Ren Xiaosu asked Melgor, “What’s the rough population of the Kingdom of
Sorcerers?
Melgor was put on the spot. “If you ask about matters related to sorcery, I can tell you about them. But if that’s your question, I’ve got no answer.” “As a sorcerer, you’re really not in touch with the people,” Ren Xiaosu ridiculed. “As a sorcerer, why would I need to care about that?” Melgor retorted, “l’m not the only one who’s like that. All the other sorcerers are the same as well. Such secular matters just need to be left to the royal family while we sit back and relax”
Ren Xiaosu gave an emotional sigh. It was probably due to this mindset that the Kingdom of Sorcerers had gradually fallen behind Fortress 178.
What was the point of a nation of sorcerers built on a xistent foundation?
They were not real gods! They also needed a solid societal base to support their pyramid of power!
However, it was pointless for Ren Xiaosu to tell the naive Melgor about such things.
He turned to look at the knight commander. “What’s the population of York
County?
The knight commander replied humbly, “Around 900,000, sir, based on last year’s census.” “Do all of them lead such awful lives? Ren Xiaosu asked. “More or less,” the knight commander answered. “But York County is only a relatively small county of the kingdom. It has a small population, so the residents here are still able to get by.”
Ren Xiaosu was relieved to hear that. He would not have to worry about the population of the Kingdom of Sorcerers anymore. By abducting the residents of
York County, it would be enough to fulfill the Prosperous Northwest plan.
Of course, he could also abduct more people if he wanted. But as Wang Yuexi had said, there was a limit to how many people each stronghold could fit.
There was no need to blindly pursue numbers.
Gradually, Ren Xiaosu came into view of a city in the distance.
Unlike in the Central Plains, Ren Xiaosu found that the tallest buildings in the city were only about four stories tall when he looked down from a hill. Only the cathedral in the city center stood slightly taller, followed by a “relatively magnificent” tower-shaped structure.
Although described as a tower, its base did not actually look too different from the cathedral. If Ren Xiaosu had to describe it, it probably resembled more of an ancient castle he had seen in a book once.
This place was filled with an exotic charm. Ren Xiaosu could not help but feel that a city with such style was actually quite beautiful.
But he knew very well the city also depicted an underdeveloped construction technology, as well as low potential for population expansion.
Ren Xiaosu even wondered whether there was a complete sewage system and water supply network in the cities of the Kingdom of Sorcerers. If there weren’t, it would mean that as he got closer to the city, he might often smell a pungent stench in the air. “How do the residents get their daily water ration in the city?” Ren Xiaosu asked.
Melgor said proudly, “That’s a problem I’m well-versed in. After I came
Yorktown, I used my first year of tax revenue to build 180 wells for the city’s residents. That solved thhe water supply issues that had been troubling them for many years.”
Ren Xiaosu stared at Melgor dumbfoundedly and thought to himself, What’s there to be so proud of, bro?”
Building 18o wells was nothing compared to the measures Ren Xiaosu had implemented in the Prosperous Northwest. Perhaps the nation of sorcerers had not been in contact with the rest of the world fora long time, or maybe the magus order did not want them to do so. Therefore, these people were wholly unaware of how other places had developed.
Come to think of it, Fortress 178 had previously regarded the nation of sorcerers as a formidable enemy purely because one side had superpowers while the other did not. This, including the fact that Fortress 178 did not have a strong military foundation at the beginning, contributed to them suffering many defeats in the past
But looking at the Kingdom of Sorcerers now, this place would be nothing if not for the sorcerers.
At this moment, Melgor pointed at the cathedral in the city center from afar and said, “That’s the Church of the Eye of True Sight. All residents, as followers of the faith, head there for worship service every weekend. The other magnificent building next to it is my Sorcerer’s Tower. How about it? Isn’t it spectacular?
Ren Xiaosu snapped, “I didn’t cut you off because I don’t want to annoy you further, but you can’t keep showing off either. Let me ask you this: Have you never seen Fortress 178? In terms of magnificence, you’re still far from it.”
Melgor was left speechless for a moment. “That’s a defensive fortress, and this is where I live. How can it be the same? “Alright, let’s double time it. I’m in a hurry to read,” Ren Xiaosu urged.
After that, he clenched his legs around the horse’s ribcage and spurred it into a canter. Melgor, who was left behind, had a helpless look on his face, yet he could not say anything about it.
To a certain extent, Melgor actually regarded Ren Xiaosu as a friend already.
However, the Li clan’s knights to the rear were left looking at one another. This was the first time they saw a sorcerer’s steward dare to speak to the sorcerer like that.
The knights looked at Li Chengguo in confusion. “Young Master, why’s he talking to Lord Melgor with that attitude?”
Li Chengguo wore an impassive expression, and he didn’t answer their question.
He only hoped Ren Xiaosu would not come and speak to him for the time being
Otherwise, he would surely get humiliated in the presence of his clan’s knights.
However, life often threw curveballs, and Ren Xiaosu suddenly turned around and shouted at him, “Sheeple, what are you two doing? Keep up with the group!
The knights were speechless
Li Chengguo and Liu Ting’s eyes kept twitching. They felt it was time to have a good talk with Ren Xíaosu. As long as he stopped calling them “sheeple,” they were even willing to pay him money!
As the group slowly entered the city, Melgor finally heaved a sigh of relief, because whoever was trying to kill him would probably not try to attack him anymore.
But Ren Xiaosu suddenly said after sweeping his gaze across the crowd, “Be careful, someone suspicious is around.”
Melgors heart skipped a beat. When he looked around, he only saw the city’s residents greeting him on one knee by the roadside. There was nothing unusual about them. “Stop looking around.” Ren Xiaosu whispered, “Be careful not to alert the enemy.
The city in York County did not even have walls. It was as though the thought of being invaded by foreign enemies never crossed their mind.
When they entered this place, Ren Xiaosu noticed that even though the residents had bowed their heads to greet and welcome Melgor, one of them was staring intently at him.
Ren Xiaosu did not intend to make a move in public, nor did he want to frighten the other party away. If that person really got scared away by hin where would he go to get another Eye of True Sight?
Although Melgor did not discover anything unusual, he still sat upright on his horse. If Ren Xiaosu had not been alert previously, he would have died to that
Flame Pillar spell. Hence, Melgor trusted Ren Xiaosu’s judgment.
He just couldn’t understand something. Was the enemy planning to attack him in the city?
Melgor whispered, “Who’s the suspicious person? You can tell me. I’ll immediately order the knights to capture him. I have authority over everyone in York County.”
There’s no need to make it public. The suspicious party has quietly left.” Ren
Xiaosu suddenly asked, “IfI kill a bounty hunter in public and take his Eye of
True Sight, what will the magus order do to me?”
They’ll resort to any means necessary to retrieve the Eye of True Sight from you, of course.” Melgor said, “Don’t you get any ideas about that. You can’t defeat a bounty hunter. Not even I might be able to.”