The Arrogance of a Transmigrator

By the end of the day, Ye Wei'an had not only spent all of the 5,000 gold coins he had won at the auction, but had even spent an extra 1,500 gold coins.

However, from a profit perspective, this is a very worthwhile "investment".

Four years ago, he left home as a penniless illegitimate child;

Four years later, less than three days after returning to Firefall, he transformed himself into the "Justice" and "Mercy" praised by the people.

As word spread among merchants going from street to street and townspeople visiting relatives and friends, these stories would soon spread throughout the entire Firefall Territory.

The best part is that he didn't spend a single penny in the whole thing; on the contrary, he made a fortune.

All of these costs were borne by Lady Serena.

This woman meticulously plotted to assassinate him, but not only did she lose her own henchmen, Ye Wei'an also used the clues to swindle a large sum of money from her and use her wallet to buy the hearts of the entire town.

She lost all the businesses she had built in Firefall Town over the years, but in doing so, she created a formidable rival for herself.

The next morning, as Ye Weian prepared to leave, Firefall Town erupted in unprecedented enthusiasm.

The general store owner in charge of handling the spoils gave the maximum possible price.

When supplies were being replenished, the town's grain merchants and blacksmiths proactively lowered prices.

When Kane went to recruit laborers, strong men rushed to the front of the line, eager to help Yevian's guards for free, even if it was just to help push the grain carts.

After the troops set off, countless townspeople brought their own cheese and smoked meat and tried to stuff them into the soldiers' hands.

Even more remarkably, some spontaneously picked up pitchforks and hunting bows from their homes and silently followed behind the group.

Along the way, a long and impressive procession of people saw them off.

The people cheered and sang, braving the scorching sun to escort the flag for seven or eight miles. Only after Ye Weian repeatedly ordered them to turn back did they stop at the crossroads outside the town, reluctantly watching the flag embroidered with three gold stars on a blue background disappear into the distance.

Even after the group disappeared at the end of the forest path, one could still hear people praying softly, hoping that this benevolent lord's heir would receive the protection of Lord Losanda of the Dawn.

The soldiers were also deeply moved.

This was the first time they had ever been treated this way.

In the past, when they went to the countryside as the lord's guard, they were mostly greeted by fearful and evasive eyes.

The farmers wished they could hide their food supplies and their daughters in the cellar.

Now, they walk with their heads held high among the crowd, holding the dry rations that the people have spontaneously given them. Looking at those eyes full of awe and gratitude, they feel, for the first time, the honor of being soldiers.

Inside the carriage, Eileen listened to the cheers fading into the distance, her face flushed with excitement.

She couldn't help but lift the curtain and look back again, exclaiming in amazement, "Young Master, this sight... I'm afraid even the Baron himself might not have such a sight! Everyone is almost treating you like a messenger of God."

"I did all this with just a small portion of the wealth I confiscated from the Gray Ravens," Ye Wei'an said calmly, leaning back in his chair. "Ordinary people are actually the most simple and easily satisfied. Before they're driven to the brink, just leave them a tiny bit of a way to survive, let them fill their stomachs and live a few days in peace, and they'll be incredibly grateful to you, even willing to die for you."

Eileen tilted her head in confusion, her large eyes filled with bewilderment: "If it's so easy to gain favor... then why don't the Baron, and those noble lords we met in Susar, do the same?"

"Why would they do that?" Ye Wei'an sneered. "They possess sturdy plate armor, sharp swords, and a professionally trained knight can easily slaughter dozens or even hundreds of ordinary people. They also have magic and divine arts to aid them... Since they can take everything by force, why waste time 'pitying' ants?"

Eileen stared blankly at Ye Weian for a long while before muttering softly, "Young Master, I think your attitude towards other nobles... is really strange."

"Oh? What's strange about it?"

"that is……"

Eileen twisted her fingers, trying to find the right words. "I think you look down on them from the bottom of your heart. Whether you were talking about the local lords of Firefall or a big family like the Amaresk, your tone was like you were talking about a bunch of... idiots."

"Why should I respect them? Let alone Amarisk, even Obistril is nothing special in my eyes."

Ye Wei'an then calmly uttered words that frightened Ai Lian.

Obyszir is the surname of the Cormier royal family!

Eileen gasped in astonishment, "But...but they built so much glory! They established such a powerful nation, enacted laws, and protected the prosperity of their territory..."

She recounted Cormir's history with great familiarity: "The great Azun II slew the terrifying purple dragon, laying the foundation for Cormir's empire; Azun IV the 'Sufferer' defeated the Tukan nomadic army and saved Faerûn; Azun V perfected the legal code and clarified the duties of the nobility; and there was also the 'Sage' Vikorn, who personally established the formidable War Mage Order..."

"So what?" Ye Wei'an interrupted her, a mocking glint in his eyes. "They did establish a nation, but afterwards, they used their immense power as a means to exploit others at will. I'm not a saint; I also enjoy accumulating wealth and crave power. What I find laughable is that in this world full of magic, miracles, and infinite possibilities, those rulers who wield extraordinary power only know how to use it to fleece the people."

He sat up straight, pushed open the curtains, and looked at the people in the distance who were gradually turning into black dots.

At that moment, the arrogance that Eileen knew so well resurfaced in his eyes:

"Honestly, in my eyes, these so-called noble families are not even as good as Netheril back then. Even though Netheril ultimately failed and almost destroyed the entire world, at least those arcane mages tried to forge a different path. They explored the astral plane and tried to look at the gods as equals, instead of these people now who are guarding a gold mine but are just picking up scrap metal."

Upon hearing the word "Nesseril," Elaine was startled and quickly covered his mouth with her hand, even glancing nervously outside the carriage.

"Young Master! You absolutely mustn't say such things outside!"

In Cormier, this statement is extremely "politically incorrect".

As one of the most powerful nations on the continent of Faerûn, the Purple Dragon Kingdom's greatest nemesis is the ghost of that ancient magical empire—the City of Shadows.

When the Netheril Empire was destroyed, the City of Shadows happened to be conducting dimensional research in the Fallen Realm and thus narrowly escaped the calamity.

In order to survive in the desolate underworld, these survivors sought refuge with Shar, the goddess of night and ruler of the Fallen Shadow Underworld.

A century ago, when this floating city returned to the Prime Material Plane, these wraiths, who claimed to be the true descendants of Netheril, began a frenzied southward expansion with the support of Shar.

The biggest obstacle standing in their path to hegemony is Cormier.

In an effort to eliminate this thorn in their side, the arcanists of Shadow City unleashed terrifying destructive magic, pouring overwhelming shadow energy into Tirford, a strategic stronghold in Cormier's eastern border.

Thousands of elite Purple Dragon warriors and tens of thousands of civilians were torn apart on the spot. The once prosperous fortress was reduced to a ruin entangled in shadows and plague, and it remains a forbidden place for the living to this day.

From that moment on, Netheril became synonymous with the deep-seated hatred of the Cormier people.

As citizens of the kingdom, openly praising that evil empire is no different from praising a demon.

"Look how scared you are." Ye Wei'an looked at the little maid, who was like a frightened bird, and gently pulled her hand to comfort her. "Don't worry, I only talk to you about this behind closed doors."

That being said, this was indeed Ye Wei'an's true thought.

Especially during his two days in Firefall Town, he witnessed firsthand how so-called noble families colluded with local bullies to exploit ordinary people to the bone.

This corrupt, inefficient, and short-sighted method of governance clashed violently with the education he received in his previous life.

In his view, this group of people did not deserve the word "rulers" at all.

Don't be fooled by his recent collusion with those local bullies; it's just a tactic to accumulate his first pot of gold.

Once he has his own territory, he will absolutely not tolerate such parasites on his land.