Zig confessed everything about taking in the refugees, and also told about John's obstruction and Oak's stubbornness, so that Li You Ran wouldn't get angry and implicate them, and took all the blame on himself.

  "Zig, if that's what you're saying, then forget it. I had already seen it when I came, and I didn't mean to blame you. You did a good job, but be careful not to make any unusual moves. Oak, you did well too, handing over the supplies was the right thing to do."

  Zi Ge's face darkened upon hearing this, and indeed he had overstepped the bounds. He probably would be driven out now.

  "Ziggy, what are you still stunned for? Don't you count the number of people? Ask those refugees if they are willing to work for me. If they are willing, there will be food, but no wages. If not, let them leave on their own. I won't make things difficult for them."

  "There's still one more thing to settle, sir." Zig said another thing.

  "What else? Say it!"

  "It's about food, because the warehouse is locked up by oak, so those refugees can't get food, I let workers take out half of the food, so the construction progress may be delayed."

  "Is that so! Let the workers not be separated from their food, and isn't there wildlife in the forest? Go hunting and it's done, there must be a few useful ones among the refugees! Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to escape here."

  "Lately, for some unknown reason, there are fewer and fewer beasts in the forest. With the arrival of the harsh winter, the beasts have gone into hiding, and with the addition of hibernation and being covered by heavy snow, hunting will become increasingly difficult. I'm afraid that relying on hunting to sustain themselves will be unsustainable for the refugees."

  "Alright! This isn't difficult, I'll just put out a bit more grain. Go ahead and count the number of people, I'll provide the grain."

  Zig's face suddenly became exceptionally colorful, and he thought he was about to be kicked out! Unexpectedly, he was immediately entrusted with a heavy responsibility. Originally, there were some complaints, but the result turned into a "die for those who know me" mentality. Zig wouldn't say it, otherwise, he should have said "You treat me as a national scholar, and I will repay you as a national scholar".

  Without saying a word, he hastily ran outside to take roll call. Wenbo looked at him and sighed emotionally: "This interdimensional world is really easy to mix in; just a little bit of trust immediately earned me a loyal minister and general."

  This guy didn't understand what Oak was saying, but that didn't stop Oak from glaring at him. In Oak's eyes, Zig was also his comrade, and it was because of this guy that Zig got scolded, so he stared straight at him, his hand almost reaching for his gun.

  "You can try! Just with a mouth, do they believe you or not?" Li You Ran said calmly, with a hint of sarcasm in his words.

  There's no need to say more about this. If he could be persuaded, he would have been persuaded long ago, but unfortunately, the other party doesn't care about him at all.

  "I've been here for days and I'm about to grow mold on myself. When are you going to find me something to do?"

  "Wait! Now in winter, all things are silent and still. After my castle is built, I will open a laboratory for you, and give you the best equipment. You can then focus on your research here. Besides, shouldn't you want to explore the secrets of magic? This world does have magic, after all."

  Since Wenbo wants to do experiments and research the most, then give it to him. As long as he doesn't make trouble, Li You Ran can still tolerate his existence. Moreover, mysterious magic has an absolutely fatal attraction for people who love research.

  And Li You Ran brought up magic, not because he was excited about it, but perhaps the uniqueness of magic can be applied when researching those gems. Li You Ran had already heard from the indigenous people about the origin of the gems, which were actually magical crystals inside the bodies of magical beasts. No wonder Wen Bo said they were biological crystals, indeed they are.

  Li You Ran had aired out the cotton-padded jackets and clothes, and was now preparing to head into town alone. This time, he hadn't come just to deliver goods; the cotton-padded jackets and clothes were meant for the nobles in the city. Who knew how much income this trip would bring?

  Just then, a fast horse came running from afar, and Sir Elington rode alone, saw Li You and immediately ran to his side, after an emergency stop, he jumped down with a somersault.

  "That's great! The adults are here! I was afraid it would be a wasted trip." Elrington said happily.

  "It seems you've come looking for me with something on your mind, what is it that's got you so excited?"

  "Of course it's business that makes me happy, but this time there is indeed something else good waiting for you."

  Aylinton whispered mysteriously beside Li You Ran, who quietly distanced himself a few steps away. This smell was really too unbearable; did these guys not take baths?

  Originally, neither Zig nor John nor Oak had smelled it, but why did Ellington, as a lower noble, have a stench that made him almost vomit.

  "What's the good news? Don't get too close to me." Li You Ran, wearing a white mage robe, indeed had an air of superiority about him. After he said this, a hint of irritation flashed across Ai Ling Dun's dark oily face, but it quickly disappeared, and he wasn't the only one who felt that way.

  "The Viscount wants to see you! He says he has a big business deal to discuss with you, it's up to you whether you can do it or not."

  Elington said with an excited face, as if it was a great honor to do business with the viscount, and he had already forgotten that the viscount almost took away his bread shop.

  "How did your bakery become safe! No one wants to take it by force anymore?" Li You Ran's question calmed Ai Ling Tong down.

  "Ah! Don't mention it! After the initial craze, business fell off a lot. And after finding out about the limited raw materials and you, Viscount didn't bring up this matter again."

  It seems that the decline of business has brought a slight sense of loss, Li You Ran couldn't help but laugh and say: "Don't be so down! It was supposed to be like this, if people were always so crazy, can you guarantee that others wouldn't get jealous? How much money do ordinary people and small aristocrats have? Now it's normal, and you're still making a lot every day, although not as crazy as the previous few days.

  "What you said I also know, but after experiencing the previous craze, there will be some disappointment! However, recently, I have at least 10 gold coins of income every day, and I am very satisfied! You should know that when I was a lord, sometimes the annual tax revenue was not even as much as what I earn in a month now."

  "It's enough to know one's limits! Come on, take me to meet that viscount, I also happen to have some business to discuss with him."

  Li You Ran fetched a horse-drawn carriage. Ailington led the way in front, and the two of them headed towards the town one after another.

  After half a day, the two arrived at the outskirts of the viscount's castle, which had been developed by the viscount's subjects into a large market. Almost all the small noble territories under the viscount's jurisdiction were trading here, looking extraordinarily lively, and there were also large merchant groups that came to stay here year-round, purchasing various local specialties.

  Li You Ran saw the prosperity of the other world for the first time, to be honest, it was no different from the shopping malls in a big city. However, if the sanitary conditions could be better, someone actually urinated on the street, and what's even more disgusting is that everyone took it for granted. The polluted water on the streets mixed with various liquids and animal dung had the power of biological weapons, which was unbearable for Li You Ran, an otaku who grew up in a clean environment since childhood!

  After passing through the crowded market, I finally arrived at the front gate of the castle. Two half-armored halberd-wielding warriors blocked my transparent path. That should be a halberd (don't blame me if you misread).

  "What are you doing! This is Viscount Maple's castle! No one enters without permission." a warrior spoke up.

  "We are guests of Viscount, this is a noble wizard from the East, and Viscount specially asked me to invite him."

  It's better not to have conflicts with these security guards, although I'm not afraid of them, there's no need to, they're just doing their job.

  "Wait a minute! I'll go inside and ask." A warrior ran in and came out with someone after a short while.

  He was clearly a servant, but the fabric of his clothes was quite exquisite, suggesting that he was one of the favored ones. He walked over and gestured for Elington and Li You Ran to follow him inside without saying a word.

  After passing through the city gate, they crossed a lawn of at least 300 square meters and then walked along a corridor that was over 500 meters long before finally arriving at the grand hall. Of course, this wasn't the end of it. Li You Ran and Ai Ling Dun waited for a very long time before Viscount Zhāo finally arrived fashionably late. Li You Ran knew that this was just a test of their patience, but it wasn't thorough enough! If he were to do it himself, he would wait until the visitor became impatient and started getting angry before going to see them. At that point, someone with an agitated mind would be easier to deal with.

  "Good day, Viscount! Your knight, Erlington, sends his regards." Erlington hastily stepped forward to pay his respects.

  A grey-robed mage standing beside the viscount saw that Li You Ran was unmoved, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. He stepped forward and shouted loudly: "How dare you! Seeing Viscount-sama and not paying respects, who are you to be so rude? Guards, throw him out!"

  Li You Ran remained unmoved, wanting to see what the viscount would do. However, the viscount seemed not to have noticed Li You Ran and tacitly approved of his subordinate's actions. The originally hesitant warrior, as if encouraged, charged towards Li You Ran. They had long been displeased with this man who always looked so mysterious and aloof! Seeing that the viscount didn't even greet him, did they have to wait for the viscount to come and pay respects to him?

  The man was getting closer and closer, the viscount still didn't say a word, watching Li You Ran with a look of watching a play, thinking about how he would solve this kind of thing? Would he leave with a flick of his sleeve or violently clash? It's really exciting.

  Li You Ran's mouth curled up into a faint smile, since you want to play, then let's have some fun. On Earth, I have to follow the law, but here, no one can restrict me.