novelraw Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Unlike most of the somewhat dim-witted Felyn Race, Daddy Susuya was very sharp.
He knew full well that the Felyn Race received no protection whatsoever in this territory of the Normar Empire.
Whether they were brutally murdered or reduced to slaves, no one would lift a finger to help them.
And it wasn't just the Felyn Race—this place was crawling with human refugees, all scraping by in a life of constant wandering and hardship.
The Felyns were willing to burrow underground, which was why the bandits hadn't come after them yet.
After all, digging into a burrow was a hassle, and this Felyn settlement didn't have much worth looting anyway.
But those refugees were a different story. Some of them had been living in the houses up top before.
Then, after one bandit raid, they vanished without a trace.
"Those bandits are no joke," Daddy Susuya said, leaning on his cane. "And we barely have anyone here who can put up a fight."
Among the bandits were quite a few deserters from the Normar Empire. After fleeing, they'd holed up in this territory.
These deserters were well-equipped, far beyond what ordinary folks could handle.
How could the Felyns' wooden spears stand a chance against iron ones?
"You weren't pointing weapons at me just a minute ago?"
"That was just to scare you, you idiot."
Luo En was at a loss for words. Thinking about it seriously, these Felyns didn't exactly look like much in a fight.
"But we're willing to take on those bastards," Daddy Susuya said, stroking his beard. "Not being able to sleep soundly has been eating at us—it's no way to live."
Of course, Daddy Susuya knew that bandits weren't going to vanish overnight.
Even if they got lucky and took out a few this time, more would show up soon enough.
As long as nothing changed about this territory, more desperate people would turn to banditry.
"That's great," Luo En said, breathing a sigh of relief now that the Felyns were on his side.
If he had to tackle the System's quest alone, he figured he'd probably end up dead.
That dragon maid? Luo En wasn't counting on her at all.
It was better to pin his hopes on Moruna—at least she could summon rain.
Honestly, Luo En had always thought Moruna's rain-calling ability would be a game-changer for farming.
Too bad he couldn't put her to use right now.
As lord, he had the title but zero control over his own territory.
In Luo En's imagination, arriving here meant he'd have a bunch of subordinates waiting: soldiers, a butler, a secretary—the works.
He'd just sit in his chair and boss everyone around, not like now, where all he had was a piece of paper in his hand.
And the one potential fighter, that dragon maid, wouldn't even listen to him.
"We've been pissed off at those bandits for ages too! The Felyn Race will never be slaves!" Daddy Susuya raised his cane high and shouted.
It was true that the Felyns had always been seen as reserve slaves, but the word "reserve" had its reasons.
These little guys might be weak in a fight, but they had guts like you wouldn't believe—they'd often rise up against their masters.
So enslaving Felyns required constant vigilance.
No one knew when one might leap up and cry out, "Why not fight back?"
"Hold on, let's not get too fired up yet." Luo En wiped the sweat from his forehead.
But the next second, more Felyns popped up around them, joining Daddy Susuya in chanting, "The Felyn Race will never be slaves!"
And for some reason, they all looked thrilled, like it was a festival.
They were supposed to be discussing something pretty serious, right?
"Anyway, Luo En! We've got one condition!" Daddy Susuya suddenly lowered his cane and locked eyes with him.
Luo En thought for a moment, then asked, "What condition?"
If Daddy Susuya demanded payment now, he wouldn't have anything to give.
"We want to become legal citizens of your territory!" Daddy Susuya told him.
"Sure, that's no big deal," Luo En said. He had no idea how much this meant to the Felyns.
Daddy Susuya eyed him suspiciously. "You wouldn't happen to know nothing at all about running a territory, would you?"
"Just took over," Luo En admitted honestly. He really didn't know.
Come to think of it, what transmigrator came with knowledge on managing a territory?
"Too bad, the new lord's an idiot, not a villain!" Daddy Susuya raised his cane triumphantly with both hands.
Luo En wanted to tell him that he actually had plenty of dark thoughts, like ending up as a corpse hanging from a streetlamp.
And that line from Daddy Susuya didn't sound like a compliment at all.
"Hooray!" The Felyns in the burrow cheered. "He's just an idiot! Not a villain!"
They couldn't be sure yet if this lord was the real deal, but they cheered anyway.
Of course, what really had them excited was being able to stay here without getting kicked out.
Daddy Susuya was thinking even further ahead than the others. As legal citizens, they wouldn't have to worry about their scavenged houses being torn down or their harvested crops stolen.
Everything they worked for here would be theirs to keep.
That's right—this human had fallen right into their trap!
But Daddy Susuya felt a twinge of guilt about scheming against Luo En, so he added, "From now on, you'll be our best friend!"
Becoming friends with the Felyns was simple enough, really.
Luo En realized he'd agreed too quickly. Legal citizenship clearly meant a lot to them.
But squeezing anything out of the Felyns? That didn't seem likely.
Rob wealth? No wealth to rob.
Rob beauty? No beauty here.
"No time like the present—let's go stir up some trouble with those bandits tonight!" Daddy Susuya turned to the Felyns around him and shouted.
"Isn't this a bit rushed?" Although Luo En wanted to complete the System's task as soon as possible too, heading out tonight felt a little hasty.
"We don't even know where those bandits are right now, or how many of them there are exactly." Luo En only knew there was a Bandit Gang in the area, but that was it—nothing more.
"Daddy Susuya! What this guy's saying actually makes a lot of sense!" one of the Felyns said.
Daddy Susuya thought it over seriously for a moment. "Alright, then let's assemble first!"
"To strive so we never have to live in that burrow again!" He raised his arm high and called out.
"Yeah! To strive so we never have to live in that burrow again!" The other Felyns echoed his cry.