Chapter 367: Instead of Bowing, They Responded with Blood
[Mantis Town]
Two days had passed since the people found out Black Water had shut its door. Since then, the Mantis Town had been on edge since then.
Although the Crimson Arc Guild was trying desperately to contain the subtle tension which continuously rose with each passing day, many could feel the pressure gathering beneath the surface.
Still, no one wanted to be the scapegoat that would break the fragile balance.
The streets remained lively on the surface, but the laughter had become thinner.
The bargaining voices in front of stalls had become softer.
Even the Mantis Men who usually communicated with excited hand gestures became more cautious whenever they passed strangers.
Standing by the window, Solenne looked at the peaceful town in the distance, and a deep sigh escaped from her lips.
Of course, she was not naive enough to believe the town was truly peaceful.
Even with them raising the price of the gate entry fees, people and beastmen were still trooping in.
At the beginning, her guild members could keep track of all the new faces, but as time passed, it became difficult.
There were just too many faces for them to keep track of.
Worse, she knew many did not fear her. Most were only quiet because they had yet to ascertain the power behind Black Water.
Once they confirmed that the power behind Black Water was absent or weak, all restraint would vanish.
Once they believed the Crimson Arc Guild was merely a guard dog standing before a treasure house, they would tear through the town without hesitation.
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, a soft knock came from behind her, waking her from her deep thoughts.
"Come in..."
She turned and returned to her seat, masking her worry with a cold, expressionless face.
Entering the room, Riven stared at Solenne for a moment before a hidden sigh escaped from his lips.
"What is it?" she asked.
"We have detected movement from all the factions. It seems they cannot control their greed any longer," Riven revealed.
His expression was grave.
Solenne was not surprised. "What are they up to, and how many are they?"
He shook his head. "We do not know. Apart from the known factions, there are many groups also moving in the shadows."
"But that is not all. News about Thoren has begun to spread among the people," he added.
Hmm?
Solenne creased her brow sharply. How did the news come out?
She had given strict warnings about revealing news about him. She knew how detrimental that would be to them.
But now...
It seemed her warning had fallen on deaf ears.
"Did you manage to find out who leaked the news?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.
"Yes," he nodded. "We discovered two human groups that released the news, while the last one came from the Mantis Men."
"Human or not, kill them and have their heads hung outside the gate," she declared ruthlessly.
Rivenβs heart tightened slightly, but he did not argue.
At this point, mercy would only be seen as weakness. The rumor about Thoren was not merely idle gossip.
It was a spark thrown into dry grass.
The moment people believed Thoren was the source of Black Water, all eyes would turn toward him, and then toward anyone connected to him.
Suddenly, a frantic knock echoed inside the room.
Listening to the frantic knock, Solenne and Riven had their expressions change.
Without hesitation, Riven walked toward the door and opened it.
"What is it?" he demanded coldly.
Disturbing the guild master without a genuine reason was a huge offense.
This was a known rule by every member of the guild. Thus, Riven hoped the young man before him had a tangible reason for disturbing them.
Standing outside was Orric with a grave expression. Staring at Rivenβs cold expression, he did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
"There is an attack at the central street. Most of the guild members are under attack," he announced.
"What?!" both Solenne and Riven exclaimed in unison.
"How dare?" Solenne rose to her feet sharply, and a strong, suffocating aura emanated from her body.
The air inside the room trembled faintly.
Her calm mask cracked, revealing the ruthless edge hidden beneath.
"Gather our men." She stopped by the door. "We need to send a strong message to these bastards."
...
...
At the central street, chaos was everywhere. The Crimson Arc Guild members were desperately trying to fend off the mob.
Leading the group was Kiera. Her massive axe cut through a young manβs chest, sending him flying.
She spat to the ground, wiping the blood from her mouth, and a savage grin crept up her face.
"I love this type of battle so much!" she shouted and rushed forward.
Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!
Miserable screams filled the air.
Weapons clashed together.
Many were sent flying, crashing into the mud houses. Some were lucky not to die immediately, while some were forever gone.
The central street that had been bustling with trade and excited whispers now looked like a battlefield.
Broken stalls littered the ground.
Jars of water shattered beneath hurried feet.
Beast meat, torn cloth, broken baskets, and scattered coins rolled through pools of blood.
Mantis Men dragged their young ones away from the conflict, while humans slammed their doors shut and watch behind windows.
"Just tell us where he is, and we will be going!" a voice shouted among the mobs.
With the news of Thoren spreading among the factions, many had quickly connected the dots and realized Thoren must be the person with the unlimited resources.
With such news, how could many of them remain quiet?
Under the influence of some of the powerful factions, many lost their reason and became impatient.
Their plan was to pressure the Crimson Arc Guild to reveal Thorenβs hideout.
For many guilds, the pressure would have worked. But they were wrong.
Instead of the Crimson Arc Guild bowing to their pressure, they responded with a bloodthirsty battle.
