Chapter 55: Selection (1)

Donald was the type to act on his thoughts immediately. After resting well that night, he led his men to the town early the next morning, heading to the mayor’s house as informed by the servant.
The town’s official name was West Suburb Town, a name that could be deduced from its geographical location. As it was the town closest to Zijin City, the capital of Marquis Ansel’s domain, merchants and travelers often passed through here. Thus, despite its small size, it was quite prosperous.
Unlike regions like the North County, where there were many noble lords, it was rare across the continent for a vast province to have only one lord. Only ancient families like the Ansel family, descended from the ancient Magic Empire of Bannai, could possess such strength and heritage. Coupled with the special circumstances of the Celt Kingdom, this led to the current state of Marquis Ansel’s domain.
Since all lands belonged to one lord and the Ansel family had few vassals—whose scattered fiefs were located near the kingdom’s center—most towns in the Northwest Province were governed by a mayor and tax collector appointed by the Ansel family. As for the armed forces responsible for maintaining order, they were local militia guards.
If you think this gives ambitious people the chance to organize their own armed forces, you’re wrong!
The wisdom of the Ansel family, rooted in the ancient Magic Empire, was beyond comparison to that of modern noble families. With just one order, they eliminated any risk of local armed forces rebelling.
That order stated that all local militia guards would serve as reserves for the Holy Sword Legion. Every year, the legion expanded by selecting outstanding swordsmen from various places to become full members.
In this way, no local armed force could be completely bought off, because compared to the treatment, status, and honor of Holy Sword Legion members—even tens of thousands of gold sols couldn’t match that. To buy off those militia guards would require an even greater price!
A village’s militia force consisted of at least a dozen people, and bribing them would cost hundreds of thousands of gold sols. With that amount, half could be given to royal families to secure a lifetime title of lord or even baron. Why go through such trouble?

In such a situation, being the head of a town in the Northwest Province meant one of the highest statuses locally. Although one couldn’t attain noble status, it was sufficient to ensure a prosperous life for one’s family. The more Donald learned about the Northwest Province, the more he admired the wisdom of the Ansel family. Their management methods were highly suited to the conditions of this era, even surpassing modern management systems from his past life. Moreover, even in modern governments, corrupt officials and even traitors who fled were quite common, with coups occurring in some countries.

In contrast, the Ansel Marquisate covered an area as large as a major province from his past life, yet it had remained stable for hundreds of years with few major crimes. This was partly due to the Ansel family’s strong military power, but it was also largely because the rules set by the gods suppressed societal development. The people here were as simple as the lower classes in ancient feudal societies from his past life—unwilling to resist even under oppression. With the presence of powerful professionals and even gods, the environment was naturally different!

A young man resembling a noble appeared at the town mayor’s door, drawing the attention of many townspeople. It wasn’t until the mayor opened the door to welcome him inside that the crowd gradually dispersed. As for the reason behind a noble’s visit, the mayor of West Suburb Town couldn’t figure it out, but he could guess it was likely due to refugees blocking the roads outside the town. Many merchants had already come to him asking for help in resolving the issue.

But if even the lord himself couldn’t solve the problem, what could a mere town mayor do? Given the noble’s status, he had no choice but to receive him. However, the mayor misjudged Donald’s intentions. Although his purpose indeed involved the refugees outside the town, he wasn’t like other nobles who only cared about their own interests and ignored the fate of ordinary people.

“Mayor, I am a noble from the North County, the current head of the Merlin Knight Family, and also a mage. I’ve come here because I need your help with a matter!” Upon hearing Donald’s words, the mayor of West Suburb Town felt troubled inwardly but pretended to be polite. Not to mention his noble status, even as a mage, he wasn’t someone an ordinary person could offend. Fortunately, even if he couldn’t help with the matter, as a noble from another place, the man had no right to punish him, the mayor personally chosen by the Ansel Marquisate.

“Mage, please state your request. If I can help, I will certainly do so!”

“This matter is also related to the problems outside the town. But since I’m a noble from another region, it’s not appropriate for me to intervene directly. If the town chief could step in to help, it might solve the issues outside the town!”
Before the town chief could fully understand, Donald explained his purpose.
“I have two new estates to establish, and my family is short of workers. I find the people in the northwest to be quite capable, so I want to select a few from these displaced people and take them back. They are residents of border-free villages, nominally part of the marquisate, so it won’t cause any trouble. Moreover, you can use this opportunity to resolve the issue of access outside the town while I’m making my selections!”
Before Donald could finish, the town chief was overjoyed—delighted that this noble wasn’t there to cause him trouble but had offered a solution to his current problems.
“Regardless of whether this method works or not, having any solution at all is worth trying!” With these displaced people blocking the entrance to the town, merchants and travelers couldn’t come in or go out, severely affecting the town’s income. This really worried the town chief.
Although the town allocated some of its grain reserves every day to give them food, it only covered one meal a day, and that wouldn’t last much longer. The messenger sent to ask for help from Jingjing City had been gone for two days with no news yet. If things continued like this, he might lose all his hair!
Thinking this, the town chief immediately gathered the members of the militia guard and led them to the town gates.
The arrival of the group caught the attention of the displaced people, but they paid it little mind. Over the past few days, the town chief had repeatedly tried to persuade them to leave, but staying here guaranteed at least one meal a day, and it was also close to Jingjing City, so they could hear any news immediately.
As for going to Jingjing City? The earlier group hadn’t even been settled yet. Going there would mean camping outside the city and relying on relief, under military supervision—far less comfortable than living freely in this town.