Over 1,800 living, breathing men were chucked on the street, baking in the scorching sun, several hundred sex workers in various brothels awaiting resettlement, and more than 6,000 harmless-looking Weisshem natives hiding in their respective homes…
Anyone else would probably find themselves paralyzed by such a messy situation, but for Yang Qiu, this wasn't really a problem.
First, he gave out the prestige and copper coin rewards to appease the 200 husky-like players that had been waiting impatiently.
Next, Yang Qiu opened up "Lord Yang's Recycling Function" and used the game coins he had made back in China to exchange for the several kilograms of gold and jewelry the players had plundered.
While he was beaming with joy, players were equally ecstatic. Some casual players even sold their copper coin earnings on the spot to whales and earned a small sum.
Yang Qiu, who had instantly become rich, quickly issued a series of quests to make full use of this group of hyperactive players.
First was an assisting quest. Players that received this quest would form a team to assist Rex and Mia in gathering all the sex workers scattered across the brothels in Elegant Dreams and Gold Coast. The players had to ensure the NPCs and their belongings weren't harmed during this process.
The second was a manual labor quest. Players who accepted this quest would form a team to assist Hal, Tuttle, and Jerome in sorting out the captives that were strewn on the street. Those with ransom value would be picked out and imprisoned in the basement of Lover Club, while those without any (militiamen were worthless) would be locked up in the former militia headquarters for future… re-education through labor.
Rex had a benevolent heart, while Hal, the leader of the former bandits, was a ruthless person. These two tasks gave them room to display their strengths.
And, of course, treasure expert Finley wouldn't be idle; the third quest was for him. He would lead a team of top players to sweep through the streets, finding and capturing any militia that had previously slipped through their net.
Finley, who had a rough and violent appearance, actually had the best sense among the former bandits. Such a job of identifying dangerous people from the crowd was most suitable for him.
As soon as these three big quests were issued, the players who had been idling in the streets started to get active. Players that had wandered outside the town also rushed back, afraid of being left behind.
While Lowell wasn't aware of the imprint matrix's existence (no matter how much the former bandits hated Yang Qiu, they could not tell others that they had been tricked and incorporated into the imprint matrix—it was a matter of saving their dignity), he had been secretly observing and asking around Exile Town but only vaguely got the impression that the undead were enthusiastic about carrying out tasks.
This time, Lowell personally witnessed that Yang Qiu hadn't said anything rousing or gathered the undead for a mobilization meeting. He had merely given some instructions to the few young individuals under him, and the undead took the initiative to rush over from all directions to help them. Once more, Lowell felt his entire worldview greatly shaken.
How does he control so many undead this flawlessly? Clearly… these undead have never shown much respect toward him!
Lowell just couldn't understand no matter how hard he thought about it.
After gaining a certain understanding of the Taranthan undead, Lowell, who already had some knowledge about the dark arts, naturally thought that the Taranthan undead were mid or high-level beings from a certain demonic dimension realm. As they had made a certain contract with Yang, they could be projected into the material plane as weak undead—this explained why the Tarantan undead had relatively high intelligence, equivalent to that of a great demon, and had no respect for Yang, their "master." (Lowell had seen on multiple occasions players barging into the Town Hall to submit quests or ask for instructions.)
Lowell didn't think that the undead were so actively participating in this expedition quest because of Yang's will. Rather, it was more likely colluding with the undead that bordered between madness and rationality, chaos and order.
When the undead set off, he was even worried that these undead would be led astray by the former bandits…
But now, Lowell wavered in this belief.
He realized that his previous conclusion was off the mark. Regardless of whether these undead with suspect origins would show respect to Yang, their summoner, there was no doubt that Yang had the means to control and use these undead at will.
Inspector Lowell silently glanced at Yang, who was now giving instructions to a civilian woman named Mia. In his heart, the danger level of this fellow increased several times over.
This fellow is bound to bring calamity to the people around Taranthan!
After giving Mia some instructions, Yang Qiu released her, then beckoned Lowell to follow him before striding confidently in the direction of Weisshem's town hall.
When the undead attacked Weisshem, the nearly seventy-year-old mayor was having a fun time at Lovers Club, having been invited over by several merchants. At present, he was left on the street getting sunburnt.
When the first string players stormed the town hall, which consisted of a small two-story building with a large courtyard, only two guards, a gatekeeper, and four clerks were inside.
Well… these people representing the local feudal power were also out baking on the streets.
Black mage Yang Qiu brazenly entered the local seat of power of this Rhine Kingdom town through the front gate. Apart from nearby residents peeking nervously through cracks and corners, there wasn't anyone to obstruct him.
After observing the terrain, Yang Qiu chose the courtyard of the town hall as the spot for the players' teleportation point. He checked the seal matrix to see which players didn't have a quest on hand and issued them a quest of digging a pit (a grave where players' remains would be stored when logging out).
Next, Yang Qiu began a thorough search of Weisshem's town hall.
Because the arrival of the undead had been abrupt, the furnishings, property, tax reports, and correspondence documents between the town and the superior municipality of Indahl were remarkably well-preserved in the town hall.
Yang Qiu took a tour of the offices of the mayor and clerks and obtained important documents, including the population registers for the town and the 23 surrounding villages, head tax and land tax revenue tables, as well as the militia roster.
On top of that, he found a large box of the mayor's private letters…
"No wonder merchant caravans passing through the Sorenson Mountains are so enthusiastic about trafficking people here. Those who provide fresh merchandise to Weisshem's 'special industry' actually obtain tax exemptions in the Weisshem's area… It's truly a lucrative business, don't you think so, revered inspector?"
Yang Qiu chuckled while casually flipping through the mayor's private letters. "The tolls paid by caravans are considered standard commercial taxes and need to be remitted to the royal treasury, whereas Weisshem's 'special industry' is tax-free. The political contributions made by the proprietors of brothels are considered clean personal income for the mayor… Heh, it's no wonder this mayor has been able to hold his position for 40 years; he's quite the clever man."
Regardless of how the outside mocked the Rhine Kingdom's lack of morality, the Rhine throne still had standards. There would never be the term "legitimized flesh trade" on official documents.
But even if it wasn't acknowledged in writing, it didn't mean that the flesh trade didn't exist within Rhine's borders. It still remained active in secret—the authorities not taxing it was the equivalent of the Rhine Kingdom never acknowledging the legitimacy of the flesh trade.
Of course, this didn't mean that operating brothels and sordid establishments was without additional costs. For example, the form of political contributions handed over to the Weisshem mayor, which were shared with certain officials in the Indahl city hall in a not-so-legal way, was equal to or even higher than regular business taxes.
Yang's frank sarcasm made Inspector Lowell somewhat embarrassed. This kind of unspoken rule in a pseudo-civilized society wasn't just unique to the Rhine Kingdom. Similar practices existed in the Duchy of Shiga, just that the latter was even more closed off and didn't openly welcome visitors like Weisshem did.
Lowell gritted his teeth and broached the subject. "We both know what you're planning, don't we?" he said uneasily. "But these accusations of the mayor using his administrative privileges to favor the local brothel owners… They won't serve as a strong enough excuse to achieve your goal."
Yang Qiu didn't just dispatch forces to search for local militia that had evaded capture but also ransacked the town hall and got his hands on the most important population register. Lowell's few centuries of existence would be a waste if wasn't able to fathom what this black mage was up to—it was beyond clear that this black mage had set his sights on Weisshem!
Yang's plan was indeed feasible. Lowell could even envision the next steps:
Weisshem was essentially under Yang's control now, and next he would find a down-and-out local noble from the Rhine Kingdom and support this individual to become the new authority of Weisshem. As long as the same annual taxes to the throne were paid, the Rhine Kingdom wouldn't care if a remote town had a change of leadership.
Of course, while the throne might turn a blind eye—unless Yang Qiu could find a sufficiently painful Achilles' heel to force Indahl's city hall to acknowledge the change of leadership—the latter would surely meddle.
"Indeed, such commonly seen proof of power abuse might not be a potent enough bargaining chip." Yang Qiu nodded in agreement with Lowell's assessment and handed over a parchment scroll containing a list of transactions written on it. "So, what do you think about this?"
Inspector Lowell took the scroll, but as soon as glanced at it, his expression turned cold.
This was a list of transactions involving the sellers—the mayor of Weisshem and Baron Markus, the true owner of this land residing in the affluent district of Indahl, with the Indahl city lord acting as a middleman—and certain young nobilities of the Rhine Kingdom as the buyers.
And the merchandise on this list were bones.
Human and orc bones.
Skulls, spines, and pelvises, skeletons of young girls, complete skeletons of orcs, preserved corpses before decomposition of both humans and orcs, miniature skulls…
The transaction date on this list was just six months prior, and the "inventory" listed on the scroll alone was at least a hundred corpses.
"For any red-light district, it is quite normal for the 'refreshing and updating' of 'merchandise.' After all, ordinary people's bodies can't withstand many years of such harsh treatment. A prostitute that can live to the age of thirty would be considered fortunate." Yang Qiu revealed no emotion, calm and collected as usual. "From this perspective, Mr. Mayor as well as the baron that supports him are indeed commercial geniuses. Their utilization of 'consumables' is quite impressive."
Inspector Lowell exhaled and placed the light yet incredibly heavy scroll on the table.
For most ordinary folk, it was probably unimaginable to them that the corpses of sentient beings could be bought and sold.
And unlike the general understanding of most people, it wasn't black mages that people feared who traded such commodities; it was those high and mighty aristocrats who had already exhausted all the pleasures of life.
"Crafts" made from "fresh" bones of sentient beings were still rather popular as a status symbol in some extravagant social circles.
"You are right," Inspector Lowell muttered, deadpan. "Perhaps this land indeed needs a new owner."
Yang Qiu picked up the parchment list, folded it three times, and put it in his breast pocket. "As you say, revered inspector."
Staring at the large pit that players had excavated in the courtyard, Yang Qiu stroked his chin and said, "Inspector Lowell, how about we have a little game of treasure hunting?"
Lowell: "??"
"Mr. Mayor's wife is deceased, and he has no children. He doesn't have any other expenses besides using his substantial savings to purchase alchemical elixirs for maintaining health and extending his life. Moreover, he has no close relatives with whom he maintains regular communication… So, have you ever wondered where he might be hiding all those gold coins he has amassed?" Yang Qiu asked.
"No, I'm not curious." Inspector Lowell's face darkened.
"Don't be so hasty, my friend." Yang Qiu chuckled heartily. "I understand that the things gold coins can exchange for hold little appeal for you. But what if it's something that even gold coins can't acquire?"
"What are you trying to say?" Lowell frowned.
"You might have already noticed that the items in the cabinet in Exile Town, including the supplies I provide to Hal, Rex, and female workers, aren't commodities available on the market." Yang Qiu smiled and… took out his mobile phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and turned the screen toward Lowell.
"This, for example, has a camera function capable of recording and storing up to half an hour of audiovisual imagery and holding thousands of books you've never heard of. You would never find a second such novel gadget, even if you search all of Navalon."
Lowell's frown deepened as he stared at Yang Qiu in silence.
"Just as you've once subtly tried inquiring, I may not have the talent for spatial magic, but I unexpectedly gained access to a stable spatial rift to another mysterious dimension." Yang Qiu opened the phone's camera function, showing Lowell a real-time image of the inspector himself on the screen. "The world on the other side of the rift is entirely different from our material plane. The humans there have created a multitude of unimaginable technological products… Would you not be curious about that?"
Inspector Lowell stared at the real-time image of himself on the phone's small screen, shock creeping into his face…
Color cameras had been around for decades, and in the northern Kenyan Empire, there were advertisements for the "latest magic stone cameras" capable of recording real-time audiovisuals invented just two years prior.
However, be it cameras or the magic stone camera that the Kenyan Empire promoted, the sizes of such objects were quite substantial. Lowell had never heard of anything that could take pictures and be as compact as the gadget Yang was holding.
Still smiling, Yang Qiu kept his phone away. "Let's play this treasure hunt game, revered inspector. If you can find the ill-gotten wealth that the mayor unlawfully gained, I will find a sufficiently novel and unprecedented gift from the world on the other side of the spatial rift to thank you."
Inspector Lowell gulped…
The work under Rex's charge of accommodating the sex workers was the first to be completed. With the enthusiastic assistance of the players, Mia's persuasion, and the personal testimonies of Ossirian and his companions, these hapless civilians that had just feasted on the meal didn't put up any strong resistance to being gathered together.
Especially after the players enthusiastically helped them retrieve their "personal belongings," convincingly proving that the strange beings in control of Weisshem didn't object to them having possession of "personal items." These civilians, who were used to being disrespected, felt sufficiently at ease.
But that wasn't all. After gathering everyone in front of the two occupied established shops, the gentle, considerate "male mother," Rex, didn't immediately allow them to enter and settle in. Instead, he had them wait in front of the two establishments for a bit.
In front of everyone, he removed the signs and neon lights of "Golden Coast" and "Elegant Dreams."
Then, he threw the two heavy neon light signs and stomped on these malicious symbols with force, shattering them into pieces.
These mistreated civilians had varying expressions, watching in astonishment as Rex trampled on the signboards as if he were ofn a crazed rampage. No one dared make a squeak.
Once the signs were broken into pieces, Rex stopped, straightened his clothes, and addressed these people, "We've arrived, and this town will never need these predatory industries again. From now on, you will be ordinary Weisshem residents. Your names will be registered in the town's registry, and you will live the rest of your lives just like everyone else."
The people crowding on the street stared at Rex in silence.
Many of them didn't believe Rex's words… but they also had self-awareness and wouldn't be foolish enough to step forward and accuse this professional-level combatant of bluffing.
Rex didn't need everyone to believe his promise. He just led these people into the resettlement points, separated rooms by gender, and confiscated all the "pleasure toys" from the rooms, destroying them on the spot.
After completing what needed to be done and settling the undead's rewards, Rex sat down on the steps of one of the establishments, suddenly feeling a sense of extreme exhaustion.
"Ossirian seems to be feeling unwell… Are you okay, Mr. Rex?" Mia came out from the building and, seeing Rex sitting on the steps lost in thought, ran over in concern.
"I'm fine. What's wrong with Ossirian?" Rex asked.
"He's vomiting. He threw up everything he ate earlier," Mia said nervously.
Rex nodded. "Don't worry. He's probably just tired. I'll find an undead to cook him some light soup later."
Mia nodded, took a few steps forward, and crouched down next to Rex. "Are you really okay, Mr. Rex?"
Because Hal and the gang didn't view the two of them highly, Rex and Mia had been taking care of each other these few days after leaving Exile Town.
Mia was two years older than Rex, and deep down, she wished for a gentle younger brother like Rex, just that she felt unworthy and didn't dare to speak up. Instead, she quietly did what she could to help Rex.
"I…" Rex had initially tried to brush it off, but couldn't bring himself to do so after seeing the concern in Mia's eyes. He faltered for a bit, then said, "It's difficult seeing these people suffer like that. They shouldn't have to live like this."
Mia nodded silently, her fist clenched unconsciously over her chest.
She understood why Rex felt this way. She had once thought her own life was painful enough, but seeing the people here made her feel suffocated. These people were so beautiful, unlike her, who had been born ugly due to a curse of fate, and they were being treated like livestock. It was like personally witnessing a tragedy of beautiful things being destroyed unfolded.
"Mr. Lord will have a way," Mia whispered softly. "If even someone like me was saved by Mr. Lord, he surely wouldn't give up on them. Just as you said, they will live well in the future."
Rex stared blankly into the distance for a long time before he slowly nodded.
What he told Mia had been only half-truth. He was indeed distressed, and part of the reason was that he thought of his mother.
She was equally beautiful, and instead of being forced by others, she foolishly believed that her natural beauty could be exchanged for a decent life with Rex's viscount father who had everything.
His mother, who was much luckier than the mistreated prostitutes here, was quickly abandoned once she lost the only card she had—her beauty—and ultimately perished, leaving Rex alone to face everything.
"Gods shouldn't generously grant people extraordinary beauty; it's not… a blessing at all," Rex murmured in a voice that only he could hear, softly.
If his mother wasn't so beautiful, or if she came from a commoner family, perhaps she would have chosen to marry a man with similar social status and wouldn't have had to experience the shamefully volatile life she did.
If the people here weren't so good-looking, perhaps they wouldn't have been sold to this place…
"Hey, Rex!"
While Rex was lost in thought, Yang and Inspector Lowell came over.
Yang Qiu glanced at the heap of sign fragments on the ground, smiled, and waved to Rex.
"Yang." Rex quickly got up and nodded to the two of them. "Inspector Lowell."
"Mr. Lord." Mia also quickly made a gesture of lifting her skirt slightly, but she only greeted Yang Qiu and ignored Lowell, who had once tried to take them back.
Yang Qiu smiled at Mia and then turned to Rex. "Shave your face, tidy up your hair, put on some powder to make yourself look fairer, and change into your most respectable attire. Then go to the militia station and fetch a few horses. We're going to Indahl."
"Alright." Rex first acknowledged before confusion showed up all over his face as he realized something was wrong. "W-wait! Did I hear wrongly? Did you say… we're going to Indahl?!"
"You heard right," Yang Qiu said with a smile. "But don't be mistaken. We aren't going Indahl to walk into a trap. We are going to request a change in the lordship of Weisshem's territory."
Rex was utterly perplexed.
"You, Charlie Rex, are the son of a Rhine Kingdom's viscount. Even as a bastard, the noble blood of Viscount Rex flows through your veins, and no one can deny that," Yang Qiu began to speak in all seriousness, mixing a bit of jest into his words.
"A nobleman like Charlie Rex, of noble viscount lineage, uncovered the despicable crimes committed by the Lord of Weisshem. Furious, he initiated a territorial war and effectively seized control of Weisshem. Isn't it perfectly normal for you to request that the Indahl City Hall change the ownership of Weisshem and have your name up there?"
Rex: "…(° △° )"