Mystery: The Stranger

Snow walked to the river valley outside the village, gazing at the fertile black soil. Rye Village was named so because rye, a staple food of the Northern Continent, could be grown here.

The southwestern border of the Northern Continent is mainly composed of wilderness and swamps. Compared to other villages that can only rely on forestry for survival, the land in this river valley is more fertile. Even though the annual rye yield is not high, it is quite impressive for such a small place.

This is precisely why the former Baron Hawke maintained such strict control over the area, and taxes were far higher than in other villages.

The recent climate disaster and reduced rye production finally triggered the villagers' long-suppressed discontent, leading them to take a desperate gamble and attempt to use a flawed demon summoning spell to negotiate with the Baron.

Unfortunately, the demons they summoned were less trustworthy than the baron. Although they helped scare away the barbarians who came to collect taxes and intimidate them, they also corrupted the village before leaving. Then came infighting, and now all the original free farmers are dead. The land rightfully returned to Snow as the lord.

It wasn't that Snow valued these lands so much, but rather that this case made him connect some of the laws of the Solomon Empire.

One of the core principles of the Solomon Empire was "No land without a lord".

All the land on this continent was nominally owned by the local lords, but only nobles and the church had actual ownership. Free peasants and serfs could only obtain "allots," which only granted them the right to cultivate and use the land.

However, while the imperial laws prioritized the interests of the nobility, they also enshrined the basic rights of commoners in the code. As long as free farmers cultivated the land and paid their annual tribute on time, lords could not arbitrarily deprive them of their land, sell it, or sublet it to others.

Even if these lands belong to a baron, as long as these free people pay their taxes on time, the lord has no legal basis to arbitrarily interfere in these lands, because this would violate the laws of the Solomon Empire, and the clergy within the territory who believe in a fallen God would also not support it.

Although the Solomon Empire has perished, its laws are still habitually applied in various places. Even though Baron Hawke was a Sequence 6 Extraordinary and there was no one to supervise him in this remote and unregulated area, he did not forcibly reclaim the land of these villages, which would have undermined the legitimacy of his rule.

If the Corrupt Baron really wanted to take action, as a nobleman, he had plenty of ways to slowly erode a village under his rule, but to openly disregard the laws of the Empire and rob it by force was something that Baron Hawke, at least, did not have the courage to do.

Although the "Black Emperor" Solomon has fallen, his accumulated power has been so long that the majesty of the imperial law is deeply ingrained in people's hearts. It naturally gains the recognition of the people of the Secret Kingdom and the common people. Not everyone has the courage to ignore the laws of the Solomon Empire.

Openly ignoring the laws of the Solomon Empire is tantamount to directly undermining one's own legitimacy as an imperial noble. Although the Solomon Empire has perished, most nobles, especially the lower and middle nobility, still need this legitimacy to protect themselves, maintain the stability of their territories, and suppress potential rebellions during this chaotic time.

Now that all the villagers of Black Rye Village are dead, as the lord, he naturally has the right to reclaim the land and relocate people from other villages to cultivate it. Before long, the place will be alive again, and the newly relocated farmers will only be grateful for the farmland bestowed upon them by the lord and will be even more loyal to him.

Baron Hawke didn't want to force everyone in Rye Village to their deaths, not out of kindness, but because it wasn't worth it. In this era, population is a form of wealth, but demons don't care about contracts or order. If you yearn for extraordinary power and pray for the abyss's blessings, then you should bear the risks behind that extraordinary power, even if it means death, it's your own choice.

"In this era when gods roam the earth, nobles generally abide by the law and contracts."

Although it was obvious how chaotic the center of the Northern Continent was, Snow, a newcomer, still sensed a persistent order amidst the chaos. After all, even though the Black Emperor Solomon was dead, there was still a chance for him to be resurrected.

The two Order factions were quite powerful in the Fourth Age, and no one dared to openly trample on order and law. Moreover, the gods were real and true, and oaths made to gods or sacred objects had a very strong binding effect; no one was willing to easily bear the consequences of breaking them.

"I kind of like this era."

The wind blew through the valley, carrying the fragrance of rye and the scent of earth, and also ruffled Snow's hair.

At least here, he knows the plot and can see the future clearly.

"I feel the same way you do; these are things we're familiar with," Xalatas's voice rang in my ears, filled with agreement.

Aside from being less diverse in terms of species, this place is quite similar to Azeroth.

Snow turned to the knights who were about to engage in battle and said in a deep voice, "Return to the territory. Inform the steward to select fifty landless peasant households to relocate to Rye Village to cultivate the land, and reduce their annual tribute by 30%."

"Yes, my lord!"

The knights responded in unison, their voices filled with fervent loyalty.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out again, heading towards the baron's castle. Soon, the smoke from the chimneys of Rye Village would rise again, and Snow would use this opportunity to solidify his position as Baron Hawke, becoming a qualified feudal nobleman in the post-Solomon era, fully integrated into the world in terms of both law and popular sentiment.

...

Hawke's Castle, the Baron's study.

The steam from the black tea rose in the closed study, forming a pale white mist that carried the somber scent of the pine bookshelves and old parchment scrolls, completely isolating the outside world from the noise. Snow walked to the window, his fingertips tracing the cold lead-framed glass—it was dusk in the Baron's estate outside, and the orange glow of the sunset fell on the inverted cross embroidery on his black lining, as if gilding the dark pattern with a layer of illusory warmth.

Xalatas sat in the velvet chair at the head of the table, her scarlet skirt spreading out like congealed bloodstains. She crossed her legs and casually twirled her fingertips, and a dark purple void coordinate slowly appeared in her palm, its swirling light exuding the unique chill of the abyss.

The maid arranged the tea set neatly, then retreated with her eyes lowered. Her velvet skirt brushed silently against the floor until the heavy oak door slowly closed behind her, making a dull thud as it locked itself. As soon as this action was completed, a faint black mist rose from the walls around the study, the gaps in the brickwork were filled with void energy, and the carvings on the window frames gradually blurred, eventually transforming into an opaque black barrier that completely isolated the room from all sounds and prying eyes.

"Shall we explore the Spirit Realm, the Underworld, or the Abyss first?" Xalatas's voice broke the silence, carrying a hint of nonchalant languor. The void coordinates on her fingertips swayed gently with her words, and dark purple light patterns danced in her palm. "Or, to prepare for your advancement to Sequence 5, the Apostle of Desire? We don't need to know the specific potion recipe; consuming an Apostle of Desire will advance you—it's quite simple."

"Should we explore the spirit world, the underworld, or the abyss first?"

Saratas gave Snow the initiative in choosing. She didn't care much about the order; it didn't matter where she went. She could also find the extraordinary characteristics needed to advance to Sequence 5 Desire Apostle first. As for the issue of digesting the extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 6 Demons?

She scoffed, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

She had certainly seen the so-called "acting method" in Baron Hawke's memories, but she looked down on this kind of "digestion" at all. In Xalatas's mind, power only needed to be in her own hands.

She would never allow her proxy to handle anything that might be beyond her control.