Chapter 149: The Burning City
The remaining rioters looked at each other blankly, even beginning to suspect that the butcher had unwittingly been bought off by George. The butcher was known for his short temper and loyalty, having yelled for years, his voice rough and gruff. But now, he suddenly knelt down?
George turned his head and asked, “Do you have any objections to this decision?”
Since the ringleader had been quelled, the others didn’t have the courage to resist and all nodded. However, if one were to say they accepted the judgment, even a three-year-old child wouldn’t believe it.
Some clever ones were already thinking about how to escape amidst the chaos.
Jima stepped forward with a gleam in her golden eyes and said, “My lord, although they have agreed, not everyone values commitments as you do. So let us command them to swear before the great, glorious, and righteous God of Dawn and sign the contract under His watch.”
George looked at her, his blue eyes revealing difficulty. Jima guessed that contracts were not as easy to sign as one might think; otherwise, if God of Dawn had to witness such contracts every day, they would probably drive him crazy eventually.
But the rioters did not know this—they showed signs of fear. Seeing that this fearsome strongman, George, was silent, the now timid butcher asked the seemingly harmless and lovely Jima, “Beautiful lady, what is the deal with this contract?”
“If someone breaches the contract, the God of Dawn will deal with them. George, the last time you signed with that fat guy, he seemed to be some kind of gang leader, right?”
“Boss Fluris, the king of the underworld, head of all gangs.”
Without a hint of doubt, everyone believed that George had indeed signed a contract with Boss Fluris. As lower-class people, they had heard some gossip about Fluris’s reputation.
“He tried to be clever, found loopholes in the contract, and once the contract was completed, he flipped and sold me to the benefactor.” Jima said, “But smart people always think gods are fools. The God of Dawn got him, and his head was cut off and packed into a box full of lime—he couldn’t even save the benefactor.”
Many hearts sank, uneasy. The thought of finding loopholes had diminished considerably. They began to fear that George would use the contract to control them, treating them as slaves.
George swore, “I will do my best to guarantee your safety as long as you assist me in maintaining order until tomorrow evening.”
For some reason, despite their minds filled with prejudice, convinced that George was a frenzied and dangerous fanatic, after hearing his assurance, they all felt a strange trust.
Trust is the premise of order. Jima suddenly remembered something from a book that George had copied for her.
The ability of the paladin truly facilitates the rebuilding of order; no proof is needed, as long as one does not lie, others will believe in what they say.
However, interestingly, this trust is based on one’s own lies…
Next, with George’s tacit approval, Jima wrote the contents of the contract on a piece of paper while George held the divine emblem and prayed in place.
Jima handed the contract paper to the rioters and sternly pointed at George, who was half-kneeling on the ground, resting his forehead against the divine emblem, whispering prayers, saying, “Now, he has sought the attention of the deity; the God of Dawn gazes upon us from the dawn sky.”
Everyone present seemed to feel the “gaze of the deity.” The butcher felt a tingling sensation on his skin and hurriedly knelt down, murmuring, “I am guilty, I repent, I am guilty, I repent…”
Jima secretly laughed and said, “Why are you kneeling? Hurry up and sign, lest the deity gets annoyed and angry, wielding the blade of the blazing sun and strikes you down.”
The rioters immediately rushed to press their red thumbs onto the contract paper. After they finished, Jima satisfactorily retrieved the contract paper and said, “Good, now George is communicating with the deity; He is checking your sins to see if you are worthy of redemption.”
Everyone looked towards the softly praying George with trepidation. His indistinct murmuring sounded both mysterious and terrifying in their ears. Afraid that if George uttered one bad word about them, they would attract the wrath of the descending sun and be reduced to ashes.
“May the Lord forgive my deception; I must act flexibly today…” George continued to murmur.
Jima handed the contract paper to George. “Alright, take a look.”
George took the contract paper, which resembled scrap paper, and quietly said, “Is this really okay, lying like this?”
Jima quietly replied, “They should thank us.”
At that moment, the butcher asked, “My lord, will your god burn us?”
George shook his head. “No.”
The tense rioters immediately relaxed, their faces breaking into smiles.
“Thank you.”
The butcher felt that George must have said something good, otherwise, he, who had previously wronged his sister-in-law, would probably have turned to ash on the spot.
“Thank you, my lord!”
“We will definitely repent properly.”
The others felt somewhat the same way.
Jima tilted her head, looking triumphantly at George: “Hmph.”
George’s mood was extremely complicated as he asked, “Do you want to follow me to maintain order and punish the rioters?”
“Yes!”
No one lied.
“Let’s go. Later, I’ll find each of you a stick to use for self-defense.”
“Uh-huh.”
Jima pretended to cough lightly, and George seemed to see her tail perk up.
“Jima, well done.”
“That’s more like it.”
George walked towards the abandoned cart and without saying a word, punched it, breaking it apart, and pulled out wooden planks with his bare hands, handing them to the former rioters, now temporary constables. After receiving their makeshift weapons, they set off under George’s lead.
George held a massive sword, its tip shining with white light, illuminating the shadows on the street. Jima led a celestial warhorse, shoulder bearing the flag of the sanctuary, followed by eight men holding wooden sticks.
Ahead of them was the blazing Shalin City. Orange flames burst forth between buildings, lighting up the sky, accompanied by the sounds of clamoring and fighting.
Shalin City was burning.
…
…
The river next to the Round Lake was already crowded.
In Shalin City, the river was the main passageway.
In the distance, someone poured oil into the river and set it ablaze, with flames soaring into the sky. Although most of the river had not caught fire, the flames were enough to destroy the fragile order, and no one thought about waiting in line. All the boatmen strained with bamboo poles to push their boats forward, crowding together. The small boats became crammed, completely filling the river, rendering even one boat stuck.
People eager to escape simply jumped from one boat to another. Some boats were packed to the brim with people, who pushed and shoved one another. Many fell into the water, reaching out from between the boats to grab onto the edges or clutching at each other’s feet, dragging them down into the water together.
Screams and splashes rose and fell in succession.
The benefactor’s flower boat squeezed into the waterway. Soldiers stood at the bow holding weapons, shouting below, “Clear the way! Clear the way!”
But how could they clear the way?
“My lord, it’s already completely blocked.”
A soldier replied.
The benefactor, Brancy, had an expressionless face, a bit pale, and the right hand of the demon, which had been severed, was already reattached. The firelight illuminated his face, giving him an imposing presence without anger.
“Blocked? Isn’t it wide down there?”
Brancy pointed forward. Standing on the high deck of the boat, he could not see the people who had fallen into the water, nor the small boats beneath his own.
“But…”
“Tell the rowers to paddle with all their strength! I must ensure the safety of the guests; we have already disappointed the guests and cannot let them be disappointed again; otherwise, Shalin City will have no chance left.”
“Yes!”
Under the flower boat, gigantic oars extended from both sides, like a giant beast sprouting two rows of legs. The oars dropped and struck the small boats, forcefully pushing them aside, causing the unbalanced individuals to fall into the water—some unfortunate ones were struck by the oars and sank.
The tall flower boat maneuvered through the crowded river like an icebreaker, crushing the boats in its path. People jumped off their boats, striving to swim towards the shore to escape this giant beast. With the benefactor’s boat forging the way, the noblemen’s pleasure boats had an easier time following closely behind the benefactor’s flower boat.
“Help me!”
“Run!”
“Ahh!”
Wails and cries for help echoed from below the boats.
Benefactor Brancy turned a deaf ear, his gaze anxiously focused on the direction of the port. Flames rose to the sky there, boats were burning furiously, blocking the port and contributing sixty percent of the city’s flames; the remaining forty percent was mostly contributed by the ports in the noble district.
Thinking of the port that brought wealth to the entire city burning, Benefactor Brancy’s brows were furrowed.
“My lord, we received word from the city gate that a group of rebelling slaves intends to attack the city gate.”
Chamberlain Zhang reported, “The troops at the city gate have already recovered from the chaos, but casualties are heavy and need reinforcements.”
“Order them to retreat to the noble district and defend the bridges for me.”
“But that would let those brutal slaves into the city.”
“Protect the noble district at all costs. The other areas can be burned and rebuilt,” Benefactor Brancy said. “Are there any other troops recovering from the chaos?”
“There are; they are working hard to maintain order.”
“Order them to fall back to the noble district as well.”
“But…”
“Zhang.” Benefactor Brancy’s tone turned cold. “You have already disappointed me once today.”
“I’m sorry; I won’t let you down again.”
Benefactor Brancy looked at Chamberlain Zhang’s single eye, his tone softened as he sighed, “I… don’t blame you; the brave George is too strong; we are just at the beginning of our golden age and have been busy with matters of state.”
Chamberlain Zhang lowered his head in guilt.
“Let your soldiers first rescue their families and settle them in the barracks; it happens to be close to the noble district, making it convenient for defense.”
“Thank you.”
“What about Boss Fluris?”
“He has disappeared.”
“I misjudged; I didn’t expect those underground rats to dare lay hands on Shalin City.”
Benefactor Brancy looked pained as he tightened his grip on the railing.
At that moment, the sound of the flower boat grinding a flat-bottomed boat in half came from below.
Chamberlain Zhang rather comforted him, “It’s the Shadow King who is too cunning; Fluris has the heart of a thief but lacks the courage; he probably switched places.”
“Pass my orders down; you go personally.”
“Benefactor, does Shalin City still have a chance of salvation?”
“There is,” the benefactor said, “Tonight, I need your efforts and dedication.”
“I will do my utmost.”
With that said, Chamberlain Zhang immediately left. Behind him, Benefactor Brancy watched Zhang’s figure recede, shadows covering his face.
