Chapter 94 The Choice Before the Storm When Ryan von Kaslan walked away...

When Ryan von Kaslan stepped out of the dimly lit hall, he felt a chill run through his body.

His face, which always wore a gentle smile, was now as pale as if covered with a layer of frost.

“My dear brother,” a venomous, sticky voice sounded behind him.

Karl, who had caught up with them unnoticed, wore an undisguised schadenfreude on his face. In an exaggeratedly pitying tone, he said, "Look at you, so dejected. Are you worried about how to take over Hope Town? Oh dear, I feel sorry for you. How about this, your kind brother will lend you a hand? You just need to cheer from behind, and I'll personally lead the troops. I guarantee that within three days, we'll raze that Hope Town to the ground, capture that arrogant mayor, and bring back all the dwarves who dared to offend me. They'll be at your disposal. What do you say?"

As he spoke, he approached Ryan, his eyes gleaming with a cruel yet excited light: "To be honest, I've been wanting to give those shameless and hateful scoundrels a good beating for a while now. They managed to escape last time, but this time I'm going to make them taste what true despair is."

His face was slightly contorted with excitement.

“No need for you to trouble yourself, brother.” Ryan slowly turned around. “I will personally complete the task Father entrusted to me. Or are you worried that if I really complete this task, I will steal your limelight? After all, Father promised that I would be formally involved in the core affairs of the territory after it is done. This might threaten your already precarious right to succession, brother.”

"You!" Karl's face instantly turned a deep shade of liver. "You son of a commoner, just like your shameless mother back then, only knows how to use despicable means to bewitch your father. You're nothing but an illegitimate child. Being allowed to take you into the city lord's mansion to be raised is already a great favor, and yet you dare to covet the right of inheritance?!"

Ryan's face instantly turned colder than winter ice. He stepped forward, almost whispering in Karl's ear, and said, word by word, "I'll say it again. What happened back then wasn't my mother's fault. Do you think she wanted it?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "However, it's not surprising that Father would waver in his opinion on your right to inherit the throne, given that you are a good-for-nothing like your elder brother, who has neither talent nor virtue. Elder brother, you'd better be careful, what if... I end up inheriting all of this...?"

"You...you dare!"

"You'll see if I dare."

The two sides parted on bad terms.

...

As the eastern horizon began to lighten, the sound of rapid hoofbeats and rolling wheels broke the silence of dawn.

"Who goes there?" Hawkeye, on lookout duty, was the first to spot the anomaly. He was instantly wide awake, grabbed the metal horn beside him, and prepared to sound the alarm.

But when he saw the newcomer's banner and the familiar figure of the leader, he suddenly lowered the horn, his face showing a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"Is that Amu and the others? How come... how come they're back now? And in such a disheveled state?"

Soon, the disheveled team was taken to the Hope No. 1 store, which had just opened for business, by the patrol and guard team that had rushed to the scene.

The news spread like wildfire throughout Hope Town.

"Have you heard? Amu and the others rushed back from Blackrock City overnight. It seems something terrible has happened."

"Yes, I saw that several of them were injured, and the things they were carrying in the car were all over the place."

"Could it be that the branch store was vandalized?"

When Lin Yue rushed over upon hearing the news, the spacious lobby of Store No. 1 was already packed with a dense crowd of residents who hadn't yet started work. They whispered amongst themselves, their faces filled with worry and unease.

Surrounded by the crowd, Amu, Mia, and the others were covered in dust and covered in injuries. The vehicle not only carried all their belongings they had brought with them, but was also crammed with a dozen or so other workers from the outlying base who were equally shaken.

"Amu, Mia, what happened?"

“Town…Mayor…” When Amu saw Lin Yue, it was as if he had seen his backbone. His eyes were filled with anger and fear, and his voice was hoarse as he said, “The branch…the branch was shut down, and the base in the suburbs was also surrounded by the Red Scorpion Army. We…we escaped with our lives on the line.”

Then, from Amu and the others' intermittent accounts, a shocking piece of devastating news was clearly presented to all the residents of Hope Town:

Duke Kaslan, under the pretext of "eliminating bandits on the edge of the Cursed Lands and ensuring the safety of the territory," officially authorized his second son, Ryan von Kaslan, to assemble three thousand well-equipped Red Scorpion soldiers to thoroughly wipe out Hope Town in the near future.

In an effort to force Hope Town to surrender, Ryan preemptively dispatched troops one night to raid Hope Store No. 1 and arrest all the employees who couldn't evacuate in time. At the same time, another army surrounded the factory on the outskirts of the town, taking all the workers, along with the refugees who had just been rescued and hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath, into custody.

Amu and his men were only able to escape with a small amount of core supplies and personnel before the army surrounded them, thanks to a secret tip-off from Ryan's personal guard captain, Renault.

When the news spread, the entire Hope Town was plunged into unprecedented panic and anger.

"This is outrageous! These damned beasts!"

"First they seized our homes, and now they're even going after the new homes we've finally settled into."

"Let's fight them! The worst that can happen is death!"

The crowd was enraged, and shouts of killing filled the air.

"Quiet down, all of you."

Lin Yue's expression was calm, but his eyes were unusually cold.

“I know everyone is angry and scared right now. I am too. But anger and fear will only add to the trouble. Let’s calm down first. The sky hasn’t fallen yet. It’s morning now, and we have a lot of work to do during the day. We can’t let ourselves lose our composure.”

He turned to the kitchen staff: "Aunt Lian, thank you for your help. Let everyone have breakfast first. They'll have the energy to come up with solutions when they're full. After everyone else has breakfast, they can go back to their posts, and today's work will proceed as usual."

"As for what to do about this, we'll hold another all-staff meeting here tonight after everyone has finished their work, so we can discuss it together and make a decision."

Yes, the sky hasn't fallen yet. What's there to be afraid of? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Let's get to work.

That evening, as the last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon, the lobby of Hope Town Store No. 1 was once again packed with people.

Lin Yue stood quietly in the crowd, listening to everyone's voices.

“What else can we do but fight them?” Li Ge said, his eyes red. “This land was dug out by us, brick by brick. This house was built by us, brick by brick. It holds our sweat and our hopes. I would rather die here than wander around like a stray dog ​​again.”

“But they have three thousand men, and they’re a well-equipped army. How can we possibly fight them with our small numbers?” a young woman said, her voice trembling, as she held a sleeping child in her arms.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Surrender? Become their slaves? Let them steal everything we've worked so hard to build?" another man immediately retorted.

“We can leave,” a former merchant suggested a third possibility. “Let’s take everything we can and migrate deeper into the Cursed Lands. They won’t dare come in here. Once things calm down, we can find another place to start over. If we can build the first Hope Town, we can build the second.”

“No,” Kalan stepped forward. “The Child of the Sacred Tree has just taken root here; it is still fragile and cannot withstand a long migration. This is our new home as Silent Ones; we are not going anywhere else.”

Everyone was talking at once, arguing fiercely. Most advocated fighting to the death, while some suggested a strategic retreat, and a very few, gripped by immense fear, whispered about whether surrender was an option…

Lin Yue listened quietly without interrupting anyone. He allowed everyone to fully express their thoughts and fears.

He slowly spoke only after everyone had finished speaking and the hall had quieted down again.

“Very good, I heard everyone’s voices. There was anger, resentment, fear, and hope. This shows that each of us is seriously thinking about our shared future.”

“Everyone has a point. Surrender might save our lives, but we would lose our dignity, everything we have created, and become slaves again, at the mercy of others. Migration might avoid the immediate threat, but as Kaylan said, where else can we go? The depths of the Cursed Lands are also full of unknown dangers, and even if we can rebuild Hope Town, who can guarantee that a new Red Scorpion Army won't come knocking on our door next time? Fighting can protect our home and dignity, but the price could be the lives of all of us.”

"Now, we need to make a choice among these three paths. A decision that concerns the future of all of us."

"This is our home, our destiny. So I'm giving you three days to think and discuss. Three days later, we'll be here, using our own voices to decide our future together."

The next day, Lin Yue held another individual discussion with the heads of each group, but the discussion ultimately came down to the same three options.

“Perhaps… we can go to Silvermoon Forest.” Elder Farador, who had been silent all along, spoke slowly. “We Silent Ones originated from Silvermoon Forest. When our tribe faced a life-or-death crisis, Silvermoon Forest was willing to offer us temporary shelter. When the Earth's Sorrow erupted, and then the Great Cleansing Rain struck, I sent Golem to Silvermoon Forest to seek help. However, he was injured and lost his memory on the way, which led to everything that followed. At that time, we were unable to find shelter from Silvermoon Forest. This time, if we take the initiative to seek help, I believe Her Majesty the Queen will not refuse.”

“If that’s really possible, that would be wonderful.” Lin Yue’s eyes lit up. “Elder, please rest assured, we will not stay in Silvermoon Forest for long. Once this conflict is over, we will leave immediately to find a new place to settle down.”

This plan provides everyone with a crucial escape route.

On the morning of the third day, the day the town was about to make its final decision, a small team appeared at the town gate of Hope Town.

Leading the group was none other than Ryan's personal guard captain, Renault.

Their appearance instantly ignited the anger of all the residents of Hope Town.

"He's Ryan's lackey."

"Let's fight them."

The angry crowd surged forward like a tide, surrounding Renault and his men.

"Stop!" Lin Yue's voice rang out promptly.

But anger had clouded people's judgment, and pushing and pulling erupted instantly.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yue immediately rushed into the chaotic crowd and grabbed Renault's arm, which was being held tightly by Li Ge and Tie Niu.

"Stop it, all of you!" he shouted again.

Just as he grabbed Renault's arm, a tiny touch came from Renault's palm. A neatly folded strip of cloth was quickly stuffed into Lin Yue's palm.

Lin Yue's movements suddenly stopped.

He subtly tightened his grip on the strip of cloth, then raised his voice: "I said, stop! Didn't you hear me? Are you trying to rebel?"

This roar finally brought the situation to a standstill.

He pushed through the crowd: "Captain Renault, how have you been? What good news have you brought us this time?"

Renault's face showed a hint of guilt and helplessness: "Mayor Lin, I'm sorry. I was just following orders. Young Master Ryan asked me to pass on a message to you."

"He said that if those arrested in Blackrock City were to live and Hope Town were not to be razed to the ground, they must hand over the dwarven blacksmith and all of Hope Town's food, ironware, snow salt, and so on. Most importantly, the seeds of those magical crops and all the related crafting techniques must be handed over."

"Young Master Ryan also said that, considering your previous cooperation, he can spare your lives. He'll give you a month to consider. If Hope Town doesn't surrender within a month, the Red Scorpion Army will raze it to the ground. The consequences then will be beyond what he can promise."

In the end, Renault and his men left in silence, under the hateful and angry gazes of the residents of Hope.

The atmosphere at the all-staff meeting that evening was somber.

Lin Yue relayed Elder Farador's plan to seek refuge in the Silvermoon Forest to everyone. The plan was unanimously agreed upon.

"We're not leaving! We're staying! We'll fight them to the death!" a young construction worker shouted excitedly.

“That’s right, but the children and the elderly can’t stay here and risk their lives,” Aunt Leah stepped forward. “We women may not be as strong as men, but we can build walls and move stones. No one in this house is superfluous. If anyone has to leave, let the children and the elderly who can’t walk go. Those of us who can still move will stay and live or die with our home.”

Her words immediately drew strong support from all the female members.

After intense discussion, it was finally decided that Elder Farador and several able-bodied men would lead all the children in the town, as well as a few elderly people who were unable to move around, to seek refuge in Silvermoon Forest a few days later.

And everyone else, regardless of gender or age, will stay and participate in this battle to defend their homeland.

"Alright, that's settled then. But the enemy has a month to prepare, and so do we. We can't just wait around for a month. Production must continue, and we must hurry up and improve our fortifications. Everyone go back and get some rest and recharge. Everything will be the same tomorrow."

Late at night, Lin Yue and Gray, avoiding everyone's attention, arrived at the tightly closed city gate.

"Mayor, Brother Gray, it's so late, what are you doing here...?" the guard on night watch asked in confusion.

"I have something to do, I need to go out for a bit," Lin Yue said. "Open the door."

"But...it's not safe outside right now. Should I call a few more people to follow us?"

"No need," Lin Yue stopped him. "We'll be back soon. Remember, don't tell anyone about tonight."

Although the guard was filled with doubt, he still obeyed the order.

The heavy city gate creaked softly in the silent night, opening a crack.

Lin Yue and Gray's figures quickly disappeared into the darkness outside the city.

They didn't go far, but came to a shady spot near the forest at the foot of the city wall.

There, a figure had been waiting for a long time.

Hearing footsteps, the man slowly turned around.

"Mayor Lin, Gray."

"Captain Renault, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."