George's Encounter (2)

With a final, reluctant look at the heartwarming scene, George left the brightly lit street and turned into the dark, narrow alleyway—the only way to his home.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice called out to him.

"Etc."

George broke out in a cold sweat as he recalled some terrifying rumors: that a "black market" existed in the shadows of the kingdom, where Ogre and Hobgoblin kin would gather to secretly sell human organs and flesh and flesh, which was absolutely illegal under normal circumstances.

Had he stumbled upon the rumored black market dealer? George tried to run away, but his legs felt like lead. He could only stiffly turn his head and tremble as he said, "No, don't catch me."

In a daze, he saw a person in a long robe not far away. He couldn't tell if it was male or female, but the person's build was roughly the same as his own. At least it wasn't Ogre or Hobgoblin.

George finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The mysterious man spoke in a rather friendly tone, asking him, "Don't be afraid, I am not a minion of the evil dragon. Are you a resident of North Wind Fortress?"

George scratched his head, puzzled.

"I guess so, anyway, I live here every day. You know the ' Great Wise One ' food processing plant in the South District, right? That's where I work."

The mysterious man actually handed him a few Silver Coin and continued, "Then, could you tell me more about the situation here?"

George was overjoyed and his face lit up with happiness; he never expected to receive such a windfall.

He quickly stuffed the few precious Silver Coin into his clothes, fearing the person in front of him might change his mind, and repeatedly said:

"Of course, of course."

These are Silver Coin, the wages he earns after working for several months!

If George's gaze could penetrate the robe, he would surely be amazed by the exquisite features and elegant demeanor beneath the hood—this so-called mysterious person was none other than Olivia, the Young Silver Dragon of Mellward, known as the "Silver Star," and the organizer of the Arcane Hermit Order.

Years passed, Arcane Hermit Order grew stronger, but she never saw the Golden Dragon Anher.

Although deeply saddened and disheartened, the young Silver Dragon mage could only guess that his righteous Golden Dragon kin might have been captured or even brutally killed.

Olivia decided to first gather information and find out what was going on in the city.

Do you think your life is better or worse than before?

George smiled good-naturedly.

"I don't know either. I used to be a farmer on Lord Brad's estate. We were always hungry, and my parents died a long time ago. A few years ago, our lord fell from power, and I heard from the adults in the kingdom that His Your Majesty Keosius 'liberated' us, which is how I came to North Wind Fortress."

At this point, George scratched his head sheepishly.

"But I suppose it's better now. I work in a food processing plant, and I'm exhausted every day, but at least I can fill my stomach. Last winter, none of my coworkers starved to death, which is very rare in the manor."

"Hmm, you mean you're asking where the food comes from?"

"The kingdom's bigwigs created something with wondrous magic that they called ' Energy Filling,' though we usually just call it 'paste.' It doesn't taste very good, but it's very filling. The first time I ever had a full meal was in the factory canteen."

He seemed to have thought of something, and said in a joking tone:

"There was a worker who had just escaped from the plantation. He had never seen so much food before. The first time he came here, he ate ten pounds of paste and almost died from overeating."

Olivia was somewhat surprised; this was very different from what she had imagined.

In her vision, North Wind Fortress should now be a scene of widespread resentment and lamentation.

Given the Red Dragon ' greed and tyranny, the lands they rule are generally subjected to brutal exploitation. Moreover, in the poems and novels of the Northern Nobles, the Embers of the Burned Kingdom is depicted as a Hell abyss.

Even she couldn't help but have some preconceived notions.

As Silver Dragon had lived in the the North for a long time and mingled with human society, Olivia had some understanding of the cruel serf system in the the North and had quite a few complaints about it.

However, as an outsider, Olivia was reminded by the clan elders that she could not interfere in human society at will. She could only feel sympathy for these large numbers of "Gray Livestock" and occasionally give them alms.

To Olivia's surprise, the Red Dragon used its precious magical resources for production and even to liberate serfs, which was truly unimaginable.

Bahamut above, that's a Red Dragon!

As archenemies of their race, the Silver Dragon know these terrifying Five-Colored Dragon best.

In stark contrast to the Silver Dragon dragons' affinity for humanoid creatures, the Red Dragon despise everything, often regarding humans, Elf, and the like as delicious snacks. Even the people under their rule are only fit to be used as reserve food and cannon fodder.

Olivia believes that this "Embers of the Burned King" is not entirely beyond redemption.

But perhaps he has a bigger scheme in mind?

With that in mind, Olivia continued to gather information.

"You mean His Your Majesty Keosius? I've never seen him. I heard he's been sleeping lately, but that's normal for a dragon, isn't it? Although there are some other rumors circulating, he doesn't seem to have eaten anyone yet, and those who spread those rumors have been arrested by the Nocturne people."

Speaking of Nocturne, George couldn't help but shrink back.

"We lowly workers don't really know the opinions of those important figures. We mainly learn about His Majesty through the 《Kingdom Daily News》. What was that quote again?"

"Oh, that's how it is. His Your Majesty Keosius is the great ' Benevolent Father ' of the nation and its subjects. With his immense power, he broke the old order and created a new order for the Embers of the Burned Kingdom. With his iron fist, he established the strict and standardized ' Kingdom Law,' ensuring that all citizens have equal status before the law, enabling humans and their families to live in harmony, and preventing those high-ranking Noble Lord from oppressing us at will."

George spoke almost spontaneously, delivering the words with remarkable fluency and intonation, almost like reciting lines from a script.

After all, the 《Kingdom Daily News》 repeats these articles praising the Red Dragon almost every day, and various channels of propaganda also keep singing its praises.

He and his coworkers had heard it so many times they were practically tired of it, but it was a vivid memory, to the point that it became a conditioned reflex.

Olivia frowned slightly.

It seems the Red Dragon's rule has become increasingly entrenched and unshakeable in this land. If she wanted to rebel, she wouldn't even find suitable allies.

"How could this be..."

Thinking of the missing Golden Dragon, Olivia felt a surge of inexplicable indignation: how could someone who so cruelly harmed the righteous be a qualified ruler? But hearing George's rather sincere words, she was speechless and couldn't even find anything to refute.

Even the Silver Dragon had to admit that, for these serfs born into misery, the Red Dragon's rule might actually have made their lives better.

After hesitating for a moment, Olivia couldn't help but ask:

"Isn't... anyone going against him?"

It's under review again. I guess I'll just have to wait. Ugh.