Chapter 49: Mercy

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Mercy

The carriage had just lurched violently, and even the Lord Village Chief’s sister had nearly fallen out. If he decided to press the issue, these children would undoubtedly face a harsh beating.

The children trembled in fear at Old Yor’s words, and the youngest one burst into tears.

"We’re sorry, Lord Village Chief!"

Just then, a young woman came running from a distance. She instinctively shielded the children with her body, looking up in terror at Vili’s family on the carriage.

In Fandou Village, the only people Old Yor would personally drive for were the new Lord Village Chief and his family.

"Is this how you watch your children? Get these brats out of here! Don’t block the Lord Village Chief’s path!"

Although Old Yor was scolding her, his words were actually meant to protect them.

If Vili decided to punish them, Old Yor would be powerless to stop him.

The young woman frantically gathered the children, trying to leave as quickly as possible.

"Wait."

Vili’s sudden word made both Old Yor and the young woman’s hearts skip a beat.

They braced themselves for the Lord Village Chief’s wrath, but instead saw Vili leap down from the carriage and pick up the tattered leather ball.

"You should be more careful."

Vili walked over to the youngest child, knelt, and placed the worn-out leather ball in his hands.

The child stared wide-eyed at Vili, speechless.

The young woman, stunned for a moment, hastily said, "Thank you."

She gave Vili a bow and then hurriedly led the children away.

Seeing this, Old Yor stepped forward and said gratefully, "Thank you for your mercy, Lord Village Chief."

"Mercy?"

Vili gave a small laugh but didn’t reply.

’In this world, if you’re a commoner for too long, you really do develop a servile nature. This unequal system crushes all the weak; there’s simply no such thing as dignity.’

The carriage rumbled on. Vili remained silent, his gaze fixed on the construction in Fandou Village as his mind filled with thoughts.

Vili’s placid demeanor was born from a pragmatic assessment of his situation.

Even on the road to Fandou Village, Vili had already decided on his strategy for the village. He wasn’t just going to grow vast quantities of Beans; more importantly, he was going to build his own personal domain, establish his authority. This was the first step toward joining the world’s ruling class.

As a Micro Lord, one primarily managed their subjects through two methods. The first was to use brute force to inspire fear in the villagers. The second was to use acts of mercy to win their respect. Judging purely by results, the former was more in line with the current power structure, and it was far easier to be feared than to be respected. But after careful consideration, Vili still decided to try a gentler approach first.

This wasn’t because Vili was influenced by the values from his past life. After all, he’d been in this world for some time now and had already adapted to its rules; there was no need to deliberately hold himself to the moral standards of his previous life. The reason he appeared so approachable was that he had made a precise analysis of his current situation.

’As the Village Chief of Fandou Village, if I were going to be here all the time, ruling with an iron fist would be fine. But the key is that I’m also a Baron’s Personal Guard, so I won’t actually be spending much time in Fandou Village in the future. When I’m gone, Lake will need to govern Fandou Village.’

’But while Lake is my father, he doesn’t have my skillset. He was just an ordinary farmer before this. If he mishandles the brutish approach while managing Fandou Village, he could incite chaos among the villagers. I’m not a true noble with Guards to suppress dissenters. If the villagers really do riot while I’m away, it’ll be the Ferren Family who suffers.’

So, to Vili, mercy was simply a tool, an option—not a requirement.

The carriage jolted along, finally stopping in front of a brand-new courtyard.

"Lord Village Chief, we’ve arrived at your new home."

Old Yor stopped the carriage, climbed down, and spoke to Vili.

Vili nodded and looked toward the courtyard.

This residence was more than twice the size of their old home in Xiangguo Village. The courtyard was quite spacious, containing four separate houses and a livestock pen. The entire compound was enclosed by a stone wall.

"This is amazing!"

Vilia, who had been cooped up in the carriage the whole time, was the first to jump down with Wally in her arms. She rushed into the courtyard, pointed to a corner beside one of the houses, and exclaimed, "Vili, let’s build a new den for Wally right here, okay?"

"Of course we can."

Vili could already tell that, in Vilia’s heart, Wally was the most important thing.

"Lord Village Chief, let me help you with your things," Old Yor offered.

Vili glanced at the scrawny Old Yor and shook his head. "You can go home. We can manage on our own."

Old Yor started to insist, but he couldn’t change Vili’s mind, so he respectfully took his leave.

"Alright, everyone, let’s get moving! Vilia, put down that bear cub and come help."

The speaker was Mrs. Shaven. She had remained silent in front of the others, but now that they were alone, she resumed her role as the family’s matriarch. She understood her place perfectly: she shouldn’t interfere in the affairs of her son and husband. She just needed to manage the household.

Under Mrs. Shaven’s direction, the contents of the carriage were quickly moved into the houses, and everyone chose their rooms.

Because everything had been prepared in advance, the houses were well-furnished. There were even three proper beds, so they didn’t have to worry about having nowhere to sleep on their first night.

Although they had been riding, the journey had left the family travel-worn and exhausted. So, Mrs. Shaven didn’t cook. Instead, she served the food given to them by the villagers of Xiangguo Village that morning for lunch.

After lunch, Mrs. Shaven took charge of organizing the houses, while Vilia, with Lake’s help, set about building a bigger den for Wally.

As for Vili, he decided to go out. As the newly appointed Village Chief, he needed to get a clear picture of the overall situation in Fandou Village.

Walking along the dirt roads of Fandou Village, the cuffs of Vili’s pants became covered in dust.

’Maybe I should use some of the money to build proper roads in Fandou Village first.’

He now had the huge sum of five hundred Gold Rums, so spending some of it to build roads for Fandou Village was easily manageable.

Vili didn’t hesitate to use his personal funds for construction in Fandou Village. After all, the entire village was his.

"Lord Village Chief."

Vili had only taken a few steps from his new home when he saw Old Yor walking toward him.

His clothes were soaked with sweat and a broad smile was plastered on his face. He had clearly been waiting under the hot sun for some time. Or rather, to be available for Vili’s commands at a moment’s notice, Old Yor hadn’t gone far at all.