Enacting New Laws, Journey to Highcastle Province

"Two people, different races even. Beastkin and humans can indeed become friends." Field nodded approvingly, contemplating whether he could use them as a positive example. He discreetly followed them.

The next moment, Field regretted his foolishness. Both women squatted down, legs forming an 'M' shape, revealing grimy, dirt-smeared backsides as they unabashedly relieved themselves.

Field's pupils dilated in shock, unable to believe his eyes. "Oh gods! My eyes!"

They were relieving themselves right on the road! Was there no law and order?

"Is this strange?" Kao touched his nose, not even frowning. He was long accustomed to it. "The lowborn rabble are simply this filthy."

The steward was unfazed. In the Holy Griffon Empire, and indeed across the continent, such scenes were ubiquitous. Roads, streets, even stairwells were littered with excrement, buzzing with flies and swarming with rats.

Even the maids who served Field sometimes relieved themselves secretly in corners of the buildings because outside was dark and terrifying.

Kao privately speculated: *Perhaps the young lord simply enjoys voyeurism, but is too embarrassed to admit it in front of me.*

Besides, Field's first act before coming to Nightfall Territory was buying a plaything. Though that plaything became a Divine Champion, Kao firmly believed that was mere luck.

After all, what noble *wasn't* perverted?

"I was so busy with territory matters, I forgot about this." Field pressed his temples, trying to lower his blood pressure. He suddenly remembered the chaotic sanitation of the medieval era, which had even sparked massive plagues like the Black Death.

Traveling constantly on horseback – tall horses at that – had shielded him from noticing the filth within the territory.

Field wiped the sweat from his brow. As a modern man, he absolutely would not permit medieval squalor in his domain.

"Filthy sanitation breeds… uh, sickness. It can cause plagues like the Black Death."

Kao couldn't comprehend. "Excrement and... uh, what is this 'sickness'?"

"Kao, I am enacting an important law effective immediately: No one shall relieve themselves in public spaces. Excrement must be deposited in designated pits." Field wagged his index finger, then clasped his hands behind his back. "Ensure everyone memorizes this decree. Violators will receive a warning for the first three offenses. After that, fines! One copper coin for slaves, three for freemen."

"Fines?" Kao's eyes immediately lit up. "You are a fiscal genius, Milord."

Field frowned. "It's just a fine. What does it have to do with economics?"

"Many lords already levy breathing taxes and blinking taxes. But a defecation tax – I mean, defecation *fine* – you are truly pioneering! What a genius concept. If implemented, it could bring in substantial income daily."

Kao was overjoyed. Field's earlier egg extravagance had troubled him, but seeing Field's talent for "extortion" rivaling his talent for "squandering," Kao felt reassured. Nightfall Territory's finances might endure after all.

*'This is what a noble should do,'* Kao thought, bowing respectfully. "You are the epitome of nobility, Milord."

Field waved a dismissive hand, exasperated. "Go enforce it."

Field then resumed the guards' training.

It wasn't until noon, when Ashina returned, that Field released the groaning, pleading guards for their meal. He summoned the newly returned Ashina.

"How did it go? Was the granary expedition successful?"

Field opened his mini-map. The skull icons at the granary location had all vanished, looking remarkably clean.

Ashina playfully stuck out the tip of her tongue and stretched with a graceful, languid motion, winking. "Thanks to you, clearing the corrupted corpses went smoothly."

"The only disappointment is the granary held nothing of value. Mountains of grain were completely corrupted, and the granary itself is mostly collapsed." Ashina produced a small sack containing a sample of the granary's grain. "As expected. Go rest now."

After several engagements, Field realized sending ordinary soldiers with Ashina only increased her difficulty. Therefore, he planned to split forces: Ashina, leveraging her immense combat power and mobility, would strike out frequently to clear surrounding corpse clusters. The guards would focus primarily on training, clearing any minor residual groups in their spare time.

Field himself would oversee the soldiers' training and, when free, give Ashina massages – legs, tail, ears, the works.

Clear division of labor! A bright future for all!

Thus, Field spent a week in Nightfall Territory. The territory expanded eastward into the woods by five thousand square meters – less than a football field, but decent progress.

Expanding the controlled area was difficult. It required Mist-Dispersing Lamps: first, use the lamps to clear the local fog; then, have guards eliminate the corpses; followed by slaves removing all traces of corruption, like vegetation and small animals. Only then could Field's lordly power permanently shield that land, and they had to ensure no new corrupted creatures invaded.

Field had deduced the pattern.

"You fools! Handle those wine casks carefully! If you keep fumbling, I'll make your arses intimately acquainted with my boot! Then shove your heads up a sow's backside!"

The steward's furious roar echoed from downstairs.

"Time to head for Highcastle Province," Field declared, setting down his quill and stretching. Scissors, the nearby maid, promptly and obediently offered his coat.

Nightfall Territory had no food source. Supplies dwindled rapidly. Harvesting food from the fields would take considerable time, necessitating imported provisions via trade.

Downstairs, Field found Lynx, the guard captain. He and his men stood rigidly straight. Though their formation still looked awkward and sloppy, Field was extremely satisfied. The daily extra rations hadn't been wasted; the guards were noticeably less skeletal.

"Milord, we wish to be your shield!" Lynx declared loudly, his heart filled with respect for this benevolent lord. "Take us with you!"

"Haha, you have always been my shield. But right now, I need you to protect the territory," Field replied, clapping him on the shoulder.

For this trip, Field took only Hammer and two others as guards. However, Ashina and her raider cavalry – all twenty – would accompany him. One Divine Champion and twenty cavalrymen constituted a formidable escort.

After meticulously outlining the defense arrangements, Field turned to leave.

"The Lord is a true noble," Lynx murmured with admiration. "A benevolent lord possessing valor." Ordinary lords wouldn't repeatedly brave the death mist for such ventures.