Chapter 167 Chapter 165 Rebuilding Shalin City
On the terrace of the charred mansion of the great benevolent master, the captain from Shalin City was discussing with George how to deal with Shalin City.
Jima was leaning on the railing on the other side, her profile facing the sun as she looked towards the port of Shalin City.
Ships from Deepwater City crashed through the burning, smoking vessels and docked at the pier. Troops of soldiers disembarked, driving the crowds back home; the remaining defenders surrendered en masse, while those who had rioted last night were driving away with carts laden with loot towards the city gates.
Despite the ongoing chaos, the soldiers of Deepwater City did not continue to plunder and burn. As time passed, restoring order was a predetermined outcome.
Behind Jima, George’s voice could be heard discussing matters with the captain of Deepwater City.
“…Although the slaves have revolted and killed many innocent people, I believe there’s no need to capture and judge them; let them escape…”
The captain of Deepwater City nodded.
Jima rarely agreed with George.
“…I do not wish to cooperate with the nobles of Shalin City, as they are all slave owners.”
The captain of Deepwater City said:
“Lord Hero, while your kind principles are admirable, our soldiers have fought fiercely at sea against stubborn foes, and now they must bleed for Shalin City to stabilize the situation. We do not know much about the local situation, and if we do not cooperate with some enlightened nobles, our work will likely be very difficult.”
George replied, “Your Excellency, I am no longer a hero. Furthermore, you lied just now; please speak honestly. If even a single lie is mixed into a long sentence, to me, the entire statement becomes meaningless noise.”
The voice from the captain’s side fell silent for a moment.
Jima couldn’t help but smile; he really wasn’t giving any face. But that was also the habit of a virgin, or one might say, the habit of the Holy Order.
George continued:
“Just speak plainly.”
The captain said:
“Even though we have conquered Shalin City, our military expenses are immense. It seems inappropriate for you to expect us to pay for your sense of justice, does it not?”
“If I hadn’t killed the Fearsome Demon, you might have to pay for your soldiers’ coffins.”
“You make a valid point. However, we do not wish to pay.”
If you won’t pay, then you can die.
Jima thought to herself, if she were in George’s shoes, she would threaten in that manner, sparing no effort in her destructive capabilities. Burn a few ships, kill all the officers except the captain, drive off the soldiers, then escape when tired, hiding away, and after regaining strength, continue the destruction.
Jima quite liked this method of demanding payment.
“It’s alright; I can unlock the Demon King’s treasury today,” George said, “The loot and extortion of Demon King Jima will pay for the justice of Shalin City.”
I knew it… Jima’s facial muscles twitched slightly.
The captain replied, “I’ve heard that the Demon King’s treasury is sealed. We need to organize manpower to dig through the mountain to access the gold inside.”
“Jima can unlock the treasury.”
“Are you joking? Isn’t the Demon King already dead at your hands?”
“Jima is a victim of her, one of the few remaining survivors of Demon King Jima. The knowledge of the treasury has been infused into her mind, turning her into a human key.”
The captain addressed Jima, “Hello, miss. You are the most beautiful key I have ever seen.”
Jima felt no enthusiasm for those who were about to enjoy her hard-earned wealth. She remained silent, continuing to gaze upon the city.
George said, “She’s been in a bad mood all along.”
“I can see it. Her clothes are soaked with blood and have dried out. She must have gone through a brutal battle last night,” the captain remarked. “Benedict, come here quickly! Ride a swift horse and call the maid from the ship to find her some fitting clothes.”
“Yes, sir!”
The captain said, “Your Excellency George, we agree with your stance on not collaborating with the local nobles. Do you have any other requests?”
“I hope that once the dust settles, you can gather as many residents as possible. I want to publicly announce the crimes of the Great Benevolent Master and declare the abolition of slavery, releasing the slaves through a redemption process.”
“We will do our best; your judgments will greatly help us in taking over Shalin City. Do you need a lawyer or a bard to assist?”
“I only hope you can restrain the soldiers and not rush the residents. Otherwise, when they witness the event, they might unleash their anger upon me and affect my credibility.”
“Haha, I won’t let that happen,” the captain laughed. “Anything else?”
“Nothing more; I only hope you can bring stability to Shalin City.”
“We plan to build a temple dedicated to the God of Dawn in Shalin City. The residents you saved will surely thank you for sending the divine to help. Can you inform the Holy Order to send priests here?”
“No need; I do not require the gratitude of the residents, and the Holy Order has no plans to preach that far away.”
The captain said, “What a pity.”
The pity was in not being able to cling to the Holy Order’s legs, Jima speculated.
The captain continued:
“Since the discussion has concluded, and you are covered in blood and dirt, you should wash yourself and change clothes. Look around; there’s a large area of luxurious mansions all burning down. Aside from that, there’s no suitable place in all of Shalin City to host you. If you don’t mind, you can be a guest on my ship.”
The captain’s cabin also served as the reception room, lavishly decorated and spacious, akin to a moving luxury lounge, a stark contrast to the cramped sailors’ quarters.
“No need; an ordinary inn will suffice.”
The captain said:
“Your personally coming aboard my ship is a kind of statement; I need that kind of acknowledgment.”
George replied:
“Are you trying to profit under the name of the Holy Order?”
“Of course not.”
“Then I agree.”
With the captain’s laughter, the negotiations came to a successful conclusion in a friendly and harmonious atmosphere.
A group of people covered their noses and mouths as they descended from the terrace. At the main entrance of the building lay a pile of half-burnt corpses of muscular men. All were battle-hardened, and no one showed any signs of discomfort.
As soon as they exited the building, Jima noticed that there were quite a few soldiers cleaning up the battlefield in the Great Benevolent Master’s mansion.
A sudden scream rang out from within the building.
The officers drew their swords simultaneously, while George hefted a great blade and proceeded directly toward the direction of the scream. The group followed him and found a Deepwater City soldier lying on the ground, screaming loudly.
His comrades, about five or six of them, were desperately holding him down, three of them pressing his right arm while struggling to pull away a massive, centipede-like creature from his arm.
The captain asked in a deep voice, “What kind of monster is this?”
Everyone could see the centipede-like creature. It was covered in a grayish-brown chitinous shell and bore nearly a hundred legs, with sharp tips that pierced through the soldier’s chainmail ** and embedded themselves into his arm.
Two more soldiers arrived and grabbed its tail, pulling with all their might. The legs embedded in the flesh were violently torn out as the creature’s head clamped tightly onto the soldier’s shoulder, refusing to let go.
The injured soldier cried out in agony:
“It hurts so much; you’re going to rip my shoulder apart!”
One soldier drew a shiny steel knife, swung it, and struck the creature’s straightened body.
With a sound of metal colliding, the steel knife was actually deflected, leaving only a white mark on the creature’s shell.
George stepped forward, shouldering the great blade and declared, “I’ll handle this.”
“Wait!” the captain called out, “It should be a living extraordinary item.”
Next to the soldiers lay a large heap of charred flesh, covered with burnt mushrooms, with a fresh hole on the surface of the meaty lump.
Jima’s eyes lit up, driven by greed, and said:
“It’s the right arm of the Great Benevolent Master!”
Extraordinary items can form after the death of extraordinary beings, and they are one of the primary sources of extraordinary items in the world—very precious.
George said, “Saving the person is the priority.”
Saying that, he stepped forward, set down the great blade, and shouted, “Step aside!”
The captain personally positioned himself in front of George, requesting a share of the trophy.
The speed was so fast it made Jima clench her teeth; she also wanted this trophy.
Although it was grotesque, its use would surely diminish her charm, and it didn’t match her affinity. But just seeing something rare made her want it.
In the end, George agreed to the captain’s request.
The unfortunate soldier endured torment from the centipede monster for ten minutes before it was carefully removed, coiled up, and stuffed into an iron box. It awaited exploration for its practical use.
After this minor disturbance.
The group continued toward the pier to prepare for departure.
The captain regrettably informed George that they had only prepared one warhorse.
Jima, out of her principle of “treating animals well,” said she could ride alone and did not want to share a mount with George, since George could summon a celestial warhorse.
Unfortunately, when George just summoned the celestial warhorse, the all-white horse immediately lay down on the ground, twitching its legs and emitting pitiful whines.
George said, “It seems Old Bai hurt his knee yesterday and wants to rest a bit more.”
The celestial warhorse nodded.
“Wait, he really is called Old Bai,” Jima said. “So you lied to me; I indeed called the right name.”
“You clearly called him Big White.”
In the end, the celestial warhorse got the rest it desired.
Jima rode with George, while the captain and the officers wisely distanced themselves, chatting among themselves not far away.
These guys all thought I was in a romantic relationship with the virgin.
Jima felt displeased and slapped George on the neck, saying:
“George, for the sake of my reputation, could you clarify our relationship?”
“Sure.” George turned his head and said to the captain, “Your Excellency, hello, the relationship between Jima and me is purely platonic.”
All the men revealed meaningful smiles, and the captain nodded with a grin, “Your Excellency George, we certainly understand that your relationship is very pure.”
What kind of operation is this?
Jima covered her small face with both hands.
Laughter erupted from the men nearby.
George said, “Jima, I clarified it.”
“You’re making it worse.”
“Huh? They’re just telling the truth.”
“They misunderstood and thought you and I were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship,” Jima, fearing George wouldn’t understand, lowered her voice and said, “The kind that has sexual relations.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll clarify that we haven’t shared a bed,” George said, turning his head to look at the captain.
Jima’s heart jolted; she hurriedly said, “Good brother, don’t clarify anymore.”
“Why?”
“There’s no why! How can you clarify like that?”
“But shouldn’t clarifying be straightforward?”
“Idiot! You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”
George turned his head and muttered, “Women are really strange.”
Heh, you’re the woman.
