Ed looked at the group of people who came into the house. The two people with their hands tied must be the two that the patrol team had mentioned capturing earlier.
" Captain Fir Tree … uh, Lord, you're here too! We just captured these two in the north of our territory."
The new patrolman who just reported the news probably doesn't recognize Ed, while this one is a seasoned veteran of the territory.
"My lord, since you're here, why don't you ask them?" Fir Tree quickly instructed Ed to conduct the interrogation.
"hehe!"
Ed smiled and said, "You've learned a lot about interpersonal relationships!"
"What are your names? Did you come from the north of our territory? Why have you come to our Grey Castle Territory?"
"My lord, yes, my name is Henry, and this is my nephew Ian. We come from Lord Blas's territory. Recently, the taxes in our territory have been increasing, and we are struggling to make ends meet, so we have come to your territory. We hope you can take us in." Henry maintained the proper respect, bowing his head and carefully answering Ed's question.
Upon hearing this, Ed looked at the two people, one big and one small, again. It seemed they weren't lying. Since they had risked their lives to come here, it must be true that survival over there was difficult, just as they had said.
Ed wasn't very familiar with the situation in Blas's territory; the butler used to handle the salt exchange. But as a neighbor, he now felt he needed to find out more.
"Very well, Henry, answer a few questions for me first, and then I will consider your matter."
"Yes, my lord, I will tell you what I know." The brief observation just now made him realize that staying was definitely something he had to work hard to do.
"Why are only the two of you here?" If they can't survive, what about the others? Now only the two of them have come. Ed decided to double-check.
"My lord, the rest of our village are either afraid to come, or unwilling to come. They're afraid Grey Castle Territory is poor, or that Grey Castle Territory is deserted. They also believe that your taxes will decrease in the future. They'll just have to wait it out."
Ed nodded and continued, "Then why couldn't you wait? It's still dangerous for you to run over like this, isn't it?"
"My lord, yes, you are absolutely right. If your warriors hadn't found us, we might have been lying there forever. Ian and I have nothing left over there. Recently, some refugees have come here. I heard that there was a war, so we secretly ran away."
"War? Is it someone trying to seize your lord's salt mine?" Ed knew that the neighbor to the north owned a salt mine, where they used to trade for salt. It seemed that someone else had their eyes on it.
"I'm not entirely sure either, my lord, but I heard from those who fled here that it was Lord Blas who went to steal someone else's Copper Mine."
Oh, this surprised Ed a bit. It seems Lord Blas is quite powerful! He's already got a mine, but he's still trying to rob others. Be careful, he might overeat and not be able to digest it, or he might actually become unable to poop.
Haha, whether he poops or not is none of his business.
Ed was a little frustrated, though. All the good stuff seemed to be on other people's hands, while he had nothing. But it didn't matter; he would slowly figure out a way to make it his own.
"Hmm, Henry, I am satisfied with your answer. I will allow you to live in my territory."
Ed plans to temporarily place them in Novice Village. As for the future, he hasn't thought it through yet. The lords of the northern territories can steal other people's Copper Mine, and they might also try to steal his things. He needs to think it over carefully.
"Thank you, my lord," Henry said happily.