Lu Xi followed Vallen back to his house. Several houses made of wood and stone looked very dilapidated due to their age.
Along the way, most of the houses Lu Xi saw were like this, giving off an indescribable aura of poverty.
A corner of the roof of one of Walron's houses has collapsed. No wonder he went to the forest to cut down trees.
A one-year-old little girl heard the sound, staggered to the door, scratched the threshold, and screamed "Ahhh" at Varron. She didn't know the specific content of the scream.
The expression on Vallen's face softened instantly, but he did not walk over. He just put down the log on his back in the yard and shouted into the house, "Kuma, I'm going to visit the head of Luli Village." There, come back later, little Bena ran out, please keep an eye on her."
A young woman's voice soon sounded in the room, "Got it."
"Let's go." Looking at his daughter again, Walron took the lead and led Lu Xi the way.
On the way to the village chief Luli's house, he met a lot fewer villagers. Lu Xi also opened his mouth at the right time and asked some questions, "What kind of person is the village chief Luli?"
"Village Chief Luli is a low-level elemental warrior! He can defeat a low-level monster by himself. He has protected Kuwa Village from low-level monsters several times." Vallen introduced to Lu Xi very proudly. .
Lu Xi didn't know what low-level elemental warriors were, but he could probably guess that they were people who had mastered some kind of special ability, just like those low-level monsters with magic.
"Village Chief Luli once served as a trainee knight for a noble master!"
This was somewhat beyond Lu Xi's expectation. It was a bit incredible that a trainee knight from a noble family would return to the village and become the village chief.
It's like a college student who graduated from a prestigious school on earth gave up working for a Fortune 500 company and decided to return to remote mountainous areas to teach.
That’s not to say it’s impossible, but this kind of decision is often not easy to make.
Soon, Lu Xi met the village chief of Luli.
The village chief of Luli is a strong man who looks to be in his thirties. He is as strong as a black bear. Walron is already very tall. The village chief of Luli is a head taller than him. He is over 100 meters tall. Two meters.
However, there seemed to be something wrong with one of Village Chief Luli's legs. Lu Xi could see the disharmony in him just by looking at it.
Village Chief Luli seemed to have known the news about Lu Xi for a long time and was waiting in the yard prepared. When he saw Lu Xi, he did not look up and down to confirm Lu Xi's identity.
Instead, he spoke first and found a reason to send Walron away, "Wallon, don't you still want to repair your house? You go back first, and I will take care of Miss Lucy."
Without any doubts, Walron nodded friendly towards Luxi, then turned and left the Luli Village Chief's house.
Lu Xi suddenly became nervous. It was difficult to determine why the Luli Village Chief dismissed Walron, but she did not speak to stop him. After all, Varun was obviously more willing to listen to the Luli Village Chief than her. .
After entering Kuwa Village, there was no shelter, so Xiao Yuan could only stay outside the village. At this moment, she was truly alone and could only rely on herself.
Lu Xi stabilized his mind and looked at Village Chief Luli with a slightly calm and calm attitude, and looked at him without any sign of weakness.
In the end, the Luli village chief took the lead in bowing his head, ending the exchange of glances, which also meant that he recognized Lu Xi's identity as a wandering noble lady.
This is of course, regardless of whether Lu Xi's current body is a character created by the game. In terms of identity setting, she is a well-deserved noble lady.
An aristocratic lady who inherited a large farm.
But Village Chief Luli didn't know this, and he could only make a few judgments about Lu Xi's identity.
First, although the clothes on Lu Xi's body were torn as if they were worn by a homeless man and were still covered with mud, the fabrics in so many bright and beautiful colors were not something that ordinary people could wear.
The dirt and damage on it further proved what happened to a homeless noble lady.
Second, Lu Xi's attitude and temperament brought up by living in different environments are completely different. Village Chief Lu Li did not miss Lu Xi's gaze when he looked at those houses. That was definitely not the gaze that a commoner should have.
Of course, Lu Xi's nervousness when facing Village Chief Luli was not missed by Village Chief Luli, but that nervousness was more like being on guard against them and wary of strangers.
For an aristocratic lady who was unexpectedly homeless, this nervousness and vigilance were all reasonable. That kind of aristocratic lady who couldn't understand her own situation and only acted like an aristocrat would never be able to survive alone in the wild for such a long time.
But Village Chief Luli was thinking about another thing. What impact would a wandering noble lady have on Kuwa Village?
In other words, does this homeless noble lady have any other problems behind her?
The head of Luli Village, who once served as a trainee knight for a noble, knows more about the nobles than the ordinary civilians in Kuwa Village.
For example, the terror of the nobles is the same as the beauty they show on the surface. The more glamorous the family, the more corrupt and filthy they are privately.
If Miss Lucy really just encountered an accident and ended up here, it would be okay to say that Kuva Village only needs to provide simple help and then send Miss Lucy to Weiguli Town, then they may get a noble Miss's return.
Maybe it can change the fate of the entire Kuva village.
But if there are other families or some interest disputes behind Miss Lucy's accident, it is likely to lead to a pursuit in the future, and even involve the entire Kuwa Village.
The nobles would not take the lives of a group of civilians seriously. In order to block the news, no matter how many civilians died, probably no nobles would care.
Village Chief Luli sighed in his heart. Although he said this, in fact, from the moment Vallon met Miss Lucy, their Kuwa Village had no second option.
It was impossible for them to expel a noble lady, let alone erase the traces of a noble lady. Under elemental magic, nothing could be hidden.
The best result is not to delve into what happened behind Miss Lucy, but to send Miss Lucy away as soon as possible.
"Miss Lucy, our Kuva Village is just a poor small village, and there is nothing good." Village Chief Luli said carefully. Maybe the harsh environment will make Miss Lucy leave faster, but they can't do that. It's too much, at least it can't be seen.
Lu Xi's mind was spinning rapidly, analyzing the meaning of this sentence. In fact, before she could fully react, her body had already moved quickly. She took out the belt from her soil-covered belt, which was actually the cloth bag containing the jewelry. He picked up a gem the size of a fingernail and handed it to the village chief Luli.
"Is this enough?" His voice sounded very cold. In fact, it was just that Lu Xi was too nervous and didn't know what tone to use to speak, which made his tone sound so dry.
Village Chief Lu Li was even more obviously shocked than Lu Xi. A noble lady would actually give out her property to common people to "pay" for her own expenses.
This is even rarer than the appearance of Luo Tianhong.
And Village Chief Luli's response was quick enough. No matter how outrageous the matter was, the gem was real and was given to him by a noble lady. This opportunity could not be missed.
The huge dark palm quickly and carefully took the gem from Lu Xi's hand, "That's enough!"
The voice was even full of urgency, as if he was worried that Lu Xi would regret it.
Lu Xi suddenly realized something from the reaction of Village Chief Luli.
Village Chief Luli calls her "Miss Lucy", which is an honorific title, indicating that in the eyes of Village Chief Luli, Lu Xi's status is noble and requires respect.
Therefore, when the village chief of Luli said that, he meant that the conditions in the village were not good and the reception might not be good, so Lu Xi should not mind.
It's just that Lu Xi misunderstood that the village chief Luli was looking for her to pay for living in the village.
Judging from the eagerness with which Village Chief Luli had just taken away the gem, the village must indeed be quite poor, Lu Xi thought to himself.
Then Village Chief Luli chatted with Lu Xi for a few more words, all of which were polite. To Lu Xi's surprise, Village Chief Luli did not try to test which noble family she belonged to.
Turning around and thinking about it, Lu Xi somewhat guessed the reason - a noble lady living in the wild forest, no matter how you think about it, there is no possibility that there is no conspiracy behind her. If she knew something that she shouldn't know, it would be detrimental to their village. kind of danger.
If Lu Xi is given up and sent away without knowing anything, the worst result is that Lu Xi turns his face away from others, looks down on their village's short-term help, and forgets about their village, and will not have the same life as before. What a change.
Even better, you can also get the gratitude of a noble lady. Just giving back anything is enough for this poor village to live a better life.
This may be the wisdom of ordinary people at the bottom.
"Miss Lucy, you will stay here temporarily, okay?" Perhaps due to the effect of the gem, Village Chief Luli was extremely respectful when facing Lu Xi, with a hint of sincerity in his respect.
Lu Xi looked around. Apart from the village chief's house in Luli, these were probably the best houses. The houses made of blue stone were large and sturdy, but they inevitably revealed poverty.
Of course, the village chief of Luli had actually said that he would give up his house to Lu Xi, but there were eleven people in his family, and Lu Xi would feel a little sorry if they were asked to move out, even if they only stayed for a few days.
After Lu Xi refused, Village Chief Luli helped Lu Xi find a new house.
"This is the home of two brothers, Ai Li and Ya'er. They were spotted by the patrol team in Weiguli Town some time ago and are now trainee elemental warriors." Luli Village Chief introduced Lu Xi proudly.
"Now only their mother Azuna lives in the house."
Lu Xi's previous refusal made Village Chief Lu Li realize that she was an aristocratic lady who didn't like to trouble others. This was of course possible. There were always some aristocratic ladies who harbored negative thoughts before seeing the true face of the world. With inexplicable innocence and kindness.
Village Chief Luli does not dislike such aristocratic ladies. Although they often appear ignorant and more troublesome to deal with, they are still better than those aristocratic ladies who look down on inferior people and do not regard inferior people as human beings.
What's more, Miss Lucy very generously took out a gem to pay for her expenses. That gem was enough to buy their entire Kuwa Village, although no one would buy it.
"This is fine." Lu Xi nodded. The house in the yard was clearly divided into two parts. It should be the distinction made by the two brothers. One half showed signs of living, while the other half looked empty for a long time.
Even if she hides Xiao Yuan, no one will find her. It is a very suitable place. She can secretly bring Xiao Yuan in at night.
"Then I'll ask Azuna to come out and clean it up for you." After the village chief Luli finished speaking, he strode into the yard and went into the house to call Azuna.
Lu Xi didn't stop her. After all, it was someone else's house. There might be something in the house, so it would be better to let them clean it up before she could live in it.
While Chief Luli was communicating with Asuna, Lu Xi looked around again. Kuwa Village was not small. There were at least one or two thousand people in the village. If it were on Earth, it would be a small town without any problems. .
But in another world, a human settlement of this size can only be called a village.
"It's been arranged, Miss Lucy...what are you looking at?" Village Chief Luli walked out of the house, followed by an aunt who looked to be in her forties. She should be the Azuna he mentioned. .
"This place doesn't look like a village, there are too many people." Lu Xi said casually, looking at Aunt Azuna who had gone to clean up in another house, and then looked away.
"Yes, there are too many people, but the cost of maintaining a town is too expensive, and we cannot afford it." Village Chief Luli's expression suddenly became heavy, and he spoke softly with emotion, skipping without perfunctory this topic.
"They...actually collected taxes indiscriminately?" Lu Xi was stunned by Village Chief Luli's reaction and asked subconsciously.
"No, not really." Village Chief Luli was silent for a long time before speaking with a smile, but his laughter was full of helpless self-mockery.
"They're not collecting taxes randomly."
He looked at Lu Xi as if looking at an ignorant little girl, "If a village wants to become a town, it needs to build a strong wall that can surround the entire town to resist those low-level monsters."
"It is necessary to build a majestic church, pay a large amount of money to ask the Holy See priest to move in, treat the sick and injured residents, open a defensive light barrier in times of danger, and protect the safety of the town."
"A large number of elemental warriors need to be trained to serve as patrols to protect the entire town and the villages around the town."
"And taxes are only a small part of the cost of the town."
The saddest thing is that in fact, their village cannot even pay that small tax.
Lu Xi suddenly realized that the village chief Lu Li was "treating her miserably" because she looked like the kind of aristocratic lady who had never understood the hardships of the people at the bottom, but was full of useless kindness.
If this passage can impress her, then Kuva Village may have an opportunity to transform.
But Lu Xi is not. She is just an ordinary person who may have a noble body but a soul from another world. She cannot even control her own future and can only move forward according to the guidance of the system.
