"Heh... hehehe... Old man, you're finally dead!"
"For so many days, I was terrified you'd wake up again, terrified that what I did would be exposed. Every night, I was too scared to sleep!"
"Now, you're finally dead. I don't have to live in fear anymore!"
"As long as I wait for the envoy from the main city to witness it tomorrow, I'll be the new baron!"
Then Fitz Walker curled up beneath the blankets, continuously letting out suppressed laughter...
A smile also tugged at Cao Xing's lips.
"It actually worked."
"That means this kid is now the true baron, with enormous authority!"
There were many benefits to becoming a baron.
First, he would have absolute control over the commoners within his territory.
A baron could decide whether they lived or died, whether they stayed or left. In other words, he could assign them wherever he wished.
And every baron's territory was vast, governing numerous villages with a huge population of commoners.
With Cao Xing's status, if he had Fitz Walker continuously send more commoners his way, Fitz Walker naturally would not dare refuse.
That would directly solve his biggest problem: the shortage of population!
Combined with the Barracks, he could even enter full troop-production mode!
At the thought of this, Cao Xing nearly burst into laughter.
Of course, controlling a baron came with more benefits than that.
The resources held by every baron were terrifying.
For years, they had collected all kinds of land taxes, poll taxes, trade taxes, and more within their territories.
Although part of those taxes would be used to develop armed forces and construct their lands, the barons themselves would certainly have accumulated immense wealth.
Food, money, and even precious resources such as Mithril and gemstones had surely reached an astonishing amount.
He had been