Lord of Arcane

Chapter 3241 Double Standards for Law-Abiding Citizens
"Oh? Really? If you have, just tell me. I'll solve whatever I can for you first, so that it doesn't turn into a big problem later."

"Really not! Lord, ever since the old lord showed up in the north, those opposing voices disappeared instantly. There is no obstacle to the integration of the territory. This is true."

"I see!"

Shado suddenly realized that it was because Epps had gone to the north. This was not surprising. Before, those who hindered the integration of the two places in Savile Territory were basically middle and low-level people. They did not oppose it openly, but delayed and obstructed it in various ways.

In order to appease the people and the followers left behind by Epps - who are actually Nia's elders, Shado would not instruct Leighton to use overly drastic methods.

It can only be done bit by bit, but things are different after Epps comes forward. The fundamental reason why those opponents oppose the integration of the two places is that they are afraid of losing the little power in their hands, but they are using Epps' name.

For example, protecting the territory left by the old lord, protecting the heritage of the Savile family, and so on, all kinds of high-sounding reasons.

But when the old lord Epps that those people were talking about really appeared, those people were dumbfounded. It turned out that the old lord was not dead, but was still alive and well. And the most important thing was that the old lord actually supported the integration of the territory.

So what are they objecting to?
This scene is quite funny, as if “Your Majesty and I are ready to fight to the death, why did you surrender first?”
In fact, the reason why the opponents had to wait for Epps to come forward before they gave up was largely due to the benevolence and orderliness that Shado had shown from the time he expanded his territory to the present.

There is no need to talk about benevolence. Just look at the Code of Daxia and you will know that there is no place in the whole of Netheril or the entire main plane that is more benevolent than the Daxia Territory.

Lawfulness is not only about building an order for others to follow, but also about obeying this order oneself. The latter is especially unique in Netheril.

Other lords of Netheril would also make laws for their subjects, and some of them seemed to really matter, but they themselves would never take those laws seriously and firmly believed that those laws were only used to rule their subjects, not to restrict themselves.

This also led many lords of Netheril to apply their own ideas to their attitude towards the Seventon Covenant, and they ran into a wall, but this also further caused them to trample on their own laws even more severely in their own territories.

It's like "whatever authority you don't get in one place you must make up for in another place."

Xia Duo was very disdainful of those people, not because they trampled on the law, but because those people could not even stick to themselves.

The reason why the lords trampled on the laws of their own territories was that they believed that the strong were right and the weak should obey the strong. But when they were faced with the Seventon Covenant, shouldn't they also agree with the underlying logic that the strong were right and obey firmly?

Why break the covenant?

Or are those lords so arrogant that they think the whole world must obey their orders?
Xia Duo felt that those people would not be so arrogant and stupid, so there was only one answer. When those people were strong, they believed that the strong were right and the weak should obey the strong.

But when they are the weak one, their attitude suddenly turns around. They believe that the strong should not be too harsh on the weak, and that any behavior of the weak should be taken care of.

The standard is so flexible that it highlights the fact that there is no bottom line and people think that what is beneficial to them is right.

If those people always firmly believe that the strong are right and the strong dominate everything, then they should regard the Seventon Covenant as the truth and dare not violate it.

If this were true, then Xia Duo might even look upon them with a higher regard.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. This is the fundamental reason why Xia Duo looks down on those people.

……

The reason why Xia Duo abides by the laws he makes is that, to a large extent, these laws are his own code of conduct. The so-called "code of conduct" of course refers to relatively stable and solid principles.

If a person doesn't even have basic principles, can he still be considered a human being?

So even though Xia Duo violated the law and no one could judge him, he still abided by the constraints of the law because this was a process for him to practice his own principles.

At the same time, he also knew that although many ordinary people in Netheril believed in the authority of the law due to their beliefs, even when the lord himself did not abide by this set of rules.

But society will always continue to develop, and ordinary people will sooner or later realize that lords are not a necessary condition for the development of civilization, and can be completely abandoned. Once the chains on their minds are unlocked, they will inevitably pursue the collapse of the shackles in reality.

What choice should the lord make in this situation? Repress firmly to maintain his rule? Or follow the trend of history and return power to the people?
If it were the most traditional Netherese lord, he would probably choose the latter, but now is not the time when Netheril was just born, and the ideas of many lords have changed. They believe that their duty is not to protect their people, but that the people should naturally obey them, support them, and serve them like slaves for generations.

Xia Duo doesn't think of himself as a superman, he is just an ordinary person. He is also worried that he will change his mind one day, so he has been preparing for the future from the beginning.

It is possible that one indulges himself all the time and then suddenly wakes up and becomes restrained one day. However, compared to staying sober and restrained from the beginning, the latter is obviously easier to achieve.

This is what Xia Duo is doing now.

……

In Netheril, many ordinary people choose to believe in and obey the authority of the law because of their faith. A lord breaking the law himself will not change people's views on the law, but what if the lord himself also obeys the law?

Obviously that would make the law more authoritative.

Even in an era of enlightenment, such existence will not undermine the authority of the law. On the contrary, those lords who do not abide by the laws they make will probably face the biggest crossroads in their lives.

In the vast land of Daxia Territory and Savile Territory to the north, the authority of the Daxia Code is unquestionable, although the current people still retain many backward ideas from the old times, such as the idea that mages are superior to others.

But the facts have also proved that even spellcasters dare not easily violate the laws of the territory. This can be seen from the proportion of cases involving spellcasters in the trial court.

Therefore, those who oppose the integration of the territories will not worry about what the law-abiding Shado will do to them as long as they do not clearly violate the law, even though Shado is also a superior wizard in the eyes of many of them.

But Xiaduo's compliance with the law does not mean that Epps will also abide by the law. At least in the eyes of those opponents, Epps is likely to ignore the law, which has a greater deterrent effect.

Therefore, when Epps came forward, those opponents immediately stopped their movements, because they knew that Chateau would not do anything to them, but the old lord would not tolerate them, and if they really angered the old lord, they would suffer the consequences.