Damn it, I brought people to
Bullshit. An article so transparently dishonest it was riddled with holes, yet the common folk of Morant City ate it up completely. Stirred up by instigators, they had all rushed in righteous fury to surround the Dostleg Grand Inn, screaming for those uncouth northern nobles to come out and die. When word spread that the Luoshanji Trading Company would give each participant five jin of coarse grain, even more people showed up. Even those who suspected the newspaper accounts were full of lies turned a blind eye — after all, there were far too many people in Morant City with nothing to do, and hanging around here for a day meant getting a few potatoes. Where else could you find such a deal?
Still, the Morant City commoners were at least somewhat well-behaved. Though they'd surrounded the Dostleg Grand Inn, they hadn't entered its grounds — they'd simply blocked every approach to the inn from all directions. Lorist personally witnessed the inn's procurement carriage being intercepted by the mob. The driver and the servant sent to buy supplies said something or other and ended up getting a thorough beating from the crowd.
Damn it — were they trying to kill us all here? It had been three days already, and the situation was only getting worse. The mob surrounding the Dostleg Grand Inn kept growing. Though the inn's carriages could still move in and out freely, they had to submit to the crowd's harsh inspections. In a few more days, those people outside would probably cut off the inn's food supply entirely, forcing Lorist and the others to fight their way out of the Dostleg Grand Inn by force.
Lorist glanced at the Hidden Gold Bay Gazette in his hand. It was normally a business paper covering maritime trade routes and commodity prices along the southern Gold Coast, but today its headline screamed: "Northern Savages Must Pay with Their Lives for the Dignity of Morant City's People!" The article was brimming with the arrogance and conceit of Morant City's self-proclaimed greatest people on earth, laced with a bloodthirsty killing intent — as if these barbaric northern nobles had committed an unforgivable sin by setting foot in Morant City.
Very well. I'll remember you, Hidden Gold Bay Gazette. Lorist crumpled the tabloid into a ball and tossed it into the wastebasket in the corner.
"What's wrong?" Count Kemais walked onto the balcony, looked at the besieging crowd, and went a bit pale. "There seem to be even more people today... How did the people of Morant City become like this? The Morant City I heard about before is nothing like what I'm seeing now."
"It's nothing." Lorist pressed his lips together. "Everyone who came here has something wrong in their heads. After the Glass War and the defeat of the
Now that the Forde Commercial Alliance has implemented the baronet system and they've been granted noble titles, they feel like salted fish that have flipped over — as though their status has suddenly become noble. Don't let their current arrogance fool you. Just because they have a noble title doesn't make them real nobles. When you hear about them committing shameless acts like harassing noble ladies in broad daylight, you'll know exactly what kind of people these Alliance-granted nobles are."
Count Kemais nodded in agreement. "True. You know what a shock I got on Triumph Avenue that day? Someone actually tried to harass a noble lady — and it was that young master of Marquis Bieji Shanluo, no less. My first thought was that this marquis must be a fraud. How could any real noble have such a low-class name? And when the young master was rejected, he actually ordered his bodyguards to seize the woman. Heavens — is this something a noble would ever do?
Even in the chaotic Iblia Kingdom, two noble families who are mortal enemies would still step aside and exchange polite greetings when they encounter each other's ladies on the street. That is the bearing and tradition of nobility. I never imagined I would witness something like this — it's an absolute disgrace to the entire noble class! When I return to my family, I will declare that we do not recognize the noble titles granted by the Commercial Alliance. Being lumped in the same class as people like that makes me feel like I've stepped in dog shit. It's absolutely revolting..."
Lorist chuckled. Count Kemais himself was of merchant origin, but his father had purchased a baronetcy back in the days of the old Krisen Empire. Though it was merely an honorary title, Count Kemais had received a full elite noble education since childhood — and that was the real reason his family had been able to blend so seamlessly into the noble circles of the Iblia Kingdom after becoming landed nobility.
"Old friend, you still think you can go back to your family's territory? Look at these people around us — they want to keep us here, then spin this whole ugly incident however they like and broadcast it to the world. Didn't you see those reports in the papers yesterday? That brave and fearless young master is still lying in bed with his broken leg in a sling." Lorist deliberately tried to scare Count Kemais.
Sure enough, Kemais's face went even paler, his voice trembling slightly. "Is — is that really true? Locke, old brother, you can't be lying to me."
Lorist pointed at the fully armed inn guards below. "See those new guards who arrived yesterday morning? The Dostleg Grand Inn is a Miledas Family property. Their family has always controlled the hospitality industry of the Forde Commercial Alliance — they're immensely powerful. If they didn't sense the danger, would they have sent three hundred guards and a Great Swordmaster?
Old friend, you should consider yourself fortunate to be staying at the Dostleg Grand Inn. Here, your life is guaranteed. The Miledas Family will absolutely not allow the lives of their guests to be threatened by outside forces. As long as you don't step off the inn's grounds, they'll ensure your safety. So — do you still think the Dostleg Grand Inn's room rates are too expensive?"
Count Kemais finally let out a sigh of relief. "Not at all, not at all! It's worth every penny! I brought over a hundred thousand gold dollar notes with me. The whole group of us only spends about two hundred gold Forde a day. If it comes to it, we can stay here for a whole year. Let's see if those people out there can keep this up for that long!"
Lorist gave a bitter smile. This old friend was preparing to throw money at the problem to save his precious life again, without using his head to think about whether the mob outside would even let them stay here for a year. Wasn't that just a roundabout form of imprisonment? Even if he could stand it, the people downstairs couldn't.
"Use your head!" Lorist glared at him. "There's a mountain of affairs waiting back in the family's territory — who wants to sit in jail here with you for a year? What we need to do right now is break out as fast as possible, get back to the ship, and leave Morant City. Not sit here entertaining those fools outside. There are already ten to twenty thousand people surrounding the inn. If even more are incited, they'll become a mob. Do you really think a few hundred guards can hold back tens of thousands of rioters storming the inn?"
"Well said!" Baron
Baron Filim looked down at the besieging crowd with a grave expression. "Kemais, old friend, you stayed in the rear during the empire's civil war and never saw what a real mob looked like — so you can't imagine how fierce and cruel they can be when they erupt. During the civil war, I witnessed tens of thousands of starving refugees storm a three-thousand-strong military camp for a mouthful of food. Half of them died, but all three thousand elite soldiers — along with the
Locke, I've been observing these commoners besieging the inn over the past two days. From the initial chaos and disorder, they've developed a certain structure by today. I've noticed that some people are organizing them. The commoners are also rotating in shifts — those who leave seem to have received a few potatoes, and those who arrive come empty-handed. At noon, someone even brings them food and drink.
This means the mob besieging the inn is being systematically organized. The more people who join, the more likely they are to be incited into storming the inn. When that happens, even the three hundred new guards and that Great Swordmaster won't be able to protect themselves, let alone us. We must break out as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unthinkable. We might all end up dead here!"
Lorist nodded. "You're right. There's no time to waste. I'll go find the chief steward of the Dostleg Grand Inn right away and have him prepare carriages for us. All male servants and guards will be fully armed, escorting alongside the carriages — only the ladies and maids will ride inside. Meanwhile, I'll find a way to slip out first and check on our ship, the North Sea, at the dock. If nothing's happened to it, we'll head straight for the ship after we break out. Once we're at sea, we'll be safe."
Count Kemais asked hesitantly, "Can you really slip through? There are so many people out there — they inspect every single carriage..."
"Don't worry. I spent ten years in Morant City. I know the accent and customs inside and out. Besides, I never went to Triumph Avenue with you all, so I've never been face-to-face with the other side. Apart from me, there's no one else suitable for this. Relax — I'll be back soon," Lorist said with a smile.
What Lorist didn't expect was that the chief steward of the Dostleg Grand Inn refused his request: "My lord, I cannot approve your going out. It's far too dangerous for you outside. As long as you remain within the inn, the Miledas Family will guarantee your safety. With Great Swordmaster Mak here, the mob outside cannot possibly break in."
"I greatly appreciate everything the Miledas Family has done for us. As leaders in the hospitality industry, your performance has been truly outstanding. However, my intention in going out is to end this farce as quickly as possible. The Peterson Trading Company and the Qiked Trading Company both have close business ties and personal relationships with our family. Though their presidents aren't currently in Morant City, I'd like to visit their local offices and write them a letter, asking them to send someone to mediate..." Lorist explained.
The chief steward hesitated. On one hand, Lorist's reasoning was sound and compelling. On the other, he too wanted to resolve this awkward situation as quickly as possible. If what Lorist said was true, the Peterson and Qiked Trading Companies were both among the Seven Giants — their influence and clout far exceeded that of the Miledas Family. The Marquis of Bieji Shanluo could afford to ignore the Miledas Family, but he would never dare oppose the Peterson and Qiked Trading Companies.
Great Swordmaster Mak, standing nearby, furrowed his brow. "My lord, we cannot escort you out. You must have seen how many rioters surround our inn. Asking us to fight our way out with you is simply beyond our ability — and I don't have the capability either. I may be a first-tier Great Swordmaster, but the Luoshanji Trading Company has sent a second-tier Great Swordmaster of their own. His name is Tang Homer..."
"Then I'll just disguise myself as a delivery driver for the inn and slip out with a supply carriage. That should do it."
"Ah?" The chief steward blinked. "My lord, you know how to drive a carriage?"
"Ha, of course. I studied at
"No wonder I always felt that you and your companions carried yourselves differently — more like true Morant City folk. So you grew up here. If my lord is willing to put yourself to some inconvenience, we can provide the carriage and clothes you need. I wish you success." The chief steward nodded.
When Lorist broke through the encirclement, he was unsurprisingly subjected to all manner of hassles. Not only was the carriage searched inside and out, but his entire body was patted down to check for hidden letters. Even the few small silver coins in his money pouch were confiscated. In the end, Lorist was kicked several times and told to get lost.
Driving the carriage, Lorist first went to the Peterson Trading Company, whose doors were tightly shut. He knocked and was let in, only to learn that the company's leadership had all returned to their own territory. They were busy constructing a pyramidal noble system with President Peterson at the apex, granting fiefdoms to every company executive and integrating territory development. It would be some time before they returned. Come to think of it, with the trade routes currently cut off, all of the Seven Giants were taking this opportunity to settle their rear bases first before returning to Morant City for their political maneuvering. Their company territories were their safety net, and they were paying extra attention to them.
Since the Peterson Trading Company couldn't help, Lorist left the inn's carriage there, requisitioned a company carriage instead, and headed for the dock. The sea was calm — the North Sea was moored safely at the pier. However, the captain and over a hundred sailors and crew members were stamping their feet in anxiety. They had long known about Lorist and his group being trapped in the Dostleg Grand Inn. If Remud hadn't been there to restrain them forcefully, the crew might well have charged into the blockade armed with swords and spears.
"What foolishness! You'd be throwing your lives away — worse, you'd be exposing our North Sea for nothing. When we finally break out, where do you think we'll go? Use your heads! You are warriors of the sea. On-land confrontations and conflicts don't need you acting on your own. Your greatest duty is to safeguard our route of retreat. It's only once we've boarded that you need to do your part!" Lorist reprimanded the captain and sailors, ordering them to begin preparations for immediate departure. From this point on, they were to maintain combat readiness at all times — the moment Lorist and the others boarded, they would set sail immediately.
"My lord, here are the files on the Luoshanji Trading Company, and here is the dossier on the Marquis of Bieji Shanluo. He is the chairman of the Alliance Parliament and president of the Luoshanji Trading Company. These are his public declarations advocating aggressive military expansion and punitive expeditions against other nations, and these are the eight tabloids that distorted the account of this conflict." As the
Lorist picked up the Luoshanji Trading Company files and began reading. Soon his eyes locked onto the address of the company's warehouses. "Remud, go prepare some things for me. Tonight, we're paying a visit to this location."
"Yes, my lord."
... (To be continued.)