I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The closer you get to the capital, the more pedestrians there are on the road.

There were merchants riding tall horses, horse-drawn carts laden with goods, and solitary travelers carrying their bags... but most of all, there were groups of migrants traveling together.

They dragged their families along, walking with faltering steps: some pushed wheelbarrows piled high with all their belongings; some carried shoulder poles, one end with bedding and the other with children; some had nothing at all, only a patched cloth bag on their backs.

The procession was very long, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a gray-black river flowing silently along the official road.

Elena pulled on the reins and stepped aside to let a group of refugees go first.

Ji Tian rode on his horse, his gaze sweeping over the group of refugees: their clothes were worn but still clean, their complexions were somewhat unhealthy, but they weren't hungry.

Every so often in the procession, there was a junior church deacon dressed in a gray robe, carrying a wooden staff, walking at a leisurely pace, occasionally stopping to say a few words to the refugees before continuing on his way.

Elena rode closer to Ji Tian and lowered her voice, "These people are from the Northern Territory. Look at their clothes; the patterns on their coarse cloth garments are a unique weaving style of the Northern Territory."

Ji Tian nodded, his divine sense silently spreading out to capture the fragmented conversations among the refugees.

"...I heard there's work in the capital, with food and lodging provided, according to the church."

"That's right, half the people in our village have come. Staying in the village is just waiting to die; the crops in the fields haven't yielded anything for three years."

"Who says otherwise? My second uncle went to work in a factory last year and said he could earn twenty copper coins a week. Although he had to work from dawn till dusk, at least he could make a living."

"A factory? What's that?"

"It's the spinning mill and brewery owned by the Earl, which employs us farmers. I wanted to go too, but they only want young and strong people, and they don't want someone my age."

"Then what will you do?"

"Just follow the church. They say there's a way to survive in the capital."

Ji Tian withdrew his divine sense and focused his gaze on the front of the group.

Several men dressed in dark coats and wearing bowler hats rode alongside church deacons.

They pointed and gestured casually from time to time, their demeanor a stark contrast to the disheveled state of the displaced people.

Elena followed his gaze. "Those are probably stewards from the noble families of the North. Father mentioned in a previous letter that the North has suffered from consecutive years of famine and poor harvests. Coincidentally, the nobles opened factories in the city a few years ago, employing many landless farmers. I heard that it has supported quite a few people, but no matter how many factories there are, they can't accommodate everyone. The rest are organized by the church to go to the capital to make a living."

She paused, then said with a hint of sarcasm:

"The nobles in the North can't stand seeing the poor suffer before their eyes. Rather than letting them cause trouble in their own territories, it's better to send them to the capital. The capital is in dire need of manpower right now, and the factories, mines, and docks of those great nobles and merchants can accommodate some of them."

Ji Tian didn't respond, but just listened quietly.

He recalled the enclosure movements, the Industrial Revolution, and the influx of displaced peasants into cities in his past life. Although they were in different worlds, and the "Industrial Revolution" might have been magically altered to "the Industrial Revolution dominated by magic," they shared a similar logic.

The procession of refugees on the official road was very long, and it took more than an hour for them to gradually thin out.

Elena seemed to be affected; she didn't speak a word the rest of the way, simply riding her horse in silence.

Ji Tian remained silent, and the two rode side by side, the sound of their horses' hooves echoing monotonously on the empty official road.

As the sun rose higher, pedestrians on the official road began to look for shady spots to rest.

There was a sparse grove of trees not far ahead, and quite a few people were already sitting under the trees.

Several junior deacons were distributing food and water, and the refugees lined up in an orderly fashion. An older assistant deacon stood by the roadside, holding a booklet, calling out names and making notes on a piece of paper.

His voice was loud and clear: "Third team, 123 people, are you all here? Those who are not here, please raise your hands... Alright, everyone rest, we'll set off in half an hour."

Elena reined in her horse by the roadside and watched the deacon bustling about. "The church is very efficient."

Ji Tian hummed in agreement.

He noticed that although the refugees were exhausted, there was no despair in their eyes.

Some of them were dozing under the trees, some were chatting quietly together, and some children were chasing and playing in the woods.

The church deacons are not fierce or menacing. Instead, they help the elderly carry things, help women hold children, and one deacon even knelt down in front of a little girl who had scraped her knee and used holy light to stop the bleeding.

Ji Tian silently compared it in his mind, and this was much more humane than the "enclosure movement" in his previous life.

He did not intend to help them: the refugees were not in mortal danger, the church had already arranged a way out for them, and what these people needed was not one or two acts of charity, but a long-term livelihood.

Forcibly intervening and disrupting the existing order will only cause more people to lose their current support. Rather than that, he prefers to exert influence at the root—such as defeating the strongest person in the world and then changing the world from the top down.

Elena dismounted and led her horse to the shade of a tree. She took out a water pouch from her storage ring, took a sip, and handed it to Ji Tian.

Ji Tian raised his hand to refuse, indicating that he was not thirsty.

Elena's hand, holding the water pouch, froze in mid-air. She thought this person was really clueless. Just as she was about to say something in a huff, a church deacon walked towards them from a distance.

The man was wearing a gray robe, and the Holy Light emblem on his chest gleamed softly in the sunlight. He was about forty years old, with a kind face and a professional smile on his lips.

"Travelers, I am the commander here, now under the command of High Deacon Anna. Would you like some water and food? The church provides them free of charge." She approached, her gaze sweeping over their clothing and horses, her smile unchanged. "However, judging from your attire, you probably don't need any."

Elena smiled politely. "Thank you, we brought our own. May I ask, are all these people from the North?"

The deacon nodded and sighed:

"Yes, the North has had a tough time these past few years. Three consecutive years of severe drought have resulted in a complete crop failure. This year, there's no drought, but there's been a locust plague. The factories run by the noble lords of the North in the cities can only keep most of their produce. They can't just watch the rest starve, so they've asked our church to organize them to go to the capital to make a living. There are plenty of jobs in the capital, so at least they have a way to survive."

Elena then asked, "The church specifically organized a trip to the capital? The expenses along the way must have been considerable?"

The deacon smiled and said, "The church received funding from the nobles, which is earmarked for this purpose. In addition, several high-ranking nobles in the capital have promised to arrange accommodation and employment for the people upon their arrival. The arrangements have been made between the two sides."

She paused, then continued, "To be honest, Miss, half of these people actually left voluntarily. If they stayed in the North, the land would be barren, and they couldn't get into factories, so they could only wait for relief. At least in the capital, there was still hope."

Elena nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The deacon bowed and turned to walk back among the refugees.

The refugees on the official road gradually disappeared into the distance, and the woods returned to silence, with only the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the calls of unknown birds in the distance.

Elena watched the female deacon walk away, then looked away and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Ji Tian turned his head to look at her.

She lowered her eyelashes, her fingers unconsciously stroking the reins. "It's nothing, I just feel... in this world, it's not easy for anyone."

Ji Tian didn't reply, he just looked at her quietly.

After a few moments of silence, Elena suddenly raised her head, the gloom in her eyes dissipating considerably, and a slight smile played on her lips: "Stop thinking about other people's business. Once we get to the capital, you'll have to come with me to see Father and Mother."

Ji Tian paused for a moment.

"Are you nervous?" Elena tilted her head, a smile spreading across her grey-blue eyes.

"……No."

"Liar." She scoffed, mounted her horse, and tugged at the reins. "My father isn't as easy to talk to as I am. If you keep going with that 'uh-huh' and 'okay' attitude, he might kick you out."

Ji Tian mounted his horse and followed beside her, asking, "What should we do then?"

Elena thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Say a few more words."

"for example?"

"For example, you know how to say 'Hello, Uncle,' 'Hello, Aunt,' 'You're right'... right?"

Ji Tian remained silent for a moment: "...As much as possible."

Elena couldn't help but laugh out loud, spurring her horse to a trot, her light golden hair fluttering in the wind.

"Then let's go! Don't keep the elders waiting—and of course, don't disappoint me."