Chapter 90

The moment the two missions appeared in Elara's mind, the progress bar immediately filled a bit.

The funds she intercepted from Lord Gregory had been disguised as military supplies for General Qi's army.

Even though it was supposed to be the Plumera Kingdom's full annual treasury income, the actual silver only totaled around four hundred thousand taels.

The rest were all luxury goods like jewels and jade, which looked valuable but couldn't be used as liquid assets, so System 92 didn't count them.

Elara didn't plan to complete the mission with just this intercepted sum. This money and food were her starting resources to develop in Marigold City, meant to be used to grow more money and grain.

The main city of Marigold was now within reach.

Once she entered the region, she noticed that the once-prosperous southern city, once praised as the richest part of Plumera, was no different from anywhere else.

Refugees were displaced, bandits roamed in groups, and one ruined village after another had been ravaged by disasters and unrest.

They finally arrived at the city gates of Marigold.

Elara stepped down from the carriage and looked up at the tightly closed, unimpressive gates. She raised her hand, and General Qi sent soldiers to deliver the message.

They had taken a long time on the road. Although Plumera's capital was far from Marigold, the couriers traveled day and night along straight routes, so her arrival should have been reported long ago.

Logically, the city governor should have come with officials to open the gates and welcome her.

But the gates remained tightly shut. Not a single guard could be seen anywhere near them.

After a while, the soldier sent to report returned, dragging a drunk guard behind him.

"Princess, General, we searched the whole area and couldn't find anyone. Only in the inn did we find a few guards completely drunk. This one was the most sober, so I brought him."

Calling this one "sober" was a stretch.

His uniform was hanging loose from partying, and his drunk face showed no trace of proper military conduct.

Now that he had been dragged out of his pleasure den, he showed a fierce, drunken arrogance. Struggling, he pointed wildly at everyone around him.

"You... hic... who are you?! How dare you touch me? I... hic... give you one... hic... one incense stick's time! Get me the best wine and the prettiest courtesans from Qingwan Courtyard! Or... hic... or once I sober up, I'll lead a raid on your homes! Hah! If you don't want to be jailed on made-up charges, then send your wife or daughter to serve me! Heh heh heh!"

Completely drunk, the guard finished his threats with full confidence. His blurry eyes finally settled on Elara.

Even though he couldn't see her clearly or the troops behind her, her elegant and noble figure stuck in his cloudy vision.

He thought she was a courtesan and laughed while licking his greasy lips, leaning toward Elara.

"Come here, beauty, serve me well... I promise you'll eat well and live well... hic..."

Unfortunately, just as his hand reached Elara's dress, before he could touch her, Elara opened her mouth with a flat expression and said, "Cut it off."

Shing.

As soon as the words fell, a flash of cold white light swept past his hand.

In the next second, the guard's outstretched hand was cleanly severed at the wrist. Blood sprayed from the stump.

He stared in shock for two seconds before bending over and clutching his bleeding wrist, screaming and convulsing in pain.

Elara had already mentally prepared herself before arriving in Marigold. After all, if Captain Yang could turn the capital into such a mess, what could she expect from a distant southern city?

Still, she didn't think she'd encounter such a disgusting situation before even entering the gate.

A mere city guard dared to neglect his duty, leaving the gates unattended, drinking and partying in broad daylight, then casually threatening citizens with arrest and abusing women. He was worse than the soldiers under Captain Yang in the capital.

If even the lowest guard dared to act this wildly, it meant the law that should protect the people had become a weapon used to oppress them.

How miserable must life be for the people here? How much abuse had they suffered under such scum?

Uno stepped forward and grabbed the guard, who was still howling and on the verge of fainting. With a light tap, the guard's eyes rolled back before he was forced to reopen them, shivering as he was made to look at Elara.

She stepped closer, avoiding the blood, and asked calmly,

"Are you awake now?"

The guard was very much awake.

His face had turned pale, drenched in sweat and tears. He had been so arrogant before, but now he looked like a broken animal.

The pain cleared his vision enough for him to see the riders, the military, the noblemen, and especially the young girl he had just tried to harass — the one who clearly stood at the center of them all.

The city guard nearly fainted from fear. His wrist was in severe pain, and all kinds of terrifying thoughts raced through his head. Even if he was ignorant, he could tell that this kind of power was not someone he could afford to provoke.

What made it worse was that he had just tried to make a move on this precious young woman. He had always bullied the weak and feared the strong. Now he clutched his empty wrist and trembled as he stuttered, not daring to look up at Elara.

"Sober… I… I didn't know which noble guest… has arrived…"

"The current emperor's elder sister, the eldest princess of the Plumera Kingdom. I've returned today to take possession of my fiefdom. Does no one in Marigold County know this?"

Her calm voice echoed in the air. The city guard's eyes widened in shock.

Then, maybe from being too overwhelmed, he stared blankly at Elara for two seconds. His face went pale, then his body collapsed, completely unconscious.

Elara blinked.

Truly a useless coward who only bullies the weak.

Uno was about to step forward and wake the man, but Elara stopped him. There was no point in wasting time on trash like this.

She raised her eyes to the tightly shut city gates and spoke to General Qi.

"Break the gate."

General Qi heard these calm two words from her mouth as if she were simply asking what to eat today.

He lowered his eyes, hiding his thoughts, responded with a quiet "yes," then led his men forward to smash open the gate.

In its most prosperous days, Marigold County was once called the southern capital. Its layout was quite similar to the Plumera capital, divided into four city zones: north, south, east, and west.

The north held the nobles, the east the rich merchants, the south was the commoners' district, and the west was where the slaves lived.

Though not as luxurious as the capital's gold and jade decor, Marigold County had its own charm.

But this charm carried a dark undercurrent of bloodthirsty oppression.

Just looking at the broken and bleak state of the southern and western districts, one could tell how miserable the people here were. Life was far worse than in the capital.

As Elara and her party passed through in their carriages, any noise they made startled the locals. Like frightened rats, they slammed their doors shut and hid in the shadows.

They didn't dare make a sound. From cracks in their windows, they peeked out at the passing group, as if they were raiders come to burn and loot.

Elara made a full circle around the western and southern areas, and everyone she saw reacted this way. It was impossible to approach anyone for information.

She sat at the front of the carriage, meeting the fearful eyes of the people hiding in the dark. But she didn't send anyone to disturb them.

When they passed through the west and entered the east, it was as if they had stepped into another world. If the southwest side was hell, then the northeast side was paradise.

As soon as they entered the eastern district, laughter, music, and loud chatter filled the air.

Rich and powerful people dressed in gold and jewels paraded through the streets surrounded by servants. Among them were slaves either taken from the southwest or sold themselves voluntarily, kneeling like livestock by the roadside waiting to be picked.

Elara took it all in and checked the time System 92 had given her.

It had been half an hour since she broke through the gate. Still, no one had come to find her. The powerful of Marigold County remained lost in their pleasures, unaware that their city gates had already been breached.

Not until her massive procession entered the main street of the eastern district did people finally turn to look.

They stared at her with a mix of curiosity, suspicion, and shock.

Maybe because they couldn't tell who she was or because her imposing presence scared them, even the arrogant nobles and merchants instinctively stepped aside to give way.

Inside the most extravagant opera house on the main street, in a third-floor room by the window, a young man dressed in white sat sipping tea.

His refined features glowed slightly under the sunlight. The faint pink mark like a flower petal between his brows was surprisingly elegant. Instead of appearing feminine, it made his beauty more striking.

He drank his tea while chatting casually with a young man in green across from him.

Hearing the commotion outside, he lowered his long lashes and looked out the window.

"Carrying a banner marked 'Qi,' moving in formation, steps precise, passing through the market without disturbing a thing. Only the Qi family's army under General Qi could be this disciplined."

The man in green was also handsome. Watching the scene outside, he gently tapped his tea cup and chuckled.

The man in white nodded. His gaze swept over the large group, then focused on the ornate carriage protected in the middle. His brows furrowed slightly.

"To be guarded personally by the Qi army… I heard the eldest princess from the capital is coming to Marigold County. That must be her inside that carriage."

The man in green glanced back at him and spoke in a low voice. When he noticed the white-robed man's slight frown, his own smile faded. He raised his cup and sighed softly.

"Poor people of Marigold County. One High Qiong was already too much. Now they have a princess who is said to be even crueler and more ruthless. I don't know how much more suffering they'll endure."

He lifted an eyebrow at the man in white. "In this situation, do you still plan to go through with the business deal High Qiong offered?"

As the procession continued and the street grew more crowded, the white-robed man turned away, took a slow sip of tea, and said, "Let's wait and see."

On the street, Elara, who was the center of everyone's curiosity, rode in her carriage straight through the west side and headed to the highest part of the northern district. That was where the governor's residence stood.

The guards there were still at their posts, but their clothing, armor, and weapons were all worn loosely.

The stench of alcohol and perfume surrounded them. It was obvious they had just crawled out from some pleasure house.

They had been leaning lazily against the wall, eyes shut, when the rumble of wheels snapped them out of their drowsiness. They looked up and saw Elara's carriage charging straight toward the governor's estate.

They were stunned by the boldness of it. After a moment, they hurried to grab their weapons, their expressions turning fierce as they stepped in to block the way.

"Hey! Who are you people?! This is the governor's mansion! Want to die?! You dare storm in with a carriage? Get down now and show us who you think you are! Not just anyone can come here! Are you mad or just looking for death…"

Unfortunately, he didn't finish his sentence. A blast of inner force struck him midair and slammed him into the wall with a heavy thud. He fainted on the spot.

The loud crash instantly woke the other drunken guards.