Black Pine City in May seemed shrouded in a dark cloud. Although it had only been a week into May, Black Pine City had already been attacked seven times by a strange enemy paratrooper force, with an attendance rate of 100%.
These enemies, who flew around on giant insects, were not infallible. With the help of several high knights, they actually managed to capture seven or eight enemies using the clumsy method of waiting for them to run into a trap.
These guys, however, seemed to be a bunch of lunatics, completely devoid of reason and fear.
Even though they used all their might to subject these prisoners to various forms of torture, they just laughed and said incomprehensible things.
This meant that the information the Grand Knights received was still quite limited.
Currently, the Holy Crusaders only know that this group of flying enemies calls themselves " First Air Transport," and their most proficient weapon is a high-hardness wooden stick, showing obvious signs of training (referring to the first three sticks).
Apart from that, they still knew nothing about these people's backgrounds.
The testimony, which sounded like the ramblings of a madman, was reported up the chain of command and soon reached the hands of Archbishop Luorui'er.
Looking at this illogical testimony, Luorui'er's idea became even more firm.
She felt that even if she filled the air with the fragrance of the symbiotic plant [ Forget-Sorrow Mint ] to an extremely strong degree, it would not be able to completely make people lose their basic rationality.
Therefore, these rebels must have methods even more powerful than their symbiotic plants.
She sat in the head of the household's seat, frowned, and summoned a servant. When the servant approached, Luorui'er pointed to the ground:
How is the plan progressing?
"Master, things are going very smoothly so far. We expect to reach outside the city in about five days."
Where are the users?
"Don't worry, they're all refugees from other towns. They have no relatives or friends in Black Pine City, and no one will know if they die."
"Good, you know what to do next, right?"
Please rest assured, Master.
Luorui'er waved his hand, dismissing the old servant who had served the Fitz Family for over thirty years.
Everyone believed they would fight to the bitter end, everyone believed Black Pine City could be defended, and no one knew that they wanted to escape.
But what exactly is this inexplicable panic in my heart?
"I'm not training anymore!"
A militiaman snapped the wooden shaft of his spear in two and threw it to the ground.
"Go ahead and kill me if you dare! Come on!"
A sudden shout echoed through the barracks training grounds, which had already been cordoned off.
Without a doubt, only some unfortunate militia member who could no longer bear it would utter such a simple cry.
Under the persistent inducement of [ Ginseng Rooster ] with [ Forget-Sorrow Mint ], some militiamen finally could no longer tolerate this kind of life.
The man looked around and shouted:
"They don't even give us a single seed, yet we still have to pay our taxes as usual. What's the point of being a militiaman?"
He saw similar emotions in the eyes of several of his companions; the group seemed like an active volcano about to erupt.
This encouraging look fueled the militiaman's resentment, and he continued shouting:
"Either kill me or let me go home!"
As he spoke, he casually tossed aside the spearheadless half and walked towards the gate of the barracks, holding the half that was now a short spear.
He was so agitated that the militiamen along the way stopped their drills and made way for him.
Just as the militiamen were about to rush out of the barracks, a familiar voice suddenly rang out:
"Brother, wait!"
The militiaman, his eyes bloodshot, turned around and saw the militia captain, [ Ginseng Rooster ], rushing towards him anxiously.
He grabbed the militiaman's arm and shouted:
"Brother, don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive! Leaving the barracks now is disobeying the archbishop's orders. If you're caught, you'll be hanged in the square!"
So be it!
The man's anger remained unabated; he glared angrily at the [ Ginseng Rooster ].
"Let me tell you, if you hadn't been training with us all this time, I would have killed you before I left!"
Upon hearing this, the other militiamen who were close to him nodded in agreement.
One reason why the militia members, who were working hard for nothing, only erupted today is that the militia captain [ Ginseng Rooster ] and the majority of the squad leaders, who were all Soul Returner, did not slack off but instead trained with them every day.
If the officers had been resting in their tents while the militia were scorched in the sun every day, the militia would probably have mutinied long ago.
Upon hearing the NPC's statement, [ Ginseng Rooster ] was initially startled, then gripped his arm even tighter:
"Brother, listen to me!"
He turned back to look at the crowd:
"Brothers, listen to me!"
[ The Ginseng Rooster ] unleashed all his acting talent at this moment, completely behaving like a veteran actor:
"If you still consider me your captain, then listen to me first."
He looked at the doubtful eyes of the crowd and said:
"People may not trust the archbishop, but shouldn't they at least trust me?"
"I personally selected each and every one of you, and I know best whether you train hard or not."
"Look at the camp fence around you. I promised to build it for you, and I will never go back on my word!"
"So, brothers, what exactly do you want? Tell me, and I'll talk to the Archbishop! I'm sure he'll agree!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the training ground erupted in noise.
Actually, not all militia members wanted payment. They gathered in small groups to discuss things. Some wanted to become official Holy Crusaders, others wanted a year's tax exemption, and still others said that it was only right for soldiers to be fed. Since they couldn't get food, giving them some seeds would be nice...
Thus, the conflict was successfully and temporarily shifted, and even the soldier with one hand already on the gate pondered for a moment what he really wanted.
[ Ginseng Rooster ] looked at the chattering crowd and shouted:
"Everyone, let's reach a consensus internally first. We only need one thing; this will make it easier to negotiate with the Archbishop."
Upon hearing this, the militiamen fell into discussion again.
Meanwhile, [ Ginseng Rooster ] sent a message in the Soul Returner' group chat, signaling the other Soul Returner to guide the conversation.
Five minutes later, the militiamen finally reached a consensus, and the result was exactly as [ Ginseng Rooster ] had predicted—the tree species.
The militia members could be exempt from official positions, but they couldn't accept working for free. However, they also needed to pay seed tax, so in the end, distributing tree seeds was the most satisfactory option for the vast majority of people.
With this answer in mind, [ Ginseng Rooster ] personally opened the gates of the barracks.