60: Chapter 60 The Lord's Rules: Those who do not work shall not eat.

"The mode of war is about to change. Our war is also about to begin."

Levi's voice stirred a faint echo in the empty reception hall.

Ella looked at him, feeling that the gentle, scholarly air about this man had been completely replaced by a bone-chilling edge.

It was a kind of absolute, rational madness that viewed the entire world as a chessboard and everyone as mere pawns.

He did not give Ella any more time to process her emotions, turning straight away to pull an inconspicuous copper bell rope beside the fireplace.

The crisp ringing of the bell pierced through the thick stone walls, carrying deep into the castle.

"Evelyn, Old Jack, and Mia. Have them come to the strategy room immediately. Everyone must come." He commanded the attendant who had hurried over at the sound, his tone brooking no doubt.

When the door to the strategy room was pushed open, a scent mixed with ink, parchment, and cold stone rushed out to meet them.

Levi was already standing before the massive sand table; the firelight from the fireplace danced behind him, stretching his shadow long and distorted, like a crouching beast.

Evelyn was the first to arrive; she was still wearing that black dress that perfectly outlined her curves, moving silently as if she were a phantom.

Seeing Levi's expressionless face, a flash of understanding passed through her purple eyes.

She knew that whenever the Lord wore this expression, it meant someone was about to suffer, or that everyone would have a layer of skin peeled off.

Immediately after, Old Jack came running in, panting heavily.

This newly appointed manager of the "Blackstone Discount Supermarket" had been wearing a beaming smile these past few days due to the distribution of food, but now he looked somewhat disheveled from his hurried run.

Seeing Levi's serious expression, his heart skipped a beat, and he wiped the smile from his face.

The last to enter was Mia, supported by two maids.

Her face was still as pale as paper, and her once waterfall-like green hair had a withered, yellow tinge—a sequela of overdrawing her life force to cast forbidden spells.

As soon as she entered, her gaze was immediately drawn to something Levi held in his hand.

It was a notice.

A notice that he had personally issued three days ago, promising to distribute food to all the people of Blackstone Territory free of charge to help them through their hardships.

In front of everyone, Levi slowly and deliberately tore that notice, which had carried the hopes and cheers of countless people, right down the middle.

"Riiiip—"

The crisp sound of tearing was exceptionally jarring in the quiet strategy room.

Old Jack trembled all over, hardly able to believe his eyes.

"My Lord... what are you..."

Levi tossed the torn notice into the fireplace, watching as the orange-red flames quickly engulfed it, turning it into dancing ashes.

"The free lunch ends here." His voice was calm but carried an irrefutable decisiveness. "Cheers cannot solve problems, and food will not grow out of the ground by itself. Starting tomorrow, Blackstone Territory will implement a brand-new food rationing system."

He picked up another document from the table that had been prepared long ago and handed it to everyone.

"I call it the 'Labor Point System'."

His fingertips grazed lightly over the sand table, pointing to the wooden blocks representing the granaries.

"Old Jack, your task is heavy. From now on, divide all our granaries—including those we received from Augustus—into two parts."

"One part, I call the 'Survival Security Granary'. The grain inside will only be used to make the coarsest black bread. All registered residents of Blackstone Territory, regardless of age or gender, can present their identification to receive a basic ration sufficient only for survival every day. They won't starve, but they will definitely not be full."

"The other part," his voice grew colder, "I call the 'Glory Incentive Granary'. It contains all the high-quality fine white flour, smoked meat, butter, and even a small amount of ale. You cannot buy these things with gold coins or silver coins. There is only one way to obtain them—exchange them for 'Labor Points'."

"Labor Points?" Mia asked weakly; it was a term she had never heard before.

"That's right, Labor Points." Levi's gaze swept over the group. "Repairing one meter of the city wall earns 1 Labor Point. Clearing one acre of wasteland earns 10 Labor Points. Felling and transporting a mature pine tree earns 5 Labor Points. All labor beneficial to the territory will be clearly priced and converted into corresponding Labor Points. Labor Points will be the only hard currency within Blackstone Territory."

He looked at the succubus who had been standing quietly to the side, seemingly detached from the matter.

"Evelyn."

"I am here, my master." Evelyn bowed slightly, a charming smile curling the corners of her lips; she seemed full of interest in this impending change.

"Your task is to make everyone fall in love with these damn 'Labor Points'." Levi's tone carried no emotion. "I want you to use all your charm and skill to organize propaganda teams. Go to the squares, go to every village, go to every place where there are people. Package this set of rules for me. I don't want to hear crude remarks like 'if you don't work, you starve'."

He paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his words, as slogans from the PPTs of his past life flashed through his mind.

"I want you to tell them, 'Sweat is the medal of glory,' and 'Labor is the only way to realize one's self-worth.' Make them believe that earning a piece of buttered white bread for their family with their own hands is ten thousand times nobler than begging for scraps from the hands of the nobility! Turn this cruel law of survival into an inspirational carnival for a better life, in which everyone participates."

"At the same time," he added, "the propaganda teams have another task: to screen and register the skills of all residents. Masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, hunters, weavers... I need a detailed human resources list. Do you understand?"

"As you wish, master." A gleam of excitement flashed in Evelyn's eyes; this task of manipulating hearts and minds was a stage tailor-made for her.

Finally, Levi's gaze fell upon Mia.

"Mia, what you need to do is rest well. Recover your health as soon as possible. Because soon, I will need you to plan out enough farm work that is worth exchanging for Labor Points."

The meeting concluded, and everyone left with their own heavy tasks.

In the strategy room, only the crackling sound of firewood burning in the fireplace remained.

Levi stood alone before the sand table, remaining motionless for a long time.

He knew that he had personally ignited a storm, a storm of social change capable of overturning the inherent class structure of this world.

And storms always unleash their most violent power after brewing for two or three days.

On the third day of the implementation of the new policy, a dense crowd gathered outside Blackstone Castle.

Most of them were sallow and emaciated, dressed in rags, their faces filled with confusion, anger, and the humiliation of being deceived.

At their head was an old man with a tall stature, dark skin, and hands covered in calluses.

He was Borin, an elder from Drywater Village, which had just been incorporated into Blackstone Territory.

"We want to see the Lord!"

"The Lord has broken his promise!"

"Give us back our food!"

The clamor of the crowd grew louder and louder; the soldiers guarding the castle tightened their grip on their spears, their expressions tense.

On the castle terrace, Evelyn stood with her arms crossed, watching the agitated crowd below with great interest.

"Master, it seems my propaganda work is not yet up to par. These new residents clearly have not yet understood the good intentions behind your 'common prosperity'." Her tone carried a hint of mockery.

There was no ripple of emotion on Levi's face.

All of this was entirely within his expectations.

Reform is never a dinner party; it will inevitably touch upon old concepts and interests.

Especially for those who are accustomed to passively accepting distribution from the Lord or relying on the authority of elders to maintain village order, this system that directly links personal value to labor is tantamount to a cataclysmic shock.

"Have them select ten representatives, and the old man leading them must be included. Have them come to the reception hall," Levi ordered the captain of the guard beside him.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Half an hour later, in the cold and spacious reception hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive it seemed frozen.

Borin and the nine other village representatives stood uneasily; they had never entered such a magnificent room in their lives.

The soft red carpet beneath their feet, the giant beast head specimens mounted on the walls, and the faint scent of incense in the air all made them feel an invisible pressure.

Levi did not sit in the master's seat; instead, dressed in simple linen casual clothes, he personally poured steaming wheat tea for them.

"Everyone, please sit. Talking while standing is too tiring." His attitude was as gentle as a young man next door, without the slightest air of a lord.

Borin hesitated for a moment but still did not sit down.

He took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "Lord, we are not here to drink tea. You personally promised in the square that you would let everyone eat their fill. But now, you have taken back our grain and given us only that black bread that even pigs wouldn't eat! You are deceiving us!"

"I have not deceived you." Levi looked at him calmly. "I did indeed promise to let everyone eat their fill. May I ask, is anyone starving to death now?"

Borin choked, having to admit that although the basic ration of black bread was hard to swallow, it did indeed keep people alive.

"But that and eating one's fill are two different things!" another representative shouted excitedly. "Under the rule of Count Augustus, although the taxes were heavy, at least we could eat white bread in harvest years!"

"Is that so?" A faint, nearly imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Levi's mouth. "Then, under Augustus's rule, could you decide for yourselves whether to continue farming next year or go build irrigation canals? Could you use your surplus grain to exchange for a brand-new plow instead of having it forcibly seized by his tax collectors? Could you hope that your sons, through hard work, might have the chance to contract a new piece of land of their own, tax-free for three years?"

This series of rhetorical questions left all the representatives stunned.

They had never considered these questions.

In their world, the fate of the subjects was decided by the lord; it was only natural.

Levi did not argue with them further but turned and pushed open the door to a side room next to the reception hall.

"Elder Borin, please come with me."

Borin hesitated for a moment but followed him in.

There were no luxurious decorations in the side room, only a huge table with an even larger blueprint spread across it.

On the blueprint, the outlines of mountains, rivers, and villages were densely drawn in different colors of ink.

Countless thin red lines extended from the main channel of the Blackstone River like a giant spider web, covering all the fields newly incorporated into the territory, including Kushui Village.

"This is..." Borin's eyes widened. Although he couldn't understand the complex symbols, he could recognize his village's location.

"The Blackstone Territory Irrigation System, Phase I draft," Levi said, pointing at the blueprint. "According to this plan, before the start of next spring, water from the Blackstone River can be diverted to the driest land at the entrance of your village. By then, the yield of that land will at least double."

He pointed to the other side of the room, where many strange glass vessels and wooden boxes containing different colors of soil were placed.

"That is the Agricultural Laboratory prepared for Lady Mia. She will study here how to improve our seeds and how to make the land more fertile."

Borin was completely shocked.

He had lived for sixty years and had never seen a lord who cared about irrigation canals and soil.

In their understanding, lords only cared about one thing—collecting taxes.

Levi picked up the final document from the table and handed it to Borin.

"This is the latest 'Work Point Exchange List'."

Borin's gaze fell on the parchment, and his breathing instantly became rapid.

It was clearly written:

One loaf of buttered white bread: 2 labor credits.

One pound of smoked meat: 5 labor credits.

One brand-new iron hoe: 30 labor credits.

One bolt of sturdy linen: 50 labor credits.

And at the very bottom of the list, written in blood-red ink, was the most eye-catching line:

[Priority five-year contracting rights for newly reclaimed farmland: 5,000 labor credits, and requires the applicant's credit rating to be 'Excellent'.]

Borin's weather-beaten eyes stared fixedly at that line, and his hand holding the parchment trembled slightly with excitement.

Priority contracting rights!

He knew all too well what this meant.

It meant that an ordinary farmer, as long as he was willing to put in the effort and was industrious enough, could possibly escape the fate of being a tenant farmer for generations and become a "landlord" with his own land!

This was a temptation powerful enough to change a family's destiny!

"Now, do you still feel that I am enslaving you?" Levi's voice seemed to possess magic. "Elder Borin, I am giving you an opportunity. An opportunity to earn dignity, wealth, and even change your destiny with your own hands. Has any previous lord ever given you such an opportunity?"

Borin opened his mouth but couldn't say a single word.

An internal struggle was raging within him.

"Of course, I know what you're worried about." Levi seemed to see through his thoughts. "You worry that the assessment of labor credits will be unfair, that the lord's overseers will embezzle your hard-earned rewards. Therefore, I need someone who can represent you, fight for your interests, and supervise the distribution of labor credits."

He looked into Borin's eyes and said word by word, "I have decided to establish a 'Labor Coordination Office.' And you, Elder Borin, I hope you can serve as the first Coordinator. You will assign the most suitable tasks for your villagers, and you will supervise the recording and distribution of labor credits. You will be directly responsible to me. Are you willing to accept this appointment?"

Borin's brain went "buzz," and his mind went blank.

He was the leader who had come with a belly full of rage to protest, and in the blink of an eye, he was to become the enforcer of this new system?

He looked at Levi's sincere and frank eyes, at the grand blueprint for the future on the table, and then at the exchange list full of hope in his hand.

He couldn't refuse.

He knew that if he refused, he would not only be making an enemy of the lord but also of the dreams of all the villagers who yearned to change their fates.

He took a deep breath, and from his old, raspy throat, squeezed out three incredibly heavy words.

"I... am willing."

A smile finally appeared on Levi's face.

However, just as Borin was about to drop to one knee and accept the appointment—

"Bang!"

The door to the reception hall was slammed open in an extremely violent manner.

A scout rushed in, crawling and rolling; his armor was covered in dried blood and mud, and his left arm was unnaturally twisted, clearly broken.

He didn't even have time to salute Levi before he roared with all his might, his voice distorted by fear and pain:

"My Lord! Dragon... Dragons Tooth Pass... something has happened!"

Levi's pupils suddenly constricted, and the smile on his face vanished without a trace.

"It's not Ogres!" Blood welled from the scout's mouth, each word seeming to be squeezed out of his throat. "It's... it's an army! A well-equipped human army! We... we found this in the pile of corpses!"

Using his only remaining right hand, he tremblingly pulled a tattered, blood-soaked piece of cloth from his chest and threw it forcefully onto the floor.

The cloth unfurled, revealing the hideous pattern embroidered on it with black thread.

It was a pair of crossed blood-red battleaxes.

Borin's face instantly turned paler than a dead man's, and he cried out in shock, "Bloodaxe! It's the banner of 'Bloodaxe' Karl!"

The bear of the north, the warmonger famous for his brutality and bloodlust, whose territory bordered Blackstone Territory—Karl von Heinrich!