Chapter 360 359: Greeting the New City Lord

"All of you, shut up!"

The leading noble's shout once again drowned out the frog-like clamor. He swept a cold gaze over the crowd as he approached the old man and his granddaughter. At his side, the pickpocket was still fawningly muttering, "My lord, I was watching for you... Ah!"

SLAP!

With a single slap, the man's left cheek swelled, turning as red as a monkey's behind. He was sent flying over three meters, teeth tracing a brutal arc before clattering to the ground. The sheer force of the blow terrified everyone, and they instinctively took two steps back.

The natives who had been preparing to curry favor were dumbfounded. Some couldn't make sense of the situation, but even now, no one dared to question the noble's actions.

Theoretically, it was no issue for a noble to kill a native. In this world, most natives were considered nothing more than a resource, a raw material, possessing no autonomy.

The only exceptions were natives who had done well for themselves, either by becoming the dog of a powerful noble or by being bound as the property of some great aristocrat. Only then were they considered inviolable.

But clearly, everyone here was just scraping by on this broken-down street. None of them lived so well. They were all unwanted trash.

"Who else was just talking about these two? Step forward, all of you."

The leader didn't even glance at the pickpocket twitching on the ground. His gaze, as cold and sharp as a blade, swept over the nearest group of people. A chill shot down their spines, and their souls trembled. 'We're screwed!'

Some primal survival instinct told them they were in deep trouble, but they had no idea what was going on. Their hearts hammered wildly in their chests.

"No one's stepping forward, is that it?" The leader sneered and gestured with his hand. "Don't let anyone leave!"

CLOMP, CLOMP, CLOMP. Several nobles moved to block all the street's entrances and exits. A mere few dozen of them had trapped several hundred natives.

The street was sealed. An invisible pressure seeped through their pores along with their cold sweat, chilling the blood in their veins.

"This..."

Old Tu Tou's lips trembled. He glanced around in confusion, still carefully shielding his granddaughter. He didn't know what was happening, and he grew afraid along with the others.

Ni'Er was also stunned and confused, but her intuition told her that this situation was actually favorable to her and her grandfather. 'This noble isn't targeting us. He might even be on our side...'

'What an absurd conclusion. How could a noble possibly side with a native?'

She had grown up hearing that nobles and natives were two different species in absolute opposition to one another; it was a truth she had absorbed throughout her entire life.

"Listen up, all of you! Oasis City No. 777 has changed hands. A truly great noble has purchased it, and the City Lord's Mansion is no longer occupied by those Kobolds."

As the leader delivered the first announcement, everyone was left dumbfounded. It was as if, just like that, the very sky above them had changed.

Such events weren't unheard of, but this region was so barren and saw so little trade that they had only ever heard of it happening in rumors.

They never imagined that one day, it would happen to them.

"And that great lord, after acquiring the administrative rights to Oasis City No. 777, has passed the position of City Lord to a member of the Human Race named Old Tu Tou!"

The moment he finished speaking, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck everyone's soul. The vendors and natives who knew Old Tu Tou were completely stunned, their gazes fixed on the old man and his granddaughter.

Even those who didn't recognize them weren't fools; they quickly realized that the old man and the girl at the center of everyone's attention must be the new City Lord's family!

This was especially true for the natives who had managed to snatch the Sand Mine. Their hearts turned to ash as a wave of despair washed over them. They knew they would never see the sun again.

Oh, but the Desolate Realm had no sun in the first place. They hadn't been able to see a sun for a long, long time.

At that moment, both Old Tu Tou and Ni'Er's mouths fell open. "Huh?"

'What? Is this for real? I'm the City Lord?'

"A moment ago, some of you dared to rob the City Lord of his property, insult him and his granddaughter, and even frame them." The leader took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing to slits. "The penalty is death!"

"Ahhh—"

Someone screamed in terror and collapsed. Their heart pounded so violently it felt like they were suffocating; their face twitched as they gasped for breath.

Others fell to their knees again, kowtowing so hard their heads sounded like drums against the stone. Their foreheads were a bloody mess. "Lord City Lord, Lord City Lord! We didn't take anything! We didn't take anything! Please, spare us, we beg you..."

Of course, they hadn't stolen anything; they had been too far away and hadn't made it in time.

Others had only grabbed a small amount and had already thrown it back on the ground when the nobles arrived, pretending they hadn't taken a thing. Their hearts were pounding in their chests. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their eyes bulged wide in terror.

'Stealing the City Lord's property?'

They had only heard a sentence like that once in their entire lives!

Normally, they never even got to glimpse a high-status noble, let alone the master of the entire Oasis City!

The nobles they usually saw were just the younger generation, the ones who liked to amuse themselves by teasing the natives. That's the only reason they recognized any nobles at all. As for the Lord City Lord, they would never even have the chance to meet him!

And now, to be judged by nobles for robbing the City Lord... The terror was no less than putting their necks to a blade's edge. It was suicide!

They didn't even dare to consider how an old man and a girl had suddenly become figures on the level of a City Lord. Their lives were about to end—what was the point of thinking?

"My lord noble... you said... I am the City Lord?" Old Tu Tou stammered, recovering from his shock. He cautiously voiced the 'treasonous' question.

A dazzling light shone in Ni'Er's eyes once more. 'The City Lord... does that mean the person who owns the entire Oasis City?'

'My own grandfather... is the City Lord?'

"Yes, Lord City Lord. That great lord bought this place before he left and has entrusted its management to you," the leader said, his tone utterly respectful and devoid of any pressure, once again leaving everyone dumbfounded. "The City Lord's Mansion has been purged. The family of the old City Lord, who would have threatened your administration, has been... cleaned up by us."

The crowd let out a collective, sharp intake of breath.

The words stirred up a thousand waves of shock, and a cold tide seemed to descend upon them.

The old City Lord, whom they'd never even met, had been replaced so easily?!

"Th-this..." Old Tu Tou was shocked speechless. He never expected that a great noble within Oasis City would be so respectful to him, much less that the great lord had actually bought the place. "That great lord... he really wants me to be the City Lord?"

He knew, of course, which lord the man was referring to. Only that masked individual from the Outer Realm, the most mysterious person he had ever encountered, could possibly possess such power!

"That is correct. He not only made you the City Lord, but he also provided you with resources for Cultivation. In the future, our Celestial Star Shop will also assist you in managing Oasis City."

Hearing the word "Cultivation," countless people were dumbstruck. That was the very cornerstone of the nobility...