I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 705 A New Startup, A Coward in War? (Please Subscribe, Please Vote)

Upon hearing this, Dmitry breathed a slight sigh of relief. Mikhail was the Minister of Finance, wielding considerable power and being the backbone of their family; he couldn't afford to have anything happen to him.

If something really happens, then their family will have to consider their options.

In fact, Dmitry doesn't need to worry, since Lyudmila has a bigger and more reliable support.

But the elder brother still sighed and said, "The Holy Capital is in turmoil right now. The Witch Ancestor has descended and the new emperor has ascended the throne. It's good that you can come back and avoid it. Although there are more refugees and things are a bit chaotic here, the war hasn't affected us yet, so it's still relatively peaceful."

At this moment, Olga, the older sister who had rushed over upon hearing the news, also stepped forward, gently took Lyudmila's hand, and said softly, "It's good that you're back, little sister. It's been four or five years since I last visited you in the Holy City. Now that you're back, stay at home for a while longer and keep your sister company."

Seeing her sister Olga, Lyudmila had a lot to say, especially about the foul language she had heard while distributing porridge.

She quickly pulled Olga back to her room.

After closing the door, Lyudmila said urgently to Olga, "Sister, I heard that you've been personally distributing porridge to the refugees every day lately? That's too dangerous! Those refugees are a mixed bag, and many of them will do anything when they're starving. I noticed that the way they looked at you was strange! You should have the servants do it from now on, and please don't show your face in public anymore!"

Olga, upon hearing this, chuckled lightly, patted her sister's hand, and spoke in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze: "Silly sister, you've just been in that melting pot of the Holy Capital for too long, and you're wary of everyone."

Those refugees, having left their homes and starving, are already pitiful enough. We gave them a bite to eat; they'd be more than grateful. How could they possibly have bad intentions? Don't think of people as so despicable.

Lyudmila was completely dumbfounded when she saw her sister's pure and innocent eyes.

Her older sister was truly well protected by the family. In Maple Leaf Territory, her father and two older brothers' reputations were a deterrent, and she had hardly encountered any real malice from childhood to adulthood.

Even her nominal brother-in-law had to consider her mood and get her consent before he could touch her.

This made Olga almost completely unaware of the wickedness of human nature, and she continued to view the world with the kindest eyes.

Lyudmila had spent many years in the Holy City, a center of power and desire. As the wife of the Minister of Finance, she had witnessed far too many outwardly respectable but inwardly depraved acts, and had a profound understanding of the dark side of human nature.

She knew it would be futile to say anything more to her sister, who was currently lost in her beautiful fantasies, so she could only sigh helplessly and repeatedly admonish her, "Sister, just listen to my advice: try to minimize going out recently, especially avoid going to places with many refugees alone. Even if you must go, be sure to bring plenty of guards!"

Olga covered her mouth and chuckled, a confident glint in her eyes: "Alright, alright, my dear sister, stop worrying. Have you forgotten? I'm very strong, you know. No one can get close to me."

She does indeed possess considerable cultivation, making her a master in Maple Leaf Territory. This is one of the reasons why she dares to distribute porridge with only a few servants.

When Lyudmila saw that her persuasion was ineffective, and knowing that her sister was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside and that it was difficult to change her mind once she had made up her mind, she stopped saying anything, but her worries did not diminish at all.

She chatted with her sister for a few more minutes about everyday things, then got up to visit her mother.

At the same time, Li Chen felt a sense of relief after getting rid of the "burden".

In front of Lyudmila, he needed to maintain the mysterious and dignified aura of the shaman ancestor, and his words and actions could not be too casual.

Now it's completely different! He found a secluded corner, quickly changed into an even more worn-out, dusty gray wizard's robe, and completely concealed his powerful aura.

He even deliberately created the illusion of stagnant spiritual energy and unstable realm, perfectly embodying a down-on-his-luck wizard who couldn't survive in the war and fled to the rear to eke out a living. He mingled in areas where refugees and the lower classes gathered, and soon, by virtue of his "wizard" identity, he came into contact with a rather special group of refugees.

Even in their most destitute state, wizards still carry a certain mystique and status in the eyes of ordinary people.

The leader of this group was named Gulag, and he was around forty years old. His face carried the arrogance and gloom unique to impoverished nobles.

He was originally a nobleman in an important border city. After the city was captured by the Tian Ce army, he fled in panic with some valuables and a few loyal subordinates, eventually arriving at the relatively stable Maple Leaf Territory.

With his remaining money, Gulag bought a dilapidated, almost collapsing house on the edge of the refugee district as his base.

Having grown accustomed to a life of luxury and being surrounded by admirers, he simply could not bear the struggles at the bottom of society and the need to be subservient to others. His heart was filled with resentment and bitterness.

So he began to use his remaining prestige and skills to secretly gather up the soldiers who had fled from the battlefield, the local idle hooligans and thugs, and some low-level but wicked cultivators.

They gradually organized a formidable underground force, attempting to rebuild their "career" in the chaotic "paradise" of Maple Leaf Territory.

In the eyes of this group, the down-on-his-luck wizard played by Li Chen is a typical "war coward".

He had some skills but was afraid of death and dared not go to the front line, so he ran to the rear to hide in peace.

However, none of them had the right to laugh at Li Chen, because most of the people present were similar types, all opportunists seeking a glimmer of hope or taking advantage of the chaos.

Gulag didn't take Li Chen's addition too seriously, thinking that having another helper who knew some magic was not bad, so he tacitly allowed him to mingle in his little circle.

This is exactly what Li Chen wanted: an excellent window to observe the dynamics of the grassroots forces up close, and perhaps even to take advantage of them.

After getting to know each other for a few days, Gulag gathered his core group of several dozen people in the largest and only relatively intact main room of his dilapidated mansion.

The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the sour smell of cheap tobacco and sweat.

Dozens of men, some standing and some sitting, filled the not-so-spacious space, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of ferocity and uncertainty about the future.

Most of them, like the Gulag, are "outsiders" who have fled from various places. They have no roots in Maple Leaf Territory. If they want to establish themselves here, they either have to honestly do hard labor and struggle to make ends meet, or they have to use some extreme measures.

Gulag stood in front of the crowd, his face, which carried an aristocratic arrogance, now forced into a passionate and impassioned expression.

He cleared his throat, and his voice rang out in the noisy room: "Brothers! Those who have gathered here are all men who trust the Gulag, and who are unwilling to be mediocre and want to make a name for themselves in this chaotic world! I won't waste any more words. This Maple Leaf Territory may look peaceful, but it's a piece of fat meat underneath! The Shuisky family's elite troops have been withdrawn, which is our opportunity!"

He waved his arms and began to paint a rosy picture: "As long as we brothers unite as one, stand firm in Maple Leaf Territory, and carve out our own territory, I, Gulag, swear to the heavens that when the time comes, money, women, and status will be plentiful for everyone here! We've all crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood; are we afraid we can't make a name for ourselves in this rear area?!"

After a rousing pep talk, many already disgruntled outlaws' eyes lit up with fervor.

(End of this chapter)