Mercy, Should Not Exist...

"Heard that a group of Revolutionary Army soldiers have gathered outside the High Wall and are preparing to attack the Border Town?"

"Yeah, I heard that too, though they say the numbers aren't very high."

"Doesn't that make us incredibly dangerous?"

"Indeed. I heard from friends in other countries that the Revolutionary Army is extremely bloodthirsty; everywhere they pass, the ground is littered with corpses."

"Ah... then what are we supposed to do?"

"I have no idea. The passage to Central Street has already been put under martial law, and non-residents are forbidden from entering."

"Does that mean we've been abandoned?"

"There's nothing to be done about it. Who told us to be the lowest class of residents? Being abandoned is inevitable."

"..."

Ever since the news spread that the Revolutionary Army was preparing to attack the Border Town, the atmosphere in all the border towns had become tense. Unknowingly, it felt as if an invisible hand was manipulating everything from the shadows. Stories about the Revolutionary Army circulated among the people, filling every resident of the border towns with panic.

"No matter the world, public opinion is always the most terrifying existence."

Bai Ina walked through the Border Town without any attempt at concealment. Listening to the residents' discussions, a cold sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"That... our current identity is the Revolutionary Army, is it really okay to just walk in here so openly?" Hijikata Yoshitoyo looked at Bai Ina with black lines on his forehead.

Bai Ina glanced at Hijikata with the look one might give an idiot: "If it were you, would you be wary of a few children?"

"..." Hijikata Yoshitoyo.

"Loxi, the rest is up to you. You and Hijikata should walk through the forests or sparsely populated areas near the border towns. Use your nose to see exactly how many Kingdom Army soldiers have arrived and their specific deployment positions. Calculate how long it will take them to reach each border town. Be careful, don't reveal any flaws. After you've finished exploring, you don't need to wait for me; just sneak back yourselves."

Loxi nodded: "Understood. You be careful too."

Hijikata nodded as well, and the two of them walked toward the town entrance together. Although there were many border towns nearby, there weren't many places to hide people, just a few spots, so it would be quite easy to cover them all in a single day.

Seeing their figures disappear, Bai Ina's expression immediately returned to its icy state. He began searching every corner of the small town, eventually finding an arrow mark at a garbage dump.

Seeing this, Bai Ina followed the direction the arrow pointed. Every dozen meters or so, he would find another arrow in an inconspicuous corner. After circling a few times, Bai Ina arrived in front of a remote, dilapidated factory in the town.

He pushed the door open and walked straight in. As the sound of the door echoed, a sudden chaos erupted inside the old factory.

Hearing the hurried movements inside, Bai Ina frowned, feeling even more disappointed. Yet, he knew this was inevitable; after all, these people were just a group of displaced refugees.

Even though he had trained them for over half a month using the methods of his past life's military, they were still nothing more than a mob.

"Stop hiding, it's me!"

Bai Ina let out a cold snort. Upon hearing his voice, large men emerged from every corner of the factory, each one covered in dust and grime from their panicked scramble to hide.

There were exactly fifty men, no more, no less. However, the looks they cast toward Bai Ina were filled with dread. Even though more than a year had passed, they still held vivid memories of the massacre Bai Ina had committed at Terminal Gray.

Moreover, over the past half-month, the hellish training Bai Ina had subjected them to had instilled a deep, heartfelt fear of the ten-year-old child standing before them.

"Is this how I usually teach you to hide?"

Bai Ina looked at the playing cards scattered on the broken tables in the factory, his face darkening. A heavy pressure instantly permeated the entire building.

The men's faces turned pale, and they instinctively wanted to retreat, but not one dared to move an inch, standing rooted to the spot like wooden statues. Past experiences told them that if they took even one careless step back, a fate far more miserable than death awaited them.

Bai Ina swept his gaze over each of the men, finally letting out a cold snort as he withdrew his presence. His tone was icy: "Now, disperse to the surrounding border towns and spread the word that a certain noble from High City is selling entry permits to Central Street for 500,000 Beli. At the same time, spread rumors about the brutality of the Revolutionary Army—the more cruel you make it sound, the better."

"Yes, Lord Bai!" the fifty men replied in unison, though they kept their voices suppressed; no matter how remote this place was, it was still within the town's limits.

Bai Ina nodded upon hearing this: "After the news has spread, tonight... you will burn, kill, and loot!"

"Ah?"

The many men were instantly bewildered.

"What, you don't know how? I imagine you are all quite adept at such things. Remember, do not reveal your identities; try your best to disguise yourselves as residents of the same town." A cruel smile appeared on Bai Ina's face as he looked at the men: "Also, everything you loot belongs to you. No need to hand it over!"

The eyes of the fifty men lit up, and a murderous Sha Qi began to emanate from them. They were, after all, scoundrels who had committed every evil imaginable, so they felt no psychological discomfort in doing such things.

"Kill to your heart's content, loot to your heart's content! Show me your true nature as human scum. Go!"

Bai Ina watched as the men rubbed their hands together, eager for action, and gave a cruel laugh.

The men's expressions tightened at his words. One by one, they dispersed, sneaking out through the various exits of the dilapidated factory. Before long, only Bai Ina remained in the warehouse.

Standing in the ruins of the factory, Bai Ina watched them leave and slowly closed his eyes. A flicker of reluctance appeared on his face, but as he opened his eyes again, he returned to his cold, indifferent self.

Pity...

In this world where the weak are the prey of the strong, such an emotion is something one must never possess.

Afterward, Bai Ina left the town, sprinting toward Central Street at high speed.

The distance between the Border Town and Central Street was vast, and even at Bai Ina's full speed, it took him the better part of a day. He arrived at the city gate outside Central Street just before dusk.

At this time, the gates of Central Street were already crowded with Kingdom Army soldiers, strictly inspecting everyone who passed through. Anyone without proof of residency in Central Street was turned away.

After all, with the Revolutionary Army appearing outside the High Wall, even the weakest and most cowardly nobles felt nervous, fearing that the Revolutionary Army might sneak into High City to assassinate them.

Therefore, until this group of the Revolutionary Army is completely wiped out, the nobles in the High City will never agree to open the passage between the Border Town and Central Street.

As for whether this is too cruel, such concerns are absolutely outside the scope of the nobles' considerations.

The great fire at the Terminal Gray had already demonstrated the indifference of the nobles, and perhaps it was not just the nobles... even the residents of the Border Town within the high walls had looked upon those who perished in that fire with cold eyes.

Bai Ina looked at the city gate of the High City in the distance and exhaled softly, retracting the icy aura from his body to make himself look like an ordinary child. He then smeared some dust on himself, creating the appearance of someone who had traveled a long and arduous journey.

After confirming there were no major flaws, Bai Ina took a cloth bag from his waist and headed toward the city gate with an urgent expression.

Just as he arrived, the city gate guards spotted Bai Ina. A soldier stepped forward directly and barked, "Stop! You must show proof of residency to enter."

"M... My lord!" Bai Ina immediately looked nervous, trembling as he held up the cloth bag. "M... My lord, I heard... that a noble... master was selling Central Street residency... so I came... here is five hundred thousand Beli. My father said the Revolutionary Army is very brutal, so he told me to come to Central Street to hide first."

The gate-guarding soldier was stunned, and the other guards looked over as well, their eyes filled with greed as they stared at the bag in Bai Ina's hand.

The soldier in front of Bai Ina turned dark in the face. He glanced left and right at the greedy gazes of his colleagues, cursing inwardly that this brat had spoken too loudly; otherwise, he could have snatched the five hundred thousand Beli for himself.

However, with so many people around, how could he dare to snatch something belonging to a noble master?

"What is going on here?"

At this moment, an old man in luxurious clothing walked straight over.

Seeing him approach, a flash of amusement crossed Bai Ina's eyes. This old man had been nearby earlier, sitting in a carriage and entering the city through the side passage reserved for nobles.

The old thing is feigning ignorance! the guard cursed inwardly. He knew this noble had been nearby and must have heard the brat's words before running over. But he dared not defy a noble, so he said respectfully, "My lord, this brat just said... a noble master is selling Central Street residency for five hundred thousand Beli."

"What?" The old man immediately put on a look of surprise, then walked straight up and snatched the money bag from Bai Ina's hand to inspect it.

Bai Ina, 'powerless to resist,' looked anxious and said with a sobbing tone, "Noble... master, that is... the money my mom and... dad gave me to... buy residency."

"Insolent!" the gate guard immediately scolded.

However, the noble old man waved his hand and said, "Ah, yes, that is true; it was I who issued that notice." As he spoke, he pointed at Bai Ina and said to the guard beside him, "Go and take this child to process his residency."

"Really?"

Bai Ina's expression turned to one of wild joy.

The guard felt a sense of disdain in his heart. Seeing the old man's reaction earlier, it was obvious he had just learned of this, and only a foolish child would believe him. This old immortal was clearly driven by greed and had intercepted the money meant for other noble masters.

The noble old man walked straight back to his carriage and said excitedly to the butler waiting beside it, "Go, hurry to every Border Town and announce the news: say that I, Earl El, am selling Central Street residency for five hundred thousand Beli." He paused, a sinister look appearing on his face:

"By the way, spread news about how brutal the Revolutionary Army is. If necessary, have our private soldiers pose as the Revolutionary Army so they will obediently contribute their savings to buy residency in Central Street from me."

"How clever, I wonder which noble thought of such a ruthless way to rake in money. If I hadn't happened to be passing by, wouldn't all the money from those Border Town wretches have been taken by you lot?"

Earl El sneered and slowly entered the carriage.

On the other side, Bai Ina, who had been taken by the guard to process his residency, quietly slipped out of the Central City once the paperwork was finished.

Outside the city, Bai Ina looked up at the towering walls of Central Street, a cold, icy intent appearing on his face.

"In a life of segregation, human nature is destined to decay. Greed... is the original sin of all things. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it; the hearts of men are often the most important factor. My layout is complete, now how will you receive the move..."