Chapter 124 Purpose and Fear

When the first ray of sunlight in the early morning struggled to tear through the veil of night and shone onto Golden Harbor, what came into view was a hellish scene.

The smell of gunpowder, blood, and burnt wood mixed together, like a thick poisonous fog, covering the entire city.

The air was no longer filled with the noise of the past, leaving only sporadic screams from afar, the groans of the dying, and the crackling sound of wood being devoured by flames.

The streets are no longer prosperous as they once were.

Ornate shop fronts were violently torn apart and their precious goods looted, leaving behind only broken crockery and overturned shelves.

The muddy ground was littered with scattered weapons, blood-stained clothes, and horrific body parts.

Several abandoned war pig carcasses lay in the middle of the road, their fur burnt and emitting a foul stench.

Occasionally, surviving residents crawled out of the ruins. They had dull eyes and pale faces, and wandered the streets like zombies, searching in vain for their relatives or belongings.

Benjamin stood on the porch of the "Dawn House", the breeze blowing his meticulous robe.

After a night of killing, even his breathing was not disordered and his body was not stained with dust.

In front of the villa, hundreds of corpses of orcs and human soldiers were neatly stacked into a small hill. After the blood dried, it appeared dark brown in the morning light.

The piles of corpses exuded the chill of death, but also silently announced the peace of this area.

Looking at the three orc generals beside him who were tied up like dumplings and still struggling, Jieming nodded with satisfaction:

"Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect there would be such a surprise like you. It's worth all the effort I put in."

In order to launch the attack as covertly as possible and ensure the success rate, the orcs sent a small number of warriors this time, but each of them was elite, and the three leading generals were all second-level creatures.

Although there are five "legends" residing in Golden Harbor, the strength of each legend is different.

For example, these three orc generals are basically quite strong among the second level, and they can easily fight against two of the five second level beginner legends in Golden Harbor.

"Who...are you...and what is your purpose?!"

Intermittent orc language came from under my feet. Looking down, I saw an orc general actually forcing himself to tear his cheek and making sounds from the side of his mouth.

The orc general was extremely frightened. He couldn't understand what this man's purpose was.

If they were the hidden guardians of this city, their invasion yesterday should not have been so smooth. They even had to watch helplessly as the three of them surrounded and killed the five legends of Golden Harbor.

But if it doesn’t matter, why take action in the final stage?

And this strength...how terrifying!

The orc general believed that he was always known for his caution. Even though his strength was at the peak of mortals, when he found out something was wrong yesterday, he still immediately found his colleagues to help.

With the strength of the three of them and the blessing given by the shaman before they set out, they would be able to fight off an angel with one or two moves even if they encountered one.

But the two of them were completely powerless against this guy. They clearly felt that his life essence had not yet surpassed the level of "Legend", but why...

The orc general suddenly thought of something, and his pupils suddenly contracted. Because of excessive excitement, his torn cheeks could only make vague sounds:

"Wizard...Wizard, you are a wizard..."

"Oh? Such an exaggerated vitality! Even though I've known about it for a long time, I still can't help but marvel at it every time I see it. You guessed it right, but unfortunately, no one can hear it."

Benjamin looked down at the orc generals and couldn't help but admire them. Then he kicked the three orc generals into the manor one by one.

The reason why Jemin did this was actually very simple, which was to bring the war between orcs and humans to a stalemate, so that both sides would consume more energy and increase more hatred.

As for capturing a few experimental subjects, it was just a matter of convenience.

Of course, he wouldn't tell these things to the experimental subjects, and there was no need for him to tell them.

Anyway, there is a set of sixth-level shielding magic circle he bought in the manor. Considering the particularity of the wizard system, even the gods of this world cannot detect the abnormality inside the manor.

Now, apart from the high-ranking orcs, the only ones who truly know the specific strength of this orc raid are the five human legends who have died.

If both sides want to figure out what is happening, then just fight slowly!

In the distance, the castles and manors in the aristocratic area were some emitting thick smoke, while others looked shaky in the faint light of fire.

But more of them seemed to have been merely frightened and not completely defeated.

Just as Benjamin was calmly cleaning up the remaining bloodstains around the villa, several cautious figures emerged from the alleys of the aristocratic area.

They were some of the most prominent nobles in Golden Harbor. They were dressed in somewhat messy nightgowns and expensive furs, and their faces showed the fear and fatigue of surviving a disaster.

Their soldiers led the way, weapons in hand, every step they took as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Their lives were already hanging by a thread last night, but they didn't expect that the orcs seemed to have received some information and left this side one after another.

This greatly reduced the pressure on them and allowed them to hold on until morning.

"Look! It's Baron Garcia's villa!" A butler pointed tremblingly in the direction of Benjamin, "There... there's no fire!"

As they tremblingly approached the "Residence of Dawn", everyone stopped involuntarily and took a breath.

What caught the eye was not the tragic scene of looting, but the piles of corpses and the young figure as silent as a statue next to the corpses - "Jack".

"This... this is impossible!" A white-haired earl whispered, his legs feeling a little weak.

They hid in the airtight cellar last night, listening to the deafening shouts and screams outside, thinking that the end of their family had come.

They knew the ferocity of the orc vanguard troops, the defeat of the Golden Harbor guards, and the strength of the invaders.

However, the facts before them told them that this young man had actually killed so many invaders by himself!

"Lord Jack!" The first person to react was the fat baron.

He didn't care about the dignity of a nobleman, and rushed forward. His knees gave way and he fell to the ground with a plop. His fat body trembled constantly.

"Thank you for your kindness! Thank you for your... unparalleled bravery! If it weren't for your intervention, my lord, I'm afraid we would have all perished in the flames!"

The other nobles also reacted and immediately knelt down, bowed, or lowered their heads, with their postures extremely humble.

After what happened last night, these nobles were truly terrified.

For the first time, they clearly understood the meaning of "power".

"Sir, you are the patron saint of Golden Harbor! My family is willing to serve you for generations!"

"My God! Your power is like a god of war descending to earth!"

All kinds of compliments were thrown out like crazy. These nobles who were usually high and mighty were now like a group of humble servants, trying their best to please Benjamin.

They didn't even dare to look directly into Benjamin's eyes, for fear of angering this powerful man who was already a "devil" in their hearts.

Jieming just looked at them calmly, without any expression.

"No need to be so polite. Everyone, just pack up quickly." Benjamin spoke coldly. His voice was not loud, but it made all the nobles stop flattering and feel awe in their hearts.

The brief ecstasy and gratitude quickly faded, replaced by greater fear and despair.

These nobles are not ignorant of the ways of the world.

They soon woke up from the "temporary safety" provided by Jermyn and realized the deeper crisis.

"Everyone, although we are temporarily safe... this is only temporary." The earl, his face pale and his voice trembling, broke the brief silence. "Last night's attack was by no means the full force of the orcs! That was only the vanguard, a signal for them to tear up the peace agreement!"

"That's right!" another viscount echoed in a trembling voice. "The orcs took advantage of the cover of night to launch their attack without warning! Golden Harbor's defenses are vulnerable! We've lost the city guards, we've lost our command center... We can't hold this city!"

Panic quickly spread among the nobles, and they exchanged desperate glances with each other.

"We have to get out of here!"

"Go to the capital! Only the capital can withstand the orc army!"

"But...but, even on a fast horse, it takes at least seven days to get from here to the capital! Along the way, the wilderness is ravaged by monsters, and since the orcs have broken the agreement, they may have set up an ambush on the way to the capital!"

"Our private soldiers..." The baron looked at the trembling guards around him, his face filled with despair. "They couldn't even withstand last night's attack. How could they possibly escort us across the battlefield?"

The entire aristocratic group fell into unprecedented chaos and anxiety.

Watching their wealth and lives in jeopardy, the feeling of powerlessness almost made them collapse.

"Hurry! Go pack your things! Take everything you can take with you! The sooner the better!"

"Carriages! Prepare more carriages!"

"Gemstones! Put them all in the box! Leave all that bulky gold and silver alone!"

For a moment, outside the "Residence of Dawn", the nobles' men scattered like a hornet's nest that had been poked, and they all went home to get busy.

They ordered their servants to stuff the most valuable jewelry, rare magical materials, long-standing books and scrolls, and even some artworks that symbolized the family's status into sturdy boxes and then load them onto their respective gorgeous carriages.

The servants looked flustered and their hands were covered in dust.

The meticulous etiquette of the aristocracy in the past was gone. The gorgeous silk dress was stained with mud, the expensive fur was hastily wrapped, and the once carefully groomed hairstyle became messy.

The air was filled with anxious shouts, the sound of objects colliding, and the nervous neighing of horses.

Benjamin looked at all this, with a slight smile on his face.

He knew that this group of nobles would soon come to him again on their own initiative.

(Today there is one more chapter.)

(End of this chapter)