Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Chaos Has Begun

  Had things really come to this? Lolan Hill thought to herself.

  Since arriving in Hope Lane a few months ago, aside from the initial weeks spent familiarizing herself with the商会 situation, she had also toured much of the city. Besides the major trading houses, she had gained some understanding of the smaller ones and other organizations as well.

  Hope Lane, as an important harbor of the Veregha Commercial Alliance and one of the top three commercial centers domestically, was second only to the alliance’s capital, Yubeilei.

  Yubeilei was a large seaport near the eastern region of the alliance, serving as a trade node between the alliance and Rourna, and even offering chartered routes to the Verdant Empire. It was a significant commercial hub where the eastern and western sides of the continent intersected.

  On the other hand, Hope Lane was located on the western side of the alliance, where most of the trade routes to West Wind, Falcon, and the Holy Land converged. Additionally, there were many routes connecting to the southern archipelagos, making it a bustling city with a population of nearly a million people. Five major trading houses had established their headquarters here.

  If any single trading house or organization monopolized Hope Lane, the central city on the western side of the alliance, and expanded its influence from there, they could easily divide the western part of the alliance, cut off the land route to the capital Yubeilei for the other five countries in Xuehua, and severely disrupt the integrity of the alliance.

  To balance the power, prevent any one faction from becoming too dominant, the commercial alliance had placed the Tisiphone family here early on to counter the established Nisos and Helios families. Later, when the Anemyi family rose to prominence, they also set up their headquarters here to gain additional support from Yubeilei.

  However, as the Tisiphone family grew stronger, they became a threat that other families were wary of. Later, the alliance guild supported Kalliste to stabilize their position in Hope Lane and invited Angus to join the highest echelons of the guild, becoming one of the twenty-six high-ranking committee members.

  This was why Tisiphone had always wanted to eliminate Kalliste. With a vast fleet at his disposal, Kalliste also possessed considerable military strength. Although the Tisiphone family had many armed forces and fighters, their naval power could not match that of the shipbuilding-focused Kalliste.

  Previously, their actions were limited to assassinations and covert operations, but now they were openly taking action. Didn’t they fear the sanctions from the nine major trading houses in the alliance’s capital?

  But the Tisiphone family’s几位

None of them were foolish. Although Lolan Hill did not interact much with Edri at the banquet, she knew that he was a very calculating person and could not possibly have no backup plan.

As for other nations, according to the alliance between Snow Flower Seven Nations, they were not allowed to interfere in each other’s internal affairs. The threat from Cangcui still hung over everyone’s heads, and there was no such great conflict among the seven countries that they would fight each other. Therefore, only the internal alliances could balance each other out.

No matter what, the General Guild of the alliance, which was under Yubelai, would never allow Hopeland to be integrated as one. No matter how good the words or how many promises were made, it wouldn’t work.

This was like someone holding their own throat, it was absolutely unacceptable. However, Hopeland was relatively poor in the west, and its overall strength was definitely not strong enough to compete with the nine families led by Yubelai.

Since they couldn’t win and weren’t afraid of Yubelai’s sanctions later, it could only mean that although they couldn’t solve the problem, they could solve the person who raised the issue, meaning even Yubelai would get into trouble. Being too busy with their own problems, they wouldn’t take action anymore.

After sorting out her thoughts, Lolan Hill also understood why Mulu emphasized it so seriously in her letter. After losing the constraints of the alliance guild, Tisiphone House was like a beast released from captivity; no one knew what outrageous actions they might take.

By then, even if they wanted to surrender and hand over their assets, it might not necessarily lead to a good outcome. Thinking about the first sentence Edri said at the banquet, it might just be his true thoughts at that moment.

Lolan Hill put down the letter and gently tapped the armrest with her fingers, sinking into deep thought. The hall was silent, and the messenger from the Helius family kept his head down, anxiously waiting.

The young lady blinked and checked the task progress displayed on the system, which was stuck at 92%.

Still a bit short, she felt a bit regretful. If she had another half month, everything would be ready. Alas, alas.

Now she could only take things step by step, and when the critical moment came, any task would be meaningless.

After making up her mind, she spoke.

“Chelsea, bring me the letter paper, and reply to Mulu, saying that we Cartes will always stand together with Helius.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Upon hearing this, the messenger let out a sigh of relief.

“Blake.”

Lolan Hill mentioned a name, and a

The armored captain of the guards stepped forward.

“Organize the newly formed Night Raven Guard to move weapons out of the warehouse and distribute them among everyone.”

“Additionally, form the second echelon with the recently trained merchant personnel, and the third echelon with those who haven’t been trained yet. The original merchant guards will be the first echelon.”

“The numbers for the first, second, and third echelons should be organized at a ratio of 1:3:6. Allow each small team to form first, then familiarize themselves with one another, with veterans mentoring newcomers, providing on-site basic combat knowledge, and preparing for battle.”

“Your will, Young Lady.”

This excellent new captain accepted the order and left. Under Loran Hill’s guidance, although he was still at Sequence 4, he had already touched the threshold of Sequence 5. Indeed, he was exceptionally talented, as the leap from Sequence 4 to Sequence 5 was a significant barrier that many could never overcome in their lifetime.

“Also, release the message eagle to inform other branches across various regions to organize their personnel, prepare for battle, and remain vigilant.”

“If we fail in the city battle, we will retreat to the sea, gather the branch members together, and launch another assault on Hope Lane.”

Loran Hill made subsequent arrangements, which calmed the crowd in the hall, dispelling their fear and strengthening their resolve.

What people fear most is not failure itself, but the lack of retreat and hope after failure.

“Let’s start preparations now. Launch signal fireworks, ring the great bell, and reinforce defenses.”

“Yes, Lady Lacy.”

The people below responded in unison. The Carithes Chamber of Commerce began to mobilize like a slumbering giant lion awakening, with tens of thousands beginning to revolve around a single will.

Torches were lit one by one, and teams carrying torches plunged deep into the night like dragons, starting to control nearby streets, seal off areas, and set up checkpoints.

In the city’s sky, the ascending fireworks emitted sharp whistling sounds, blooming in the night sky in the shape of Night Flowers. These conspicuous red fireworks conveyed signals of danger and urgency.

Under the night sky, the people in the city looked up, and a black-robed figure emerged from the basement, watching the falling red meteors.

“It has finally begun, this chaotic era.”

Thank you, Lesser Fate, and Hua Sheng, for your contributions.

End of Chapter