The Mayor's Speech

Boom!

"The honorable and esteemed Mayor of Red Bell City announces an important message. The enemy is within sight, lurking with malice, but fear not, dear citizens. Know that we are ready for them, and we will not let any harm come to our beloved city. Today, at noon, our bell will be stained with our blood before we stain the ground with the blood of our enemies. Gather and bear witness!"

"Today, at noon, our bell will be stained with our blood before we stain the ground with the blood of our enemies."

The town crier continued to repeat his message, while the drummer beat his drum to capture the attention of the public. And so, they roamed through the main street, the inner and affluent districts, and some middle-class neighborhoods before noon arrived.

In the library, Sollivan sat quietly, listening to the crier's voice fading as he moved away. He raised his head, scratched his chin with a strange expression, and then looked at Ellis and Devlin, narrowing his eyes. "Don't you feel like something's off?"

Ellis glanced at him and asked curiously, "What do you mean? Do you know something?"

"No, but I genuinely feel there's something wrong with the current situation. The enemy forces are stationed nearby, and their numbers surpass ours, yet the mayor is acting so relaxed and carefree, as if he's already secured victory."

"What do you mean, Mr. Sollivan?" Devlin didn't fully understand his point, but he considered Sollivan's words a priority and trusted everything he said.

"Well..." Ellis wanted to dismiss his suspicions, but he suddenly fell silent and began to think carefully.

Sollivan noticed this and asked curiously, "You know something, don't you?"

"Not really, but there's a rumor that's been circulating recently, which a friend from the guard told me. Although it's somewhat confidential..." He leaned closer to Sollivan and lowered his voice. "The Southern Army has established an advanced base near this location, stationing around nine thousand infantry and a thousand cavalry under the command of a silver-ranked commander named Leopold."

When Sollivan heard the familiar name, he recalled the image of a noble-looking man he had seen in the mayor's palace. His eyes widened involuntarily, showing great surprise, which made Ellis suspicious and prompted him to ask, "What do you know about this?"

"Well, how should I put it... I think I've heard this name somewhere before, so I was startled." He continued to scratch his chin in confusion. He didn't know why Leopold felt familiar, but he hadn't given it much thought before. Now, hearing the name again, his curiosity grew, and he began to think carefully.

Then he remembered a scene in the library, where he had guided a customer to buy books about pre-empire history.

'It was the same person. That explains why he feels familiar, but there's something off about this man. If he's truly a silver-ranked commander, he wouldn't have the leisure to visit the city so often. Yet, it seems he's visited the mayor several times this month.'

"Sollivan, you're hiding something," Ellis said, his voice betraying his curiosity, snapping Sollivan out of his thoughts. He looked startled, smiled strangely, and said, "Really, am I?"

Ellis narrowed his eyes. "You rascal, have you started gathering information before me? Your methods have truly evolved."

Heh, Sollivan let out a smug laugh and puffed out his chest. "Who knows? Maybe I'm the son of a powerful family, and I'm just a spy stealing information from common folk like you."

Ellis looked at him strangely before laughing sarcastically. "You? Well, I believe you."

While Ellis and Devlin laughed, Sollivan began to seriously ponder the conversation he had overheard between the mayor and Leopold when he had spied on them. 'The mayor is confident about the reinforcements he's getting from the silver-ranked commander. That explains his overconfidence and lax attitude. However, this doesn't make sense.'

After a short period of thought, he said with clear confusion, "Perhaps the enemy forces are much larger than they appear. If they've planned this meticulously, I doubt the new base would escape their intelligence. Therefore, it's likely that reinforcements won't reach our city, and we'll suffer heavy losses."

Ellis felt a hint of fear upon hearing this and wanted to speak, but Sollivan stopped him and continued explaining: "I believe the enemy's target is the treasury, and controlling the city isn't their priority. So, I think they won't attack us directly but will instead bombard the city with catapults to distract our forces while their soldiers seize the treasury area and open it." He paused for a moment and pointed his finger at Ellis confidently, emphasizing his words.

"Moving the treasury's contents won't be easy, so they'll need a lot of time. In any case, I think we should stay away from the center and head toward the northern districts, as the initial attack won't be large and will likely focus on the areas near the southern wall."

Ellis listened to everything he said in astonishment, and in his shock, he forgot his fears and asked in confusion, "How can you know this? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mr. Sollivan, how did you figure this out? This is amazing!" Devlin also looked at him in awe, his gaze filled with deep admiration and respect.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but if they suddenly bombard the city without bringing their forces closer to the walls, that would be enough evidence." Most people might not know, but even the terrifying catapults that scared everyone were divided into two types: medium-range ones typically used in wars, and long-range ones designed for strategic attacks and field battles. The catapults were a specialty of the Cold Sun Empire, and although their empire had produced several copies, their quality was much lower compared to the originals, and they weren't suitable for defense due to their large size and need for ample space, making them impractical to place within narrow fortifications.

Ellis calmed himself and looked into Sollivan's eyes seriously, nodding his head. "I'll trust what you're saying."

But Sollivan smiled sarcastically and laughed a little, "Don't take the situation so seriously. These are just hypotheses with a weak foundation." He didn't maintain his stern expression, lightening the suddenly tense atmosphere in the room. After a few attempts, he changed the subject, and the three of them returned to discussing personal matters, laughing at the jokes Devlin had heard from his poor friends.

Time passed quickly, and with no customers around, no one interrupted them. But hunger had other plans, as Sollivan and Devlin's stomachs began to growl in protest. They realized they hadn't eaten anything since the previous day.

Ellis looked at them sarcastically, pulled out a silver coin from his pocket, and said to Devlin, "Boy, go find an open restaurant or shop and buy us something to eat."

Devlin quickly took the money and left.

Sollivan watched him until he left the library, then looked at Ellis and smiled. "This is surprising. You've become generous, contrary to your usual self."

"You're calling me stingy?"

Sollivan laughed sarcastically and wheeled his chair away, ignoring Ellis's grumbling. After reaching a corner near one of the bookshelves, he said, "Alright, alright, you've annoyed me. I'm going to rest. Read a book or write something, and don't bother me." Without waiting for a response, he disappeared behind the shelf and parked his chair.

He sat quietly for a while, listening intently to Ellis's movements. When he felt Ellis was far enough, he ordered Noctis to appear, then closed his eyes and transferred his senses to it.

He sneaked quietly, leisurely observing Ellis, who sat at the reception desk reading an old book. He felt a bit of relief and slipped outside.

The clouds hadn't dispersed, but the sky held back its rain, giving the earth a break. The alley was empty as expected, but occasionally, a commoner could be seen running quickly toward some destination. After ensuring the area was devoid of life, Noctis took on its semi-human form, leaped onto the rooftops, and began running toward the bell tower. Within minutes, it reached the familiar square, which was packed to the brim—not just with soldiers, but with commoners from various social classes.

It looked at the high platform where the massive red bell was placed, engraved with simple, wavy symbols, before glancing at the rows of armored soldiers spread around the platform, forming a barrier between it and the gathered crowd. Despite the large number of people, the place was silent, and no one dared to speak loudly. Noon hadn't arrived yet, so not all the important figures had appeared.

Sollivan sat in a hidden corner on top of a house, only his crimson eyes peeking out to observe.

Time passed quietly, and more commoners gathered. Some prominent figures also appeared, including the deputy mayor, the head of one of the noble families, who was at the middle stage of the Path Opening realm. As for the heads of the other noble families in the city, they were: the head of the guard, a former silver-ranked commander in the Southern Army who had come to this city with his family after retirement in search of peace.

For an ordinary human to begin cultivating Auraxis energy, or what is known as the "spiritual essence" that connects all forms of life, they first had to pass through the Body Strengthening realm, divided into ten levels. During this stage, humans improve and strengthen their physical structure. For example, the first five levels focus on general physical improvement. The remaining five levels each focus on strengthening a specific organ. In the sixth level, bones alone are strengthened, and their tissues are enhanced to become solid and resistant to fractures. In the seventh level, organs and viscera are reinforced to increase their strength and improve their healing speed, making some fatal injuries easier to treat. As for the other levels, the eighth level focuses on transforming the marrow and improving the blood, significantly boosting vitality. The ninth level enhances pulse and breathing, while the final level is called Body Integration, as every organ, no matter how insignificant, surpasses human potential. Humans in the Body Strengthening realm are called trainees, as they've just begun their training journey.

However, in reality, many trainees don't take the last five levels of the Body Strengthening realm seriously due to their extreme difficulty and the fact that their strength doesn't increase significantly even after progressing through them. Therefore, they proceed to the next realm, the Path Opening realm, where, upon reaching it, trainees can cultivate and absorb Auraxis energy within their bodies, officially earning the title of "Arcane masters."

The Path Opening realm is divided into four stages: early, middle, late, and finally, peak. For a trainee to reach the early stage, called "Vein Connection," they must open their primary vein, the most important energy pathway in the body, by consuming a Vein Opening Pill, which costs one gold coin. However, the success rate on the first attempt isn't very high.

After that, for an Arcane master to reach the middle stage, they must integrate the twenty-five secondary pathways in their body with the primary vein, increasing the amount of energy in the body and facilitating its flow. The same applies to the late stage, where the Arcane master expands the energy network throughout their body through hundreds of small and large arteries that cover every organ and reach every corner of the body. When the energy cycle becomes smooth and integrated, nourishing every organ and harmonizing with them, the Arcane master reaches the peak of the Path Opening realm and becomes ready to break through to the next realm, the Core Formation realm.

Although Sollivan was a descendant of a powerful noble family with a comprehensive understanding of all stages of the Path Opening realm, his knowledge of the Core Formation realm was almost nonexistent, and he knew almost nothing about it, only the name. The Core Formation realm was extremely difficult, and even the Golden Lion Empire itself had only a handful of Arcane masters at this level, such as the Emperor and some important figures like the Grand Marshal.

Due to the city's insignificance, only four individuals at the middle stage of the Path Opening realm were present: the heads of the three noble families and the mayor. Even the number of Arcane masters at the early stage of the Path Opening realm wasn't particularly high. Therefore, half of the soldiers in the city were merely trainees at the fifth level of the Body Strengthening realm or higher. Although their strength wasn't comparable to those at the early stage of the Path Opening realm, low-level wars relied on numbers rather than individual strength alone, making their role very important.

Time passed quietly, and within half an hour, the square was packed to the brim. The buildings and alleys adjacent to the square also had their windows filled with onlookers. Without waiting any longer, Mayor Bjorn Quincy arrived with his entourage, which included his son Sven, a young man in his mid-twenties with long brown hair reaching his neck, sharp and strong eyes, and prominent eyebrows like an unsheathed sword. His face was pale, smooth, and clean, with only a small black mole below his ear. He wore popular combat attire: a black robe embroidered with white patterns on the sleeves and collar. To enhance his body's protection, he wore a brown leather armor adorned with decorations, protecting his chest and back, and wrapped his arms and legs with thin leather straps.

Also present was the head of the guard, Vincent Xavier, a large, slightly tall man wearing shiny silver armor and a smooth helmet that hid his face, revealing only his sharp brown eyes, slightly bluish lips, and a prominent chin. Unlike the other guards, a short white cloak hung from his back, fluttering with every movement, and a long sword with a gold-embroidered sheath was strapped to his waist.

As soon as the mayor reached the platform, he didn't climb the stairs but instead leaped high and landed smoothly beside the bell, displaying his strength and majesty. Following him, his son and the head of the guard also jumped and stood respectfully behind him.

Thus, the mayor looked at the commoners with his sharp, authoritative eyes, and after a minute of silence, he spoke in a majestic voice that carried a hidden force, allowing it to reach far without shouting.

"People of the city, listen and etch my words into your ears. We will prevail!"

The commoners were stunned by the simple yet surprising statement from the mayor, and even Sollivan was taken aback, though his surprise turned into great sarcasm. 'He's truly confident. Didn't the years of war teach him not to rush to judgment?'

The mayor continued, "Yes, we will prevail. Do not be surprised or astonished. The enemy has made a grave mistake by marching onto our land, thinking they would intimidate us. But alas, history has taught them nothing, for we have always kicked their backsides, and after every battle, they flee like defeated dogs with their tails between their legs."

Sollivan looked at the mayor's serious expression and condescending tone and sneered. 'We've never won a battle without the commoners suffering heavy losses. But to him, the poor aren't citizens, and his speech is directed at the upper and middle classes. What a scoundrel!' There was no such thing as human rights, and a person's value was determined by their strength, wealth, and status. If someone was just a poor weakling, they were no different from a stray dog.

The mayor continued his speech, highlighting their strength and bravery while belittling their enemies, comparing them to dogs. Finally, he drew a small knife from a sheath on his belt and cut his palm. He clenched his bleeding fist and said, "Our bell will be stained with our blood before we stain the ground with the blood of our enemies." He turned and took a step toward the bell, then pressed his bloodied hand against it, leaving a fresh red imprint on the dried blood coating.

He turned back to the crowd and cheered loudly, "Victory is ours!" He then gestured to his son Sven to stain the bell with his blood as well. After that, the head of the guard also cut his hand and splattered his blood on the bell. The rituals didn't end there, as the head of the guard stepped forward and announced in a strong voice.

"Now, I will call upon our brave and deserving warriors to leave their mark on our city's history. Our names may be forgotten, but our blood will remain present and witnessed."

"Honorable and esteemed Rudolph Mortimer, step forward to leave your mark."

From the ranks of the guards, an elderly man in his late sixties leaped onto the platform. His appearance became clear: a bald, smooth head, an aged face full of wrinkles, and a large scar that divided his forehead horizontally. Rudolph wore shiny silver armor, and on his chest was a golden emblem of a roaring lion. This man was the head of the Mortimer family, who had come to this city after retiring from the Southern Army but was obligated to answer the call of battle due to his status, despite his obvious displeasure.

Boom!

As everyone watched the blood-staining ritual, a loud explosion suddenly rang out, causing everyone to scream in shock and surprise. Even the ground shook faintly. Sollivan quickly turned his head and looked toward the source of the sound, where he saw a large black cloud in the sky, from which dozens of large rocks scattered in all directions, raining down on the ground below.