HTLCCBFT Chapter 63

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 63

Oliver was unaware that his brute-force door-opening technique had mercilessly shattered the worldviews of the captives who had initially been intimidated by his appearance.

Watching the captives enter the stone fence with downcast eyes, quiet as mice, he felt Fosse’s handling of the situation was commendable.

After starving for so long, they truly had no strength left to resist.

Oliver was no true saint; of course, he wouldn’t treat these captives as kindly as he did the people of Laina.

Even if they had passed yesterday’s judgment, it only proved they weren’t utterly vicious and still had room for reform—it certainly didn’t mean they were good people.

He strongly agreed with the saying: “Abiding by the law doesn’t make one a good citizen; the law is merely the lowest baseline.”

Oliver felt satisfied, but the captives were still trembling with fear, no longer daring to entertain any wild ideas.

…… God.

That seemingly sturdy, heavy stone railing had been smashed down with a single pickaxe strike from this delicate-looking noble lord!

The sheer contrast was so staggering that most of them nearly thought they were dreaming. The shock was so overwhelming that the vast majority overlooked the fact that “the broken railing had vanished.”

In a daze, they filed into the enclosed wasteland.

After the last person entered, Oliver unblinkingly retrieved the stone fence from his game backpack.

The massive stone railing looked as small and light as a piece of sweet bread meant for dipping in butter.

With effortless ease, Oliver thrust it into the ground, sinking the other end deep into the earth and sealing the only gap.

Everyone: “……”

This time, Oliver had deliberately done it in front of the others.

One must never underestimate the malice of bandits. The fear instilled by the [Ring of the Cat God] would inevitably fade over time… so it had to be reinforced constantly.

“This is the oracle decreed by the great Cat God,” Oliver declared mysteriously, as all eyes—whether fervent or reverent—fixed on the beautiful blond lord after witnessing that horrifying scene. “The fence, erected by his divine power, is more indestructible than the hardest iron. Only those whose filthy thoughts have been completely reversed and purified are permitted to leave this place.”

Oliver could have used the initial recipe [Fence Gate] to create an entryway, but he had no intention of doing so.

The fence gate provided by the game could be opened freely from both sides… who knew if adding a lock later would even work?

The prisoners would be confined to the reform area for at least several years, forbidden from interacting with other Laina people. It was simpler to just seal it off with the stone fence.

For Oliver, crafting the stone railing was straightforward, and dismantling it was equally convenient (at least for him).

If others occasionally needed to enter or exit, they merely had to report to him, and he would dismantle and reassemble it on the spot.

After completing this, Oliver left with Fosse.

The subsequent tasks had been pre-arranged with Fosse and would be carried out step by step by the loyal and reliable butler.

First: providing meals.

Of course, they couldn’t let the prisoners starve to death inside, but neither could they afford to feed them lavishly—what a joke! Currently in Raina City, aside from the few nobles in the castle, only the commoners could eat their fill. Even the slaves only managed about seventy to eighty percent satiety.

And those who were starving, when fed to about forty or fifty percent fullness, would feel even hungrier, crave more food, and be most willing to work.

Once they were pulled back from the brink of starvation, it would be time for them to work.

For the first day or two, Oliver had no intention of rushing them into formal labor: they first needed to build simple shelters for themselves, with latrines being absolutely essential, followed by digging a few wells to meet their daily water needs.

Of course, they wouldn’t be given access to the quality lumber that Oliver himself had felled, which was reserved for slaves and commoners. Instead, they would use some worn-out materials discarded during the previous collective housing repairs.

Oliver flipped through the “Prisoner Specialties” booklet compiled by Kane and his team, occasionally circling entries with a quill, and without looking up, he said to Fosse, “I didn’t expect a few of them to be literate… perfect, assign them to copy books.”

He didn’t expect the commoners to remember the planting knowledge he taught, but the enlightenment plan had to be put on the agenda.

Hmm, before studying, let them eat a bit more and build up their physical strength.

“Your Highness,” Fosse inquired respectfully, “Where do you wish to place those six individuals?”

Oliver thought for a moment. “I’ll designate an area next to the labor reform zone for them later. In these initial days, since their numbers are small, they might need some assistance. Their housing conditions should be comparable to that of serfs, but their food rations slightly worse.”

These former intellectuals, though lacking combat prowess and having strayed from the right path, could still create more value than the other prisoners who could only perform manual labor.

Oliver had no choice: across the vast territory, even among the commoners, those who could read and write were far too few.

He lacked the means to print textbooks. his current plan was to have the knowledge taught in the previous session and the upcoming one displayed on bulletin boards in written and illustrated form, making it easier for the people below to learn… and review.

Oliver remarked, “Seeing such a clear disparity in treatment should also motivate them to work harder.”

Fosse pressed his lips together and said gravely, “Your Highness, even the most unruly beasts can be tamed into obedience with a whip.”

Oliver: “……”

He had no doubt that the butler’s methods were straightforward, brutal, and effective.

Yet he still believed that for long-term development, a balance of rewards and punishments was necessary, especially since the cost of “rewards” was almost negligible.

If they relied solely on punishment, how would that be any different from the previous treatment of slaves?

Too much whipping would numb them, turning them into walking corpses.

And if they were whipped too severely and injured, it would require even more resources to heal them.

Of course, choosing not to treat them was an option—but that would likely mean losing them entirely.

When conditions improved slightly, he also planned to renovate the temple and place the cat god statue inside.

That way, they could openly recruit… well, select suitable, devout believers to serve as priests and naturally propagate the teachings.

He could also take advantage of the worship service to deliver ideological indoctrination about “goodness and diligence” to his subjects and prisoners.

—After all, ideological and moral education is quite important.

Seeing the butler’s serious expression, Oliver reconsidered and swallowed the carefully prepared explanations he had been contemplating.

His beautiful blue eyes brimming with laughter, he spoke in the most natural tone: “If everything required your personal involvement, wouldn’t that be too exhausting for my dear butler? Moreover, helping them reform is part of my wishes too, dear Fosse.”

Fosse’s eyes widened abruptly.

The half-coquettish, half-praising words from his young master clearly caught the usually stern and rigid butler off guard.

He remained stunned for an unexpectedly long moment before responding in an uncharacteristically gentle tone: “No matter when or where, your wishes will always be of utmost importance.”

—Done.

Oliver felt relieved internally.

With the crucial butler no longer objecting, the next steps would depend on Knight Captain Noel’s training progress.

At this moment, the commoners and slaves of Laina remained unaware that starting from dusk today, they would all undergo physical training… or exercise together.

They would need to learn how to use the nearly two hundred confiscated weapons as well.

Just two days ago, Oliver had witnessed with his own eyes: even before the formal battle began, some commoners on his side were so overly tense they couldn’t properly hold their hoes, ending up dropping them on their own toes and howling in pain.

Too dangerous, and too embarrassing.

If those damned bandits refused to give up and returned before the training was complete, Oliver had mentally prepared himself to “take the frontline personally.”

After all, he was currently the verified, undisputed strongest combatant in Laina City.

He pondered seriously for a moment, then suddenly asked the butler with great earnestness: “Fosse, how many blocks of cheese remain in the kitchen now?”

Fosse: “……”

The serfs working in the fields never stopped their movements, but were clearly distracted.

After all fields were watered and newly sprouted weeds removed, the bell rang.

This meant they were permitted to return home for rest.

Only then did the slaves gather in small groups, quietly discussing recent events.

“His Highness is truly too kind.”

“I’ve never seen such a wonderful person—when danger came, he didn’t force us to fight but told us all to return home and hide…”

“Where did those hateful bandits come from? I haven’t seen outsiders in Laina for years, aside from merchants.”

“They must have thought our noble Highness brought too few attendants when coming to Laina, and seized the chance to cause trouble.”

“You all saw it too, right? His Highness was glowing!”

“Such a heavy, enormous sword—I’d never heard of anything like it, yet I witnessed His Highness lifting it effortlessly and slaying the most troublesome villain with one strike!”

“With His Highness being so wonderful, the great Cat God would naturally protect him.”

“When I saw His Highness on the battlefield, I nearly died from fright!”

“If I’d known His Highness would personally take the field, I would have charged forward too—those bandits were so dangerous!”

“Even if the great Cat God would bless His Lordship, the scene that day was still too terrifying.”

“But His Lordship just publicly lost his temper a few days ago – regardless of the reason, we cannot disobey his orders.”

“I don’t want to disappoint His Lordship, but if such a situation occurs again, must I just stand by and watch His Lordship go to such a dangerous place…..”

Not only were the ordinary slaves filled with worry, already beginning to fret about “what to do if we encounter such a situation again,” but even Lucy and the other two living in the castle, responsible for taking care of the chicks, still felt lingering fear.

She had been too busy tending to these increasingly active and difficult-to-manage chicks to find time to go watch the execution at the city gates yesterday.

When she heard the bandit group was approaching and wanted to request joining the battlefield, Johan – following the Lord’s orders – specifically came to bring her into the safe castle.

Together with Jonathan, Ziken, and the chicks, they could only obediently wait for news.

When she heard the Lord had achieved a great victory, she was just about to cheer ecstatically, but the next moment, the news that “His Lordship personally took to the battlefield” scared her into breaking out in a cold sweat.

She didn’t care at all about how these people described in fanatical tones how the Lord was protected by divine power, radiating holy light while wielding the divine gift great sword.

If she had known earlier… even if she had to accept the divine punishment from the great Cat God, she would have definitely disobeyed orders and rushed to protect His Lordship!

Just imagining that beautiful and kind-hearted lord possibly getting injured made Lucy feel so distressed her heart almost shattered.

Wise, brilliant, great Cat God.

Lucy crouched on the ground, staring blankly at the chicks who remained completely unaware of the recent turmoil, happily pecking at small insects while she prayed.

She was willing to pay any price. Please, please… protect the most wonderful Lord.

Lucy blinked, tears unconsciously pattering down without her realizing.

When Oliver, unaware of the situation, arrived, what he saw was Lucy silently shedding tears.

Oliver: “……”

The Lord has received a genuine fright this time.

Could it be that his adorable little chicks have encountered some mishap!

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