A Strange Commission

The large manor near Baron Moro's castle was actually a large village built by farmers around his castle.

There were no free farmers here; they were all serfs.

The buildings here were clearly a level below Kali Town. As far as Yveta could see, they were almost all thatched huts, with no large structures.

Surrounding them were neatly tilled square farmlands, with crops like cabbage, radishes, broad beans, cucumbers, radishes, onions, and pumpkins. Some dark-skinned farmers were working in the fields.

There were also some able-bodied men cutting trees in the woods next to the farmland, and some people were laboriously moving the felled trees.

Unlike the shrewd merchants and energetic workers in Kali Town, these farmers working in the fields and forests appeared simple, dull, and even somewhat dazed.

These people were actually the serfs of the manor's lord, Baron Moro.

A strong farmer named Ra was pulling a small cart full of carrots past them.

Yveta suddenly saw his stupid cow take the opportunity to lower its head and eat the carrots from the cart.

This terrified Yveta.

It wasn't anything else.

It was that he seemed to be going to have to pay money.

Yveta called out to the farmer. "Excuse me, sir, look at the carrots behind you. I'll pay you."

The farmer pulling the cart looked back at the cow that was stealing food. After thinking expressionlessly for a moment, he picked up three carrots and threw them on the ground. "Little cow, eat more."

Then, he turned back and continued pulling the cart forward. "No need to pay. These carrots are from the lord's land anyway. It's a waste not to eat them."

"The lord is a stupid idiot who can't count. He won't bother about a few carrots."

Yveta: "..."

He had witnessed the mental state of the serfs in the manor.

After the man walked away.

Yveta complained to Black Wolf and Leili, "This place is like two different worlds from Kali Town. Can you believe that the greedy guys in Kali Town wouldn't demand compensation from us! The most terrifying thing is that these two worlds are only twenty kilometers apart."

It was probably just the distance of walking a few streets on Earth in his previous life.

So close, yet so far!

Black Wolf said, "There must be quite a few escaped serfs. These people would escape to Kali Town and become free people."

Leili shook his head. "Mr. Demon Hunter, you're thinking too simply. First, there's the Seven-Day Pursuit Law, which gives the lord seven days to pursue runaway serfs."

"Generally, towns don't want to get into trouble."

"Secondly, a town is a society of acquaintances. Without neighbors and relatives, it's impossible to establish oneself."

"Moreover, freedom comes at a price. Citizens in towns have no lord; they are their own masters, only needing to obey the Guild and the Town Council. But they might starve to death or die of thirst."

Leili explained, "These serfs have no freedom, but their living conditions are not necessarily worse than those of town citizens."

"Even during times of famine, lords will try their best to protect them because they are the lords' property."

"A territory with few people is not something lords want to see."

"Whereas town citizens have to fend for themselves. Even if they starve to death or die of thirst, no one will care about them, except perhaps loan sharks."

"So, many people wouldn't take the opportunity to become citizens of cities and towns, even if they had the chance."

Leili suddenly came up with a good analogy. "Although it might not be appropriate to say this, it's like the difference between a house dog and a wild wolf."

Yveta smiled, and then they continued their journey. This time, Yveta asked Leili to keep an eye on the cow to prevent it from eating anything else.

Leili said that the stupid cow had already eaten four carrots and should be full for now.

Unlike the orderly Kali Town, they wandered around the manor for a long time without anyone paying them any attention. The serfs didn't want to meddle in other people's business.

The soldiers also seemed a bit lax in their duties.

Later, they encountered some guard soldiers. After explaining that they were explorers and being checked, the soldiers ignored them.

They only warned them not to cause trouble or steal things from the fields, as they belonged to the lord.

If they caused trouble here, they would be expelled forever at best, or hanged on a tree by Baron Moro at worst.

Then, after asking around multiple times, they asked a young man guarding the castle to notify Baron Moro's eldest son, Branton.

Upon receiving consent, the young man arranged for their carriage and cow, and led them to a small side hall on the second floor of the castle.

As it seemed to be just the castle of a minor baron, it had no outer walls or moat, only an inner city.

The most important rooms inside the castle were the spacious and grand living room and the chapel. The rest were small rooms adjacent to each other.

Yveta followed the servant who was leading the way, walking up the spiral staircase. He keenly noticed that the staircase spiraled clockwise upwards.

That's right, the stairs in such castles usually spiraled clockwise upwards.

This was because if invaders wanted to attack the second floor of the castle, they would have to use this staircase. However, a clockwise spiral was extremely disadvantageous for people moving from bottom to top.

It meant that people moving from top to bottom could use their dominant hand with great familiarity.

And people below, if they went up, their chests would be exposed to the weapons of those above.

Simply put, it was like an unbalanced map in a game, where one side had a familiar perspective and the other had an unfamiliar perspective.

When they reached the second floor, they weren't led to the actual reception room but a small side chamber.

It was understandable, though.

Yveta and the others were just humble explorers at this point, not nobles visiting other nobles.

In the side chamber, a young man about eighteen years old, wearing a robe adorned with intricate patterns, was already waiting.

This must be the Baron's eldest son, Branton Moro!

Yveta handed over the quest letter. Branton Moro seemed agitated. "You're finally here. You've helped me out of a huge bind."

"My sister has been missing for over three and a half months."

"But..."

Yveta frowned. "Three and a half months?"

What were the chances of survival after that long?

"Didn't you send anyone to look for her?"

Branton Moro burst into tears on the spot. "No, because everyone told me I don't have a sister. They said I imagined her, but I remember it clearly. She was snatched away from me by an ogre. We were hunting, and then we encountered an ogre."

"No, it might have been a group."

"Then my sister was taken by the ogres, but for some reason, everyone around me kept telling me I don't have a sister."

Yveta and the others were dumbfounded.

Yveta looked at Leili and Black Wolf. Leili shook his head, while Black Wolf shrugged. "I've never encountered such a strange commission."

"Perhaps our employer's mental state..."

"That's right, my son is indeed mentally ill. He doesn't have a sister!" A booming voice suddenly entered the room. A robust man walked in from outside. He had very short hair, sharp eyes, and a square face, giving him a powerful and imposing appearance.

Clearly, this was Baron Moro.

Baron Moro glared at Branton Moro with disgust. "You scoundrel! Do you know how many people will covet our territory once word of your madness gets out?"

"You are the heir here. Baron Moro's territory is responsible for guarding the main passage and scouting for enemy intelligence for the Viscount Country. If your condition becomes known, many people will advise the Viscount to replace you. I hope you won't do anything foolish again."

Branton Moro became agitated. "No, Father, have you forgotten about sister? You have a daughter! I have a sister! You used to dote on her!"

Baron Moro sighed and said helplessly to Yveta and the others, "Esteemed guests, you can go ask around and see if I have a daughter."

"However, I will not be entertaining you here for now."

"This quest is also nonsensical."

"You may leave. I hope you will depart my territory first thing tomorrow morning. Otherwise, I will have the guards arrest you."

"Please leave now."

Yveta was utterly bewildered.

What was this?

Didn't that druid say I would get what I wanted from this quest?

What was going on?

Black Wolf and Leili were clearly caught off guard by this situation and looked equally perplexed.

They could only leave for now. As they departed, Baron Moro was still muttering, "I suspect my son has been cursed by a witch."

Everyone then looked at the Hearthstone Great Witch.

The Hearthstone Great Witch said, "Why are you all looking at me!"