I'm here to save the world, what are you doing?

59-There are no more humans in this divine city (4K)

Lucius was the first to get off the bus.

The night wind blew across the platform with a chill, the lights cast a warm halo on his exquisite long coat with silver buttons, and the crisp sound of his boots touching the stone slabs announced his arrival.

The moment he stepped onto the platform, Lucius calmly walked towards the welcoming team led by the mayor with a proper smile on his face:

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming to greet me so late at night."

Theodore, the mayor of Eselion, is a ruddy middle-aged man with a slightly protruding belly and carefully combed brown hair that has turned gray. Although he has a sweet smile, the worry in his eyes is hard to hide.

"It is our duty, my lord."

After shaking hands with Lucius, he began to introduce several officials around him:

"This is our treasurer, this is our civil administrator, and this is..."

During the series of introductions, Lucius keenly noticed that the mayor's voice trembled slightly and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead - despite the cold night wind.

After the greetings were over, Ferdinand finally arrived after discussing the guard arrangements with Reinhardt.

"Ah, good evening, Master Ferdinand, welcome back to Ethelion."

Mayor Theodore quickly greeted Ferdinand.

"Well, good evening, Mr. Mayor."

Ferdinand nodded, glanced at the officials, and asked casually:

"Huh? Why aren't Mr. Dovarn and Mr. Tai here? Aren't they in the city?"

Dovarn is the commander of the city defense of Etherion, a prestigious retired military officer, while Tai is the absent deputy mayor.

Upon hearing this, Mayor Theodore's face showed some tension:

"Yes, they are both dealing with some emergencies at the moment and are not in the city."

"Please rest assured that these minor matters will not affect your itinerary."

"You must be tired from the journey. We have prepared accommodations for the young lord and all the gentlemen and ladies. The supplies needed for the Orient Express will be replenished as soon as possible."

In response, Lucius just nodded slightly and didn't say much.

On the way to my residence, the night grew darker and the city streets became eerily quiet.

Lucius deliberately called several core members to ride in the same carriage with him. Under the swaying lights in the carriage, everyone's faces flickered.

"From what I know, Dohuaen became the city defense commander in Ethelion just to retire and enjoy some free time, because there is no military threat in the surrounding area."

"But now even he's going to the front lines himself. It's clear that something is seriously wrong."

Ferdinand's brows furrowed, his face, which had always been smiling, now looked unusually serious. Although he looked like a hot-blooded and reckless man, he was actually a man of great skill.

"What's even stranger is that there are almost no civilians on the streets, yet the number of city guards is ridiculously high. Fully armed patrols can be seen on almost every street corner. Even for your own safety, you shouldn't be so nervous."

"Ah."

Lucius looked out the window, his eyes flickering:

"It seems we have to keep the mayor here to talk later."

Soon after, the convoy slowly drove into a heavily guarded and brightly lit manor, which would be the group's residence for the night.

When Mayor Theodore escorted everyone to the door and was about to say goodbye and leave, Lucius spoke slowly and called out to them:

"Mr. Mayor, please stay. I think I need to know what is happening in Aethelion now."

Mayor Theodore's expression froze. The night wind suddenly grew stronger, causing the trees in the courtyard to sway violently, casting dancing shadows in the light.

..................

After a suffocating silence.

"...So, you're saying—"

"Since yesterday morning, some of the civilians in Ethelion have suddenly turned into a mob, taking to the streets for some bizarre reasons and disrupting normal order."

"Because they were worried about affecting our schedule, Duo Huaen led the city defense forces to detain those guys on the outskirts of the city. And you assigned Tai Yi to assist him in this task?"

Lucius's eye twitched slightly, and there was a hint of disbelief in his voice.

As the truth was so embarrassing, Lucius' facial lines gradually relaxed, replaced by an indescribable feeling of being both amused and helpless.

Damn it, why don’t you just tell me directly when you meet? Why are you hesitating and acting like something big has happened?

It was all in vain to create such a tense atmosphere.

"Yes, my lord, that is about the case."

Mayor Theodore wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. His voice sounded very tired, yet there was a sense of relief:

"It was as if those guys had made an appointment to suddenly show up yesterday..."

"Damn it! I didn't know there were so many gods and men in Ethelion!"

At the end of his speech, Mayor Theodore couldn't help but swear, and the handkerchief was rubbed and deformed between his fingers. It seemed that this incident had indeed caused a great psychological trauma to him.

The moonlight was still cold and the shadows of the trees in the courtyard were still swaying, but the tense atmosphere had receded like the tide. Mayor Theodore also opened up and complained to Lucius:

"I admit that imprisoning them all was a bit drastic, but you don't know, young lord. Judging from the sheer scale of their demands, there's no longer any humanity among them."

"Yesterday morning, the first demonstration broke out in the northern part of the city. We weren't worried at first. Occasionally, some people in Ethelion express dissatisfaction with food prices or taxes... Now I only regret not being able to suppress them in advance!"

"Those guys claim that animal agriculture is killing people, and they're demanding that all farms in Ethelion be shut down and everyone become vegetarian. And their method of protest is to defecate in public!"

Recalling the human excrement and stench that filled the streets, Theodore couldn't help but put on a mask of pain.

Lucius:? ? ?

No, is this still the imperial language you are talking about?

Because my imagination is so strong, by the time I realized what picture I had imagined, it was already too late.

"A-anything else?"

Lucius took a deep breath.

Was this just the beginning of such an outrageous act? He even felt a little sympathetic towards Theodore.

"In the second case, they demanded legislation recognizing livestock and pets as having the same legal status as humans, and providing them with psychological counselors."

"In the third case, they surrounded a factory and demanded it stop operations, citing environmental damage. However, they caused a fire due to improper cooking practices, destroying a large area of ​​forest."

"In the fourth case, all the protesters were women. They demanded that all city officials step down and form an all-female city..."

...

Indeed, there are no humans left.

It's hard to imagine these things appearing in the Empire.

What? Aren't the mobs of Aetherion afraid of the Imperial Army?

At this moment, Lucius thought that the way the officials of Aetherion handled the matter was right, absolutely right!

This is no longer an ordinary mob, we must strike hard!

"These horrors are unheard of in our loyal Aetherion."

"What is even more unimaginable is that the parade includes not only civilians, businessmen, and teachers, but even some low-level officials."

"Today, more people have joined the protests with new reasons, and their actions have become more extreme, even attacking other civilians who are living their normal lives."

"Commander Dowane thought something was fishy and immediately dispatched troops to disperse and detain the protesters, and also stepped up patrols in the city."

Mayor Theodore sighed, and the wrinkles on his face appeared deeper under the light:

"If it weren't for this, my lord, you might still see a group of naked women with painted bodies loudly promoting natural freedom in front of the manor gate."

That's a must-see.

Lucius nodded and looked at Sanita playfully:

"Is this the 'rabble' you foresaw for me?"

"Maybe~"

The hem of her skirt swayed slightly with her light steps, and her high heels made a crisp yet elegant sound on the floor. Every step was like a carefully choreographed dance.

Sanita stopped beside Lucius, leaned over gracefully, put one hand gently on the back of the chair, leaned one hip on the armrest, turned her body slightly to the side, and leaned on his arm and shoulder. Her posture seemed casual but just right to show her graceful lines.

Her smiling eyes met Lucius's gaze frankly, her eyes revealing both teasing and unfathomable emotions, making it difficult to see through her thoughts.

Iveliya: ???

How come your movements are so skillful and natural?

That’s so bad, I’m going to glare at him!

Poor Iveliya, who had just tasted a little sweetness through her pig-rushing advance, suffered her first setback at an extremely fast speed.

Alas, there is not even a protection period for newbies.

“How many people have been detained so far?”

Lucius took his eyes off Sanita and looked at Mayor Theodore again with a serious expression.

“It’s close to a thousand, and the number is still increasing.”

"Have you ever suspected that the Chaos Cult was behind this?"

Lucius continued to ask.

"We have such suspicions, but we have not yet found the source of the problem."

A fierce look flashed in Mayor Theodore's eyes. "If we can't find the source, even if we completely eliminate this mob, it will be useless. It's like cutting off one head of a Hydra. More trouble will soon grow."

"I see."

Lucius pondered for a moment, then said firmly:

"The situation is extremely urgent now. As more and more people are detained, there will definitely be panic in the city."

"I need to see the people who are being held in custody to know what to do next."

"You plan to inspect it tomorrow?"

Mayor Theodore opened his eyes wide in surprise, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. He hurriedly urged:

"Excuse me, young lord, you shouldn't take this risk. We can..."

"Sir Theodore."

Lucius interrupted Theodore softly.

This simple change of address was like a spell, and Theodore's voice stopped abruptly.

After hearing this solemn address, he immediately straightened his back, stood up straight, put his hands on his sides, and lowered his eyes respectfully, waiting for further instructions.

The change of title meant that the young man sitting here at this moment began to exercise the power of his father, Grand Duke Glade, as the regulator and protector of the Thirteen Provinces in the East.

Unless there is an order from the emperor, in the East Territory, the will of the East Territory Guardians is the highest instruction.

“In times of crisis, we must take responsibility.”

"Tomorrow, the sooner the better."

Lucius' words were brief but forceful and could not be disobeyed.

Mayor Theodore bowed deeply, his face serious:

"Yes, sir. I'll arrange it immediately."

After saying that, he quickly left the room and the heavy wooden door slowly closed behind him.

As the sound of the door closing faded away, the atmosphere in the room relaxed slightly.

Lucius put on his cynical smile again, looked around at everyone in the room, and said with a smile:

"So, who would like to go with me to conduct the investigation tomorrow?"

“Brother Lu, what nonsense are you talking about? You promised not to abandon me.”