inspire-indiana Chapter 161 Opening the Floodgates
Chapter 161 Opening the Floodgates
Chapter 161 Opening the Floodgates
Kane frowned, left the cabin, and stood on the deck.
The dense crowds of ships and people blocked his view, so he wasn't worried about his drowsy appearance being discovered.
He looked ahead at the river and saw many soldiers boarding boats from both sides of the river and beginning to inspect them one by one.
Many ships left one after another, but compared to the vast number of ships, this number of people was just a drop in the ocean.
It seems that the leader of the legion who came this time, named Frankie, may have been under some unspeakable pressure.
They still won't let go.
Kane analyzed.
This tactic was clever: they released a batch of ships under the pretext of insufficient manpower for inspection, and then released another batch the next day.
But the public is easily panicked.
After all, no one knows whether the ships that leave first will have special privileges, or when war will break out.
Kane's eyes flickered slightly.
We can't wait any longer; the longer we wait, the more variables will arise.
After all, it was unknown when the duke would launch a coup.
If he really uses the demon army to storm the royal court and become the new King of Susas, then ambitious figures from various countries will also take the stage one by one.
"It seems I need to add fuel to the fire."
He exchanged a brief glance with Risa, and under Ella's worried gaze, he jumped into the water.
At the river sluice gate, Frankie was frowning as he looked at a portly human merchant.
The merchant looked at Frankie and said, "I demand that we leave immediately! I am a representative of the Free City-State's merchant guild, and our Free City-State's merchant guild cannot get involved in your war with Nords!"
"Please open the floodgates as soon as possible, or we will protest to your noble council!"
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Frankie looked at the merchant, then frowned at his medium-sized ship, which was hidden behind the many other vessels.
It appears that this merchant is not extremely wealthy, and the size of the chamber of commerce is probably not very large.
This isn't the first one.
Since the explosion, many ships have come under various pretexts, such as seeking connections or exerting pressure.
However, a foreign chamber of commerce, one whose name he had never even heard of, to file a complaint? Ha!
Frankie gave him a disdainful look, then left without looking back, while another nobleman from Twin Harbor requested to see him.
The human merchant watched Frankie's retreating figure, wanting to step forward and question him, but was stopped by the soldiers.
He spat on the ground, but left dejectedly under the soldier's cold gaze.
The human merchant suppressed his anger and pondered as he returned to the ship.
He shook his head at his men, looking at the bags of local specialties from Sussas in the hold.
Some special and exquisite handicrafts.
He walked back to the cabin, sat down, and sighed.
If these goods aren't shipped out in time, they'll be stuck with us if war breaks out.
Just then, a voice came from behind him: "Do you want to leave?"
"Who?!"
The merchant was horrified, then felt a chill on his neck as a curved knife was placed against it.
The merchant dared not move. The voice said, "Your entire hold of cargo is worth about 30 gold coins. How about you sell it to me?"
The merchant's lips twitched. Ignoring the threat emanating from his neck, he said, "These are worth at least 200 gold coins!"
"But that's on the condition that you can get it out."
His voice was deep. "Sell it to me, and you can find companions to escape with. I'll raise the price to 50 gold coins."
Seeing the merchant hesitate, the figure said, "Those 50 gold coins."
The businessman's expression shifted as he considered that rather than letting the money sit unsold, he might as well recoup some of his investment. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."
The businessman frowned, ignoring the coldness on his neck.
He sensed that the other party didn't intend to kill him, so he probed, "What do you want? No—you're from Nord? You're going to attack Twin Harbors?"
Standing behind him was Kane.
He listened to this absurd rumor, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly, but he said, "We are about to launch an attack on the entire port, probably tomorrow. Go and pass this message on to your merchant friends."
Also, set your ship on fire before you leave.
"ignition?"
The businessman, still reeling from the shocking news, soon understood.
"You're going to create chaos on the river? This—"
"You have only one choice: to agree or refuse. If you accept the money and then refuse, even if you return to the Free City, our Night's Watch will still find you."
Before he could finish speaking, and before the merchant could fully recover, he felt the coldness on his neck disappear, followed by the sound of falling into the water.
He turned around, but the person was gone. Instead, there was a bag of gold coins on the ground, about 50 coins.
He gritted his teeth.
He did not doubt the visitor's purpose; according to rumors, Twin Harbor had already been targeted by Nord.
The only people who would ask him to set fires and create chaos are naturally the Nords.
He looked at the unlit torches in the cabin next to him, thought for a moment, and then took out a flint.
The flames began to ignite, growing larger and larger.
In the water, Kane, who was moving using water manipulation, revealed his eyes and looked calmly at the ship that was slowly burning among the many other ships.
His purpose was simple, and there were two:
First, continue to create chaos.
The explosion only caused panic throughout the city, but the military continued to intercept them.
Therefore, he needs help.
If a boat catches fire at this moment in front of the river lock, other boats will panic, naturally causing a chain reaction.
Second, we will urge other chambers of commerce to exert pressure.
Currently, many nobles and large merchants can pass through the gate directly, but commoners and small and medium-sized merchants are still trapped.
This fire will just stimulate them.
His eyes flickered slightly, and he secretly swam towards his own boat.
He planned to return after sending Risa and Ella away, to see if he could relay the message from the Legion.
"Fire!"
"The Nords are attacking!"
"War is coming!"
On the river leading away from Shuangsheng Port, at the sluice gate in front of the corps.
The flames lit by the merchants who accepted Kane's money were like sparks falling into a haystack, instantly igniting panic among all the boats, civilians, and merchants on the river, and even some nobles.
While some boatmen and civilians remained calm, many merchants clashed directly with soldiers, pushing, arguing, and even showing signs of drawing their swords.
On the river, the boats behind surged forward, causing many to collide and some to fall into the water.
Shouts, noises, curses, and cries mingled together.
Seeing all this, and the burning ship among the others, Frankie's brows furrowed instantly, his eyes darkening.
Vane pleaded urgently, "Open the floodgates and let everyone go! Our mission has failed!"
"I'll try again—"
"Stop thinking about punishment!" Vain interrupted sharply.
"If a bloody uprising breaks out, your entire family won't be able to protect you in order to quell public anger! What's more, all the merchant guilds stranded in the city have already rioted!"
Frankie's expression was hesitant and uncertain.
He originally intended to capture the Finafine family, who had been sent to assassinate the royal family, in order to gain a foothold in front of the heir.
But the current situation is that what was wanted wasn't obtained, and the result was—
He looked at his adjutant, then at the many soldiers staring at him, and gritted his teeth, observing the expressions on their faces. He said, "Open the floodgates—let them leave."