"Let's go, I'll help you kill that lord and open the granaries for disaster relief!!" Ye Lang was filled with patriotic fervor when he saw these refugees; he wanted to help alleviate their suffering.
Although Ye Lang is a Prodigal Son, it is undeniable that he is a kind and good-hearted person. Of course, this definition of kindness is relative; to some people, he is cruel.
"... Young Master, first of all, let's not even talk about what the two of you can do. If we go back to Gomera County from here, we'll probably starve to death. We need to have a chance to survive here!!" The man looked at Ye Lang with his clear eyes and said in a hoarse and weak voice.
"You should trust me... By the way, what did you mean by going back to Gomera County? Isn't this Gomera County?" Ye Lang asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Of course not. This is Winchester County, hundreds of miles from Gomera County. If we go back now, we'll only die faster." The man shook his head and looked at Ye Lang with some suspicion. He wondered if Ye Lang didn't know where he was.
That's for sure. Ye Lang has never been clear about where he is. If someone leads the way, he will never ask questions. He will only know where his destination is.
"Winchester County? Let me see, so this is where I am. Wait, you're refugees from Gomera County. Why come all the way here? Isn't Alexandria City nearby a good place? Besides, if you're going to come here, you might as well go directly to your Imperial City, Ella's, which is closer." Ye Lang looked at the map and asked, completely bewildered.
As he said, refugees from Gomera County shouldn't be coming here to escape; there are many other, more convenient options. Coming here would only make things more difficult, and he couldn't see any benefit in it.
"None of the places you mentioned will be as effective as this place! Those places might accept some of us, but not all of us, while the place we're going to will definitely save us and take us in!!" There seemed to be a touch of holiness and worship in those clear eyes.
"??" Ye Lang was puzzled. He didn't understand what place could be better than the Imperial City. The last hope of a refugee of an empire should be their Imperial City. The first place they would think of would be the Imperial City. Even if they didn't have the opportunity to meet the emperor, at least they could let him know.
A good emperor would certainly take them in and provide them with refuge!
The current emperor of the Aila Empire is a good emperor, diligent and caring for his people. He will surely handle this matter well, so we should go to the Imperial City.
"Don't you know? Over there, there is a sacred place, a Holy Mountain, and on the Holy Mountain, there is a Holy City!!" The pair of thin, dark hands pointed in one direction, and the owner of those hands had a longing expression on his dark face, revealing asymmetrical white teeth beneath his smile.
"Holy City? Isn't that a place where people aren't allowed to enter? Will they let you in?" Ye Lang asked doubtfully.
"Are you even from this world? Everyone knows that although the Holy City Holy Mountain are off-limits, there are several small towns nearby that can take in anyone in need! Once, there was a once-in-a-millennium flood, and hundreds of thousands of people fled there. The Holy City was able to take them in too!!" The devout eyes and the devout tone made it clear that the last hope in people's hearts was not their Imperial City, but this Holy City.
"So that's how it is. This Holy City is very powerful, able to support so many people. When I've squandered all my money, I'll definitely go there to freeload..." Ye Lang said just as devoutly, but his devotion seemed a bit... off.
"Your shameless thoughts will surely be despised. Although the people of the Holy City won't care about you, the people who live with you will definitely ostracize you and make you feel ashamed!" the man said disdainfully. These words also revealed some of the habits of the residents under the Holy City.
Beneath the Holy City live many devout followers of the Holy Church. These followers are key to the Holy City's prosperity, dedicating their entire lives to the Holy Church and giving away all their savings.
Besides the supplies and money donated from various places every year, most of the Holy City's income comes from believers in the vicinity of the Holy City. Among these believers are many talents from all walks of life, including business talents.
In fact, to use a simple analogy, the Holy City is like a large Lineage, but this Lineage has no surname. This Lineage has always been known throughout the continent for doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, attracting many people to join this large Lineage and carry on the cause of doing good deeds and accumulating virtue.
The clergy in the Holy City basically don't need to do anything; they are only responsible for preaching and solving problems for believers and people all over the world—at least, that's how it appears on the surface.
Regardless of the nature of the Holy City organization, they have indeed done many good deeds for the people of the world over the past few thousand years, taking in countless homeless and pitiful people.
Even if someone is a hypocritical villain, the good deeds they do are still good deeds and cannot be erased!
Moreover, the Holy City is not considered a villain. In fact, if someone speaks ill of him, they will definitely be condemned by everyone. Perhaps there are villains in the Holy City, but that does not represent the whole picture.
The believers living in the Holy City are all devout and work hard. So if someone tries to freeload like Ye Lang said, the believers will automatically "despise" that person and will not provide them with relief or help.
In such an environment, most people would work hard. Of course, there are also some shameless scoundrels who are impervious to reason and can still live a carefree life.
These people are also talented!
There's nothing anyone can do about these people; they can only be allowed to remain parasites on society. These parasites will be everywhere, and it's a problem that's impossible to eradicate.
Ye Lang, on the other hand, seemed capable of taking on this position, because he was probably unaware of the contempt and ostracism he faced from others...
"I'm not afraid at all! I'm just going to live a life of leisure and wait to die!" Ye Lang said disdainfully, as if he was about to retaliate.
"... Actually, a nobleman like you doesn't need to freeload. You'll have someone to support you." The man looked at Ye Lang and said quietly.
Ye Lang shook his head and said, "Many people support me, but I don't like it. If I want to squander money, I'll earn it myself. If I freeload, I'll give them the same in return! I don't like taking advantage of others; I'm always the one who spends lavishly and gives others a free ride!"