Chapter 48: Entering the Village

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Entering the Village

"What is your name?"

Vili asked the old man.

"Lord Village Chief, my name is Yor."

Old Yor replied respectfully.

Vili nodded and continued, "If it’s convenient for you right now, could you take us to our new residence? My family and I need to get settled."

Old Yor looked startled upon hearing this. He hadn’t expected the young Village Chief to be so polite. A young man who had earned the Lord Baron’s favor should have been full of arrogance and conceit. This approachable demeanor was a pleasant surprise for Old Yor.

"Of course. It would be my honor to serve and guide you, Lord Village Chief."

Old Yor walked to the front of the carriage and said to Lake, "Lord Lake, allow me to drive the horse for you. You can rest in the carriage."

Being called "Lord Lake" left Lake at a bit of a loss. He hadn’t fully adjusted to his new role as the Village Chief’s father and seemed a little awkward.

Seeing this, Vili didn’t stand on ceremony. He pulled Lake into the back of the carriage. Old Yor took the whip and drove the horse forward.

"Lord Village Chief, would you like to greet everyone?"

Old Yor asked Vili cautiously as they passed the villagers who were clearing the land.

Vili nodded. "Let’s stop. At the very least, they should know who I am."

Hearing this, Old Yor skillfully brought the carriage to a halt.

He walked over to the villagers, tossed his hoe aside, clapped his hands forcefully, and shouted, "Everyone, put down your tools and come forward to pay your respects to the Lord Village Chief!"

As soon as Old Yor finished speaking, the villagers stopped what they were doing. They glanced at one another, all of them looking reserved.

"Hurry up! Don’t waste the Lord Village Chief’s time!"

Old Yor said in a stern, serious voice.

At Old Yor’s command, a dozen or so people gathered and lined up before the carriage.

Vili glanced at the approaching villagers, his brow furrowing slightly.

The group of farmers included men and women of widely varying ages. Some faces still looked childishly young, while others already had snow-white hair. Every one of them was gaunt, their complexions a waxy yellow, the very picture of malnourishment. They all kept their heads bowed, not daring to look directly at Vili’s family in the carriage.

As the Village Chief of Fandou Village, seeing his villagers in this condition naturally made Vili uneasy. ’If the villagers stay like this,’ he thought, ’forget about making Fandou Village prosperous. We won’t even be able to meet the bean tax quota set by Baron Kels.’

"Raise your heads so the Lord can see your faces!"

Old Yor shouted, then turned to Vili, bowing. "Lord Village Chief, would you please say a few words?"

Chastised by Old Yor, the dozen or so farmers slowly raised their heads. When they saw that the "Lord Village Chief" Old Yor spoke of was just a teenager, they all wore the same astonished expression he had earlier.

"Everyone, my name is Vili. From this day forward, I am your Village Chief. I hope you will all work hard to create a bright future for Fandou Village. That’s all for now. We’ll have more chances to get to know each other later."

Vili just offered some pleasantries. The villagers’ frail bodies and listless spirits did little to excite him.

Besides, in the villagers’ eyes, Vili saw not only fear but also another, indefinable emotion.

"What are you still standing around for?!"

Old Yor berated them harshly. "Get back to clearing the land!"

After hearing Old Yor’s rebuke, the crowd hastily departed and returned to their plots of land.

Vili glanced at Old Yor. Although the old man seemed harsh with the others, he was actually just afraid they would make a poor impression and anger him.

"They haven’t seen much of the world, so they’re a bit slow. Please don’t hold it against them, Lord Village Chief."

As they continued on their way, Old Yor spoke with an apologetic smile while driving the horse.

Vili shook his head to show he didn’t mind and asked, "Is this everyone in Fandou Village?"

If there were only a dozen or so people, Fandou Village would be even smaller than Vili had imagined.

"No, there are other villagers who are currently building the village’s infrastructure."

Vili nodded. "How many households are there in Fandou Village right now?"

As the Village Chief, he needed to understand the village’s population at the very least.

Old Yor was very familiar with the village’s affairs. "Fandou Village currently has twelve households, with a total of fifty-three people. Seven of them are children under the age of five, with no Ability to work."

In Old Yor’s eyes, anyone over the age of five, even a child, could contribute their labor.

’Fifty-some people...’

Vili was relatively satisfied with this number. In the region of Diamond Town, this size was already close to that of a medium-sized village. Some of the smaller villages had only a few households and fewer than twenty people.

The carriage had already entered the village. Sitting inside, Vili saw simple houses along the road and some basic construction projects. The villagers who weren’t clearing land were busy with construction.

When they saw the carriage, everyone instinctively stopped their work, looking at Vili’s family with fearful eyes. They could all guess that this family was likely the future master of Fandou Village.

"What are you looking at! Get back to your work!"

Old Yor acted like a grumpy old man.

Hearing this, the villagers quickly resumed their tasks.

"You seem to have a lot of Reputation among these villagers?"

Vili asked this casually upon seeing their reaction.

When Old Yor heard Vili’s words, his arm trembled involuntarily. He didn’t know if Vili was simply asking a question or hinting that his own Reputation had overshadowed that of the Village Chief.

"It’s probably because I’m older, the villagers just..."

Before Old Yor could finish, a tattered leather ball suddenly flew toward them from a distance.

The ball hit the horse squarely on the head. The horse shied, causing the entire carriage to lurch violently.

With quick reflexes, Vili grabbed Vilia, who had nearly fallen off.

"We’re sorry..."

A few dust-covered children, all looking to be three or four years old—the youngest perhaps even younger—ran over from a distance. Seeing they had caused trouble, they quickly apologized. They didn’t recognize Vili’s family in the carriage, but they all knew Grandpa Yor was a strict old man.

"What do you think you’re doing?!"

Old Yor flew into a rage, his face ashen. A cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.