Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 52: Moral?

Noan sat on the ground, checking information on the system while Hawke began dividing the group according to their assigned numbers. He wasn’t particularly interested in the process.

Krit!

Suddenly, Zhisse’s voice rang out—a faint sound, but enough for Noan to hear.

He frowned, glancing toward the distance, about ten meters away. Amidst the crowd, his gaze met Caleb’s.

Noan looked at him for just a second before dismissing him entirely.

After all, Noan had already decided that Caleb wasn’t a friend, so there was no need to pay him any attention.

Suddenly, Caleb stood up and moved to Noan’s side, asking worriedly, "Noan, are you still mad at me?"

"Is it because I let slip that you had food, and now you’re treating me like this?"

Caleb deliberately spoke louder, as if wanting everyone to hear.

"Food?"

At that, the crowd’s attention shifted to Noan, their murmurs growing.

"He has food?"

"Didn’t you hear what that young man just said? He has food. Could he have gone into the forest to pick fruits?"

"Or maybe he caught some fish from the nearby river. As long as you pay a small fee, you can fish, though you still have to pay a tax afterward."

"A small fee? Do you even know how much ’a small fee’ is? It’s ten F-rank crystals per entry into the river or forest. And after gathering food, you still have to give up half of it as tax. You call that a small fee?"

"Compared to starving to death, that price is a bargain. Didn’t you hear what Hawke just said? To save costs, we can move in groups. The fee is doubled, but a group of five can enter together—that’s a great deal."

"So Hawke’s group isn’t entirely ruthless. At the very least, they’re giving us a chance to survive."

"That’s right."

Hearing the growing interest of the people around them, Caleb raised his voice even further.

"I know having food supplies is supposed to be a secret, but we’ve all been thrown into this dead land together. We need to stick together if we want to survive."

"You have the ability to bring food supplies here, yet instead of sharing, you hide it away for your own use."

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"Don’t you feel ashamed?"

"Damn it!"

A young man jolted in shock, quickly standing up. "What did you just say? He can bring food supplies here?"

Caleb saw the man who had spoken and nodded. "That’s right. He has plenty, yet he refuses to share and keeps it all for himself."

"Bastard!"

Another young man shouted directly at Noan. "You selfish scum! How could you be this greedy?"

"Exactly! We’ve all been forced into this barren land, so why not help each other instead of being so selfish?"

"Hurry up! If you share some of your food supplies with us, we won’t pursue this matter any further."

The crowd was growing chaotic, all directing their frustration toward Noan.

Hawke and Raito stood watching from a distance like spectators at a play, showing no intention of stopping the commotion.

Seeing this, Caleb smirked inwardly but maintained his dissatisfaction and concern outwardly.

He quickly raised his voice. "Everyone, it was my fault for exposing that he has food supplies. However, I don’t want him to be selfish either."

Then, Caleb turned toward Noan, his face filled with determination and righteousness.

"Noan, you helped me when I was starving, and I’m truly grateful to you."

"However, I don’t want to be the only one with a full stomach while the others starve."

"That’s why I apologize for revealing your secret. But I also hope you’ll share the food with everyone and tell them how to bring it into this area."

"If you do that, everyone will be grateful to you. And when you face difficulties, they will help you in return, won’t they?"

"That’s right!"

The crowd roared.

"Hurry up! Hand over all the food supplies!"

"Damn it! What’s the point of talking so much? Just grab him by the throat and force him to talk!"

"Exactly, seize him!"

The mob turned into a frenzied horde, each person eager to capture Noan, forcing him to hand over his food and reveal his secret.

In this barren land, simply having the ability to store food significantly increased one’s survival rate.

Even if one couldn’t level up or compete with other lords, using food as a currency could yield considerable benefits.

"Noan!" Caleb continued, "You’ve heard everyone. You must understand that they are starving. They are desperate. If you don’t hand over the food supplies… I’m afraid they’ll do terrible things to you."

Noan frowned at Caleb, then looked at the crowd surrounding him. Suddenly, a mocking smile spread across his face.

"Hahahaha…"

Hearing Noan laugh, Caleb scowled and snapped, "Noan, what the hell are you laughing at?"

Noan slowly stood up, his eyes filled with utter contempt as he gazed at everyone around him. His voice dripped with ridicule.

"Why should I help you?"

"You—" Caleb was about to say something, but Noan cut him off.

"Why don’t you take a look at your own reflection in a puddle of piss and see if you’re even worthy of my help?"

"The same goes for all of you. Don’t throw that ridiculous moral nonsense, thinking you can make me feel guilty or ashamed."

"Are we close? Why the hell should I help you?"

"Yes, I have plenty of food supplies. I already gave half of it to Hawke and Caleb. If you want any, go ask them for it."

"As for me, I won’t give you a damn thing—not even a grain of sand."

Caleb’s expression twisted in anger as he shouted, "Noan, stop slandering me! You only gave me three pieces of food. How could I have enough to share with everyone else?"

"And besides—can you really stand there and watch everyone starve to death? You have to understand that…"

"Noan!"

Again, Caleb’s voice was cut off as Noan spoke coldly, "And what does that have to do with me?"

The chilling tone sent a shiver down Caleb’s spine. At that moment, he felt that Noan’s gaze wasn’t that of a human but a bloodthirsty beast.

Caleb was the hidden leader of Hawke’s group, the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes. He reveled in the feeling of having everything in the palm of his hand.

That was why he always looked at others with the gaze of a god, a ruler above all.

But now, standing before a mere rank F lord, he felt something he had never experienced before—fear.

At that moment, it wasn’t Noan who was trapped in the crowd’s grasp. No, it was Noan who had the entire situation in his hands.

’No!’ Caleb roared in his mind. ’This is just an illusion! How could he possibly intimidate me?’

He tried to calm himself, to reassert his control. He wanted to speak, to say something, but to his horror, he realized he had nothing to say.

"What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Noan smirked, a mocking glint in his eyes. "Do you all want to fight me? Ah! I almost forgot—I’ve only been in this area for one day. I still have two days of protection."

"If you want to attack me, kill me, or destroy my territory, you’ll just have to shut up and wait for two more days."

That was right. Every newly arrived lord was granted a three-day protection period under the System’s shield.

It was the very reason why Hawke and Raito hadn’t acted yet. They were simply waiting for the right moment.

Hearing this, the crowd burned with frustration, their faces flushed red with anger, yet they were powerless to do anything.

Caleb gritted his teeth. "Noan, don’t think you’re safe. They may not be able to kill you, but teaching you a lesson? That’s a different story."

Noan’s smirk vanished. His gaze, filled with nothing but scorn, locked onto Caleb.

"You’re welcome to try."