FATE: Target of Grand Master

"Haven't we been working on this all along?"

Anastasia asked, puzzled.

Xia Yan shook his head and replied, "To become the new Lostbelt King is not as simple as just defeating the Thunder Emperor. It also requires gaining the trust of the people and improving their happiness. Previously, our goal was mainly to expand our military strength, but that could only overthrow the Thunder Emperor's rule at best. After that, to continue to maintain the operation of the country and even develop it, we need a governing philosophy that is completely different from the Thunder Emperor's and supported by the people."

Xia Yan's confident demeanor deeply impressed Anastasia, causing the princess to unconsciously agree with his statement.

"Then what governing philosophy should I adopt?"

"It's actually quite simple. The Thunder Emperor's methods are too extreme and forceful, so we just need to use a gentler approach."

"But if we use a gentler approach, won't the Yaga people perceive it as weakness?"

Anastasia's mindset is essentially no different from that of the Thunder Emperor; both follow the Western survival rule of the strong preying on the weak. This is completely different from Xia Yan's more gentle and benevolent Eastern mindset. Therefore, Xia Yan did not intend to forcibly change the princess's mindset, but only suggested that she show more gentleness based on the Thunder Emperor's thinking.

"We can use this village as a demonstration later to show you exactly how to do it."

Xia Yan stopped imparting theories and instead prepared to let Anastasia put them into practice herself.

First, Xia Yan instructed Anastasia to use the pretext of tracking down the enemy to send the killing hunters away from the village. She also warned them that if they encountered ordinary Yaga, they should tell them that the village had been repaired and that they could come here to take shelter from the snowstorm.

The leader of the Killer Hunters originally intended to stay and protect the Queen's safety, but after Anastasia said, "Are you better than the Servants around me?", he accepted the order and left.

Afterwards, Xia Yan instructed Morgan to guide Nero to hunt down several Roaring Beasts in the vicinity and bring back their carcasses.

After completing these preparations, Xia Yan and the others patiently waited for Ya Ga and the others to return in the warm house.

About two or three hours later, Yaga people began to enter the village one after another. Judging from the happy looks on their eyes when they saw the houses that had been repaired, they were obviously happy that they would not have to sleep in the open tonight.

However, Xia Yan and the others did not rush to go out, but silently observed the lives of the Yaga.

By this time, the wind and snow outside had subsided considerably, but the Yaga people mostly returned to their houses and rarely came out again.

It's actually quite simple to tell if a house is inhabited: just look at the chimney to see if smoke is coming out from burning firewood for warmth.

After a while, a puzzled "Huh?" came from the doorway of the house where Xia Yan and the others were. Then came the sound of a shotgun being cocked. As the key turned gently, the door was suddenly pulled open from the outside, and a young-looking man named Ya Ga rushed in, holding a shotgun.

He looked into the room and shouted, "Don't move! Hands up!"

He initially thought his house had been broken into, but when he realized there were so many people in his house at the same time, and they were all old-type humans, he was completely stunned.

"Yaga, put down your gun now, and I will forgive your disrespect."

Anastasia looked at the Yaga, then introduced herself, saying, "I am Anastasia, wife of the great Ivan the Terrible. I've only come here today to find a place to rest along the way."

Although Anastasia's name did not hold the same lofty position in the hearts of the people as the Thunder Emperor, it was still known to them. Although the people had never seen the Empress's true face, they had heard that she and the court magician both resembled the old humans.

At this moment, the person in front of him claimed to be the queen and had a natural air of superiority. In addition, he was an old human species. Without hesitation, Yaga put down his hunting rifle, knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I had no intention of offending you."

Behind the young Yaga were two Yaga who looked much older. They also knelt down immediately after hearing the conversation between the two. They didn't even have time to close the door, and the cold wind immediately blew into the room.

"Get up, and close the door behind you."

Anastasia gestured for the three Yaga to stand up, then asked the older male Yaga, "You must be the village chief of this village, right?"

The elderly Yaga nodded and bowed, replying, "Yes, Your Majesty. I am the village chief of this village."

"Go and gather all the Yaga people in this village. I have good news to tell you."

Upon hearing Anastasia's order, the village chief and his family immediately gathered all the returning villagers in the central area of ​​the village, where a thick layer of snow had accumulated, but which was relatively thin compared to other areas.

In this area, which could be tentatively called a square, there were more than thirty Yaga scattered around.

Aside from the village chief's family, there are only three elderly Yaga in the village, and judging from their positions, they all seem to live alone.

While some of the other young men occasionally stood in pairs, most stood alone. According to the census, the proportion of bachelors in this village exceeded 50 percent of the total population.

While Xia Yan and his group were observing the Yaga, the Yaga were also looking at them with curiosity, since they had never seen any living ancient humans before.

"Your Majesty, everyone from our village has arrived."

Village chief Yaga reported to Anastasia with great respect.

Anastasia nodded slightly, then said to Xia Yan, "Let the court magician announce this news."

To make the performance more convincing, Xia Yan bowed to Anastasia and then stood before the Yaga.

"My fellow Yaga, Her Majesty the Queen has always cherished a heart that cares for the people's well-being. Today, as she passed through this place, she specially ordered us to hunt down two Roaring Beasts in the nearby hunting grounds. By Her Majesty the Queen's order, the flesh of these magical beasts will be bestowed upon you."

Upon hearing Xia Yan's words, the Yaga people cheered with joy, for obtaining food in this icy and snowy world was no easy task.

The Yaga villagers with hunting skills usually only hunt snow rabbits and snow deer. If they are lucky, they may occasionally catch snow foxes or snow wolves. As for high-level magical beasts like the Roaring Beast, the Yaga villagers dare not provoke them without gathering thirty to fifty people.

Hearing that Her Majesty the Queen was going to distribute food, and that it was from roaring beasts with lots of meat, it was hard not to be happy.

For the Yaga, who have already specialized in survival skills, eating monster meat is no problem at all. They don't have to worry about indigestion or anything like that. The only problem is how much they can get.