Chapter 169 Chapter 167 The Verdict (Part 1)
Shalin City.
The city was desolate, with few people on the streets, and charred remnants of burned ships still lingering in the waterways.
Compared to three days ago, when the Rainbow Festival was held in Shalin City, the current Shalin City felt lifeless, like a tomb imprisoning the living. Local residents wandered the streets in a daze. The once bustling and laughter-filled brothels were now tightly shut.
Only the taverns were crowded, as barrels of alcohol that had survived the disaster were carried by bartenders onto tables. Copper coins were exchanged for cheap drinks, poured into mouths to soothe the fear within.
A young man with red hair, a thick neck, and a tall, sturdy build squeezed onto a long bench with the patrons. He stared blankly at the noisy tavern, and when a cup of sour beer was set before him, he snatched it up, tilted his head back, and gulped it down. His hood fell back, revealing a neck wrapped in thick bandages.
After finishing, he tossed the cup onto the table, accidentally bumping into the nearby patron’s drink, splashing some liquid.
“Hey, you!”
The half-drunken patron turned angrily. But upon seeing the young man’s sword at his waist and the armor beneath his cloak stained with dried blood, he immediately froze.
In the tavern these days, there was no shortage of disgraced officers or nobles. They had all lost family or fortune, but they shared one thing in common: they were skilled at killing.
“Mom… Liss…”
The red-haired young man murmured to himself.
The patron quickly turned back, pretending nothing had happened.
Such hopeless individuals cared neither for their lives nor for others’. Just yesterday, many had been killed because of this.
The red-haired young man was Strun.
He had never thought he would one day drown his sorrows in such cheap drinks. But he had grown accustomed to it by now.
Under the influence of alcohol, Strun fell into a semi-drunken state.
In his haze, he saw that night three days ago, the noble district where he had lived his whole life engulfed in flames, the cart carrying his beloved overturned, and the guards around him falling to the ground, clutching their throats under attack from shadowy figures.
Around him, a group of rioters brandished weapons and shouted as they charged forward.
He swung his blade, using his armor to push through, searching for his beloved. At that moment, a flash of white light zipped by from not far away; it was a knight emanating a white glow, riding a white horse and clad in silver armor.
It was the brave George, the one who had plunged Shalin City into irreversible disaster!
“Help me!”
It was Liss’s voice. She crawled out from the window of the overturned cart, crying out for George.
The white light did not slow down; the surrounding rioters, those filthy men, surged forward.
Strun quickly fought his way over, shouting, “I’m coming!”
But Liss didn’t look back; she continued chasing the flickering white light. A shadow caught up to her, appearing behind her, and with a black short blade, struck.
Liss’s entire arm flew into the air. Against the backdrop of that white light, Strun saw it clearly.
Liss cried out, fell to the ground, and with her remaining hand, stretched desperately towards the distant white light.
The shadow grasped her soft brown hair, lifted her head, and raised the black blade.
“Save her! Please!”
But that white light vanished around the corner.
The black blade fell, piercing into Liss’s back…
“Bang!”
Strun’s strong fists slammed down hard on the table. The wooden cup filled with half a cup of sour beer jumped over ten centimeters high. He quickly caught it, stood up, and shouted at the bartender:
“Quick, calm this guy down.”
The bartender, a tall and burly man with a shaved head, had just thrown out a troublemaker. He turned around, revealing his black eyes, and glanced at Strun, who was still pounding the table. He pretended not to see anything and turned away.
The patron shouted, “Why don’t you take care of him?”
The bartender impatiently pointed to his black eyes, saying, “I did, this is the consequence.”
The patron immediately fell silent.
Half-drunk, Strun leaned on the table, crying out, mumbling:
“I’m sorry, I bragged again… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
The patrons at the same table quietly got up and left.
Suddenly, the tavern door was pushed open. A squad of soldiers in chain mail and blue cloaks rushed in. The squad leader shouted in a thick Deepwater City accent: “Quiet, quiet! We have an announcement!”
Under the bright glare of the blades, the entire tavern fell silent.
The squad leader took out a piece of paper and read the words on it aloud:
“Today, the Demon Lord Slayer, the Terror Warlord Decapitator, and the Brave One before the Temple will expose the crimes of the Great Benefactor colluding with the demons at the dock square. The mastermind behind the massacre in the military safe zone is him. Everyone who comes to watch will receive a piece of bread. Furthermore, he himself will announce the specifics of the abolition of slavery.”
The whole tavern grew quiet; everyone looked expressionlessly at the squad leader.
“You’re lucky to have the Temple’s Paladin here,” the squad leader said, “otherwise you’d all be dead by now.”
With that, he slapped the long sword at his waist and signaled for the soldiers to leave together.
As soon as the door was closed, the entire tavern erupted.
“So arrogant! If the Great Benefactor were here, these Deepwater City brats wouldn’t dare act up!”
“Damn that Paladin, he colluded with Deepwater City and shared the same pants as the slaves; now he has the audacity to slander the Great Benefactor?”
“The Great Benefactor can’t be the murderer!”
“It’s definitely the Paladin’s fault for standing by. I heard from my uncle that the Paladin knew the Terror Warlord was killing people and told it, ‘We won’t interfere,’ then just watched from the side until everyone died, even sending the Terror Warlord over to the Great Benefactor’s place afterward.”
Someone hesitated, saying, “Didn’t they say the Temple and demons are diametrically opposed? Plus, I heard from a friend in the White Sand District that the Paladin is protecting the White Sand District.”
Strun suddenly raised his head from the table, shouting at that person, “That guy is a hypocrite, just watching as people die! I saw it with my own eyes!”
The public opinion in the tavern tilted heavily against George. Everyone cursed him.
“He must have burned the rights of anyone who had contact with slaves. I heard when he was driven away, he didn’t forget to burn a magician.”
“He’s not even human!”
The anger in the tavern grew, and Strun slowly stood up, looking around at the furious crowd. He felt a surge of kinship, as everyone was a victim of some hypocritical and despicable hero.
He said:
“George wants to hold a trial, but we won’t let him have his way. Whoever has the guts, come with me to the dock square. I’ll take the lead and upend his trial table. Don’t be afraid to die; I’ll charge ahead, and that hypocritical guy won’t lay a hand on ordinary people.”
Given Strun’s “great achievements” these days in the tavern, many people rallied behind him, and a crowd began to swarm towards the dock square.
…
…
The dock square was the most spacious open space in Shalin City, aside from the surface of Round Lake.
The original execution platform, which had stood in the square, with gallows and stocks, had been removed. In its place was a wooden table covered with a white cloth, and a stack of wooden boxes piled together, resembling a wooden wall.
Jima, wearing a black veil and a brown hooded cloak, had herself covered tightly. She was sitting with her arms crossed, leaning back against the chair, crossing her legs, and expressionlessly watching as George busily moved the wooden boxes. The boxes collided with the “wooden wall,” creating a clattering sound of metal.
That was gold coins brought from the source of evil, the irredeemable Demon Lord’s treasury.
George was going to use her money to do something incredibly foolish: to judge the Great Benefactor and redeem the slaves.
Jima could hardly wait to see George fall flat on his face.
The crowd in the dock square grew larger and larger. Jima turned her head and glanced at the public; she caught sight of many people with green whirlwinds on their chests. Above the crowd, among the rainbow-colored clouds, the green cloud symbolizing anger was the brightest and most noticeable.
Jima could already foresee a large group of angry citizens not accepting the truth George provided, charging to the front, overturning the table, and pummeling. And George, unwilling to act against ordinary people, would have to push and shove while futilely explaining.
That scene would surely be very entertaining.
Jima was eagerly anticipating it.
George turned his head and steadied his helmet, saying:
“Jima, I didn’t expect you to come. I thought you’d be too busy preparing potions.”
“Our savior of Shalin City must redeem Shalin City; such a significant matter, how could I miss it?”
“You’re lying again, Jima.”
“Then I’ll just speak the truth,” Jima spread her hands and said, “I’m here to watch the show; the scene of angry citizens of Shalin City storming the trial stage and snatching the gold coins will definitely be quite a spectacle.”
“Don’t misuse your extraordinary abilities.”
“I certainly won’t make trouble,” Jima replied. “I’m just here to watch the play. By the way, if you can’t control the situation and don’t want bloodshed, you can come to ask me for money, and I can extinguish the anger in their hearts in no time. My price isn’t high—only fifty to sixty thousand gold coins.”
George chuckled, “Alright, I’ll definitely hire you then.”
“Just don’t be stingy with the money when the time comes,” Jima said, “I’ll just stand by and enjoy watching you get all flustered.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Jima continued to stand by with her arms crossed.
An hour later, the square was packed with noisy crowds. The soldiers from Deepwater City were impatiently using their long spears and wooden sticks to maintain order, and quite a few heads had gotten a few hits before they settled down.
However, the soldiers could only guard with a little over forty men, while at least ten thousand people had gathered in the square.
Jima yawned, looking at the vibrant green cloud above the heads of the crowd, her tail beginning to itch.
She wanted to playfully stir it up a bit, to provoke the anger in the hearts of the people. That chaotic scene would surely be amusing.
But she swiftly glanced at George, who was fully armed and tall, and withdrew her thoughts.
George picked up a metal hammer and struck the table forcefully:
“Dong!”
The surface of the table sank into a pit, and the huge sound silenced the noise of the crowd in an instant.
George said, “I announce that the verdict begins!”
