the two Maids, and the three ministers boarded their respective carriages.
Although the three ministers wanted to ride in the same carriage as Lian, it would have been far too crowded with all three of them squeezed inside.
After all, there were already four people in the carriage.
Karel Dennis did not head to the outer city with the others; his carriage turned and went toward the church.
He had a lot to deal with today.
Omari Hani and Alex Pool rode in a carriage together. The entire way, Omari Hani was calculating matters related to loans.
Alex Pool just wanted to stuff his ears with cotton and not listen to the chubby, middle-aged man's incessant muttering.
The carriage passed through the inner wall to the outer city, finally arriving at the towering High Wall.
Passing through the High Wall's gate, they arrived outside.
Many Guards and refugees were gathered here.
"Lord Lian."
A handsome youth, Andre, put down a log of wood and looked at Lian with excitement.
A look of confusion appeared in Lian's eyes.
Anna explained, "A nobody."
"You probably don't remember me. I'm Andre, number 432 from the Southern Army. You saved my father, mother, and sister yesterday."
Andre said, his eyes turning red. He was still shaken by the memory of his family almost being buried alive.
"Lord Lian, I am willing to give my all for you,"
Andre said earnestly.
Lian nodded slightly. "Then have your family's fine ready. Don't be a single Copper Coin short."
Andre was stunned, not at all expecting Lian to say that.
"Andre, what are you doing here?"
Cobb shouted. "Get back to moving those wooden stakes! Your task isn't finished."
"Y-yes, Captain."
Andre nodded, picked up a wooden stake, and continued on, rejoining the ranks of the laboring Guards.
Cobb frowned and approached Lian.
"I'm sorry, my Lord. Andre disturbed you."
"No, I appreciate a young, motivated Guard like him."
Lian said with a smile, the corner of his eye catching a suspicious figure furtively trying to sneak into the city with a merchant caravan.