I, the heir of the great Eastern nation

How about stopping by for a meal?

Sheriff Will was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"Of course, I would be honored if my lord would grace me with his presence."

He made an inviting gesture.

"Sir, please, shall we ride together in my carriage?"

At that moment, Simon arrived in his carriage.

As soon as Christine jumped out of the car, a gruesome and bloody scene came into view.

The pampered young lady from a noble family had never seen anything like this before. Her already weak face turned deathly pale, and she couldn't hold it in any longer, so she vomited on the spot.

Liu Zhao glanced at it and said with a smile.

"No need. Miss Lance is not feeling well. You can go ahead. We'll be there shortly."

Sheriff Will knew Christine's identity, so he naturally didn't dare to object. He smiled, took the little girl he had just acquired, and prepared to get into the car.

At this moment, Liu Zhao's voice rang out again.

"Sheriff Will, just a moment."

Will turned his head, looking puzzled.

Then he saw Liu Zhao point to the little girl in his hand, his tone incredibly gentle.

"Can I have this girl?"

Will paused for a moment, glanced at Liu Zhao in front of him, and then immediately smiled knowingly.

"I see. So, Lord, you also have this kind of taste."

He laughed heartily and casually pushed the little girl in his arms to Liu Zhao.

"It's rare to meet a like-minded person. Since you like it, sir, consider it a gift from your subordinate. Hahahaha."

He laughed while lowering his voice mysteriously.

"To be honest, sir, I have many more collections like this in my estate. Come over later, and I promise you'll have plenty to enjoy."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhao felt his whole body stiffen, but he still managed to force a surprised smile.

"Is that so? In that case, Sheriff Will, then you mustn't disappoint me later."

Will waved his hand, gave Liu Zhao a "don't worry" look, and jumped into the carriage with a big laugh.

"My lord, I'll take my leave now and await your arrival at the manor!"

Liu Zhao watched the other party's carriage and private soldiers disappear, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

Seeing Christine slowly stand up, Liu Zhao took a deep breath, turned around and asked.

"I need to get to Will's estate now. Are you still able to move?"

Christine was pale, but she nodded nonetheless.

"no problem."

Liu Zhao nodded and climbed into the carriage.

"Simon, take this girl to my estate first, and then wait for my news there."

"York, drive, we're going to Will's estate."

Soon, the carriage started moving.

Inside the carriage, looking at Christine's pale face across from him, Liu Zhao spoke in a deep voice.

"You saw what happened in the village just now, didn't you?"

Christine gritted her teeth, the tragic scene she had just witnessed seemingly reappearing before her eyes.

"I knew before that these nobles would bully commoners, but I never expected them to go this far."

The eldest daughter of the Lance family had a complex look in her eyes.

"I don't understand. You are a baron personally appointed by the king. Why didn't they ask you for help when they saw you, their lord, present?"

Liu Zhao sighed softly and slumped weakly against the cushion behind him.

"Perhaps, in their eyes, I'm in cahoots with Sheriff Will, who's been robbing us of food and people."

"They're all nobles, what difference could they possibly make?"

Christine instinctively wanted to retort upon hearing this, but after opening her mouth, she ultimately said nothing.

After a moment of silence, when she spoke again, her voice had become somewhat hoarse.

"So what do we do now? Should we have a serious talk with him? After all, you are a lord, and you also have the status of a mage and the support of the Lance family. If you can get them to behave themselves, they will definitely listen."

Liu Zhao shook his head.

"It's no use, there's no way we can reach an agreement. Didn't you see? All the food, people, and land here have long been considered their property. They're not happy even if they earn less, do you really want them to lose money?"

"Even if I really said that, they might pretend on the surface, but sooner or later they will definitely come back with all their might. At that time, it will be the villagers who suffer."

"It's pure fantasy to expect these people, who are used to riding on other people's heads and sucking their blood, to truly give up."

Christine clenched her fists.

Is it really just a fantasy?

Liu Zhao took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's not rush to conclusions. As I said before, no investigation means no right to speak. Let's go to Will's manor now and see if he's really not beyond redemption. Of course, I won't make the worst-case scenario plan."

Even if it's just a fantasy, I want to try and see if I can achieve it.

Christine nodded.

……

Before long, the carriage arrived at the gate of Will's manor.

Liu Zhao and Christine jumped off the carriage and walked straight through the gate.

Sheriff Will greeted him with a broad smile.

"My lord, Miss Lance."

He bowed very politely.

"The food is ready for you two. This way, please."

He made an inviting gesture.

Liu Zhao, however, raised his hand and grabbed his wrist.

"Please wait a moment, Sheriff Will."

Liu Zhao walked to his side and whispered in his ear.

"More than eating, I'd like to see those 'collections' you mentioned earlier. Why don't you take me to see them first?"

Upon hearing this, Will saw Liu Zhao's anxious yet embarrassed expression and immediately gave him an "I understand" smile.

"Oh, I understand, sir. I completely understand how you feel."

"Since you're interested, I'll take you there now."

He looked at Christine beside him.

"Miss Nalan, would you like to have a seat in the restaurant for a while?"

Christine glanced at Liu Zhao, and the two exchanged a look.

"Okay, then I'll go sit down and rest for a while."

As Christine was led in another direction by the butler, Will, with a broad smile, led Liu Zhao to the entrance of a hidden warehouse at the back of the manor.

The warehouse door was locked, and a guard was on duty.

Will waved his hand casually, signaling the guards to open the door. Liu Zhao followed him inside and was surprised to find himself at the entrance to a basement.

Will picked up the candle, and the two of them went into the dimly lit basement.

As soon as he entered, Liu Zhao heard faint sobbing sounds.

The next second, a bright candlelight flickered, illuminating a part of the area in front of them.

Liu Zhao was stunned for a moment.

There, rows of locked wooden bars stood, and behind the bars were naked little girls.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating pairs of eyes filled with fear and tears.

This also allowed Liu Zhao to see clearly the extremely conspicuous and hideous scars on their bodies.

At that moment, Liu Zhao felt as if his heart had been struck hard by a hammer, the pain making it hard to breathe and even making it difficult to stand. He subconsciously reached out and grabbed Sheriff Will's shoulder.

Will noticed that Liu Zhao's hands were trembling slightly, but he assumed it was just excitement and spoke with a smug tone.

"How about it, sir? My collection is pretty good, isn't it?"

Liu Zhao took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Doesn't the law explicitly prohibit the arbitrary keeping of commoners? How did you manage to do it?"

Upon hearing this, Will laughed smugly.

"Hehe, sir, don't worry. These women were all bought as slaves from their parents with real money. They signed and sealed the documents, it's all in black and white. No matter where the law is, it can't touch me!"

"Is that so? I see."

Liu Zhao nodded.

Then, in the next second, he suddenly turned around and rushed out of the basement.

Under Will's questioning gaze, Liu Zhao strode into the living room, grabbed Christine's hand, and hurriedly headed out.

"Sir, aren't you staying for dinner?"

Ignoring Will's shouts from behind, Liu Zhao remained silent, his head bowed expressionlessly, and pulled Christine into the carriage.

Christine only came to her senses after the curtain fell and York had driven the carriage a distance away.

"Didn't you say you were going to investigate personally, to see if there was any room for maneuver, even if it was just wishful thinking? Why did you suddenly leave now?"

Christine was somewhat puzzled.

However, the next second, when Christine saw the ferocious expression on Liu Zhao's face when he raised his head, she was instantly stunned.

Liu Zhao was panting heavily, his jaw clenched, and his eyes were bloodshot. At this moment, he looked like a volcano about to erupt.

"No need, there's no point in trying anymore."

His voice was hoarse and low.

"Abandon illusions, prepare for battle!"