Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill thought for a moment and still decided to place a bell tower-like structure in the center of the camp, but inside the small topmost tower where a clock would hang, there was placed a demi-god tier oil painting.

It was relatively high above the ground and not so easy for people to repent—even with a faction that had some issues, Hill couldn't possibly keep everyone outside for a slow check and could only let everyone in first and talk after.

But he couldn't not take precautions. So he put up the painting.

An oil painting of the demi-god tier had already possessed a bit of spirituality, and with Hill's ability, he could easily communicate with it.

Rather than waiting for List to notice and then activating the array to administer punishment, Hill preferred to settle it in one step.

As long as someone committed an evil deed, a beam to strike evil would shoot directly from the tower—irrespective of the severity or status of the crime, treating all the same. Even if it didn't kill the perpetrators, it would eject them from the camp.

Hill stood by the window, looking down at the people dismounting from more than thirty carriages of various styles.

He furrowed his brows: at least two to three hundred people, mostly the old and weak, with visibly disabled drivers for the carts.

If there were any able-bodied adults among them, they were a few pregnant women and their families.

Hill sighed helplessly, the origins of these people, truly apparent at a glance.

There are always those who are righteously abandoned.

Lifting his hand resting by the window gently, Hill no longer looked at those dressed as mages conversing with Li Si.

A few stone houses were erected around the bell tower; he couldn't possibly let these people live out in the open.

Even though it was already spring, this was still the Northern Border, and it remained very cold. Hill did not set up a weather-altering magic array in this camp.

The people who noticed the houses being erected looked around, and then quickly, under the guidance of those conversing with Li Si, bowed in thanks towards the Magic Tower.

Hill's eyes flickered: he saw a familiar face—the junior mage who once came to trouble him.

Alice walked out from the Wind Barrier, pulling at the fluttering window screen to look at the people outside: "Why are there so many children?"

"Sir," List returned, "the living 16th level mage in Reyes City, upon receiving the giant ship sent by the Undead Tribe, took most of the city's people with him.

These people were abandoned. They were initially planning to take the caravans to the Star Gate, but under the current dangerous conditions, they had no choice but to come to us for help."

"Why? Aren't they all ordinary people?" Alice asked, puzzled, "Why would they abandon these people, and there are so many children too!"

"All these children are orphans." List explained softly, "They don't even know why the people in the city ran away. The elderly, too, are all alone, living by themselves at home, oblivious to everything."

"You're saying, no one informed them of the evacuation?" Alice grasped the gauze in shock, looking up at List, "But why? Aren't there a lot of places on that kind of ship?"

"But there's no food!" List said with a sigh, "That mage only intended to take those who could sustain their own living expenses. His supplies were running low.

The people below are those he would have to support. If there were well-informed people who knew about the spaceship, he wouldn't have refused to take them, but those who hid in corners and had no contact with anyone were simply forsaken."

"Reyes is so wealthy, why would it be out of supplies?" Hill asked, puzzled, "The Undead Tribe may have caused a commotion there, but they wouldn't harm the civilian supplies."

"Because the nobles and the big merchants left first, taking a large amount of resources to the City of Coin. They found the Undead Tribe's means of purging evil too terrifying.

As nobles and businessmen, they could not guarantee they would not commit misdeeds.

When they left, they nearly emptied the entire city.

In Reyes City, it's said only enough food was left to last the entire city a few months, and prices had already been soaring for some time.

The weakened and old hid and did not venture out because they were too starved, almost surviving by drinking water and gnawing on grass roots."

List shook his head before continuing: "That 16th level mage seems like a typical battle mage, clueless about these matters.

Reyes City remained orderly, all thanks to his martial might.

But he wasn't overwhelmingly sympathetic either; he still had to provide for his own apprentices and their families!"

"What about those mages? And the disabled drivers?" Hill didn't bring up that 16th level mage again; perhaps the mage's actions were somewhat censurable, but no one could really blame him.

It was clear that the mage was the kind who stayed in his Magic Tower all year round and did not interfere. Had it not been for the nobles abandoning the city, he wouldn't have bothered with matters.

"Those mages aren't of high level, the highest being that 12th level mage, Hogan. I think you might still remember him," List couldn't help but chuckle, "They are what you call official mages, trained by Reyes City, and they surrendered directly after the Undead Tribe took over the city.

Unexpectedly, after the Undead Tribe had cleared out and left, they were ostracized by the local forces.

The good part is, since they knew the Undead Tribe might visit Reyes at any time, no one dared harm them.

But, they too could only hide in the city hall and dare not step outside.

However, to their surprise, someone had set up a soundproof array outside their residence. By the time they rushed out after seeing the ship fly away, that's when they knew."

The mage simply had people shout around the city and then the ones who had waited all day just flew away.

Those few pregnant women missed the spaceship because of their physical discomfort, but luckily their families all stayed behind."

Hill bowed his head, looking at the mages methodically arranging for people to enter the stone house, showing no sign of worry or fear for the constantly trembling earth.

And those children and elderly were very obedient, even the injured and disabled were untying horses from the carts and leading them to the corner of the camp.

He couldn't help but praise, "It seems quite good. Were they the ones who organized these people to come here? Are those the injured soldiers?"

"They are the knight squires abandoned by the army. The Knight Corps left them at the camp outside the city, and then fled with the nobles themselves.

The injured knights are nobles, but not all the squires are."

Hill took a long breath, "Do they have enough food?"

"There's plenty." List suddenly revealed a strange smile, "Those mages, they know everything about the Lord's Mansion like the back of their hand. After finding out they were abandoned, they first located those injured soldiers, casually gathered up the old people and children who realized something was wrong and fled, and dug up several secret grain storage areas of the Lord's Mansion.

Those grain storages are said to only be known by the City Lord himself, but these mages found them effortlessly.

If those people hadn't ostracized these mages, they probably would have had access to the food that could feed Reyes City for years, and there would be no need to flee in such a hurry, leaving their belongings behind."

Alice, who had been listening in, suddenly laughed crisply, "Oh! That's wonderful."

She has always disliked those who harm children, and knowing these people missed out on this bit of fortune made Alice very happy.

She had no intention of picking up on the implied message in List's words.

Hill shook his head with a smile. Even if these mages wanted to use the food as a credential for taking over Reyes City in the future, he had nothing to say about it.

They might be selfish, but in the end, they didn't abandon those who were weak and old. No matter their reasons, Hill wouldn't look down on them.

"Are we going to stay here?" Alice asked curiously, "Not going to the Star Gate?"

"No rush," Hill said indifferently, "The Star Gate area must be chaotic. Don't forget, the Star Gate can't be opened every day, and normally, it would be two months before it opens again.

If it's to be opened urgently, there's only one chance.

So far, the deities outside of this world haven't shown much of a reaction, meaning the danger hasn't reached that level yet.

The sin of a collapsing world is not something every deity is willing to bear unless they can ensure that the final blow is struck by the Chromatic Dragon Queen.

But that Dragon Queen, she needs to protect her egg! Even if it seems like she is fighting fiercely, she definitely wouldn't dare to collapse the world.

We are still safe for now, and besides, if something happens suddenly, our area would be the last to collapse. With my spaceship, we'll have enough."

"Why doesn't she take the dragon egg with her?" Alice looked toward the battlefield in the south, "What's the point of fighting like this?"

"This only shows that the dragon egg has reached the final stage of hatching. If they fail, the little dragon inside would either die or be crippled, and the best outcome would be to revert to the initial stage of hatching.

Until the last moment, the Chromatic Dragon Queen will not give up."

"Is the little dragon born evil?" Alice asked curiously, "Doesn't it have a chance to be a good dragon?"

"Very difficult," Hill said with a sigh, "Extremely difficult. Unless its Innate Dragon Spirit is very strong, completely suppressing the evil genes inherited from its parents.

And it must be raised by the Kind Alignment, instilled with etiquette and morals from a young age.

But it is the Dragon Queen's child, and as long as it's alive, the Dragon Queen will be able to find him."

Alice nodded, slowly walking back to the sofa, understanding that the yet-to-be-born little dragon only has two outcomes: either die or become part of evil.

And all these bystanders can do is wait for an outcome.

List then raised the Defensive Magic Array to its maximum level, and the Dragon Queen roared again.

"Bahamut! I'm going to eat you!"

Hill was stunned for a moment. Was there trouble with the dragon egg?

"Hahaha! Why so angry?

This is the blessing of the Golden Spring Water, not only will it make your child a great beauty, but it will also purify her heart, letting her feel what's good in this world!"

The Elf Goddess of Life has joined in, too!

Hill wasn't too surprised; the Chromatic Dragon Queen had destroyed many Elf towns and countless Elves had died at her hands. Not to mention that Elves were part of this world from the beginning.

It was just a bit strange—such a malicious form of revenge, who came up with it?