The South Gate of the High Wall in Green Shade Territory.
Many merchant caravans were still returning from beyond the wall. A trip outside the High Wall was incredibly dangerous, but anyone who returned alive could earn enough supplies to live on for the next year or two. Such considerable profit made them willing to take the risk. Moreover, they hired experienced members from the Adventurer's Guild for protection, which raised their survival rate to 30%.
The people in the caravan did not recognize Lian. As far as they were concerned, the lord was still Lord Moria.
Then, Lian suddenly appeared in the midst of the caravan, reached out, and deftly snatched the red entry from a suspicious person's head.
Lian could now deal with such a lightly infected person without much effort.
"AAAAH—AAH—AAH—"
The suspicious person let out a painful, miserable scream. He was a middle-aged man who didn't have much hair to begin with.
The entry had cleverly hidden itself among the man's few remaining strands of hair.
And so, after yanking the man bald, Lian finally crushed the red entry.
[Entry Points +100]
His accumulated Entry Points reached 5000!
Sure enough, the Item Mall refreshed with new entries.
[Two-star Knight] (Green) You have resolutely set foot upon the path of a Knight and have traveled a fair distance along it. You are no longer a novice pecking at scraps, but now understand more profound Swordsmanship. Physique +10, Swordsmanship +10, Speed +10, Power +10.
Exchange Cost: 5000 Points.
[True Believer] (Green) You have been chosen by the God of Tiger to become a True Believer, mastering the Low-level Purification Technique and the creation of Ordinary Holy Water.
Exchange Cost: 5000 Points.
[Two-star Assassin] (Green) You have resolutely set foot upon the path of an Assassin and have traveled a fair distance along it, capable of easily assassinating a One-star Knight. Physique +4, Assassination Techniques +16, Speed +16, Power +4.
Exchange Cost: 5000 Points.
Although Two-star Assassin and True Believer both looked very tempting, Lian still chose [Two-star Knight].
Because right now, Physical Strength was the most important thing to him.
[Acquired new entry: Two-star Knight]
[Current Stats: Physique 20 (10+10), Swordsmanship 16 (6+10), Assassination Techniques 19 (9+10), Speed 25 (15+10), Power 19 (9+10), Shadow Bonus 10%]
[You have set foot on the path of a Knight, becoming a rising star among their ranks. You can defeat a squad of fewer than 20 lightly-armored guards. If there are more than 20, you should consider fleeing.]
The moment he acquired the entry, Lian felt his body grow stronger. His Spiritual Power felt more abundant, and his vision improved to the point where he could see minute details within a 1,000-meter radius.
On a crooked tree about 900 meters away, a black-and-white woodpecker was eating an insect.
A villager about 800 meters away wore a brown felt hat. A damaged spot had been mended, but the handiwork was so poor that Lian could even make out the loose threads.
A guard carrying a wooden stake about 500 meters away had a hideous scar on his face that rivaled the one on Captain Cobb's.
Lian's hearing had also sharpened; he could clearly make out the whispers of the people beside him.
The guards surrounded the man Lian had just pulled bald, and the caravan was halted at the gate, forbidden to pass.
"Lord Lian, is there a problem with them?"
Captain Cobb asked grimly.
Lian's actions seemed bizarre. He had suddenly grabbed a strange man's hair and yanked it out without a word.
Even the two ministers, the numerous guards, and the refugees were left dumbfounded.
'Could it be that the new Lord has some strange fetish for pulling out people's hair?'
Sophie, on the other hand, remained expressionless. Even if she was surprised, she would never show it.
Anna and Annie's expressions also remained unchanged; they trusted that Lian was not one to act without reason.
The bald man suddenly fell to his knees, crying as he spoke.
"I'm sorry, My Lord! I shouldn't have deceived you. I did have contact with people from Blue Moon Territory—I did business with them—but I thought I was healthy! I'm really not a refugee. I'm a citizen of Green Shade Territory."
"Alright. A fine of 10,000 Copper Coins."
Lian handed the hair back to the now-bald man and patted his shoulder.
The man raised his head in surprise, looking at Lian. "Just a fine?"
"Yes. As punishment for your deceit. Pay the fine, and you may enter the city."
"I'll pay, I'll pay, I'll pay right away."
Overjoyed, the man scrambled up from the ground. He was heartbroken over his few remaining hairs, but as long as he could enter the city, it would grow back. He couldn't bear to miss the chance to reunite with his family.
"What about the caravan?"
Cobb asked.
"The caravan is fine. Let them pass,"
Lian said.
The guards immediately opened the way, allowing the caravan to enter Green Shade Territory.
"Thank you, new Lord."
The caravan leader bowed respectfully to Lian. After witnessing his eccentric methods, he was completely convinced that Lian was indeed the Moria family's "Golden Hair."
Lian gave a slight nod.
A guard collected the fine from the bald man and allowed him to enter the city.
After this small interlude, Lian and the two ministers followed Cobb to the tents that had been set up.
The tents already housed a large number of refugees. Cobb and his men wore masks made from white cloth scarves, afraid of being infected.
Omari Hani and Alex Pool had also put on masks.
Anna and Annie did not follow them inside, choosing to stand guard outside the tent.
Sophie accompanied Lian into the tent. As a Witch, she couldn't be infected by diseases from ordinary people.
Only a personal appearance by the Disease Witch Dora herself would create a chance of Sophie becoming infected.
Hearing the commotion, the refugees all looked up. Their eyes, filled with fear and worry, fixed nervously on the newcomers.
Some of them were already showing rashes. Furthermore, they had traveled to many places, yet no one had dared to take them in; they had even faced the threat of being buried alive.
"Everyone, I am Lian Moria, the Lord of Green Shade Territory. You do not need to be afraid. No one will drive you away. You can build a new village and live here. If you wish to enter Green Shade Territory proper, you must obtain citizenship. This means acquiring official residency papers, which you can also think of as a Green Card."
Lian smiled and held up one finger. "You only need to pay 10,000 Copper Coins to receive a Green Card. Once you do, you will be official citizens and will have the protection of the High Wall."
"What? We can really enter Green Shade Territory?"
"The Lord isn't joking, is he?"
"But we're still sick. Isn't the Lord afraid of being infected?"
"When I fled Blue Moon Territory, I didn't bring that much money. I was only focused on bringing food. How can I come up with that much money?"
The refugees broke into a flurry of discussion.
Omari Hani and Alex Pool couldn't help but worry.
"Lord Lian, perhaps we should reconsider this. If we take them in, other refugees from Blue Moon Territory will hear the news and follow. We can't support that many people,"
Omari Hani said, wiping the sweat from his face.
"He's right, Lord Lian. Besides, the refugees can't afford that much money,"
Alex Pool whispered in Lian's ear, standing on his tiptoes.
"Trust my judgment,"
Lian said to his two ministers. Then, his gaze fell upon the refugees once more.
"Once you've made your decision, you can form a line to pay the fee, have your information recorded, and receive your residency papers for Green Shade Territory, becoming official citizens."
"Lord, can we really enter? Even if we have the red rash?"
A brave refugee mustered his courage and asked.
Lian nodded. "Yes. Once you have a Green Card and become my citizens, I will treat you."
"Treatment? We can be treated? Can we really be treated?"
The crowd instantly erupted, like a single spark landing in the Wilderness and igniting a wildfire.
"We don't have to die! This is great! We don't have to die!"
No one wanted to die. Even though this was the Red Itch Plague, considered one of the ten great incurable diseases, the hope of survival ignited in their eyes the moment they heard someone was willing to save them.
Father Simo and Sister Sally, who had been "invited" by Lian's men, also wore expressions of surprise.
Sister Sally couldn't help but ask, "Lord, are you saying you can cure the Red Itch Plague?"
Lian smiled at the beautiful Miss Enchanting Demon, Sally. "Yes. As it happens, I'm an expert in this field."