Chapter 471

Chapter 471: Changes Within the City

Jenna rode her horse through several villages and cities, heading west toward the Smoky City.

Along the way, she saw many burned villages and cities pillaged and occupied.

This was truly a terrible nation.

She had begun to feel this way at some point. Everything she witnessed on her journey filled her with pessimism and disappointment about the future of this country.

She once thought that if they could develop agriculture well, build more estates, and make everyone prosperous, everything would improve.

But the ugliness of human nature erupted during the war. Without order, everything became savage and brutal. Both sides massacred each other, burned cities and villages supporting the enemy, and enslaved the defeated soldiers, with women suffering even worse fates.

She didn’t know where to vent her sorrow and anger.

Should she blame the leaders who started the war? The greedy and despicable soldiers? Or the suspicious and distrustful citizens?

Her father taught her swordsmanship and combat knowledge when she was young, but rarely spoke about how to face this imperfect world.

She wanted to shout out loud to release her pent-up emotions, but didn’t know what to say. In the end, she could only dazedly whip her horse and continue on her journey.

Another night passed, and she entered a city to rest.

As soon as she lay down in the inn, she heard commotion outside, followed by hurried footsteps and the sound of weapons clashing.

She got up from bed and quietly opened the window, peering down at the street below.

A dozen people carrying torches walked down the street, holding various weapons like spears, axes, shields, and bows, all wearing different styles of leather armor.

These people cut down the scattered guards within the city and shouted loudly to those around them.

“Brothers of Red Oak City, I am Nad, the nephew of the former city lord.”

As he called out, many recognized this strong man.

“Now that the Halberd Sect has taken over our city, they have looted and raped women. Such a sect is not worth following.”

“Why should we endure their misdeeds in our city? This is our city, where we live and grow.”

“Drive them out and tell them who the true masters here are!”

As he finished speaking, the group around him shouted together, “Hua!”

For a moment, there was a sense of power that stirred the hearts of the crowd.

Red Oak City originally had more people from the Hunter Bow Sect, but recently the allied forces of the Halberd Sect took over the city. Later, most of the troops were taken away for further attacks, leaving only a few guards behind.

These remaining guards used this rare opportunity to accuse and plunder the city’s property under the pretext of targeting the Hunter Bow Sect members, which caused widespread dissatisfaction, leading to today’s full-scale outbreak.

After hearing these people’s calls, some locals were incited to join them, making the crowd gradually grow larger. Meanwhile, the Halberd Sect forces that had been left behind finally arrived.

Perhaps because recent plundering had been too easy, they became careless. Only after some scattered members were killed did they start to react.

At this moment, these guards held shields and long spears, roughly lining up on the street and charging forward. There weren’t many archers among them; most used long spears and halberds.

The battle within the city quickly broke out.

The leather-armored team that had been shouting confidently just moments ago suffered heavy losses. They were few in number and gathered haphazardly, easily driven back by the guards armed with spears and shields. Arrows shot by them were mostly blocked by the shields.

Seeing this group about to lose, a mysterious figure wielding a narrow curved blade appeared behind the guard ranks.

He leaped down from a nearby house, his curved blade cutting like a saw, taking several lives. Then, he jumped again, hiding in the shadow of another building.

Back and forth, several times, the guards couldn’t catch him. Their morale began to collapse, their advance slowed to a cautious step-by-step movement. Meanwhile, the enemies across from them gradually regrouped, and the sound of arrow fire grew denser.

Finally, under the pressure from both sides, the guards’ morale collapsed, scattering in panic. The mysterious curved blade wielder picked off each of them one by one.

His strength was around Sequence 4, but his agility and jumping ability were extraordinary, likely due to specialized abilities in his extraordinary class.

Watching this scene, Jenna guessed.

Before Sequence 5, most professions lacked flight capabilities, while certain specialized ones relied on such mobility to gain significant advantages in battle.

If this curved blade wielder fought in an open area, he wouldn’t be so easily successful. Despite her young age, having seen many geniuses at school, Jenna’s horizons had broadened, and she wasn’t surprised.

Any third-year student from Emanas could do this easily, and most could do even better.

After the city battle was won, the local team cheered. Houses along the street gradually opened their doors, and people came out to celebrate together.

Though it was night, the city became lively again.

Scattered Halberd Sect guards were caught by angry citizens, beaten and verbally abused. The leaders who led earlier also joined in, beating these enemies alongside the citizens to vent their anger.

Nad, the nephew of the former city lord, stood on a high platform with a torch, kicking a captured soldier. These soldiers were bound with ropes.

“How, now you’re speechless? Just moments ago, you were pointing guns at me.”

“Look at these people. They are nothing but scavengers, scum of the earth, not soldiers guarding the nation,” Nad spat on the ground and drank a large mouthful of beer, releasing his anxiety from the fight.

Below the platform, crowds watched the scene. Jenna was among them.

“Good!”

People around cheered excitedly.

“Hahaha.” Nad laughed triumphantly, and some leather-clad men around him laughed too.

They then humiliated the Halberd Sect soldiers further, pushing them forward for the crowd below to beat them, venting their frustrations, before someone with an axe began chopping off heads one by one.

Watching the citizens shouting and cheering, Jenna shook her head and slowly stepped away.

After a night, she prepared to leave again, heading for the Smoky City.

“Check?”

At the city gate, Jenna looked at the guard with suspicion.

“Yes, to prevent spies and remnants of the Halberd Sect escaping, you must undergo a check before leaving the city,” the soldier said, eyeing the girl with a lecherous look, admiring her delicate face and proportionate figure.

“How do you check?” Jenna asked sternly, suppressing her annoyance.

“You will go to a small hut nearby, and we will check your belongings and anything you carry,” the guard replied.

Jenna frowned, looking at the guards for a few seconds before speaking.

“I am a student of Emanas, not a member of the Halberd Sect.” She then showed her badge and proof.

“Emanas?” Several guards looked at the badge doubtfully.

Then, a somewhat plump guard approached, snatching the proof from Jenna’s hand and grabbing her wrist.

“Little girl, stop pretending. Come here to be checked. We’re doing this for your own good.”

Suddenly, the guard pulled Jenna several steps before she reacted and freed herself.

“I am a student of Emanas. I don’t participate in any national conflicts, so…”

“So what? I’ve seen plenty like you, thinking they can do whatever they want just because they’re students,” the guard interrupted.

“Come on, get in. Didn’t your mother teach you to listen?”

Jenna felt a strange discomfort, her grip on her scabbard tightening.

(End of Chapter)