Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

Professor Wayne closed his book, wiped the blackboard clean, and smiled while holding the textbook: "Baron Campbell, I look forward to teaching you again next time."

Hastur stood up and gave a slight bow: "Professor Wayne, just call me Hastur. A teacher who earnestly imparts knowledge deserves the respect of every student."

Professor Wayne nodded and left with a smile.

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Hastur did not leave immediately but sat in the empty classroom for a while longer.

Today's lecture had been quite rewarding for him.

Professor Wayne hadn't merely recited from the textbook but began by discussing the birth of law, and the fairness or unfairness of legal systems.

He even said, "There is no such thing as the fairest law, only the most suitable law."

Such insight, unbound by the times, was truly rare.

Of course, it was also possible that this was one of Emperor Roselle's famous sayings.

Click.

Hastur took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, the watch showed that it was already past noon, time to get lunch.

A perfect chance to try out the campus cafeteria at Backlund University.

Listening to a lecture and then going to eat; this gave Hastur a nostalgic feeling, like a dream of returning to his own university days.

Putting away the pocket watch, he stood up and walked out of the classroom, spending over ten minutes walking through the teaching buildings and staff dormitories before arriving at a student-favorite cafeteria.

Hastur glanced at the prices inside, it was generally much cheaper than food outside. As expected, students were a cherished group no matter the world.

For only 10 penny, Hastur enjoyed a sumptuous lunch with fish, steak, and vegetables.

The only pity was, there was no rice here either.

After lunch, Hastur took a stroll around Backlund University, getting a preliminary sense of the campus scenery of this era.

Leaving the university gates, he spent another 6 penny to take a carriage to the courthouse where criminals were tried in Backlund.

There was nothing more suitable to pass the afternoon than watching a trial and sentencing process.

As a baron, Hastur naturally didn't need to pay any extra fee to attend a court session.

He was quite pleased with that.

Many others shared the same idea as Hastur, most were nobles of a certain age, particularly noblewomen, who had little else to do outside of afternoon teas and social gatherings.

This was easy to understand; people who spent all day worrying about their next meal wouldn't waste their time on something so seemingly pointless.

Hastur's arrival caught the attention of many noblewomen, who began casting assessing glances his way. Some of the bolder ones had already begun whispering among themselves.

Fluffy golden hair, tall and strong build, handsome features, a gentle and polite smile, and a youthful face just starting to mature with a touch of boyishness.

Such a young and charming youth wasn't just liked by young girls, the noblewomen too, found this type quite attractive.

Faced with increasingly unabashed gazes, Hastur tried hard to maintain a proper smile, chose to sit in the back corner, then slightly turned his body and stared at the simple patterns on the wall, trying his best to avoid those burning stares.

After sitting for about ten minutes, a scent mixed with rose perfume drifted over and approached him. Hastur's lips twitched slightly as he tried to ignore the noblewoman who had boldly chosen the seat next to him.

The noblewoman stared at Hastur for a while. Seeing that he had no intention of initiating conversation, she asked, "Good afternoon, sir. May I ask the time? I'm afraid I might accidentally miss the 3 o'clock tea party with Countess Morley."

As she spoke, she showed a somewhat apologetic yet proper smile.

"Of course."

Hastur took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and said, "Esteemed madam, it is currently 1:40 in the afternoon."

"Really?"

The noblewoman leaned her upper body slightly toward Hastur, deliberately brushing against his shoulder. She slowly took a glance at the silver pocket watch in Hastur's hand, studied the hands for a good two or three seconds, then leisurely sat back in her seat.

Hastur's clenched fist quietly loosened a bit.

He naturally understood the noblewoman's intentions, but as a nobleman of Loen, he couldn't act discourteously.

Moreover, the lady had at least started by asking for the time instead of making a crude joke or touching him directly.

That counted as relatively polite behavior, so he naturally couldn't refuse such a reasonable request.

Still, being flirted with like this made him a bit uncomfortable.

He was not Emperor Roselle, blessed with superb adaptability and a strong gift for socializing.

"Thank you for your generous answer. May I have the honor of knowing your name?" she asked gently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hastur Campbell."

"Oh my, you're the only son of Voltaire Campbell?"

The surprised tone made Hastur's expression stiffen slightly, and he nodded.

Seeing that the charming young man beside her was indeed the heir of the once-declining baronial family, the noblewoman's smile deepened, and the look in her eyes grew even more passionate.

"I remember your father very well. If you ever face any inconvenience in life, I'd be more than happy to offer a little help."

The noble lady spoke and then revealed her name and background—Germani, a countess.

To this, Hastur merely offered some polite words of refusal while staring intently at the judge who had just appeared, adopting a posture that clearly indicated he did not wish to continue the conversation.

Seeing that Hastur was somewhat guarded against her, Lady Germani covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh, her gaze growing more fervent.

Compared to those bed companions who could be summoned at will, teasing this freshly blossoming youth was far more in line with her interests. Witnessing and guiding a boy's journey from innocence to maturity—what an interesting thing that would be.

Now that she knew Hastur's background, she was in no hurry.

After all, this was a courtroom for judging criminals, a place that was, in a sense, quite sacred.

With the judge's arrival, everyone present ceased their whispering so as not to disturb the solemnity and sanctity of the courtroom.

The judge delivered a brief opening statement, declaring that his rulings would be based entirely on the written laws of Loen, free of any bias, and carried a sense of sanctity.

Then the prosecution's lawyer began presenting the accusations. The defendants were usually farmers working on manors, unemployed individuals without jobs, or servants working in noble households...

These people generally could not afford a lawyer and came here merely to go through the formalities, awaiting the judge and jury's verdict.

Of course, some defendants would plead their grievances and hardships, hoping to garner sympathy, which might earn them a chance at being acquitted.

Here, unless the crimes were particularly heinous, the outcome often depended on the judge's and jury's likes or dislikes.

Being good-looking was a significant external advantage.

Faced with likable defendants, these noble ladies would often display their kind and merciful side, speaking up in defense of the accused. If enough voices joined in, the judge might render a more lenient verdict.

On the other hand, if the defendant was especially ugly, even uttering a single curse word might result in a death sentence.

There was a classic case in which a man had merely gone out with a weapon at night without committing any actual crime, yet was sentenced to death by unanimous decision of the judge and jury.

Their justification: A normal person without any malicious intent would never go out with a weapon at night, only thieves would do that. And for a caught thief, hanging was the most fitting end.

Logical and convincing.

Hastur simply listened quietly, taking note of the specifics of these rulings.

Most of the accusations were straightforward: farmers being sued for failing to fertilize or weed in time, or for slacking off during work, resulting in poor crop yields.

The unemployed were generally arrested for petty theft, robbery, and similar crimes—there was rarely any real injustice in their cases.

Servants working for nobles might have stolen something, broken something valuable, or simply offended a noble.

The first type of defendant typically wasn't seriously punished. As long as they could describe how hard their lives were, seven or eight out of ten would be acquitted. This was the main way noble jurors satisfied their sense of compassion.

The second type—if the theft was proven—would almost always face the death penalty, regardless of the value of the stolen goods.

In their view, even being a beggar was more redeemable than being a thief or a robber.

The third type of case was more complex.

Nobles didn't always get along with each other, and verdicts in such cases were usually left to the judge's discretion—perhaps monetary compensation, perhaps jail time, or perhaps even execution, unless another noble intervened forcefully.

As time passed, the court session drew to a close.

One particular case left the deepest impression on Hastur.

A farmer was sentenced to hanging for cutting down a small tree in a plantation, setting fire to a corn pile, and injuring a horse and a cow.

In a world where hanging was the baseline punishment, this was not unusual.

But the judge's reasoning was this: Corn and cattle could be replaced with money, but trees could not—because the loss of a tree was irreparable, the perpetrator must pay with his life.

At that moment, Hastur nearly lost control of his expression.

To think that cutting down a small tree would be judged more severely than burning corn or injuring livestock!

Did the nobles of Loen really value life so much?

Or was it the influence of the Earth Mother, who taught that all life was precious?

Then why execute people for mere petty theft? Did those lives not matter?

Respecting life while also disregarding it. This was an era where savagery and civilization intertwined.

That was the only conclusion Hastur could come to.