In the main building of the Helis family, Melu, who had fainted in the cabinet, was finally found by the guards. At this time, the artillery fire outside the city had stopped, and both sides in the city gradually withdrew and retreated to their own headquarters.

In the distance, a white color gradually appeared in the sky, and then gradually turned into light blue. Occasionally, birds flew in from the cliffs and forests outside the city, and the chirping of birds could be heard from time to time.

The streets of Hopeland were in ruins, with scattered wood chips, debris, bloodstains, broken gun barrels, broken sword handles, and some braziers still had some charcoal fire remaining in them, burning quietly, but there was no one around to watch over them.

A small number of logistics personnel began to drag the dead bodies, and both sides took their own people away in silence without saying a word.

After the intense nighttime battle, once nerves relaxed, a strong sense of fatigue began to set in. Walking around the open space within the Chamber of Commerce, one could see many people leaning against miscellaneous items or in corners, falling asleep, their snoring echoing.

Large iron pots were set up, firewood burning beneath them. Someone fanned the air, pushing the smoke to the side. Then, water was poured in, and some food—meat and vegetables—was cooked. In another pot nearby, oatmeal porridge was being cooked, stirred constantly by attendants to prevent it from sticking and becoming mushy. The aroma of food, along with the smoke from the firewood, permeated the square, whetting one's appetite after a night of exercise.

After the noise outside gradually died down, some figures slowly appeared on the street. However, this morning in Hopeland was unusually quieter than usual. Even if they encountered the occasional acquaintance on the street, they would simply nod to each other and dared not speak loudly, fearing to disturb this rare tranquility.

The streets were littered with burnt ashes and scattered debris. Many shops were closed, and only a few hotels and restaurants were open, revealing a bit of the atmosphere of life. It was hard to imagine that before nightfall yesterday, this was still a bustling festive city, bustling with tourists and residents looking forward to the wonderful festival.

But after just one night, everything changed. On the deserted streets, some people never returned. Walking past some houses, one could even hear some soft sobbing.

At the Helis residence, Melu squatted before a white sheet, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground, wetting the dust. Beneath the sheet lay a body, its face obscured and hard to discern.

Meilu naturally knew that the person lying here was the head maid who had taken care of her since she was a child. If it weren't for this mother-like existence who risked her life to protect her, she would probably be lying under this white cloth.

Gerd stood behind Melu, looking at his cousin. He wanted to comfort her, but he felt that his status was not appropriate and he didn't know what to say. He could only sigh and stand there quietly.

In the square where the two of them were, looking up, they saw a sea of ​​white, covered with cold bodies. The Helis family lost many lives in this battle, as did other families.

As Loran Hill walked in the square inside the Chamber of Commerce, many people saluted and greeted her. Thanks to the potions she had prepared earlier, although many people in the Carites Chamber of Commerce were seriously injured, most of them were rescued as long as they did not die on the spot. In addition, since they were fighting on the defensive, it was convenient to place the wounded nearby.

But even so, she still felt a little guilty. If only she could have been promoted earlier, she could have stopped it in time and there would not have been so many casualties.

But who could have predicted such a thing? Tisiphone's family suddenly acted on impulse and launched an attack. Because they failed to save these people's lives, they took the blame for the killing on themselves. Isn't this a form of self-moral kidnapping?

As she walked into the Chamber of Commerce's meeting room, all of Carites' current senior managers, captains, and guardsmen had already gathered there.

After hearing the casualty report, Loran Hill felt a bit heavy-hearted. In her previous life, she lived in a stable society, and her country was arguably the safest in the world. The loss of any one or two lives would attract public attention, but in this world, it seemed like just an ordinary number.

Some of the managers below were still admiring the alchemical potion given by the patriarch, as if this number of casualties was something very remarkable.

But she couldn't be happy. Perhaps it was because the values ​​of the two worlds differed. In Ivar's world, just like in ancient times, most people still struggled to make ends meet. Hunger, disease, injury, natural disasters, and monster attacks all led to death. Even after the establishment of angelic churches across the continent a thousand years ago, they had only barely raised life expectancy to between 40 and 50 years. This was after excluding children who died before their first birthday.

Newborns are even more miserable, with one out of every three children dying. It's no wonder the Helis family is so prosperous, with only two direct descendants of the main family in this generation, and only one in the Anemi family. It's said that Funo had an older brother, but he died at the age of five. This is why Noyes doted on Funo so much.

"Master Lacey, a messenger has arrived, saying that Tisiphone has invited you and the other heads of the major guilds to negotiate peace."

A servant came in to report, and after listening, everyone in the hall waited quietly for Lacey's instructions.

"I understand, but the peace talks will be held in three days. We in Carites need to accommodate the wounded and handle other matters now."

"Yes, Miss." The two stewards followed the attendant out to talk to the messenger outside.

After the messenger left, Loran Hill seemed to remember something and asked.

"How is the cargo on the fleet now? Has it been unloaded?"

The captains and fleet leaders below were a little surprised as to why they suddenly became concerned about this, but they still answered.

“We don’t have enough staff at the moment, not yet.”

"Well, let everyone have a good rest first, and then send someone to unload the goods in the afternoon."

Loran Hill blinked his blue eyes, looked at the progress bar on the system that was gradually filling up, and made a decision in his heart. A faint light began to flow in his eyes.

Near dusk, on the hill outside Hopeland, a carriage with several hundred people slowly approached. Some of the carriages were fully loaded with various goods, while others were beautifully decorated and vague figures of people could be seen inside.

Looking at the city full of ruins and debris on the hillside, the riders in front were very surprised. After quickly reporting to the person in charge in the carriage, several riders began to ride their horses towards the city, wanting to go in and find out the situation first, while the rest of the people stayed quietly where they were.

As the sun sets, its afterglow shines on the carriage, which has olive and shell logos on it.