[Lord of Abundance] Chapter 15: Joel

 Chapter 15: Joel

“I heard the new lord this time isn’t just a noble from the royal capital—he’s also a Grand Mage. Could it be he’s planning to dissect corpses and use living people for those terrifying magic experiments?”

“One of my relatives’ kids became an apprentice to a mage. After years away, he came back… tsk tsk, he didn’t even look human anymore.

“They say that black mage lured apprentices from all over, then used them to test his magic. Absolutely horrifying.”

These were all things Joel had overheard from the villagers while gathering firewood at night. The details were vivid—hard to dismiss as mere rumor.

Joel wasn’t afraid of becoming a slave. After all, what difference was there between his current life and that of slaves under the great nobles? What he feared was becoming something so monstrous that even his mother and sister wouldn’t recognize him.

So he obeyed his mother’s warning. Even if it meant tightening his belt and eating almost nothing each day, he would never step outside during daylight.

Because in the daytime, the lord’s lackeys prowled through the village. The moment they spotted anyone outside, they would swarm over, pestering them endlessly.

Or worse—they would half-drag, half-push people away, claiming they needed to register something at the castle gates. But as soon as the sun set, they vanished without a trace, forcing villagers to move only under cover of night.

“Big brother, I’m hungry.”

A frail little girl in an ill-fitting gray cloth dress tugged at Joel’s thin sleeve, her doe-like eyes wide and clear, her sallow face etched with hunger.

Children were like that—always hungry, never full.

Joel sighed softly. He was hungry too. The food at home was nearly gone, and he worried whether it would last until the snow melted and winter ended. Still, he forced a smile.

“I’ll make you some red barley porridge.”

“Yay! Xiaoya loves sweet barley porridge the most!”

The girl lit up instantly, her eyes sparkling.

In truth, red barley wasn’t sweet at all—it carried a faint bitterness. That was why the bloodfire liquor brewed from it had such a distinct, bitter taste.

Bitter?

What was bitterness?

The bitterness of life, of poverty, of the world—such concepts were far beyond her. As long as she could be with her mother and brother, Laiya had never thought about such things.

Only sometimes, when hunger gnawed too fiercely, it felt as though a knife was twisting inside her belly—painful, but bearable.

Joel had just turned toward the kitchen when his body suddenly stiffened. He glanced back at his sister, forcing a smile.

“Let’s eat black bread instead. I remember there’s some left from yesterday. We’ll eat that first—then I’ll make porridge tonight.”

There wasn’t a single stick of firewood left. What would he use to cook barley? He couldn’t exactly soak it in frozen snow water.

Little Laiya bit her thumb, hesitated, then nodded.

In the kitchen, Joel pulled out a palm-sized chunk of black bread from a cloth pouch hanging on the wall. It was already hard to begin with, and after a night in the cold, it had frozen solid like a rock.

Even with his strength, Joel’s face reddened as he struggled to break it into two.

Just as he was about to split one piece further, his eyes fell on the wooden grain barrel in the corner.

The lid wasn’t properly closed—it sat slightly askew.

Joel crossed the room in two strides, heart pounding, and slowly lifted the lid.

The barrel was empty.

His heart dropped, hollow as the barrel itself.

Who?!

Clenching his teeth, his bloodshot eyes shot toward the window, fierce enough to tear someone apart.

Someone must have snuck in while he was out gathering firewood and stolen the food that kept his family alive.

Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window, illuminating Joel’s twisted expression. For the first time in his life, the sunlight felt cold—blinding and merciless.

The pale sun sank slowly westward until it vanished beyond the horizon. The once-bustling Fengrao Domain grew quiet.

And with that, another group began to stir.

Divided by sunrise and sunset, the Emerald Heart Farm seemed split into two separate worlds.

The round violet moon hid behind clouds. Later than usual, Joel stepped out—but instead of leaving the farm, he crept quietly to the window of a house at the end of a narrow path.

Holding a long hook tool, he stood by the wall for a long time. Once he was certain the occupants were asleep, he slowly raised his arm, as heavy as if it bore a thousand pounds.

“…”

His hand trembled uncontrollably. His face twisted in anguish.

In this late winter, losing food meant death—he knew that all too well.

Why could others steal from him, but he couldn’t steal from them? What kind of fairness was that?

Everyone in Emerald Heart was a neighbor. He saw them every day. He even called the woman of this house “aunt.” She was raising three hungry children alone—he knew how hard that was.

But then he remembered the look of disappointment on his sister’s face when he left home that night.

Something stabbed deep into his chest.

His gaze hardened.

Crack!

A small chunk of ice struck his head.

Joel spun around—and saw the one person he least wanted to face.

A wild-looking girl leaned lazily against a fence, a scar running from beneath her left eye to the corner of her mouth. Her entire presence radiated the untamed aura of a beast.

Narrowing her eyes, she silently mouthed:

“What are you doing?”

Seeing through his predicament, she didn’t press further. Instead, she glanced up at the sky, as if trying to pluck a few stars and stash them away.

“I was going to ask you to lend me some red barley,” she said casually. “Guess that’s not happening now.”

She paused, then added:

“I’m joining the lord’s work team tomorrow. Yeah, a work team—that’s what that old man, Li Tate, called it. They say if you do well, you even get meat. What about you? Want to come with me?”

“No!—”

Joel’s voice burst out louder than he intended. Realizing it, he quickly lowered his voice.

“Nia, those lords are all black-hearted bastards. Give commoners a little, and they’ll squeeze ten times more out of them. What if he has bad intentions toward you?”

Nia ran a finger along the scar at her lips and said without hesitation:

“I peeked at him through a crack in the door when he came to inspect the village the other day. He’s actually pretty handsome. If he does have bad intentions, who says I’d be the one losing out? Mm, not a bad deal.”

“That’s not how it works! Th-this kind of thing—how can you calculate it like that? That’s just… too…”

Joel flushed red, unable to form a complete sentence.

Nia shot him a glance, her eyes dropping briefly before she suddenly exploded:

“You spineless bastard! And you’ve got the nerve to criticize others? You think you’re so righteous? Aunt Lim—what has she ever done to you? And you’re ready to starve her to death?

“And what about Tami and those three little kids? What happens to them?

“You call others black-hearted—did a snow wolf carry off your conscience? You’re no different from that thug Redo and his gang. All trash!

“Say what you want—I’m going tomorrow. Even if I starve to death, even if I’m sold off as a slave, I won’t take a single grain of your red barley!”

The light in the house suddenly flickered on, but no sound followed—like a warning… or fear.

“Pah!”

Nia spat viciously on the ground, turned, and walked away without another glance, leaving Joel standing there in a daze.

The snow at his feet slowly melted, forming deep pits.

Those dark holes stared silently up at the vast, dim sky—as if questioning something.

—

Early the next morning, Joel slipped out while his mother and sister were still asleep. After weaving through alleyways, he found himself standing before the lord’s black stone castle.

He spotted Nia immediately among the gathered crowd.

Most faces were unfamiliar, but a few he recognized—like Redo, about the same age as them.

“What are you sneaking around here for?”

Joel jolted in shock. He hadn’t heard any footsteps—on snow, no less.

He turned to see a middle-aged man in fine armor, a greatsword at his waist, looking down at him. For a moment, Joel felt like he was facing a mountain lion—his mind went blank under the sheer pressure.

“Here for the work team?” the man asked, his tone softening slightly. “Follow me.”

The words acted like a command spell. Before Joel could react, his body had already moved, trailing behind the man toward the gathering.

Only then did Joel realize who it was.

The territory’s new Chief of Security—Dawn. A third-tier Great Warrior.

A warrior…

No one from Emerald Heart had ever become a warrior—let alone a peak third-tier one.

And now, this legendary figure stood just a step away from him.

At a table nearby, Old Tate shouted to the crowd:

“Logging team, register over there! Construction team, here! Same rules as before—two meals provided, breakfast and lunch, no dinner. Wages paid daily based on work points!

“One work point equals five copper coins! Logging earns slightly more than construction. Also—anyone here not yet registered?”

Joel didn’t know what “registration” meant, so he stayed silent.

But most people here knew each other—and he was clearly an unfamiliar face. Soon enough, he was pushed to the front.

Mark, assisting Old Tate, glanced at him and smiled.

“No need to be nervous. We’re just recording your information so we can assign you work later.”

Not for easier human trafficking?

Joel opened his mouth, then simply nodded.

“Name, age, gender, family members. Any skills?

“Cooking, herding, farming—anything you can think of.”

Joel answered each question, finally marking his home’s location on a map of Emerald Heart.

Watching Mark carefully write everything down on the precious parchment, Joel felt something stir in his chest—something he couldn’t quite name.

Kun had transplanted a registration system from another world, but people here lived simple lives. One sheet of parchment was enough.

“All set.”

Mark handed him a wooden tag with the number “7” on it.

“Keep this safe. It’s your work card. Your daily work points will be recorded here. After work, you can exchange it for money.

“And remember—if you lose it, a replacement costs one copper coin. And you lose that day’s points.”

Joel quickly tucked the thin wooden tag away, checking his pocket repeatedly to make sure it wouldn’t fall out.

Breakfast was a large piece of black bread and some pickled vegetables.

But this bread was soft—steamed, not hard. No stones, no grit.

For the first time, Joel tasted something like real grain.

Maybe the baker was just skilled…

Or maybe—there wasn’t much bran mixed in at all?

No… that couldn’t be.

After breakfast, the teams split.

One group returned to the village to build houses and clean up waste.

The other, led by Dawn, headed toward the border of the Fengrao Domain and the Everdark Forest to cut timber.

Only then did Joel learn:

Free citizens could choose their work.

Slaves could not.

They went wherever they were assigned.

In the end, all three youths from Emerald Heart chose logging.

Simple reason—more work points, more pay.

As for Nia and Redo…

They were probably there for Dawn.

What if they got noticed and became warrior apprentices?

Joel knew the chances were slim.

But still—

What if?