Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 264 Trust
Bad news always seems to kick you when you're down; just when the sufferers are complaining that things are already beyond repair, reality often delivers another blow.
"Boom!"

A series of explosions occurred on Golden Avenue, the most bustling street in Radiant City.

Numerous pre-buried dust explosion barrels detonated in a series of explosions on this street where land is extremely valuable.

The gray goblin's supposedly pure gold bank sign, along with gold coins, gems, and all sorts of strange artworks, suddenly flew into the sky.

"My money!" The gray goblins' pitiful screams echoed through the streets, but some witnesses just wanted to laugh.

But they laughed too soon; this was just the beginning.

"Boom!"

The headquarters of the city defense forces went to heaven.

"Boom!"

The Arcane Knights' headquarters in Mage Street, along with their magic pool and armory, were sent to the heavens.

"Boom!"

The royal secret service's headquarters, unknown to outsiders, also went up in the sky with the help of insiders.

Everyone underestimated the cultists' madness and how deeply the Order of the Beasts had corrupted this city and this kingdom.

There is no turning back from the "power of humans and beasts." They don't even need to launch large-scale missionary campaigns. Too many of the so-called high-ranking officials and nobles in this city and even the kingdom have unknowingly embarked on a path of no return.

The Deer Order has corrupted the lower classes with wealth and power, and the upper classes with authority and immortality. They have been corrupting them for far too long and are now simply activating their hidden agents.

"So many attackers, schemers everywhere."

The Order of Beasts, an ancient and ignorant religion, the yearning returnees of the beast horde, announces its return to the stage of history in this almost arrogant manner.

"The daughter of Baron Solo, the leader of the royal secret service, has been kidnapped."

"The old house of Count Huyco was massacred, resulting in the deaths of at least thirty people, with one of his two grandsons dead and the other missing."

"The city lord's adopted son, Tazan, was attacked, and the genius sorcerer died on the spot. His child was also kidnapped."

"According to current statistics, there have been at least thirty attacks on Radiant City within half an hour, with more than sixty people being kidnapped or missing, most of whom are descendants of loyalists. This cannot be a coincidence; it is a targeted selection."

Bad news kept coming, but what was most painful was not just that.

"Most of the attackers in the Radiant Zone are not those human-beast monsters; they are people among us."

The milkman who delivers milk, the kind-hearted grandma at the bakery, the old doorman and gardener who have served in the mansion for decades. The Beast Order is a malignant disease within the beastmen race. Ordinary people who have become "cancer cells" are already beyond saving, and at this moment they are completely detonated.

Perhaps, in its already predetermined fate, Radiant City, and even the kingdom, had already embarked on a path destined for destruction, simply because it was already terminally ill.

However, the "virus" has no intention of exposing itself so quickly, thus attracting interference from outsiders.

"This is the kingdom? This is the nobility of Aetherine?"

Then came a barrage of bad news, and in the temporary command area, Dania trembled with anger, yet still tried her best to remain calm.

She looked up and saw a group of old ministers, some anxious and some angry, but Dania saw them all as traitors.

The spies have just sent word that a large number of "traitors" have indeed appeared in their family not long ago, almost everyone has one!

Perhaps the only people he could trust were the city lord's direct descendants, as well as the newcomers and royal knights who had come to this city with him.

After all, the city is essentially the property of the city lord and the head of the family. They would never sell out the country to anyone. And their followers from the new capital, even if corrupted, should belong to the "Order of the Owls" over there, not the "Order of the Deer" of this city.

"Have the hostages been found?"

She rubbed her temples, no longer in the mood to look at the carnage reflected in the mirror.

What was initially thought to be a desperate last stand by the Beast Order now appears to be a feint to distract attention, merely an appetizer before the main course.

"They understand us better than we understand ourselves."

Baron Solo sighed. He was furious and worried about his family being kidnapped, but what was even more humiliating was that not only was the headquarters of the secret service leaked, but it was also destroyed in one fell swoop.

This means that the secret agents here have been thoroughly infiltrated.

"You mean, our intelligence agents?"

"Although I hate to admit it, we really can't trust them too much before we've thoroughly completed the investigation."

Now, even the spies who haven't gotten into trouble need to reconsider their loyalty.

The Beast Order's infiltration rate far exceeded expectations. Until the exact point of failure is thoroughly investigated, it's likely that the original intelligence personnel can no longer be trusted. An information network is essentially unusable once a few traitors betray it.

The only good news is that no traitors have appeared among the Radiant Guard and the City Lord's direct forces, so it seems that they have not been successfully infiltrated.

"Your Highness, I have some news, but I'm not sure if I should tell you."

A middle-aged nobleman, who appeared to be a member of the city guard, said hesitantly.

Dania didn't recognize the other person's surname at first glance; he must just be a "representative" who had been pushed forward.

Dania waved her hand, signaling him to speak quickly.

At this point, what is there that shouldn't be said?

"Lady Claire, shortly after the incident, she left her territory with her Radiant Guard squad and a portion of the city guards, which in a sense directly caused the chain of defeats in the Radiant District."

“Nonsense! My daughters went to support the fighting in the docklands! They are still fighting.” ’Elder of Glory’ Albert Lucifer immediately rebuked the accuser.

"A battle in the dock area? Don't you think that's ridiculous?" Although it was an extreme statement, the noble gentlemen in the circle subconsciously nodded in agreement.

The dock area is so poor that several people share a single pair of pants. What's the point of saving them? We contribute so much tax revenue and donations to the city and the royal family every year. By all accounts, we should be saved first.

With the support of his colleagues, this minor nobleman was able to withstand the wrath of the city lord.

"How dare you! Are you questioning Lucifer's loyalty to the Kingdom?!"

Enraged, the old city lord immediately drew his sword, ready to kill the slanderer.

"Enough! They're right in front of me now!"

Dania's angry rebuke silenced the farce at the temporary command post, but an atmosphere of unease had already spread.

If the chain of suspicions has already begun, and if even Lucifer, one of your most trusted right-hand men, has run into trouble, then what can you possibly use to fight back?

"I, and the Royal Family, sincerely trust and thank Lucifer for his unwavering loyalty and contributions. How can anyone believe such seditious words? Guards! Take him away and investigate thoroughly. I want to know who instructed him to slander a loyal subject!"

"Your Highness!" Old Lucifer was immediately moved to tears.

The royal guards immediately took action and dragged away the man who had accused the city lord's daughter.

Even at the very end, he was still roaring, "I am not the traitor, Lucifer is the traitor," which sounded just like a loyal subject.

Dania didn't even look at them. She simply smiled amicably at old Lucifer, then turned serious to the others, forcibly maintaining her composure.

Does she really trust the Lucifer family that much? In reality, she is rational; she simply chose to believe them because she had no other choice.

Given the current circumstances, if Lucifer were to defect to the enemy, he could consider going into exile overseas; what would be the point of fighting then?

Therefore, anything targeting the Lucifer family is tantamount to shaking the foundation of Radiant City, and they are treated as traitors.

I don't care if you're loyal or not, or if you've been deceived by others. If you dismantle my pillars when the country is in turmoil, I'll treat you as a traitor!
Dania performed even better than she had expected, handling each unexpected event with composure and efficiency, and stabilizing the turbulent situation.

But in reality, she was more anxious than anyone else.
"Hostages, that's the most troublesome development."

Ordinary people won't be shaken, but most of the hostages from the Radiant District who were kidnapped are relatives of nobles or officials. If they are used as leverage later, can we still trust these officials? And if they lose the most important people in their lives, will they still be loyal to the royal family and the kingdom?

It's possible that the Beast Order could completely shake their resolve by simply transforming the hostages into distinctly "human-beast" individuals.
"Reporting, news from Lady Claire."

And at this moment, finally, the first piece of good news arrived.

Her message read, "We've intercepted cultists attempting to evacuate with hostages in the dock area. They appear to be trying to escape underground through the ship graveyard passages in the dock area. We are trying to intercept and rescue the hostages." She requested instructions.

“Very well! Let them keep up the good work, Your Excellency Lucifer.”

"I will go there to support Lucifer and will not let the kingdom down."

The old city lord hurriedly led his personal guards to provide support, and this news relieved Dania and everyone else.

However, Dania, who had another source of information, knew even more.

Could a few Radiant Guardians really hold off an unknown number of cultists and a large number of traitors? In the end, they were probably the "locals" of the dock area.

Those who are fighting with all their might right now must be the paladins and alchemists.

Dania immediately felt a wave of fear. If it weren't for Rean's prior planning, and if it weren't for the "Heroic Souls Reunion" that had already been set up, she would have been in a terrible situation.
"Perhaps, besides the royal family and Lucifer, there are others I can trust."

(End of this chapter)