170: Good deeds will be rewarded

Chapter 168: Good Deeds, Good Rewards

When Arthur appeared on the street, the Townsfolk began to follow his steps one by one.

He was surrounded by a group of fanatical believers.

Compared to their previous state, these people were now much calmer.

They chanted the scriptures of Mother Earth.

The sound was no longer the chaotic roars and disorganized shouts from before, but a unified chorus.

Even though the Townsfolk had previously disliked these pathetic lower-class people, at this moment, they were infected by their piety.

This procession grew steadily, and by the time it reached the graveyard, almost half the town had joined.

The funeral ceremony proceeded in an orderly manner according to the usual process, and the atmosphere was very solemn.

Arthur stepped onto the stage to deliver the eulogy.

He mentioned Father Dragan, who had bravely sacrificed himself in the battle against the vampires, and the four equally fearless guards.

Then, he began to call out the names of those who had lost their lives in the battle one by one, and those who had sacrificed themselves without leaving a name were arranged at the end.

Arthur referred to them as 'pious warriors.'

These actions undoubtedly earned him the goodwill of the Townsfolk.

After the funeral, Mayor Ismark took the stage to deliver a speech, and every word he spoke was paving the way for the abdication.

Some quick-witted people somewhat understood the meaning behind his words.

The Townsfolk also began to whisper among themselves.

Finally, when Ismark announced that Arthur would lead Mist Town, the Townsfolk were not too surprised.

Now came the main event.

The soldiers led by Jessica had already occupied important positions throughout the venue before the ceremony began.

If anyone made an overly aggressive move when Arthur proposed various policies, they would immediately take action.

Joshua's nephew, Fool, stood beside Jessica.

He held a large club in his hand and wore an ill-fitting suit of armor.

This foolish young man didn't care who led the town.

His only concern was whether he could fill his stomach.

His uncle's family had been extremely harsh to him, always making him do the heaviest work but giving him the least food.

So, when Joshua's family was dragged out and hanged by the angry Townsfolk, Fool hid in the stable's hay pile, terrified.

The Townsfolk eventually found him but did not punish him.

Afterward, he was coerced by a group of his uncle's followers and served as the nominal manager of the trading company.

Until Jessica found him.

At that time, Fool, not wanting to be crippled, risked attacking Jessica.

But he soon discovered that his brute strength was completely useless in front of Jessica.

Later, this person named Jessica gave him food, found him armor and weapons, and told him that as long as he guarded the city walls, he could fill his stomach.

So, he went.

For him, smashing skeletons and knocking away zombies was not difficult; everything was fine as long as he didn't encounter werewolves.

After the battle, he filled his stomach as he wished and slept soundly.

Now, he believed that following Jessica meant he would have food, so he was willing to do whatever she asked.

His main task today was to scare those noisy people.

His boss, Jessica, specifically instructed him not to use the club, only his fists.

He didn't understand why he had to carry the club if he couldn't use it.

But he never liked to think much, so he obediently complied.

Arthur proposed a series of policies, including militarized management of the town, rationing, establishing safe trade routes, and rebuilding Mist Town.

Initially, he thought his policies would cause a lot of resentment, especially rationing and militarized management.

But after intense discussion, the Townsfolk all accepted everything.

This result greatly exceeded Arthur's expectations.

A Townsfork suddenly shouted, "Give me work, my Lord.

"I can't keep drinking, or my wife will break my legs."

His words drew a burst of laughter from the crowd, but soon many people echoed him.

The Townsfolk, who had lost their purpose in life, needed something to do, otherwise, they would only get drunk and cause trouble endlessly.

Arthur had been in this world for less than half a year, and most of his understanding of this world came from documents and books.

He was not clear about what Mist Town was like in the past.

For the locals, life in the past was not much different from militarized management.

They huddled in this small place, relying on the walls and the Long Night Alliance to defend against those terrifying monsters.

Except for merchants and capable people, no one dared to venture outside the walls.

At night, they would close their doors and pray that misfortune would not befall them tonight.

As for rationing, they did not object either.

On the contrary, many Townsfolk thought it was quite good; at least with Arthur's guarantee, they would be able to eat—normal meals.

Just then, a commotion arose in the crowd.

Jessica turned her attention there and saw a woman pushing through the crowd to rush forward.

She gestured to the guards closest to Arthur.

The guards immediately understood and went on alert.

"Let me through, let me through!" the woman shouted, "I want to see the Baron, I want to see the Baron."

"It's Mad Mary," someone called out the old woman's name.

"She hasn't left her house in years, why is she out now?" another asked.

"Who is that boy?" someone else asked.

"Looks like Manfrey. Oh, gods, it is Manfrey!"

Old woman Mary came to the front of the crowd with a boy.

She knelt on the ground and said, weeping, "Baron, you—you are the goddess sent to save us!"

Hearing this, Jessica motioned for the guards to hold their action for now.

"You helped me find my brother, who had been separated for many years."

Mary said, pulling the boy closer.

Arthur could not, by any means, connect the boy in front of him with the old woman's brother.

"He—he went missing almost forty years ago," Mary explained, "That day—that day, he walked into that haunted house at night, and then—then he never came out again.

"I told my parents and others that the haunted house on the hillside took him.

"But no one believed me; they treated me like a freak and shunned me.

"You—you brought back my brother and proved that I am not a freak!"

As she spoke, another commotion arose in the crowd.

The children rescued by Arthur from the haunted house came to the front of the crowd with their families.

Similar to Manfrey's situation, most of them had been missing for over ten years, yet they still looked like children.

Their families expressed their gratitude to Arthur and begged Arthur to baptize them, hoping to enter the Mother Earth Church and serve the Church.

This matter naturally also astonished the Townsfolk.

The missionary Schlechter seized this opportunity and loudly chanted Arthur's name, and the fanatics echoed him.

Soon, others also began to join in.

The rhythmic chanting echoed through the graveyard, lingering for a long time without stopping.