Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 162
The fallen cross globe was like a strange switch, pressing the accelerator in a world that was previously flowing normally.
Eugene looked up, hearing the noise around him speed by his ears. He saw those arrogant men angrily stepping forward to grab the troublemaking child, but then he saw someone reach out to stop them. At that moment, he felt Jason in his arms twitch slightly.
The movement woke him up. Eugene lifted Jason, and someone nearby also lent a hand. They pushed through the crowd, carrying the heavy Jason inside. Little Gemma, not knowing what was happening, dared not step forward. She stood at the edge of the circle, peeking in, and when she saw Eugene carrying a bloodied man, she quickly stepped back, her curiosity battling her fear.
But Eugene couldn’t worry about her. His mouth was set in a tight line, his face dark, and he heard the shouting and arguing growing louder. One of Gemma’s monkey-like cousins was pushed out from the center, rolling several times due to the force.
Gemma was instinctively terrified. It felt like every time a storm hit, her mother held her tightly, praying their small shack wouldn’t be blown away or that they wouldn’t drown. She looked around, then stumbled after Eugene with her short legs.
Eugene didn’t look back. Even from a distance, Gemma could smell the spreading scent of blood. A gust of wind blew past, making Eugene’s messy hair stand up. A small gray shadow seemed to be blown off him but then hovered in the air for a moment before flying away with the wind.
Gemma widened her eyes, seeing that it was a small gray bird struggling to flap its wings, quickly flying away.
“Gemma!”
Just as she was standing on tiptoe to see where the bird went, a woman’s scream called her back. It was her mother, running towards her barefoot and picking her up. “Where have you been? Don’t go outside—”
It was as if the universe conspired against her. Around her, countless people emerged from the crowded houses and shacks, discussing loudly and anxiously. More people were rushing in the direction Gemma had come from.
“Bird.” Gemma tried to tell her mother about the cute little creature flying with the wind, but the frightened woman didn’t notice what her young daughter was trying to convey. She didn’t even notice Eugene, who was carrying a bloodied man into a narrow alley.
The rabbit-headed shopkeeper had placed a Gray Sentinel on each of them for emergency communication. Eugene’s signal had just been sent out when Hasting, who had the best sense of direction, arrived under the sentinel’s guidance. By then, a large crowd had gathered around Eugene. He could barely push through the crowd because everyone wanted to confirm if it was Jason.
Especially the Brotherhood members, all dressed for work, their bodies steaming from exertion. They had rushed over upon hearing the news. Jason’s name carried more weight than Eugene had imagined. They bombarded Eugene with questions. Someone offered their slightly more spacious (actually bare) living room for them to place Jason, and someone had already gone to find a doctor.
“What happened outside?” Amid the chaotic noise, Hasting pushed through the crowd without removing his cloak.
Eugene recognized his voice and build, making way for him. Knights were skilled in combat and knowledgeable about injuries. Hasting crouched down to examine Jason.
“If he weren’t so strong, he would have stopped breathing long ago.” Hasting shook his head. As he spoke, Jason’s muscles twitched, but his face was ashen. Even those with little medical knowledge could see he was dying.
“The doctor is on the way!” someone shouted anxiously.
Hasting didn’t respond. He exchanged a look with Eugene. Both knew: Jason’s injuries were too severe. Most doctors on Paradise Island were barely qualified. They could handle minor ailments like toothaches for people like Aquinas, but they were powerless to save Jason.
“Is there any other way?” Eugene asked hoarsely. Hasting didn’t immediately answer. They both turned their heads to see the growing crowd outside the shabby house.
“Go find the Fox,” Hasting said firmly, his voice barely above a whisper. “He once brought out an elven gift from his home, later used for trading. If that thing is still around…”
Eugene immediately tried to stand, but Hasting held him down.
“I’ll go,” he said. “This needs to be reported immediately.”
The Duke and rabbit-headed shopkeeper had never shown special treatment towards Jason, but from the beginning, they had agreed on Jason’s importance. Hasting believed that Fox, mingling with them and stirring up trouble on Paradise Island, understood this too.
Hasting didn’t need to search specifically. With the Fox’s pervasive nature, there had to be someone nearby. Hasting, though taciturn, was the best observer among the knights. Amid the angry, sad, and clueless crowd, he quickly identified his target. Before the person could react, Hasting pulled them from the center of the whirlpool.
She was quite small, unable to resist being dragged. When she realized what was happening, she instinctively tried to shout, but Hasting pinned her against a wall, covering her mouth.
Hasting revealed his face, and the woman’s eyes lit up, her movements stopping.
“Don’t make a fuss,” Hasting warned, releasing her. She leaned into his movement, almost collapsing into his arms. Even so, she pretended to stumble, her chest brushing against him.
“Why so rough?” The woman smiled. “Just one look from those eyes, and I’d follow you to hell.”
Hasting, well-versed in such flirtations but unequipped with responses, remained stiff. “You work for a Fox. I need to see your boss.”
“I’m Susan, not Fox.” Her eyes roamed his face, clearly wanting to lift his cloak. “It’s early, but my place is close.”
“Find Yitzfa and tell him Green has an emergency.” Hasting remained unmoved. “You know Jason. Yitzfa will want him alive. Tell him what happened.”
He placed a golden coin in Susan’s hand. Instinctively, she clenched it.
The reward was tempting, but Susan was suspicious. She did work for the Fox and had been involved in the recent agitation. This handsome man’s precise use of a Fox’s name, currently in White Bridge, made her wary.
“You don’t need to doubt. Just pass the message. They’ll understand,” Hasting added, seeing her hesitation.
He made sense. Susan quickly assessed his words and the coin’s weight, adjusted her skirt, and ran off. She brushed past Shiloh, who was hurrying with Aquinas.
“Your time has come.” Shiloh pushed Aquinas. “Go inside and pray for Jason. Negotiate with your God and get the best discount you can.”
Aquinas had no chance to protest before being pulled in by eager people. Jason didn’t believe in Aquinas, but the old swindler had deep roots here. Many saw him as a lifeline, parting to let him through.
Shiloh explained to Hasting, “I couldn’t let him out of sight. He’d get lost. I had to bring him.”
Lowering his voice, he asked, “What happened to Jason?”
“Wolf Family’s dandies.” Hasting didn’t lower his voice. “They felt Jason offended them and decided to punish him.”
“Bullshit! Jason wouldn’t offend anyone!” someone interjected, agitated. “I don’t believe it—”
“Are they still here?” Shiloh ignored him, watching the crowd moving towards the main road. “With so many people, will there be a fight?”
……
There was indeed a fight outside, and it was spiraling out of control quickly.
Innate arrogance blinded Pendrel and his companions to the disparity in strength between them and the lowly people of Paradise Island. Even with the latest, most powerful weapons, seven men against seventy was a losing battle.
Unfortunately, they learned nothing from Bravi’s death. Until the first punch flew, they believed their status would fend off the rising anger. By the time they realized even lowly people’s attacks hurt, it was too late.
The only one who could have controlled the situation was beaten half to death by Pendrel and his friends. Family honor and gods couldn’t save them. Without direct combat, the crowd’s chaos, shoving, and trampling were enough to kill Ricky and his injured companion on the spot.
Pendrel and the remaining few scrambled onto the carriage. Today, they had borrowed Alexander’s official carriage, equipped with protective magic. It could withstand fire and impacts. With the doors shut, ordinary weapons couldn’t penetrate easily.
But a frenzied crowd wouldn’t be calmed by a sturdy carriage. Seeing Ricky’s trampled body, they realized city people were no different: they bled and broke bones when hurt and suffocated under pressure. City people weren’t gods. They weren’t insignificant ants. In the face of death, class barriers meant nothing.
Thus, the spacious, elegant carriage was overturned by the crowd. The injured men inside tumbled, their heads hitting the walls. Amid the frenzied shouts, they clutched their heads, finally seeing fear in each other’s eyes.
“They’re all crazy,” Pendrel said in despair.
The author has something to say:
“The Healing Fruit, a gift from the Elven Forest.” Yitzfa gazed at the small, weightless fruit in his palm that had slipped from the envelope.
——Chapter 34
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