The Demon Beast Tide Erupts
"The governor has ordered that no one is permitted to enter the inner city without authorization in the near future."
The inner city guards blocked Lister and his men with their crossed halberds.
Many people around them stared at them with strange looks.
Since last week, the entire Jiangxia City has been on high alert, everyone curious to see if Lister and his strangely dressed group will be able to enter the inner city.
"I am an envoy from the Kingdom of Lucian to the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty. Please inform Governor Yang."
Upon hearing that they were foreign envoys, the group immediately softened their attitude. After discussing among themselves, they decided that one of them would go to inform the envoys while allowing Lister and his entourage to enter the city.
The inner city was even more densely populated at this time, and there were quite a few people sleeping on the ground with their bedding on the main street.
Many of them were poorly dressed and unkempt.
They were probably residents who originally lived in the outer city, and had some connections who got advance notice and entered the inner city, but that was about it.
Lister hurried towards the city center, and his status as an envoy allowed him unimpeded entry into the governor's mansion.
Since it was a brief meeting, Governor Yang did not receive them in the imperial court, but rather in the backyard of the government office.
When Lister led Rolf inside, there were already quite a few people there.
Assistant Commander Li and Marquis of Courage and Resolve were both in the backyard at this moment.
Governor Yang was dressed in a scarlet official robe, looked to be around 50 years old, about 1.7 meters tall, and rather plump.
As Lister approached, he adopted an arrogant posture.
"I am Yang Jie, the Jiang Province."
"Your Excellency is Count Merrick of the Kingdom of Lucian?"
"Greetings, Lord Yang. My name is Lister Merrick. I am indeed the ambassador sent by the Kingdom of Lucian to establish diplomatic relations. I am on my way to the Imperial City and have come to inform you of my presence in Jiangxia Prefecture."
As an envoy, one naturally had to inform local officials of the route to enter the Imperial City.
If anything were to happen on the road, their responsibility would fall to the local authorities, which could be considered a form of protection for the envoys.
Of course, Lister came purely to meet Governor Yang and see if he could find any clues.
"Count Merrick, unfortunately, due to the monsters outside the city, you will have to stay in Jiangxia City for a while."
"The monsters are already that bad?"
"Hmm! Jiangxia City is relatively fortunate; the monster tides further south are far more terrifying."
"For the safety of your delegation, let's wait until this monster tide has passed before making any further plans."
"At that time, Assistant Commander Li will also be going to the Imperial City; you can have him escort you there."
Whether or not to stop was not Lister's main concern. He wanted to keep an eye on Assistant Commander Li Governor Yang's office, which Wu Yan would secretly search.
As the person who would ultimately have to meet the Emperor and report back, if the visualization diagram were to actually appear, then Assistant Commander Li would definitely receive the news. Or perhaps Lister still harbored suspicions that the real visualization diagram was on Assistant Commander Li's person.
Governor Yang's words struck a chord with Lister, who was eager to travel with Assistant Commander Li.
"Count Merrick, you shall stay in Jiangxia City for now. Once the monster tide has passed, I will escort you to the Imperial City."
Seeing that Prefect Governor Yang had spoken, Assistant Magistrate Assistant Commander Li readily agreed.
Having achieved his goal, Lister was now preparing to take his leave, intending to observe the situation within the city while awaiting news from the chivalrous thief Wu Yan.
However, before he could leave, a soldier rushed in in a panic to report the news.
"Lord Yang! Something terrible has happened!"
"The monsters outside the city have suddenly started a rampage and are surging towards the city walls! Please order reinforcements immediately!"
"What! So fast?"
"Immediately order General Zou of the city guards to lead a team to provide support, and send others to light beacon fires to notify nearby cities!..."
Faced with the unexpected situation, Governor Yang, though his expression was grave, still issued his orders in an orderly manner.
Lister was also quite surprised at this moment, and his expression became complicated.
Logically, this shouldn't be happening!
Shouldn't the monster horde siege only begin after the Open Beta?
How could the main storyline from the first act have already begun?
Could it be that this variable, him, caused the course of the "Divine Revelation" world to change?
"Lord Yang, now that the monster tide has broken out, I naturally will not stand idly by. I will now lead men to the outer city to lend General Zou a hand!"
Assistant Commander Li, with a serious expression, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Governor Yang, then turned and hurriedly left.
"Lord Yang, fighting against the demonic beasts is a matter of great importance to protecting the human race. Since I have encountered Jiangxia Prefecture on my journey, I am willing to lead my guards to provide assistance."
"Count Merrick, why don't you rest in the inner city for a while?"
"Please rest assured, with General Zou and Assistant Commander Li here, this mere monster tide will surely be no problem."
Upon hearing Lister's words of willingness to help, Governor Yang, who had previously been somewhat arrogant, became much more amiable.
Of course, it's also possible that they're worried about Lister getting into trouble in Jiang Province, which is why they haven't agreed to let him go to help.
But ultimately, he couldn't control Lister.
Half an hour later, Lister had already put down his luggage at his lodgings, changed into his new gear, and led his team to the outer city wall.
The battlefield against the monster horde was located outside the city, where swarms of monsters clashed fiercely with the city guards below the city walls.
"Count Merrick, you'll be in charge of any stragglers who manage to get through on the city walls. Your mission as envoys of the Kingdom of Lucian is of utmost importance."
Governor Yang had appeared behind him without him even noticing.
Looking at Lister with a worried expression, although he was moved by Lister's generous help, he saw Lister as a troublesome opponent if they were to actually fight.
If he were to die, it would actually harm his career.
Lister nodded in agreement and temporarily observed the battle from the city wall.
The monsters in the beast tide are generally around level 10-20, with a few exceptions exceeding level 20.
At this moment, all the demonic beasts seemed to have no regard for their lives, and kept surging towards the city wall.
Beneath the outer city walls, the city guards were quite formidable, with ordinary guards all around level 20.
Defending against monsters that are a few levels lower on average is relatively easy, but their sheer number makes them wary.
Although the Brocade Guards led by Assistant Commander Li were all around level 20, their overall strength was greater, with most of them rated DE.
At this moment, Assistant Commander Li led the way at the very front, and his sharp swordsmanship made it virtually impossible for any demonic beast to get close within a ten-foot radius of him.
As for General Zou of the city guard, that was even more exaggerated.
[Level: Lv40]
[Class: Lancer (Martial Arts)]
[Health Points: 3271/3271]
[Stamina:1461/1461]
[Attributes: Strength 37, Stamina 40, Intelligence 21, Agility 34]
[Skill: Cloud-Soaring Spear Technique (B-rank) LV31: The spear technique deals area-of-effect damage of 2771~3491 (can be boosted by Strength attribute), with a slight knockback effect.]
Morale Boost (Rank C) LV7: During battle, increases the maximum health, maximum stamina, and attack power of allied warriors by 14%.
Brute Bull Visualization Method (Passive, No Rank) LV22: Grants an additional 22 points to Strength attribute...
[Overall Rating: C]
General Zou is also level 40, and his overall strength is a level above Li Fu.
Moreover, as a gunslinger, he and his horse charged into the monster horde as if it were empty, instantly clearing a vacuum zone.
The seemingly powerful and endless horde of monsters was completely unable to enter the outer city thanks to the combined efforts of the city guards and the Brocade Guards.
But this scene didn't last long, and suddenly a violent tremor came from the ground.
"Sizzle~ Roar~!"
A tremendous roar came from not far away.
A monstrous beast, resembling a small mountain, straightened its back.
At that moment, the city guards below the city wall felt as if the sky had been obscured, and a colossal object appeared before them.
At that moment, everyone's expression, including General Zou and Assistant Commander Li, became more solemn than ever before.