The Journey

The thought that Magnus Valorion had a divine mandate struck Galen Veritas, startling him. A divine mandate? What does that mean? It means the destiny of a ruler! And what is a ruler? It's the Emperor, the one above all others! If someone dared to publicly claim they had a divine mandate, within days, not only would they be beheaded, but so would their friends, family, and even their dog.

Galen dared not think further. After quickly finishing his porridge, he found some dry straw, spread it on the ground, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Magnus woke up early. Whether it was due to the potent effects of the Yunnan Baiyao provided by the system or not, he felt less pain in his buttocks than the day before, although getting up was still quite difficult. The noise of Magnus getting up woke Galen, who was sleeping on the straw.

"Young master, why are you getting up instead of resting in bed?"

"I've been lying down all night, my body is stiff," Magnus said lightly. "Since you're awake, help me change my medicine!"

Galen hurriedly and carefully undid Magnus's clothes and started to change the medicine. The wounds, which were horrifying yesterday, had begun to heal today, with the blackened flesh scabbing over.

"This is a miraculous medicine! The Yunnan Baiyao the young master brought out is truly miraculous!" Galen thought to himself.

After changing the medicine, Galen finally voiced his doubts, "Young master, since you were demoted, I've been the one packing our belongings. But I've never seen this bottle of Yunnan Baiyao, or the fine rice and pickles you gave the old man and his grandson last night."

Magnus knew his "miracle" would be questioned. Fortunately, Galen was a loyal servant, but even so, Magnus couldn't reveal the secret of the system. So, Magnus made a silencing gesture, signaling Galen to stop talking. Then, Magnus slightly raised his index finger and pointed to the sky.

Seeing Magnus pointing to the sky, Galen was too shocked to speak. "Yes, it must be this way! The young master must have a divine mandate and the assistance of gods and deities!"

"Whether it's Yunnan Baiyao, the rice, or the pickles, these must all be celestial items. Otherwise, the porridge last night couldn't have been so fragrant, and the pickles so delicious."

Magnus saw that Galen had filled in the blanks himself and, pretending to be mysterious, asked, "Do you now understand where those things came from?"

Galen nodded vigorously. Seeing that his silent bluff had worked, Magnus continued, "Galen, you are my trusted servant. In the future, you will share in my wealth and honor. This matter is known only to the heavens, the earth, you, and me. No third person must know. Understand?"

To Galen, Magnus's words sounded like a king's promise of titles and honors to his loyal subjects. Galen, excited, knelt on one knee, kissed Magnus's left hand, and vowed, "Young master, I swear on my honor that no third person will ever know!"

Magnus was pleased with Galen's reaction, though he was unaccustomed to such sudden displays of loyalty. But Magnus had no idea that Galen, believing Magnus had a divine mandate, saw this act as sealing his own future prosperity and glory.

In the morning, Galen witnessed another "miracle" when he again found a bag of white rice in the empty straw pile of the ox cart. Using this heavenly rice, Galen prepared breakfast for Magnus—not porridge this time, but actual fried rice with pickles.

The old man who had sheltered them watched this meal preparation and silently cursed them for their extravagance. After breakfast, Magnus instructed Galen to leave the morning's bag of rice for the old man and his grandson. The old man, receiving another large bag of rice, was overjoyed, his wrinkled face breaking into a broad smile.

The old man never expected that just by sheltering Magnus and Galen for a night, he would receive such generous rewards. If the other villagers knew, they would probably be furious.

Leaving the old man's village, Magnus continued to lie on the ox cart, heading towards Green River Town. From what the old man had told them, at their current speed, it would take half a month to reach Green River Town. Moreover, Magnus had learned some bad news: six months ago, Green River Town had suffered a military disaster.

On the way to Green River Town, Galen successfully traded rice for several taels of silver. Along the journey, Magnus saw that the people were emaciated, in tattered clothes, their eyes devoid of any light, like walking corpses. Magnus understood that these people had been tormented by life, suffering, and war to the point of losing their humanity.

Seeing the devastated landscape, Magnus couldn't help but lament:

An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying emperor; 

A people starved and stabbed in the untilled field; 

Rulers who neither see nor feel nor know, 

But leech-like to their fainting country cling 

Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow.

Hearing his young master recite this sorrowful poem, Galen was moved to tears. "Rulers who neither see nor feel nor know."As someone born in poverty, Galen deeply understood the hardships described.

"Young master, look, that's Green River Town ahead!" Galen, driving the ox cart, excitedly pointed to a dilapidated small town in the distance.

Magnus jumped down from the cart and looked ahead. After half a month of recuperation, Magnus's injuries had mostly healed. He could now sit up, even walk, though not engage in strenuous activity. Seeing the dilapidated city walls, Magnus frowned deeply.

Although he had learned about the military disaster from the old man, Magnus didn't expect the situation to be worse than he imagined. From a distance, he saw several arrows still lodged in the walls. The walls, which should protect the people, were half-collapsed, and the city gate was a broken mess with a large hole.

If enemies attacked again, the remnants of these walls would be unable to stop any assault. Cavalry could ride through the town unimpeded, plundering the people at will. Magnus sighed and sat back in the cart, saying to Galen, "Let's go into the town and have a look."

Galen drove the cart, slowly entering the town. At the gate, a group of crippled, pale people loitered. Magnus saw that some were missing hands, others legs, and the most pitiful had all four limbs severed, surviving as a human stump. These injuries were likely from the military disaster six months ago.

Although it's better to live miserably than die, Magnus couldn't understand how these people survived in such harsh conditions.

As Magnus and Galen entered the town, the group initially watched them warily. Seeing that they weren't invaders, the group relaxed a bit.

"Sir, have mercy, please give us some food!" A woman with a scarred face and three missing fingers knelt before the cart, begging.

With this woman leading, others also came forward, blocking their way and kneeling for food. Galen, seeing the road blocked, looked to Magnus for guidance.

"Young master, this…"

Magnus noticed that, although these people blocked the road, they kept a respectful distance, not causing any resentment. Just as Magnus was about to take out some grain from the straw pile, a voice called out from the crowd, "You all, don't block the nobleman's way."

The crowd parted, revealing a man with a severed right arm. His dirty hair covered his face, making it hard for Magnus to see him clearly, but the rusty knife with several nicks hanging from his left waist was conspicuous.

"Oh, are you the leader of these people? What is your name?"