That night, Loren found a random inn by the sea to stay in. The inns here were all very clean and tidy. While not as comfortable as the luxury hotels Loren had stayed in in other countries, they were still quite nice.
Due to the strict laws here, tourism in Anselm wasn't very developed. Wealthy people, in particular, were very unwilling to co here because they would lose the privileges they were accustod to.
Those who ca here mostly did so to see the sea. They were mostly young people, with couples being the majority.
Loren woke up very early the next day. After all, there was drama to watch today. Even with Loren's experience, killing a king was a rare event.
The children were already used to seeing dead bodies by now, so watching a beheading shouldn't be a problem.
"Everyone's here pretty early."
When Loren arrived at the execution ground, quite a few people had already gathered around. So, Loren had to use his money-power to secure a suitable viewing spot.
If you were willing to pay a bit of money, and both parties agreed, you could still exchange it for quite a few privileges. It's just that those who were used to enjoying privileges usually didn't think of this.
On the execution platform knelt three people. Their clothing was still sowhat splendid, especially one of them who was wearing a crown, which undoubtedly indicated he was the King.
The salaries and benefits for officials in Anselm were not low. As long as they fulfilled their duties diligently, there wasn't much danger. Even in cases of collective punishnt, as long as they managed their subordinates well, nothing would happen.
After all, the premise of collective punishnt was prolonged ignorance or harboring of cris. If sothing really happened and they didn't know about it for that long, then they really couldn't bla others.
Furthermore, people were still very reverent towards the gods. They wouldn't casually file complaints with the gods. Usually, if there was an issue, they would first report it to their superior. If reporting at that level proved useless, then it was ti for the gods to step in.
So, in truth, Anselm didn't execute many people throughout the year. What happened today was genuinely rare, which was also why so many people had gathered here.
A Wind ssenger holding an axe pressed the three people down in front of the guillotine and asked in front of the crowd:
"One week ago, Anselm was attacked by sea monsters. Although they were dealt with by Wind ssengers, significant damage was caused. For this, the Church allocated funds for reconstruction. The official responsible for this matter, Mira Gray, embezzled fifty percent of the disaster relief funds. Do you admit your guilt?"
Facing the Wind ssenger's interrogation, Mira did not answer, keeping her head bowed in silence.
"Bring the person up."
This scene was within the Wind ssenger's expectations. He then ordered the Enforcent Team to bring forward a woman. The woman was sowhat plump and bore the mark of plague on her body.
"Mom..."
The woman began to cry the mont she saw Mira. Only after seeing her daughter did Mira raise her head, her eyes filled with terror.
"Mira Gray gave most of the embezzled funds to her own daughter, allowing her to flee the Kingdom of Anselm with the money and go to the Bardo Kingdom.
"According to the law, in cases of embezzlent and bribery, all who benefited are equally guilty."
As he spoke, the Enforcent Team mbers also pressed Mira's daughter down onto the guillotine platform.
"I regret it, I truly regret it. I'll never dare to do it again..."
Seeing her daughter also forced onto the guillotine, Mira finally broke down crying.
"You don't regret committing the cri;
you only regret being caught."
After saying this, the Wind ssenger swung the axe, severing the rope connected to the guillotine. The blade fell, and blood instantly stained the execution platform red, soaking the long-dried bloodstains once more.
"This execution platform hasn't been used for so long that you've all forgotten the lesson."
As the Wind ssenger moved towards the next person, Loren was also conversing with the others.
"Do you know why this woman's daughter had to die?"
"Because her mother embezzled?"
Loren shook his head at Naclis's answer:
"It's because she embezzled too little. So, even if she escaped to Bardo, she didn't have the capital to secure Bardo's protection. When the ti ca, if the Wind ssengers just asked, the people of Bardo would decide to hand her over after weighing the pros and cons.
"If she had embezzled more, say if the coastal cities were destroyed and she took fifty percent, then they would have lived very comfortably in Bardo, and the Wind ssengers would have had a hard ti dealing with her.
"However, the Kingdom of Anselm has also been doing its utmost to avoid such situations. If they really dared to do that, they would most likely be dealt with before they could escape."
Loren felt he was increasingly sounding like a life coach. He added:
"This matter ca to light because the rebuilt houses collapsed again. Her daughter had already been hiding in Bardo for a while, even contracting Bardo's local 'specialty' by now."
Just as Loren was lecturing, the execution on the platform continued:
"Jason Cole, after discovering Mira's actions, you did not deal with it imdiately, hence the collective punishnt. Do you admit your guilt?"
"I admit my guilt."
What had just happened served as a wake-up call, reminding him what kind of country Anselm truly was. He didn't say another word.
As the guillotine blade fell, he began to recall the past. The last ti the execution platform was used was a long ti ago. Back then, watching the executed official, he swore to himself that he would be a good official. For over a decade, he lived peacefully, which gave him a sliver of complacency.
Now, nothing he could say would matter.
"King Cain Drake, the minister under you harbored a criminal, and you did not deal with it in a tily manner. You are now sentenced to death. Do you have any questions?"
"No questions."
The King's beard was already white. He looked at Cain's corpse, no one knew what he was thinking deep down. But people wouldn't have a chance to find out, because the next mont his head also landed on the execution platform.
"Sea burial for the criminals' bodies!"
This was Anselm's custom. They ate fish, and after death, they were buried at sea to be eaten by fish.
The Wind ssenger silently recited an incantation, raised his hand, and then a gust of wind blew out from him as the center. The bodies on the execution platform were lifted by the wind, circled once around the city, and then fell into the distant ocean.
The mont the bodies touched the ocean, countless fish leaped up and began to devour the corpses.
After watching the execution, Loren stretched and said:
"The show's over. We still have plenty of ti. Let take you all to fly kites."
"Yay!"
Anna hopped and skipped to follow behind Loren. The execution had no effect on her at all. On the contrary, it made her hands itch, wanting to chop sothing.
Laila also followed Loren's steps feeling refreshed and invigorated. Appreciating such a show first thing in the morning had made her very happy.
"I used to think that if I were to settle down permanently, the place under the God of Vows and Wind would be the most suitable."
"That's true. But the managent of residents here is very strict. Not just anyone can co here to settle."
Loren said this also hinting to Laila that while this place was good for ordinary people, where no one had privileges, it didn't change the fact that they still hunted witches here. In any place with gods, witches had no human rights.
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