When Ralph brought up the matter, he was quite furious and deeply regretted saving such a scumbag. But he had only learned about Renier's village-burning stunt after saving him...
So, he told Li Ang about Ailedge Village—Ailedge had now been burned into ruins, its original lord had abandoned the place, its superior lord Elfwan was dead, and the Gatu people had ravaged it as well.
According to the kingdom's laws, this already counted as unclaimed land. A Pioneer Lord could establish a territory here.
Under such circumstances, building a new village nearby would actually be better than pioneering land in an uninhabited region—at least the surviving refugees nearby could be taken in as subjects.
Ralph's suggestion, naturally, was also because he hoped Li Ang could offer those refugees a way to survive.
To Ralph, those refugees were all his neighbors.
When Li Ang led his party to Ailedge Village, there was not a single person left in it.
Everything was charred black.
Other than a few stone-built walls that still stood, all they could see were black ashes scattered across the ground and a chaotic mess of discarded debris.
Renier and the Gatu people had thoroughly ravaged the place.
The fields around the village still held wheat stubble. They had likely been harvested not long ago, before autumn and winter crops could be planted.
If nothing unexpected had happened, Ailedge had been looted and burned by its own lord immediately after the harvest.
Li Ang called Lesley over, settled the caravan, and began assigning her tasks.
"What? My lord, you want to open a market here?"
"Don't get so worked up, Lesley. Isn't this your old line of work...?"
Li Ang looked calmly at the strange expression on Lesley's face.
"But my lord, there isn't anyone here now. Who are