Starting Today, I’ll Work as a City Lord

Chapter 167: Nobles Need Approval to Buy Houses?

What was a black ore mine? It was a kind of vertical mine that was dug very deep into the ground, and transported ore, people, and supplies using ropes. Sometimes, in order to dig more ore, the miners even slept in the mine. Food and candles were sent down every day, and they came up to change shifts every ten days or so. That’s because if they stayed down there for too long, they would go crazy.

Of course, Omar knew about this type of mine. That was why he screamed for them to kill him- a pampered nobleman thrown into a black ore mine to dig ore. How could he endure the torture?

The black ore mine that Liu Feng prepared was an abandoned one with very little ore output. In order not to waste manpower, Liu Feng directly shut it down and converted it into a place to imprison death row inmates. If they wanted food, they had to dig ore and exchange it for food, or else they would starve to death inside.

Once someone entered the black ore mine, there was no chance of them leaving. They only had 2 choices: commit suicide or survive by any means necessary. There was no other choice. Escaping? There were iron fences above the mine. Digging a tunnel away from the cave? That would require at least 10 years of digging. Living in a black ore mine would make them go crazy.

Liu Feng was currently looking at some information he had told people to gather a few days prior. “Looks like this Lyan is quite capable, and his heart isn’t bad either. He can be considered a talent.” The information was Lyan’s personal information, including how he had treated civilians in Blazing Horse City and the reasons he was ostracized by Omar.

“Young master, you want to keep him?” Mina asked, somewhat surprised.

“No, I won’t go out to try and keep him. Everything depends on his choice,” Liu Feng chuckled. “A person’s opportunities and choices depend on whether they have foresight. This can also be considered a kind of test.”

“It’s a bit profound!” Mina stuffed a few pieces of fried fish into her mouth. She was a bit annoyed. I sometimes just don’t understand what Young Master says, while Anri and Nicole will quickly understand his words.

…

Lyan was feeling a bit lost at the moment, standing in front of the castle gate, remembering what the guard had told him.

“You can go now. Lord City Lord has investigated and found you to be innocent.”

“Innocent?” Lyan looked down at his hands. So the horse thieves were stopped? Although I sent the letter to the wrong person, I guess at least it was a good mistake. Lyan was too ashamed to return to Blazing Horse City, or rather, he didn’t want to return to Blazing Horse City at all. He couldn’t believe that Omar was the one behind the horse thieves.

During the eight days he had spent in prison, Lyan had thought a lot. What kind of existence were nobles? Were they allowed to trample on commoners at will? To regard commoners as mere livestock to be exploited?

He was only a quasi-noble, not a true noble, and he didn’t really understand the actions of nobles. How could Omar do such a thing?

So, Lyan was confused. He had no intention of returning to Blazing Horse City, though he had no idea where he wanted to go next.

“Ah! Liza, I’m really sorry.” Lyan looked at the dusk on the horizon. He had been imprisoned for eight days. If everything had gone well, he would probably be at home and sleeping with Liza. Unfortunately, Omar had ruined everything.

Lyan didn’t know that Omar was currently in the black ore mine. After all, capturing Omar was a secret mission.

Walking on the street, Lyan watched the commoners gather the wheat drying on the ground with smiles on their faces. The sky was getting dark, and there was mist at night, so they had to bring it inside. Everyone was busy putting the wheat into sacks, ready to be stored in the warehouse after another day of drying.

“It’s nice!” Lyan stood on the side of the street, silently watching everything. He didn’t see any sorrow on the faces of the commoners. This was incredible. While the autumn harvest did make commoners happy, it also made them worried because they had to pay wheat taxes. In Blazing Horse City, the wheat tax was 80%. Whenever commoners paid taxes, they had twisted expressions as they reluctantly handed over their wheat to pay the wheat tax.

“Hey! It really is you, Knight Lyan.” Suddenly, someone patted Lyan’s shoulder.

Lyan turned his head in surprise and saw a familiar figure, a chubby pig chubby Tory.

“Oh, your excellency Tory. What are you doing here?” Lyan asked in surprise. Lyan often visited other cities on behalf of Omar, and North Wind City was a bustling city, so he had been to North Wind City many times. He had met Tory on his trips to North Wind City.

“Hehe… Didn’t expect it to really be Knight Lyan. What’s up? Are you here on a mission to West Sun City this time?” Tory grinned.

“It’s a long story,” Lyan sighed.

“Huh? Are you troubled about something?” Tory stroked his stomach and said, “Come on, let’s go to my home for a drink.”

“This…” Lyan hesitated. When he realized that he didn’t know what to do next, he nodded in agreement. “Then I’ll be bothering you.”

“What bother? You’re my first guest,” Tory smiled.

“Huh?” Lyan finally realized, and quickly asked, “Your excellency Tory, did you just say home?”

“Yes, home.” Tory looked at the commoners coming and going on both sides of the street, and said calmly, “I’ve given up on competing for the title of North Wind City’s baron and decided to settle in West Sun City.”

“This…” Lyan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Unbelievable, right?” Tory walked slowly and relaxingly. He said calmly, “After you get to know this city, you will have almost the same thoughts as me.”

“Ah?” Lyan was slightly stunned. What kind of answer was this? Is this city very special?

Tory and Lyan talked along the way, and it took them 10 minutes to get to Tory’s home.

“Your excellency Tory, is this your home?” Lyan was a bit astonished as he looked at the small 2 story building in front of him. The grey-white building looked like a rectangular prism and had nothing special about it. It doesn’t look like a place where a noble would live in.

“The 2nd floor is my home. It is over 200 square meters and is one of the few larger houses in West Sun City.” Tory’s face fat shook a bit. Pridefully, he said, “I was only able to get approved to buy this after I went to Lord Liu Feng and requested him for it.”

“Eh…” Lyan was completely bewildered. Since when did a noble need approval to buy a house? And it’s just a 200 square meter house.

“West Sun City is different from other cities. After you get to know it, you’ll be surprised” Tory laughed lightly.