Chapter 145: High moral character

After arriving at Starnight Castle.

Phield let the “heartbroken” Charlotte go rest, while he himself brought a maid and guards to meet Grolova.

“Greetings, honored lady. Please forgive the poor conditions here. My resources are limited, but I have done my best to provide the finest treatment I can.”

“Mm, hello.” Grolova assumed the posture of a proper lady, placing her hands neatly in front of her. “I was truly terrified by those bandits. Can you understand that? I had just finished giving bread to the poor and was about to go to the church to pray when suddenly more than ten thugs burst in and violently took me away.”

As if recalling a terrible memory, she covered her face.

“Heaven have mercy, I wouldn’t even dare to crush a little insect.”

Grolova wept softly behind her hands.

“Well, I deeply sympathize with your tragic experience,” Phield said gently. “Why did those scoundrels kidnap you? Could you tell me? I will use that as their crime when determining their punishment.”

“Oh, how could poor me possibly know what bandits are thinking? Perhaps they coveted my beauty, or perhaps they wanted to extort gold. You must understand, people at the bottom will do anything for gold. Unlike us—we act only out of noble virtue.”

Phield nearly burst out laughing.

“Very well.”

She clearly knew about the matter of girls being taken in the Mountain Ape territory. The villagers simply lacked interrogation methods, and they still held the fantasy of returning to normal life. Because of that, they hadn’t harmed her and failed to force any information out.

Phield found the situation rather amusing.

The villagers definitely hadn’t violated her. If thirty or forty bandits had taken turns, there was no way she would still be standing here speaking calmly. Besides, many of the “bandits” were women. They couldn’t possibly have kidnapped her for beauty—unless they happened to be homosexual.

As for gold coins, that was also unlikely. If it were truly about money, they wouldn’t have ended up fleeing desperately to Nightfall Domain.

If not for Violet, the “Corruption Betrayer,” protecting them, they would have long since become food for the rotting corpses.

Phield wanted to ask more questions, but seeing the slightly teasing and smug expression on her face, he knew he wouldn’t get any answers.

Smiling, he said, “Please remain here as my guest for a few days. Once I gather my troops, I will escort you out.”

When she heard she had to stay a few more days, her expression turned ugly.

“How long?”

“By the end of this month. Very soon.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Thank you, kind-hearted knight. Also, I sincerely hope you will execute those bandits. They will only cause trouble for you.”

“Mm, we’ll see.”

Phield agreed verbally, then left the room with his attendants and closed the door.

As the sound of footsteps faded away, Grolova’s expression immediately darkened.

She began pacing quickly back and forth across the room.

“Those damn trash dared to defy me and even restrict my personal freedom. This place is such a dump. I want to go home. Immediately!”

The woman slammed her fist onto the bed and cursed in a low, vicious voice.

“Hmph. Dog bastard. I’ll tolerate you for two days. Once I return home, just watch how I make you suffer.”

“Any normal man should immediately kneel before me and escort me away in a gilded carriage.”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, even muttering curses under her breath.

What she didn’t know was that every word she said—even in her lowered voice—was heard clearly by a Corrupted Greatsword Warrior hidden in the shadows.

These special monsters, as first-tier lifeforms, possessed astonishing hearing.

That evening, the greatsword warrior reported everything to Phield, who was currently designing a brick kiln.

“Fuck!”

The moment Phield learned that he had been insulted, he immediately cursed.

“What the hell is this? If I hadn’t saved her, she’d be dead already. The moment she turns around, she’s ready to bite me. Not only is she ungrateful, she even curses me.”

Phield was extremely irritated. He paced back and forth in his study. Drawing his longsword, he pondered for a moment before calmly sheathing it again.

“No. Killing her just like that would be too merciful. She’s already eaten several meals from me.”

“Maybe… interrogate her and then reward her to the villagers. Let them keep her constantly pregnant for twenty-four hours a day to increase the population of the territory… that sounds so perverted.”

Phield’s anger made his thoughts wander wildly, but he quickly rejected the twisted idea.

“No. I can’t become like those degenerates. Besides, any children born from that woman would probably turn out rotten too.”

Knock knock.

A knock sounded on the study door.

“My lord, the tea you requested has arrived,” came a maid’s voice from outside.

“One moment.”

Phield waved toward the Corrupted Greatsword Warrior kneeling on one knee. The greatsword warrior rose and jumped straight out the window.

Looking closely, one could see black corrupted magic clinging to his palms, sticking him to the wall. He crawled away along the stone like a giant spider.

If the citizens saw that scene, they would probably wet themselves in fear.

Phield cleared his throat.

“Come in.”

The maid who entered was the newly arrived Lily. She carried a tray, took a deep breath, and walked slowly to the desk, placing the teacup down carefully. She even adjusted the angle of the cup.

“My lord, do you have any other orders?”

Lily rubbed her knees together slightly as she asked in a somewhat hopeful tone.

“That will be all. If I need anything else, I’ll call for you.”

Phield took out a quill pen and dipped it into ink, preparing to write down the steps and precautions for firing bricks. Suddenly he thought of something and waved to the disappointed maid as she was leaving.

“Wait.”

“What would you like me to do?”

Lily looked delighted, as if she were even about to start removing her clothes.

“I suddenly remembered a recipe for a drink. Tell this recipe to the cook and have him experiment with it.”

“Ah… alright.”

The maid looked rather embarrassed.

“First boil some tea leaves with water. Pour the brewed tea into milk and sugar and continue boiling it. Finally, add a little cheese and salt. That’s it. Have the cook try several times. I never demand perfection in one attempt.”

“Hiss… my lord, this milk tea sounds extremely expensive,” Lily said in amazement.

Sugar and salt were already costly, not to mention tea leaves. The empire barely cultivated tea plants. The few existing tea trees were considered rare treasures in royal gardens, so tea leaves were priced in gold coins.

“That’s right. Very expensive. Tell the cook to be careful with it.”

After the maid left, Phield wrote down “Cultivate tea trees” in his Territory Development Plan.

“The cost is high, but I must first master the technique. Just in case it becomes useful someday, I’ll have it ready.”

Every field had its own expertise. He couldn’t possibly cram all the achievements of every industry from his previous life into his mind. Knowing the general direction was enough—the practical work could be left to the citizens.

If he tried to handle everything personally, it would exhaust him, and worse, it might arouse suspicion from those with ill intentions. After all, magic existed in this world.

“Speaking of that, it’s time to introduce some reward measures.”

Phield continued writing in his development plan.

“Anyone who discovers unfamiliar stones or plants and submits them to the lord—if they are confirmed to have value—will receive rewards of coins and food.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep