For Elina, who often frequented this place, this situation was absolutely unimaginable.
She knew very well that Lakeside Town, under the control of the church, had never cared about the lives of the poor. They were only concerned with annual taxes and capital. The only reason they allowed the poor to remain in Lakeside Town was to use the population count to apply for more funding from above.
But today, everything had changed. It felt like a scene straight out of magical realism!
Lynn, lying on a rocking chair, glanced at the selected works of the King of Secret Source in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips. He said nothing more.
"Let's go take a look," Lynn stood up, smiling as he put the book away. "Let's see what they're up to."
……
At the square of Lakeside Town, the crowd was bustling.
The church had set up dozens of simple wooden sheds in the square, and with the soldiers maintaining order, everything appeared to be well-organized.
Some sheds were distributing food, cotton clothes, and daily necessities to the people.
Others had stationed many priests and doctors, providing free medical care to the poor who were seriously ill or injured.
Not far away, the bulletin board was surrounded by people in tattered clothes.
A freshly inked announcement was posted on it.
Since many of the poor were illiterate, two knights were stationed beside the board to read the announcement aloud to the crowd.
The main points were as follows:
1. Taxes would be significantly reduced, and all unnecessary levies would be abolished.
2. Everyone in Lakeside Town could register for free medical care, and those with serious illnesses or disabilities could apply to enter a sanatorium after registration.
3. The church would fund the renovation of the slums and provide subsidies.
4. The church would gradually open up job opportunities in various fields, offering wages, food, shelter, and free medical benefits.
And so on.
The announcement listed dozens of new regulations in great detail.
Many of the commoners felt as if they were dreaming after hearing it.
No!
Even in their dreams, they had never dared to imagine such things.
And now, it was happening in reality.
"By the grace of the gods! Is this heaven's mercy upon us?!"
"Could the noble lords really be so kind? Wages, food, shelter… this… this must be a joke!"
Many still couldn't believe it, their faces filled with astonishment.
In their long-held beliefs, this was nothing short of a fairy tale.
On the square, Nanako stared in shock at the scene before her. She even recognized many of the people she had helped the night before.
"This… this…"
Her mind was buzzing, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.
Lynn walked up to her with a smile, crossing his arms as he said, "It seems the church has had a change of heart, Master."
[Many things can't be solved with money alone. I know you meant well by helping them, Master, but without a proper system in place, the gold coins you gave them would only bring them misfortune.]
[But now, there’s no problem. Although some underhanded methods were used, at least for a long time to come, this town will be a much better place.]
[Reforms and policies need to be implemented gradually. While it’s impossible to completely overturn the centuries-old system of oppression, at least it gives people hope, doesn’t it?]
Lynn’s lips curled into a smile.
Nanako listened in a daze to her disciple’s thoughts.
For some reason, she suddenly felt her eyes sting, as if something was churning deep within her heart.
So… he knew all along…
She lowered her head, her nose tingling as she struggled to hold back the tears.
What a… what a wicked disciple he was…
He had known all along about the foolish things Nanako had done, had secretly followed her last night,
and pretended not to know anything.
And then he quietly took care of everything on his own…
Plop—plop—
Tears fell to the ground.
"Lady Nanako, why… why are you crying?"
Elina looked at Nanako with confusion and surprise.
Nanako rubbed her eyes vigorously, then shook her head, her ponytail swaying.
She looked up, her tear-stained face breaking into a pure and radiant smile.
"Because Nanako is really, really happy."
A gust of wind blew by.
The willow catkins scattered in the air, creating a dazzling spectacle.
……
Clip-clop—clip-clop—
The sound of hooves echoed as a carriage raced down the road toward the nearest Silver City.
Inside the spacious carriage, Elina and the other girls covered their mouths, their eyes filled with amusement as they looked at Lynn sitting across from them.
Lynn, on the other hand, looked extremely awkward, his body stiff as he dared not move.
Hanging from him was Nanako’s small figure, her eyes closed, her tiny nose gently rising and falling as she breathed evenly. Her lips parted slightly as she slept.
One of her small hands clutched the front of Lynn’s shirt, while the other held his wrist. She nestled comfortably in his arms, her sleeping face adorably peaceful.
But Lynn was utterly embarrassed.
Especially with three girls sitting across from him, their faces filled with knowing smiles, he felt even more uncomfortable.
"Mr. Lynn, you mustn’t move around, or Lady Nanako might wake up," one of the girls teased.
Lynn coughed awkwardly. "I won’t, I won’t."
The girls all covered their mouths, their eyes filled with envy.
Ever since the church had announced the new policies that morning and began distributing food and clothing to the slums, they had enthusiastically volunteered to help.
And Lady Nanako had been the most active and passionate among them.
Throughout the entire day, Nanako’s face had been radiant with joy as she tirelessly helped those who were too injured or sick to collect their supplies.
It wasn’t until evening that she finally stopped.
And after that, she had fallen asleep, exhausted, in Lynn’s arms.
Which led to the current situation.
Elina smiled warmly.
She could see how happy Lady Nanako had been today, and there was something different about her relationship with Mr. Lynn, something that hadn’t been there before.
The sound of hooves continued.
Nanako slept soundly, her eyes closed. It seemed as if she was having a dream, her brows slightly furrowing.
Unconsciously, she let go of Lynn’s wrist.
Then she hugged his chest tightly, burying her face in it, her breathing steadying once more.
Her expression was peaceful and relaxed.
"Disciple is… the worst, worst villain in the world…"
Her soft murmur reached their ears.
Hearing this, Elina and the others covered their mouths, trying hard not to laugh.
"Mr. Lynn, did you do something very, very bad to Lady Nanako?" one of the girls teased.
Lynn retorted, "I did no such thing! Don’t make baseless accusations!"
The girls all giggled, their eyes sparkling with mischief.
Lynn looked down awkwardly at the little master sleeping peacefully in his arms.
[What on earth happened?]
[Why is my little master acting so strange today? Did she find out about what I did last night?]
[That shouldn’t be possible. I acted alone. How could she know?]
[Then what’s the reason?]
Lynn was utterly confused.
[And… little blue-haired master, if you want to sleep in my arms, we can do that when we get back. Any position is fine! (Frustrated) But there are people here now, people!]
[Think about the image, the image!]
……
n Our Village Many years later, Xiushui Village had transformed from a remote, impoverished hamlet into the renowned and flourishing Xiushui City of the Shifang Continent. All of this, solely because it was the birthplace of the Shifang Continent's number one sect—the Lingxian Sect. This is the story of a group of village youths, family, and friends, building a sect and growing together. Lin Xiao: As the sect master, my days are filled with countless tasks. Cultivating really gets in the way of building the sect. System: Received. Understood. Arranging it immediately. [Ding—Congratulations, Host, on successfully activating the Auto-Cultivation Function] Lin Xiao: Oh no, we're out of spirit stones. System: Received. Understood. Arranging it immediately. [Ding—Sect Mission issued. Mission Reward: Spirit Stones xN] No one loves their host more profoundly than this System!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
