The Chronicles Of New Havens

"That was a different time. I won't be that impulsive again…" Reading his thoughts, she gave a wry smile.

"Elizabeth, as your friend, please reconsider," Shirley pleaded. "I know you trust the Imperial Princesses, but…"

Hearing that, Elizabeth wavered. If everyone said that her trust was misplaced, then it would be wrong for her to ignore everyone's words and do things her own way. It would be insulting to her friends! She was not that headstrong anymore, so she eventually closed her eyes and sighed. She felt bad for the princesses, but it is what it is. The smartest thing to do was to do nothing!

To everyone's surprise, Elizabeth said, "If everyone says so, then I won't reply. We'll leave it at that."

True to her words, she ignored the Imperial Princesses' letter and let the matter pass. The days continued uneventfully as the army was busy preparing for the siege on the Yunyun Stronghold. To make a bridgehead into the rest of the empire, securing a safe route across the Maelstrom Gulf was an absolute necessity. Battles were only one aspect of a war, while logistics, information, and funds were another. In the Royal Assembly's grand plan, taking the Yunyun Stronghold was the big first step! That was why four of the Ten Dawns were ȧssembled here: to help quickly take over the fortress as soon as they arrived. However, the Featherwind Sect's appearance was an unexpected one, having dealt heavy damages to the Alzar's forces. This forced General Dennis to take a step back and bide his time, until Admiral Aura came back with reinforcements from Pelangi Fortress.

***

Meanwhile, at the Yunyun Stronghold, there was a current state of pandemonium. Two people were looking out from a window facing the underground prison, which once housed Elizabeth and her friends. They hugged the window frame closely so that their bodies were hidden from the outside as they continued their spying. Who else could they be but the Alzar Kingdom's spies? Watching with grim faces at the dozens of soldiers walking in, and then hearing the wailings of countless poor souls, they could only guess what was happening inside. The Xingyuu Empire was massacring all the prisoners!

When Elizabeth and her friends were here, it was hard to gauge how big the prison was exactly, but it was by no means small. As one of the gateways into the Maelstrom Gulf and thus the Alzar Kingdom, the Yunyun Stronghold had weathered innumerable battles across the kingdom wars. It was a citadel of unbreachable fortitude! Of course, having prevailed against so many attempts, there were bound to be prisoners of war. Small characters like the typical soldier, without title nor background, were unworthy of their time. Their lives were harvested mercilessly.

The ones that filled the cells were notable figures, either commanders or generals, or those with special backgrounds that required attention. A long time ago, Benedict was one of those 'special' cases, since he was the son of Sir Roland Hawken, the patriarch of the Hawken Household! These people were precious ȧssets that the Xingyuu Empire used to exchange for the Alzar Kingdom's prisoners of war. Other times, they could be ransomed back at a sky-high price, depending on the person. There were a few hundred of these prisoners in the Yunyun Stronghold alone, ready to be pawned off politically, but right now… they were being slaughtered unhesitatingly. The two spies felt a chill down their spines. What was happening?

At the same time, a labourer was among a dozen others working tirelessly at a nobleman's manor. Where there were people, there was bound to be hierarchy, and the Yunyun Stronghold was no exception. This nobleman was one of the richest in the stronghold and owned a significant portion of the western property front. Adding into his connections with the Army General who managed this side of the empire, he was also incredibly powerful. The labourers were hired early in the morning and worked through to the late afternoon. They were busy loading the carriages with priceless valuables and goods from the manor. However, the nobleman simply had too many things as the carriages numbered more than a dozen. And it was also hard to ensure nothing would break enroute, which made the labourer's job ten times more time-consuming.

Worse yet, the household's butler screamed at them with a hoarse voice. "We were promised that the job was supposed to take five hours at most but look at the time! It's now seven hours past! Our lord has an appointment in Di Shenzhao, so if you don't want to be beaten to death, then hurry up!"

Some of the labourers were scrawny kids, forced into heavy labour as a means of income. Having bȧrėly eaten a moldy piece of bread, and bȧrėly any muscle to boot, they worked any job to support themselves or their families. Abused by their employers and their clients, it was not unheard of that these children worked themselves to death or 'mysteriously' vanished into the night. That was what this sort of world was: a cruel and unforgiving place!

One of the kids tripped over his own misfit shoes and faceplanted into the cold dirt. He was so skinny, with his bones practically about to pop out of his skin, that it was a miracle he toiled this long without a break. It was due to sheer willpower alone! Unfortunately, something that was normally admirable and rewarded was seen coldly by the butler. The man flexed his whip and lashed down with brutal momentum. Crack! A bloody mark instantly appeared across the boy's back. Crack! Crack! Crack! He held nothing back as he unleashed an unending ȧssault, but the child was too weak to respond. The lashing eventually stopped, not because the butler was feeling kind, but because the child had died!

The other labourers never lifted a finger to help and watched with dull gazes. They had already grown used to these scenes. Once upon a time, they might have been hotblooded enough to jump in and help, except where would that get them? The butler would just gain another target to brutalize. In the worst case, they might die for their 'rebellious' acts too. Everyone realized sooner or later that there was no point in helping others if you could not help yourself. Therefore, they ducked their heads, covered their ears, and pretended nothing happened.

"Dispose of this body. I want it out of my sight!" the butler snorted with a vicious expression. Whipping the ground, he fully expressed he was looking for another target to torment.

"What's the delay, manservant?"

The owner of that casual feminine voice walked over with a saunter. That could not be helped, since there were a pair of gorgeous women in his arms, hopelessly clung to his body. They had ravishing figures with exotic clothing that fully exposed their sultry curves. The nobleman ignored everyone's gazes and freely groped the women's brėȧsts, making them groan in pŀėȧsurė. Whether they were pretending or serious was anyone's guess, but it did disgust many of the labourers. The butler washed his previous face and presented a big smile.

"My apologies, master. The labourers are taking longer than they promised. Once you're gone, I'll make sure they'll work faster."

"Good. We need to board the ships soon or else they might leave without us."

"Master, how could they leave without you? You're one of the most influential men here in the Yunyun Stronghold! No one would dare to cross you."

"Your words are nice to hear, as always, but… we're dealing with heavy hitters this time," the nobleman turned sour. "The Imperial Council are the ones that gave the orders this time. If loading everything onto the carriages takes any longer, then ditch the rest. We need to leave by the end of the day!"

Although one of the labourers remained calm, his heart leapt in joy. His side job was selling useful information to anyone that paid. Normally, it was gossip between nobles or market intel between traders, so he made a low sum. The news he heard right now though… it could be easily sold to the Alzar Kingdom! The risks were big, but the rewards were even bigger! Forget loyalty to the empire, he decided right then and there.. When he finds the opportunity, he would sneak off and find a way to sell this juicy piece of news.