119: Chapter 119 Let Market Panic Take Flight First

Levi didn't look back; his gaze remained fixed on the long dirt road outside the window, stretched thin by the lingering glow of the setting sun.

He could imagine the commotion those messengers were causing in the mansions of various chambers of commerce—like a red-hot iron plunged into a bucket of ice water, boiling instantly.

"Read it," he uttered a single word. His voice held a trace of imperceptible anticipation, as if he were waiting for a crucial market research report.

Evelyn unfurled a piece of parchment in her hand. The handwriting was neat, clearly a version transcribed and organized by a clerk.

"Mr. Barton, Chairman of the Straw Chamber of Commerce in Silvermoon City. His reply is humble in tone, praising you as the 'Beacon of Order in the North,' but he was vague regarding the meeting, only saying 'the situation in the city is unstable, making it inconvenient to travel far.'"

The corners of Levi's mouth curled up slightly; this reaction was within his expectations.

Fencesitters—before the wind blows, they always want to catch a bit of dew from both sides.

"Next one."

"Master Hogg of the Anvil Craftsmen Guild. He simply drew a broken hammer on the reply without writing a single word."

He has some backbone, but not much.

Levi thought to himself.

The Craftsmen Guild relies on lordly commissions. Since Valerius hasn't fallen yet, they don't dare take a stance.

"Any others?"

"The remaining five are from small chambers of commerce like leather, textiles, and jewelry. The content is much the same—all crying poverty, complaining about City Lord Valerius's exorbitant taxes, and subtly expressing a longing for a new order. However, no one has explicitly stated they will attend the meeting."

"As expected." Levi finally turned around and took the summary report from Evelyn, his fingers lightly tapping on the names of several chamber chairmen. "They are all qualified merchants; they won't place their bets until the scales have clearly tipped. They need a little... external pressure."

He walked over to a massive map, his gaze falling on the river marked with a blue line on the east side of Silvermoon City.

Silvermoon City was built against a mountain. The water source inside the city mainly comes from mountain springs, but the largest and most critical freshwater supply outside the city is this winding 'Silver Creek'.

"Is Sir Kaelan ready on his end?"

"Word came back half an hour ago. The Second and Third Guards have completely taken control of all water intake points upstream of Silver Creek. Following your orders, they haven't damaged the water source; they've simply established camps by the riverbed and declared the area a 'Military Exercise Zone,' prohibiting any non-Blackstone Territory personnel from approaching." Evelyn's answer was like a precise execution report.

Cutting off the water.

This was an incredibly vicious tactic in any era.

It sheds no blood, yet it can crush a person's will more effectively than blades or swords.

Levi could imagine the scene inside Silvermoon City right now.

How those merchants, accustomed to a life of ease, would feel when they found the water levels in the wells dropping, and the water carts returning from outside the city carried not clear river water, but Sir Kaelan's icy warnings.

Their panic would shake Valerius's foundation of rule more than the most elite siege force.

Just as Levi expected, news of the water being cut off spread like a plague to every corner of Silvermoon City by the next morning.

Long lines formed in front of the few wells in the city. The price of water skyrocketed tenfold overnight, and even then, there was no supply to meet the demand.

Panic began to ferment. Citizens who had previously held a wait-and-see attitude toward the war felt the threat to their survival for the first time.

Barton, the chairman of the Straw Chamber of Commerce and the fat man who had sent the humblest reply, was now sweating profusely in his anxiety.

He joined forces with representatives from several other chambers and stormed into the City Lord's manor, demanding that Valerius immediately dispatch troops to drive away the Blackstone Territory army entrenched by Silver Creek.

However, what they saw was a City Lord who had long since lost his majesty.

Valerius's eyes were bloodshot, and his whole being was haggard. The Princess's declaration was like a noose, tightening around his neck.

The treasonous charge of attacking the Imperial Princess had stripped him of his legitimacy to rule overnight.

Although the generals of the city guard hadn't openly rebelled, their dodging eyes and perfunctory excuses already said everything.

"Dispatch troops? What do you expect me to use to dispatch troops?" Valerius roared like a beast trapped in a cage, smashing a silver cup hard against the floor. "Those soldiers only listen to their captains now! Their captains only care about their own pay and their families' bread! And you, you damned merchants—your granaries are piled high with grain, yet not one of you is willing to bring it out to support the army!"

Barton and the other merchants looked at each other, stunned by his roar, and retreated dejectedly.

Hope was completely shattered.

They realized that counting on this already maddened City Lord was no different from seeking a tiger's skin.

On the castle terrace, Princess Ella Radiance found Levi, who was "leisurely" having afternoon tea.

Her beautiful face bore undisguised disgust, and a fire burned in her azure eyes.

"I heard you cut off Silvermoon City's water supply." Her voice was cold, as if she were judging a criminal. "Levi Byron, you are targeting civilians! This does not conform to the spirit of chivalry; this is a despicable trick that only a butcher would use!"

Levi unhurriedly set down his teacup, the cup and saucer making a crisp clinking sound.

He didn't get angry; instead, he signaled Evelyn to bring over another document.

It was a clipboard, densely listing the cost calculations for two different plans in clear numbers.

"Your Highness, please look." He pushed the clipboard in front of Ella. "Option A: A direct assault. Based on our assessment of Silvermoon City's defenses, using all our forces, including your Royal Knights, it is estimated to take three days to breach the walls. We expect three hundred to five hundred casualties on our side, while Silvermoon City's defenders' casualties will exceed one thousand. During the siege, due to arrows, magic, and the inevitable street fighting after the breach, it is estimated that at least five thousand civilians will be killed or injured. The total cost is immeasurable."

Ella's gaze fell on those shocking numbers, and her breath hitched slightly.

Levi's finger moved to the other side: "Option B: Siege. Or what you call a 'despicable trick.' Through an economic blockade and water control, it is expected that Silvermoon City's administration will collapse on its own within a week. Zero casualties for us, and military casualties for the opponent can be kept within double digits. Civilians? At most, some brawls over water will occur, with casualties not exceeding twenty people. The total cost is merely some soldier supplies and the consumption of time."

He looked up, staring directly into Ella's eyes, his tone calm yet filled with an indisputable power: "Your Highness, now please tell me, which one is truly the act of a 'butcher'? Is it the 'chivalry' you speak of, which sounds so noble yet requires five thousand innocent lives to practice, or is it my 'despicable trick' that allows the vast majority of people to live?"

Ella's lips moved, but she couldn't say a single word.

That calculation sheet filled with cold numbers was like a mirror, reflecting the hollowness and hypocrisy of her noble theories.

In the face of bloody reality, so-called honor seemed utterly ridiculous.

She fell silent. This in itself was a choice.

Valerius's madness was further provoked.

The merchants' retreat and the army's hesitation made him realize he was being abandoned.

To re-establish his authority, he made an even stupider decision.

That afternoon, three bloody corpses were hung high on the flagpoles of the City Lord's manor.

They were Chairman Barton of the Straw Chamber of Commerce and two other chamber representatives who had tried to secretly send people out of the city to contact Levi.

Valerius publicly executed them on charges of "colluding with the enemy and treason" and ordered the forced seizure of all grain from merchants and residents in the city for unified distribution in preparation for a long-term siege.

This move became the straw that broke the camel's back.

When the news reached the city guard barracks, it instantly caused an uproar.

Soldiers could endure delayed pay and the lord's suspicion, but they could not endure their families being stripped of their last rations.

More fatally, the executed Chairman Barton was not just a merchant; he was also the long-term supplier of provisions for the city guard.

Many captains and even ordinary soldiers were inextricably linked to him, either owing him favors or having received his financial support.

Killing Barton was equivalent to physically severing the army's logistics supply line and, psychologically, completely tearing up the last shred of trust between the lord and his soldiers.

The chain of trust was broken.

Evelyn stood beside Levi, a faint, almost imperceptible light shimmering in her ice-blue pupils.

As a succubus, her perception of human emotions far exceeded that of ordinary people.

At this moment, she could clearly "see" that the negative emotions woven from fear, anger, and despair inside Silvermoon City had thickened to a nearly physical state.

"My Lord, the Deputy General of the City Guard, Roger, is currently the person in the city with the deepest resentment toward Valerius. His wife and children are in the city, and his sister is married to Chairman Barton's nephew. Valerius's orders have practically cut off all means of survival for his family."

Levi nodded; the time had come.

"Send him a 'Letter of Intent for Employment'." Levi's tone was as if he were arranging a routine recruitment. "Position: Senior Supervisor of the Blackstone Territory Security Department. Salary and benefits: Refer to our internal Level 3 management positions. Tell him our only requirement is that at the moment the city falls, I need him to maintain order in the districts he is responsible for and protect civilians and shops from being targeted. Oh, right, remember to attach our 'Five Insurances and One Fund' benefits description."

A curve that only Levi could understand hooked the corner of Evelyn's mouth.

She turned to leave, and soon, a Shadow Squad belonging to her disappeared silently into the night, carrying that "Letter of Acceptance" which was enough to change the course of a war.

Meanwhile, in the buffer zone between Blackstone Territory and Silvermoon City, Levi issued a new directive.

A huge temporary camp was quickly set up. In the center of the camp, a wooden sign was erected high, with bold characters that read—'Blackstone Territory Relief and Recruitment Center'.

Under the watchful eyes of countless Silvermoon City spies, Levi personally attended the camp's "opening ceremony."

He ordered several large crates of tax receipts issued by Valerius—collected from merchants who had fled Silvermoon City—to be brought up. Then, in front of everyone, he tossed a torch into them.

Raging flames consumed those parchments representing oppression and exploitation, and also ignited hope in the hearts of countless people.

"I, Levi Byron, declare in the name of the Byron Family and Her Imperial Highness the Princess!" Levi's voice, transmitted through a simple amplification magic device, echoed throughout the valley. "All outstanding commercial taxes owed to Valerius are hereby canceled! From today on, any craftsman or civilian who comes here from Silvermoon City will automatically obtain temporary residency in Blackstone Territory and enjoy a three-month commercial tax exemption! We provide work, we provide food, and we provide safety!"

These words were like a heavy sledgehammer, smashing hard against the already crumbling walls of Silvermoon City.

Late that night, in the shadows of the city walls, several ropes were quietly lowered.

A dozen or so ragged soldiers, with the determination to face death, climbed over the wall and escaped.

They thought what awaited them would be the crossbows and nooses of Blackstone Territory soldiers; however, when they stumbled into that brightly lit camp, they were greeted by steaming bowls of meat soup and registration forms listing "Job Requirements."

The first soldier cried as he held that bowl of meat soup.

The avalanche had begun.

Over the next two days, Silvermoon City's defensive system completely collapsed from within.

Soldiers fled in groups, and citizens flocked to the relief stations with their families in tow.

Valerius could no longer command a single complete unit.

Just when everyone thought Blackstone Territory was about to take over the city without shedding a drop of blood, a sudden change occurred.

A thick, pitch-black column of smoke rose into the sky from the central area of Silvermoon City without any warning.

It wasn't ordinary smoke, but a viscous, pure magic emitting an ominous aura; everywhere it passed, even light seemed to be distorted and swallowed.

Levi immediately rushed to the highest watchtower of the castle, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He didn't need Evelyn's intelligence analysis to guess what had happened.

Valerius, that madman, in his final despair, had chosen the most extreme method—igniting the Forbidden Magic Pool beneath the city.

He wanted to use a city-wide explosion to bury the entire Silvermoon City, along with all of Levi's plans and investments!

"My Lord! Should we order the army to force their way in and stop him?" Sir Kaelan's voice sounded from behind, filled with uncontrollable anxiety.

Levi stared fixedly at that expanding, increasingly ominous black pillar of smoke. At its base, destructive dark-red light had already begun to flicker.

He slowly raised his hand and clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white from the force.

However, the order he gave left everyone around him stunned.

"All units, halt your advance." His voice was exceptionally calm, one might even say cold to the extreme. "Blockade all exits; no one is allowed out. Evelyn, immediately calculate the maximum detonation radius and blast equivalent of the magic pool."