Chapter 355: The Resistance of the Mystics

In almost just a moment, the cavalry squad disappeared from people's sight, following the prince.

Only then did the Mystics and the followers of the Mother Goddess slowly react to what had just happened.

The prince fled with his soldiers?

Hmm, on second thought, that was indeed the right decision.

The followers of the Mother Goddess filled the streets, completely overwhelming the small cavalry squad, outnumbering even the bullets they carried.

Moreover, this group had just seen the true form of the monster, and it was clear that their minds were shaken and their spirits were quite drained.

It was hard to say how much combat power they could even muster.

But... they just ran away like that?

The prince was the Grand Duke of Tis, the true master of Blood Harbor, holding a long list of titles.

Yet the moment he realized he couldn’t win, he turned and fled without hesitation—

He didn’t even leave behind a few harsh words, nor did he come up with a few noble-sounding excuses.

It was as if he didn’t care at all about those prestigious titles and status, abandoning them without a trace of reluctance.

And the knights who followed him obeyed the order without any question, executing it immediately.

It could only be said that this cavalry squad truly was elite.

Josh and Zoe of the Mystics were both stunned.

They had just received the news and rushed over, only to witness this scene of the prince executing a rapid strategic retreat.

The two exchanged a glance, not even having time to be surprised—

Only confusion filled their faces.

Just a moment ago they had advanced and opened fire, and now they had vanished without a trace.

It was still the monster's howls from the other side that brought the Mystics back to their senses.

The followers of the Mother Goddess had not left after the prince fled.

Instead, they turned their gaze toward the Mystics, who had formed a defensive line here.

The people of the Mystics immediately grew tense.

Could it be that these followers of the Mother Goddess were going to attack them?

The Mother Goddess followers slowly yet firmly advanced toward the Mystics’ side, with the monster among them howling.

Josh’s heart sank—

Damn it, had these people completely lost their minds?

He quickly stood up and shouted outside:

"I’m Josh, the High Priest of the Steam and Deep Sea Mystics! The prince just fled in that direction!"

Josh stretched out his hand and pointed toward the direction where the prince had fled.

He betrayed the prince’s whereabouts without the slightest burden—

The prince was a lord, and while the Mystics were considered heretics, they were still technically his subjects.

Since the lord had abandoned his people, he couldn’t blame the people for betraying him.

Besides, this didn’t really count as betrayal—

The Mystics weren’t a military organization; suppressing a rebellion was never their responsibility.

That was the job of the Harbor Guard.

At the very least, the Mystics didn’t start a rebellion themselves—

That was already quite restrained for a group of heretics.

But the Mother Goddess followers had no intention of communicating.

No matter how Josh threatened or promised, they continued advancing toward them.

The meaning was already very clear.

“Damn it, these lunatics are completely insane. Heretics truly can’t be trusted!”

Josh cursed as he turned to the followers beside him.

“How many weapons do we have?”

“High Priest, we did stockpile some weapons, but we never anticipated a battle of this scale... We have a few dozen muskets, hardly any armor, but we’re not short on cold weapons.”

The follower’s voice was slightly anxious.

“Ugh, nothing we can do then. Who would’ve thought we’d have to clash directly with the Mother Goddess Church...”

Josh sighed, but then something felt off.

“Wait a minute... where did those dozens of muskets come from?”

Muskets were already widespread in this era, but "widespread" meant they could be seen, not that they were everywhere.

A proper musket required a craftsman to spend a lot of time making it, and many components could only be manufactured by the Empire.

As a result, only the Royal Army could deploy organized musket troops on the battlefield.

So here was the question—

Where did these muskets in his hands come from?

Josh looked as though he had seen a ghost, until a few companions—also from Castel—explained it to him.

“Josh, after you founded the Mystics, you’ve been busy with internal affairs... These were sold to us by the Harbor Guard.”

“The Harbor Guard? Sold to us?”

Josh’s eyes widened.

“That’s right. We had been using soap to trade for grain, and the Harbor Guard noticed us.

They didn’t have surplus grain but still wanted our soap.

The Mystics weren’t pushovers, so after negotiations, they gave us these muskets in exchange.”

Listening to his companions’ explanation, Josh couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his eyes.

The prince hadn’t held control over the Harbor Guard for long.

Before that, this armed force was basically rotten to the core.

They had even secretly participated in the last rebellion.

When faced with the uprising of the Mother Goddess followers, they pretended not to see.

It was the prince who decisively took control with both carrot and stick.

While Josh was talking, the muskets had already been distributed to the followers.

As for how effective they’d be, Josh wasn’t sure at all.

The biggest advantage muskets had over bows was the ease of training—

Ordinary people could use them with only a short period of training, unlike bows which required long-term development.

But no matter how short the training, some training was still needed.

The Mystics had organized their own armed force and conducted routine training, but had never used live ammunition—

After all, this was Blood Harbor.

Firing guns in the city would bring a lot of trouble.

The process of loading powder was a bit chaotic, but at least it got done.

Just now, the prince's side had advanced and fired.

It would still take time for the followers of the Mother Goddess to reach the Mystics’ barricade.

Josh and a few companions kept maintaining order and giving commands.

They even lent a hand to a few followers who forgot the steps.

Bang!

A follower accidentally misfired.

The others, startled by the gunshot, hastily raised their guns and started shooting.

This round had terrible accuracy, even worse than the prince’s cavalry.

Although the Mystics had twice as many muskets, their followers’ proficiency was far too low.

Some didn’t even hold the gun tightly—

When the gun fired, it flew out of their hands, and who knew where the bullets went.

Several guns misfired, and one follower’s gun even exploded—

His face was covered in blood, crying out as he was carried away by others.

Only a few of the Mother Goddess followers fell.

The rest continued to advance.

The monster kept moving forward, reaching out to tear apart the fallen and devour them.

The Mystics’ followers began the next round of reloading, and the entire battle line descended into chaos.

“What was it after the gunpowder again?”

“Damn it, where’s my ramrod?”

“You loaded the bullet directly? You forgot to pack the powder!!”

Josh glanced at the followers and his companions who were trying to keep order.

Then he turned to the advancing Mother Goddess followers, biting his thumbnail in anxiety.

A little calculation was enough to know—

With just their numbers, they absolutely could not hold off the enemy’s offensive!