In the room covered with sky blue carpets, large bookshelf, precious oil paintings, and silver lamp holders, Belk Loren stood respectfully at the desk and reported his experiences in the East to Edmund Moen, who was sitting behind the table.

The young prince wearing a black coat and having a bearded expression was serious and serious, listening to every sentence in the report, while Belk always maintained his sincere respect and was unwilling to let his report have any flaws:

"The bandits in Hall County and Rentattle County have subsided. A batch of unmarked gold coins were found in their hiding place. Through object search spell identification, it is initially determined that these gold coins were indeed from the local lords. After you issued the relevant regulatory laws, some local nobles still kept 'black gloves' in private..."

"This is a explicitly prohibited act and must be severely punished. The nobles involved have two choices: either reduce the title of one level, or hand over half of the land or equivalent money." Edmund Moen said with an unpleasant face.

Then, Belk reported a series of changes and current situations in the rear of the Eastern Front, and also mentioned the recent activities of Baisha Mining Company. Edmund made various appropriate arrangements based on the situation he reported. Some of them were things that Belk could not handle or were handled by others. Edmund would also talk about his disposal plan a little, or have open and honest discussions with the young marquis in front of him.

Frank, serious, fair, and patient.

No matter how many times he contacted Edmund Moen, Belke would not help but have words similar to them appear in his heart.

He looked at the prince who was not very old, watched the other party seriously consider the solution to the problem, and proposed various admirable solutions. He could feel that the other party was really working hard to govern the land and finding ways to bring prosperity to this kingdom. This belief and action was the reason why he was sincerely loyal to the other party.

However…the dark corners still exist.

A hint of loss and entanglement appeared in Belk's heart, and before he spoke, Edmund noticed his expression change, and the prince cast his eyes: "Belke, what else is there?"

Belk frowned and did not hide it: "Your Highness, in many areas of the Eastern Region, your serf freedom bill has unexpected...setting. Only a few serfs have truly obtained free citizenship, and most... are still bound to the land. Affected by this situation, there is almost no progress in land reform in these areas, and the factories cannot recruit any personnel and even training cannot be carried out."

Edmund looked at him quietly: "Why?"

"There are various reasons, but most of them are obstacles set by landowners. Some of them require serfs to redeem their ‘place’ to gain freedom, some require serfs to submit all the harvests of the first year, and some drive them away from the farm or orchard after they declared that the serfs were freed..."

Edmund closed his eyes slightly, as if he was calming his breathing. Then he opened his eyes, his eyes deep: "So, the serfs who have obtained 'freedom' cannot survive, right?"

"Yes, they eventually had to go back to their master and 'voluntarily' back..."

This time, Edmund was silent for a longer time, and it was not until half a minute later that Belk heard a calm voice coming from the front: "I get it."

"Your Highness, we probably should..."

Belk couldn't wait to speak, but was interrupted by Edmund halfway through: "Belke, I will discuss this matter with the Duke of Loren about the land, and he has more experience. As for you, there is a new task."

Although Belk was still thinking about the serfs, loyalty made him immediately respond to the prince's new instructions: "Your Highness, please give me instructions."

Edmund's expression became serious. He picked up the water cup at hand, drank a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then said in a deep voice: "About the cult activities that have become increasingly rampant recently, about the end-of-life church-dead people..."

...

After walking out of the main hall of the castle, Belk Loren's steps seemed heavier than before.

He originally thought that the old conservative nobles and robbers in the East were already a great obstacle and problem for the delusion of the people, but he did not expect that there would be another huge trouble in the Solinburg area.

Everything will eventually perish... When did such a dark sect that only dared to make some conspiracies in the gutter have become such a huge harm? They even extended their hands to the magnificent wall and to the wasteland of Gondor?!

According to His Highness the Prince, the corruption and spread of those cultists in the kingdom have long exceeded people's expectations. They spread among the poor, among the citizens, and even among the extraordinary, among the nobles. Their doomsday theory is obviously absurd and crazy... But why do so many people believe and destroy themselves one after another?

A cold but energetic north wind blew, and Belk suddenly woke up. Only then did he notice that the snow and snow outside had stopped at some point. At this moment, only large areas of silver covered the courtyard, the path and the roof.

The attendant knight came over with his horse and bent respectfully beside the young marquis: "Sir, you want..."

Belk waved his hand and asked the attendant Knight to retreat: "Take the horse back, I'm going to go for a walk in the city."

At this time, most places where people live have become depressed and deserted. Even the "Solinburgh", a famous city in the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain, is no exception. Outside the warm castle, the entire urban area where civilians live is cold and deserted, with few pedestrians. Even if you walk on the widest streets, you can see very limited passersby.

But in fact, being able to see civilian passers-by on the street is already a lively and prosperous reflection. At least there are still people who are willing to go out in this cold weather, at least there are the most basic business activities, and social activities operate among the civilian class in this city. This is difficult to see in ordinary countryside.

Belk did not ride a horse or wear armor. He just wore a wolf-skin cloak, lined with a knight's uniform, and wandered casually between the streets and alleys of the west city of Solinburg.

Since the Eastern Legion occupied this city that once belonged to the royal family, he had not had the chance to stroll on the streets in such a casual manner. As the heir to the Eastern Legion Guardian Duke, he always had countless things to learn and be busy. Although he accepted a new task arranged by the prince today, this task was not immediately possible. He first needed to arrange his men to collect and summarize information on heretic sacrifices, population disappearances, and abnormal diseases in the surrounding areas, and then he could act personally. Before that, he finally had a little free time.

Unfortunately, this leisure time is in winter, and he has no chance to see too many interesting scenes among the people.

Walking aimlessly and looking at the deserted streets, Belk finally sighed.

I really can’t see anything, winter walks are the most boring.

The young marquis turned around and prepared to leave the place.

However, just before he took a step, a sudden sound suddenly came into his ears.

The sound was mixed with curses and striking movements of the body, and there was also a faint depression and humming.

Belk frowned and looked in the direction where the sound came, the distance that ordinary people could never hear from two streets.

He stepped forward, and his figure passed through a string of phantoms on the almost empty street. After a few seconds, he came to the entrance of the alley and saw what happened in the alley.

Several tall and strong men were surrounding them, punching and kicking at a thin figure who had been cursing on the ground, cursing rude words loudly. On the ground near them, a wooden basin was knocked over to the ground, and more than a dozen clothes were scattered around.

The disgusting scene made Belk's face darker, and he immediately shouted, "Stop what are you doing?!"

The sudden shouts made the people who were committing violence stop. They turned their heads and looked in the direction where the sound came. They were already angry on their faces, as if they wanted to teach the person who intervened, but after seeing the tall young people at the entrance of the alley, these people almost instantly stood still, accompanied by a few slight sounds of gasping in the air.

"Big...sir..."

Someone spoke silly, and Belk looked at the person who spoke: "What's going on here?"

After seeing these people's strong figures, neat clothes and their instant recognition of their expressions, he had already vaguely guessed their identities.

"Sir... I... we are teaching a criminal lesson," said the first person who spoke tremblingly, "She... she is a laundry woman, but she stole the employer's clothes..."

she?

Belk lowered his head and saw the thin figure who had been curled up due to the beating, tremblingly crawling towards the clothes scattered on the ground and the wooden basin. Her withered and dry hair was scattered behind her head, wearing a shabby dress with no visible color, and many rag strips were tied to resist the cold. She looked up and showed a face that was not too bloody and dried and yellow due to malnutrition.

She was a woman, not beautiful at all, and only her eyes left a deeper impression on Belk.

But if she is very beautiful, she may not only face punches and kicks here.

Belk lowered his head and looked calmly at the laundry woman who was picking up clothes, some of the clothes still had moisture left, and were almost frozen on the ground: "Whose clothes did you steal?"

The laundry girl lowered her head and said softly: "No one's stolen, sir."

"Sir, look, she is still lying!" One of the men standing around immediately shouted, "She stole..."

"Stealed yours?" Belk raised his head and stared at the man who was making a sound.

The man immediately fell silent.

"Stealed yours?" Belk turned his gaze again and looked at the next person.

That person was also silent.

"Your? Or yours?"

No one responded.

"Very well, at least you dare not continue to lie," Belk stared at them, each word that made the necks shrink a little, "so that I at least don't have to send your bodies back to the East."

These people are soldiers from the East Realm who are on the reins.

Except for the soldiers who occupied the city, few people were as strong as them, wearing warm winter clothes, with extra energy, and instantly recognized Belk Loren in regular clothes.

Belk lowered his head again, looking at the laundry woman who had picked up all her clothes and was guarding the wooden basin with her head down: "Are you a local?"

The laundry woman still lowered her head, as if she didn't dare to look up at each other: "...Yes, sir."

Belk nodded, his eyes fell on the scum among the soldiers again. He took a breath, but slowly calmed down the magic in his body.

The army, disciplined, was the order of Prince Edmund.

"Bully civilians, deceive the superiors, go find your centurions, receive thirty whips each, and be confined to one week, and reduce military salary by half this month."

The scum left in panic and frustrated.

The laundry woman still knelt on the ground, lowering her head, with her wooden basin and clothes that needed to be re-purified.

"Rise your head."

Belk said calmly.

He saw the other party raise his head slightly, but soon lowered again, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

Belk sighed in his heart, squatted down, level with the other person's gaze, looking at the malnourished face that had nothing to do with beauty, and the numb eyes mixed in awe.

On other occasions, in the banquet hall of the castle, countless beautiful ladies from famous families would be willing to pay the price of a manor in exchange for an opportunity to be able to face him at such a close distance.

"Those people are scum in the East and cannot represent the army in the East."

The laundry woman immediately lowered her head and responded: "Yes, sir."

Belk frowned, looked at the other party's thin and tattered clothes, and then took out two gold coins from his arms.

He thought for a while, put away the gold coins, then searched through another pocket for a long time, and finally found some copper plates and cut silver pieces.

He threw the coins into the laundry woman's wooden basin, then stood up: "This is the compensation that Dongjing gives you. You can use them to buy bread and then change to a warm-keeping dress."

The laundry woman's eyes fell on the jingling coins. She carefully put them away, her movements were light and serious. After doing all this, Belk heard the other party suddenly ask:

"Sir, can you give everyone bread and warm clothes to spend the winter?"

This unexpected question made Belk stunned for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to tell the other party that he could of course.

He was the eldest son of the Duke of Guarding, Marquis Belk Loren, and the future owner of the East. He had countless manors and land under his personal name. Even though half of them had been donated to the legion or to the serfs and tenants in the territory in response to Prince Edmund's orders, he had the ability to distribute winter food and clothes to every civilian in Solinburg.
Chapter completed!