A group of over two hundred people entering a town would inevitably draw attention. From the moment they stepped into the inhabited area, his team had been under the watchful eyes of those around them.
Notifications of being observed kept appearing in his field of vision, but fortunately, none posed any threat—instead, they all showed a [Friendly] status.
"Mr. Ross, do you know this place?" Sean asked, looking at the small town around him.
"It should be some town in the Oro region."
Just as he was about to make a sarcastic remark, the other continued.
"Let me think. We've been following the main road from Koga City. I recall there are a few towns along the way—this one should be called Shanggu Town. I remember seeing it on the map," Ross said after a moment of recollection.
Even a scholar of the empire couldn't have traveled to every corner of the nation; memorizing the map was already impressive enough.
"Oh? Are there any rumors about this area?" Sean pressed on.
"Rumors? What exactly does the Earl mean? I haven't heard of any rumors or major incidents happening around here. On the contrary, the people here have lived quite happily for the past decade or so. Look at their smiles. I rarely see so many smiling residents in the capital," Ross said, glancing around.
Indeed.
Sean had never seen a place that felt so good at first glance.
Everyone he encountered wore a contented smile, with [Happy] and [Friendly] statuses constantly hovering above their heads.
That was a bit strange.
Could an entire region's people really be this joyful?
Sean had met plenty of people—whether in small towns or big cities like Rietis—and no matter what, everyone had their moods. Yet the people of this town all seemed genuinely cheerful, which was almost unbelievable.
"Aslant, have you ever heard of this place?" he asked the troop commander on the other side.
"Never been here, but this town gives a pretty good impression. Everyone's smiling," Aslant replied, looking around. By the roadside, a girl holding a vegetable basket smiled at them.
Sean noticed the wild greens in her basket—they were already wilted.
The kind that had been sitting out so long they'd lost all moisture. Observing the town's layout and environment, it was much wealthier than his own Taylor Mian Town, not just in size but also in the stylish architecture and decor.
Passing by a butcher shop.
Two customers were chatting.
"Old pal, any cured meat today?"
"Oh, you should've come earlier. It's all sold out. I was thinking of checking the cellar, but I haven't been down in so long it's all moldy. Might need to sort it out."
"Haha, no worries. I'll come back tomorrow."
Sean watched the male customer walk away with a smile.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he'd hardly believe it—someone failing to buy what they wanted could still wear a [Happy] and [Friendly] smile.
"Does the Earl have something on his mind?" Ross noticed Sean's expression change.
"Nothing, just admiring the local customs here."
"The customs are indeed excellent. I've never seen such a benevolent place. I should make a note of it," Ross said, already thinking of jotting it down.
This wasn't just simple folkways—it felt like a paradise!
Still, Sean found it odd. The sky wasn't late yet; in other towns or cities, this would be the busiest time of afternoon—cooking, post-dinner strolls, and so on. But none of that was happening.
Beyond that, Sean noticed the townspeople seemed drowsy even in broad daylight, and there was something every household seemed to have—
Hanging outside their doors was a circular ornament made of twisted branches. In his field of vision, it showed as [Ordinary], with no magic or other properties, but every single house had one, which puzzled Sean.
Originally, the group planned to find several inns in town to split up for lodging—if one wasn't enough, they'd use more—rest for a day, and continue tomorrow.
But after Sean arrived, the ruler of Shanggu Town seemed to have gotten word. He sent people to arrange accommodations at all the inns and even invited Sean and Ross to dine at his home.
It was a gesture of hospitality. Since Sean was now a high-ranking noble of the Oro region, the lesser nobles below naturally wanted to curry favor. So Sean went, bringing Ross and Aslant along.
The administrator of Shanggu Town was Baron Mailand, a middle-aged man around forty, slightly stout but with refined speech. In Sean's eyes, there was even an illusion that the man didn't seem to take his own title seriously—or rather, whether it was Sean's rank or his own, it all seemed trivial to him.
A very Zen-like person, yet if you dug deeper, you could catch some underlying meaning.
For instance, at the dinner table, he frequently discussed the policies of various nations and even pointed out some advantages of the Bashalan Empire. Of course, that was mainly after hearing Ross introduce himself as the empire's historical recorder. When talking about national policies, he was very [Enthusiastic].
Ross and Aslant might not have noticed, but to Sean, it was easy to spot.
"I've always felt our country's geography limits a lot of things. Otherwise, with the Bashalan Empire's vast wealth and large population, it could achieve much more. I once ordered—"
At that point, Baron Mailand suddenly stopped.
A [Pause] status appeared above his head.
Ordered?
Did he hear that right? A mere baron talking as if he were a king?
"Just keeping the country running is hard enough. For us, the most important thing is managing our own people and lives. Leave the rest to the empire's high command."
"Right, right. Count Weigel is absolutely correct."
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Sean gave him an easy way out.
After that, no more topics came up during the meal. But what still struck Sean as odd was that this baron, in his forties, hadn't introduced his family while hosting him.
A noble in his forties still unmarried? That was even more unusual.
Perhaps even Ross and Aslant had noticed the strangeness, but seeing the servants' excitement and smiles, they couldn't pinpoint what was off.
In the end, Ross concluded it was probably just the town's unique customs.
After dinner.
Baron Mailand didn't engage Sean much further—much like Sean himself in the past, unused to conversing with higher-ranking nobles.
He simply said, "Have a good night," and left.
Night fell, or rather, it hadn't fully fallen yet.
In Sean's field of vision, with over forty minutes of daylight left, the entire town had already gone quiet—so quiet that not a single sound of nightlife could be heard.
The sky was gray and dim. Not a single lamp was lit in the whole town.
Even the baron's house was dark. When Sean stepped out of his room, he realized the servants had all gone to sleep.
"Sir, should I wake them?" Aslant asked from beside him.
"No need. Let them sleep. You should get some rest too—it's been a long day of travel."
Since Sean found no threats in the affinity or notifications—just an odd way of life—he didn't have Aslant do anything else. Early to bed, early to rise for tomorrow's journey.
With that, Sean returned to his room to rest.
Whether he was awake or asleep, Sean suddenly felt his mind clear up.
When he opened his eyes, it was already dawn.