Chapter 156: Chaos in a Troubled World

Panic continued to spread without end. The capital of the kingdom had been invaded, and even the Stormwind Keep, which served as both a palace and a fortress, had been breached for a time. Although the invaders were swiftly eliminated by the Sea King Duke, who had rushed to the scene, this could not stop the growing fear in the hearts of the people. "We don't want to die! We want to live!" "Please, let my child and me board the ship." "King Llane can no longer protect Stormwind City; do they expect us to die alongside this incompetent king?" Pessimism spread like a plague, impossible to suppress. Countless people brought their families to the docks, begging for a ticket to the safety of another world. The frenzied people wouldn't listen to the explanations of the dock officials, trying everything to board the ships. Some even tried to rush onto the ships still loaded with military supplies as they were being unloaded. The situation was extremely chaotic. Faced with their own citizens, the Stormwind City guards responsible for maintaining order didn't dare use their weapons. Caught off guard, a large number of people rushed onto the docks after some schemers shouted, "The city is breached!" If it hadn't been for the following scene, there might have been a tragic stampede. A fierce wind suddenly rose, bringing with it a bone-chilling cold that swept across the docks. Every person could feel the terrifying power contained within the icy wind. A small patch of sea surface was abruptly frozen, and a huge iceberg rose from the ground, growing taller and taller. Atop the iceberg stood a young man wearing the robe of the Stormwind royal mage corps. "A mage! Is it the Mage Lord!?" "Oh my god! It's Sea King Duke!" The name 'Duke' seemed to possess some kind of mysterious power beyond magic. As soon as the name was mentioned, the crowd, which had been on the verge of frenzy, suddenly calmed down. Whether it was out of a natural fear of the mage from the mysterious realm, admiration for the young mage who had become a key figure in the kingdom, or trust in the hero who defeated the Demon Lord Sargeras, the people stopped what they were doing and gazed at the young mage standing proudly atop the iceberg with a mix of awe and fear. Duke didn't explain anything at first. He raised his hand gently, and suddenly numerous glowing white Mage's Hands appeared. They flew into the crowd like lightning, pulling out several troublemakers. "Ah! What are you doing!?" "Let me go! Let me go!?" "Is the mage going on a killing spree?! Is there no law left?!" These ruffians struggled violently, but their struggles were meaningless in the face of the mysterious magical power. Duke's mocking sneer echoed throughout the area: "Weren't you enjoying shouting 'the city is breached' just now? Keep shouting! Why have you stopped?" It was impossible to find these ill-intentioned people with the naked eye. But with the system sprite, they were easily filtered out and found. Of course, this was attributed to the mysterious power of mages by the people. The crowd suddenly realized that these ruffians had taken advantage of the situation to sow chaos. "Damn it! They tricked us!?" "Liars! The chaos earlier almost crushed my son to death!" The people were naive, seeing that there was no real danger but that these scoundrels had come to stir up trouble. They were infuriated and Duke successfully diverted their attention. In the next instant, Duke's Mage's Hands grasped the necks of the ruffians suspended in the air. Duke raised his hand, and a golden-edged scroll appeared: "Now I will read King Llane Wrynn's emergency decree—In light of the orcs discovering a weak point in Stormwind's defenses, I have decided to orderly evacuate the populace to Southshore in the north via sea routes within the coming month. Any who disturb the order—be executed! The final interpretation of maritime order shall belong to Count Duke Marcus." In truth, the decree was real, but the kind-hearted Llane had not used such harsh wording. As chaos threatened to erupt, Duke simply resorted to strict measures. Gently putting away Llane's decree, Duke cast his cold gaze upon the troublemaking ruffians: "In accordance with King Wrynn's decree, I now sentence you to—death!" With a snap of Duke's fingers, dozens of Mage's Hands tore the feeble ruffians apart in midair as if they were being drawn and quartered. In the following moment, not even the corpses fell to the ground. They were immediately frozen into a massive ice sculpture, thunderously plunged into the sea near the dock. Anyone on the dock could see the gruesome fate of the ruffians through the transparent ice. Then, with a wave of his hand, Duke's arcane brilliance divided the crowd into enormous rows. "Now, everyone line up according to the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet arcane glows on your bodies. As a family unit, go to the designated dock officials to collect your evacuation boat tickets. Anyone who disturbs the order at the docks will share the fate of these ruffians. Don't think of deceiving my Mage's Eyes; under my watchful gaze, even those who manage to sneak onto a boat will be thrown into the sea to feed the sharks by my people!" As he spoke, hundreds of peculiar Mage's Eyes suddenly appeared in the sky, blinking rapidly. Each person felt as though they were being seen through. Under Duke's intimidation and the reinvigorated supervision of the city guards, the crowd unknowingly restored order. On the terrace of Stormwind Keep, Llane and the queen looked out over the Stormwind Harbor, listening to the distant noise. The scent of blood from the barely begun cleanup in the keep was still overwhelmingly strong. The invasion of elite orc soldiers under Orgrim's command had not only killed a large number of royal guards but also many reliable servants and maids. This made the cleanup of the corpses and the keep a slow process. Llane's furrowed brow seemed as though it could wring out water. "My dear, I fear I may lose this kingdom," Llane admitted for the first time since the war began, unable to dispel the gloom in his eyes. The queen tightly held Llane's hand: "At least you still have me and Varian, as well as Anduin, Bolvar, Duke, and these loyal subjects, not to mention the many soldiers who trust you, and the people..." "The people..." Llane's eyes were filled with sadness. "Any rational citizen will know that this is not your fault. Duke is right; this is a crisis that all seven human kingdoms must face together." "My dear, I am so grateful to have you." After kissing his beloved, Llane turned and entered the keep, where he received news of Duke handling the situation at the harbor. As for the report, Llane simply replied with a faint sentence. "I understand." (To be continued.)