While Jim was pondering the deeper significance of the changes Lind had made, he heard Lucanus finally announce his name.
What surprised him was that Lucanus’ report about Jim primarily consisted of benevolent deeds and compassion for the people. After all, Jim had little power in the Evans Family and spent each day rolling through life alongside ordinary merchants, making him more charitable than most. This made Jim feel, in stark contrast to the earlier embarrassment, that he stood apart from the rest.
Lind recognized the name, searched through the crowd, and then told Jim, “Lift your head.”
Jim looked up and met Lind’s gaze.
“Do you still think I possess the true noble demeanor?”
Perhaps due to the recent decisions that resulted in the deaths of many, Lind’s words even carried a faint aura of threat.
Jim was undaunted and replied, “Of course. This is only natural. Acting according to the law was the foundation of the Lars Family’s strength. I also believe that nobles should not possess any so-called privileges.”
Lind nodded, “From now on, I will send someone to manage the territory of the Evans Family. At that time, you will assist him.”
Hearing this, Jim’s mother was instantly overwhelmed with joy, but Jim merely bowed proudly, indicating he understood.
Seeing this scene, the other nobles breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, even if Graywhite Territory had swallowed so much land in one go, it still desperately needed talent for management, even with the help of the Lars Family.
Moreover, Jim was the youngest son of Wisk, the root cause of this war, yet Lind showed no hesitation in preparing to promote him, without gathering any more blame to cast upon Jim as well as his father and brothers. This indicated that Lind was genuinely acting according to the law and only held individuals accountable, shielding their families from blame.
Thinking about this, several nobles secretly glanced at the most honest or least favored younger members of their families.
But after Jim’s bow, he continued to ask, “Lord, do you mean for me to inherit my father’s title in the future?”
Lind shook his head, “No, the titles of you all will not change for now. However, from now on, nobles have no authority to manage their estates. All territories will be governed by officials I appoint.”
Fearing that these nobles might not understand, Lind continued, “As long as you behave, I will not, and do not wish to, strip you of your so-called glory. However, from now on, all titles will merely be honorary, with no power. If you want power, you must pass an examination and become my official.”
Upon hearing this, a noble immediately stood up to object, “My lord, without us, who will help you manage those territories? With all due respect, the officials you send through exams will never understand the territories as well as we noble families do. Therefore, I suggest you allow us nobles to continue managing our own lands or to distribute them further. We nobles will become your strongest support.”
Lind did not immediately reply but asked, “What title do you hold?”
The noble proudly answered, “Just like you, my lord, I am a viscount.”
“Then you are not one anymore.”
Most nobles in the Northern Border were theoretically vassals of the Lars Family. As the family head, Lind indeed had this power, but no one expected him to so mercilessly strip the noble of his title.
Ignoring the noble’s subsequent wailing, Lind continued, “Don’t think I don’t know what you are thinking. I regret to inform you that even if someone among you passes the examination, they will have to start from the grassroots level and will not be assigned to their original territory.”
“Jim was considered due to the unique nature of the Evans Family; it was necessary to have someone familiar with this large family to assist my officials. Once Jim transitions to a formal official, he will also leave the territory of the Evans Family. Do you understand?”
All the nobles fell silent, not daring to speak, and some even considered fleeing to Fang Ge·Lars. Although Lind said he was giving these nobles face, they believed that Lin’s abandonment of the division was akin to grinding their glorious past into the ground.
However, many nobles felt somewhat excited, especially those who had felt unappreciated within their families.
Many smart individuals, after careful thought, understood that although Lind had given ordinary people a title to advancement, the so-called examination in today’s educational environment ultimately favored those nobles who had received education since childhood.
In other words, although Lind provided a channel for commoners to rise, he still needed those nobles to govern the realm. Moreover, nobles previously without any likelihood of ascending could now leverage the examination to surpass the inheritors ahead of them.
Separating noble titles from power meant that one’s former high status was merely an empty shell. Only continuous competition could yield power; even someone ambitious enough could acquire power exceeding their family’s title. At that point, who would care about titles?
Especially Jim, who felt no dissatisfaction upon learning he would be moved away from the territory of the Evans Family, even looking quite thrilled.
By the time all the nobles had been accounted for, dusk was approaching. As Jim stepped out of the reception hall, he felt as if he was at sea, ready to spread his ambitions.
While Jim was considering his future plans, he noticed that important nobles were still being judged on the high platform.
Curious, Jim leaned closer, after all, there were many nobles; they should have been executed long ago.
As he approached, Jim discovered that these nobles were brought before the guillotine, where the executioner would read off their crimes and introduce the related regulations.
This reminded Jim of how bandits had been executed in Graywhite Territory when he initially discussed restoring the potion business with Lind.
The crimes of these nobles were so numerous that the execution was thus prolonged.
At that moment, a commoner saw Jim watching and quickly approached to greet him.
“Young Master Jim, I knew you would be fine. When those officials came, we desperately spoke well of you and mentioned all the help you’ve given us. The new lord did not make things difficult for you, did he?”
Amid the warm reception from the surrounding people, Jim felt a bit overwhelmed and could only nod repeatedly.
“Younger Master Jim, I see that those noble lords were all executed. The people nearby keep talking about why they were executed. So, in the future, when we encounter similar situations, can we have them kill those noble lords who bully us too?”
Hearing this, Jim finally understood why Lind was doing this. Even though commoners might not understand the specifics of the laws, at least they had these concepts, allowing them to dare to report officials in similar future situations.
At this moment, Lind, feeling somewhat fatigued, slumped in his chair. The trial of the nobles was mostly complete, and they had returned to their respective homes. He had completed the cleansing of the largest territory under his control, and for the subsequent regions, he would just need to follow the same process.
For now, the most important thing was to restore production. Historically, successful leaders had lost their kingdoms due to an inability to restore production.
Thus, for the time being, Lind planned to adopt a systematic production approach, focusing on quickly re-establishing productivity.
The matter of Lantern Dream had yet to be resolved. Most of the relevant information came from Lucanus, but Lind did not entirely trust Lucanus and needed to verify the information with others.
Looking at the sunset outside the window, resembling blood, Lind couldn’t help but feel the power’s alienation. Just like when he saw Lena’s two younger brothers, his first thought was to kill them to consolidate his power.
Although it was just a fleeting thought, it still made Lind fearful. When he first arrived in this world, he felt a bit out of place, yet now he was becoming more and more like a local. Lind feared he might grow cold, arrogant, and become an unreasonable tyrant because of power.
At this moment, Lena arrived, carrying a roasted duck and crossing the somewhat messy hall to stand before Lind.
“Good work, brother. I specially scoured the stock of Ais and had the chef prepare a full spread of spices for you.”
Lind instinctively got up to take it, and he and Lena squatted on the high platform. The two currently highest-ranking members of the Lars Family enjoyed dinner without any decorum, and the only noticeable improvement was the sauces that the surrounding attendants silently passed over.
Watching Lena devour her food, Lind, as usual, began recounting the situations he encountered that day, how he managed them, and his future plans.
Lena constantly echoed him and occasionally mentioned the weapon designs she had been working on recently.
As they chatted, Lind suddenly burst out laughing.
Lena immediately wiped her mouth and asked in confusion, “Brother, what are you laughing at?”
Lind waved his hand, “It’s nothing.”
Seeing Lena’s relieved expression, Lind suddenly understood the meaning of “Wherever my heart finds peace is my home.”
As long as Lena was there, he estimated he would not become such a tyrant.
