The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1531 439: Another Kind of Fate

As May arrives, spring is gradually entering its final phase, and the temperature in Sparrow Wood Territory is warming up considerably.

It's not just Wheat Field Village that's changed; Sparrow Wood Castle has seen quite a transformation as well.

Especially the refugee camp outside the castle, visibly more emaciated than before.

Many of the villages surrounding Wheat Field Village have gradually become repopulated, leading numerous refugees to settle in those places.

Originally, they didn't have a specific destination, simply drifting with the migrating crowds, begging wherever they happened to be, working for whoever could provide a meal.

If there was work to be done there.

Many people found themselves recruited into the Green Forest Army during their flight, or, due to isolation, unfortunately became fodder for bandits and marauders.

As for Sparrow Wood Castle, although refugees still joined daily, the throngs of people outside the castle were no longer visible.

These newly arriving refugees mostly arrived in groups of three or five, often appearing by family unit, some even driving horse-drawn or ox-drawn carts.

Those who still kept livestock obviously couldn't be peasants, let alone some who wore relatively decent clothing.

At the southern sentry post of Sparrow Wood Castle, about twenty carriages advanced along a broken dirt road, the dust they kicked up visible from miles away.

The sentry on duty thought he was mistaken, remembering that when Count Thelon Gard fled, the accompanying carriages seemed fewer than this.

These carriages didn't belong to any one person, at least eighty families were crammed into this crowded caravan. They walked alongside, placing children and luggage on the carts, taking turns to rest, faces marked by fatigue and weather.

Seeing two cavalrymen approaching, the crowd was agitated, women clutching children tightly to their chests, men stepping forward.

Noticing that the mounted soldiers weren't wearing bandit headscarves, the crowd breathed a little easier, though they didn't let their guard down completely.

Green Turbans didn't always wear headscarves; they would choose based on the situation whether to put them on.

Just like pirates on the Vast Ocean.

"Respected Knight Master, may I ask if this is Count Thelon Gard's territory?" a robust-looking man mustered the courage to shout.

The cavalryman pulled on the reins, dismounted to show friendliness, then approached the weary group and spoke.

"There is no Earl here, only knights loyal to the Holy Daughter, the Divine Son, and all the people... In the name of Saint Sis, you must truthfully answer my question, where have you all come from?"

"I truthfully answer your question in the name of Saint Sis, we have all come from Twilight City."

"Twilight City? You're from the Governor there?"

The cavalryman showed a surprised expression; he had met many refugees, some from Jing Shui Beach Territory and others from Griffin Cliff Territory, but it was the first time seeing ones from Twilight City.

"That's right," the man at the front of the refugee crowd nodded, a complicated look on his face, "Things there are getting worse and worse. The governor signs two grain levies per month, starting with the merchants at the marketplace, then the citizens... But I must say what he's doing isn't legal! According to the Kingdom's law, a governor exercising royal power can only levy grain from the King's direct vassals—we're not nobles!"

"You'd really be putting him in a tough spot asking him to levy grain from Thelon Gard," a young cavalryman on horseback quipped.

"So we could only flee." The man shrugged, "He promised the levied grain would be distributed to us, but common sense tells you that's nonsense. Moreover, I've heard another count fled to Twilight City from their territory—I don't think they can hold out! Once Campbell Duchy's army arrives, it'll be too late for anything!"

He clearly didn't know the fleeing count was Thelon Gard, Lord of Sparrow Wood Territory.

But even if he did know, it wouldn't matter; he hadn't come for the count but had heard tales of the Holy Daughter from refugees coming from the north.

It's said that the Holy Daughter of the River, who received Divine Son's Oracle, transformed the Salvation Army, and many refugees passing through Sparrow Wood Castle reached Twilight City thanks to their aid.

That refugee even said if he didn't have relatives in Twilight City, he wouldn't have wanted to keep going.

In reality, the guy who made it to Twilight City already began to regret it; the city said to have everything in legends actually had nothing, only the scorn of its residents and the nearness of war.

"What's your name?" the cavalryman asked the man.

The man responded nervously.

"Anthony, a carpenter."

The cavalryman nodded.

"Very well, Master Carpenter, Her Highness the Holy Daughter needs your skills. We've just restarted the wood trade at Sparrow Wood Castle and hope you find a new direction in life here."

Anthony paused, instinctively asking.

"Sparrow Wood Castle's wood trade? Are you sure? With a war on, where would you sell it?"

The knight unhesitatingly responded.

"To the Dwarves in the south."

Dwarves in the south?

Must be Hell Dwarves...

But Anthony dared not ask further, especially since he had only heard that the area around Shattered Rock Peak was the domain of Hell Dwarves, never actually been there to see it.

It's been hundreds of years; perhaps the dynasty changed there too?

Suddenly, the knight remembered something and asked.

"By the way, you mentioned Campbell Duchy's army... what do you mean?"