Henry Clark nodded. It seemed that these were the two chief stewards of this Yellow Sand Town—one handling internal affairs, the other external. That’s the good thing about twins: everything comes in pairs.

“Tell me, what exactly is the situation here?” Henry Clark didn’t stand on ceremony, sitting directly on the ground, then patting a stone beside him, signaling for Grace to sit down as well.

Grace was taken aback. She had never seen such an unrestrained noble before—not even heard of one. For a moment, she even suspected that this lord might be an impostor. But she quickly dismissed the thought—who would be so reckless as to impersonate the lord of Yellow Sand Town? That would be a death wish.

Very soon, Henry Clark learned the general situation from Grace. In short, Yellow Sand Town sat on the edge of the largest desert sand sea—arid, with little rain, and scarce resources. The only way to make a living was to cross the mountains to the east, where the Elven Forest lay; heading in that direction, there was at least some hope of gain. There were some small magical beasts in the mountains that could be hunted, and some trees that could be felled. Basically, all the income here depended on these.

“I see.” Henry Clark gazed at the vast expanse of yellow sand in the distance and suddenly sighed, “If only it would rain here, that would be wonderful.”

“Yes!” Grace, having grown up here, naturally knew the hardships of this place. She sighed, “If only it would rain!”

As soon as Grace finished speaking, a drop of water landed directly on her face. Grace and the two maidservants looked up in surprise, only to find that the sky had suddenly turned dark, and then, white streaks of rain fell like a curtain from above, pounding the parched earth and kicking up clouds of muddy mist.

Chapter Six: Commanding Wind and Rain (Part 1)

“It’s raining!” After being stunned for a good ten seconds, Grace suddenly screamed in delight, her joy and excitement so intense that Henry Clark felt a jolt of anxiety, worried that her frail body might not withstand such wild movements.

Fortunately, the imagined scene did not occur. Still, the fact that rain started falling the moment the thought crossed his mind was so bizarre that Henry Clark couldn’t help but feel a bit unsettled.

The two mute maidservants and Grace were so happy they nearly jumped for joy. For as long as they could remember, it had never rained here. The only crops that survived did so because the land near the Elven Forest was slightly moist underground. Now, seeing rain fall so suddenly, they immediately fell into a kind of hysterical frenzy.

“Ah!” With her arms raised, feeling the raindrops fall, Grace suddenly cried out, “Oh no, those people over there have no shelter—what if they get soaked and fall ill?”

At Grace’s shout, Henry Clark understood as well. The sheds over there had roofs, but they were only for shade. In this damned place, where it hadn’t rained in decades, who would bother making sturdy roofs? Those old folks were already frail; if they got drenched in heavy rain, they’d surely fall ill.

“Hurry, help them all over here!” Henry Clark had no better idea, so he shouted and dashed over. Grace and the two maidservants hesitated for a moment, exchanged glances, and then quickly followed.

The rain wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t light either. Henry Clark grew anxious and couldn’t help muttering, “Rain slower, rain slower, don’t let people get soaked!” These kind-hearted people had given him their best houses and food just because he was the lord; Henry Clark didn’t want anything bad to happen to them.

Strangely enough, as soon as Henry Clark muttered this, the rain in the sky immediately lessened. If it had been a steady shower before, now it became a fine drizzle, with only the occasional drop falling, but the earth was still being gently nourished.

This change surprised Henry Clark, but even more so, it delighted him. He quickly ran to the sheds, only to see a large group of elderly people all standing outside, looking up at the sky, reaching out to feel the wetness of the raindrops, each one as excited as a child—crying and laughing at the same time.

“Hurry to the lord’s manor to take shelter from the rain!” Without further ado, Henry Clark shouted, rousing the excited elders.

“My lord!”

“My lord!”

As Henry Clark approached, the elders greeted him one after another, each bowing to him. Panting, Henry Clark pointed behind him and repeated, “Quick, go inside the lord’s manor to take shelter from the rain!”

“We can’t, my lord!” an old man immediately protested. “That’s your lordship’s manor. It may be a bit shabby, but how could we, the cursed ones, just go in like that?” As soon as he spoke, the other elders all chimed in, their voices a jumble, but not one of them moved toward the manor.

Grace and AmyDiana had also run over. Seeing this, they didn’t know what to say either. They stood in place, waiting for Henry Clark’s next instruction.

Watching as everyone’s tattered clothes became thoroughly soaked and their hair hung down wet, Henry Clark found himself unable to persuade these elders. Anxiously, he glanced at the sky and muttered, “Damn, it started raining before we were ready. It would be better if it didn’t rain at all!”