https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-487-Prelude-to-Provocation-A-Weighty-Message-Emerges/12851400/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-489-Mobilization-the-Ambitions-of-the-Elites/12851402/
Chapter 488: A Sudden Message and a Terrifying Demon
Chapter 488: A Sudden Message and a Terrifying Demon
The news from Baijingzhou spread incredibly fast, so fast that the imperial court, noble families, and sects were caught off guard. Normally, in a feudal world of extraordinary beings where transportation and communication are underdeveloped, information spreads very slowly. Unless it is disseminated through specialized intelligence agencies, it would generally spread at the same pace as in any other feudal society, if not more slowly and more strictly.
This is because there is a significant generation gap between extraordinary beings and ordinary people. A summoner cannot share too much with a commoner.
Under normal circumstances, such news would take at least a month to reach Nanliangzhou, and then another three to five cycles to spread across various villages and towns.
The only way it could spread quickly is if there were a refugee wave following a rebel army's conquest of a city. Most summoners, like the young geniuses or those on training missions, generally do not venture too far from their home territories.
Just like ordinary people, they might never leave their place of residence, with the farthest they might go being the neighboring county.
Therefore, the spread of information is usually very limited.
This time, however, the news spread so quickly that the imperial court naturally knew someone was fueling the fire. Otherwise, the court would have suppressed the news immediately, ensuring that ordinary people never found out.
It didn't matter much if the noble families or sects learned about it, as these forces were part of the extraordinary world. As long as the lowest levels remained stable, everything else could be managed.
Unfortunately, the situation completely exceeded the court's expectations. Once the news broke, panic spread rapidly. Although there wasn't widespread chaos yet, prices in the market began to soar. Seeing this, the noble families didn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation and further exploit the chaos.
As for Baijingzhou? They hadn't seen it for themselves. The spirit calamity and spirit tribes were too far away. They focused on grabbing whatever immediate benefits they could, knowing that if they didn't, other noble families would.
Fortunately, the village of Qingsong where Qin Muye lived had no noble families or sects, as it was a very small place.
"Lord Wang, have you heard the news?" a constable said mysteriously.
Qin Muye, who was just passing the time, found this a bit strange. Was the guy about to share some gossip?
"What news?" Qin Muye asked in return.
"It's about Baijingzhou. They say a demon appeared and swallowed everyone in the entire city in one bite, then burned everything to the ground."
"The demon had a green face, fangs, three heads, and six arms. It was said to be thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty feet tall, with a waist circumference of thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty feet. It didn't spit out bones when it ate people; it chewed them alive, and the people were still conscious while being chewed."
Qin Muye felt a headache. What kind of description was this, and why did it involve eating people?
"Don't worry, the summoners will handle it. We just need to live our quiet lives," Qin Muye said, indicating that he was just a weakling who wouldn't even be drafted to eat the government's food. The minimum requirement was a first-rank, and he, being unranked, would definitely be left behind.
"So, Baijingzhou really was attacked by a demon?" the constable was surprised. He had thought it was just a rumor, but now he had Qin Muye's confirmation.
"How would I know? Didn't you say it? I sit in the hall every day; where would I get news from? Your information is more reliable than mine," Qin Muye rolled his eyes. Was this guy trying to confirm something? His meaning was to tell him to go cool off somewhere.
The constable smiled awkwardly. In the eyes of the other constables, Lord Wang was quite approachable, unlike the usual officials who wouldn't even glance at them.
"Please sit, I'll go gather more information to see if there are any more details about the demon." The constable said and ran off.
Qin Muye shook his head, "What nonsense, the news has been distorted by the time it got here."
But this was quite normal. The original source might be straightforward, but those who heard it would inevitably add their own artistic embellishments. By the time it was finished, it was hard to say what it would look like.
In any case, it would become more and more exaggerated.
"Just when we haven't even started fighting, the internal exploitation has already begun. Truly, the front is in distress while the rear is busy eating."
Looking at the price reports from various regions, the news had only spread for a short time, yet prices had already risen by about ten percent, which was truly exaggerated.
And this price increase showed no signs of stopping. The imperial court did try to suppress it, but the results were not satisfactory, or perhaps the officials in the court were intentionally dragging their feet, as there were significant profits to be made.
Where there are benefits, there are naturally disputes.
Although the incident in Baijingzhou was shocking, the psychological impact was limited for those who had only heard about it and not witnessed it firsthand. It's like when someone dies in a distant place; it's just a line in a report. But if it happens right in front of you, you truly understand what it means to be afraid.
Fortunately, measures were being taken to address the situation. The spirit calamity had already been identified, so the court was preparing to conscript summoners from noble families and sects to join the military as combat forces.
This was likely to lead to a lot of bickering, as they were being asked to go to war, and naturally, they were unwilling.
Sects were easier to deal with, as they were essentially outlaws, similar to gangsters. If they refused the conscription, a show of force could be made to set an example.
But noble families were a different matter. Those who could be called noble families had been around for a thousand years and had deep roots and significant influence.
Moreover, noble families were often interconnected through marriage, controlling various economic networks in their regions. While it was possible to eliminate one noble family in a city, killing them all would likely cause the entire city to collapse.
With such extensive and intertwined influence, and many officials in the court being from noble families, moving against them was not easy, even though the court was at its peak.
Therefore, to get them to go to war, some form of compromise would be necessary. This process would involve a lot of bickering, and this time it wasn't just with one or two regions, but with noble families across the entire land.
Of course, this period wouldn't be all compromise. In places like Nanliangzhou, a small and insignificant region, the court could simply enforce the conscription, and if they refused, the family could be eliminated and their assets seized for military expenses. Only the most powerful regions had the leverage to bicker.
In any case, this incident caused significant turmoil across the world. Some people were profiting, while others were fleeing.
Only the most remote and impoverished areas remained relatively calm, but even they were not entirely unaffected.
Even in Qingsong Village, where Qin Muye lived, prices had risen significantly, and there was a growing sense of panic, with people fearing that the demons would come and eat everyone.
Why not the spirit tribes? Because it was necessary to demonize the enemy. Just like the Demon Sect, which always referred to itself as the Holy Sect, only the righteous called them the Demon Sect. If the Demon Sect were to demonize itself, it would be foolish.
Thus, when the news reached Qingsong Village, the spirit tribes became demons, allowing the righteous to claim the moral high ground, as it was their duty to subdue demons.
"Everything is going according to plan, but Xiao Fan's path seems to have encountered another issue."
Under normal circumstances, after winning the academy competition, Xiao Fan would have dealt with the Huang family. However, the "spirit calamity" disrupted all plans. The Huang family was too preoccupied to deal with Xiao Fan, and Xiao Fan's plan to move to a new area was also put on hold.
He could only move to a new area if the world was at peace. With the academy competition on hold, it was impossible for him to move.
Therefore, the normal progression might need to change.
It would likely shift to a battlefield mission mode.
Qin Muye found this absurd. Sending young people who had only just learned a few basic skills to the battlefield was ridiculous. Instead, the more powerful individuals were assigned roles like quartermasters and logistics officers, which made no sense.
They claimed it was for training, but who would send their young to real combat for training?
This world was indeed like that. Most positions relied on physical strength, and politics were quite crude. In a world of extraordinary beings, if someone could fight, they would never resort to words.
Xiao Fan was a prime example. After winning first place in the academy competition, no one dared to mock him anymore. Instead, everyone acted as if they had amnesia and began to form alliances with him, turning the environment into one of brotherly camaraderie and mutual respect among classmates.
Qin Muye found this atmosphere hard to believe. Now, Xiao Fan was the academy's top student, basking in glory.
(End of Chapter)
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