The uneasy question that no one had expected was answered at dusk, and the announcent was made door to door to the city center for a significant matter.
The person responsible for the announcent was a female ssenger very familiar to the residents of Northern Yen City.
This ti, the female ssenger did not cover her face with a black veil but revealed her appearance instead. To everyone’s surprise, that mysterious ssenger, who seed sowhat intimidating, turned out to be a young girl’s image – to say she was in her blooming years would perhaps even be an overestimation.
She looked more like a child who had not yet reached the age of adulthood.
But as soon as she spoke, everyone rembered that voice; she was the one who, with a single dark lantern, had protected the city from the mouths of myriads of terrifying giant serpents.
"It’s getting dark soon, so I won’t waste much ti..." The woman looked at the crowd and spoke indifferently, "According to the latest news, His Highness, the King of Qin from Jiangnan, has taken Beihai City, and the trade with Northern Yan through the northern sea is now accessible. That area has beco completely safe. If you are willing, I can guide you to Northern Yan or Jiangnan to start a new life."
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, as they had all been thinking about how to beco a rchant like Da Hu, looking for an opportunity to take their families out as well. No one had expected that the envoy would proactively make such an offer.
After all, many had suspected in their hearts that this girl in the black veil had so connection with those man-eating giant serpents.
More than one person had seen this woman, as well as other Dark Moon Envoys, traveling with the giant serpents.
Seeing that the crowd was so silent that there was not a sound, the woman said indifferently, "Is there any doubt? Feel free to ask."
"Envoy..." a burly man mustered the courage to speak, "Do you an that we can all leave this place?"
"It’s possible for everyone to leave, but escorting so many of you at once isn’t feasible; we would have to do it in batches," the woman said indifferently. "You are aware of how many dark lanterns there are; there aren’t enough to protect everyone. Once you are outside the range of the dark lanterns, your safety can’t be guaranteed. Based on the current number of dark lanterns, we can escort a thousand people at a ti. As ti goes on, the number of people we can escort will increase."
The people looked at each other, frowning, and were hesitant to voice their biggest doubt.
Don’t think that the common folk at the bottom are fools; everyone knows that this woman protected them in the city for a reason. Would she really let them go so easily?
This made them even more uneasy.
"My lady... uh... are there any conditions?" soone finally asked cautiously.
The woman turned to the person who had spoken, "Do you have money?"
The man was taken aback; he had fled here in panic, how could he be aware of currency exchange when everything now was barter? What use was money?
"If I rember correctly, you seem to be a soldier from outside, right?"
The burly man looked down—it was sowhat shaful to have his identity as a deserter pointed out in public.
"Your property here was arranged by , what conditions could you possibly offer ?"
The man opened his mouth but was unsure what to say. If she wanted him to feed the demons, why save them? If they extinguished the dark lanterns, no one could escape from the mouths of those giant serpents.
"It seems you have never believed that the Mingyue Sect is here to protect you."
People: "....."
"I... I saw with my own eyes, Envoy, that you were with those giant serpents," soone in the crowd finally mustered the courage to speak out.
As these words were uttered, many people around turned pale, realizing that challenging soone openly might not be a wise decision at this ti.
Yet on second thought, who could feel at ease without getting so answers?
"I have never shied away from this fact, including now," the woman said, lifting her hand slightly, and from the shadows, a giant serpent, its body as black as ink, slithered in. With its scales glistening darkly, the serpent rose upright, at least thirty feet tall, causing everyone to blanch, still managing to avoid panic.
After all, with all they had been through, they were sowhat prepared for this.
The woman stroked the serpent’s colossal head and spoke calmly, "Our Mingyue Sect, including other sects that preach in various cities, would never interfere in mortal affairs in tis of peace. Among you should be descendants of noble families, and I presu you have never heard of us, have you?"
The hidden magicians among the crowd were taken aback, realizing this was indeed the case; the northern aristocratic families were many, with magicians’ lineages spanning generations, so histories even exceeding five thousand years. But they had never heard of the Mingyue or Solaris Sects!
"Our sects have a heritage longer than you can imagine, hidden in plain sight, never interfering with the mortal realm. Yet, when it is ti for us to erge, it signifies great disorder wrought by demons. Such tis have occurred many tis before, and the Human Race has always been protected by the heavens, able to preserve a seed of life from the jaws of those terrifying demons, and each ti the demons receded, we have managed to resiliently recover."
"Are you saying, Emissary, that such chaos has happened in the past?" So of the learned n suddenly understood.
The magicians’ eyes flickered with a mysterious light; their family records did contain accounts of such chaos, known as the ancient resurgence!
"It has happened over and over, in an endless cycle," the woman said quietly. "The Human Race has faced countless disasters, and it is unclear which cycle may lead to our extinction. To prevent such an occurrence, our sects, starting from two cycles ago, organized many others, and despite each having different doctrines, our goal is the sa: to safeguard the bloodline of the Human Race and help it survive this crisis!"
The woman now lacked the eerie and mysterious air she had earlier in the dim light and spoke with an imposing righteousness that resonated with everyone listening.
So it turned out... there was actually a group of people in this world doing such noble work?
"Then... how do you, Envoy, relate to these serpent demons?" Many people were still puzzled.
"To protect the Human Race, we obviously can’t rely on words alone," the Envoy spoke in a low voice. "We have spent years studying, anticipating crises in various places. These giant pythons stem from a demonic force called the Celestial Serpent Palace. These serpent demons are nearly invincible, and to protect humanity from them, we had to use secret techniques to control so of them, blending in to protect you all covertly."
So that was it...
Everyone felt caught up in a fantastical tale but believed it, feeling that such a powerful being had no need to lie to them.
"Relying on just a few serpent demons for protection is clearly not a long-term solution. We are constantly seeking other opportunities for you. Jiangnan is a safe haven, at least for the ti being. Of course, the journey to Jiangnan is long. Those who have concerns may first seek refuge in Northern Yan; if that still feels unsafe, you can choose to stay here temporarily."
Seeing that it wasn’t an enforced evacuation, many people’s last shred of doubt vanished, and they eagerly vied to be among the first to be protected and sent away.
Still, so were puzzled and asked, "Honored Envoy, the journey to Jiangnan is long, not only requiring us to reach the distant Beihai City but also to cross the North Sea. Why not directly send us out of the Northern Territory? Why not towards the Central Plains under the protection of the Great Jin, which is closer and presumably safer?"
This remark made the bustling crowd pause for a mont, all looking up; yes, why not go to the Central Plains instead of taking the long way to Jiangnan?
"The Central Plains would naturally be the first choice," the female Envoy replied, her expression unchanging as she surveyed the crowd. "We did try to explore that option so days ago, but the results were not as we had hoped!"
"What do you an by that, Envoy?" the man asked, baffled. "Could it be... those cursed serpent demons have already brought their calamity to the Central Plains?"
"No..." The Envoy shook her head: "There, sothing far more terrifying than serpent demons lurks!"
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