Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest-Chapter 242 - 11: The Scapegoat

"Do you still not know?" asked the merchant who had come from afar.

"Ah! The Witch barged into the Holy City and attempted to assassinate the Pope, and it has caused quite the uproar now."

"This place is remote..." Morry’s smile was somewhat forced.

"It may be remote, but there’s profit to be made—I just found out that cotton comes from the Platinum Country, oh, those soft, light cottons, if only they could grow on our lands, how great that would be. I wish I had met you a few years earlier, before the war started, I might have made a fortune—ah, when can we build a tavern here? I really need to have a few drinks with you then."

"Very soon, very soon," Morry responded absently, not quite sure which comment he was replying to.

"What happened to the Witch afterward?"

"She escaped! This news has spread far and wide. My mother used to tell me when I was a child that those Witches would cause big trouble, so the lords of the Church Court had no choice but to burn them at the stake. And now look, a big mess indeed, but thankfully the Pope was protected by All Gods, otherwise there would have been a massive upheaval in the Gods World..."

Morry knew the Witches had a bad reputation and he genuinely didn’t care for them.

Hearing now of their desperate plight, he couldn’t help but sigh, "They are all pitiable souls."

"Yes, those Witches who stormed into the Holy City, murdering and plundering, it’s better the Gods punish them soon and send them to Hell," the middle-aged merchant said.

"Those who conspired with the Witches deserve to die too, do you know how the Witch family snuck into the Holy City?! It was discovered that the Pereya Family covertly sheltered them! Oh! Rich as hell, that Selin, and of all the dirty deals to do, he had to secretly collude with the Witches, stealing the legacy of the Oak Family. Now look, once their conspiracy was revealed, Grand Duke Oak was furious, and all their property was destroyed instantly!"

"Eh, why have you turned pale?" the merchant asked, puzzled.

"I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather these past few days."

"Considering your young age, why is your health so frail? You must take care, drink more willow tree water. Us merchants can even lose our lives to a simple cold... The winters are getting colder every year, but it’s much warmer as soon as you come in here, without the bone-chilling breeze, and those farmers are all wearing woolen shirts, surprisingly issued by the Lord, weird, I don’t even know how they manage to weave them..."

Morry bid farewell to the chatty merchant.

The Pereya Family was now the rat across the street that everyone wanted to hit.

Having lost the friendship of Grand Duke Oak and viewed as accomplices of the Witches by the Church Court, Grand Duke Gael would show them no mercy.

A great merchant family crumbled in an instant.

Fortunately, he had found a reliable refuge before the storm hit—and his siblings were at worst facing prison; they had once competed ruthlessly against each other, but now, when disaster struck, none could escape—Selin had disappeared without a trace before the incident, making Morry think his cunning father had foreseen today’s situation, thus scattering his offspring to divert attention, easing his own escape.

Morry couldn’t feel happy thinking about all these things.

He returned to Origin Manor.

Life here was still relatively smooth.

If any power’s rise was predicated on a core group of common people, then Roman relied on those five thousand plus people from last year.

About two thousand of them were associated with Morry, and with these people settling down in Origin City, he was highly respected in this area.

Because those who were once slaves did not see him as a slave trader, but as a messenger sent by Lord Roman to rescue them.

Morry found this misunderstanding amusing yet didn’t correct them.

The changes in this land were happening too fast, it was staggering.

When he learned that there were thirty thousand people living in this territory, he was dumbfounded.

No man, that’s totally irrational.

It wasn’t just the increase in population that was shocking, but that there had been no chaos.

Because it was too precise.

Yes, despite the scant management team and somewhat extensive administrative system, the division of labor was truly meticulous.

Society operated in an orderly manner, everyone had a role, and this organizational system was something Morry had never seen before.

Laborers didn’t need to worry about basic needs.

The Lord assigned you a task, and you just had to do that task.

Finish today, come back tomorrow, and still continue with the same task the day after tomorrow.

"When this job is done, I’ll arrange the next one for you."

One link leads to another, step by step.

No one sits idle.

But that’s not a bad thing.

In an agricultural society, it is a sin to be idle.

"So-called ’to earn one’s keep’ means you get something after you work.

Farmers only fear that they will receive only half, a quarter, or even nothing after their labor.

Not oppressing them, while still providing them with good food and drink every day, would surely lead to an unstable rule.

Labor brings peace of mind.

Especially to those worthless farmers, their only value lies in their labor.

The more tired they get from working, the more at peace they feel; otherwise, they don’t deserve so much material wealth.

This indeed feels a bit like a psychological disorder.

Morry’s situation became somewhat awkward since he was the only one in Origin City without anything to do.

As a guest and friend, Roman had no reason to ask Morry to work.

However, most places in Origin City were open to Morry.

At first, Morry was shocked and curious.

But after two months here, he had gotten used to the pace of development in Origin City.

He thought he could settle down here forever, but now he became restless, or rather, when he learned about the current situation of the Pereya Family, he felt there were things he should do.

Morry approached Roman about this.

"Lord Roman, I apologize for disturbing you during your busy times."

"Just tell me what it’s about." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"I hope to leave here when spring comes..."

Roman’s writing halted.

He looked up at Morry, "Are you sure? Once you choose to leave here, I’ll no longer be able to protect you."

"I’m sure," Morry said with a bitter smile.

"Is it because of your father’s issue?"

Roman remained very busy, but each time at the dining table, he would converse with Seth and stay informed about the outside world, ensuring he didn’t miss important events.

"Yes, but that’s not all. There are other factors, such as the relationship between the Pereya Family and the witches."

At that, Roman immediately perked up.

At this juncture, Morry had no choice but to disclose everything: "Well, I’m not clear about the internal affairs of my family, but one thing I’m sure of is that the Pereya Family are scapegoats.

"Many forces lie behind Witch Forest, providing various types of support to the witches.

"Or one might say, the Pereya Family appeared because of this.

"Lord Roman, you might not know, but the Church Court has hunted witches for over a hundred years, but has never harmed the root of the witches. Those witches with good potential were rescued before the Church Court even discovered them and were cultivated in Witch Forest—

"The Conqueror led an expedition, taking away all the warriors, but at that time a group of still-growing witches remained deep within the court. When the Pope forced the Black Iron King to hand over those witches, he found that the witches had long since vanished.

"—These were the very first witches of Witch Forest!"

"They were nurtured in the court during the Conqueror Period—they are powerful and knowledgeable, proficient in various spells, pursued relentlessly by the Church Court, but never once were they caught."