Sowing Discord

At Shangri-La Inn, people broke into a commotion when they saw the notice on the door.

"Oh Yiblis, the price of an ordinary room rose to three hundred Black Crystal Coins a day? That's robbery!"

"Even sleeping on the floor costs twenty Black Crystal Coins a night! It's insanity, has Sir Yang gone mad over money?"

…

The people were in heated discussion, and they were growing more agitated by the minute. They did not expect that the rent would rise so many multiples after they woke up. They all clenched their teeth, repeatedly spouting expletives.

Seeing the agitated people, the thief Fenlist made his way amongst them, following Goode's instructions. "Brothers, this has nothing to do with Sir Yang. Look, the notice states that the rent has not changed; the extra money that is collected will be handed to the leader as a tax!"

Handed to the leader as a tax?

With Fenlist's reminder, the angry mob looked closely at the notice on the door. Quickly, they began another angry discussion.

"That is too much, collecting such a high tax!"

"Oh Yiblis, it's over! I cannot earn the money, and even the toll fees have been forcefully taken by the leader!"

…

After understanding the reason for the surge in price, the people were furious. They all pointed their spears at the man that suddenly appeared to be responsible: Steve.

Seeing that the time was almost right, a soldier walked out following Goode's instructions. "Oh Yiblis, that b*stard of a leader unleashed a bloodbath the moment he arrived and is always looking for ways to increase taxes. He is not allowing us to live!"

"That's right! If this goes on, we do not need to think about earning money. We can all just eat wind!"

"I heard that many troops that camped in the wilderness were killed last night. There were many pieces of black heavy armor unique to the Banto Empire left at the scene!" a bandit quietly said as he cautiously inspected his surroundings.

"Shh, softer! It was not just the Wind Whistling Troops; even the troops that did not want to spend money on Shangri-La suffered several casualties!"

"I heard that there was a small group of troops and adventurers who felt that something was off and wanted to flee Wissen Town at night. But in the end, they all died along the way!" After carefully observing the surroundings, a desolate middle-aged man said, "It is rumored that in order to eliminate any dissent, the new leader has forbidden anyone to enter or leave. Those who want to charge out of the town during the chaos will suffer a fate like the Rossi people, being killed and left to rot!"

"Oh Yiblis, let's rebel. If he is not going to let us live, then we should not let him off easy. Let us fight against him!"

…

With people intentionally sowing discord, the people became more and more agitated. Goode had successfully planted the seeds of hatred in the hearts of the troops and adventurers. All that was lacking was a trigger.

Just as the people were cursing Steve and his ancestors, a wave of footsteps could be heard as Triangle Eyes Midhart arrived at Shangri-La riding a horse. "Under the orders of the leader, from today onward, I shall be in charge of collecting all of the profits of Shangri-La. Those who go against the order shall be killed!"

Looking at the furious troops and adventurers, Midhart gave a cold smile. Business in Shangri-La was booming. With only him sent to collect the money, it would definitely be a tough job. He might even be able to steal some of the crystal coins, and in a few days, he could get himself a beautiful lover back in the capital.

In his excitement, Midhart disregarded the angry stares of the people. After forcing the Rossi people into the Terras Forest, they had basically achieved control of this town. Even if the adventurers in town were unhappy, they would not dare to do anything in the face of three thousand elite Black Armor Guards.

Looking at the arrogant Midhart, the people clenched their teeth, all wanting to beat him into a pile of mush. But thinking about his backers, thinking about the fearsome Black Armor Guards of the Banto Empire, they did not dare act rashly. They could only be angry, but they could not voice their grievances. In their anger, no one noticed that the notice that had fanned their anger had secretly been torn down.

"Sir, I only have a dozen Black Crystal Coins on me. Do a good deed and let me stay in Shangri-La for a few more days. As long as I can make it past these chaotic days, I will leave immediately!" Under Goode's preparations, a pathetic troop knelt in front of Triangle Eyes, tears covering his face. "Pity my eighty-year-old mother back at home. I still have kids to rear. Please do a good deed and let me stay in Shangri-La to avoid trouble for a few days!"

"Hah, no money?" Midhart looked at the shabbily dressed desolate soldier in disgust. He struck down with his whip without hesitation. "Scram if you have no money! This is not a refugee center, scram!"

After letting out a pathetic wail, the desolate soldier staggered out of the inn with a bloody head. Behind him, many shook their heads in sympathy. Some clenched their teeth and stared at the arrogant Triangle Eyes. There were even some who were silently polishing the shiny axes in their hands.

After a wave of threats, Midhart successfully collected a large number of crystal coins. When he walked out of Shangri-La smiling, he did not see the flaming eyes of the people behind him. He did not expect that he had accidentally become the gravedigger for his own faction.

By dawn, an unprecedented storm was brewing in Wissen Town!

Midhart had successfully accomplished his mission, but his master Steve was worried. For some reason, just a day later, the Rossi troops started a strong retaliation. They would frequently swarm up to a lone Black Armor Guard and make use of their numbers advantage to launch frenzied attacks, then vanish before reinforcements could arrive.

In just a day, the casualties had become serious. He had lost sixty elite warriors and three patrolling Spellcasters. With the small scale ambushes, countless warriors had also become injured.

Could it be that they had a large number of reinforcements?

Steve was very confused. He had thought that the Rossi forces could not survive another blow and that he could gain complete control of Wissen Town ahead of schedule. He could not understand how the Rossi people could suddenly launch such a strong counterattack. What confused him even more was how the Rossi forces managed to successfully ambush one lone soldier every time.

In the chaos, even the townspeople who had lived in Wissen Town for decades barely noticed that there were a few more giant trees at critical junctions of the town, much less Steve, who had arrived out of nowhere. No one paid attention to the sudden appearance of a few fist-sized Horned Bee Beasts on several of those trees.