Chapter 568: Gluttonous Rat!

"Gentlemen—"

"It's our turn to save our kingdom!"

Rainy night, outskirts of Roland City.

The tavern with its doors tightly closed had closed early, and only that wisp of lamp light leaking through the gaps in the curtains indicated that the people in the house were not asleep.

Figures wearing cloaks sat at the oak table in the tavern, pairs of eyes focused on the man in front of the bar.

No cheering.

No applause.

Because it wasn't needed at all.

They hadn't just returned here today; they had been preparing for this moment for a long time, just having exploded that unbearable emotion recently.

Everyone drank the last cup of wine in silence, then stood up one after another, tightened their cloaks, and merged into that hot, rainy night.

They acted quickly and were disciplined, like an army that obeyed orders.

Or rather, they originally were.

In the winter of Os Calendar 1053, the Ryan Kingdom had sent a group of young officers to the command of Count Derick, supporting the old nobles of the Campbell Principality to launch a civil war.

That battle ended in the victory of the Republic.

Edward, who captured these officers, didn't execute them, but retrained them and let them accept the ideas of the Republic, as well as recognize where the real enemy was.

Now, as ghosts wandering over the heads of the feudal lords, they returned to the place where they had set out.

…

Ever since "Death Knell" Cassius took over the city defense and public security of Roland City, this once bustling royal capital was like being pressed on the pause button.

A giant invisible hand gripped everyone's throat, making the people here not even dare to make too loud a sound when breathing.

Except for cursing the Saint Clement Cathedral and Edward.

The streets were empty, only the Gravedigger patrol wearing black robes wandered like ghosts, the sound of heavy military boots stepping into the water becoming the only pulse of this city.

Whenever a pitch-black carriage stopped in front of a house, it was followed by heart-piercing cries and suffocating pleas.

That was the "execution squad" at work.

The terrifying rumor that "the King eats children," like an invisible plague, penetrated the thick walls of noble manors and drilled into the leaky shacks of the slums.

From the "all-powerful" Baron Wickton to the penniless beggar, everyone felt bone-deep cold and panic toward the Devalu family sitting on the throne.

Even those sycophants who relied on the old royal power would wake up from their dreams from time to time, touch their necks, and feel a trace of sorrow for the death of their kind.

They were indeed standing with the King, but they asked themselves, they wouldn't stand closer than Ma Lusi.

Even Ma Lusi had been thoroughly liquidated, from his direct line to his family, none were spared… what could they count as?

In this palace where everyone was in danger, no one dared to say they were absolutely safe.

The work of the Royal Intelligence Agency of the Campbell Principality had never been so smooth, to the point that even Director Xidini was surprised.

They originally needed to collect a large amount of clues, analyze who had deposits with Mr. Andes, and who was worth turning. And now the problem they analyzed had changed to, who was more worth developing.

The speed at which they collected intelligence couldn't keep up with the changes in the situation in Roland City. Often, before the intelligence was placed on Edward's desk, many things had already become the past.

Strange things also happened at this time.

Even in Thunder City, not everyone was optimistic about the Principality's paper money, and the innovation of the Silver Regulatory Commission pegging paper money to silver.

But in Roland City, the Silver Pound had become the second-best thing after Os gold coins, able to buy everything ordinary people couldn't even imagine in the black market.

Whether it was people, or souls.

Outside the city, the abandoned "Giant's Throat" quarry.

This was once the main source of stone for the expansion of Roland City, now long abandoned, leaving only giant rocks intersecting like fangs and bottomless mine pits.

Under the cover of wind and rain, this faint firelight couldn't be detected by the watchtower in the distance. And Cassius, who was busy seizing power under the guise of cleansing, didn't care about this kind of scrap-like place at all.

Mortals were just ants.

The ore he needed wasn't in the mine, but in the monastery.

However, in the corner that the giant couldn't see, a group of solemn people gathered under the huge limestone dome.

Among them were officers wearing old military uniforms; that was Captain Fayette and his comrades who were released by Grand Duke Edward during the winter coup.

They brought the money and guns most needed by the insurgents, as well as the "Republican" ideas from downstream of the Running River.

And standing beside them were a group of stonemasons with calloused hands.

Although the president of the Stonemason Guild was a coward, people like Baal and Nate hadn't had their spines broken yet, just like the stone carvings they carved.

As the old-era guild with the greatest influence in Roland City, their number occupied an absolute majority.

And besides officers and stonemasons, there were some people who looked out of place. Among them were intellectuals from the Freeman Club, as well as priests who were shaken by the Saint Roland Cathedral and Saint Clement Cathedral and felt sympathy for the *New Testament*.

They all felt that Saint Xisi had probably "died," otherwise it was impossible to explain why so many sufferings occurred in Roland City, and the Saint Clement Cathedral ignored it.

The Son of God was Saint Xisi's successor.

And Saintess Kalian was the one chosen to bring His legend to the earth.

As for the Devalu family—

That was the first castle they had to push down!

Captain Fayette walked to the front of the crowd, looked around, and his impassioned voice was full of power.

"Gentlemen, we have all heard the crying in the church."

"That demon sitting on the throne is no longer our protector. His evil and cruelty are enough to make even demons surprised!"

"I am ashamed that I once offered my glory to his crown; he stained not only our kingdom but also our faith, our souls… perhaps, from the beginning, we didn't need that thing!"

He pulled a piece of paper from his arms and slammed it heavily onto a piece of uncarved granite beside him.

The paper was filled with dense text, the ink not yet dry… that was the *Roland City Citizen Declaration* drafted by everyone overnight!

It was also the common declaration of all of them!

Fayette pulled out the short sword at his waist, the tip pointing downward, stabbing heavily into the crack of the rock.

Then, he took the lead in making a vow with a solemn voice.

"I, Fayette, hereby swear to Saint Xisi, to the land I love deeply—"

"We will no longer be loyal to any secular monarch; we will establish a National Assembly to replace the ugly Three-Estate Assembly."

"We will draft our common *Charter* until we establish our own Republic!"

"Or, shed the last drop of blood here."

Everyone present, whether stonemasons, scholars, priests, or ordinary citizens, stepped forward without hesitation at this moment.

Hands pressed on the granite with the sword inserted, the torches illuminating those firm faces.

The low and solemn vow echoed in the empty quarry—

"We swear!"

On the outermost edge of the crowd, a slightly thin man was constantly wiping the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve.

His name was Newcas.

He was the general manager of the only fire company in Roland City, as well as a member of the Three-Estate Assembly, and a specially invited consultant to the National Assembly that was about to replace the Three-Estate Assembly.

Saint Xisi above—

These lunatics finally walked to this step!

As a profit-seeking businessman, Newcas's instinct was frantically sounding the alarm.

As long as there was one traitor among these people, his head would be hung on the city gate tower to air-dry tomorrow, and even Miss Ma Rui couldn't save him!

However, he finally didn't run away.

Because looking at those fanatical faces, he thought of Baron Wickton he had met this morning… that was a face even paler than the marble of Saint Roland Cathedral.

No one in this city was truly safe, and burying his head in the quilt wouldn't make him, who had long been involved, safe.

Newcas took a deep breath of the damp air, forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, and followed those crazy people to make a vow.

At the same time, he prayed silently in his heart.

Saint Xisi above—

Your pious servant has never betrayed his faith in You, it's just that the Devalu family is too blasphemous. They don't even believe in the retribution of the afterlife anymore, it's hard to imagine they would honor the bill for the fire extinguisher.

As Your most humble servant, I can only make a choice that I won't regret, harboring the most simple yearning for the light.

In order not to let Newcas's remaining life be as pitiful as that court clown named Claude.

Although Newcas had never believed in the *New Testament* for a second, what he thought at this moment was exactly the most "blasphemous" chapter in the *New Testament*. ===== CHAPTER 569 =====