Weng Ling suppressed the urge to throw the hammer at Night Sangeng's face, took a few deep breaths,
"Don't worry about that; the armor has been taken away by someone. You'll get the money within three days!"
"That's good."
Night Sangeng nodded, then casually kicked a few pebbles by his feet, seemingly bored as he asked,
"Who are those people? They managed to anger you to the point of tearing down your own building. Tsk tsk, such a good house, what a waste..."
"I cherish my house!"
Weng Ling snorted and turned her face away, gently placing the hammer aside. She then looked at the Lord's Mansion behind her and fell into a daze.
She had only been inside the Lord's Mansion twice. The first time was when she was six years old, about to be sent to the Holy Silver Church. Her mother took her here for a secret stroll, telling her that this was her home, and the grumpy uncle scolding in the study was her father.
But all she remembered was the house being so big, and that person being so ugly...
The second time was when she returned to take over the management of the city.
As the last direct blood relative of the Lord of Loran, she gained this right, but the price was that she lost all her relatives, including her mother.
She couldn't even find their bodies or tombstones. Ironically, she still didn't know who the murderer was...
That surname Du?
Hehe, did he really think she was clueless?
Where did an ordinary guard get so much gold? And where did he find the courage to assassinate a lord?
If the position of a lord could be replaced so easily, how could the Tianwei Empire become the most powerful empire on the Saint Stone Continent?
Weng Ling shook her head.
That was just a foolish scapegoat.
But who was behind all this, and what were they plotting?
She wanted to figure it out, but now, in the vast city of Loran, she could only rely on herself.
The pressure from the Yang family, the hatred for her deceased mother, and the hidden threat, each one made her breathless and sleepless.
Now, even the Tian Stone City had stepped on her face. After the burning of the Loran Forest, they took advantage of the chaos to buy out her people...
The city was empty, and her heart was empty.
"It's broken, but I can do it alone! Definitely!"
Thinking of this, Weng Ling clenched her fists. But when she turned around, she saw Night Sangeng squatting in front of the ruined building, holding a stick, seemingly searching for something.
"What are you doing?" Weng Ling asked curiously.
"Oh, I just saw a pretty teapot buried inside. I want to dig it out and give it to Old Ancient for his milk. His waist hurts from milking every day. You won't mind, right? You're not using this building anyway..."
Night Sangeng nervously replied but didn't stop his hands.
Weng Ling glanced at Night Sangeng, "Is that all?"
"Of course not. I was planning to buy some tools like hoes and axes, but unfortunately, all the shops in the city are closed... Hey! Found it!"
After saying that, Night Sangeng quickly stuffed a half-flattened ** teapot into his arms, making his abdomen bulge like a pregnant woman.
Weng Ling gave him a disdainful look, and Bede turned his head to admire the scenery.
"Tools, huh?" Weng Ling massaged her temples.
"We have them! There should be some tools left in the houses of the city residents. They left in a hurry, and most of the less valuable things were not taken. You can go and look for them."
Although it was not very ethical, since people had already moved away, Weng Ling didn't care.
"Really?" Night Sangeng stood up excitedly and asked.
Weng Ling was about to nod but added with some concern, "As long as you don't tear down people's houses."
"Rest assured, I'm not a robber!"
Night Sangeng rubbed his hands and was about to go back to let the goblins and skeletons who were playing hand bones and chopping wood come for a big sweep. However, he quickly turned back.
"Oh, by the way, what's that land contract competition they mentioned?"
Seeing that Weng Ling frowned as soon as he asked, Night Sangeng shrugged, "I guess, since it's a competition, there must be prizes. So, I'm a bit curious. If it's inconvenient to say, forget it."
Weng Ling shook her head, "There's nothing inconvenient. This so-called land contract competition is just a struggle to satisfy desires. However, it has been the key to the Tianwei Empire's continued dominance. It is a large-scale competition that all territories in the empire must participate in regularly."
After suppressing undead disasters and demon disasters with force, the Tianwei Empire rose rapidly, becoming the most powerful empire on the Saint Stone Continent. To ensure the consolidation of this position, after conferring four dukes in the southeast, northwest directions, the Tianwei Emperor specifically established this nationwide event:
All territories in the empire would be divided into levels based on their area. Every three years, a land contract competition would be held.
During this competition, the Holy Silver Church would arbitrate, and territories of the same level and closest proximity would be designated as opponents. The winning side could gain the right to use a portion of the defeated side's land contract, meaning the right to use their territory.
More land would mean supporting more population. More population would result in more tax revenue and a source of more soldiers. The chances of selecting promising talents would also be higher. Therefore, the Lords attached great importance to this competition.
However, having a large population did not guarantee an easy victory. After all, this was a competition, not a war. What the Tianwei Empire sought was elites, not internal strife.
The rules were simple: each side sent five people for team combat, and the outcome of the combat determined the result of the competition, certified by the local Holy Silver Church.
It was precisely because of these rules that, to gain greater benefits, all Lords started to fully cultivate potential residents into land contract competitors and formed their own Land Hero teams.
This competition was not only profitable for Lords. Those who gained fame as a result of the land contract competition would receive great honor and rewards from their respective duchies.
Some top performers might even be summoned by the Tianwei Emperor. In addition to being rewarded with powerful divine weapons, they could be ennobled as Honor Knights of the Tianwei City, enjoying unparalleled glory.
Those initial Lords obtained their positions in this way. However, now that the territories of various duchies had been fully allocated, to ensure the stability of the Lords, the Tianwei Empire legislated that the direct blood relatives of the Lords could enjoy the inheritance of the lordship. The chance of being conferred as a new Lord was very small.
Unless...
When a territory lost even its last land contract, the main city's land contract, a new Lord could ascend to power. The winning territory would receive substantial resources and gold from the duchy as a reward. Many once struggling small territories rose rapidly through these rewards.
Coincidentally, Loran City was now in this desperate situation.
And the opponent was Tian
Stone City!