Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 16 Serfs and Free People

In the town square, at least 30 serfs received their lunch.

Goblins are already rampant, with countless goblin corpses piling up on the barren mountains every day. All they need to do is turn the corpses over, cut open their bellies, and extract the magic cores inside.

Many of the serfs who received lunch ate only half a loaf of bread and a bowl of meat soup, carefully wrapping up the rest to save for their families.

Gradually, the serfs began to talk about Viran.

"Skinny, why do you think Lord Vilan is giving us meat soup? Mr. Wirtz used to send us to the mine to move stones, but he never gave us any of this."

Blackie sat on the ground, looking at Skinny next to him.

The boy had already drunk the bowl of broth clean, but he was still reluctantly licking the remaining broth from the bowl.

It's as if this bowl of clear soup, made only with carrot leaves and smoked mutton, is some kind of heavenly delicacy.

Hearing Blackie's words, Skinny put down his bowl, scratched his head, and said, "I don't know. I'll drink it if you give it to me, and I won't if you don't."

"Damn it, you're always so heartless! Don't you know how to save some for dinner?"

"There will be more tonight. The knight said we can get one more time tonight. I'll go look again this afternoon, I'm sure I can get one," the skinny guy said confidently.

Blackie was speechless, but at the same time, he was determined not to lose to Skinny in the afternoon.

"Oh, by the way, where's Carl? The one who just served me the soup was his sister. She even added a strip of meat to my bowl. I bet she likes me."

"Oh really? But she also added a shredded piece of meat for me?"

Skinny scratched his head again, and then Blackie's face suddenly turned ashen.

Just as Blackie was about to argue his case, Skinny's eyes suddenly widened. "My God, isn't that Karl? Why was he arrested!"

……

Karl walked heavily through the square, and could only try his best to keep his head down in the face of the surrounding gazes.

He didn't know what would happen, but based on past experience, serfs never fared well.

Dean, the freeman beside him, appeared much more composed. Although he might be feigning composure, he at least outwardly maintained the pride of a freeman.

Behind them followed the hunter Scarface and Saka, who had captured them.

This scene immediately attracted everyone's attention, and the previously noisy square quickly quieted down.

At that moment, the lord's voice came down from the high platform in the square.

"Fellow citizens."

"My bodyguard, Mr. Saka, told me that something very unpleasant just happened."

Vilan looked at Saka, who immediately stood up straight. "Your Excellency Vilan, I've discovered this fellow attempting a robbery!"

Saka pointed at Dean, whose expression immediately changed.

Dean never expected that this guy would show him no respect whatsoever.

"You're talking nonsense!" Dean retorted immediately.

Robbery? Are you kidding me? Does robbing serfs count as robbery?

Upon hearing this, Vilan smiled. "Oh? It seems this gentleman doesn't agree with that statement. Tell me your name."

"Dean! I am Dean Farelt, a freeman of Anvil Territory!"

Dean, like a proud rooster, said his name while glancing at the serfs watching.

Sure enough, many serfs had already shrunk back inside.

For the serfs, every free man was someone they couldn't afford to offend. Free men could engage in various professions and leave their territories, but serfs could only farm, and once they left their territories, they would be considered vagrants.

Their identities cannot be distinguished simply by the word "freedom".

"Sister Igris, that's my brother..."

In the crowd, a twelve-year-old girl tugged at Igris' sleeve, her eyes already red.

She was Karl's sister, while on the other side, Karl's mother was almost fainting from fright.

Igris bent down and touched the little girl's right cheek. "Don't worry, Lord Vilan will punish the bad guys."

"Really?"

"hope……"

Iglesias wasn't sure, after all, even her father, Baron Brown, wouldn't punish a free man for the sake of a mere serf.

Just then, Vilan smiled again. "So it's Mr. Dean. You're quite bold."

"No... Lord Vilan... I didn't rob anyone... I was just playing around with that guy..."

"No, no, no, you've clearly misunderstood me, Mr. Dean. I mean, you didn't even bow to your lord?"

Vilan's smile vanished suddenly, and his tone turned icy.

Although it was the first time she had exercised her authority, she was a little nervous, but thanks to the TV dramas she had watched in her previous life, she could still put on a show.

Upon hearing this, Dean panicked immediately. Without hesitation, he bowed to Vilan and said, "It was my fault, Your Excellency Vilan. Dean, the free man, will forever obey my lord."

"Is that so? But your behavior doesn't seem like obedience."

Vilan gave Saka a wink, and the latter immediately pointed to the man beside him and shouted, "Lord Vilan, this is the hunter Scarface. He can testify what just happened."

"Oh? Another free man?"

Vilan smiled. This was the key to the matter: a professional hunter, and also a free man.

If free people testify against other free people, then other contradictions are quietly covered up.

It wasn't that Vilan wanted to cover it up, but rather that he only had 10 guards in his armed forces, and it wasn't time to overturn the table yet.

Vilan looked at Scarface and said with a smile, "Mr. Scarface, I remember you. When I first came to Anvil Territory, you and a few other hunters showed me the way. So tell me, what exactly happened?"

Vilan looked at Scarface with some anticipation. This hunter didn't seem as bad as Dean. Hopefully, he wouldn't disappoint him.

Scarface hesitated for only a moment before calmly saying, "It's just as Mr. Saka saw; Dean is robbing Carl."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Vilan's lips, and Karl looked up in surprise.

Dean's legs went weak, and he shouted, "No! This is a setup!"

However, no one believed him. Everyone knew Dean's character; he was absolutely capable of doing such a thing.

"It seems the situation is quite clear, Mr. Dean. Don't you know that this is the first order I've issued since becoming lord? And you dare to openly disrupt my first order? Are you very dissatisfied with me as your lord?"