At that moment, Inspector Lowell wanted to laugh.
Nightmare Butcher Yang was already notorious across the continent long before he was hunted by the Radiant Sun Church. This was a wicked black mage, wanted in many countries, and he had the audacity to claim that he never used violence?
Inspector Lowell found this rather ludicrous and nearly burst into laughter. But then… he suddenly realized something was amiss.
He and Yang were contemporaries, both rising to prominence over a century ago. Even if they had never met in person and only heard rumors about each other, Inspector Lowell obviously understood Yang better than most people from the continent of Navalon.
Thus, the black-robed inspector, who nearly laughed, gradually became horrified.
Yang Qiu maintained his smile, though he didn't say anything.
Inspector Lowell mulled for a moment, seemingly reaching a conclusion. He shook his head and said, "No… this is just sophistry. Your terrifying actions can by no means be called maintaining justice and order. What you did is just spreading fear."
Yang Qiu remained unperturbed. "Revered Inspector, justice and order are not the same as righteousness and cannot be easily defined. In my view, justice and order are constants; they are the civilized rules that uphold the basic human rights and interests of the majority. Anything conflicting with this fundamental law is in the wrong."
Inspector Lowell: "…"
He had known that this guy would definitely use sophistry to defend his previous sophistry, yet he never imagined that Yang would even pull out the term "civilized rules"…
The black-robed inspector frowned in thought and, after a while, said, "Since you believe that justice and order cannot be easily defined, what right do you have from your standpoint to define justice and order?"
"Because it was never defined by me; rather, it's a fundamental law that exists on material planes," Yang Qiu said calmly. "The birth of any civilization must be founded upon justice and order. When the order is disrupted, and the majority of people within this civilized system can't live stably, no matter how powerful that civilization may be in terms of military might, it will inevitably lead to turmoil, conflicts, and ultimately its downfall.
"When order is maintained, even if the civilization isn't particularly strong, it will gradually flourish and prosper.
"The Kenyan Empire has a population of three billion, while the Outer Continents have over several tens of billions. Despite the Outer Continent's immense size, there is a lack of order, leading to wars and internal conflicts. In the early days of the Age of Discovery, slaves from foreign lands, even those who tied themselves up and boarded the Kenyan Empire's slave ships, exceeded the population of the Kenyan Empire itself.
"Thus, I believe that when a systemic civilization cannot provide a just order to ensure the stable livelihood of the majority, that civilization has strayed from the right path."
This time, Inspector Lowell remained silent for a very long time…
He realized that he still couldn't understand Yang. Wasn't this guy a crazed black mage that wreaked havoc across the continent without any restraint? How could he say this sort of thing and be so concerned about why the Outer Continent became a slave estate of the Kenyan Empire?!
The Goddess of Prosperity was a recluse, and Church of Prosperity followers didn't like to leave their homeland. Inspector Lowell had never been to the Kenyan Empire in his lifetime and indeed had no grounds to participate in this discussion.
Feeling somewhat annoyed, Inspector Lowell shifted to a topic he could relate to. "Even if you're right, your actions are, in fact, disrupting order. If you truly respect order as you claim, then you should respect the laws of the various nations in the continent of Navalon. Even if they are criminals, these people ought to be tried by their respective countries, and you aren't supposed to take the law into your own hands."
Yang Qiu couldn't help smiling. "Revered Inspector, please believe me, I completely agree with you on this point. I've once studied the laws of many countries, including the Duchy of Shiga. I have to say, the laws documented on paper do adhere to the fundamental principles of justice and order, and some of the regulations indeed originate from the standpoint of protecting the law-abiding citizens, who make up the vast majority…"
After a brief pause, Yang Qiu continued, "Unfortunately, these regulations only exist on paper. On the other hand, laws that don't prioritize the interests of law-abiding citizens aren't effectively implemented."
Inspector Lowell's face paled, then very quickly turned red.
Yang Qiu gave a pitiful look to the ascetic that couldn't accept the realities of the world and went on, "Sir Hans of Camore abused several children that weren't even 10 years of age. According to the Duchy of Shiga's constitution, if enough evidence is collected and willing witnesses are found to charge him in court, a judge can sentence him to 10 years or more in prison. But all he has to do is pay a bail of a hundred gold coins a year to step down from the defendant's seat. And if he forks out a thousand gold coins, he can go home. Without any delays, he might even have made it home in time for dinner that day.
"Revered Inspector, do you consider this to be justice and order as well?"
Inspector Lowell had no response.
"When unable to establish a new order, it's best not to rush to destroy the old one," Yang Qiu went on. "I can't make the Duchy of Shiga discontinue their system of bail for the wealthy, so I could only start from where I can, like breaking Sir Hans's limbs in front of many others. This way, Sir Hans's ilk will know that the same fate might befall them if they do the same and fall into my hands. And, in doing so, such individuals would be apprehensive whenever they contemplate undoing their belts."
Inspector Lowell: "…"
"I have to admit that these crude methods aren't clever," Yang Qiu shrugged, "but it's better than doing nothing. Don't you think so?"
Inspector Lowell rubbed his temples. Being rendered speechless by the words of a madman was just too embarrassing!
"But this… is still a form of destruction," Inspector Lowell asserted. "Public acts of violence and punishment like this, in the open, can cause unease among the people."
Yang Qiu's expression turned peculiar. "What kind of person would feel uneasy upon learning that wrongdoers faced severe punishment?"
Inspector Lowell was momentarily stunned.
"People who have never entertained thoughts of harming young boys can't possibly feel fear when they hear that the man who abused young boys was punished, right?" Yang Qiu said with a wry smile. "The response of an ordinary person would be to applaud, isn't it?"
"But—"
"I understand what you mean, Inspector," Yang Qiu raised his hand to cut the visibly distressed Lowell off. "What you really want to say is that I, an outsider, overstepped the Duchy of Shiga's constitution to punish a Shiga knight and made the common folk lose respect for the constitution."
Inspector Lowell appeared frustrated, but he couldn't admit or deny that.
"This brings us back to our previous discussion. A nation's constitution, which doesn't consider the perspective of protecting the law-abiding citizens but intentionally provides a means of escape for a tiny minority, even if they break the law… Should such a constitution be respected?" Yang Qiu continued, still smiling.
"But the existence of laws ensures some degree of order," Inspector Lowell said grimly. "As you said yourself, when a new order can't be established, you shouldn't rush to destroy the old one."
"Not intentionally destroying the old order is quite different from adhering to justice and order, don't you think?" Yang Qiu chuckled. "Wouldn't the right approach be to start changing, bit by bit, to the best of one's ability?"
Inspector Lowell once more fell silent for a long time…
Yang Qiu was almost finished with his cup of tea by the time the black-robed inspector spoke again, "I still think you're too optimistic. People who carry a sharp blade would undoubtedly use it. Your mistaken belief and blind pursuit of power will only harm yourself."
Strangely, Yang Qiu fell silent.
He suddenly realized that the black-robed inspector wasn't prying into his background this time; instead, it seemed like he was genuinely concerned, afraid that Yang Qiu would ruin himself….
He couldn't help but admire this ascetic for having a conscience. It was refreshing compared to the bunch of bandits that only ate and drank his stuff but didn't wish him well!
"Thank you, Lowell. There's no need to worry; the path I'm taking isn't one I've carved out on my own. I have a point of reference, and I'm just following the route of others who have succeeded," said Yang Qiu.
Lowell was taken aback. "Others? Who?"
"A group of… remarkable people." Yang Qiu just smiled but didn't explain further.
He grew up in modern China and, since childhood, had been influenced by the deeds of that powerful army.
This was a world where the strong would lose themselves in immense power, but Yang Qiu definitely wouldn't because he knew where power should be used—not just as idealism, but as a successful theory that had been proven to work!
Yang Qiu was convinced that it wasn't just him, and any normal Chinese citizen who had gone through education would know what to do—when playing strategy games, any Chinese would know that the land should be cultivated as best as possible to preserve effective strength and make sure as many people as possible, so how could he, as a person who came over, go astray!
Exile Town.
Hal's shadow got lighter once more as players entered his "altered mental domain."
This time, when Hal cast his gaze on his overlapping shadows, he was much calmer than the last time.
In the overlapping scenes, the undead were battling the monstrous amalgamation of Jim, Harlington, and Olive with great effort.
Hal watched this eerie scene in silence and, surprisingly, felt calm inside.
He knew that it wasn't Jim, Uncle Harlington, or Olive. It was a monster created by his own mind, a dark presence that bore all his weaknesses, filth, unworthiness, shame, and guilt.
A projection of his past self was in the scene as well, shivering and cowering in a corner, a pitiable sight.
…That's the real me, Hal thought as he watched his younger self. He was powerless and lacked the courage to stand against true strength, always relying on his own small cleverness to hide and avoid real danger.
Hal felt his face flushing… Such self-reflection was already embarrassing even with no one around, let alone being witnessed by so many undead.
Sighing inwardly, Hal had to admit that he wasn't as dauntless as he appeared to others. The weak side of his true self was carefully hidden away.
The undead who entered this time weren't a match for the monster in Hal's heart, and after holding out for about 10 minutes, they were all wiped out.
Shortly after the overlapping vision disappeared, a new batch of undead entered, and the scene reappeared. Hal once again saw his younger self dragging the body bag.
This is… really tortuous, Hal thought to himself. This is a punishment, isn't it? Yang, that bastard is doing this on purpose. He wants to see how pathetic I am."
Overlapping visions didn't just appear individually. Each time, Hal could see up to three distinct scenes. In each scene, nine to ten undead would appear first, followed by his younger self dragging a body bag.
In other words, Hal would simultaneously see two, or even three, younger versions of himself. They stumbled before different groups of undead and fell down pathetically. And when Jims crawled out of the body bags, the younger Hals were scared witless…
Hal was almost wishing that the undead would just stab the younger versions of himself to death.
Just as he was having such thoughts, some players actually did it…
Probably driven to frustration by continuous team wipes, a team of players decided to go off the beaten path the moment they reentered the instance dungeon. They didn't wait for the younger Hal to stumble and rushed up while shouting angrily, trying to see if killing the young Hal would help them clear the instance.
When Hal saw such a scene in one of three visions, he even felt a little hopeful, hoping that the actions of these undead would somehow free him—
But then Hal saw "himself," having been stabbed several times, not only surviving but crying out, "I've tried so hard to be a scumbag, why do you still want to kill me?" Then, "he" transformed into a dark adult version before morphing into a mutated monster and killing that bunch of undead.
Hal lowered his head, covering his face with his hands. This time, he genuinely wanted to die. How could he reject his younger self when the adult version of himself was a thousand times more pathetic than his younger self?
In the first half of the night, Hal and Tuttle, these two troubled pals, considered hanging themselves every half an hour.
In the latter half of the night, Tuttle didn't see much activity, though the undead kept entering Hal's side.
Eventually, they endured until daybreak. Tuttle, who managed to get a little rest, and Rex, who had spent the entire night peacefully undisturbed, silently observed the pale and exhausted Hal for a while.
Hal didn't even have the strength to wonder why Rex was so serene. Struggling to get up, he said, "Let's go to the merchant association canteen and see if there's anything to eat."
Tuttle nodded and helped support him.
Initially, Rex felt awkward joining them (he had always thought Yang took care of him especially well), but then, remembering he hadn't tasted Liu's cooking in over a week, he swallowed his pride and joined the former bandit duo.
The players who had been frustrated by their failed attempts throughout the afternoon (Earth time) glared at Hal and Tuttle angrily when they saw these two NPCs appear in Exile Town.
Especially so Hal. Every undead that saw him stopped in their tracks and gave him murderous looks as he made his way from the Town Hall to Life Lane.
Hal: "…"
A sense of humiliation he hadn't felt for years came over to him, and Hal nearly cried from frustration.
The undead, however, seemed to care little for the humiliation they had subjected to Hal throughout the night, muttering stuff impolitely like, "Damn it, why is Hal so hard to kill!"
"I can't believe it. Even the Inner Demon instance dungeon of a beginner town NPC is so hard. We are definitely in for a tough time with future raid instances!"
"I swear I'm getting PTSD from this damned Inner Demon instance!
After having a meal at the canteen, the trio were sent back to Weisshem by Yang. Hal found himself once again in the militia headquarters, where he had spent most of his time lately, apart from his occasional appearances at the stall.
There were more than a thousand people being held in the militia headquarters, mostly pleasure-seeking patrons of the former red-light district clients, with a small portion being militiamen, brothel bouncers, and proprietors whom Hal didn't consider to be good people as well.
Patrons with value were relocated to the basement of Resettlement Zone A. Meanwhile, those patrons that remained in the militia headquarters were either from faraway lands, foreigners unable to prove themselves valuable, small-scale craftsmen, merchants, or Indahl citizens who couldn't afford the hefty ransom demanded by Yang Qiu (who detested clients and set an exorbitant minimum ransom of 50 gold coins).
To these people, Hal, who was responsible for overseeing them, didn't go easy. There was no recreation time, and these people had to raise their hands to visit the restroom. Anyone who dared dirty their room, make a ruckus, or not queue orderly for food would be given a beating. Now, these captives obediently behaved like docile quails.
"Sir, how long are we going to be locked up here?"
When the undead came to deliver lunch, a patron couldn't bear it any longer and asked Hal cautiously. Were it the previous day, this man, who didn't stand in line for food and run his mouth off, would have gotten a big slap from Hal. But today, Hal wasn't in the mood to teach anyone a lesson; he just said coldly, "How would I know? Just wait."
The patron who asked the question had already been prepared to receive a beating and was rather surprised that Hal didn't resort to violence. Taking advantage of this, he plucked up his courage and asked, "C-can I send a letter? It's been a long while since I returned home. My wife and children are—"
The originally sluggish Hal suddenly went berserk, kicked the guy down, and charged forward, delivering heavy blows with his feet. "You've got a wife and children, and you're out here whoring! And you have the nerve to act like you are wronged! The nerve of you!"
Finley, who was standing at the side, wasn't prepared at all for Hal's sudden outburst. He quickly ran over and grabbed Hal around the waist while trying to calm his comrade down, "Enough, Hal, enough. Don't create a problem we cannot explain to Yang."
"This bastard doesn't even know the disgraceful things he has done and still has the nerve to act like he was wronged!" Hal shouted at Finley with bloodshot eyes.
Finley: "???" What are you so angry about?
A puzzled Finley had no way of asking and could only placate Hal continuously…
The former Weisshem mayor was waiting in line behind this Indahl citizen that had spoken. At first, upon seeing that Hal seemed to be in a good mood, he thought of pleading for sympathy to return home (unaware that his treasury had been looted and his house had been requisitioned). When he witnessed the scene that unfolded, he kept his mouth tightly shut and didn't dare raise his head.
When is Baron Markus going to save me! The former mayor wailed inwardly.
After finishing the meager soup that barely filled his stomach, the former mayor was making his way back to his room together with the crowd when he saw a large group of people entering the militia headquarters.
The entire line of prisoners moving slowly forward came to a halt. Many looked at the newcomers, hoping to see familiar faces that could help get them out…
But clearly, they were destined to be disappointed—Weisshem was not a taboo topic, and as soon as men dispatched to assess the situation saw the town filled with skeletons from a distance, they ran away as fast as they could. Moreover, Adra III and the Radiant Sun Church that had military might had yet to make a move. Unless a third party appeared, Weisshem would remain "occupied."
The new lord, Charlie Rex, the new mayor, Ji Tang, the newly appointed town hall clerks, Madam Shirley and Miss Sybil, along with a public security squad, entered the courtyard, greeted Hal, who was in charge here, and began selecting people from among the captives.
That Indahl citizen at the end of Hal's angry outburst was picked out due to his fairly strong build. Ji Tang examined the man, who had a black eye and a swollen face, and nodded to the public security squad. Then, a squad member took a nylon restraint hanging on his belt and bound this captive's hands together.
The sight of the nylon restraints rekindled terrible memories for this Indahl citizen, and he asked fearfully, "Wh-what is this for?"
Members of the public security squad, who were merely here to supervise, naturally had no way to answer him. "Cut the crap and just obey instructions!"
"Don't be nervous; you're just going to work," Rex explained in a kindly tone. "Mayor Ji Tang needs some help cleaning the town's sewers. Although you're currently prisoners, you'll receive fair compensation for your labor."
The Indahl citizen stammered, "Th-this…"
"Do you not want to go?" Hal, who was standing by, uttered icily.
"I want to!" The Indahl citizen shuddered violently. "I'm very willing to go!"
Rex stared blankly at Hal, but the latter didn't even give him a glance, just a snort before walking away.
There was a limit to players' patience for manual labor quests. Assigning them a task like clearing the dirty sewers with years of accumulated waste would definitely cause the players to revolt…
Rex, the new lord, had the resources, and employing locals wasn't an issue. But the problem was that after the sanitation bureau and waste disposal were established, most of those that lacked skills and relied on odd jobs in the red-light district had already been recruited.
A notice was put up to recruit able-bodied townsfolk for the sewer-cleaning job, but there was no response at all. The underlying reason was that most of the townsfolk didn't have enough trust in the current new lord, the new mayor, and their leadership team. They were open to trading with the new lord but weren't necessarily willing to work under the new mayor.
Their concerns were very realistic. They didn't completely believe that this group of people who had taken over Weisshem for no apparent reason could last until the day they were supposed to receive their wages…
If they worked hard and didn't get paid before the new lord was driven away, wouldn't that be a waste of their effort?
Ji Tang couldn't force the townsfolk to take jobs, and Rex obviously wouldn't accept it. So, they naturally turned their attention to this group of freeloading captives.
Several dozen able-bodied men suitable for labor were picked out of these thousand-over captives.
Hal, who had been watching coldly at the sidelines, walked over with a sinister expression. He eyed each and every one of the selected men menacingly and said with a sneer, "I know you've all been dreaming of escaping. Now, your chance has come. Why not try it."
This bunch that had received their fair share of Hal's beatings turned pale and shook their heads vigorously. "No, we won't, absolutely not."
"It's no big deal. Go ahead and escape as you wish." Hal chuckled deviously. "The undead that caught you last time were quite polite. Not a single one of you came in crippled, and it seemed like intimidation was lacking… I don't really like this sort of atmosphere."
The citizen from Indahl that had spoken out earlier nearly collapsed to the ground…
The former bandit leader was extremely terrible!