221: On the road

Chapter 217: On the Road

After bidding farewell to Varana, Arthur returned to his room.

The maid had already prepared his bathwater in advance. He entered the bathroom to wash up, while two maids waited outside the door.

"Tell me, what's new in town?"

Arthur's voice came from inside the bathroom.

Since he spent most of his time traveling, the two maids' work was relatively easy.

Typically, Charlotte would stay by Arthur's side, handling tasks like record-keeping and relaying messages;

Nora, on the other hand, stayed home more often to manage logistics and also gathered various news in town.

Especially obtaining information from Vanka and then reporting it to Arthur.

"Well, my Lord," Nora quickly replied, "Miss Vanka said that this new batch of Refugees lacks almost everything."

"They are currently quite satisfied with their situation, but there are a few troublemakers among them who are restless and always looking for trouble."

Arthur pondered for a moment and asked, "What exactly do those troublemakers want?"

"What else could it be? They just want to get rich without working, to lie around and count money."

Charlotte took over, a hint of disdain in her tone, "Miss Vanka said that if they continue like this, she asks that my Lord exile them."

Arthur thought for a while and said, "Tell Vanka to send these people to the Night Outcasts. They happen to be short on manpower there."

"I understand, my Lord," Nora responded.

Arthur sighed softly in his heart.

No matter when, there would always be such lazy, opportunistic people.

The best way to deal with such people was to let them experience a "better life."

Even if this might cause dissatisfaction among some, the current situation demanded that even when implementing benevolent governance, some firm measures had to be taken.

And these methods of handling things were precisely the suggestions Godwin had given him in his letter.

When the horizon was still shrouded in a faint grey mist, the wilderness had already woken up.

The wind carried tiny blades of grass, sweeping past Catherine's shoetips, and the air was filled with the earthy smell of spring soil.

A few reeds stood askew in the ground, their tips still holding undissolved dewdrops, like strings of broken glass, gleaming with a cold light in the faint glow.

Paul walked slowly from the stream, carrying a waterskin, his face still showing traces of sleepiness.

He handed the waterskin to Catherine and said respectfully, "Big Sister, at our current speed, we should reach Lookout Fort in about three days."

Catherine took the waterskin, took a sip, and then spat it out.

"I really hate it when you call me that."

Paul couldn't help but smile, "But Old Joe and the others have always called you that."

Catherine rolled her eyes, "Old Joe really loves giving people nicknames."

"Oh, right, boil the water before you drink it."

"Remember, my Lord taught us that wild water contains many germs that can make people sick, or even kill them."

Paul nodded, "I know."

"But I have a question."

"I knew you'd ask. You've been holding it in this whole journey," Catherine said. "You want to ask about those children, right?"

"I saved them simply out of conscience."

"I know it's not a wise decision."

"But I really couldn't bear to see them become slaves, playthings for those powerful nobles."

"Do you know? The youngest among them is less than eight years old. And most of them might not live to adulthood."

"I'm well aware that once they reach adulthood, they lose their value."

"I will not comment on your decision," Paul said calmly. "Lord Arthur said before we left that 'the matters on the road are for you to decide,' so I have no right to object to your decision."

"Is it 'no right to object' or 'don't dare to object'?" Catherine countered, "Since you want to talk to me, we should be more honest, shouldn't we?"

Paul was silent for a moment, then replied, "Madam, I am merely weighing the pros and cons."

"I am not a sentimental person, but I also cannot be as ruthless as Lord Godwin, treating everyone as a tool to be used."

"To be honest, I'd bet that if Lord Arthur were here right now, he would definitely support your actions."

"He would say that these children are all healthy, and with proper guidance, they can all become useful people in the future."

"But the problem is, do we really have the ability to guide them now?"

"Right now, they are a burden to us, constantly slowing down our journey."

"Preventing us from delivering the news of the land purchase to my Lord in time."

Catherine listened intently, and only after he finished speaking did she say, "So that's why you had Valok send Laserlan ahead to deliver the letter to my Lord, right?"

"Exactly," Paul admitted. "But doing so is actually very dangerous, both for us and for Laserlan."

"We lost an important guard, and Laserlan has to travel alone. No one can say whether she will encounter an attack."

"I—I really didn't consider all that at the time," Catherine sighed. "Now it seems I did make a foolish decision."

"Any decision requires a price.

"Since the matter is already settled, discussing right or wrong is meaningless."

Paul's tone softened. "My existence is inherently to compensate for possible errors."

"What's more, I don't think your decision was wrong."

"You simply did what any conscientious person would do."

As the two talked, a hint of orange light gradually emerged from the pale purple mist on the horizon.

The light slowly spread outwards, dyeing half the sky a warm, melting color.

It flowed gently downwards along the gullies of the gravel beach.

The sun rose higher and higher, pulling the shadows on the wilderness little by little behind it.

Before long, the entire wilderness was bathed in the warm morning light.

At this time, the children also woke up one after another.

They were quiet and made no noise, like a group of carefully trained rabbits.

Several older children had already taken the initiative to get up and start a fire, boil water, and prepare breakfast.

One little girl, seven or eight years old, timidly walked up to Paul, extended her small hand, and tried to take the waterskin from his hand.

She mustered her courage and asked, her voice trembling slightly, "Sir, where—where are you taking us?"

Paul gently stroked her head and replied in a gentle tone, "You can call me Mister."

"We are going to a very good place. Once there, you will live a stable life under a benevolent Lord."

"Then—? What is a stable life, Si—Mister?" the little girl asked worriedly, "When we get there, will we still have to serve other lords?"

Paul paused, frowned, and replied earnestly, "No, you will never have to serve anyone again."