Blessed by Abundance, Scourge of Terra

So after picking and choosing, Warfarin followed his instructions over the past year and selected only a little over six hundred people from the town.

Perhaps it was in their nature—this group, barely passable as decent folk, all accepted Huang Cao's invitation and decided to embark on a journey into the unknown.

"Warfarin, long time no see—let me check if you've developed properly!"

Huang Cao kicked open the door of his own shop with a single stomp, putting on the full airs of a spoiled young master.

Startled, Warfarin was both surprised and delighted. Though caught off guard, the worry in her heart vanished completely with the arrival of the one in question.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?! We're not moving right this second—we've still got a week to go! Are we just not going to live for this week?"

Warfarin sighed and looked at the youth, whose appearance hadn't changed much.

This was the form the Banshees had seen. Long ago, to keep their stories straight, Warfarin had met with both bodies.

So seeing him like this wasn't too shocking—she just felt like the guy had gotten a bit more handsome.

"You said your race is a Grass-eating Demon—I've never tasted that kind of blood before~ Come on! Let me draw a big tube!"

"I'm afraid your big tube won't fit."

Huang Cao said irritably, but he still used his fingernail to cut his skin, letting a tiny bit of golden blood drip into the test tube.

"Golden blood—that's pretty rare."

"Speaking of which, is this really blood?"

"Or maybe you could condense 'golden blood' into two words," Huang Cao said with a scholarly air.

"I suggest you don't!"

Warfarin's pale face flushed red, and she shot Huang Cao a fierce glare.

New book asking for support—any votes or tickets are welcome, the author will work hard to update!4

Chapter 20: Every Step Just Right

"It smells fragrant, but something feels off."

Bringing the bottle mouth filled with the youth's blood close to her nose, fanning the air around it, Warfarin caught a strange, exotic scent.

The smell was bizarre—like a chaotic stew of various plants, with all kinds of botanical aromas mixed in, yet not clashing at all, instead being unusually pleasant.

Driven by curiosity, Warfarin downed the golden blood in the test tube in one gulp.

The taste was about the same as water.

And then nothing happened—just like drinking water.

"That's it?" Huang Cao circled Warfarin curiously, feeling like his blood had completely soaked into this vampire, yet she showed no change at all.

"My advice is don't eat it next time—what if you turn into a tree?"

"Fair point."

At night, Warfarin slapped a thick book down in front of the youth.

"Boss, I've been working hard for you this whole year. This is my daily record—settle my overtime pay, will you? I haven't slept for over half a year."

"Half a year without sleep—wait, don't you not need to sleep at night anyway?"

"Sure, we Blood Demons like to be active at night and rest during the day, but sleep is a necessary biological activity for any living thing. Sleeping less doesn't mean not sleeping at all—that's no excuse for you to withhold my wages."

"Couldn't you just take it from the warehouse while I was gone?"

"I'm just the steward. In Victorians' terms, I'm just an accountant. What employee pays themselves?"

"Looks like people in this world aren't very good at cooking the books."

With a heartfelt remark, Huang Cao decided to show his face in town a few days later, and the honorary Lord of the Royal Court title granted by Theresia also arrived.

A silver-and-gold medal, looking exceptionally plain and unadorned.

But the ribbon beneath the medal was embroidered with Theresia's name.

"Have all the invitations been sent out?"

"From what I've observed, I sent out over six hundred. None of them are exactly saints, but at least they're not the type to stir up trouble—pretty steady folks."

"Though a steady Sarkaz is a bit different from what other races call 'steady people,'" Warfarin added.

Two days later, Huang Cao dressed himself up in a set of ornate clothes modeled after Lamian's Lord of the Royal Court attire, complete with the medal Theresia had given him.

"Is that the shopkeeper's relative? I suddenly thought of a four-character phrase—'refined and polite.'" The townsfolk below, watching the youth speak on the stage, couldn't help whispering among themselves.

"He looks reliable—maybe this time we really can get away from the war."

All the Sarkaz attending this gathering had received invitations; those who hadn't had already left the town.

As mentioned before, the resources around this town were nearly exhausted.

Those who wanted to leave had already gone. Those who stayed were all, without exception, holding onto hope for the new home that Warfarin and Huang Cao had promised.

Though someone's original idea was also to become a big shot, to enjoy being a feudal lord before the final enemy destroyed this world.

But Huang Cao, with his normal mindset, thought simply:

No money, no people—how am I supposed to have fun?

Everyone's having fun—I'm just having a little more fun than you all.

Huang Cao's current actions and thoughts, if placed in the ancient times of his former world, would fully qualify him as a sage-king of an era.

Rejoicing with the people, but I rejoice a bit better—never building my own pleasures on the suffering of others.

But this world is far worse than Huang Cao imagined, especially the mess that is Kazdel. The pink-haired siblings have been tangled in it for centuries without sorting it out.

Even now, when Huang Cao recalls the Tower of Babel storyline, he still can't figure out why the civil war hundreds of years later even broke out.

If you say Teresis and Theresia loved their people, then why did they start a civil war?

Saying they didn't care isn't quite right either, because everything they did was to give their supporters a better life and fulfill their ideals.

Two kings swept along by their people—stuck between going up and coming down.

War is always the worst option, so couldn't you two just sit down and talk it out, calm things down first?

If it really came to blows later, couldn't you at least put on an act?

There's no need to fight to the death—doesn't killing people just hurt Kazdel even more?

Anyway, it's really strange that this civil war even happened. If those siblings had been a bit sharper, used time to soothe old hatreds as much as possible, maybe history really could have been rewritten.

Of course, that's a bit of hindsight talking, especially since there's always Leithanian poking you out of nowhere, making hatred impossible to erase.

All I can say is the siblings' civil war is inseparable from what this country has done.

Huang Cao has no grand ambitions. A lover of pleasure and beauty, he has no interest in getting involved in the so-called Demon King conflict.

Fighting and killing are so uncivilized. Whatever can be resolved at the negotiating table should be.

Of course, if someone jumps in his face, he won't be afraid either.

So the next morning, after standing on a high platform and finishing the relocation speech, Huang Cao led all the residents who had invitations toward his fief.

No dangers encountered along the way. On the road to the fief, relying solely on manpower and the luggage on their backs, walking on foot would take over a month.

If the townsfolk had been military before becoming mercenaries, this group's pace would probably be much faster.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

But thankfully, with Huang Cao around, they didn't run into any major dangers—not even a natural disaster.

A month later, everyone finally arrived at this land of birdsong and floral fragrance.

"So it's real—you didn't deceive us."

Crossing the last valley, the first thing the townsfolk saw was that tree radiating a golden light like a miracle.

Or rather, a tree that looked very much like the "Imaginary Tree."

Though Huang Cao wasn't sure what was off about the tree's shape, nor did he even know to what extent his own body had been altered.

At the same time, Huang Cao's prestige among the residents grew higher and higher.

This showed the benefit of screening his subjects. The truly vicious would only want to seize this place for themselves, refusing to listen to guidance.

But these people, tired of war, were moved from the bottom of their hearts. Their not-so-bad natures made them instinctively grateful.

Huang Cao had calculated every step just right.

"My people, let us begin construction now. Remember, develop the surrounding resources with gratitude, take only what you need, cherish the environment, and build our Eden together."

Eden—that was the name Huang Cao gave his fief.

Chapter 21: A Maiden's Blush Could Also Be Red with Rage

Next came the normal course of development.

Though Huang Cao could directly accelerate plant growth, why should he toil to support everyone?

So the first thing after arriving at the territory, besides clearing fields, was to have several hundred people build him a castle.

Having finally gotten a real body, Huang Cao had no intention of continuing to sleep in the dirt.

As for the lord's proposal, the Sarkaz who followed him here had no complaints.

Because the Sarkaz living in that town were ordinary people, not from any royal court branch.

In other words, commoners.

Aside from having horns and longer lifespans, they had no abilities.

Theresia and Teresis started out as ordinary Sarkaz too, but somehow their combat power later skyrocketed.

Maybe that's just talent.

Wsheldale was also a very ordinary Sarkaz, but her talent and luck were both ridiculously overpowered.

Whether in the storyline or in game strength, calling her the official's favorite daughter wouldn't be an exaggeration.

There's even a meme online: When you think this is the first mini-boss you've encountered, you don't realize that her era is about to begin.

When you pull Wsheldale, that's when your brain changes.

Thanks to prior planning, the castle's building materials had already been delivered to the territory's surroundings. Though building a castle next was a bit extravagant, it couldn't be called wasting resources or exhausting the people.

More importantly, Lord Huang paid wages for any work he ordered, and he was exceptionally generous with his spending.

His speech also lacked that condescending tone.

This left the other Sarkaz puzzled—clearly he was a noble of high status, and his actions carried a distinctly aristocratic style.

Yet from the Sarkaz perspective, their lord was like a mischievous child, petty but not malicious, and genuinely concerned for their well-being.

If judged purely by age, Lord Huang, just over twenty years old, could hardly claim deep experience among the crowd.

Coupled with his extremely youthful appearance, everyone felt a bit of fondness for this somewhat scatterbrained new lord.

In the days that followed, the Sarkaz who had arrived at their new home experienced a long-missed taste of tranquility.

In just one month, a castle exuding understated luxury rose on the plain.

At the same time, over twenty graceful maids were tasked with managing every aspect of the castle.

As for the head maid, of course that was Madam Warfarin, though she wasn't counted among those twenty-plus graceful maids.

"Well, to be honest, it's still a bit shabby."

Lord Huang looked at the castle before him—tall enough, but lacking in floor space.

As expected, the lack of modern technology was a hindrance; even if every Sarkaz was a powerhouse, transporting massive stone blocks and crafting decorations proved somewhat difficult for them.

Let it be for now. He'd focus on getting the territory's production and construction off the ground first, and stop pushing them so hard.

This Seat, Lord Huang, was truly benevolent!

Having a roof over one's head wasn't enough—eating well, sleeping well, and enjoying oneself were the hallmarks of an aristocratic life.

To achieve those goals, he had to ensure his people also ate well, slept well, and enjoyed themselves.

That way, they wouldn't cause trouble and would do their utmost to generate emotional value for him.