Chapter 8

"Did you say something?"

Tang En suspected he had heard wrong.

"You didn't hear wrong. Because you saved many people and helped Captain Ronnie repel the bandits, the lord has decided to invite you two to a banquet tonight."

The captain of the private army said with a stern face, "It's almost time for the meal. Please prepare and head to the lord's residence for the banquet."

Helping Ronnie repel the bandits?

Tang En was speechless, and Fiona's face turned ashen with anger: "How shameless! It was clearly Tang En's achievement, and you dare to openly claim his credit!"

The captain of the private army ignored Fiona, glanced at Tang En, and his greedy gaze lingered on the highly effective life potion before he left.

Tang En seemed to be deep in thought, a mocking smile on his lips: "Interesting."

Fiona said in a low voice, "That lord must have other intentions."

"Of course, the greedy look in the captain's eyes when he saw the highly effective... Blood of the Goddess has already revealed their thoughts."

Tang En shrugged, feeling both amused and exasperated. He never expected that a bottle of life potion would cause others to covet it.

At this moment, Tang En saw Elia running over quickly. The little girl seemed a bit anxious and almost fell to the ground. Tang En quickly stepped forward to support her.

Elia's face turned red, and she said shyly, "Big brother, Uncle Aberton is back. Sister Elsa said he wants to see you and asked you not to leave here."

"Uncle Aberton?"

"That's Sister Elsa's father."

Elia said with a look of envy, "I don't have parents, and Uncle Aberton and Aunt Clara take care of me a lot."

Tang En was taken aback, "You're an orphan?"

Elia looked at Tang En very strangely, "No, I have Sister Elsa."

Tang En was stunned for a moment, then patted Elia's head and smiled, "Yes, that's right. From now on, I will also be your family, and I will take care of you and protect you."

Elia blushed and lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers, looking very shy.

Is Big Brother planning to marry Elia? But, but it's a bit too early, I'm only twelve years old, and besides, I haven't even fallen in love with Big Brother yet... But if he really said that, what should Elia do?

When Elia cleared her thoughts and gathered the courage to refuse Tang En, at least temporarily, she found that Tang En was gone.

The little girl was immediately deflated.

Tang En didn't notice Elia's abnormality; he had already seen Elsa, so he walked over.

The middle-aged man with a weathered face walking beside Elsa must be Elsa's father, Aberton.

"Tang En, this is my father, Aberton!"

Elsa introduced Tang En happily, "Dad, this is Tang En, who saved many people."

Aberton stared at Tang En for a while, then took a step forward with a serious expression. Just as Tang En was wondering what he was going to do, Aberton suddenly knelt down on one knee in front of him!

Elsa, Elia, and the surrounding residents were all stunned.

"Dad!?"

Elsa exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing!?"

Aberton bowed his head slightly and said solemnly, "I, Aberton, thank Lord Tang En on behalf of all the residents of Ellington for his kindness."

Tang En and Fiona, who was busy nearby, were dumbfounded.

They exchanged a glance, wondering how their secret had been exposed so quickly.

Elsa and Elia were also stunned, standing there like wooden statues.

There was a commotion around them. What did Aberton just say? Lord? The person who saved Ellington is actually a lord!?

"How can that be... How could a noble save us commoners? It must be a mistake."

"Did Aberton see wrong?"

Tang En rubbed his forehead and sighed, then asked after a moment, "Do you know me?"

"I just returned from Alinx."

Hearing Aberton's words, Tang En understood. It seemed that the news of his purchase of the land had spread in Alinx, and Aberton had heard about it.

He felt a bit helpless. He originally wanted to hide his identity and look around Ellington, but now that his identity was exposed, he couldn't see many things.

"If our new lord is you, we probably don't have to worry about anything."

Aberton smiled, "A lord who is willing to use such precious treasures to treat commoners, I believe you can rule Ellington well."

"Get up first..."

Tang En helped Aberton up, and this action undoubtedly told the surrounding people that what Aberton said was true.

Tang En is indeed the new lord of Ellington.

What a strong man!

A look of surprise flashed in Aberton's eyes as Tang En helped him up.

Not far away, Hogg's private soldiers were all stunned by this unexpected turn of events. After a moment of shock, they immediately ran back to report to Hogg.

"What!?"

Hogg was furious, "You mean the alchemist who took out the Blood of the Goddess is the new lord!?"

"That's what Aberton said. We didn't see him take out the lord's appointment letter."

"Aberton also just returned from Alinx..."

Hogg's face darkened. After a moment of thought, he said coldly, "None of you heard this. We don't know he's the new lord, understand?"

"Sir, do you plan to..."

Hogg smiled cruelly, "The new lord is killed by bandits on his way to take office... wouldn't that fit the current situation in Ellington?"

The others immediately understood and smiled.

In the square, Tang En learned from Aberton about the various problems facing Ellington: heavy taxes, a miserly and greedy lord, and frequent bandit raids... Even a wealthy city couldn't withstand such a situation, let alone a remote town like Ellington.

The land here wasn't barren, but it wasn't particularly fertile either. The frequent bandit raids greatly affected farming, and with the greedy lord taking 80% of the crops as taxes, the residents could barely afford to eat, let alone protect Ellington.

Most of the people Tang En saw in Ellington were yellow and emaciated, a sign of malnutrition. The militia was relatively better off, as they were responsible for maintaining order and protecting the town.

Hogg's private soldiers were clearly in even better condition.

Tang En realized that if he wanted to establish himself in Ellington, the first thing he needed to do was to ensure the residents had enough to eat.

After a moment of thought, he asked, "Since the bandits are so rampant, why hasn't the lord led his soldiers to eliminate them?"

Aberton smiled and said, "Of course, how could he not act? If there were no actions at all, the noble council wouldn't let him stay in this position."

"However, actions are one thing, and whether they are effective is another."

Aberton said meaningfully, "Every time he leads people to the bandits' hideout, it's always empty, with no one there, only some plundered wealth. Lord Hogg takes that wealth, gives part of it as tribute, declares the bandit suppression successful, and keeps the rest for himself..."

Tang En narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

"I didn't say anything."

Aberton shrugged, "What to do is up to you."

"Lord."

Fiona walked over, "All the injured have been treated. There are 352 severely injured and 448 lightly injured, all of whom have now recovered. There is still more than half a barrel of diluted Blood of the Goddess, which I have had people bottle for future use."

To bottle the diluted potion...

Tang En was speechless; Fiona was really good at managing.

After reporting the situation, Fiona said admiringly, "However, Lord, you used such precious treasures to treat them, and now the residents of Ellington are very friendly towards you. When you take office, the resistance to your policies will be minimal."

Tang En nodded noncommittally and said, "It's about time. Accompany me to the banquet."

"Banquet?"

Fiona was shocked, "Lord, you really plan to dine with that man? It will greatly affect your reputation among the residents!"

Tang En chuckled, "Don't worry... They will understand."

As a newcomer, he couldn't use in-game gold in the real world, so to take the first step, he needed to have a good talk with Hogg to obtain some "political startup funds."

Tang En believed that once the news of his extortion of Hogg spread, it would make the residents of Ellington feel a great sense of relief. At that time, he could introduce some people-friendly policies, and he would quickly establish himself.

As for future development...

Tang En chuckled. With the knowledge, broad perspective, and foresight he had gained on Earth, developing a territory would be a piece of cake.

Now, Hogg was his stepping stone.

"Uncle Aberton."

Ronnie ran over, saw Tang En's departing back, frowned, and said disdainfully, "This guy is sneaky, he's definitely not a good person. I'll definitely catch him and interrogate him... Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Ronnie noticed that the people around him were looking at him strangely, which made him a bit puzzled.

"Ronnie, you must not be disrespectful to the lord!"

Elsa shouted, "The lord used precious treasures to treat everyone. How can you defame him?"

"Him? The lord?"

Ronnie looked incredulous, "Elsa, are you joking with me? If he's the lord, I'm the king of Irlus!"

"Really shallow! Elia, let's go!"

Elsa tossed her hair and took Elia home.

After seeing Tang En leave, Aberton said to Ronnie, "Tang En is our new lord. You must not be disrespectful to him. I'm going home now, don't disturb me for a few days."

After saying that, Aberton also left.

Ronnie's face turned extremely bad. What trick did this damn Tang En use? How could he possibly be the lord?

Sorcery!

He must have used some evil sorcery to deceive everyone!

No way! I have to expose him!