Chapter 163 — New Arrivals and Heddy's Worries

Perhaps because they had never expected the so-called punishment to be dealt out so lightly, the hunter siblings didn't react at all when they heard Gao Song's words. Only after Gao Yang repeated his question did red-nosed Tom finally nod in a daze: "We... my sister and I can find other settlements."

Homeless drifters wandered from one domain to the next, and as a rule their routes followed no pattern at all. They walked through places no one knew of, and they died in places no one knew of—yet on the whole, the regions where they could find footing still fell within a certain range.

Those ranges were usually the desolate hills and wilds between noble domains, places no one cared about. And the vast stretch of land north of the White Water River, east of the Tamsan Mines, and south of the Kant domain was exactly that kind of place.

A great many refugees from Vulture Ridge, the Carrol domain, and the scattered villages and towns of the northwest had drifted along the rivers and the lines of the hills into this region. They could have migrated toward the somewhat more prosperous central lands, but poor harvests over the past two years in the kingdom's center and south had left every place short on grain. Though many areas had recovered this year, the nobles everywhere still kept a strict watch against outside drifters—and the nobles of the central lands regarded those starving wretches from "the poor south" with the eyes one turns on thieves and bandits. So for these homeless folk, every road leading to the center was closed, and they could only wander into these southern hills and forests.

According to the rough intelligence at hand, several thousand homeless, hungry people were at present scattered throughout these woods and wilds. And since most of the drifters had migrated along the same route—even coming from the same places—the settlements these homeless people formed maintained a degree of contact with one another. It was an exceedingly loose contact, but it was like a net: grasp a single knot, and by following the line you could gather the whole net into your hand.

More than half a month had passed since Sir Byron spread the word through his underground channels in the southern region. Some word of Cecil's gathering of refugees must surely have reached these homeless people's ears as well. But these poor souls had long since lost all faith in nobles. Before the Frost Moon descended, bands of slave-catchers sent out by the nobles had come every few days to seize and plunder them. So to make such people readily believe that somewhere in the world there was still a noble house willing to kindly take them in and protect them was well-nigh impossible.

But if there were a group of drifters—drifters who had fled alongside them, who had lived in the wilds for months or even a year or two just as they had—to run from settlement to settlement carrying the news, then recruiting the homeless would be far easier.

Gao Yang meant to pick from these few dozen drifters before him a group of the quicker-witted, the bolder, the more trustworthy in speech, to serve as guides and envoys. By their persuasiveness, they would draw the homeless to settle in the Cecil domain.

The Frost Moon was already near its end; once the Mist Moon began, winter would truly set in. As many people as possible had to be settled before more of them froze or starved to death.

The red-nosed youth before him—perhaps already grown? But so terribly thin—was a bit reckless, yet he had no lack of courage, and his eyes were not dulled through and through like those of most poor folk. So he could serve as such an envoy.

"The Cecil family is remaking the order of this land. Before the Cold Moon descends this year, all the homeless who wander these hills and the wilds nearby may report to the Cecil family and become permanent, lawful subjects of this land," Gao Yang said, looking at the youth before him and speaking to everyone standing nearby at the same time. He deliberately stressed that this would hold only before the Cold Moon descended—not because he truly meant to set that limit, but to make the matter more credible and to give these people a sense of pressure and urgency. "So that all who need help may receive the news in time, I want you and others who are able to go and find the drifters in hiding. I will send soldiers to escort you and guarantee you live to finish this work."

Tom listened with wide eyes, while Gao Yang turned to face the haggard refugees of the southern reaches, whose expressions held nothing but tension and numbness: "I know that all of you were once honest, law-abiding, hardworking folk. But your lord abandoned you—every noble of the southern reaches abandoned you. No house, no stretch of land would let you stand and live. You could only wander the wilds, filling your bellies with grass roots, tree bark, even moss and rats. And even so, those nobles' claws were still seizing you, maiming you, hunting you even here! But from today onward, you stand on the land of the Cecil family. From today onward, I am your lord! You may live freely and safely on the land of the Cecil family—and you must tell all those you know, all who suffer alongside you in the wilds, so they know there is a place here where they can settle and make a home!"

At last, a faint glimmer of light rose in those pairs of clouded, numbed eyes.

In the end, they were still human. They still had hearts.

Gao Yang did not expect these slow-witted, starving folk to respond with cheers. Having said what he had to say, he stepped back half a pace. Seeing that Wright had already cast holy-light healing over all the wounded, he turned to Sir Philip: "Share some of the surplus food with these people—otherwise, in their condition, they may well not make it to the domain. Also, send a soldier on a fast horse back to tell Heddy to make preparations."

Food distributed after an inspiring speech—that had always been the most effective method, especially in this age.

Only when the "lord" had his men bring out the food would these people truly feel that they had returned to "human society," and be certain that their new "lord" would indeed let them fill their bellies—and they in turn would obey orders and keep at least the most basic loyalty for that. Such was the plain, direct thinking of common folk in this age. It might be called the only kindness Gao You felt in this utterly malicious world.

Just then, the black-haired girl who had only moments ago received Wright's healing suddenly came over. She clutched at her clothes, nervous and constrained, as though she had something to say. Seeing this, Gao Yang spoke first: "You have business with me?"

"Y-yes, Lord... Lord Baron," the black-haired girl seemed to stumble a little over the word "lord," but she got it out all the same. "Is everything you said just now true?"

"Of course it's true," Gao Rong said, rising. "Why would I need to lie to you?"

But the words of noble lords were never true.

Joan dared only think that sentence in her heart. What she said aloud was: "May I go with my younger brother to find the other settlements? His leg is bad, and he needs someone to look after him."

"If need be, I'll arrange a horse or a cart for him," Gao Yang said. He had noticed the boy's leg trouble earlier, but he nodded all the same. "Of course, you may still travel together with him."

The girl bowed her head deeply. "I thank you a thousand times for your kindness."

A day later, Gao Yang and Amber led half the soldiers and, escorting the two captured mercenaries, returned to the domain first.

Sir Philip, meanwhile, took the remaining half of the soldiers and escorted those few dozen "new arrivals" behind them. Since the drifters were frail and many suffered chronic ailments, Wright stayed behind as well to look after them.

That priest of holy light could, incidentally, also match a berserker in a fight...