Undercurrents Stirring

Hulun sat in the General Affairs Hall office as if it were his own bedroom, half-reclining in his chair with mud-stained riding boots propped on the desk. Beneath his feet lay a thick stack of documents titled "Outline for the Abolition of the Commoner Tax Law."

A soldier in armor beside him shifted his gaze from those documents and respectfully said, "Legion Commander, I am your newly appointed messenger, Asuo. I am here to report that your attendants have been settled in. The three mages and the Temple Priest are preparing to head to the nearby Old Castle for a temporary stay. Will you also be going to the Old Castle to rest?"

"The Outpost County lord's Old Castle? We'll talk after he comes to pay his respects."

"Understood."

Hulun toyed with the quill in his hand and casually asked, "What's all that noise outside?"

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on Asuo's face as he explained in a low voice, "Your attendants have occupied some commoners' homes, so those commoners are outside..."

Asuo, who had only just been promoted to messenger, was deeply uneasy. He knew that although the young Legion Commander before him wore a refined and gentle face, beneath it lurked a cruel, bloodthirsty, violently temperamental soul. His moods were unpredictable; he might smile at you one moment and cut off your head the next.

Asuo was still a fairly devout believer, yet sometimes he wondered whether the Supreme God truly needed a butcher who killed without restraint to spread divine blessings and will.

Hulun was not only a Legion Commander but also the Butcher Executioner who made heretics tremble at the mention of his name. Rumor had it that the bones of heretics who had died directly or indirectly by this Legion Commander's hand could be piled into a massive castle.

A year ago, during the campaign against the ogre tribe of the Dark Moon Great Swamp, the Earth Dragon Legion suffered grievous casualties. Hulun rode an Earth-walking Dragon, an Earth Element Magic Beast, and ventured deep into the swamp with only a few guards. He wiped out the ogre chieftain's tribe in one stroke, then returned to the legion's main camp carrying nearly a hundred ogre heads. After that, he set fire to every tree in the swamp. The blaze burned for two days and one night. Unable to endure the choking smoke, thousands of ogres fled the Dark Moon Great Swamp, only for Hulun and his Knight Order to lie in wait as though playing a game and slaughter them all.

That battle was recorded in the annals of the Saint Cassis Continent. The ogre race vanished completely from people's sight.

Looking at Hulun's lazy expression, Asuo gradually saw it overlap with the image of that genocidal butcher, and chills ran through his heart.

"Cut out their tongues and drive them away. I want to take a nap!" Hulun continued without a trace of emotion. "Also, find someone to investigate the lord here—the Grand Duke of the Kingdom of Locke's son—and see whether he is truly as unbearable as the rumors say."

Asuo accepted the order, turned, and hurried from the office.

When he walked out of the General Affairs Hall, dozens of Outpost County residents dressed as commoners were gathered outside the entrance, making an incessant racket.

Asuo, who was not without kindness, sighed and felt considerable sympathy for these Outpost County commoners. But when he recalled Hulun's cold, merciless face, he still indifferently relayed Hulun's order to the two sentries.

It was obvious that the two sentries, who drew their swords, had long grown accustomed to such unreasonable and cruel orders. Silently, they walked toward the commoners outside the gates.

Seeing the sentries draw their weapons, the dozens of plainly dressed residents fell silent at once. Two elderly men at the front snorted coldly, pulled several children behind them, and quietly retreated. Several sturdy young men stepped forward and stared expressionlessly at the sentries, while the other commoners spread into a semicircle around the entrance to the General Affairs Hall.

Asuo, who knew a little about military formations, froze. The semicircle formed by the commoners outside was perhaps better described as an encirclement. The moment those two sentries stepped out, they would find themselves surrounded on all sides.

Asuo also noticed something that shocked him. The commoners who had just been pleading pitifully now wore nothing but coldness and disdain on their faces.

Asuo was thoroughly baffled. He had never encountered such a situation before. He wondered whether these commoners had lost their minds. Did they not know that the Heretic Extermination Legion belonged to the Holy See?

Assassinating a great noble might still be explained away in countless ways, but attacking soldiers of the Holy See was equivalent to rebellion and meant being sent straight to the stake.

Yet his confusion soon turned to shock. Several children who had quietly slipped away after retreating into the crowd had returned, bringing more children with them. The children carried all manner of weapons and armor on their young shoulders.

Knight Greatswords, standard-issue crossbows, heavy infantry shields, pure iron chainmail, and several enormous wheel axes that could have been used to chop trees—or people.

The dozens of commoners quickly armed themselves, their movements practiced and swift, like battle-hardened elites who had spent years on the battlefield.

Asuo hurriedly shouted, "What are you people trying to do? Do you know who we are? We are the Holy See's Heretic Extermination Legion! Are you trying to betray God's will?"

The armed commoners said nothing, their gazes still cold.

Asuo found himself trapped between advancing and retreating. Whether he tried to placate them or threaten them, the commoners showed no intention of leaving. As time passed, more and more commoners gathered outside the General Affairs Hall.

All the legion soldiers inside the General Affairs Hall rushed over upon hearing the news, and the two sides stood on the brink of conflict.

Inside the clerks' office, Hulun stood behind a window. A cruel smile curled across his lips, and his eyes were ice-cold.

By the time Yorkshire and Sakre arrived, the entrance to the General Affairs Hall was already packed tight with county residents.

The residents outside the gates had cold eyes. Men and women, elders and children alike—not one of them spoke.

Inside the gates, more than a dozen legion soldiers raised standard-issue crossbows and drew their bowstrings. The clerks and messengers led by Asuo had also drawn their swords, their expressions tense.

With a sharp crack, Sakre, seated atop his horse, snapped his whip loudly and drew everyone's attention.

The commoners showed hostility, while Asuo breathed a sigh of relief.

Yorkshire walked over alone. Several leading elders and armed young men hurriedly surrounded him, their formerly hostile expressions replaced with fawning smiles.

"Clerk, you're finally here. We can't go on living like this."

"Yes, these Holy See lords stole our homes and even want to cut out our tongues."

"Yes, yes, you have to stand up for us. It's fine if they live in my house, but they should at least give me two copper coins as a token."

"My eighty-year-old mother can't get out of bed. She's still lying at home. What if those soldier lords ruin her? If they ruin her, I can accept it, but the problem is they won't even give me a single copper coin. They're ruining her for free?"

"Clerk, please ask whoever's in charge. My wife is a real beauty—big hips, big breasts. Two copper coins, and they can play however they want. Could you ask whether they have that sort of need? My wife lives in the first low brick house east of the market entrance."

"Bullshit, you shameless bastard! The woman you're talking about is my wife..."

Everyone spoke over one another, accusing the legion soldiers with vivid, convincing tales.

How could Yorkshire not understand the true faces of these troublesome commoners? His expression grew darker and darker. Pushing through the crowd, he walked inside the gates and said to Asuo, "Tell your men to lower their weapons. They are devout believers, not enemies."

Asuo pointed outside and said, "They dared to surround the General Affairs Hall, and they're carrying weap—"

He could not finish the sentence, because a clattering din interrupted him.

Every commoner holding a weapon instantly threw it to the ground, then even kicked it away as if trying to hide the evidence. They spread their hands with innocent expressions, looking like meek, law-abiding citizens.

Yorkshire sneered at Asuo.

No matter what, he was the clerk of Outpost County. The commoners behind him—regardless of what they had once been, whether down-and-out mercenaries with blood-soaked hands, retired border soldiers, or even wanted criminals of the kingdom—none of that mattered.

Because they now had only one identity: residents of Outpost County, citizens of the Kingdom of Locke.

Sakre resumed his arrogant demeanor and swaggered into the General Affairs Hall with several cavalrymen. He shouted at the soldiers, "Are you all blind? I am the honorable Count, your Chief of Staff, Lord Sakre! Put down your weapons, all of you!"

The knight attendants behind him truly lived up to their reputation as seasoned lackeys. Seeing that their count looked displeased, they immediately dismounted and began punching and kicking several slower-reacting messengers.

Not only were their angles vicious, but they specifically targeted the thin and frail-looking messengers. As for the sentries beside them, fully armed with bows drawn and arrows nocked, they acted as though they had not seen them at all.

These days, even lackeys knew to bully the weak and fear the strong.

And strangely enough, the bow-wielding soldiers actually responded to Sakre's routine. Though many did not know him, his overbearing manner and the way he looked down his nose at everyone made it clear at a glance that he was some formidable noble. Whether he truly was their Chief of Staff or not, they obediently put away their weapons.

Yorkshire secretly let out a breath.

After seeing the situation brought under control, Sakre arrogantly patted nonexistent dust from his shoulder and snorted at Yorkshire.

Asuo wiped the cold sweat from his face. Just as he was about to report the entire sequence of events to Sakre, a tall figure emerged with a yawn. Wearing a faint smile, Hulun gazed outside the gates, his slightly narrowed eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

Several people in the crowd who had been loudly chattering and complaining only moments earlier exchanged grave looks upon seeing Hulun, then made several hand signals that ordinary people would not understand.

Yorkshire, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed what happened outside the gates and was greatly alarmed.

He recognized those gestures. Only the elite guards of the Grand Duke of the Kingdom of Locke used such obscure hand signals to communicate.

Thinking of that mysterious guard unit composed entirely of high-ranking Qi Warriors, Yorkshire seemed to understand something. The tension on his face vanished the moment he saw Hulun.

He folded his arms and stepped aside.

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