Discord within Haven

Hiding in a corner of the city, Frederick was drinking blood from a fruit that had the shape of a gourd. The gourd-like fruit was empty inside and was a lucky discovery when he was in the forest of Dyrroth. Because of their peculiar characteristics, these fruits could be used to store liquids such as water or even blood. The only downside was that they were fragile and could easily be broken.

It had been a day since the lockdown and Frederick was starting to get tired. It was very difficult for him to rest since he had been tracked nonstop. It was as if they knew his general direction at all times so he could not afford to stop anywhere for long periods. Even if he now has a better body than most people, he still couldn't quite be considered a superhuman and still requires some rest.

During those last twenty-four hours, the mayor of the city ordered all entrances to be closed and forbade all types of transportation to go in or out of Haven City. Frederick already concluded that murdering the mayor's investigator may perhaps have attracted way more attention to him than he initially planned. He had not expected that his act would cause the city to panic like this.

'They probably found out that I know about Blood Dominion. From what I've seen, it seems like they are taking a more aggressive approach.'

After the lockdown, the guards started to conduct a very large-scale manhunt throughout Haven. The mayor used the excuse of "finding a terrorist organization within town" in an attempt to appease the masses. If not for Frederick being meticulous, he would have been captured or even killed already.

Luckily for him, he could use his coat to silently flee from them and take refuge in another area of the city when needed. It appeared his Dark Cache Trenchcoat's ability to hide Frederick's presence could help against tracking authority which was a blessing and saved him multiple times.

The whole city was under a heavy lockdown, and escaping it would be difficult even with his camouflage ability. Besides, even if he could escape this place, he wouldn't. 

He had a bold and a bit rough plan in his head. He knew that it would probably fail but he did not mind "retrying multiple times". He felt this could be a great opportunity to farm some experience points before the start of the main story.

Frederick was also interested in how the woman who stole the high-tier authority escaped the city or how she could conceal herself despite guards with tracking authority. However, he did not bother searching for her since even the city with tracking authorities couldn't quite find her. At worst he could wait until they find her and try to snatch the information for the next time.

After gathering some information about the Haven, Frederick knew that this lockdown wouldn't last anyway. This city was far from peaceful and united. The mayor had some power within the city but it would be ridiculous to think that there won't be any opposition or that he was all-powerful.

 If Frederick had to guess, the mayor would soon be replaced by someone else. From what Frederick had learned, he was not fit for the position of mayor at all because of his extremely authoritarian nature.

Most people lived their entire lives in democracy and were mostly educated so thinking that they would just accept a tyrant would be stupid. It is even truer now that stats and levels exist. This lockdown has already created a huge ruckus and increased the already high public dissatisfaction. 

Even if the city was surprisingly still operating despite the lockdown, he knew that it wouldn't last until the city went into a civil war. This lockdown was only adding gunpowder to a ticking bomb. Moreover, even if the mayor tried to keep things running normally, the city couldn't afford to shut down for too long because of a straightforward reason; food and public pressure.

The city has now about five thousand inhabitants. Each consumes food and even if side stories can offer some as rewards, it is not enough to satisfy all of them. Thus to feed everyone, the city started a project of massive agricultural industry using seeds obtained in side stories.

After all, they were thousands of people with abilities, their productivity and efficiency should be on another level. They planned to open new fields outside of the city's wall and started building large agricultural structures with the help of multiple authorities. 

 Using seeds obtained from different realms, candidates were promised lands to cultivate if they helped in the project.

This job was greatly welcomed by all since it would mean the end of the constant hunger most candidates in the city had to endure. This plan was very successful at the beginning since some authorities could enhance the size or speed of the growth of plants.

Most inhabitants in Haven were satisfied with the mayor at that time but it did not last. The mayor was not experienced in politics and was too authoritarian with his policies. He could be smart but it doesn't mean that he could be good in everything.

For instance, the city tried to control all authorities in circulation by establishing its currency. The mayor publicly announced that the reason it created its currency was that it needed to "create a stable currency for exchanges". Although most people could see the real reason behind those decisions, their reasoning was still logical.

Authorities have different values, and their worth is determined by their utility and sometimes rarity. Meaning that each exchange employing authorities was more a kind of "bartering" rather than actual trade. So creating its currency was needed for a "fair trade" 

This decision was already very controversial because most people would rather trust authorities than a piece of paper.

However, the situation deteriorated rapidly when the city attempted to compensate workers with its currency instead of the promised land for their assistance in the fields. Additionally, the mayor's decision to prohibit the purchase of lands, justifying it as "public goods" was something that all candidates couldn't accept. How could they trust the city when it can't even keep its promise?

This crisis has created conflict between the city's administration and the rest of the inhabitants. Some candidates simply refused the city's currency because it was "inferior" compared to authorities and stopped working on the agricultural project. Instead, some of them tried to open their fields a bit farther away from Haven.

However, it was also very dangerous. After the first month, "hunters" suddenly came out of the forest and roamed freely in the vast plains. Hunters were the name given to flesh monsters that killed Frederick in his first life. In addition to their cunning nature, these moving pieces of meat are always in a "pack" and are never alone. Moreover, monsters were not the only threat in the Main Hub World. Humans are sometimes even more dangerous.

Some inhabitants who held power in the city used this as an opportunity and created some "guilds". In exchange for some fees, guilds would protect a candidate's fields. Guilds quickly became popular and soon gained a lot of power using food as a "weapon" to pressure the mayor.

Witnessing how it created such division and how much power he suddenly lost, the mayor was furious but could only comply and quickly gave up on trying to impose its currency and soon redistributed the lands near Haven. But that was too late. The candidate would rather pay guilds for protection rather than the city leading to a gigantic loss for the city administration. Not only this but the mayor was heavily criticized because of this event and was seen as a tyrant while guilds were seen as saviors.

This lockdown will be the last nail in the mayor's coffin. By preventing all types of exits out of Haven, the mayor created even more opposition than before and pushed people to guilds instead. Moreover, now that the candidates cannot go out of the city it would quickly lead to a shortage of food. If Frederick had to guess, the mayor wanted probably to bet everything on Blood Dominion.

'And if you add the fact that spies from other cities keep sabotaging essential infrastructures...'

It was only a question of time before riots appeared. A riot within the city would probably cause many casualties... And opportunities. Frederick could already foresee how it would all end. Soon, a civil war will occur and the city will probably even collapse.

After contemplating for a few more minutes, he rose slowly from his hiding spot. Surveying the surroundings, he cautiously departed from his hiding place. Moving at a slow pace, he navigated through less crowded alleys, utilizing his stealth abilities and ensuring that he left no trail for potential pursuers. He needed to be careful.

.

.

.

.

'It was supposed to be located around here...'

After searching for a few hours, he finally spotted the place he was looking for. In front of him stood a large building. The building had the shape of a cube with no window whatsoever. The exterior of this building was made out of gray bricks, each with the size of a hand. 

At the front entrance of this large building, many people were entering and exiting through its wide doors. Most of those who left the building seemed unhappy and even angry. However, they were angry about the city. They kept complaining about the mayor's decision and how it was unbearable. It was understandable since most of them probably had lands and were stuck inside the city. Being stuck here means that they won't be able to take care of their crops and they would probably lose a lot if the lockdown continued.

The whole building had a very modern appearance and gave out the aura of a prestigious institution. Above the large front entrance, a large sign stood. Its words read;

"Aegis Guild"

Frederick wanted to contact the Aegis Guild first because it was extremely popular and because it was the main guild that opposed firmly the mayor.

Staring at the building, Frederick was lost in his thoughts. 'I need to create even more chaos within the city.'