The Fir City contains an area that looks completely different from its surroundings.
The houses in this area were all built after the Demonic Tide, and most of the residents were middle and high-ranking members of the Tree Worship Church in Fir City. Some even had gardens or small manors attached to them.
In a courtyard, a group of people were moving large quantities of goods around like an ant colony. Several Hoofed Beast loaded with goods were parked in the spacious yard, and servants were feeding the Hoofed Beast, which seemed to have inexhaustible strength.
An old man approached a tall, well-proportioned middle-aged man, bent down, and reported:
"Sir, the packing is almost done, what do you think..."
Howard, who was watching the servants work with a stern gaze, nodded.
"Load everything up, then go back and rest. I'll take you out of town tonight. Tell them to be on their best, or don't blame me for leaving them stranded on the road."
"My lord, the rebels have already captured the city walls, what can we do...?"
"You just need to drive the carriage. Killing a few soldiers guarding the city is a piece of cake for me."
"Good."
Hearing this, the old steward seemed reassured and turned back to continue assigning tasks to the servants.
Howard glanced with a touch of sadness at the old butler, who was older than him, and the servants, sighed almost imperceptibly, and turned to return to his mansion.
As soon as he entered the room, a woman with a worried expression approached him:
"Master, when are we leaving?"
Howard glanced at her and asked:
Are the children ready?
"Alright."
Have you packed all the valuables?
"It's all packed up."
"Okay, I'll get them all to sleep in a bit, then we'll leave."
The woman paused for a moment upon hearing this and asked:
"Aren't we supposed to bring the butler and the others with us?"
Howard frowned, a hint of impatience in his voice:
"Why bring them along? They're just a bunch of burdens!"
"Don't give yourself away later, or you'll be stuck here with them."
"Well..."
The woman was startled by what she heard, and quickly agreed, turning around to comfort her two children.
Howard returned to his usual seat and began to ponder.
How did things turn out this way?
Given his relationship with Antiya Lisi, it shouldn't have come to this point under any circumstances.
But now Antiya Lisi has fallen, and the entire Fir City has changed hands.
Logically speaking, someone like him, who was demoted by the previous ruler of Fir City, would easily be favored by the new ruler of Fir City.
Even if one cannot enter his inner circle, one can still become the kind of role model who is set up and spend the rest of one's life leisurely in a position that everyone can see.
However, this morning he overheard a conversation between several rebels—no, it should be said that they were members of the new Fir City " Holy Crusaders."
These people arrived near his house, but their destination was his neighbor's house.
Howard, with his exceptional hearing, overheard their conversation and learned a startling truth—
These rebels actually wanted to arrest all the Stained Ones and send them to some " High-Quality Charcoal Processing Plant "!
As one of the most Stained Ones in Fir City, Howard's heart sank.
He locked himself in his study and pondered for a long time before finally deciding to take the risk.
He first summoned a loyal servant alone, promising him a large sum of money (tree seeds) and instructing him to take tools and seize an opportunity to burn the archives beneath the Fir City Cathedral.
He then summoned his steward and told him that he planned to flee with his entire family under cover of night, instructing him to gather valuables with the servants and escape together after dark.
However, this was just a ruse. His real plan was to flee with only his family. The so-called packing of valuables into the wagon was merely a pretense to appease the servants. When the time was right, he would use his symbiotic plants to drug all of them, and then leave Fir City with his family on Hoofed Beast.
As he said, dealing with a few goalkeepers was not a problem for him.
Although Howard was seated, his anxiety was hard to hide.
"Click."
A branch about the length of a thumb fell to the ground.
"Click."
Another crisp sound rang out.
Howard is constantly breaking off a growing branch, which originates from the symbiotic plant on his wrist.
This was a little habit he had to relieve his anxiety. Generally, he wouldn't show this side of himself in front of others. However, now that he was about to leave Fir City, these superficial manners had completely lost their meaning.
"Click."
Another branch fell to the ground, and just as Howard closed his eyes to wait, he suddenly heard a strange noise—
It's snowing.
A servant's voice came from outside, a voice tinged with excitement, but deliberately lowered, as if afraid that the master, who always had a stern face, would hear it.
"Wow, it really is! The snowflakes are huge, unlike anything I've seen before."
The other servant answered him; although their conversation was quiet, Howard could still hear it clearly.
However, another person overheard their conversation. A seven or eight-year-old child vaguely heard the word "snow" and turned to look out the window.
Heavy snowflakes fell from the sky. Winters in Fir City were always bitterly cold, and he had never seen such gentle snowfalls before. Taking advantage of the fact that his parents and sister were not paying attention, he opened the door to the house without any hesitation.
He stretched out his hand, and a grayish-white snowflake landed in his palm.
Why is it grayish-white?
Before he could think it through, a scream reached his ears:
"Ah, what is this thing?! Quick, help me pull it off! Hurry!"
The seven- or eight-year-old child could clearly hear that the scream came from the servant who had first noticed the snow.
He turned his head and saw that the man had dropped the goods he was carrying and was scratching the back of his hand in fear.
It wasn't just the back of his hands; his neck, face, and head were all covered in those grayish-white snowflakes, and even the surrounding snowflakes were constantly converging on him despite the lack of wind.
The boy looked down at his palm in horror and was horrified to find that the grayish-white snowflake had "melted" and turned into a seed that was taking root in his palm.
The snowflakes around him were also converging on his position, about to completely cover and envelop him.
"Bang!"
Just as he was about to cry out in alarm, a sound of something exploding suddenly rang out, and a tall figure appeared beside him.
Howard's favorite chair was now a pile of junk, and he rushed out of the study to his child's side.