375. Old Huo's Large-Scale "Social Experiment

Honorary Knight Taipal stood with his two deputies in the threshing yard of Village No. 3.

The entirety of the collective farm—consisting of over 600 individuals—had assembled; their spirits seemed fine, but their tattered clothes looked dreary, fostering an appearance devoid of vigor. The fearful posture and evasive gazes immediately reminded Taipal of the old-time farmers he had seen in some ancient documentaries. Standing in sparse formations here under the guidance of the militia sent from Crimson Castle, Taipal felt as if he were a villainous warlord arriving to pillage the village.

He quickly shook his head, pushing this unreliable thought from his mind, and silently chanted "serve the people" to recalibrate his mindset.

At that moment, Taipal himself stood atop a wooden scaffold temporarily constructed to welcome the "village elder's" arrival. He and his two deputies surveyed the area soon to be declared "Novice Village."