It felt so good to be close to the witch!

No wonder the people of Iron Mountain Territory have such low loyalty to Lord Denham.

After learning about the general situation in Iron Mountain Territory, Roy asked, "Uncle Red, how much grain is left in Black Stone Territory?"

"Blackstone Territory has prepared enough food to get through the winter. Even if the people of Blackstone Territory did not prepare any food, it would be enough to last until next spring."

Reid recounted them as if they were his own treasures.

As the "steward" of the territory, he was very familiar with all matters, big and small, concerning Blackstone Territory.

"Here's what we'll do. Announce this: reduce the tax rate in Iron Mountain Territory to 50%, the same as in Black Stone Territory. Set a minimum fixed tax rate based on the average tax rate of Iron Mountain Territory's inhabitants last year, ensuring that this minimum fixed tax rate is below 50% of the average tax rate. At the same time, the system of replacing taxes with service labor will remain unchanged, but the tax rate for each mining worker will be reduced by 10%, with a minimum of 30%."

"Provide minimum material support to the families of miners who die in accidents such as mine collapses."

"In addition, please arrange for a survey of the current grain reserves held by the people of Tieshan Territory. This is the first year that we have taken over Tieshan Territory, and we must ensure that no one starves or freezes to death this winter."

Upon hearing this, Red nodded, then said with concern, "Lord Roy, I have already made some preliminary inquiries. The grain reserves of the people of Iron Mountain Territory are far from meeting the minimum requirements for winter. If we are to provide grain, the existing grain reserves of Black Stone Territory and Iron Mountain Territory are not enough, and we will need to continue to purchase from outside."

"As winter approaches, all territories are stockpiling grain. It is estimated that only Red Territory, which is five territories away from Blackstone Territory in the north, still has the capacity to sell grain to the outside world."

"The journey is long and there are often bandits along the way, so I estimate I will need to escort them myself."

"Then you will go and lead the knights to Red Ridge to buy grain. As long as the price isn't too outrageous, we can accept it," Roy said in a deep voice.

“Yes!” Red nodded in agreement.

"As for the apprentice knights of Iron Mountain Territory..." Roy pondered for a moment, "You select 50 to stay and integrate them with the apprentice knights of our Black Rock Territory. After they have been trained, they will be assigned to patrol Iron Mountain Territory. The rest will be sent home. The regular knights will be imprisoned for now."

“Understood,” Red replied.

"Okay, that's about it for now. We'll fine-tune the details later. You can go and take care of it now."

After Red left, Roy rubbed his temples.

He preferred practicing breathing exercises to handling government affairs.

After eating a simple meal, Roy was about to begin practicing his breathing techniques when he vaguely sensed something and turned to look at the corner of the study.

The shadows flowed like fluid, rising against the current, outlining a slender figure in tight-fitting black clothing.

It was none other than the Shadow Witch, Lilia.

"What's wrong, Miss Lilia?"

Roy asked curiously.

“Vivian has woken up and wants to see you,” said the Shadow Witch Lilia, bowing slightly.

"Is Miss Vivian awake...?" Roy nodded. "I'll go check on her."

……

When Roy entered the lord's bedroom, the first thing he saw was a blonde girl sitting on the edge of the bed.

The approaching footsteps caught the attention of Vivian, the Witch of Light. She looked up at the handsome young man standing in the doorway, blinked, and her eyes were as innocent and pure as those of a newborn fawn.

"Witch of Light, Miss Vivian, hello. This should be considered our first real meeting. I am Roy Tulumber, the lord of Blackrock Territory and Iron Mountain Territory."

“…Hello.” A voice so low it was almost inaudible came from the Light Witch Vivian. When her eyes met Roy’s, she instinctively looked away, clutching the blanket tightly with both hands, a faint blush creeping onto her fair earlobes.

"Uh..." Vivian, the Witch of Light, surprised Roy with her reaction.

Are you that socially anxious?

Or perhaps, during the previous process of removing the contamination, Vivian was able to sense the outside world, and when he touched "the part closest to her heart," she clearly felt it, which is why she was shy?

After calming himself down, Roy stopped about 1.5 meters away from Vivian's bed.

This distance is the standard social distance, which is the least likely to make either party feel nervous during the conversation.

Roy stared intently into the eyes of the Light Witch Vivian several times, until the blush on her earlobes spread to the side of her face, before turning his gaze away and nodding to the Shadow Witch Lilia beside him.

"As things stand, Miss Vivian's condition is stable, and there are no signs of the pollution getting out of control or continuing to increase."

Chapter 49 The Special Envoy Delegation from the Capital

Vivi felt like she had a very long nightmare.

In her dream, she felt as if she were sinking into a dark abyss, slowly falling deeper and deeper, and no matter how hard she struggled, it was all in vain.

From initial yearning and hope to later despair, until finally, only emptiness and numbness remained.

She could feel the pollution seeping into her body and even her soul little by little. The moment both of them were completely tainted by the pollution would be the moment she completely lost control.

From the moment she learned that she had become a witch, Vivian knew this day would come.

She just didn't expect that day would come so quickly and so suddenly.

She still has so many things she wants to do: lay flowers at her parents' graves, visit the legendary Flower Sea Waterfall with her older sister, set sail to find the pirate king's treasure from the legends, soak in a hot spring, and find a boy she likes who also likes her to experience the feeling of being in love...

The last one might be too extravagant for her as a witch. After all, what boy would dare to approach a witch who could lose control and turn into a monster at any moment?

There are so many things I want to do, but it's all too late now.

Being able to reunite with my older sister before things spiraled out of control is probably the greatest fortune I could have ever had...

Vivian said this to herself.

Strength, consciousness... everything is gradually fading away.

But just then, Vivian suddenly felt a warm hand gently covering her chest.

The next moment, the surrounding darkness rapidly receded, and she was pulled up by a strong hand just as she was about to fall to the bottom of the abyss. A warm feeling she had never experienced before filled her entire body.

She tried desperately to "open her eyes," but all she saw was a figure gradually receding into the distance.

……

The image of his back in her memory began to overlap with the real person in front of her. Vivian felt her heart pounding wildly. His gentle, spring-like voice reached her ears, but she didn't even have the courage to look him in the eye.

Roy Tulumber... Roy... Is that his name...?

After a while, Vivian, having calmed her racing heart, mustered the courage to look up and saw the young man in front of her talking to her older sister.

The dim light of the kerosene lamp slanted across his profile, seemingly outlining a golden contour. Vivian was stunned for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she found that the young man had turned his head and was looking at her again.

This time, Vivian gritted her teeth and tried very hard not to avoid looking away.

“Miss Vivian, I wonder if your sister, Miss Lilia, has told you about what has happened recently?” Roy smiled and said in as gentle a voice as possible.

Vivian nodded, just like a cute little hamster.

“That makes things easier,” Roy continued. “The pollution on your body hasn’t been completely removed; about 60% is still there. It will probably take some time to completely remove it. In the meantime, I hope you will stay in Blackrock Territory.”

“Your sister and I made an agreement that she would serve me for three years, and I would cleanse both you and her of the pollution. Your decision to stay or leave is not within the scope of the agreement. Therefore, once the pollution is completely removed, whether you leave or stay is entirely up to you.”

"By the way, about the witch controller around your neck... I'll try to unlock it later, but in the current situation, I personally don't recommend trying to unlock it."

"The temple likely has corresponding monitoring capabilities. Once the witch controller is deactivated, the temple will know immediately, which will also cause trouble."

Vivian reached out and touched the black collar around her neck, then gently shook her head: "...It's fine if you don't take it off."

“…I hope you can understand.” Roy sighed softly, “The temple is powerful, and right now, I am far inferior to it in terms of both strength and influence.”

"Of course, if one day I possess strength surpassing that of a Golden Knight, or become a great noble, even if I were to protect a witch, I doubt the temple would dare say anything, right?"

Roy chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"...You don't need to worry about it, Lord Roy," the Shadow Witch Lilia said softly. "I'm already very content with things as they are."

Vivian nodded quickly in agreement.

Roy shook his head: "Forget it, let's not talk about such unpleasant things. It's getting late. Now that we've confirmed that Miss Vivian's condition is stable, I'll be leaving now."

"You should get some rest. We will return to Blackrock Territory tomorrow morning."

"If you need anything, you can come to my study."

After saying a few words, Roy left.

Inside the bedroom, the Shadow Witch Lilia sat down by the bed and reached out to hold her sister's hand.

She held on tightly, afraid that if she loosened her grip even slightly, everything before her would vanish like a dream.

"sister……"

Vivian lowered her head and looked at her older sister holding her hand.

Pale and sickly.

That was permanent, irreversible damage to her body caused by the power of shadow after she awakened her shadow talent.

Vivian's eyes filled with heartache. She hugged Lilia tightly, her voice slightly choked with emotion, "Big sister, things will definitely get better from now on..."

"I believe in Lord Roy."

Vivian didn't say the last sentence aloud; she just kept it to herself.

……

The night passed by in a hurry.

Roy opened his eyes, feeling his body grow stronger, reaching 2.28 levels of battle qi, and his physique also improved. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

With an ample supply of energy, his fighting spirit grew at a rate far exceeding what others could imagine.

Give him another 8 days, and he will be able to raise his battle qi to the limit of a bronze knight, at the level of 9.9.

At that time, you will be able to begin attempting to break through to the Silver rank.

Bronze and silver are two completely different fields, and their statuses are worlds apart.

Bronze represents the initial foray into the extraordinary, while silver signifies the true possession of extraordinary power.

After getting up and tidying up, Roy started eating breakfast.

After half an hour.

In front of Tieshan Fortress.

Roy rode his warhorse, accompanied by five full-fledged knights, preparing to return to Blackrock Territory.

Standing at the fortress gate, Red solemnly informed the five knights who accompanied him that they must protect Lord Roy's safety with their lives.

If he weren't truly unable to leave, and if someone had to be stationed in Iron Mountain Territory, he would never have allowed Roy to return alone.

Even knowing that Roy had now reached the Bronze rank and that the Shadow Witch was with him, making it almost impossible for him to encounter danger within his territory, he still couldn't put his mind at ease.