Only the gods can lead humanity. — Chronicles of the Mortal Realm: Preface
...
Respect, fear, reverence...
Each of these three attributes has its corresponding value, all currently set at zero, and their exact function remains unknown.
They are likely a form of evolutionary pathway.
If rejecting a contract results in punishment, why not simply kill the offender or provide nothing at all? Why cast them into this world, burdening them with the so-called threefold shackles? It seems an unnecessary complication.
Thus, Kino surmised that although the mark of rejection sealed off conventional evolutionary pathways, it simultaneously opened a peculiar alternative one. For him, this took the form of the "Respect, Fear, Reverence" tri-fold shackles.
How to increase these values? With the current information, that remains unclear. The supreme entity has not disclosed it, and further testing is required.
Having roughly understood the interface of the tri-fold shackles that had appeared in his mind, Kino sat back in his chair, retrieved a pair of white gloves from the drawer, cleaned them, and set them beside a candle to dry.
Next, he noticed a weapon hanging on the wall—a finely crafted miniature crossbow.
Donning the white gloves, he applied his knowledge as an Artisan to modify the crossbow, making it compact enough to be hidden beneath the sleeve of his coat. Only then did he begin to peruse the books before him, seeking to comprehend both his own nature and the world around him.
He set aside leisure reading, novels, and literary works for the time being, as time was of the essence. His primary focus was on historical texts, documents, and legal codes, as these would provide the fastest means of understanding and integrating into this new world.
Having noticed his military uniform, he also reviewed some military materials, memorizing the common hand signals used in this world's army.
Fortunately, the original "Kino" in this world had kept a journal, which helped the current Kino piece together his position within this realm.
He found himself in the Kingdom of Doguland, divided into six provinces, ruled by the royal family and five major noble houses.
This was a feudal kingdom system, where each noble family governed its own territory under the suzerainty of the highest authority, the king. They were required to obey the king's commands, pay taxes regularly, and provide military service and labor.
His full name in this world was "Kino Van Helsing," a descendant of a once-prosperous but now fallen family, granted land in the border town of Shirin and serving as the civil administrator.
Shirin's population hovered around 5,000, and the civil administrator held the title of mayor.
His duties involved managing the daily affairs of Shirin, commanding the local militia to regulate immigration, and...
Preventing smuggling.
Twenty-six years ago, after the death of the previous king, a malignant plague spread rapidly across Doguland. Those infected began showing signs of "beastification," with their brains becoming affected by the disease, gradually losing their humanity, and spiraling into madness.
Doctors and alchemists in the kingdom had long struggled to find a cure, but all their efforts were in vain.
It was eventually a substance known as Salt Crystal that brought the plague under tentative control.
The Salt Crystal was a product created by alchemists in their laboratories. Through experimentation, they discovered that if Salt Crystals were used to purify the infected areas, the spread of the disease could be significantly reduced.
Kino leafed through the information on Salt Crystals, gaining a preliminary understanding of their physical and chemical properties. When compared to industrial products from his previous world, he found no direct equivalent—this seemed to be a unique substance to this realm.
If a comparison had to be made, its properties resembled sodium chloride, as it had a salty taste, though the Salt Crystal itself was a deep blue and dissolved into a colorless solution.
In any case, once the Salt Crystal became known, its remarkable anti-plague properties caused its price to skyrocket. It was eventually classified as a military-controlled substance by the royal family, with the kingdom assuming full authority over its distribution.
However, with prices soaring to such extreme levels, there were naturally those who flocked to the commodity, driven by greed.
In recent years, the methods and tools for manufacturing salt crystals had been thoroughly sealed off, and no one in the populace was able to produce them privately.
Yet, in the black market, mysterious salt crystals continued to surface, clearly having been smuggled in from abroad.
These black-market transactions of salt crystals evaded taxation and posed significant security risks, which the royal family naturally sought to crush, ordering rigorous border controls to prevent the smuggling of salt crystals.
Kino's town of Shilin was precisely such a critical border stronghold.
By candlelight, he pored over old tomes, scanning through them roughly, gaining a preliminary understanding of his own identity and the world's context.
By now, night had given way to dawn.
With the sound of approaching footsteps, the door swung open without a knock. A soldier clad in simple armor entered. "A caravan has crossed the border, requiring your seal."
Kino, seated with his back to the soldier, spoke without turning: "Civil Affairs Officer, sir."
The soldier hesitated, confused. "What?"
"Before entering, you should have knocked and requested permission. And you should address me as Civil Affairs Officer, sir." Kino closed the book, turned, and his gaze fell upon the nameplate on the soldier's uniform. "This is the most basic form of respect, is it not? Corporal Tiven."
Tiven responded with disdain, letting out a brief snort through his nose.
The old Kino was a man devoid of power or authority, and the only reason he had attained the position of Civil Affairs Officer in Shilin was due to the remnants of his family's name. His governance had been lethargic, and the soldiers had never held him in any regard.
Tiven had no inkling that the Kino standing before him was no longer the weakling he had once known, but had transformed into a smiling demon.
Kino suddenly asked, "Corporal Tiven, do you fear me?"
Tiven looked utterly perplexed. "What do you mean?"
Kino repeated, "Say it. You fear me."
Tiven, suspecting the man might have been struck in the head as a child, simply rolled his eyes, indifferent, and muttered, "I fear you."
Upon hearing the words, Kino returned to his triple-lock interface, finding that the values for respect, fear, and reverence were still all at zero.
This was an experiment, a test of how to obtain the necessary values.
At least it was clear now that words alone were ineffective—merely having others say they respected, feared, or revered him yielded no results.
Without saying another word, Kino buttoned his coat, smoothed out the creases in his clothing, and walked out alongside Tiven.
On the way, Tiven reported some information: "The Mierlo Caravan, our old acquaintance. The caravan is fully loaded with goods—16 people in total, 14 guards, along with Mierlo and his son."
Kino responded, "Summon the men, inspect the goods."
Tiven, with a lackadaisical tone, replied, "We've already checked it. There's no problem. Just sign and let them go."
Kino stopped, turning to face Tiven. "Without my presence, you've already determined the goods are in order?"
Tiven paused, growing impatient. "This is getting ridiculous. Fine, you can check it yourself."
Kino glanced at Tiven, his eyes filled with a knowing smile, and slowly walked away.
Tiven couldn't fathom what the smile meant, but it unsettled him nonetheless.
Shilin, perched at the border, had a harsh and arid climate.
A caravan waited at the checkpoint, while a dozen or so Shilin soldiers stood idly by, bored and listless.
Mierlo, the caravan leader, was handing out dried meat to the soldiers, who accepted it without hesitation.
Soon, Mierlo noticed the approaching youth. He respectfully stepped forward, bowing his head slightly. "Good morning, Civil Affairs Officer. I noticed your soldiers seemed in low spirits, so I distributed some dried meat to replenish their strength. I hope you won't interpret this as bribery."