I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 224 Chaotic Battle (Part 1)

Night fell, and rain began to fall. Sharp raindrops pierced the earth like needles, bringing coldness and deathly silence.

Is Mother Earth weeping for the tragedy that is about to unfold?

Before the gates of the Temple of the Earth Mother in Vortradnoy, Araka looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his face, mingling with the fine rain, making it impossible to distinguish between rain and tears.

His white clerical robes were soaked by the rain and clung to his body, making him look particularly thin.

"The High Priest..."

Beside her, a woman with golden hair, her face obscured, and carrying books, was looking at Aranka with concern, despite being dressed in thick cotton clothes and shivering from the cold.

Araka ignored the woman, his hands gripping the temple emblem on his chest, a symbol of the Earth Mother Goddess, representing protection and peace.

However, at this moment, he was filled with a sense of powerlessness and anxiety. He knew that Walteradnoi was facing an unprecedented crisis, and he was powerless to stop it.

Prince Chris's army was nearby, and after defeating the Minisians, they would reach Wotradnoi in just one day.

At noon today, the Speaker of the Republic’s Parliament assured everyone at the city council that the Minisians would be victorious and the Republic would defeat Prince Chris.

As long as influential figures from all walks of life, such as the Church of the Earth Mother, the Chamber of Commerce, and others, donate money and supplies to stabilize the situation in the city, the Republic can continue to exist.

The Speaker's speech was beautiful and eloquent, but Aranka knew better than anyone that it was nothing more than the final murmurs of a dying man.

Arkansas knows better than anyone how terrible Prince Chris is, and he knows better than anyone how corrupt the Republic is.

Araka was fully aware of the earlier incidents in which the senators of Vautradenoine were secretly transferring their families and assets.

For the first time, Aranka regretted why the Church of Mother Earth did not have its own armed forces.
If he had the resources, with the church's financial and human resources, he would have been able to prevent all these tragedies from happening, instead of being a bystander as he is now.

"High Priest of Araka, look over there!"

The priestess standing to the side suddenly called his name and pointed towards the city gate in the distance. Alanka looked in the direction she was pointing and saw firelight flickering on the city wall in the distance, as if someone was trying to climb the wall.

Who was that? What happened?
Arlanca didn't know, nor was he clear, but looking down at the rain and fine sand at his feet, he realized he couldn't just sit and wait to die.

The evil Kingdom of Bagnia must never be allowed to be restored!!!

Arlanca took a deep breath and then exhaled.

"Ring the bells, summon all the priests, and then have them rally all those willing to follow us to the city walls. We must defend Voltradnoy! We must... wage a holy war, in the name of Mother Earth!"

……

Connie's journey to Waterladnoy went smoothly, without any unexpected incidents or any powerful, secretive strangers who needed to be killed getting in the way.

Everything went smoothly... except for a sudden drizzle that caused everyone to scramble to find raincoats in the logistics wagon.

Despite the unfavorable weather, Connie still managed to lead 1,200 people to the outside of Waterladnoy.

Perhaps due to the rain, the moonlight outside Vortradnoy was very dim tonight. Connie boldly approached the city wall and stopped after walking more than a kilometer away, then casually found an open space to stop.

In an important city, the city walls were merely a dividing line, separating the areas of the poor from the areas of the rich.

The poor lived in shantytowns outside the city, while the rich lived in the bustling streets inside the city walls.

Wotradnoy was no exception; the shantytowns outside the city looked particularly desolate in the rain, with dilapidated wooden houses creaking under the rain and a few dim lights flickering in the wind and rain on the muddy paths.

Connie's subordinates waited on the outskirts of the shantytown. When they saw a large group of people emerge from the rain, they fearlessly surrounded them, exchanged secret signals, and after confirming their identities, led their men into the shantytown to hide.

Many people in the shantytowns hide in their simple homes, and many eyes peer cautiously out through the cracks in the walls made of rotten wood, stones, and mud.

Connie looked into those eyes and, for no apparent reason, felt a surge of irritation. She waved dismissively at her adjutant following behind her. "Distribute the rations we brought to them."

"Yes, sir."

Connie's temporary infantry regiment brought a lot of supplies for tonight's operation, including enough food to feed a thousand people for a week.

The adjutant couldn't understand, but he didn't ask anything until now, when he realized the purpose of his superior bringing the food.

The food distribution began, overseen by the adjutant and his men. Many people rushed out of the sheds, mostly emaciated old people and children, gathering around like a flock of hungry sparrows.

The adjutant noticed that a little boy, after receiving the bread, did not eat it immediately, but quickly stuffed it into his pocket and looked around warily.

"Don't hide it, child."

The adjutant squatted down and took a can of meat from the handcart next to him, stuffing it into his arms.

"No one will steal your food tonight... Look, this is how you open it... lots of white, fatty meat. Don't eat it directly, boil it and soak it in bread."

Looking at the large chunks of fat in the jar, the boy's dirty face showed an incredulous expression. He hesitated for a moment, first wiping his little hands on his clothes, and then gently tugging at the adjutant's sleeve.

"Sir...I know a way into the city."

The adjutant squinted, noticing the brass tag hanging around the boy's neck... which read "Waltradnoy Sewer Cleaner".

"Tell me."

The adjutant squatted down and, without making a sound, took out another piece of cheese and waved it in front of the boy.

The boy looked around and leaned close to his ear.

"At the end of the drainage ditch ahead... the third railing of the iron fence is loose, and the passageway inside is messy, but I've walked through it several times."

His breath smelled musty and foul, but the adjutant acted as if nothing was wrong, his face remaining normal.

“I found the priest’s silver goblet inside last week, so I know how to climb in.”

The adjutant's lips curled slightly upward as he stood up and gave a wink to the soldier beside him.

"Give this child double the rations, then protect him and don't let anyone steal his things. This kid is our guide."

After settling the children in, the adjutant arranged for someone to scout the iron fence of the drainage ditch while he himself hurried over to find Connie, who was gazing at the distant city walls.

"Sir, I've discovered a secret passage into the city, it's..."

"Is it over there in the drainage ditch?"

"what!?"

The superior officer knows?
The adjutant was a little confused.

Connie glanced at the adjutant with disdain.

"That was a trap, a snare. I'm in the underworld, how could I not know that you can enter the city through the sewers? Ha, if you've ever been involved in smuggling, you'll know that some drainage ditches are used by the city garrison as fishing spots."

Connie waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't even think about hitting the person who gave you the information. He doesn't know anything. It is possible to sneak in there, but only a few people can go in. If too many people go in, something bad will definitely happen."

"Understood, sir."

(End of this chapter)