Volume 1 - CH 4

The next day, when Marlene heard that Jessica was going to stay here, she was overjoyed. Zhou Wen was still unwilling to accept it, and tried to remind her indirectly that she should ask for Vince’s opinion first. However, Jessica shut him up by saying, “Grandpa is happy that I am staying here,” leaving him frustrated for a while.

After breakfast, regardless of Zhou Wen’s reluctance, Jessica forcefully took him out, saying, “Come with me to patrol the territory. As a lord, you can’t just stay cooped up inside all day after eating your fill.”

“Big sister, I just arrived yesterday. Let me rest for a week or two…” Zhou Wen complained to her, but he was scared into silence by Jessica’s cold stare.

Along the way, the residents greeted Jessica warmly, clearly showing that she was well-liked here. Due to Zhou Wen’s performance yesterday, he also won the enthusiastic welcome of the people, which made him feel proud as the lord.

Currently, the activity of monsters around the territory was not frequent, and coupled with the fact that it was not yet the season for purchasing herbs, adventurers and herb merchants were almost nowhere to be seen, making it the “off-season” in Lowell. Several herbal and equipment shops appeared lifeless, and the streets were filled with local residents.

The town’s residents were very easygoing, with few notions of respect and hierarchy, which was attributed to the town’s former lord, Gary Lowell. Although he did not have any commendable political achievements, he successfully established a harmonious, family-like atmosphere in the territory.

Through Jessica’s introduction, Zhou Wen gained a better understanding of his territory. With less than two thousand people in the entire territory and the former lord allowing residents to make their own decisions on many matters, there were surprisingly no other officials in the Lowell territory except for the lord and steward. When it came to paying taxes, everyone was very conscientious since the tax rate in the territory was already low enough to be negligible. The Lowell family had always been known for being a poor lordship.

“Wait a minute, how can the tax rate be so low?” Although he lacked the awareness of a lord, when it came to his own wallet and income, Zhou Wen couldn’t help but ask.

Jessica explained, “The territory is remote and isolated, with few sources of income. Only by doing this can everyone barely make ends meet. If not for this, countless people would be homeless every year.”

She glared at him and said, “What, you want to increase taxes as soon as you came back?”

Zhou Wen, who had this idea in mind, was startled by her words and quickly laughed it off, “Of course not, don’t think of me as such a bad person.” After pausing for a moment, he muttered, “But we can’t go on like this. We need to find a way to increase income and improve everyone’s living conditions. Prolonged poverty will eventually make everyone lose faith in the territory.”

Upon hearing this, Jessica looked at Zhou Wen in amazement, her eyes shining brightly, but she didn’t mince her words:  “You make it sound so good. Do you have an actual solution?”

Zhou Wen really didn’t have a solution. His muttering just now was just an unconscious expression of a modern person’s viewpoint. After all, it was common knowledge in the 21st century.

Jessica picked up on his silence, and her face flashed disappointment. Just then, they happened to pass by Aunt Mercy’s “Unicorn” inn. When Julie saw Zhou Wen, she ran out of the lively inn to greet him.

“Lord Zhou, I haven’t properly thanked you for yesterday yet.”

“Hahaha, no worries.” Zhou Wen felt unexpectedly pleased with the positive reputation he received.

After greeting Jessica, Julie took Zhou Wen’s hand and said, “My lord, come to the inn. Mom wants to make a delicious meal and thank you in person.”

“Hahaha, it’s alright…” Zhou Wen was on cloud nine and about to agree when he caught a glimpse of Jessica’s disapproving face and quickly changed his mind, saying, “No, I still have work to do. You don’t need to worry about yesterday’s matter.”

“Oh, I see…” Julie’s face flashed disappointment, but then she suddenly seemed to remember something and became happy again. “I know, I won’t bother you with work. Goodbye.” With that, she bounced back to the inn to attend to her customers.

Watching Julie’s beautiful figure disappear, Zhou Wen felt a sense of regret. It was a shame that such a proactive young girl had approached him, and he had to harden his heart and refuse. It didn’t fit his usual style.

“What? Do you want to go after Julie as well?” Jessica said nonchalantly.

Zhou Wen was startled and wondered how she knew everything. Seeing that Jessica’s expression didn’t look angry, he pretended to be indignant and said, “Why do you always look at me like that? I told you it was a misunderstanding last night.”

“Humph!” Jessica snorted disdainfully and walked away. After a moment, she said calmly, “I never expected that you would even dare to arrest people from the Adventurers Guild. I have to admit, I’m impressed.”

Unable to understand her meaning, Zhou Wen could only sigh and follow her, thinking to himself, “Women’s hearts are as inscrutable as a needle in the depths of the ocean.”

Later, Jessica took him to meet the owners of several potion and equipment stores in the town, which was the only “commercial industry” in Lowell. These shops were not large, mainly supplying adventurers and monster hunters within the territory, and were responsible for purchasing herbs collected by residents and selling them outside. They were major taxpayers. Even with Zhou Wen’s inexperienced eye, he could tell that the swords and armor in the shops were all old goods, and the quality was definitely not great. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, never expecting the territory to be so poor.

When they met, Zhou Wen had hinted to a few of the shop owners about wanting a small gift for their first meeting. Unfortunately, they were all honest and had no idea what Zhou Wen was implying, leaving him feeling depressed for a while.

Back on the main street, it was nearing noon, and Zhou Wen’s stomach was growling. He remembered Julie’s invitation and decided to go to the Unicorn Inn for a good meal. Suddenly, he heard someone shout, “Quick, there’s a dwarf selling some goods!”

Curious, Zhou Wen and Jessica followed the sound and noticed a large crowd gathered around a dwarf sitting on the ground against a wall, with a large piece of carpet spread out in front of him, covered in weapons, jewelry, and unknown trinkets.

The dwarf looked no different from the familiar image of a dwarf in Zhou Wen’s mind, with short and stout limbs, a sturdy body, and simple leather clothes. His entire body was covered in dust and dirt. Half of his face was covered by a large black beard, and next to him was a huge double-edged axe, with a backpack for travel cushioning his buttocks, indicating that he was a wandering traveler.

The stronghold of the dwarves was located in the Pontine Mountains in the southeast of the continent, with many small tribes scattered elsewhere. Their footprints could be found throughout the entire continent as they search for excellent mineral deposits. As excellent craftsmen, the weapons and ornaments they carry on their person were all rare and valuable treasures. Their business dealings were also trustworthy, making them very popular.

“I’m Manson from the Ike tribe, and I made all of these. They’re authentic dwarven creations. If you’re interested, come take a look!” The dwarf fluently solicited business in the common language.

Trying to recall the book he had read about dwarves the night before, Zhou Wen knew that Manson didn’t belong to the dwarven kingdom in Pontine, but rather a small tribe scattered throughout the continent. Like gypsies, they travel around, wandering and training their martial arts or searching for high-quality mineral deposits. They rely on selling their own handmade trinkets to gather money for travel expenses.

Zhou Wen was extremely curious when he saw a real dwarf for the first time. He looked around like a foreigner who saw a giant panda for the first time, laughing foolishly non-stop. Soon, his strange expression caught the attention of those around him, and many had recognized him as the new lord, whispering in surprise.

Jessica was embarrassed and secretly pulled Zhou Wen’s sleeve several times, but he ignored her. The dwarf Manson also noticed Zhou Wen’s actions and frowned deeply, saying in a low voice, “What does this customer want to buy?”

Unexpectedly, Zhou Wen reached out his hand and wanted to pull Manson’s beard. Jessica’s face immediately turned pale. As expected, Manson was furious and suddenly jumped up, “What do you want to do?”

Zhou Wen suddenly woke up from his daze, feeling regretful inside. He had heard that dwarves treasured their beards like their lives, and it seemed to be true. He quickly explained, “Oh, no, I just…oh my god!”

But Manson didn’t listen and grabbed the double-edged, giant axe that was as tall as him. The onlookers saw the danger and scattered, leaving Zhou Wen alone to face the furious dwarf.

The people who had just been so friendly had disappeared in the blink of an eye, and they were all heartless and unscrupulous bastards. Zhou Wen looked around in disbelief at the empty surroundings and thought angrily. Just then, a loud shout was heard, and Manson swung his axe.

“Watch out!” Seeing that Zhou Wen was still in a daze, Jessica pushed him away and drew her sword to block the attack.

Her rapier was no match for the giant axe. As soon as the two weapons touched, the thin blade of the sword snapped. Fortunately, Jessica reacted quickly and avoided being hit by the axe, but she was still pushed far away by the force of the attack.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t mean any harm. Please let me explain!” She shouted urgently.

“Stop talking nonsense!” Manson was in a rage and was not willing to listen. He swung his axe again.

Clang! A huge sword fell from the sky and blocked the axe. It turned out that Kress had arrived with his men at some point. Both were power types, and their collision immediately produced a loud noise. However, the quality of their weapons was easily distinguishable, and Kress’s sword had a large crack on it.

Blocking the dwarf, Kress turned his head and asked, “What’s going on?”

Jessica, still shaken, pointed at Zhou Wen and said angrily, “This fool tried to touch the dwarf’s beard.”

“What!?” Kress looked surprised and was then wrapped in the dwarf’s axe shadow.

With Kress blocking Manson, Jessica turned to Zhou Wen in anger and asked, “Do you want to get us all killed?”

Zhou Wen looked pitifully at her and said, “I’ve never seen a dwarf before, so…”

Jessica couldn’t do anything with him, so she shifted her focus back to the fight. Kress and Manson were now fighting in a frenzy, exchanging blows that echoed throughout the area. They were shouting at the top of their lungs, making it seem like they were in a shouting contest.

Looking at the guards standing idly by, Jessica frowned and asked, “Aren’t you going to help?”

“Don’t worry, Miss Jessica. This dwarf is no match for our captain. He doesn’t want to hurt him and is just wearing him out.” The deputy captain, Bocci, grinned and replied.

The other team members kept cheering them on, “Come on, Captain!” “Quickly, this dwarf can’t last much longer…”

After a moment, Manson let out a shout and leaped out of the fray, panting heavily as he leaned on his massive axe. It was clear he was at his limit. Kress, on the other hand, was still holding his giant sword and smiling at him with ease.

“How about a few more rounds?” he asked.

“You’re impressive, young man. I’m no match for you,” Manson shook his head.

“Ahaha, exactly! Let’s all strive for harmony,” Zhou Wen said, feeling guilty as he jumped out to defuse the situation.

However, upon seeing him, Manson’s anger flared up again. He grunted and lifted his axe as if he wanted to charge again, but seeing Kress blocking his way like a giant ogre, he relented.

Jessica walked up to Zhou Wen and gave him an angry kick in the rear. “This foolish guy is the territory’s lord. He lost his composure just because he’d never seen a noble dwarf before. Please forgive him,” she said sternly to Manson.

Zhou Wen felt indignant at being called foolish. But it was his own fault, so he could only swallow his pride and say meekly, “Yes, I was wrong earlier. Please forgive me.”

Manson was still angry, although his anger had somewhat dissipated. Jessica glared at Zhou Wen, as if to say, “Look at the trouble you’ve caused.” Zhou Wen’s heart stirred, and he said sincerely, “To show my sincerity, you can sell your goods in my territory without paying any fees in the future. You are also welcome to explore the mountains in the Lowell territory. How about that?”

Sure enough, Manson immediately grinned widely and laughed heartily, his anger disappearing without a trace, revealing the straightforward and candid nature of dwarves. Finally, he got this guy to calm down, and Zhou Wen breathed a sigh of relief. With the matter resolved, Manson immediately sat down and began selling his goods, as if nothing had happened. It made Zhou Wen marvel at the thick-skinned nerves of dwarves. Soon, the residents gathered around again, restoring the lively atmosphere.

Stepping out of the crowd, Zhou Wen apologized to Jessica, saying, “Thank you for saving me just now.”

Jessica snorted, “I had no choice. If you had died, where would I find another fool willing to come here and be the lord?”

She wondered, “You’ve been studying at Almak for so long, how come you’ve never seen a dwarf before?”

Zhou Wen was taken aback and knew he had revealed a flaw, so he quickly changed the subject, saying, “Your sword is broken. I saw that Manson had some good swords, so let me buy one to compensate you.”

Sure enough, Jessica was distracted and sneered, “The territory’s funds are only 400 gold coins, and dwarven goods are known to be expensive. Instead of letting you act like a rich man, why not think of a more useful way to spend the money?”

“What, only 400?” Zhou Wen exclaimed in shock, finally realizing just how poor he was as a lord.

In the continent, the common currency is comprised of gold and silver coins, with a mutual ratio of about 20:1. While one gold coin may be considered a fortune to an ordinary person, it’s a pittance for a territory. For instance,  A good steel sword alone cost at least 20 gold coins, equipping a standard infantryman would cost 50 gold coins while equipping a single cavalry soldier alone requires 200 gold coins. As Zhou Wen contemplated his financial situation, he realized that with all his property, he could only outfit a mere eight infantrymen.

It was no wonder that Lowell’s garrison seemed like robbers—poverty was rampant. Zhou Wen repeated his calculations with a somber expression, feeling as though he had been swindled. He now understood why Vince, the wily old fox, had shared information about the territory only after leaving Almak for some time. It was also the reason why Saull had fainted at the mere mention of Vince’s request for him to return and inherit the territory. It turned out to be the reason. Who would have thought that he would run into this unfortunate situation.

Ignoring Zhou Wen, who was in deep thought, Jessica turned to Kress and asked, “What are you all doing here?”

Bocci hurriedly replied, “There hasn’t been any rain in the territory for a while, and there are already signs of a water shortage in the crops. Uncle Ruah is organizing people to fetch water and save the crops. He said that if we don’t come up with a solution soon, this year’s harvest will be difficult to guarantee. You and the Lord should come and take a look.”

Upon hearing this, Jessica’s face turned pale with alarm, and she immediately exclaimed, “Let’s hurry and go!”

※※※

Hastily arriving outside of town, over a hundred people had already gathered. The Lowell territoy belonged to a mountainous region with very little flat land suitable for cultivation. As a result, crops were grown on the slopes parallel to the river, with a distance of three to four meters from the river below. The scorching sun had caused the crops to wilt. People carried water containers and continuously ran to the river to water the fields, but with too few people and at too great a distance, the effect was minimal.

Jessica urgently called out to a burly man in his forties, “Uncle Ruah, how are the crops?”

Ruah was sweating profusely and didn’t even have time to wipe his brow. He replied, “It hasn’t rained in a long time, and the crops are almost beyond saving. If we don’t find a solution soon, we might all go hungry this year. Miss Jessica, can you find some more people to help?”

Jessica hesitated and said, “At this time, every household has its own matters to attend to. Uncle, do you think it will rain in the next few days?”

Ruah looked up at the sky, which had not a single cloud in sight, shook his head despondently, and said nothing.

While the two were talking, Zhou Wen walked straight to the edge of the field and looked down at the Yi’er River below. He noticed that this section of the riverbed was narrow, which made the water flow rapidly. Combined with the fact that the drop was not too high, it was the ideal location to install a water wheel.

Without hesitation, he casually said, “Why not install a water wheel? Then even if there aren’t enough people to pump water, it won’t be a problem.”

Jessica and Ruah looked at him in astonishment, and Jessica asked with a raised eyebrow, “What is a water wheel?”

What?! Now it was Zhou Wen’s turn to be surprised. Did this world not even have water wheels? He remembered that his biggest hobby in the past was making handicrafts, and he had made quite a few intricate yet not too complicated models of water wheels, folding chairs, and boats. As a grown man, he loved spending his free time tinkering with models alone at home, which often earned him teasing from his friends.

Although he had never made a large water wheel before, he had all the critical components imprinted in his mind. With a little effort, he should be able to create a rough design, which he could then hand over to a craftsman for actual implementation.

As he thought about this, his confidence grew, and he said to Jessica, “Don’t worry about that. Right now, you need to organize people to dig a water channel. Time is short, so as long as we can divert water, it’ll work. Leave the rest to me.”

“Dig a water channel? Are you insane? The river is several meters below, and you’re not a water mage. How are you going to bring the water up? If you’re not going to help, then just stay out of the way and don’t create any problems,” replied Jessica, ungraciously waving her hand at him.

Heh, this girl. She actually treated him like a pampered second-generation rich kid who only knew how to freeload. It seemed that if he didn’t show his skills today, he wouldn’t be able to hold his head up in front of her. Zhou Wen’s face stiffened. “I am the lord, and I ordered you to dig the channel. I will take responsibility for any consequences.”

His words were not entirely wrong. These fields were the private property of the Lowell family, leased to the farmers in the territory who paid taxes on their crops. He did have the power to decide how to handle things.

But Jessica wasn’t buying it at all. “Can you afford to take responsibility if the crops die of thirst?”

“You…you…” Zhou Wen was so angry, but he had no way to deal with her.

After hesitating for a moment, Kress pleaded softly, “Miss Jessica, the lord must have a way if he says so. Let’s just dig the channel for now.” It seems that Zhou Wen’s performance yesterday gave Kress confidence in him.

With this said, everyone chimed in, not because they all believed in Zhou Wen, but because they had no other options at the moment and needed to try every possible solution.

After glaring at Zhou Wen for a while, Jessica stomped her foot, “Fine, I’ll listen to you. However, if the crops die of thirst this year, causing everyone to go hungry, I will never forgive you.”

Zhou Wen whispered a few words to Ruah, and everyone went back home to grab their tools and started to dig the channel. Even the members of the guard who weren’t on duty joined in. After all, these fields provided food for most of the residents in the territory.

Zhou Wen went straight back to the lord’s mansion, ignoring Jessica’s protests. He closed the door to his study and began to design a simple water wheel using a makeshift ruler and compass he made himself. Fortunately, he was familiar with the structure, and although his tools were rudimentary, he persisted all night until he had roughly drawn up the design for the water wheel.

He held the blueprint up to the early morning sun shining through the window, let out a deep yawn, and looked with satisfaction at his creation. It had been a long time since he had done anything so serious since he became addicted to online gaming.

A faint noise came from outside the study, followed by a loud bang as the door was kicked open. Jessica stormed in, followed by Marlene, who looked embarrassed for not being able to stop her. Zhou Wen was in a good mood after finishing his drawing and grinned at Jessica, “What’s the matter?”

Jessica angrily said, “You’re still smiling? Everyone has been working hard all day, and you locked yourself in the study. Are you afraid of being exposed as a liar? I’m asking you, do you have a way to solve the problem or not?”

Zhou Wen smiled smugly, “Don’t worry. Oh, by the way, can you bring the best carpenters and blacksmiths in the territory to me?”

Jessica stared at him fixedly, trying to restrain her temper. Finally, she gritted her teeth and said, “Okay, I want to see what you can come up with. If you’re just fooling around, I, I will…” and she stormed out.

Watching Jessica storm off in anger, Marlene expressed her concern to Zhou Wen, “Lord Saul, I haven’t seen Jessica so angry in a long time.”

Zhou Wen winked at her and said, “Marlene, my stomach is about to starve. Did you make something delicious?”

An hour later, surrounded by drawings, several of the best blacksmiths and carpenters in the territory stared at each other, their faces showing a look of difficulty. Zhou Wen had a bad feeling and asked carefully, “What do you all think?”

After exchanging glances, a blacksmith cleared his throat and said in a low voice, “Lord, this… water wheel, to be honest, we have never seen it before, and you want us to make it in three days, it’s a bit…”

Zhou Wen interrupted, “Then how long do you think it will take?”

After much calculation, one blacksmith cautiously replies, “Probably…about a month.”

Damn it, a whole month! With this much time, we could burn the crops for firewood. These guys are so unreliable… Zhou Wen thought to himself, feeling frustrated. If only we had skilled craftsmen… wait a minute!

“Quick, go and find that dwarf for me!”

※※※

Half an hour later, led by a guard, the dwarf Manson swaggered into the Lord’s mansion.

“What do you want with me?” Zhou Wen didn’t bother being polite with him and tossed the blueprint over, saying, “Can you make this?”

Manson took it and immediately stared at it with wide eyes, not turning away for a long time. He was moved, “Oh, by the God of forging, what a clever device. Is this thing for drawing water?”

As expected of a born craftsman, secretly, he could see the purpose of the waterwheel at a glance. Zhou Wen asked, “If I provide you with enough manpower and materials, how long will it take you to make it?”

Without hesitation, Manson said, “At most the day after tomorrow. The blueprint is not drawn to scale and there are many errors in the proportions. I need to make some modifications.” As expected of the famous craftsman race, he could easily spot the errors in Zhou Wen’s hastily drawn blueprint.

Seeing his excited expression, Zhou Wen knew that he had been completely captivated by this novel machine. Even if someone held a knife to his neck, he probably wouldn’t give up now.

“Good, I’ll give you two hundred gold coins as compensation afterward. I’ll leave everything to you.” Zhou Wen smiled.

“Take Mr. Manson to the blacksmith shop in town and instruct everyone to help him with all their might,” Zhou Wen ordered.

Manson absentmindedly waved his hand, paying no attention to the compensation Zhou Wen mentioned. He lowered his head and stared intently at the blueprint. His mind was completely focused on it, causing him to bump into furniture inside the mansion as he made his way out.

After solving the problem of making the waterwheel, Zhou Wen felt considerably relaxed. He took a nap and then leisurely strolled to the edge of the town to check on the progress of the water channel. It was unclear who leaked the news that Manson had agreed to make the waterwheel. When people saw how enthusiastic the dwarf was about designing the Lord’s strange machine, their confidence increased even more.

Two days later, nearly a thousand townsmen gathered by the river early in the morning to watch the craftsmen assemble the Lord’s strange machine. Since nothing like this had ever happened in the territory before, everyone was excited and kept talking about it.

“Do you think the waterwheel invented by the Lord can really bring the river water to the shore?”

“Of course he can. Our lord was sent to Almec Academy by the former lord since he was a child. It’s where the smartest people in the kingdom study, and I heard that our lord has been ranking first every year,” said one person.

“I knew it when the lord exposed the conspiracy of those monster hunters the other day,” another person chimed in.

“Hmph, I don’t believe it. The lord isn’t a mage. How could a few pieces of rotten wood make water flow uphill? Just wait and see, it’s bound to fail later,” a man sneered.

His words immediately drew some opposition, “Hey, kid, if the water can’t be brought up, the crops will wither and we’ll all go hungry. Will you be happy then?”

“Quick, look, they’re here!”

It was unclear who was the first to shout, but everyone turned their heads at once and saw a dozen strong and burly guards struggling to carry a huge waterwheel under Manson’s command.

The dwarves were indeed a fanatical forging race. In the past two days, Manson had been like a madman, working tirelessly in the blacksmith shop to make the waterwheel. He even forged the most difficult parts, such as the gears, with his superb skills. With his drive, a group of craftsmen made the huge waterwheel without any experience. It was over four meters tall.

Soon, under Manson’s command, the guards used ropes to hoist the water wheel onto the pre-constructed stone platform and firmly secured it in place. As the final peg was removed, the enormous water wheel blades were hit by the river water and slowly began to turn, to the anticipation of thousands of onlookers.

The rushing water carried by the blades was lifted into the air and then fell into the simple, stone-lined reservoir at the bottom, creating a splash of clear water. As the blades continued to lift the water, the water level in the pool steadily rose.

“Wow!” Following a single person’s cheer, everyone quickly joined in and the entire riverbank erupted into excited celebration. They danced, hugged everyone around them, and the shore became an ocean of joy.

Caught up in the joyful atmosphere, even Jessica couldn’t help but hug Marlene, who was jumping and cheering like a child. Seeing all of this, Zhou Wen felt an indescribable feeling inside.

His original intention in designing the water wheel was only to prevent Jessica from looking down on him while solving the irrigation problem. He never expected that it would bring so much joy to everyone. Looking at the smiling faces of everyone around him, Zhou Wen truly felt for the first time how happy it made him to bring joy to others.

At this moment, Jessica put down Marlene, turned around, and opened her arms as if she wanted to imitate others and embrace the person next to her, only to find out that it was Zhou Wen. The two of them locked eyes and were both stunned.

Maintaining the awkward embrace posture, Jessica showed a confused expression. Seeing her like this for the first time, Zhou Wen immediately realized that if this was not the time to take advantage of her. When else would he have another good chance?

“Ah, I’m so happy!” Zhou Wen exclaimed and opened his arms to hug her.

“No!” Jessica exclaimed and instinctively kicked out.

Caught off guard, Zhou Wen was kicked far away. Rolling on the ground, he felt sorry for himself, never imagining that Jessica had such a deep prejudice against him and would even remain cautious in such an atmosphere.

“Oh, are you okay?” Jessica was also startled by her own actions, quickly walking over to help Zhou Wen up.

“Long live the Lord!” Finally, someone focused their attention on today’s greatest hero.

“Long live the Lord!” At that moment, everyone turned to cheer for Zhou Wen, who was sitting on the ground.

Jessica and Zhou Wen, who was half-lifted by her, looked in amazement at the crowd on the shore cheering in unison. They both truly felt the people’s heartfelt gratitude. In the midst of the overwhelming cheers, Jessica couldn’t help but feel ecstatic.

Long live the lord… yes, wasn’t he their lord? In an instant, Zhou Wen understood. He realized that by doing a small thing, he could bring them so much happiness.

At that moment, Zhou Wen realized for the first time that he was no longer just the unlucky guy who had stumbled into a different world but also Saul Lowell, the lord of Lowell, responsible for the life and death, joy and sorrow, of thousands of people.

Suddenly remembering his boss from his previous world, who had fired him because of his outstanding achievements, Zhou Wen silently thought to himself, “Watch and see, boss. Weren’t you jealous of my abilities? I’ll make a career in this world, even if you can’t see it, and I’ll prove that I’m a hundred times better than you!”

“Long live the Lord!” On this day, the loud shout spread throughout every corner of Lowell.

From then on, in the eyes of the people, this young lord who returned from Almak was a magical and miraculous figure like the mysterious mages. For the first time, they had a glimmer of hope for Lowell’s future.

“From this moment on, there is no more Zhou Wen. I am Saul Lowell!” Zhou Wen, or rather, Saul, declared to himself.