Chapter 27
She didn't mind having a dog; it just depended on whether Morgan wanted one. If Morgan liked the idea, then they should buy her one.
"Buy one?" Morgan looked at the puppies and fell into contemplation. She then picked one up and said to Lia, "This one will do."
Lia glanced at the dog. Its face and ears were black, but its back was covered in thick white fur. It was cute, but why did it look strangely familiar?
Lia looked around and didn't find anything strange about the puppy. Since Morgan liked it, they should buy this one.
"Here you go, Boss, this is ten copper coins." Lia took the money from her pocket and bought the puppy.
"You shall be called Woodworth!" After Lia bought the dog, Morgan held it up with both hands and declared.
"Woof!" Woodworth, held high by Morgan, barked once.
"Damn it!"
Hearing this, Lia cursed under her breath. She knew why the dog looked familiar—it was that Heat Dispersion Duke!
But it must only be similar in color. Lia observed that it was just an ordinary local dog. Even if Morgan gave it that name, it wasn't the real Heat Dispersion Duke.
Next, the two of them strolled around the street for a while longer and didn't encounter any incidents of forced abduction of women. Lia nodded, pleased that the area under her governance was so peaceful and orderly.
Afterward, Lia took Morgan for a walk in the fields outside the city, pointing out the melons, fruits, and vegetables growing in the fields, chatting and laughing.
The only thing was that some farmers kept staring at them, seemingly afraid that the two of them would casually steal the fruits from the fields.
Lia walked up to the farmers, glanced at their wary expressions, and asked, "Big Brother, were the farm tools you are holding issued by the government?"
"Yes, they were, but why are you asking? I won't give this thing to Young Masters and Ladies like you!"
When the farmer heard Lia ask about the tools in his hand, he immediately gripped them tightly. These tools were as important as the land itself to farming households like theirs.
"Big Brother, you misunderstood. I am not one of the Aristocratic Families; I am a subordinate of King Arthur. I am asking these questions because I want to know if Lord King Arthur's policies have truly been implemented."
Seeing the farmer's wary expression, Lia knew the other party had misunderstood, taking her and Morgan for Members of the Aristocratic Families.
There was nothing she could do; the reputation of these Members of the Aristocratic Families was too terrible. They spent all day idling around or bullying Common People. When Lia and Morgan appeared here, it was inevitable that people would misunderstand.
"Oh, so that's it. You should have said so earlier. I thought you were one of the Aristocratic Families." Upon hearing this, the farmer dropped his suspicious look, and his face brightened with happiness.
"Big Brother, you still haven't answered my question." Seeing that the other party had lowered his guard, Lia continued to ask.
"My apologies. Let me tell you, King Arthur is truly good to us, Common People. Not only does she punish corrupt officials, but she also helps us reclaim justice from the Aristocratic Families..." Once the farmer started speaking, a torrent of words gushed from his mouth.
Lia smiled awkwardly upon hearing this. She wasn't asking about King Arthur's character at all, but about her own actions. Lia could only listen helplessly.
When the other party was almost done praising her, this farmer Big Brother finally got to the main point.
"These farm tools were indeed issued by the government. Let me tell you, these tools are incredibly useful, much better than the ones we used when we were tenant farmers for the Aristocratic Families. They save us a lot of effort."
"Oh, that's good. I was worried that the government offices might cut corners on the tools and specifically make defective products for you. Now I feel relieved." Lia nodded after hearing the farmer's words.
Such things were not unheard of in history.
Some officials, in order to line their own pockets, would embezzle a large portion of the funds allocated by the court for manufacturing farm tools, and then secretly use a small portion to create defective tools for Common People.
The result was that these tools were unbelievably poor, causing widespread complaints among Common People.
Lia asked the farmer this way to see if any officials under her rule dared to do such a thing. Currently, it seemed there weren't any, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be in the future.
Lia and Morgan only ended their trip to the countryside when it was nearly time for dinner.
After returning to the city, Lia decided to take Morgan to the best restaurant in town for a meal.
The environment had to be elegant, and the food had to be delicious. Considering this, several places were quickly ruled out, and soon Lia thought of one location.
Chapter 64: Lia's Goal
The two stopped at a restaurant that looked relatively luxurious in its setup. Lia pointed to the facade at the entrance.
"This is the place. The food here is excellent, much better than what you find in Europe. Even Merlin raves about the dishes here," Lia said.
In fact, in Lia's opinion, it was only mediocre, but most dishes in this era only contained salt and lacked basic seasonings.
In an era without seasonings, one could only rely on skill to make food delicious and unique. Lia really wanted to acquire some spices, but since she knew nothing about them, she had to give up.
Lia looked at Morgan. Speaking of which, wasn't her sister supposedly a Potion Master? Maybe she could ask her to see if they could create something flavorful yet harmless to the human body.
Once those seasonings were sold, who knew how much money would flow in!
Morgan glanced at the restaurant Lia had brought her to. It was a three-story building, and compared to the ones in Camelot, the facade alone looked much more high-end and grand.
As they walked into the shop, a waiter quickly approached them.
Lia directly requested a quiet private room. However, when presented with the menu, Morgan was instantly dumbfounded, having no idea what it was for.
"This is for ordering food. Sister, what do you usually eat? Just look at the dish names and order," Lia explained to Morgan, seeing her confusion.
"So this is for ordering food? I didn't expect you, Little Sister, to know about this." Morgan took the menu Lia handed her and opened it to look.
Although Morgan didn't recognize the written characters, she had her own methods to quickly understand the local script and communication.
"Hmm, this kind of thing should be quite common, right? Do you rarely eat at restaurants, Sister?" Lia asked curiously.
"Yes, I usually stay in the palace, either researching magic or finding someone to test it on. Speaking of which, what do you like to eat, Little Sister?" Morgan asked Lia after glancing at the menu.
"I can eat anything. How about this: just randomly select some ordinary dishes, enough for two people," Lia said.
"Alright, then let's have a little bit of all of these."
Morgan lightly traced her finger under the dish names on the menu. This was an operation requiring extremely subtle control of magic to avoid damaging the menu even slightly.
After selecting the dishes, Morgan showed the menu to Lia to see if there were any issues or if anything needed to be added.
"This is fine." Lia just quickly glanced at it and saw there were over ten dishes. If she weren't a big eater, the two of them definitely wouldn't be able to finish them.
"Is the waiter outside? Please come in for a moment." Lia called out toward the slightly ajar door, and a waiter walked in.
"We've ordered these dishes. Thank you for your trouble." Lia smiled gently at the waiter.
"Ah, oh, you're welcome."
Seemingly not expecting Lia to be so polite, the waiter looked at the two of them with some confusion, then silently took the menu away.
"Sister, did you notice the waiter's expression just now?" Lia suddenly asked Morgan after the waiter left.
"He looked confused, right? What about it?" Morgan asked, puzzled.
"Then do you know why that waiter was so confused just now?" Lia continued to ask.
"How would I know? Do you know something, Little Sister?" Morgan asked with interest.
"It's not that I know, but I can guess a little."
"Oh?"
"Look at how we are dressed. That waiter is probably used to the arrogant type, and is likely accustomed to being scorned and cursed at by nobles. That's why he was confused by my expression of thanks just now."
"Huh? Is that so?"
Morgan looked at the clothes Lia and she were wearing. They were made of the finest silk, expensive, and not something ordinary families could afford; only nobles could wear them.
"Yes. In this era, the gulf between the nobles and Common People is vast, and it's not something that can be resolved with just a few words," Lia sighed.
And wasn't this the biggest objective of her reforms? At least, in her eyes, the world she saw ought to be equal.
"So this is what you want to start changing after you become King, Little Sister?"
Before Morgan came here, she had heard about the things Lia had done to the Aristocratic Families. She originally didn't understand why Lia would offend the nobles, but now she understood a little.
"Yes. Look at the people outside. They are just ordinary common people, aren't they? Do you see the smiles on their faces? Before I came here, they were all wearing worried expressions. Now, everyone has a smile on their face, which means they are full of hope for the future."
Lia walked to the window, looked at the many pedestrians outside the restaurant, and said softly.
Morgan walked next to Lia and carefully observed the people outside. Only then did she realize that most of them were smiling, and everyone seemed full of energy, looking forward to their future lives with infinite anticipation.
She thought about Britain, where she usually stayed. She could barely see this kind of so-called brilliance in the eyes of the populace there.
"Why is this? Commoners should all be suffering, shouldn't they?" After observing for a while, Morgan couldn't help but ask.
The commoners she had seen in Britain were all dressed in rags, filthy all over, and completely lacking in spirit.
Indeed, before Lia governed this place, Common People on the land of Western Liang were listless and lifeless.
Every common person's face was filled with confusion; they lived only to survive, definitely not like now, where everyone had expectations for the future.
Lia sighed, saying, "The populace of this era is indeed suffering. Not only are taxes too high and laws too strict, but they are also constantly oppressed by the nobles. How could they not suffer in such circumstances?"
Lia continued, looking at Common People outside, "It is precisely because everyone is suffering so much that I want to change this era. I want to tell them that they are absolutely not born just to be oppressed by nobles. Otherwise, if life only has bitterness and no sweetness, wouldn't that be too tragic?"
For Lia, she wanted to be a King, not to experience being above everyone else, or to be a tyrant or oppressor who could execute people at will.
It was precisely because she had experienced the goodness of that other era that she didn't want to see the various things happening in this era. They were too pitiful; their lives shouldn't be like this.
Lia spoke to Morgan like this also to let her sister understand her heart and prevent her from becoming a selfish person.
Chapter 65: Mistress of the King's Residence
Morgan looked at Lia and realized she didn't understand her sister at all.
Although she looked petite and cute now, her selfless demeanor made her seem so tall and distant. What she thought was completely different from what the other party thought.
Her selflessness even made Morgan feel a sense of self-reproach.
She wondered what she would do if she became the King of Camelot.
Soon, Morgan understood.
She only wanted to experience the feeling of being King, holding all power in her hands, and enjoying the thrill of killing anyone who displeased her.
However, everything she would do would be no different from what the nobles did—merely depriving others of increasingly difficult living space, simply for personal gain.
Compared to her sister's aspirations, she felt like a stinking rat in a gutter—that disgusting.
"Esteemed guests, your dishes are ready." As the two were looking at the street in contemplation, a knock sounded outside the door.
This brought the two back to their senses. Lia smiled gently, "Why talk about all that? Let's get ready to eat."
Morgan returned the smile. That was right.
What did the lives of Common People have to do with her? They were never her goal; let her sister worry about those things.
As for her own goal... looking at Lia's back, the corner of Morgan's mouth curled up slightly.
Lia usually didn't speak while eating. In reality, she was struggling with the food, leaving no time to talk.
Seeing Lia keep silent, Morgan also stopped talking. However, her expression was nothing but shock.
What was the life of a noble like?
It involved a table full of dishes, taking only a little from each, then drinking wine or other beverages. After feeling full, the leftovers were barely touched, resulting in needless food waste.
Morgan usually did the same; in the noble way of speaking, this was called elegance.
But look at Lia: she was determined to finish every bit of food on every plate, not letting go of even a drop of soup. She was truly, truly a huge eater.
However, because she was her cute little sister, in Morgan's eyes, Lia's eating habits were not only not bad but rather adorable~
But this meal also introduced Morgan to Lia's King's Stomach.
The only thing Morgan found uncomfortable was the chopsticks; she didn't quite know how to use them. Fortunately, Lia was diligently teaching her how to use them.
After dinner, the two didn't return immediately but strolled around the street.
She hadn't noticed it before, but after her conversation with Lia earlier, Morgan could now perceive the difference in the populace.
Even though it was nearly dark, every household still lit candles inside. Through the light filtering from the windows, one could faintly hear the laughter and joyful voices of Common People inside their homes.
In the past, after a day of work, Common People would have extinguished their lights and gone to sleep long ago, as countless chores awaited them the next day.
But under Lia's rule, Common People only needed to tend to their own small plot of land and didn't need to waste more energy unnecessarily. It was evident that the lives of Common People had indeed improved.
When the two returned, Lia found that Ninger was still waiting for them, and next to her was a Midwife.
"Ah, I forgot about this matter." Seeing the two of them, Lia suddenly remembered that she had asked Ninger to find a Midwife, but she had taken Morgan out to play and only returned now.
Lia quickly walked up, showing an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry, I forgot. Madam, you must have waited a long time, right? It's my fault, please don't blame me. Madam, have you eaten dinner? Would you like to eat here at the residence first?"
"I've already eaten. May I ask, Young Master, why you sought this old woman? Is someone pregnant?" The Midwife saw Lia apologizing to her and didn't dare accept it, waving her hands repeatedly.
"Yes, it's my sister. Please take her to a room to examine her." Lia pointed to Morgan behind her.
"Is this Young Lady pregnant?" The Midwife looked at Morgan, then at Morgan's belly, but nothing was visible on the surface.