Regarding the shortage of manpower, Hastur could only have Caius recruit a group of people to help.
As for whether Caius would bring in members of the Yellow-Robed Monks, Hastur left it entirely up to him, as long as the job got done.
Three days later, Hastur received a reply from Sharon. In the letter, she mentioned that she was safe and currently gathering members of the Temperance faction in a city not far from there.
She also recounted what she had experienced during this period, and finally noted that she quite missed Ariella.
The people recruited by Caius had already arrived, twenty in total, six of whom were members of the Yellow-Robed Monks. Caius did not hide this in the slightest.
With manpower secured, Hastur contacted Mayor Ron, informing him that starting next quarter, his territory would be fully autonomous, and he sent the newly recruited people to learn how to manage internal affairs.
After temporarily resolving these trivial matters, Hastur finally had time to consider how to digest the Baron of Corruption potion.
During his time in Backlund, he had tried to accelerate digestion of the potion through a decadent and extravagant lifestyle, but the results were average, not particularly effective.
Back then, he had to be mindful of his reputation in Backlund. Now that he had arrived in his own territory and dealt with some troubles, it was time to speed up the absorption of the potion.
Corruption, in most cases, refers to moral and lifestyle decay, the opposite of diligence and progress.
For example, indulging in pleasure and neglecting proper duties.
But in essence, it resembled a kind of class privilege, only those with power and status could be described as "corrupt." For ordinary or poor people, it would simply be called laziness or lack of ambition.
Only those who controlled certain social resources and held status could bear the label of corruption.
Corrupting what already exists, eroding it into decay, could also extend to systems such as order.
Eroding an established and stable order, this too should be a pathway for acting as a Baron of Corruption.
The process of corruption did not necessarily have to occur within oneself; one could also guide others into degeneration, letting them become thoroughly corrupted.
For example, taking a once lively and active cat and gradually guiding it into becoming a gluttonous, lazy creature.
Hastur carefully summarized the key points of his acting and consciously glanced at Ariella, who was lying on the ground, hugging dried fish and resting.
Even though it had already closed its eyes to rest, every so often it would contentedly lick a piece of dried fish.
Ariella no longer needed his guidance, it was already gradually becoming corrupted.
Hastur sighed at this. He felt that, as its master, he had been too good to it. It was time to find something for it to do.
"Meow?!"
Sensing a sudden chill from an unseen gaze, Ariella jolted awake, looked around, and met Hastur's eyes. It let out a pitiful meow, then walked over to his feet and lay down quietly.
"Tsk, hasn't learned anything else, but pretending to be pitiful, quite skilled at that."
Hastur chuckled and shook his head, then came up with a good idea.
The next day, Caius sent a group of people throughout the territory's villages and towns to post bounty notices.
The notice roughly read: The newly appointed lord, Count Campbell, owns a kitten brought from Backlund, dearly cherished by the Count. Recently, due to not adapting well to the environment, the kitten has become depressed and lost its appetite. The Count is deeply worried and hereby offers a bounty of 1,000 gold pounds for a solution.
At this moment, Ariella had just finished three dried fish and was lying on the windowsill where sunlight streamed in, comfortably closing its eyes and letting out contented, blissful meows.
The bounty notice quickly spread throughout Hastur's territory. A thousand gold pounds was an astronomical sum many people wouldn't even dare to dream of, winning the bounty would ensure a lifetime free from worry.
Many eagerly signed up to participate. Some lamented inwardly that their lives were worth less than a cat's, if there were a next life, they would rather be a cat than suffer again as a human.
Others scoffed, expressing disdain and mocking the new lord's extravagance, condemning the waste, 1,000 gold pounds could support countless people, yet it was spent on a single cat!
People from nearby territories also caught wind of the news and came to join the excitement. Within a few days, it spread across more than half of Southville County.
Inside his luxurious villa, the Duke of Southville listened as his subordinates reported the latest developments regarding Hastur Campbell.
"A bounty of 1,000 gold pounds for a cat, he's truly wealthy."
The duke sneered. His own wealth far exceeded Hastur's, but while his money came easily, it was hard to spend. That 1,000 was enough to buy more than ten high-quality young girls.
"Send a few people to join the commotion, and keep a close eye on his every move."
"Yes, I'll make arrangements immediately."
After they left, the Duke of Southville put away his sneer and turned serious.
Someone from Backlund had specifically sent word to warn him that this young Count Hastur Campbell was not simple, advising him not to stumble carelessly, and even suggesting that at critical moments, he could concede some benefits.
At first, he didn't take it seriously, until Derby Augustus returned to Backlund in disgrace after only a few days. Only then did he begin to take this young count seriously.
After thinking for a while, the duke decided to send that pair of sisters to Hastur, while planting them there to monitor everything.
....
Moira Town.
The arrival of spring brought with it the revival of all things, and the usually quiet town became lively.
The Grain Festival on February 15 was the most bustling event of the year.
On this day every year, residents of the town and farmers from nearby villages would gather to hold rituals praying for a bountiful harvest.
The deity they worshipped was not the Earth Mother, but an ancient Grain Goddess, also known as the Goddess of Spring.
It was said that this deity had originally been an ordinary girl. Four or five hundred years ago, or perhaps even earlier, she changed the way farming was done here, and ultimately used her life to bless the crops, ensuring abundant harvests every year.
As for the cause of her death and how she became a deity, few people knew.
Only the priests who inherited the tradition might know the full history. Some said there had once been a break in the town's history, leaving it incomplete, even the priests who conducted the festival did not truly understand what had happened.
But one thing they were absolutely certain of: worshipping the Goddess of Spring truly brought abundant harvests.
This was a historically verified fact. The most recent instance occurred twenty years ago, when Southville County suffered a rare drought.
Crops failed in many areas, and starvation was widespread. Only the region around this town saw crops continue to grow resiliently, ultimately yielding plentiful harvests and allowing them to survive the crisis.
As for why the coastal regions experienced such a rare drought, no one knew.
Those who survived only grew more devout, holding annual rituals to pray for good harvests.
Even with the new lord's 1,000 gold pound bounty, the people here still prioritized the Grain Festival above all else.
Out of curiosity and interest, Hastur arrived in the town the night before.
Keeping a low profile, the residents did not know that he was the new lord offering the bounty.
Hastur paid three times the usual price to secure a room at an inn.
During the day, the streets were already decorated, mostly with crop-themed ornaments.
Pumpkin lanterns, rice stalks, corn poles, and stone carvings of various vegetables filled the streets.
Many people wore green clothing embroidered with crop patterns. Some carried baskets of vegetables while strolling, and others even performed acts of eating raw vegetables on the street.
The festival was held in the central square, which had been sealed off with red cloth. Only authorized personnel were allowed inside.
They were carving the statue of the Goddess of Spring.
This puzzled Hastur the most. If the goddess was so important, why was there no statue of her normally, only one freshly carved before the festival?
And why was it destroyed immediately after the festival?
These were things Hastur had heard from locals. Even residents who had attended the festival five or six times still did not know the goddess's true appearance.
At night, Hastur concealed himself and slipped into the central square, lifting the red cloth to see for himself.
Unfortunately, the statue, about one story tall, had its limbs and body fully carved, but the face was still unfinished.
A faceless goddess statue.
In the world of mysticism, it was normal not to know a deity's exact appearance.
But Hastur still found it somewhat strange. He did not make a fuss, quietly leaving and returning to his room.
Late at night, around two o'clock, people carrying torches appeared on the streets. They gathered around the statue wrapped in red cloth and began performing ritual dances.
The leading female priest was dressed in a flamboyant manner, with triple-layered rice stalks adorning her head, a skirt made of dried straw around her waist, and a string of fruits and vegetables hanging from her neck.
As she led the dance, the crops on her body swayed rhythmically, creating a strangely pleasing visual effect.
Like Hastur, many people opened their windows to watch the lively scene, visitors from neighboring villages who had come to join the festivities.
After two hours of dancing, dawn began to approach, with just over an hour left until sunrise.
The leading priest allowed five pairs of couples dressed in wedding attire to enter behind the red cloth, while those outside continued dancing at a slower pace.
Through the cloth, the silhouettes of the five couples could be vaguely seen.
Before the statue, they were performing an ancient, primal act of procreation, one that had been passed down through generations.