Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

About twenty minutes later, people began to trickle in out of curiosity, wondering what these outsiders were up to.

When the number of onlookers surpassed twenty, Professor Wayne began his small legal education session.

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The onlookers were mostly elderly residents and some children who enjoyed the excitement. The real breadwinners of families hardly had time to come and listen to any lecture.

To them, this kind of leisure time was better spent working hard to earn a bit more money and eat a proper meal.

But there were always some idle adults who came along to join the crowd as well.

Professor Wayne didn't mind much and was tolerant even toward children who liked to make trouble.

"Do you think the reason you work hard every day and still often go hungry is your own fault, or is there another cause?"

Professor Wayne opened his mouth like a master of provocation.

"Pah! We work hard and earn a living with our own hands. How could it be our fault?"

"If it weren't for those nobles who own the factories sucking our blood, how could we possibly be living so miserably?"

"They'd rather donate large sums of money than raise our wages!"

"Our jobs have no security at all. They can fire us at any time and don't even have to pay us a single penny in compensation."

Professor Wayne's words successfully ignited the anger in their hearts. The voices of discussion grew louder, and more people gathered to watch.

Most of them were just using the opportunity to vent their daily frustrations, there were simply too many grievances to express.

Professor Wayne listened quietly and didn't interrupt. Only after they had vented most of their emotions did he speak in a calm tone,

"The reason you're in this situation isn't only because you're oppressed by wicked people, but also because you're too stupid and too ignorant."

This sparked a new wave of outrage.

Lecturer Fron looked sideways, puzzled, and gave Professor Wayne a glance. Weren't they here to teach some basic legal knowledge?

Why did it sound like they were here to get beaten up?

"We respect you, but that doesn't mean you can insult us at will!"

"You should apologize for your offensive words!"

Several braver adult men were already showing signs of becoming physically aggressive.

But Professor Wayne remained composed and said calmly, "Is there anyone among you who has ever studied the laws of the Loen Kingdom?"

"We don't even know all the letters, how could we possibly understand any laws?"

"Pah! The law is just a tool made by the powerful to oppress us!"

"Sir, are you joking? If we actually understood the law, the judges sitting in courtrooms shouldn't be those brainless curly-haired baboons."

This remark immediately drew loud laughter from the onlookers, who eagerly added several more jokes.

The gist was that all those in high positions were brainless curly-haired baboons, and even a puppet could do a better job sitting in their place.

Professor Wayne wasn't angered. He even used the charcoal in his hand to draw a curly-haired baboon on a blank wooden board, purposely hollowing out its brain.

The onlookers couldn't help but laugh again. Someone suggested, "Sir, they don't just lack brains, their limbs have also degenerated. Otherwise, why would they always ride in carriages to get around?"

Professor Wayne cheerfully accepted the suggestion and drew the brainless curly-haired baboon crawling on the ground.

This action instantly won him agreement from the crowd. The previously tense atmosphere greatly eased and even took on a bit of camaraderie.

After the crowd's laughter faded, Professor Wayne swept a glance over them and slowly said:

"So, are you willing to admit that you're being ruled and oppressed by a bunch of brainless, degenerate-limbed curly-haired baboons?"

The laughter stopped instantly, and many people's expressions darkened.

Of course, they couldn't admit they were worse than a curly-haired baboon.

Yet those nobles and big businessmen they saw as baboons truly held power over them and could order them around as they pleased.

After a while, someone stood up angrily and said, "They just happen to be in that position! If we were in their place, we'd definitely do a better job!"

Professor Wayne said blandly, "And then you'd become a brainless curly-haired baboon too?"

"…"

The man's face turned red, and he retreated into the crowd without another word.

Then another person stepped forward and said, "Sir, it's only because they're too cunning and we're too kind that we're destined to be bullied by them."

Professor Wayne still kept a calm tone and replied, "So you mean to say that as miraculous beings, you can't outthink a brainless curly-haired baboon?"

"…"

That person also blushed and withdrew into the crowd.

Several more unwilling to admit defeat stepped up to debate with Professor Wayne, but without exception, all received the same evaluation: worse than a curly-haired baboon.

Lecturer Fron laughed heartily and thought to himself: "If anyone could actually win a debate like this against a law professor, then Backlund University should welcome them to teach a course."

Once there were no more opposing voices, Professor Wayne sighed and said:

"Some people in high positions may indeed be more foolish than a curly-haired baboon, but most of those in power are very smart and very capable. Otherwise, the Loen Kingdom wouldn't have risen so quickly, and Backlund wouldn't have become the "Land of Hope" and "City of Cities"."

"Your curses and disdain may simply be emotional venting, but you must remember: never underestimate any group that stands above you. Admit your shortcomings, and don't let your own perspective limit you. Only then will you be able to see further."

"I came here today to give you a lecture because I want you to understand some basic laws, to broaden your awareness, and to help you realize what legal rights you should have."

Professor Wayne's calm and gentle tone made the onlookers quiet down involuntarily. Those eager to learn sat quickly in front of him, trying to hear more clearly.

Soon, the benches prepared by Hastur and Lecturer Fron were fully occupied. Some nearby residents even brought stools and chairs from their homes, forming a circle around Professor Wayne.

"Let me tell you a story first. Perhaps after hearing it, you'll gain some insight into the concept of law."

Professor Wayne knew that the residents of the dock area were mostly uneducated.

If he started with complex legal texts, they wouldn't understand, and might even begin to question everything.

Why are these laws made this way? They're obviously unreasonable. Must've been written by some curly-haired baboon on the toilet...

To make them empathize, he had to start from within their realm of understanding.

So, he prepared a story about a village.

...

There was a village nestled in the mountains.

They had never made contact with the outside world, believing that beyond the outer edge were just more mountains, and those mountains were full of beasts that ate people.

At first, the village had only a dozen or so households and about fifty people. Everyone knew each other well. They could tell which child belonged to which family and which woman was married to which man.

They lived a life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Things they didn't need were traded through bartering with others.

At that time, they might trade a pound of gold for a pound of potatoes, and sometimes couldn't even make the trade.

Because gold, apart from being pretty and good for decoration, had no other value.

But potatoes could fill a person's stomach and were naturally much more valuable than gold.

They lived this way for over a hundred years.

In that time, the village population multiplied several times. From less than fifty, it grew to two or three hundred.

The original village could no longer accommodate them, and nearby food supplies were insufficient. So they began expanding outward to open up new land.

With so many people, it became impossible to know everyone. Disputes began to arise during labor and food distribution. It was at this time that a village chief was elected.

This chief was a very wise man. He established many regulations and systems that benefited the village.

Regarding labor, he required every household to send strong laborers to go out and work the land.

When the harvest came, he distributed the food evenly among the villagers based on population.

This system was welcomed by all, as long as there was food in the village, no one would starve.

Another twenty years passed, and the village's population once again multiplied, from two or three hundred to over a thousand.

To obtain enough food, the villagers had to continue expanding outward and cultivating land.

By then, some villagers had grown old. They couldn't do heavy labor and stayed in the village doing simpler tasks like sewing clothes, making insoles, or washing laundry.

Even though their work was easier, they still received the same food distribution as the strong laborers. Initially, no one complained, since every household had someone working hard outside, and food was still sufficient.

Another twenty years passed. The village's population exploded again.

The teams sent to cultivate new land ran into trouble, a large river blocked their path forward, and they couldn't go any farther.

Food shortages began. Everyone started to go hungry.

At this point, the elderly, bedridden villagers still received the same food rations as the young, strong workers.

Naturally, the young and strong weren't willing to starve just to feed those who didn't work.

Tensions grew.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the wise village chief hastily introduced a new rule: families without young, strong laborers would no longer be included in food distribution, as they had contributed nothing to the harvest.

Those deprived of food, of course, were unhappy. They protested and wanted to survive, after all, in their youth, they had supported a generation of elderly too!

But they were no match for the young and strong. They were quickly suppressed and left to fend for themselves.

Another ten years went by. The village still hadn't found a new path beyond the river. Food supplies continued to dwindle.

The village chief had to make yet another announcement: anyone over fifty years old must venture into the beast-filled, dangerous mountains to find new land to cultivate.

In reality, it was a way to sacrifice these people and leave more food for the young and strong.

By this time, the village chief was also old. According to the village rules, he too could no longer receive food. But because of his contributions, no one openly opposed him.

But the village chief was wise. He knew that while he might die peacefully, his children might not become the next village chief.

So, thinking of his descendants, he came up with a new village rule called the "hereditary system."

All property and status in the family could be passed on to descendants.

Those without property or status naturally resented this rule. But the chief's authority still stood, and a sizable portion of people supported him.

They had no choice but to accept this unfair regulation.

Professor Wayne's story ended here.

"This story is only just beginning,"

Hastur whispered in his heart. He had already foreseen how the story would continue.