CHAPTER 828: CHAPTER 828: THAT STENCH OF DEATH IS ALREADY SEEPING OUT OF THE COFFIN

At the inland dock of Jin Galun Port, downstream of the Everflow River, a few young people in uniforms were standing next to the newsstand.

They were the water police in this area, mainly responsible for inspecting smuggling, maintaining order at the docks and in shipping, and rescuing drowned stowaways.

Compared to the military factions in Tiger State and Leopard State, who would shoot at escaping refugees crossing borders, the authorities in Jin Galun Port were relatively lenient towards acts of illegal immigration.

Out of a sense of morality, the authorities would not repatriate them, but neither could they allow the refugees to rush into the city unchecked.

Usually, they would send the refugees to a settlement point in the suburbs, let these people stay temporarily, find some work at the dock, or help them get jobs while teaching them basic life skills and necessary legal knowledge.

After leaving the settlement point, these refugees would receive a work card with a tax number, which served as their identification.

Later, if they obtained an ID card, the tax number would directly become their ID number.

In fact, to obtain identification as early as possible, most of the stowaways would voluntarily find them after landing.

It’s precisely because of this that their work was relatively easier, and during idle times they would come to the newsstand for a stroll.

At this moment, what they held in their hands was the latest issue of the Survivor Daily, with the headline being the West Sail Port massacre that had occurred a week ago.

The newspaper detailed the causes and events leading up to the incident.

The cause was a laborer named Orisa who died of exhaustion at the dock, leading the other free laborers to strike in protest.

The labor intermediary controlled by the authorities pretended to agree to the protesters’ demands but immediately reneged once the peak shipping period had passed, and introduced a large number of slaves from elsewhere to replace the uncooperative free laborers, thus igniting the free laborers’ fury.

Coincidentally, there was military ammunition stored in the port’s warehouse meant to be shipped to the front line.

Thus began an uprising sparked by a fire, which clearly spiraled out of control in the end.

Due to the delay in information, they only now realized that such a dreadful event had occurred on the other side of the coast beneath their feet...

"Deserved it," one young water policeman cursed under his breath, angrily flipping a page of the newspaper.

The next page was about Anush, that self-proclaimed king.

However, the reporters at the Survivor Daily sub-office in Potato Harbor didn’t know much about that guy; they only knew that he was once under Arai Yang’s command and had participated in the butterfly swim contest outside Jin Galun Port, making him somewhat of an old soldier.

The thirteen armies setting out from West Sail Port were advancing into the heart of the Empire, but where they had reached was still unknown...

Unlike the young water policeman, the slightly older man beside him shrugged.

"But the civilians are innocent."

"Innocent?"

The young man widened his eyes, looking at his colleague, as if hearing something unbelievable.

"Are your fellow countrymen Weilante people? Did the uprising happen for no reason? The first person to die was named Orisa, and more than three thousand Poluo people died there! How could you sympathize with slave owners and imperialists?"

Many people probably didn’t even look and chose to selectively ignore the ’lowly’ name Orisa, but he clearly remembered this name as the beginning of everything.

He no longer cared what race that person was. In his eyes, that person was his compatriot, a Poluo person!

As for Anush and the king’s army, they were merely flames flickering up later.

The Weilante people were the true arsonists!

The Empire’s lackeys were playing with fire, skewering his compatriots into skewers over the flames!

Now that they’ve lost control of the situation, they have only themselves to blame.

He only wished that the fire could reach Triumph City, instead of burning on the lands of Poluo Province, making those exploited become the cost of exploitation, and forcing his compatriots to endure the torment of war.

He believed that he was not the only one in Jin Galun Port who thought this way; he had seen enough newspapers to know what a mess West Sail Port was.

Seeing the agitated young man, the slightly older water policeman sighed and said.

"By innocent, I mean the survivors of West Sail Port are innocent... Of course, that also includes the deceased Weilante civilians, who left their homes and came to us, expanding territories for the army, only to end up as sacrifices for the politicians. Whether they enjoyed the benefits of the colonies, I really doubt it."

Everything is relative, macro compared with macro, micro with micro.

The Alliance doesn’t do colonization but rather cooperation for mutual benefit, and the people of the Alliance live quite well. He hadn’t been to the City of Dawn, but he had seen the changes in Jin Galun Port and surely they weren’t doing charity, developing outside more than at home.

"... They are all victims, and what truly deserves condemnation is the exploitative rules and endless greed."

But that’s just hindsight.

By the time he got this newspaper, everything had already ended.

The Weilante people were probably venting their anger in West Sail Port, but the survivors of Poluo Province were gradually waking up.

Just like the young man beside him, the first reaction was no longer about Orisa’s ethnicity, but rather that those big-nosed people dared to kill members of my race!

If the army thought that slaughtering the people of a city would subdue them, that would be naive.

In the history of the United Human, the Empire had never truly won; it had always stumbled from one quagmire to another new one, eventually being submerged in the torrent of time.

The war was just beginning.

What does having an airship matter?

What does inheriting wealth matter?

Two hundred years ago, who didn’t come out of the Great Desert?

As long as history moves forward, they will ultimately be drowned in an endless sea of people...

As the two argued, even spat, Caper was casually flipping through Mr. Mouse’s anthology.

He wasn’t interested in the war.

Ever since a shell had taken his right arm and sent him into a POW camp, the deafening sounds had ceased to shake him.

But those stirring words still could.

He was a reader of "Mr. Mouse’s" works, even during his time in the POW camp.

And it was because of reading that piece, Red Soil, that led to his decision to stay.

The Jin Galun Port Authority had reached an understanding with the Empire regarding the return of POWs, but due to the incident at Ten Peaks Mountain, the citizens of Jin Galun Port took to the streets to petition, so the authorities did not compel the POWs to return but allowed them to choose whether to stay or leave voluntarily.

At the time, Caper spent some money, using his saved wages to bribe the thousands of leaders who came to receive the POWs to list him as severely disabled, allowing him to stay in Jin Galun Port to continue receiving "humanitarian treatment."

In fact, after getting a prosthetic limb produced in Giant Stone City, aside from needing to recharge every few days, his daily life and work were hardly affected, and the bribery was just to preserve the honor of his family and clan.

After that, the POW camp was repurposed into a refugee settlement, and he was reassigned here as a water policeman.

While Caper was flipping through the anthology, a bell rang from the distant dock.

A cargo ship bearing the green dual sword flag and royal insignia was slowly sailing into the river port.

"A big ship has arrived," the slightly older water policeman said, putting the newspaper back on the newsstand and donning his hat, "Strange, did the port authority report a big ship’s schedule today?"

The other water policeman squinted and smirked.

"A West Winds royal merchant ship, these people never report their number when coming here... they still think it’s their own territory, hehe."

Sending a telegram to report and apply for a flight number and berth before a large ship’s departure wasn’t mandatory; it was just to reduce hassles for both parties.

After all, the berths at the inland port were crowded, with limited transportation resources—it wasn’t always possible to find a berth to dock.

During the peak transport times, the river channel got clogged, prompting the related provisions.

However, the Emperor of Poluo Province never followed them, and his merchant ships often forgot to apply, either arriving a day early or a day late.

A few water police whispered among themselves.

"Tch, I hate those who don’t follow the rules the most."

"Check him!"

"... There’s no emperor in Jin Galun, everyone is the same, let’s go check him out."

"It’s coming, wait a moment."

Caper put the collection back on the newspaper stand, left a bill for the seller, and asked him to hold onto the unfinished collection until he returned later.

A group of people walked to the dock, just in time to see the ship’s owner shouting at the dock’s port officials.

"We arrived a day early, quickly find us a berth!"

The port official rolled his eyes.

"There’s no berth for you, queue up on the river!"

The pressure from behind was tight, and the ship’s owner was anxious, but he couldn’t make things clear, so he could only threaten.

"Aren’t you afraid we’ll block the river?"

The port official jokingly responded.

"Are you trying to scare me? Try blocking one."

The ship’s owner was so angry he was grinding his teeth, but he was helpless.

Luckily, Witch Camel and a group of ministers were too busy watching the riverbank, each one stunned with their mouths agape in astonishment.

Especially Prince Dilip, who had come here with Arai Yang and had squatted in a small civilian house on the outskirts near the Kraba Market.

As for this place, it used to be a muddy reed marsh, with the narrow path he still remembered along the river.

But that path was invisible now, replaced by a wider and longer concrete road.

Independent small houses were distributed along the edge of the river port, with flowers and grass growing in the small courtyards, bicycles tied at the entrance, and green-painted mailboxes erected.

Although not every house was refined, those that were refined were no less than the citizens of Tiandu.

Occasionally, a few unique mansions even caught the prince’s aesthetic appreciation and envy, sparking his interest in acquiring them.

Speaking of...

Isn’t Niha Ke’s Governor’s Mansion as grand?

Dilip thought he had entered the wealthy district of Jin Jialun Port, only to find out it was merely its suburban area, far from the sea port.

People living nearby were either dock workers working at the inland port, female workers at the textile factory, traders frequently traveling to Tiger State and Leopard State, or some high-ranking officials and nobles.

Due to cheaper land in the outskirts and fewer city regulations, wealthy people from Tiger State and Leopard State liked to establish a second home here, buy a large plot of land, and hire Jin Galun Port designers to build a mansion in the style of the Alliance or the Army.

Apart from those elegantly decorated buildings, looking afar, there were rows of cube-shaped buildings high like a wall.

These buildings were usually near factories and stations, with a neat row of windows on the walls like corn cobs, housing newly migrated residents.

"Is this... my Jin Jialun Port?"

Witch Camel was bewildered, squeezing out a sentence from his mouth after a long while.

At least Dilip had been here last year, his impression was more distant, remembering only red soil on one side of the Everflow River, a plantation on the other, further out were endless low shacks and the high walls of the Lowell Camp.

Being a governor here was undoubtedly a tough task, as the port led into a slum, where the scorching dry season made the entire street intolerably smelly.

But the sights before him now were completely overturning his impression.

He couldn’t even imagine how this settlement would appear on the land of Poluo Province.

The ministers following him exchanged glances, finding it difficult to speak.

They were evidently stunned too.

And just at that moment, a speedboat bearing police insignias sailed over.

The water police on the speedboat shouted at those on the deck.

"Guards, inspect the ship!"

The ship’s owner arguing with the port official hurriedly glanced at the speedboat, smilingly explaining.

"We are a royal merchant ship!"

The water police on the deck said impatiently.

"Even royal merchant ships must be inspected, lower the ladder quickly."

The ship’s owner was troubled, seeking help from the emperor and Prince Dilip behind him.

Witch Camel had a dark expression but exchanged a few words with the nearby ministers, eventually nodding.

A eunuch stepped forward.

"Allow them to come up."

The ship’s owner breathed a sigh of relief, bowed in thanks promptly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The group of water police boarded the ship, showing surprised expressions upon seeing the nobles on the deck.

Though these individuals didn’t wear their titles, their robes and accessories were evidently valuable, possibly worth tens or hundreds of thousands of gallons.

Even more puzzling was that these nobles arrived in a cargo ship.

Even if it’s the royal merchant ship, it’s still a cargo ship...

Caper felt the leader looked familiar but couldn’t recall where he had seen him.

Performing routine protocols, he said to them.

"Do you have any documents or identification papers? Without them, you’ll need to register at customs..."

Before he could finish speaking, that prominent man suddenly glared at him angrily.

"Nonsense! Do I need documents to return to my own home?"

Caper paused, and the nearby water police were stunned, unsure of why he was angry.

Yet at that moment, Caper suddenly recognized the face, and a sense of unbelievable shock gradually showed in his eyes.

This is impossible?!

In Jin Jialun Port?

He opened his mouth wide, unable to close his jaw, subconsciously uttered.

"...Your Majesty?!"

...

Witch Camel appeared in Jingga Lun Port.

Moreover, he emerged with those stowaways from the faraway reed marsh.

As soon as the news hit the papers, it immediately caused a massive sensation in Jin Jialun Port.

The usually quiet inland port now crowded with people, packed densely.

Some even ran from the port area of the harbor just to catch a glimpse of what the emperor looked like.

Due to the crowd affecting the transportation order, the port authorities had to deploy more personnel to maintain order, while keeping the royal merchant ship carrying the West Sail Empire’s ministers anchored outside the port, inconveniencing Witch Camel to linger in the water longer.

Actually, there’s no need for the authorities to suggest this.

Seeing the massive crowd on the shore, Witch Camel was sufficiently scared, let alone dared to mention disembarking, staying inside the cabin all day, afraid to open a window, fearing exposure of his location.

After all, the Empire wasn’t the Alliance, and he couldn’t stand in the crowd like a Manager.

After all, what if an assassin mixed in the crowd?

People with guilty consciences often feel everyone is trying to harm them.

That night.

Sitting at the bedside, Witch Camel was feeling gloomy, playing chess and drinking tea with Prince Dilip.

Just at this moment, his most loyal eunuch entered from outside, prostrating himself on the ground.

"...Your Majesty, reporters from the Survivor’s Daily’s Jin Jialun Port branch want to interview you."

Witch Camel frowned.

"Reporters? What on earth are they?"

The eunuch explained timidly.

"They are... people who provide materials for the newspaper."

"Newspaper?"

Witch Camel furrowed his brows, vaguely having heard of it, but didn’t think it was anything good.

So he waved his hand, impatiently leaving behind a sentence.

"Not meeting, let him roll."

The eunuch nodded submissively and was about to exit the "palace".

Suddenly, Prince Dilip sitting in front of Witch Camel had a thought, first calling the eunuch back, and then he looked at Witch Camel and said.

"Wait... Your Majesty, I think accepting the interview is not necessarily a bad thing. Nowadays, the residents of Jin Jialun Port are gathered by the shore, nothing but wanting to admire your majesty and the aura of a sage—"

Witch Camel impatiently interrupted his babble.

"How can my majesty be admired by that group of subordinates?"

Prince Dilip coughed dryly and said.

"Though that’s the case... but thinking from another angle, blocking isn’t as good as unblocking. If you satisfy the curiosity of those ignorant people, perhaps they will disperse from the riverbank, allowing us to disembark instead of floating on the river forever."

The rabble-rousers from the west didn’t know when they would cause trouble, and there had been no news from the Forbidden Army.

If the residents of Jin Jialun Port gathered here every day for excitement, they might never make it ashore.

The humidity on the Everflow River was heavy, and the deck was always swaying, he couldn’t stand staying on the ship constantly.

Witch Camel apparently had the same thought, pondering for a moment while pinching a chess piece, then nodded slowly.

"Alright."

The chess piece landed on the board.

He glanced at the eunuch prostrating at the entrance, unmoved.

"Then let me meet that reporter."

...

The night deepened gradually, silence enveloped the Everflow River, only faint frog croaks amidst the reeds.

Although the crowd on the shore dispersed, people on the ship still dared not to disembark.

Even so, Witch Camel slept soundly on the ship, snoring thunderously within the "sleeping palace" just past ten, even more soundly than when passing through the military faction’s territory.

However, while he was comfortable, some people in Jin Jialun Port were unable to sleep.

Like Yoder, the secretary of the Governor’s Office.

Acting as the governor of Jin Jialun Port, he was basically responsible for the entire port’s affairs.

Previously, he had never received any diplomatic notification from the Empire, nor knew that the Emperor was coming to Jin Jialun Port, so he was dumbfounded upon hearing Witch Camel appeared at the mouth of the Everflow River.

"...Is the Emperor really here?"

Opposite Yoder, Chief Bahari smiled bitterly, wiping sweat from his forehead with a tissue.

"Absolutely... I didn’t believe it at first, and even went aboard to check."

He was the head of the Harbour Area Police Station during the Nihark period and was later promoted to chief due to outstanding performance during the occupation.

Although he seldom mentioned his noble title, he was indeed once a noble of the Empire.

Thus, others might not know what Witch Camel looked like, but he remembered clearly.

Including those dukes and princes on the deck.

Pacing back and forth in front of the desk, Yoder paused, unable to resist asking again.

"Could it be impersonation?"

Chief Bahari smiled bitterly and said.

"Impossible... Besides the Emperor, there’s also Prince Dilip, who has biometric information recorded in our prison, a quick verification proves it. If you don’t believe, should I take him to verify?"

Yoder quickly said.

"That’s unnecessary... they’re not suspects, don’t randomly arrest people."

Chief Bahari nodded hurriedly, agreeing.

"Then what should we do about this? Just let them float on the river?"

"It’s tricky..."

Yoder fell into deep thought.

His political intuition told him that the matter might not be simple.

If Witch Camel chose to come here, it’s certainly because he decided he had nowhere else to go.

Even the Emperor himself felt he was unable to control the situation...

From the winds blowing from the Everflow River, he faintly smelled a hint of stench, and a thought abruptly arose in Yoder’s mind.

The Empire might be coming to an end!

It’s like a secretly decomposing corpse, even if the coffin lid is tightly sealed, it can’t hide the stench leaking from the seams.

Sweat dripped from Yoder’s forehead.

At this moment, he wasn’t concerned about the future fate of the Empire, rather how the collapse of such a giant would impact and affect Jin Jialun Port.

As one of the candidates for the future mayor, he must first be responsible for the residents of Jin Jialun Port.

Especially responsible for their savings.

"...Let’s first seek the Federation’s opinion on this matter, see their stance, we better not get involved blindly."

Hearing Yoder’s suggestion, Chief Bahari hastily nodded in agreement.

"I think so too, quickly contact the Federation."

"I’ve already sent a telegram to the Federation immediately, but it’s deep night in the City of Dawn now, we probably have to wait until tomorrow for a response..."

Pausing, Yoder walked to the desk and picked up the phone, dialing his secretary.

"Get the director of the Jin Jialun Port Bank to my office, and the director of the Foreign Trade Management Bureau... yes, right now, I don’t care if they’re lying in bed or soaking in the tub, get dressed and come over immediately!"

"I have important matters to discuss with them face-to-face."

...

The next morning, the sun was bright, the harbor area of Jin Jialun Port, bustling as always.

The West Sail Port’s tragedy from the day before was still circulating fervently, and today the Emperor of West Winds arrived at Jin Jialun Port.

People are all discussing whether Tiandu has already been captured by the Tianwang army.

It’s a pity that neither Lion City nor Tiandu have branches of the Survivor’s Daily, so they can only rely on speculation.

But if that were true, it would be great.

The Tianwang army at least shouted slogans of abolishing slavery and redistributing land, and it’s said they actually did so, at least it’s a bit of progress.

Moreover, leaving aside whether it’s progress or not, they’ve long found the Empire and the emperor displeasing!

In the breakfast noodle shop, a group of diners were slurping noodles while discussing the newly released newspaper.

"Serve them right! Better to kill all those court officials! Pulverize their bones to dust!"

An old man shook his head, sighed, and commented.

"Things aren’t that simple, the army won’t just let the Empire collapse like that, and they’ve already killed so many from the army. The thirteen-route army seems ferocious, but they’re just some farmers, and logistics can’t keep up. If a real fight breaks out, the outcome is still uncertain."

A man who looks scholarly also shook his head and said regretfully.

"Afraid their blood will be shed in vain."

Not far from them, a dock worker was so angry that he clenched his teeth, slammed the table, and said.

"These damned foreigners! Enslaving my compatriots, now wanting to meddle in our internal affairs! Do they think we’re pushover!"

This remark got a lot of responses, and the diners in the noodle shop were all indignant.

"It’s really too much!"

"I’ll go donate to the United Federation right away! I’ll donate a month’s salary!"

"What good is donating money to the United Federation? They’re supporting Laxi, who’s still wasting time in Mammoth State and Arai Yang!"

"Laxi’s business is getting bigger, but he’s still not as good as that Anush."

"Ha, I don’t favor that guy... if he becomes emperor, I won’t be afraid; I’m just afraid he’s thinking of going to City of Dawn to be an honorary resident."

"Hahaha! In comparison, Anush is more straightforward, pulling out his gun to fight!"

"It’s a pity that getting supplies from here to there isn’t easy, it would be convenient if they started action on the East Coast."

"It’s useless, even if you donate many guns to them, can they stop the army? The army is going to step in... alas! Who will these 4 million square kilometers fall to is hard to say..."

As everyone was discussing heatedly, an unusual group of people entered the noodle shop.

They walked to the corner of the noodle shop and sat down. As usual, Ah Xin ordered a bowl of scallion oil noodles and a basket of soup dumplings, then unfolded a newspaper in his hand, slowly sipping tea and reading.

He has been literate for some time now, reading and writing have not been a problem.

Even without someone reciting next to him, he can understand by himself.

Standing behind him, Kunal listened to the diners’ indignant exchanges and couldn’t help but clench his fist and mutter.

"That damned emperor dares to come to Jing Jialun Port... Boss, should we get rid of him?"

A mere cargo ship on the inland river, just send someone to drill a hole in the bottom, and they can taste the waters of the Everflow River.

"Are you crazy?"

Ah Xin froze, glanced back at his simple-minded little brother, and shook his head in disappointment before turning around again.

Killing the emperor?

Is the problem of West Winds something that can be solved by killing an emperor?

This bunch of small business owners should avoid meddling in big people’s affairs; otherwise, they wouldn’t even know how they died.

Of course, if a sufficiently influential big shot wanted him to do such a thing, he would readily accept.

Killing a person is indeed not hard.

Especially on his turf.

But speaking of it, this matter is a bit odd, why did Witch Camel suddenly appear here right after announcing the "Northern Hunt."

After reading the newspaper for a while, a glint of light suddenly flashed in Ah Xin’s eyes.

"This emperor... is probably here to avoid disaster."

Kunal was taken aback upon hearing this and asked in a low voice.

"You mean the Tianwang Army reached Tiandu?"

Ah Xin spoke casually.

"He used two days to get here, maybe it’s being fought right now."

Upon hearing this, Kunal was greatly shocked. He instinctively thought about the map of Poluo Province.

Good heavens!

Wouldn’t that mean two states fall in a week?!

Even on plains where the army has helped build infrastructure, this pace of advance is a bit exaggerated.

"So, that Tianwang is even more formidable than Laxi..."

Upon hearing this, Ah Xin chuckled and shook his head.

"Looking at problems, you can’t just look at the surface. Whether he’s formidable depends on who the opponent is. Anush faces peasant troops, while Laxi faces Arai Yang. Don’t underestimate that wolf clan member, he indeed suffered losses at the hands of the Alliance, but he didn’t entirely lose on the battlefield."

The whole Jing Jialun Port hardly has anyone hoping the Empire wins; it’s sheer luck that the Grey Wolf Army wins.

In fact, including himself, he has precisely learned from the Empire’s failure and is particularly cautious when expanding business, never being too extreme, always leaving room for maneuver.

Not only that, other gang leaders wish they could write "ruthless" across their faces, but he is polite with everyone, even sitting to eat with neighbors, giving red envelopes to kids during the New Year.

It is exactly because of this that the Assasin Gang has grown bigger and stronger.

Kunal touched the back of his head, smiled, and said.

"That’s true; now that you mention it, boss, you even personally took one down."

Ah Xin glanced at him.

"That’s not something worth talking about... let’s not mention it."

"Alright, boss," Kunal nodded, paused for a moment, then asked again, "What about the emperor..."

Ah Xin tapped him on the back of the head with hatred for not meeting expectations.

"Why can’t you remember? Always thinking about that guy? This is not something we should do; just manage our little plot of land!"

Kunal scratched the back of his head.

"But you did say to drag that emperor down from his horse... I’m just trying to ease your worries."

Ah Xin froze for a moment, then recalled he indeed said those words, and it was during Laxi’s farewell party.

In this setting, looking at the downtrodden emperor on the newspaper, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Thinking about it is really nostalgic.

In the blink of an eye, what he dreamed about in his sleep is about to come true.

"Yes, that’s right... Kunal, my friend, I indeed said those words."

"And I can tell you, my wish is about to come true, haha!"

...

(Thanks to "Xingqing Buyu" for the reward as the Alliance Leader!!!)