Chapter 44

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Chapter 44: Silence

In the third week since the circus caravan arrived, everything seemed to return to normal.

In the first week, busy work kept all outsiders at their posts. They didn’t receive any special orders, just the push of the market economy.

To put it plainly, money.

The nephew can stay with his uncle, but most people couldn’t find their relatives. If you claim a grave to be that of your family without a will or proof, the owner of the grave can’t inherit anything. The inn was meant for travelers, now with fewer guests due to the blockade up north, raising prices is reasonable. Want to stay in a carriage? Sorry, circus carriages get a tax waiver, but what about parking fees? Feeding and caring for the horses? Planning to build a house? Unfortunately, all trees nearby are protected.

After the winter, with crops withered, most places have no grass left. Trees are protected, and fines for using natural resources are too high. Without forests, horses can’t roam freely. People here have to join a trading system to survive the winter. Tasha doesn’t need to treat outsiders specially, just not give them discounts. Residents initially found the outsiders kind, even extending credit to them.

In the southeast corner, the dungeon is like a foreign company in a poor country, hiring locals. Some like them and seek employment, while others hate them and believe in conspiracies. Everyone’s life revolves around the dungeon. Tasha is seen as a vague figure, with different groups having a common leader, not as conspicuous as Aryan.

It’s better for them to understand without causing unnecessary resentment.

Tasha was surprised by the level of civilization here. Red Gum County has schools with a long history. Education is respected, and wealthy families send their children to school. The literacy rate is impressive for a non-industrialized town.

Tasha read history books in the school, filled with human glory history, similar to propaganda. Future textbooks will change with Tasha’s material supply for paper mills, giving her control over teaching resources.

With the help of northern humans, the dungeon expanded its influence. The crisis of scarce resources led to residents merging, giving power to the dungeon and military. Unemployed woodmen and hunters sought better welfare, some young adults joined the military to combat Hybrids. Competition stirred passion, like manipulating two political parties with Tasha’s favor.

Tasha found Captain Halite’s "Military Atmosphere" skill increased obedience in the army with clear commands.

She used the skill on every soldier to increase obedience and eliminate resistance to working with outsiders. The military gradually became a reliable force for Tasha using this technique.

Controlling a piece of human territory was like operating a fuel-guzzling machine, Tasha’s magic reserve had been increasing very slowly. But she believed that investing magic in this was worth it, like a long-term investment.

Going off track, let’s continue talking about the outsiders.

The day ended without any result from meeting Douglas, the rider only revealed some vague information, like a slippery eel. Since he did not show sincere intentions, Tasha did not mind playing hard to get.

"Is that all?" she said meaningfully when parting ways, "It won’t be easy to find another chance to talk in the future."

"You, as an extraordinary lady, must be quite busy," Douglas tipped his hat and flashed a charming smile, "I just hope I won’t mess up tonight and have the chance to have a chat with you."

"I’m not busy," Tasha replied, "but you will be."

The next day, when a thick bill was placed on Douglas’s desk, he finally understood Tasha’s message.

Douglas was a skilled rider who owned a horse named Joey, a horse that suited his taste, with both spirit and wildness. Douglas would usually let Joey roam freely when not riding, and his special whistle would bring Joey running back to him when needed.

This trick was quite impressive, playing a significant role in Douglas’s numerous adventures – imagine a handsome rider whistling, and a strong high headed horse galloping out of the forest, then the knight mounting the horse extending a hand towards you… It was full of romantic elements from knight novels, never failing in capturing hearts, saving the trouble of tying up the horse each time, and Joey liked it too. So, it’s no wonder he didn’t tie the horse up this time either.

The wild plants nearby are being protected. The residents who have experienced the natural withering have spontaneously considered the nearby grass as public property.

Douglas’s desk is piled high with thick bills. They list Joey’s compensation for illegally gnawing on bark, fines for violently resisting law enforcement and attacking police after being warned, fines for eating fruit from an innocent resident after escaping, expenses for hay and bail money while detained, and in the last item in parentheses, it is written that if Joey is not redeemed and Douglas does not want to send Joey to work on a farm, Douglas will need to pay for hay, cleaning, and insulation every day. In small print, it politely informs the rider that due to his horse being "very lively," there may be additional costs for staff medical care in the future.

The usually carefree rider counted the zeros behind the numbers on the bills again and again, a cigarette falling from his trembling fingers.

Douglas picked up the fallen cigarette from the ground and took a deep breath. For a long time to come, there would be no money in his budget for cigarettes.

The idea of earning money through circus performances was only a dream at the moment. The circus ringmaster had mentioned that he had dismissed one group and recruited another, but the current team was not enough to put on a circus. Douglas attempted to perform alone, but was informed by the police that he needed a permit for street performances. He either had to pay a large deposit or work in the area for a year to gain local citizenship. "Just working for a year for citizenship is quite a favorable offer," the person in charge said with a smile, "Conditions may become more difficult in the future, perhaps you’ll need to buy a house here."

If staying in a hotel is a bit expensive and long-term renting is acceptable, the money needed to buy a house here cannot be saved up in just one or two years. The most troublesome thing is that Aryan’s currency is very cheap here, with the exchange rate constantly dropping. Residents rushed to exchange for Dwarf Money as soon as the banks opened here and preferred not to use Aryan currency for transactions. Even if wealthy outsiders came here, they would have to start working from scratch to earn Dwarf Money.

"Actually, you can take out a loan," said the municipal worker, pointing to the rules on the wall behind him.

Douglas looked up at the information above and finally felt a bit reassured after a series of shocks. The loan interest rates were not excessive, and they even provided physical loans here. The interest for getting food on credit was very low, meaning as long as you worked, you wouldn’t go hungry.

"It’s not as cruel as I thought…" Douglas whispered, almost moved by this unexpectedly kind act.

"Mr. Douglas, this is the version for the residents here." The staff waved to him, pointing to the other side, "For newcomers without citizenship, these are the current rules that apply."

Douglas turned his head and saw a very high and scary interest rate.

"Are you robbers!" he silently roared in his heart.

"Wait, this…" Douglas said weakly, "I didn’t see it when I came yesterday?"

"Due to the blockade from the north, Red Gum County has experienced some turmoil, and now everything is in disarray, so there may be regulations from time to time that suit the current situation," the staff said robotically.

This must be just ordered, for us?! Douglas thought sadly.

"Please don’t worry, Mr. Douglas," the staff kindly explained, "Considering the great sacrifices you all have made to find your relatives, we also have many benefits for migrant workers here. Young adults between eighteen and sixty years old who are willing to work in the positions we provide will automatically gain citizenship after a year and be exempt from all loan interest. There are many well-paid positions with food and accommodation included, making the local residents quite envious!"

Indeed, this place offers highly beneficial job positions for foreigners, with common features being good pay and provided food and accommodation, along with long working hours and the need to be on call.

People who truly want to settle here will manage, and regardless of their sincerity, as long as they want to survive, during the first year, work takes up most of their time each day. Working hours are scattered throughout the day, they won’t be too tired, but the leisure time they have is definitely not enough for wandering around. Tasha ensures that most of the time for all newcomers is under the scrutiny of others and the watchtower, with no time or energy for causing trouble.

Children under eighteen, including a girl named Jacqueline, must go to school to get free food and housing. It’s similar to being supervised all day at work. When Jacqueline felt very uneasy about being in the same classroom with teachers and classmates, Tasha canceled her classes and arranged for Mavis, a quarter-elf, to take care of her.

Mavis and Jacqueline got along well, even though Jacqueline still didn’t speak. Tasha saw Mavis pick up Jacqueline, a quiet and tiny girl who looked very small and skinny with big, haunting eyes. Jacqueline let Mavis hold her while she still held her harp, her face showing a mix of nervousness and being lost in thought.

"She’s a lovely child," Mavis said affectionately as she made a drink for the little girl. She stirred a mixture of berries and ginger tea with a cinnamon stick, adding maple syrup at the end to create a sweet, cherry-like red liquid. Mavis poured it into a round-bottomed flask, corked it, looking uniquely charming. This apothecary often mixed food and medicine with utensils; pairing a bottle of pills with cold medicine was not uncommon. There was also a blurred line between the potions and foods she made, like this sweet drink that could also soothe a cough.

Unfortunately, Jacqueline never got to hold it in her hands.

Among this group of people was another non-working individual named Alexander, an old man who walked with a large cane that made heavy, armored sounds with each step. Alexander claimed to be a veteran and looked like the kind of stern old man who would educate children with military orders. The script of "son couldn’t handle discipline, ran away to join the military and died in battle" fit him perfectly. Officers subconsciously stood at attention as he passed by, only laughing at their reflexes later on.

Tasha had seen the Pastor of Saro rush to meet this old man, Samuel entering his room excitedly but coming out distressed. The pastor’s emotions were evident on his face, ruling out the possibility of Alexander being a follower of Saroism. Victor mentioned the cane could belong to a martial monk, a templar, or some self-defense tool from recent centuries, with such a broad range that it was practically useless. Tasha had prepared a retirement home for this robust, white-bearded old man, but he insisted on staying put, willing to work for his rent.

He was Jacqueline’s temporary guardian, agreed upon by the busy outsiders, including Douglas, to have the least occupied adult take care of the little girl. Jacqueline didn’t object, spending her days with Mavis and evenings with Alexander, including the day Mavis handed out drinks. Clumsily carrying her harp and flask, she ran after Alexander. The old man strode ahead as usual, with a stern expression – he was always like this, Tasha had never seen him smile with Mavis or Jacqueline.

He slowed down halfway, reaching out to the little girl. Jacqueline slowly handed him the flask, which Alexander took and threw directly into the nearby ditch without uncorking it.

Jacqueline glanced at the ditch but said nothing. When Mavis asked her if she wanted to stay here instead of going back next time, she still shook her head, following Alexander with her head down.

Next week, someone couldn’t wait any longer and jumped out.

One of the new recruits in the circus, the one-eyed man, followed and tried to attack Mavis. He was one of those people who ran around at night wearing dark clothes. This time, his actions were both secretive and obvious. Secretive because his tracking skills were excellent, and obvious because he neither carried exorcism runes nor knew how to avoid the watchtower, making him very noticeable in Tasha’s eyes.

Marion swooped down at the moment the one-eyed man made his move, disarmed him, fought back, and pinned the assassin firmly to the ground. The one-eyed man looked surprised, as if he couldn’t understand how the Worgen girl suddenly got so close to him. While his anti-tracking skills were decent, Marion had Tasha guiding her in her ear, allowing her to anticipate the one-eyed man’s movements even through a wall.

The one-eyed man immediately surrendered at the start of the interrogation, showing no intention of holding out until the end. "I guess I’m out of luck!" he said. "I knew…"

What did he know? Tasha had no way of finding out the answer.

Before he could reveal more, the one-eyed man’s body convulsed. The soldiers pried open his mouth, Mavis opened a vial of potion and poured it into his mouth, but it was already too late. The convulsions were not the beginning of something, but rather the outward sign of sudden death. His expression froze in a mix of fear and agony as his remaining eye stared at the ceiling before he passed away.

The interrogation room fell silent, and the interrogators exchanged glances. They had thoroughly inspected the prisoner from head to toe, inside and out, but found nothing. His death had been so sudden.

The news of capturing a spy was made public, but they did not disclose his death. The one-eyed man was used as bait, but no one came to silence him or rescue him. That night, someone ran towards the northern sentry post, which had been rebuilt, and a crossbow arrow pierced the infiltrator.

"They were just temporary hires. When you urgently need manpower, you can’t be too picky," circus ringmaster Frank said. "I’m sorry this happened, and I hope it won’t affect your opinion of us."

The clues stopped here, the troublemaker disappeared without a trace.

By the third week, everything seemed to be back on track. Things were getting better day by day, and the power of the dungeon was growing stronger.

This night was as calm as usual.

Someone silently jumped out of the window, moved forward in the shadows, and the moonlight didn’t catch his figure.

He walked at the edge of the street, tiptoeing slowly and stealthily. He was more than just good at hiding; he seemed to blend in with the shadows, even moving along with the darkness. A patrol guard walked by him just two steps away, raising his lantern and casually scanning the corner but finding nothing. The guard walked away.

If Tasha could see this person’s face clearly, she would probably be very surprised. He was not a smooth-talking celebrity rider, not a tough and difficult old soldier, nor a mysterious circus ringmaster. He was just an ordinary member of the circus, a quiet employee. Tasha had never seen him snooping around or showing up at inappropriate times.

What is his name? Billy? Mike? Or something else? He was so ordinary that he could easily be forgotten, even by Tasha. It would take some effort to match this person with a specific name.

He had a common name, a medium build, an average face with no scars or blemishes. He neither walked at the front nor at the back, he laughed when others did, and he echoed when others shouted. His voice could make a group of people think they heard a nod of greeting from someone unfamiliar. He was the kind of guy nobody liked or disliked, he was overlooked by classmates at reunions, and nobody noticed if he came or left early. He was so unremarkable that he could fit in a joke like "He walked up to the store and the automatic door didn’t open" on Earth.

Being ordinary, average, and unnoticed was also a kind of talent, right?

It’s a real skill.

Mr Ordinary walked in the night of Red Gum County, the watchtower didn’t catch his trace, just like before. It was a suitable night, the snow had melted, no rain, no water on the ground, so as long as Mr Ordinary was careful, he wouldn’t leave any trace.

Of course, when does Mr Ordinary not be careful?

He walked all the way to the northern frontier post, passed through the checkpoint, did what he needed to do, and then returned. Carrying the newly acquired package, he strolled through the Amazonian patrol area, eyes shifting around every person. Intuitive beasts and warriors could potentially detect his gaze, simple-minded creatures are so troublesome. Mr Ordinary thought, he had wasted so much time here this time, really unlucky.

It was very unlucky from the beginning, the situation at the southeast corner was a hundred miles away from what they guessed, the Hybrids here were actually living peacefully with residents, not in a standoff. The Colonel adamantly claimed that there was a river of blood beyond the wall, corpses everywhere, but the reality? Food was not scarce, relative order was maintained, the army had mutinied, and the Hybrids who somehow produced food out of nowhere were collaborating, even scrutinizing each person coming from outside. A bad hand.

Mr Ordinary didn’t care whether someone mutinied or not, Hybrid or not, but the orderly chaos gave him a headache. If more people died, he thought, things would be much easier. If the dead bodies were indistinguishable, they could easily find their deceased loved ones "killed in the chaos", unlike now, where they could only identify deceased soldiers and convince them with less credibility.

Thinking about this initially, he couldn’t help but complain. Colonel Benson was a fool, he shouldn’t have brought in other mercenaries, even if contracts were signed, outsiders were still unreliable, just about good enough to divert attention—he couldn’t believe his brother let him mess around like this! The governor had cooperated with them so many times, but still brought about this pointless mess, should’ve known that military people are always ignorant and arrogant.

Mr Ordinary was more cautious than those arrogant gentlemen, otherwise he wouldn’t have survived until today. He was also better at taking advice from others, even if he didn’t like that knightly old man who was shoved in, he would still consider the suggestions that person offered, after all, in the fight against "those things", knights had more experience than thieves.

"You cannot go down," the old man said, "once you go underground, they will be able to see you."

A few times, Mr. Ordinary followed so closely behind those Hybrid creatures that he could almost be underground behind them, but for the sake of the old man’s words, he gave up the opportunity.

If he doesn’t go, then he doesn’t go. Mr. Ordinary thought, anyway tomorrow was the time.