“No need.”
Seeing that the other party didn't react, Roman repeated himself.
Nosia thought he had misheard, but the difference in pronunciation between “not enough” and “no need” was too great; he couldn't possibly be so hard of hearing.
The movements of the surrounding villagers paused, and some hands that had pulled out money froze in the air.
“Since I promised you that everyone in Lieshi Territory would be able to eat holy wheat and have enough to eat, I will deliver on that promise.”
Roman spoke softly, but his voice, falling into everyone's ears, was like thunder.
Because at this moment, every villager was holding their breath, listening intently.
Roman cleared his throat, subtly adjusting his breathing and his swirling thoughts.
“How can grace be measured by gold and silver? This intention has been accepted by God, but as the recipient of the revelation, I must reiterate God's will: He is not for judgment, but for salvation.”
“He promises the world that all who labor shall receive, and all who save themselves, He shall save.”
“Look at this barren land; miracles have already appeared. If you truly feel God's grace and long for atonement, instead of offering defiled gold and silver, offer your faith and sweat, offer them to the revival of this God-blessed land!”
“Thus, His will shall be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, and you shall walk among men as you walk in His holy kingdom.”
...【Lord's Manor lv0 (Upgradeable)】
【lv1: Slightly increases villager loyalty, unlockable construction areas.】
【Upgrade Conditions: Territory population reaches 200 (Achieved), Territory population ownership over 50% (Achieved), Host a large event with over 80% of the territory's population participating (Achieved)】
Roman waved his right hand, bidding farewell to the reluctant villagers, then quickly retreated into his manor.
After removing his saintly mask, he rubbed his somewhat stiff face; the seamless transition between smiling and a compassionate demeanor had made his face twitch.
“A close call, but no real danger.”
He let out a long sigh of relief, a genuine smile finally gracing his lips.
This crazy and bold plan had yielded full rewards.
He successfully leveraged a gold coin, a dozen copper coins, and a merchant guild membership card to gain the trust and support of the territory's people. For a considerable period, he would wield absolute, unquestionable control over Lieshi Territory.
The upgrade of the Barren Wheat Field was within his expectations, but the Lord's Manor meeting its upgrade conditions was a purely pleasant surprise. He had originally estimated that at most half of the territory's villagers would show up.
Now he had a bit more confidence in dealing with potential Gnoll attacks.
With villagers who supported him, he could now go all out!
So first, he would try to upgrade… “Knock, knock, knock…”
Someone knocked on the door.
Roman paused his thoughts, and Rose opened the door after Roman nodded.
She no longer needed to hide from others. Just moments ago, people had been subtly asking her if Lord Roman's manor needed servants; they were even willing to work without pay.
“Lord Kane!”
Rose exclaimed in surprise. Roman also stood up, only to see Kane stride in, his face conflicted, and sit opposite Roman.
He didn't speak, just stared silently at the table.
Kane didn't know what was going on, but his intuition told him that things shouldn't be as complicated as he thought.
People who cultivate battle aura are mostly straightforward. Kane couldn't figure it out, and after much internal struggle, he decided to privately ask Roman for clarity when no one was paying attention.
He had originally planned to observe Roman's resolve a bit longer, waiting for the other party to personally come and invite him.
But he hadn't expected the young man's actions to be more surprising one after another. In utter helplessness, he could no longer wait and urgently wanted an answer.
Roman, feeling helpless, sat down with him.
Kane didn't waste words, staring at Roman as he spoke.
“How much of it is real?”
“How much of it do you think is fake?”
Roman threw the question back.
Kane hesitated for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
“First, there definitely aren't ten gold coins in the Jin Sui (Golden穗) membership card. With that much liquid capital, they wouldn't just give an entry-level membership card.”
Roman nodded, confirming his answer.
“You probably didn't know there was a 'Rat King' under the wheat field. The surprise in your eyes at the time couldn't fool me. Also, you weren't certain that whatever ritual could achieve its effect; you were incredibly nervous then. The talk of defilement was fake, and the ritual… was also fake, right?”
Roman raised an eyebrow, a little surprised, but neither nodded nor shook his head.
When he transmigrated, he was indeed influenced by many of his original body's small habits, something he hadn't even noticed himself.
Kane spoke, conflicted.
“But… but those wheat… how did they… how did they just, and moreover…”
He couldn't find the right words for a moment, stuttering twice, which was rare for him.
Roman smiled. This power, perhaps, could also be considered a divine revelation, and he, perhaps, was truly a favored one of God.
“I observed you at the Boundary Marker yesterday.”
Seeing Roman smile without speaking, Kane had no choice but to begin his own deduction.
“Is it… is it the legacy left by Lord Liershi?”
Upon hearing this, Roman couldn't help but be startled.
Was he discovered when he carved the emblem on the Boundary Marker?
Why hadn't he noticed?
And all those things before… could there have been eyes he didn't know about, observing from the shadows?
This time it was Kane, but before… or after?
A strong sense of insecurity washed over him. Roman calmly suppressed his thoughts and then seriously said to Kane.
“Teacher, if I told you I really received a divine revelation, would you believe me?”
Kane shook his head very decisively.
“Impossible, I…”
He paused, seemingly wanting to say something, but quickly stopped himself, awkwardly changing the subject.
“Divine revelations are not so easy to bear. It's not that various churches don't have divine revelators or even divine descent vessels, but without exception, they all possess the strength of a Formal Knight or Formal Mage or above, and you… clearly haven't even stepped into the threshold of the extraordinary.”
Kane unceremoniously pointed out the core problem; he was, after all, quite knowledgeable.
This trick might work on these ignorant folks in Lieshi Territory, but it would be almost impossible to fool people from larger places.
This was the first time Roman had heard this statement.
His plan was indeed not perfect. This time he suffered from his lack of knowledge, but this was also an undeniable inherent flaw. If he wanted to pretend to be a favored one of God in the future, he would need the strength of a Formal Knight or Formal Mage or above.
But… “How about this, Teacher? I'll show you something that might validate my claim.”
Roman led Kane to the animal pen beside the backyard.
The grunting Crimson Bristle Pigs lay lazily on the haystacks. The piglets had grown another size larger after a day, their small eyes fixed on Kane beside Roman. Their intuition told them this upright creature was not to be trifled with.
“Crimson Bristle Pig…”
Kane pressed his hand on his sword hilt and said no more, the expression on his face gradually becoming solemn.
This was different from what Roman had shown before; it genuinely involved the realm of the extraordinary and could not be faked!
This also made Kane recall the spiritual will he felt when he touched the markings on the Boundary Marker. Perhaps it wasn't an illusion.