P.S. Thanks to 'Mo Mo' 'Ling Baiyue' and 'Blowing Away Stories' for the tips. I'm incredibly grateful!
In the thread recruiting extras, everyone will appear soon except for the few oddballs who wrote Xiao Jiao in as an extra!
"I heard a group of Revolutionary Army soldiers had gathered outside the wall and were preparing to attack Border Town?"
"Yeah, I heard that too, but supposedly there aren't many of them."
"Doesn't that mean we're in danger?"
"Yeah. I've heard from friends in other countries that the Revolutionary Army is extremely bloodthirsty. Wherever they go, corpses litter the ground."
"Ah... What are we supposed to do?"
"I don't know either. They've already started imposing martial law on the passages into Central Street, and they're forbidding anyone who doesn't live there from entering."
"Doesn't that mean we've been abandoned?"
"There's nothing we can do about it. We're the lowest class of residents, so it's only natural they'd abandon us."
"..."
Ever since word spread that the Revolutionary Army was preparing to attack Border Town, tension had gripped all the border towns. Unbeknownst to everyone, it seemed as if an invisible hand were controlling everything from the shadows. Stories about the Revolutionary Army circulated among the residents, filling them with fear.
"No matter what world you're in, public opinion is always the most terrifying force."
Bai Ina walked openly through Border Town, listening to the residents' discussions as a cold smile curled his lips.
"Um... We're supposed to be members of the Revolutionary Army now. Is it really a good idea to come here so brazenly?" Hijikata Yoshitoyo asked, looking at Bai Ina with a dark expression.
Bai Ina glanced at Hijikata as if he were an idiot. "Would you be wary of a few kids?"
"..." Hijikata Yoshitoyo.
"Loxi, I'll leave the next part to you. You and Hijikata should scout the forests or other sparsely populated areas around these border towns. Use your nose to find out how many Kingdom Army soldiers have arrived and where they're deployed. Also estimate how long it'll take them to reach each border town. Be careful not to give yourselves away. Once you're done, don't wait for me—just sneak back on your own."
Loxi nodded. "All right, I understand. You be careful too."
Hijikata nodded as well, and the two of them headed toward the town entrance. There were many border towns nearby, but not many places where people could hide—only a handful—so checking them all within a day would be easy.
Once they were out of sight, Bai Ina's expression turned cold. He began searching every corner of the town, and eventually found an arrow marked at a garbage dump.
Following the arrow, Bai Ina found another one every dozen or so meters, each tucked away in an inconspicuous corner. After circling around a few times, he arrived in front of an old, secluded factory in town.
He pushed the door open, and the sound of it swinging inward sent the factory into a sudden commotion.
Hearing hurried footsteps inside, Bai Ina frowned, feeling even more disappointed. But he knew it couldn't be helped. These people were all refugees.
Though he had trained them for over half a month using the methods of the army from his previous life, they were still just a bunch of ragtag soldiers.
"Stop hiding. It's me!"
Bai Ina let out a cold snort. At the sound of his voice, burly men emerged from every corner of the factory, all covered in dust from scrambling to hide.
There were exactly fifty of them. Every man looked at Bai Ina with fear in his eyes. More than a year had passed, but they still vividly remembered the slaughter he had carried out at Terminal Gray.
And after half a month of enduring his hellish training, they had come to fear this ten-year-old boy from the bottom of their hearts.
"Is this how I taught you to stay hidden?"
Bai Ina spotted the playing cards on the shabby tables inside the factory, and his expression darkened. A heavy pressure instantly filled the room.
The men went pale and instinctively wanted to retreat, but not one of them dared take a step. They stood rooted to the spot like wooden puppets. Their past experience had taught them that if they took even one careless step back, what awaited them would be worse than death.
Bai Ina looked over the men one by one, then snorted and withdrew the pressure he was exerting. In an icy voice, he said, "Now, spread out across the surrounding border towns and start spreading the news that some noble from High City is selling the right to enter Central Street for 500,000 Beli. Also spread stories about the Revolutionary Army's brutality. Make them as vicious as you can."
"Yes, Lord Bai!" the fifty men answered in unison, keeping their voices low. Even though this place was secluded, it was still within the town.
Bai Ina nodded. "Once the news has spread, you'll... loot, kill, and burn at night!"
"Huh?"
The men stared at him in confusion.
"What, you don't know how? I'd have thought this was right up your alley. Remember, don't give away your identities. Try to disguise yourselves as residents of the same town." A cruel smile appeared on Bai Ina's face as he looked at them. "And whatever you loot is yours to keep. You don't have to hand anything over!"
The fifty men's eyes lit up, and a murderous aura rose from them. They had always been a bunch of scoundrels who'd done every kind of evil, so they certainly wouldn't feel uncomfortable doing this.
"Kill to your hearts' content, loot to your hearts' content. Let your scum nature run wild. Go!"
Bai Ina watched the men, each rubbing his hands together in anticipation, and smiled cruelly.
The men's expressions immediately sobered. They split up and slipped out through the factory's various exits. Before long, only Bai Ina remained in the warehouse.
Standing in the abandoned factory, Bai Ina watched everyone leave and slowly closed his eyes, his face showing reluctance. But when he opened them again, his expression had returned to its usual cold indifference.
Mercy...
In this dog-eat-dog world, it was an emotion he absolutely could not afford to feel...
Bai Ina left town and raced toward Central Street at top speed.
The border towns were a long way from Central Street. Even running at full speed, Bai Ina needed most of the day to reach the city gate before dusk.
By then, many Kingdom Army soldiers were stationed at the Central Street gate, strictly checking everyone who passed through. Anyone without proof of residence in Central Street was turned away.
After all, the Revolutionary Army had appeared beyond the wall. Even the weak, cowardly nobles were growing nervous, afraid that Revolutionary Army soldiers might infiltrate High City and assassinate them.
So until this group of Revolutionary Army soldiers was completely wiped out, the nobles in High City would never agree to open the passage between the border towns and Central Street.
Whether this was too cruel was something the nobles never even considered.
The fire at Terminal Gray had already shown how cold-hearted the nobles were. And perhaps it wasn't just the nobles... The residents of the border towns inside the wall had also been indifferent to those who died in that fire...
Bai Ina gazed at the distant gate to High City and let out a quiet breath. He drew in the icy aura around him, making himself look like an ordinary child. Then he smeared some dust on himself, giving himself the appearance of someone who had traveled a long way.
Only after making sure nothing looked too suspicious did Bai Ina take a cloth pouch from his waist and hurry toward the gate.
As soon as he approached, the gate guards noticed him. One soldier stepped forward and barked, "Stop! You need proof of residence to enter."
"M-My lord!" Bai Ina stammered nervously, raising the pouch in his hand with a slight tremble. "M-My lord, I heard... a noble... was selling... residency in Central Street, so I... came. Here's 500,000 Beli. My dad said the Revolutionary Army is very cruel, so he told me to come to Central Street and hide."
The guard's expression froze. The other guards looked over too, greed flaring in their eyes as they saw the pouch in Bai Ina's hand.
The guard in front of Bai Ina scowled. Glancing at his comrades' greedy looks, he cursed the kid for speaking so loudly. Otherwise, he could have stolen the 500,000 Beli for himself.
But with so many people around who had heard, how could he dare steal a noble's money?
"What's going on here?"
Just then, a well-dressed old man walked over.
Bai Ina saw him approach, and a glint of amusement flashed in his eyes. The old man had been nearby earlier, sitting in a carriage and entering through the nobles' private gate on the side.
"What a shameless old bastard!" the guard cursed inwardly. He knew the noble had been standing nearby and must have heard the kid, which was why he'd come over. But he didn't dare defy a noble, so he respectfully said, "My lord, this kid just said... that a noble was selling residency in Central Street for 500,000 Beli."
"What?" The old man put on a look of surprise, then stepped forward and snatched the pouch from Bai Ina's hand, checking its contents.
Bai Ina, who was 'powerless to resist,' looked anxious and spoke through tears. "N-Noble sir, that's... the money my mom and dad gave me... to buy residency."
"Silence!" the guard barked at once.
But the old nobleman waved him off. "Ah, yes. That's a real offer. I'm the one who made it." He pointed at Bai Ina and told the guard beside him, "Take this child to get his residency registered."
"Really?"
Bai Ina's face lit up with delight.
The guard sneered inwardly. Judging by the old man's reaction, he'd clearly only just heard about this. Only a foolish child would believe him. The old bastard had obviously grown greedy and snatched the money meant for another noble.
The old nobleman returned to his carriage, looking excited, and said to the steward waiting beside it, "Go and spread the news in every border town. Tell them that I, Earl El, am selling residency in Central Street for 500,000 Beli." He paused, a vicious look appearing on his face.
"Also spread stories about how brutal the Revolutionary Army is. If necessary, have our private soldiers pretend to be members of the Revolutionary Army, so the people will meekly hand over their savings to buy residency in Central Street from me."
"Brilliant. I wonder which noble came up with such a ruthless way to make money. If I hadn't happened to pass by, you would've taken all the money from those border-town wretches."
Earl El sneered and slowly climbed into the carriage.
Meanwhile, after completing the residency registration, Bai Ina slipped out of Central City.
Outside the city, Bai Ina looked up at the towering walls surrounding Central Street, a cold glint in his eyes.
"Isolation breeds decay in human nature. Greed... is the original sin behind everything. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize one. More often than not, the people's hearts are what matter most. My plan is in place. How will you respond..."
Before you continue