Because the Demon Bear was far too large and night had fallen too late, Lynn and the others could not process the corpse on the spot. They could only drain its blood first before returning to White Bear Town.
Though it was already late at night, the serfs in every village along the way had yet to sleep.
They feared that terrifying Magic Beast would attack their villages, worrying themselves sleepless.
When their lord returned victorious, the serfs who had waited so long along the road erupted into cheers.
Holding bright torches, they excitedly crowded around Lynn and his party as though welcoming their saviors.
For the lower serfs of the Northern Border, the greatest threats they faced were nothing more than their lord's heavy taxes, the Magic Beasts in the forest, and the unpredictable rain and snow.
The serfs gave more than half the fruits of their labor to their lord simply so they could survive.
That was all.
Now they had heard that their lord had personally slain that unprecedented, terrifying Demon Bear standing seven meters tall, protecting the Territory System and its local residents.
How could they not rejoice?
By the time Lynn reached White Bear Town, the Free People in town had also erupted with excitement.
They relied on the lord's protection, trading the skills in their hands for the status of Free People.
All they desired was a stable living environment.
Now their lord had personally proven that he and the warriors under his command could protect the Territory System.
Any Magic Beast that encroached upon the Territory System would surely be slain.
To the Free People, this was the most wonderful news imaginable.
Qi He the blacksmith and Torima the carpenter immediately organized people through the night to build a large cart, promising to haul the Demon Bear's corpse back to the Castle before sunset tomorrow.
Lynn led his men east along the main road, greeted by heartfelt praise and applause.
It was the Horse Bandits' first time seeing such a spectacle.
In the past, they had played the roles of destroyers, plunderers, and bringers of ruin. The people along the road avoided them like tigers and wolves, fleeing them as though from the plague.
The people feared the Horse Bandits' blades and brutality. On the surface, they forced smiles to greet them, but behind their backs, they cursed them in the ugliest terms imaginable.
The Horse Bandits naturally knew this well, which was why they squandered all the money they earned in city brothels and taverns.
The prostitutes did not ask where their clients came from or care whether their payment was clean. From the way they treated generous customers, every inch of them radiated ingratiating flattery.
But today, these Horse Bandits who had killed without count heard praise from ordinary people for the first time. Their actions had received the approval of the masses for the first time.
It brought them an incomparable spiritual satisfaction.
The Horse Bandits all knew that the main credit for slaying the Demon Bear belonged to their big brother. At most, they had merely helped make up the numbers.
But that did not stop them from sharing in the glory, striding proudly with flushed faces and excitement.
This was exactly what Lynn wanted to see.
Through this bear-hunting operation, the Horse Bandits had gained the local residents' recognition, praise, and respect.
They had begun to understand what honor was.
At the same time, they should have vaguely realized that the weapons in their hands were not meant solely to be wielded for personal wealth.
Of course, this was only the beginning. Lynn had never expected to correct the banditry in the Horse Bandits' nature in a short time.
But today had undoubtedly been a fine start.
The night grew deeper, yet the group around Lynn grew ever larger.
When he saw the distinctive red roof of Riverside Castle, he looked back and found that the procession behind him had formed into a long fire dragon.
Quite a few serfs even sang and danced as they walked, as if they were attending a holiday bonfire celebration.
"Second Brother, Lao Liu, go tell the serfs that the next week will be a holiday. They don't need to work, but they must go home and sleep tonight."
As the lord, Lynn could freely decide the holiday schedule within his Territory System.
Aside from the fixed weekly day off, all other holidays depended entirely on the lord's mood.
Generally speaking, common holidays in the Northern Border included the lord's birthday, the Harvest Festival, May Day, and so on.
Some heartless lords canceled all extra holidays,
working the serfs to death. Yet their fields would instead produce even less.
Serfs were not tireless machines.
If a lord demanded excessively long working hours, they would collude to slack off and loaf around.
He could not possibly assign a farm manager to watch every serf, could he?
Besides, Farm Managers slacked off too.
The serfs of White Bear Territory had already worked ten consecutive extra days to make Compost.
Taking advantage of the joyous occasion of slaying the Demon Bear, Lynn gave the serfs a week-long holiday.
Once the holiday ended, the intense and exciting Spring Planting would begin in earnest.
Second Brother and Lao Liu accepted the order and left.
The good news of a week off quickly spread. The serfs burst into thunderous cheers, and as the long fire dragon dispersed, it eventually became countless stars of light illuminating White Bear Territory.
When Lynn and his men arrived at the Castle gates, Old Albert and the others, having received the news, had already waited for a long time.
"My lord!"
Old Albert was so excited that he could not speak.
To be honest, he had truly worried for his lord's safety.
What did a seven-meter-tall Demon Bear even mean?
In the more than hundred-year history of White Bear Territory, it had never been attacked by such a terrifying Magic Beast.
Just over twenty years ago, a Demon Bear less than six meters tall had been enough to turn the entire Territory System upside down.
To deal with that Demon Bear, the lord before the previous lord had spent a fortune hiring more than fifty elite mercenaries.
During this long and agonizing half-day, Old Albert had even been thinking about how he ought to welcome the next lord.
After all, Lynn had no legitimate descendants who could inherit the Territory System.
But his lord's strength had completely surpassed Old Albert's imagination.
A seven-meter-tall Demon Bear had been taken down just like that in half a day. He had not even hired outside help, relying only on these twenty-odd men under his command.
Who would believe that if it were told?
The moment he heard that the Demon Bear had been slain, Old Albert immediately realized that the new lord was practically the God of War descended to earth!
Not only was he formidable in battle, but he had also brought miraculous techniques such as the Heavy Plow and Compost to the Territory System.
White Bear Territory was now militarily strong, and its grain harvest would soon reach unprecedented heights.
Was White Bear Territory, dormant for a century, finally about to soar?
Lynn swung down from his horse, tossed the reins to Old Albert, who was so excited that tears streamed down his face, and calmly ordered:
"Feed my horse some Oats and eggs, then get the hell home and sleep. Don't come bother me for the next week."
"Yes, my lord! I definitely won't bother you!"
Never mind being told to get lost—even if Lynn had told Old Albert to squat down and bark like a dog, he would have done so gladly.
Being his lord's dog was the greatest honor!
After Old Albert and his son Little Albert hurried away with the horses, Yagna finally approached Lynn in tiny, hesitant steps.
"My lord."
Even in the darkness, Lynn could still see the enticing blush on the young woman's fair neck.
Yagna did not dare meet Lynn's gaze. With her head lowered, she seemed to wish she could bury her chin in her ample chest.
Unlike Old Albert, she had always believed that Lynn would return in triumph.
She had never considered the possibility that Lynn might fail.
The confidence and imposing presence that had seemed to pierce the clouds before Lynn set out had given her boundless strength and faith.
When the news of her lord slaying the Demon Bear reached the Castle, she had been just as overjoyed.
But then she realized that it was time for her to fulfill her promise.
Before you continue