Chapter 180 - 175: Coming Clean
Preparations for the Magical Beast hunt were not going smoothly.
「Inside the Lord’s Mansion study.」
A tremor rumbled up from deep underground.
Parchment scrolls rustled and tumbled from the bookshelves, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Velin reached out and steadied a cup of trembling black tea on his desk.
Ripples spread across the surface of the liquid.
Barrett burst into the study, covered in dust and wearing an anxious expression.
"Lord Velin! Another section of the southern farmland has collapsed!"
"It’s worse this time. A massive fissure over ten meters long has opened up!"
"The horses of the newly arrived Golden Sail Commerce Association grain convoy were startled. One horse broke its leg on the spot, and three wagons full of supplies overturned into the ditch!"
Velin said nothing. He simply stood up and walked over to the massive map of his domain on the wall.
He picked up a charcoal pencil and drew another X.
The map was densely covered with similar black marks, stretching from the southern marshlands all the way to the edge of Newly Town.
"Notify everyone," Velin said, putting down the charcoal pencil. "The guards, the artisans, the townspeople—everyone is to assemble in the Central Square in fifteen minutes."
Barrett froze. He took a step forward, blocking Velin’s path.
"Lord Velin, what are you planning to do?" he asked urgently. "People are already on edge. If you gather everyone and announce the truth about that monster... it’ll cause a riot! We should placate the populace first, make up some other excuse to tide them over, and tell them after we’ve dealt with the threat!"
Velin stopped and turned his head to look at his fiercely loyal Captain of the Guard.
"Barrett, have you ever seen someone try to dam a flood?"
"What?" Barrett couldn’t follow his line of thought.
"They use sandbags and levees to block it. The longer you hold it back, the higher the water rises, and the more power it builds."
"The moment the levee can no longer hold, the bursting floodwaters will destroy everything in their path."
Barrett only half-understood, but a strange weight settled in his chest.
"Rumors and panic are that flood. The more you try to cover it up, the more twisted it becomes as it spreads in the shadows, and the greater the fear it accumulates."
"To cover up a problem with one lie, you need a hundred more lies to maintain it."
"Rather than wait for it to break our levee, I will detonate it myself."
"I will use a controllable truth to dispel all the unpredictable unknowns."
The Central Square was a sea of people, buzzing with restless noise.
Several thousand townspeople had gathered, passing baseless rumors amongst themselves, their faces etched with confusion and terror.
The freemen who had only recently arrived to work were especially panicked. They looked around wildly, clutching their meager belongings as if ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
In contrast, the old townspeople who had survived the Month of Wailing and the Rock Breaker Knight Order’s attack were relatively calm. They gathered in their own groups, exchanging information in low voices.
Just then, another distinct tremor came from beneath their feet, and the crowd erupted in a commotion of startled cries.
Velin walked onto the high platform.
The noise gradually subsided, but the tense string in the air was pulled even tighter.
All eyes focused on him.
Velin surveyed the faces below—some fearful, some bewildered, some trusting. Without a single wasted word, he got straight to the point.
"Everyone, I know what you’re afraid of. The frequent tremors these past few days are not some so-called geological activity."
He paused. "Their source lies deep beneath the very land we stand on—a slumbering, great beast has awakened there."
The crowd instantly erupted.
"A great beast?!"
"Lord of Eternal Radiance! I knew something was wrong with this place!"
"Let’s run! Are we just going to stay here and wait to die?!"
Panic spread rapidly. Screams, shouts, and sobs mingled together, throwing the entire square into chaos.
Velin merely stood silently on the platform, watching the chaotic crowd below and allowing them to vent their primal fear.
After a long while, the people began to calm down, noticing that their lord on the platform remained as tranquil as ever.
Then, Velin’s voice rang out again, cutting through all the noise.
"I acknowledge the existence of this threat. Right now, the Lord’s Mansion is actively preparing to hunt this great beast."
"Now, I am giving you a choice. Anyone who wishes to leave may do so immediately!"
"I will not stop anyone. Not only that, but the Golden Sail Commerce Association will provide you with carriages and enough supplies to support you on your journey back home."
"I, Velin Klein, will not force anyone to stay."
A brief silence fell over the square.
The wind swept by, kicking up dust from the ground.
Thousands of subjects, from the old townspeople full of hope for the future to the freemen currently accumulating Merit Points, were stunned by this decision.
They had imagined their lord would placate them, deceive them, suppress them, or conscript them. They never imagined Lord Velin would tell them the truth and even let them leave.
After the short silence, the crowd at the back began to stir. A few people hesitated, then took a step, wanting to leave.
Just then, a booming voice suddenly exploded forth.
"Leave? Leave to where?!"
Barton burst from the crowd, his eyes Crimson Red, pounding his sturdy chest with his fists in agitation.
"If we leave here, we’ll just go back to being those same starving nobodies who get pushed around by everyone! Only by staying here can we live like actual human beings!"
"I’m not leaving!"
"I’m gonna join the town guard! I’m gonna kill that bastard beast! Earn Merit Points! And get a big house!"
Right after, Tumo also stepped forward.
He wasn’t as emotional as Barton, but his gaze was just as resolute.
He looked at the wavering people around him and shouted.
"Lord Velin and Barton are right. My life ain’t worth much, so where am I not gambling with it? Before, we had no choice. Now we have a chance to bet big, so why not take it?"
"I’m betting that if we follow Lord Velin, we can win!"
"Merit Points!"
"We’re not leaving!"
"Kill the great beast!"
Gradually, fervor devoured fear.
The words "Merit Points" seemed to possess an infinite magic, igniting the desire in everyone’s heart.
Barton, in particular, who had changed his destiny through the "Foundation Strengthening Plan" and whose physique had become even more bear-like, served as a living testament, giving those around him a strange sense of confidence.
’The great beast might not be an unstoppable catastrophe.’
’If it’s killed, how many Merit Points can I get as a participant?’
Velin raised his hand. The fanatical shouts in the square gradually died down. Everyone held their breath, waiting for their lord to issue his command.
A huge blackboard was erected behind Velin, with two brand-new tasks written on it.
[Forge Iron Chains. Requirement: In coordination with the blacksmith’s shop, twist the special iron bars provided by the Lord’s Mansion into giant chain links of a uniform size. Merit Points will be awarded based on the number completed, with no upper limit!]
[Cultivate Soldier Ants. Requirement: As a household, apply to the Guild Hall to receive Soldier Ant larvae and special feed for rearing. For each successfully raised, qualified adult Soldier Ant, receive a reward of 50 Merit Points!]
Staring at the tasks on the board, everyone’s breathing grew heavy. Their eyes were fixed only on those tempting numbers.
Velin turned and walked off the platform. Below, the sound of people signing up thundered across the square.