Under the watchful eyes of nurous miners, Jero and Muer were finally beheaded. The sight of spraying blood brought both satisfaction and fear to those they had once bullied.
For so ti to co, this incident was bound to spread throughout Grey Soil Village and even the entire Wubei Territory, serving as a powerful deterrent.
But Ronin was considering the problem this incident had exposed: Wubei Territory lacked a comprehensive legal code.
As a result, for incidents bordering on insurrection, the outco could vary drastically in severity depending on who was in charge of handling it.
In fact, it wasn’t just Wubei Territory; Wushan Territory and the domains of many nobles throughout the Kingdom lacked a comprehensive legal code.
When punishing criminals, if the offender was a commoner, the sentence was usually based on the unwritten experience passed down among legal officers, or on the decision of the local lord.
If the offender was a noble, minor transgressions were settled with a fine. Serious matters were discussed and decided by a vote among the territory’s nobility, with the votes of more powerful nobles carrying more weight.
As for a specific, written legal code... ’Frankly, parchnt is expensive. How much parchnt and money would it cost to write down every single detailed statute?’
Besides, even if a legal code were written down, it wouldn’t necessarily be usable.
The literacy rate in this world was far too low. Even many Professional Knights and minor nobles were not fully literate, to say nothing of common legal officers.
Asking them to enforce the law with a written code in hand would be like asking them to interpret an arcane text.
"Wilson, how are your literacy skills?"
"Lord, I’m quite literate."
A look of pride appeared on Wilson’s face.
Among the commoners of Wubei Territory, the vast majority were illiterate, so his ability to read well was a significant advantage.
"Good. In that case, you will be the one to draft a simple set of laws for Wubei Territory, to serve as a reference for daily administration."
Wilson’s heart sank. Though he was literate, he knew very little about a specialized field like law.
On top of that, he already had a great deal on his plate; he had to squeeze in the ti to accompany the Lord on today’s inspection tour.
Seeing the man’s hesitation, Ronin couldn’t help but ask, "What is it? Is there a problem?"
Wilson looked slightly awkward, but he mustered his courage and voiced his concerns.
"Lord, this will likely be a lengthy undertaking. If I do it alone, I’m afraid my considerations won’t be thorough enough."
He had a point.
’The law touched on every aspect of life. Even the modern legal system I lived under in my past life, as comprehensive as it was, sotis lacked a specific statute for a particular case.’
It was asking a lot for Wilson to handle this alone.
"It’s fine. These will only be provisional statutes. Just write down guidelines for common conflicts in daily life—for example, how to handle a simple brawl, how to handle a fight that draws blood, and what to do when soone is killed. Once you’ve written a draft, you can show it to , Elron, Jenny, and the others."
Ronin thought for a mont, then added, "The provisional statutes don’t have to be long or perfect all at once. We can add to them over ti based on the state of public order in the territory. As you’re working on it, you can also recruit relevant talent from outside. Wubei Territory needs a Legal Officer and a team of legal professionals."
Hearing this, Wilson relaxed considerably.
Now that Wubei Territory had channels for external communication and rchant caravans were visiting from the outside, posting recruitnt notices would not be difficult.
Furthermore, Anthony’s cooperation with Wubei Territory was ongoing, making him an ideal person to help spread the word.
With the Lord’s influence, attracting such people would be no problem at all.
As the two were conducting their inspection, an agile black figure ca racing toward them.
It was a huge Magical Beast, two ters in length. The aura it emanated made the warhorses beneath Ronin and Wilson uneasy, and the two n had to tighten their reins to keep the mounts under control.
"It’s Miss Erin," Wilson said with a smile.
Many people in Wubei Territory knew about this Magical Beast. Though they felt a little fearful upon seeing it, they didn’t panic and flee for their lives.
"Lord, you’re back!"
Erin and Black Tiger stopped in front of Ronin. The girl greeted him enthusiastically while the beast whimpered softly, as if asking to be petted.
Ronin smiled, dismounted, and patted Black Tiger on the head. "Where are you two off to?"
"My mother had deliver sothing to my father. I’m done with that, so now I’m heading back to Swamp Castle!"
Erin’s gaze lingered on Ronin, unable to hide her adoration.
However, after a heart-to-heart talk with her mother upon her last return, she understood that to remain by the Lord’s side for the long term, she had to prove her own worth.
’Although I can’t compare to the Princess, I have decent Magic Talent. In the future, if I beco a powerful Mage like my teacher, Elron, I’ll be able to stand by Ronin’s side with confidence.’
Ronin patted Erin’s hair. "Want to co with to see your father?"
But Erin shook her head. "No, my teacher only gave a little over a day off. I have to get back to my studies!"
Ronin shrugged. "Alright, be careful on your way back."
Erin patted Black Tiger and said confidently, "Don’t worry. I’m an Interdiate Mage now, and Black Tiger is a Second-level Magical Beast. We’ll be perfectly safe in Wubei Territory."
They exchanged a few more words before parting ways.
Watching Erin and Black Tiger’s retreating figures, Ronin couldn’t help but smile. It seed the girl had regained her usual liveliness.
"Wilson, remind Elron later. Tell him and Jenny to keep an eye out for when Black Tiger goes into heat."
Ronin continued, "When the ti cos, I’ll see if I can capture a Storm Demon Wolf for her to mate with. If that doesn’t work, so fierce male dogs will have to do."
"Lord, are you hoping to create a line of wolf mounts for Wubei Territory?"
Ronin nodded.
A Storm Demon Wolf’s stamina is no less than a horse’s. With Black Tiger as the dam, even if her offspring were sired by dogs, their physical constitution would be far beyond what any normal dog could match.
If they could forge a unit of Wolf Cavalry, Wubei Territory’s military strength would grow even greater.
Grey Soil Village was not far from Purple Fruit Village, and Ronin, accompanied by Wilson, arrived there quickly.
The place was clearly on its way to becoming a center for textiles—
Leia was leading workers in weaving silk, while Horn was in charge of expanding the Mulberry Fields to ensure more mulberry leaves would be available next year to feed the silkworms, thereby producing more silk.
anwhile, Master Dan was constantly optimizing the looms based on feedback from Leia and her team. He ntioned that he and his apprentices were already modifying looms to handle flax and wool, a success that would boost efficiency by a wide margin.
Ronin had already instructed Chahar to begin acquiring flax and wool from outside sources. They would then weave it and sell the finished textiles abroad, which promised to bring in a considerable profit.
Next, Ronin inspected the other two towns.
His impression was that the territory had grown more populated. The fields and forests were filled with busy figures, and the wooden houses built by the construction teams now stood in neat rows and clusters. The entire territory had a flourishing, prosperous air.
The people’s spirits were also much higher than when he had first arrived in Mountain Forest Town.
After all, Ronin had brought them more food and affordable supplies. They had food to eat, roofs over their heads, and clothes to wear. The Free People could earn wages, and even slaves were rewarded for their hard work.
People in any world never lack the desire for a better life.
They were grateful to Elron for healing their diseases and easing their pain, but they were even more grateful to Lord Ronin for providing them with a place where they could live and work in peace and contentnt.
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