CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 3: THE PAST OF THE WESTERN TERRITORIES

"Form... form a cult?" Miss Rabbit was somewhat flabbergasted, "But, but I am a follower of the Silver Moon Goddess, and most people in the West are the same as me, worshipping the Silver Moon Goddess. You and your Saturday here will probably find it very difficult to recruit believers."

"That’s my affair," Li Yu said. "You only need to give me some necessary cooperation when it’s needed."

"......"

The young girl’s expression was tangled, caught in a struggle within herself.

She wasn’t just trying to scare Li Yu; the faith in the Silver Moon Goddess in the West had a long-standing history, predating even the foundation of the Empire. Before Furious Lion Alexander led his troops to conquer this place, the people living on this land were mostly already followers of the Silver Moon Goddess.

It was said that the battle historically known as the Blood Dragon Wail was extremely brutal. The warring sides suffered countless deaths and injuries. The eventual victory of Alexander’s side, apart from having the support of Family Head "Snow Claw" Count Philip of the Figrola family, who led his troops thousands of miles to provide reinforcements, was also inseparably linked to the betrayal of the Silver Moon Church.

The latter by spreading word among the believers of the various atrocities committed by the Enríquez family during their rule of the West, quickly led to the loss of public support for the Enríquez family. Afterwards, whether it was conscripting soldiers or collecting food supplies, they encountered great difficulties and the morale of the army plummeted further.

Once Count Philip arrived, he made a decisive move, only resting half a day before leading his troops straight to Dragon Flame City, the stronghold of the Enríquez family. The two sides fought a bloody battle beneath the city walls for a full seven days before Count Philip managed to breach the gates and take Dragon Flame City.

After that, the Earl ordered the beheading of all members of the Enríquez family within the city, regardless of age or gender. The news reached the front lines, and Family Head Joao of the Enríquez completely collapsed. His army was then defeated by Alexander seizing the opportunity.

The Enríquez family, which had ruled the West for over a thousand years, was thus reduced to dust and ashes.

However, for the victors of that battle, the threat had not completely disappeared.

The Enríquez family had been operating in the region for many years and had amassed a multitude of followers. They had countless allies, both openly and in secret.

Following Joao’s defeat, many of these people chose to temporarily go into hiding, swearing fealty to the Empire in public, but secretly awaiting the return of the true king of the West.

On the other hand, although the Enríquez family faced annihilation, their bloodline was not entirely wiped out. The remaining remnants raised the banner of rebellion, gathered the scattered soldiers, and roamed, looting and plundering wherever they went.

Add to this the indulgence of the local noble lords, who turned a blind eye to such behavior, and even deliberately leaked the movements of the Empire’s suppression troops to those "bandits".

As a result, the West was in disarray at the time, with every civilian in fear for their safety, nearly unable to engage in production, and the famine that soon followed further exacerbated the turmoil.

In order to completely pacify the West and disintegrate the Enríquez family’s enormous influence over the land, and to eliminate the scattered "Kings of the West" of various sizes, Alexander conferred the title of Marquis on Philip, who had distinguished himself in the Blood Dragon Wail.

He commanded him and his backing Figrola family to eternally guard the West for the Empire, to defend its borders.

The ancestors of the Arias family also came here following Marquis Philip during that time, becoming the masters of Green Field.

It’s said that neither Marquis Philip nor that ancestor of the Arias family were followers of the Silver Moon Goddess at the beginning.

They were both devotees of the Winter God Solona. Yet, due to the enormous influence of Goddess Pexia in this land, they eventually conformed to local customs and converted to the worship of the Silver Moon Goddess.

The Silver Moon Church was undoubtedly very satisfied with this outcome, returning favor for favor; for the centuries that followed, it always supported the rule of the Figrola family and their vassals in this land with great fervor.

So for noble lords like Ireya, what to believe was never a simple question of where the soul belongs, but rather a serious and complex political issue.

Miss Rabbit frowned and worried in place for a long time before looking up at Li Yu with a pitiful expression, "If... I mean if, I can’t agree to your demands right now, does that mean you won’t give me any advice from now on?"

"That’s not necessarily the case," Li Yu said, "Anyway, I won’t be leaving Green Field anytime soon, so you can still come to me if you have any questions."

The girl sighed with relief upon hearing this, "Then... I’ll think about it a little more."

"Yeah, that works."

Negotiating projects is always like this, never expect the first proposal to be adopted by the client and for them to pay at lightning speed. It’s rare to come across such a dream client even in several years.

Most are like Miss Rabbit, hesitant and comparing in triplicate, unable to make up their minds promptly.

But since no one is outbidding Li Yu right now, he didn’t need to be in a hurry. As long as he could figure out the girl’s core demands, it was only a matter of time before he secured this deal.

Before that, there was no reason for Li Yu to interrupt the communication channel that was not easily established between them.

In the end, he didn’t care about being taken advantage of by Ireya for free.

Good business is never just about how much one side makes, but rather that both parties get what they need, everyone gets what they want, and based on mutual interests, they tend to naturally draw closer to each other.

By the time one realizes this, it’s often too late to separate, and the relationship becomes unbreakable.

Although Miss Rabbit did not say it, one could see she was quite happy after hearing Li Yu’s response, her lips involuntarily curling into a smile, even paying became more cheerful.

She instructed Fosto to go to the storeroom and fetch a bag of Gold Coins to give to Half-Face. He opened it and counted, finding there were twenty-three pieces— one more than agreed upon.

"Yo, I didn’t expect you, a stingy rabbit, to be so generous," Half-Face remarked. "Seeing how hard I’ve worked along the way, you even added a Gold Lion as a tip."

"That’s not a tip, it’s your new salary." The girl said, "I want to hire you for some more time, rest assured, the work this time is very simple, just stand by my side."

Half-Face scoffed at this, "You think one Gold Lion is enough to buy my service as your guard? Are you dreaming?"

"Not as a guard," Ireya patiently explained, "Like I said, just stand there, be a presence, intimidate those with ulterior motives. You know I’ve just become a lord, and I’m young. Some may think they can take advantage of me. When that time comes, just stand there with that sour face you’re showing me now, and they won’t dare to act rashly."

"......"

"Seven Gold Kerns a week, and one more added every subsequent week, all paid in advance, including room and board, and it definitely won’t last longer than a month. This salary is very generous, and there’s no fighting or killing, no danger. You won’t find such an easy money-making opportunity again if you miss this one."

This time it was Jude whose expression became conflicted. After a long while, he cursed, "Damn it, how do you always manage to hit right at my bottom line!"