CHAPTER 347: CHAPTER 184: SOUL INVASION (10,000 WORDS)

Their gazes searched briefly and finally settled on the tall, somewhat robust young man at the forefront.

This young man was the lord of this land, their Lord.

Under the direct gaze of everyone, Lynn stepped forward.

Sweeping his eyes around, he said in a deep voice, "Everyone, I am the lord of this land, Lynn..."

Hearing this familiar prelude and familiar voice, the townspeople couldn’t help but feel a sense of inexplicable emotion.

They knew that ninety-nine percent of them had been sold to Master Lynn’s domain by slave traders.

The first time they officially heard Master Lynn’s words was with this familiar introduction.

Lynn continued, "I actually don’t have much to say."

"Many of you, before coming to this land, might have been vagrants, free people, or slaves..."

"But as the residents of this land, your status is the same."

"You eat the same food, live in the same houses, and enjoy the same treatment."

"The only difference is..."

The townspeople widened their eyes, filled with curiosity.

"The only difference is your different job positions."

Lynn looked at the group of townspeople dressed in black, covered with mine dust on the outskirts.

"Some are mining iron, salt, and coal..."

Redirecting his gaze, Lynn looked at the townspeople with wood chips and leaves still on their clothes.

"Some are cutting trees in the forest, processing lumber..."

"And some jobs may be more unpleasant, like the manure workers responsible for composting and transporting."

"Despite the different positions, you all share the same identity as townspeople of this place."

The townspeople’s expressions grew complex.

They hadn’t expected Master Lynn to say such words.

Compared to other lords, they were used merely as beasts of burden for labor.

They weren’t considered even as valuable as livestock.

After all, it took three slaves to equate to the price of a team of draft horses!

Lynn shifted the topic, "Some of you might already know what happened last night."

Before the townspeople could start whispering, Lynn continued, "That’s right, at least fifteen hundred bandits attacked the walls last night!"

A wave of incredulous commotion arose in the dining hall.

"But because we built the walls in advance, selected and trained the army ahead of time, and because we produced armor and weapons such as bows and arrows beforehand..."

"This time, we successfully stopped the bandits outside the walls."

Applause erupted, waves of excitement and delight echoed.

Lynn scanned the crowd, and the applause quickly died down.

"But this doesn’t mean this land is absolutely safe."

"Twenty soldiers have left us forever in the battle to defend the town."

"But this land will never forget them!"

"Their families will be given preferential treatment, and their names will be carved on the stone monument to be erected in the future!"

"They are the true guardians of this land!"

Listening to Lynn’s powerful words, the townspeople’s expressions were full of emotion.

"Starting tomorrow, I need you all to work more diligently in your positions."

"Mining coal, smelting iron, making armor, tending to crops, producing paper, teaching students..."

"Only by doing this can you protect this land and your homeland!"

Thousands of townspeople’s faces turned determined and excited.

Although there was no heating in the dining hall, the number of people gathered, combined with the power contained in Master Lynn’s words,

made them feel engulfed in a wave of heat throughout their bodies.

Lynn glanced at them, nodded, and said, "Now, everyone can start eating."

After finishing his words,

he left the dining hall under the watchful eyes of the townspeople.

Not until Lynn’s silhouette disappeared into the darkness outside did they withdraw their gazes.

Their feast began.

...

Lynn walked past the red brick houses, across the red brick pathways.

Accompanied by Red and a few guards, he quickly returned to the castle.

Climbing the stairs, he reached the hall on the second floor of the castle.

Suddenly, a comfortable warmth embraced Lynn’s face.

In the hall,

everyone present sat upright, and upon seeing Lynn, they stood up, saluting him with their eyes.

Kuisi stepped forward and began explaining to Lynn.

"Master, except for Instructor Ross stationed at the wall, all the foremen of the workshops are present."

"And Master Flint, he said he doesn’t like attending such banquets..."

Lynn acknowledged with a sound, took a step, and came to the 30-meter-long dining table.

With Kuisi pulling out the armchair of the main seat, under the gaze of more than a dozen people, he sat down unceremoniously.

Lynn glanced at them, "Sit down, all of you."

With Lynn’s permission, the foremen and captains of the workshops finally took their seats.

Looking at the various foods laid out on the table, Lynn spoke, "Let’s eat first."

Lynn didn’t have the habit of saying a few words before meals.

The speech in the dining hall earlier was just seizing the opportunity when everyone in the town was gathered.

A dozen maids standing by began pouring drinks into their glazed cups.

As the territory steward and personal maid, Kuisi naturally served Lynn.

When the drinks poured into the transparent glazed cup, Lynn’s eyebrows raised slightly.

Perhaps it was the color of the glazed cup, or perhaps the candlelight on the dining table...

The drink showed a golden color resembling shards of gold at the bottom of the transparent cup.

A strong aroma of alcohol seeped into Lynn’s senses.

With a thought, a string of information appeared before Lynn.

[Distilled Spirits]: Non-toxic, distilled from beer brewed by Brewer Lex using barley, with a high alcohol content, rich aroma, and strong taste, suitable for drinking or medicinal use.

After skimming over the information, Lynn’s gaze landed on Lex, "Lex, is the golden liquor in the cup brewed by the brewing workshop you lead?"

As Lynn spoke, some workshop foremen unfamiliar with the drink looked at their cups.

The existence of the glazed cup had been apparent to them half an hour ago.

But it was the first time they saw this golden liquor.

With a smile, Lex explained, "Yes, Master, it’s distilled spirits obtained by repeatedly distilling beer."

"Its potency is at least ten times that of beer!"

Listening to Lex’s explanation, a hint of surprise appeared on Ehrelo Colin’s and others’ faces.

As Kaldy people, almost every adult drank, but due to limited income, they could only drink occasionally.

They had never tasted liquor with potency ten times that of beer.

As Lynn raised his glass, the workshop foremen followed suit, gently sipping the drink in their cups.

Instantly,

a fiery sensation spread through their mouths and, upon swallowing, a warmth surged straight to their stomachs.

Even the chill within their bodies was instantly dispelled.

In the cold winter, sipping such potent liquor, their eyes shone with brightness.