10: Long live the Lord!

The first-floor hall of the castle.

After returning and receiving a wave of praise from Thomas, Lister turned his head to look at the stolen money inside the two boxes on the ground.

He wasn't very excited; after all, strictly speaking, this was the Serfs' money and couldn't be considered his personal property.

Turning around, he looked at a few Soldiers and instructed, "Move the boxes to the dungeon in the basement and lock them up."

"Understood," the Soldiers said respectfully.

He had originally thought it would be safer and more secure to put them in his storage ring, but unfortunately, the internal space was too small to hold them, so he had to give up on that idea.

Next, he began to interrogate the four accomplices, but he didn't get any useful information out of them. They were just taking money to do a job for the sake of survival and had no idea what was inside the boxes.

Therefore, after administering a slight punishment, he let them go.

After handling everything and giving a few instructions, he returned to his room on the third floor.

At this moment, the two Pixie girls were already fast asleep in the small bed Lister had prepared. Although they were known as 'God's Gift,' they were not gods after all, so they still needed rest.

Moving quietly, he sat on the bed and proceeded with his pre-sleep divination. With a thought, the ancient book appeared before his eyes.

He tapped it lightly with his finger, and three divination messages floated before him.

【Divination 1: Two days from now at 5:43 PM, a Cold Wave coming from the north will sweep through your territory, lasting for three days.】

【Divination 2: The future Golden Knight Spartacus Bulk will pass through Ironthorn Town tomorrow afternoon, led by a Slave trader, on his way to the capital of the Pedan Kingdom, thus beginning his glorious life.】

【Divination 3: Three days from now, a small-scale conflict will break out between the garrison of the Sunset Fortress in the north of the Pedan Kingdom and the Black Rock Clan of the Orc Race' Rock Tribe, ending with dozens of casualties on each side.】

Just the first divination made Lister's expression tighten.

A Cold Wave attacking from the north was no joke. Every time it appeared in the territory of the Pedan Kingdom, it caused massive damage to crops and even the deaths of humans.

Now that winter was approaching and the crops had already been harvested, the biggest problem was the Serfs of Ironthorn Territory. If protective measures were not taken in advance, it could lead to many deaths.

After a moment of thought, he had a plan in mind, just waiting to be implemented tomorrow morning.

The second divination, however, turned his solemn expression into one of pleasant surprise.

A Golden Knight was second only to a Great Knight and was equivalent to a T1-level combat force in the Pedan Kingdom; their status and position were incredibly noble.

Even though he hadn't grown up yet, for the sake of this talent, he would definitely recruit him.

As for the third one... it had nothing to do with him. Small-scale conflicts like that in the north happened almost every day, and it was far away from Ironthorn Territory, so it posed no threat to him.

All he needed to do now was develop his territory steadily; even if danger did arrive, he could handle it safely.

... The next morning.

After breakfast, Lister had Red and the others bring the two boxes of stolen money to the large open space between the castle and Ironthorn Town.

At this time, a temporary small platform had already been set up in the open space, and below it were all the Serfs of Ironthorn Territory who had been notified to gather.

Although they didn't show it on their faces, they inevitably had some complaints in their hearts, as they all had their own work to do.

At this moment, Lister spoke slowly, "I apologize for gathering everyone here so early."

Under the surprised expressions of the crowd, he continued, "The purpose of gathering you all here is because last night, I caught two corrupt 'scoundrels' within the territory—the Law Enforcement Officer Bessie David and the Treasurer Jeremy Neil."

"Now the stolen money has been fully recovered, and I will return all of this money to you."

Upon hearing this, a wave of commotion broke out among the Serfs, with emotions of shock, excitement, and disbelief intertwined.

One bold young man asked cautiously, "My Lord, is what you said true?"

Lister did not feel displeased; instead, he quite admired his courage and said with a smile, "I never go back on my word..."

"And I have another piece of news to announce: from now on, the Lord's tax will be reduced by 20%, effective immediately."

After Lister said the second half of his statement, his previous confirmation seemed to lose its luster instantly, and the crowd below looked at each other in bewilderment.

What did they hear? There was actually a Lord who would voluntarily reduce his own taxes? And by 20%!

In an instant, shouts of praise erupted from the crowd.

"Long live the Lord!" "Long live the Lord!!"

At this moment, their favorability toward this young Lord reached its peak.

Lister on the high platform still kept a smile, maintaining the demeanor of a Lord.

Thomas and Red, who were beside him, though feeling surprised, shocked, and confused, had absolutely no doubts.

Through the events of the past few days, they had unconditionally trusted every decision Lister made.

After a long while, the shouts of praise gradually subsided, and the Soldiers Lister had instructed earlier began to organize the Serfs to collect their money in an orderly fashion.

Soon, the Serfs lined up one by one, their faces eager and craning to see, which was quite interesting.

Lister smiled with satisfaction and then turned to Red, saying, "Red, based on my observation, there might be a Cold Wave coming from the north tomorrow, lasting about three days."

"Therefore, I need you to organize the Serfs of Ironthorn Town to rush to make some warm clothing as much as possible. If it's not enough, you can buy it from nearby territories, and I will fully sponsor the costs."

"As for those Serfs living outside Ironthorn Town, help them move into Ironthorn Town as soon as possible, and also ensure all livestock are driven indoors and tied up."

"I hope that with this Cold Wave, the losses within the territory can be minimized; it would be best if not a single person dies."

"Do you understand, Red?" When he said this, the dignity of Lister as a Baron Lord radiated out.

"Understood, Lord Lister. Your subordinate will certainly not let such a thing happen. It is truly our honor, and the honor of all the Serfs, to have a Lord like you who loves the people like his own children." Red replied respectfully, not forgetting to offer some praise.

As for the observation Lister mentioned, he had already assumed it was the guidance of the holy light god.

"You, you." Lister smiled, "Alright, leave this place to the others. Red, go back and guide my training."

"Yes," Red said respectfully.

The morning training time flashed by. Under Red's guidance, although there was no major breakthrough, Lister's strength had improved quite a bit.

Especially when Red learned that Lister had already condensed his Dou Qi seed, he was even more shocked and couldn't stop praising his high talent.

After lunch, Lister took Red to stroll around Ironthorn Town. Along the way, every Serf who saw him praised him from the bottom of their hearts, and he also responded with a kind smile.

Because Ironthorn Town was too poor, after strolling for a while, they finally found the only dilapidated little tavern.

Under the tavern owner's desperate refusal to accept payment, he and Red reluctantly accepted two large mugs of the best ale in the shop.

While sipping leisurely, a noise approaching from afar made Lister's eyes light up.

"It's here."