Whip Punishment, Compensation

The next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The earliest farmers and vendors to head out for work discovered a special notice posted on the boards at the Firefall Town square and the market entrance.

The notice was placed in the most prominent position on the board, stamped with the Three Gold Stars on Blue seal of the Summerstar Family, as well as the mayor's official seal:

"By order of Lord Ye Weian Xiaxing: The illegal gains of the thug Gray Crow have been thoroughly liquidated. Any residents of Firefall territory who have been harmed, extorted, or robbed by Gray Crow and his cohorts may proceed to the former Old Oak Leather Shop to receive compensation."

Beneath the announcement was a densely packed list, ranging from farmers whose plow oxen had been stolen to vendors who had been extorted for stall fees; every old debt was clearly identifiable.

At the bottom of the notice, a final line was added: "If there are those not on this list who believe they have been victims, you may also come forward for verification. Once confirmed, compensation will be issued."

"Is this for real? I thought that once the shop was sealed and the thugs arrested, that would be the end of it."

"Would a noble lord really spit back money he's already swallowed? I've never heard of such a thing in all my years."

When it came to money, the news grew wings, spreading from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred.

Soon, the entire Firefall Town knew of the matter.

Some were cynical, believing this was merely a young noble buying people's hearts; others were skeptical, thinking that at most, he would hand out a few copper coins as a token gesture.

But even if it were just for show, being able to collect a few copper coins was better than coming away empty-handed.

However, when the first group of victims received their compensation, the voices of doubt fell silent.

It was an old widow from the west side of town whose son had been crippled by Gray Crow's men last year, and whose family's livelihood—a small apothecary—had been forcibly seized.

When the young noble himself personally pressed a heavy bag of gold coins into her arms, the surrounding crowd gasped.

"By Chauntea... those are gold coins! Real, genuine gold coins!"

"Look at the weight of that; there must be at least sixty of them!"

And so, from that morning on, a crowd began to gather in front of the former Old Oak Leather Shop.

Ye Weian did not hide in the cool of his study; he pulled up a chair and sat firmly in the shade at the main entrance of the leather shop, personally overseeing the distribution of the compensation.

On the long table beside him, bags of gold and silver coins were piled like small hills, refracting a mesmerizing glow under the sunlight.

In addition to the victims on the list, many others who had not been recorded but had indeed been harmed by Gray Crow's cohorts gathered the courage to apply.

Most of these people had not held much hope before arriving.

But once they reached the scene, they discovered that not only did the lord not find them troublesome, but he turned no one away:

As long as the perpetrator was brought forward and the claim verified on the spot, the compensation was issued immediately.

Furthermore, for every crime confirmed, Ye Weian would order the offending thug to be publicly whipped.

This sharp approach of "on-site confrontation, immediate payment, and instant punishment" showed the townspeople Ye Weian's determination to thoroughly eradicate the remnants of the Crow.

Every time money was handed out, or a whip cracked against a villain's back, the crowd would erupt in cheers.

By noon, the long, snake-like queue had stretched all the way to the center of town.

"Hello, old sir, may I ask if you are on the list?" Ye Weian asked a weather-beaten farmer gently.

"No... no... begging the lord's pardon, I... I am not on it." The old farmer was so constrained he didn't know where to put his hands, his speech stumbling.

With the status of a noble combined with 18 points of Charisma, Ye Weian appeared almost like a deity in the old farmer's eyes, leaving him unable to harbor a single thought of deception.

"That is fine. Please tell me your name and what you have suffered."

"People call me Old Tom. Three years ago, Gray Crow's man, 'Black Dog' Hawthorne, broke my son's leg and stole the only two milk cows my family had left..."

"Renn, bring 'Black Dog' Hawthorne here." Ye Weian ordered without looking back.

"Yes!"

Behind Ye Weian knelt a row of Gray Crow thugs bound in iron chains, all of them bruised and swollen, clearly having received their fair share of "care."

Renn quickly dragged a dark-skinned fellow from the group.

Upon seeing that face, Old Tom trembled with excitement: "Yes! It's him! My lord, I could never forget this face in my entire life!"

"Old Tom says you broke his son's leg three years ago and stole his cows. Is this true?" Ye Weian asked coldly.

"Yes... yes! I remember!" The thug kowtowed repeatedly to confirm.

He dared not harbor any delusions; just a moment ago, a fellow who tried to play smart had attempted to deny his crimes, only for the mage lord to cast a single glance his way, causing the man to stare blankly and spill every single one of his sins.

In the end, that unlucky soul had his punishment doubled and was whipped until he fainted.

Having confirmed the crime, Ye Weian delivered a cold verdict: "Since the evidence is conclusive, Renn, give him ten lashes in public."

Soon, the sound of a whip cracking through the air echoed behind him, followed by the man's screams.

Ye Weian turned back to the gratified old farmer, his voice returning to a gentle tone:

"I regret that I only learned of this now. According to the compensation standards, your son's broken leg will receive ten gold coins in compensation, and the two cows will be valued at thirty gold coins."

With that, he pushed forty gold coins toward the old farmer.

When Old Tom received this massive sum—enough to turn his family's life around and hire a cleric to heal his son's leg—he could no longer control his emotions. He fell to his knees on the dirt with a thud, his forehead striking the stone floor heavily:

"My lord! You must be a savior sent by Torm, the Hand of Justice! You are the very embodiment of fairness!"

Scenes like this had occurred more than once.

Some of the elders even refused the compensation, instead pushing their own children toward Ye Wei'an: "My Lord, please have mercy and take my son! He has plenty of strength; he can serve as your groom or a foot soldier! As long as he can follow a benevolent master like you, it would be his good fortune even if he were to die on the battlefield!"

Those without sons wanted to offer their daughters to serve as menial maids.

In the eyes of many commoners, attaching themselves to a powerful and just lord was the best path they could imagine.

"This is what it means to win the hearts of the people." Cain stood beside Ye Wei'an, watching the townspeople, whose eyes shimmered with tears and fervor, and felt a profound sense of emotion.

As a knight who had served the Summerstar Family since childhood, the more he thought about it, the more he felt a pang of regret; if the young master before him were not the illegitimate son of Baron Summerstar, but his legitimate heir, how could the Summerstar Family not flourish?

The other townspeople, even those who had not received money from Ye Wei'an, still held him in high regard.

"Look at that, that is the true seed of Baron Summerstar! If only he were our lord!"

"Compared to that 'legitimate heir' in the castle who only knows how to ride his horse into people and abduct village girls for amusement, Lord Ye Wei'an is practically an emissary sent by Sharess, the Goddess of Nobility."

"The law dictates that we must bow and pay respects to the nobility; in the past, I bowed because I was afraid of the whip, but if all nobles were like Lord Ye Wei'an, I would gladly kowtow."

"Shh! Keep your voice down... but you're right. If this lord manages Firefall Valley in the future, our good days will have truly arrived."