Chapter 28: The Butterfly Effect

“Chase them! Chase them all! I want to skin that little bastard alive!” the lecherous man shrieked, rolling on the ground as he barked orders. He felt liquid flowing beneath him; his stones were surely ruptured. Even if divine arts could heal him, he suspected he would be left with psychological trauma for the rest of his life.

“Boss, we can’t catch them. We didn't bring our horses,” a subordinate explained truthfully.

Chasing four legs with two legs—wasn't that asking the impossible?

“Chase them even if you can't catch them! Otherwise, what am I even keeping you for?” At this moment, the lecherous man was beyond the point of reason.

Left with no choice, the men could only make a show of chasing for a hundred meters before slumping back with dejected heads. As for Gawain and his companions, they had long since vanished without a trace.

By now, the lecherous man had somewhat regained his composure. He said fiercely, “They dare to run wild on our turf? That kid is tired of living. Notify all the brothers to watch every city gate. If that kid dares to show his face again, capture him at all costs. I will personally offer a bounty of ten gold pieces.”

“Yes, sir!” The men, who had been listless, were instantly revitalized at the mention of a bounty.

The moment that kick had landed, Gawain knew he wouldn't be entering Daloma this time—nor did he intend to.

Daloma was currently too chaotic; any kind of beast or demon could pop up at any moment. Even if a merchant caravan invited him, he wouldn't dare join. Who knew if they were a legitimate caravan or, like that lecherous man just now, a group of slave traders?

Gawain felt that while his judgment on other things might not always be accurate, he never needed a second look to identify a slave trader.

The merchant ships the man spoke of might exist, but the cargo they traded wouldn't be what a normal person imagined; it would be people like himself, who had been lured into traps.

Gawain decided to first follow the trade route from Daloma to Tesselburg to see if he could encounter a suitable caravan. Even if he couldn't join one, trailing them from a distance would be a decent strategy.

Gawain detoured from the South Gate to the North Gate. The scenes he witnessed along the way confirmed his suspicion: Daloma was currently a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. Local thugs like that lecherous man were not isolated cases but were everywhere, oppressing solitary and kind-hearted outsiders while the authorities of Daloma turned a blind eye.

The refugees were all harboring a deep-seated rage. Currently, they dared to be angry but not to speak out. Once someone appeared who dared to stand up for them and speak for them, their suppressed fury would turn into a prairie fire and erupt violently.

Gawain knew precisely that such a woman was about to arrive.

*I really want to see what it looks like when that fire ignites,* Gawain thought with a hint of regret.

Unfortunately, his time was very tight, and he had no way of knowing when that fire would break out, so he could only imagine it in his mind.

What Gawain did not know was that the letter he had left for that woman had similarly ignited a fire in her heart. When the two fires collided, they would spark an earth-shattering conflagration—and it would happen very, very soon.

It was almost time. Just as Gawain arrived at Tesselburg, news arrived that Daloma had changed hands. The current acting City Lord was named Zaranda Star Reindton.

Hearing this news, Gawain could hardly believe his ears.

Gawain wasn't entirely sure exactly when Zaranda became the City Lord of Daloma in his previous life; he had been struggling just to survive back then. But one thing was certain: it definitely wasn't now, or at least not this year.

Regarding the process of Zaranda seizing Daloma, Gawain heard at least three different versions in a single morning, each more fantastical than the last.

The first version claimed that Zaranda led an army of over ten thousand men directly to the gates of Daloma. The City Lord of Daloma was so terrified that he opened the gates and surrendered on the spot.

As someone who knew her well, Gawain couldn't even finish listening to this version. He knew exactly how many soldiers and generals Zaranda had; even if he counted all the refugees they had gathered along the way, they probably wouldn't reach ten thousand.

The second version claimed that Zaranda was a born ruler, possessing a dazzling aura. Wherever she went, everyone surrendered automatically, and the citizens of Daloma were no exception.

The more Gawain heard this version, the more he felt the protagonist wasn't the Zaranda he knew, but rather Jesus Christ, possessing a divine aura of subjugation.

The final version was the one Gawain considered most plausible: Zaranda gave an inspiring speech outside the city of Daloma, winning the recognition of everyone present. Amidst the cheers of countless people, Zaranda was welcomed into Daloma.

Regardless of how these versions varied, one thing was certain: Zaranda had taken Daloma without shedding a drop of her own soldiers' blood, yet within half a day of entering the city, blood flowed like rivers and heads rolled.

It was said that the heads she personally decapitated filled two entire large wagons.

This bloody method did not diminish her popularity in Daloma; on the contrary, it earned her even more and higher acclaim. Many people respectfully called her "Just Zaranda."

On her first day as acting City Lord, she issued several inspiring decrees one after another.

She would provide sanctuary to all who traveled to Daloma.

She would organize an army to intercept and clear out the monster armies coming from the Xingxing Mountains, protecting the security of the territories surrounding Daloma.

She invited all responsible and righteous individuals to join this sacred war of defense, ensuring that after victory, everyone would receive their due rewards, regardless of race, origin, or past.

In Gawain's eyes, the first two decrees were merely standard—they were the basic responsibilities of any City Lord.

However, the final decree was something extraordinary. It was essentially a war mobilization order, and one that broke the long-standing traditions of Tessel.

Tessel was a country that placed immense importance on bloodlines. No matter how great your military achievements were, if you lacked noble blood, certain rewards could not be given to you—with land being the most prominent.

This led to another problem: without land, one could at most become a knight, not a noble.

The only way to become a noble was through marriage with existing nobility.

This effectively choked off all avenues of social advancement, keeping power firmly in the hands of the old aristocratic families.

Although Zaranda did not state it explicitly in her decree, she provided enough implication to make countless people flock to her.

Even in Tesselburg, over two hundred kilometers away, countless young people were rubbing their hands in anticipation, preparing to head to Daloma in groups to make their mark. Even if they couldn't get land, a large bounty would be good enough.

This decree was either the result of a political veteran advising Zaranda behind the scenes, or it meant Zaranda had matured enough to attract people effectively without immediately offending the old aristocratic families of Tessel, leaving significant room for diplomatic maneuvering.

To prevent Zaranda from setting such a precedent, those old aristocratic families might even take the initiative to show her goodwill.

In any case, Zaranda had made a brilliant start. Next, she would sweep through eastern Tessel like a whirlwind, bringing earth-shattering changes to the region.

By this time, Gawain had already found a suitable caravan in Tesselburg and set out on the road to the Northlands.

The reason things had gone so smoothly was, quite frankly, thanks to the momentum Zaranda had created.