The next morning, just as Todd was waking up, Huggins knocked urgently on the door and brought him bad news.
Just in the early hours of this morning, a riot broke out, sparked by immigrants from outside the city.
The cause of the matter is not complicated.
Several months ago, a merchant fleeing from Silver Ring City, along with his only family member—his young and beautiful daughter—settled outside Twilight City to escape the war. In the 'Immigrant Zone,' they met a young and handsome dyer, and after their families became acquainted, the two young people of marriageable age became engaged.
However, not long after, the merchant met a spice shop owner in the city. The latter was a widower, over sixty years old and widowed in middle age. During a visit, he took a liking to the merchant's daughter and hoped to marry her.
The merchant had initially explained his daughter's engagement and politely declined the widower's request. However, the spice shop owner, coveting his daughter's beauty, offered to act as guarantor and provide her with lodging, causing the merchant to waver and become indecisive.
Speaking of this, we have to mention the "settlement threshold" of Twilight City.
Considering espionage and city management, Todd initially stipulated two conditions for determining the status of residents of Duskwood: 'guarantor' and 'residence provision'. First, any outsider wishing to become a resident of Duskwood must find a resident to act as their guarantor and provide a detailed resume and past experiences for registration and verification. Second, residents of Duskwood must own independent property within the city, meaning they must have a fixed residence, which must be purchased by the resident themselves or by an immediate family member.
Only after meeting both of the above conditions can outsiders become official residents of Muxi Town and enjoy civil rights such as tax exemption, education, and appeals.
For the businessman, leaving the filthy and chaotic "Immigrant Zone" and officially becoming a member of the "Land of Miracles - Twilight City" was a dream he constantly longed to realize. Breaking off the engagement or keeping his promise became the difficult choice before him.
After much internal struggle, the merchant ultimately chose the former. He accepted the old shopkeeper's gift, signed the second marriage contract, and, blinded by greed, planned to secretly move into Muxi City with his daughter under the cover of night.
Everything was going smoothly until he forgot one thing.
After learning of her father's decision, his daughter ran out of the house in the night, found her fiancé, and recounted the whole story.
The angry young man, along with his brothers and sisters from the same clan, blocked the merchant who was moving house, demanding an explanation.
Just as things were getting out of hand in the "immigrant zone", the old widower, who hadn't seen a beautiful woman in a long time, couldn't sit still any longer. He took his family and apprentice and went out of the city, where he happened to encounter everything mentioned above.
When rivals meet, they are filled with hatred and, at the slightest disagreement, they start fighting.
The fight continued until the Muxi City security team intervened.
Faced with conflicting accounts from residents and immigrants, the security team, which harbored no goodwill towards the latter, issued a ruling clearly biased towards the widower, demanding that the merchant's daughter immediately fulfill her second marriage contract. This action completely ignited the powder keg.
What began as a conflict between a few individuals and the security forces quickly escalated into widespread chaos. The pent-up anger and resentment within the immigrants erupted like a volcano, engulfing the entire "immigrant zone." Hundreds upon hundreds, shouting cries of injustice and oppression, took up arms, routed the security forces, stormed Muxi City, and even briefly occupied some buildings on the city's outer perimeter.
When news of the riot reached the camp of the Knights of Twilight, Cumberland acted decisively without having time to consult the king. On the one hand, to avoid suspicion, he invited Alfonso and Brother Joe to serve as overseers. On the other hand, he mobilized regular troops and alien combat regiments to curb the rioters' offensive and launched a swift and decisive attack.
By the time Huggins reported the incident to Todd, a full five hours had passed since the riot began.
"Casualties?" Todd waved away the maid, took off his robe and put it on himself, his voice low and menacing.
Huggins stood at the entrance of the palace, looking down at the report in his hand: "Two members of the Knights' regular army were seriously wounded; thirteen members of the Twilight Security Force were killed and seven were seriously wounded; six residents of the city were killed and twenty-two were seriously wounded; more than fifteen shops and residences were burned or vandalized, with a loss of nearly six thousand silver moons."
Todd buttoned up the last button and looked up at Huggins: "What about the casualties in the 'Immigrant Zone'?"
The latter seemed somewhat surprised by the question and lowered his head: "The exact number has not yet been tallied, but based on the visual estimation of the 'Investigation Successor,' it is estimated that the number of dead exceeds 190."
Todd took the ceremonial dagger from the table, hung it at his waist, and walked past Huggins, his voice devoid of any emotion: "Have the monks do everything in their power to treat the wounded, and notify the Holy Treasury to prepare food and warm clothing to ensure that the losses do not escalate further. In addition, notify all officials of the kingdom to hand over their duties, and that a meeting will be held in the council hall in two hours."
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At 9:30 a.m., in the Grand Council Hall of the Knights' Headquarters.
Todd sat on his high throne, resting his right cheek on his hand, his expression solemn.
Below him, at the long table, the high-ranking officials of Muxi City, officially appointed by the king, sat in chairs, no one speaking, the only sound in the quiet was the burning of firewood in the brazier.
After a long silence, Todd broke it: "Have the supplies from the Holy Cure been distributed?"
Queen Mary stood up, glanced at the person in the seat of honor, and was momentarily stunned by the unprecedented seriousness on Todd's face: "The victims have been counted, and the suppliers have been contacted. The catechumens and believers are now distributing food and blankets."
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