Chapter 123: Chapter 121: War

Golden Harbor, in the past two months, has remained bustling on the surface just as before.

The port docks are always crowded with merchant ships coming and going, the sails flapping loudly, and the shouts of dockworkers rising and falling.

At the “Drunken Dolphin” tavern, Jeming would occasionally meet Old Hui to get some street intelligence from him.

“The border has been unstable again recently, Jack.” Old Hui drained his malt beer in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and lowered his voice, “The Beastmen are having constant skirmishes on the front lines. These green skins were beaten like dogs by the Wizards before, and now that the Wizards have eased their assault, they’re starting to get cocky again.”

Jeming simply nodded calmly: “I’ve heard that those nobles plan to renege on the agreed supplies?”

“Heh, that’s nothing new.” Old Hui seemed dismissive of this, “Those nobles deceive even their own people, let alone those green skins.”

He took another swig of his drink: “But it’s baffling how these nobles are so brazen, even during the war, aren’t they afraid of Beastmen retaliation?!”

“Probably… blinded by greed.” Jeming shook his head.

He could feel that the nerves of the city were gradually relaxing.

The local nobles, especially those who made fortunes from smuggling and hoarding during the Plane War, recently lived lavishly, ignoring external threats.

Perhaps they have not ignored the threats outside; rather, their minds are clouded by enormous profits, forcing them to overlook any potential dangers.

“However… according to the information from Amy and the others, the camps have already halted their attacks and even started retracting their defenses, it seems the Wizards also plan to take advantage of the situation here.”

Thinking about this, Jeming picked up his glass and took a sip, concealing the slight curve at the corner of his mouth.

…

…

At a noble’s private party that night, champagne glasses clinked, and laughter endlessly resounded.

In the noble district at the city center, luxurious silk dresses and sparkling jewels were everywhere to be seen, as nobles, in the dazzling salons, swirled their wine glasses, whispering with the arrogance of victors.

“I’ve heard those green skins are causing trouble again, with constant skirmishes on the border.” A local baron with a corpulent figure, wearing several jeweled rings, raised his glass at a private dinner, speaking to a Count beside him.

“It’s just a bunch of savages without Mage protection, what waves can they stir? Last time, they were beaten by the Wizards and fled with their tails between their legs; now that the Wizards’ assault has eased, they think they can manage again?”

The Count chuckled contemptuously: “Those Beastmen should be thankful! There’s no need to fully deliver the supplies promised to them at first. Give them a taste so they continue fighting the Wizards at the front; that’s the best outcome. After all, those Wizards are also withdrawing their defenses now, clearly scared of us.”

Although speaking of the Wizards, his eyes were full of calculations, clearly more concerned with extracting more from the Beastmen.

In the eyes of these local nobles who made enormous fortunes from wartime smuggling and hoarding, the present “peace” was the crystallization of their wisdom and wealth.

However, in the shadowed corners of this prosperous city, the scene was quite different.

Nobles from other regions, displaced here due to the war, had lost their hereditary lands and sources of income, and their lives had become exceptionally difficult.

They had no choice but to sell off their remaining possessions, residing in the remote streets of Golden Harbor. Although their clothes were relatively tidy, they could not hide the fatigue on their faces and the resentment in their eyes.

Like Jeming’s Hundred Flowers Dew, it mainly relied on the servants of those outsider nobles for collection.

In fact, the remuneration for this Hundred Flowers Dew was the only means of livelihood for many outsider nobles nowadays.

However, the benefits Jeming himself could allocate were limited, and his arrival merely delayed the explosion of conflicts.

But at least his arrival postponed the outbreak of original conflicts in Golden Harbor quite a bit, plunging Golden Harbor into a period of false peace.

The city defenses of Golden Harbor, under this false peace, became alarmingly lax.

The Guards on the city wall played dice in boredom, occasionally glancing outside the city, their eyes filled with fatigue.

The patrol teams at the port gathered in small groups, boasting about the women in the tavern and their romantic escapades.

The commanders were immersed in internal power struggles and jockeying for positions. Their focus lay entirely on how to seize more land and wealth after the end of the war.

The entire city, like a huge ship, lay immersed in hollow peace on the eve of the storm, with the bottom already rotted through.

…

…

As night fell once more, the bustling Golden Harbor gradually quieted down.

Jeming returned to his villa, sat cross-legged in the study, and entered deep meditation.

His Sea of Spirit was like a calm lake, Witchcraft Runes and his Soul intertwined, emitting a faint glow.

Suddenly…

A very subtle tremor emanated from the depths of the earth, almost undetectable, but it made Jeming’s heart skip a beat.

Then, a slight evening breeze carrying the stench of blood and the scent of slaughter, mixed with the smell of charred remains, abruptly invaded his nostrils.

From afar, there seemed to be unusual roars, filled with the ferocity of beasts, vaguely carried over, then quickly dispersed by the night wind.

Jeming abruptly opened his eyes, his icy gaze piercing through the heavy walls, looking towards the edge of Golden Harbor.

He stared blankly in a certain direction, then chuckled deeply: “It’s begun.”

In the next instant, the silence of Golden Harbor was shattered by a thunderous explosion!

In the west direction of the city, a blaze shot into the sky, accompanied by a deafening explosion, the city wall there was blown open with a massive breach.

“Roar!”

“Kill!!!”

The beastly roars and deep, primal snarls rolled across the night sky like thunder.

Countless tall figures surged in through the breach in the city wall like a tide, their skin resilient and green, clad in rugged armor, wielding crude yet massive weapons.

It was the Beastmen!

At the same time, anomalies erupted throughout the city.

Jeming, through his pre-arranged Eye of the Micro-Light detection system, could clearly see the anomalies within the entire city.

Besides the western city gate being blasted open by magic, the remaining seemingly sturdy gates were quietly opened from the inside without a sound.

Shadows, either dressed as noble servants or wearing the tattered armor of mercenaries, their eyes burning with fanaticism and anger, stabbed their swords into their companions, tearing crucial gaps for the invading Beastmen.

They were those exiled foreign nobles and their private soldiers.

The discrepancy in family status caused by the turbulence of war, compared to another group of nobles living lavishly, made it easy for them to be turned by the Beastmen, determined to “redistribute” the city’s interests.

“Kill! For Mother Earth!” The frenzied vanguard of Beastmen, like bloodthirsty wolves, charged directly towards the city’s core area and the guard command.

Clad in war tattoos, wielding giant axes and bone knives, their every step made the earth tremble.

In their ranks, Jeming also saw massive War Pigs bearing Beastmen riders with spears, charging unstoppable into the streets and the nimble, swift Wolf Cavalry maneuvering like black tornados between the houses.

The already extremely weak defenses of Golden Harbor could not put up any resistance under such a sudden and unexpected internal and external assault.

The command was swiftly ambushed and destroyed, and the defense system fell into paralysis.

Guards on the city walls were stabbed in the back or shot with Beastmen arrows before they could even react.

Chaos spread like a plague rapidly.

Flames soared into the sky, buildings crumbled under the Beastmen’s trampling, screams, curses, cries of despair, and the Beastmen’s excited roars mingling together, composing a symphony of hell.

On the streets, blood flowed like rivers, the unprepared local nobles and wealthy merchants, their luxurious robes soaked in blood, were torn to pieces by the Beastmen like ragdolls.

Yesterday’s revelry, today turned into a scene of devastation.

The Beastmen vanguard did not stop; they had a clear objective—to clear the entire city, paving the way for the subsequent main forces.

The area where Jeming was located was precisely where the nobles and wealthy merchants were gathered, and naturally became one of the targets of the Beastmen’s attack.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

Heavy footsteps accompanied by crude shouts of killing quickly approached from outside the villa.

However, as the Beastmen entered the wealthy district, their rapid assault slowed down.

The hired subordinates of the wealthy and nobles far exceeded the strength of Golden Harbor’s official forces, with many nobles themselves being strong as well.

Additionally, both the nobles and wealthy had the help of numerous magic items, for a time they relied on the buildings of the wealthy district as bastions, holding back the Beastmen’s attack!

But that was as far as it went.

As the other gates were quietly opened, the Beastmen continuously pressed on the survival space of the city’s residents, driving more and more residents towards the wealthy district.

Whether due to concerns about spies among the residents or fear of the rabble crashing into their ranks, the nobles could not just let them come in directly.

However, under such pressure, it wouldn’t be long before the line formed by the nobles would be crushed.

The light of torches penetrated the curtains, illuminating the room in flickering brightness and darkness.

Listening to the increasingly closer roars outside, Jeming slowly stood up, his aura instantly shifting from calm and reserved to as deep as the abyss.

He casually extinguished the lights in the villa, plunging the entire “Dawn Mansion” back into darkness, exuding an invisible danger like a giant beast lurking in the night.

Outside, the door was battered and precariously swaying from the impact of several frenzied War Pigs, and with a “boom,” it completely collapsed.

A group of Beastman Warriors in crude Leather Armor, escorted by several turned human soldiers, roared as they charged into the villa, grinning, ready to pillage recklessly.

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