Chapter 734 - 8 Regulating Leyan City (First Update)

Chapter 734: Chapter 8 Regulating Leyan City (First Update)

The black armor suits advanced down the streets, and the ashes of Martin Xuānfēng’s body had begun to settle. Both the leaders of the Xuānfēng Sect and the Rebel Highlanders had been killed, leaving no individual or power within Leyan City that could resist Ian.

[Residents of Leyan City, please do not panic. I am Ian, the Empire-appointed new Lord of Leyan]

As he walked slowly, a somewhat distorted but clear enough voice came through the loudspeaker, "[The rebels and those who created chaos have been killed. The recent turmoil in Leyan City will end, but now, I require everyone to stay at home in peace until noon tomorrow when a grain transport convoy from Nauman City will arrive]"

[Those who want food, who want to eat their fill and live a peaceful life, I command you to return home immediately. If, after one hour, there are still people wandering the streets without a valid reason, they will all be killed as remnants of the rebellion, let this be known]"

The voice carried not a trace of warmth, only the cold command demanding others to submit with arrogance.

Therefore, feeling immense fear, all the domain residents of Leyan City were able to understand this simple order.

——Go home, wait. There will be food. Walk about, and you die.

This was the norm when Sublimators of the Terra Continent gave orders.

And Ian, who had just killed three other Sublimators, was obviously the strongest among them.

So they obeyed.

The crowd, which had gathered because of Martin’s speech, dispersed.

But still, in the city, some remnants who couldn’t let go tried to struggle.

In the corner of the city not far away, a group of almost crazed Mountain People were maneuvering an Alchemical Cannon, aiming at the Cyclops Giant.

They fired.

A several meters long electric arc burst forth, and a high-explosive warhead sped at several times the speed of sound, but the black armor suit raised a hand, and layer upon layer of ice condensed in mid-air, forming an opaque Ice Shield over one meter thick.

Boom——a huge explosion of fire cloud more than ten meters high spread out in the streets, blooming and creating a visible white shockwave of boiling hot air and steam within Leyan City.

But when the smoke cleared, the Cyclops Giant was still intact.

More than a dozen beams of light converged from afar, turning the last group of Highlanders who dared to resist into molten slag burning with iron.

After that, continuous beams of light shot forth, turning those who fled out of Leyan City into torches.

They trembled, they begged loudly, they wanted to resist with swords, guns, and cannons—other First Energy Level Sublimators tried to assault the positions of the White Folks soldiers, but without the Second Energy Level mobility that surpasses the nerve reflex speed of ordinary men, how could they possibly evade the focused beams of light?

All of them were annihilated.

Not a single one could be spared. Those were Ian’s words, and these White Folks youths, eager to establish their achievements, faithfully carried out their family head’s orders.

——Cruel? Bloody? Violent?

The black armor suit simply advanced in silence, moving towards the highest point of Leyan City, the ancient castle standing on the cliff.

It slowly took off, landing on the top of the castle under the reverent gazes of all the residents of Leyan City peering through their windows, and on the other side was the golden-red breach where part of the ancient castle had melted.

The Giant turned around, looking down upon the whole city.

——None of those. This is merely the slaughter necessary for peace.

And still, it was not enough.

Ian looked indifferently at the city. He had visited six months ago at the invitation of Baron Leyan, witnessing the breathtaking beauty of the Leyan Territory—the Radiance Grass nursery surrounding the city, the profound Holy Lake behind the castle, the clear blue sky, the faint floral fragrance filling the air. The city was a bit boring, but overall, the people lived in peace and contentment. No matter how mad Baron Leyan was, he had not harmed his own domain.

But now? The peaceful city had vanished, replaced by ruins filled with barricades and fortifications, a numbed populace afflicted by the Rebel Highlanders and the Xuānfēng Sect.

The air was rife with gunpowder, the Xia Hui grass nursery outside the city had been violently harvested, and to call the city half-ruined was an understatement. Without special means, it would take a regular lord a year or two to restore it to its former state.

Ian did not have that much time. He had no time to argue with anyone, no time to play ’democratic games’ with the local gentry or representatives of the backwater Mountain People...

Anyone who did not submit to his will would go meet the Former Emperor.

The old man hadn’t killed many and must be lonely, not like Axel—who would surely be warmly welcomed by a large crowd even in hell.

"Scott, leave not a single Rebel Highlander, and for the Xuānfēng Sect, only pursue if they haven’t gotten too far, but kill all you can," Ian commanded through the communication device as Scott approached with his team.

"As for those Hillsman Knights and all the local merchants of Leyan City, anyone who had a say, those who collaborated with Baron Leyan’s old guard—summon them here to receive orders," Ian continued.

"Yes!" Scott executed the orders without hesitation—even he knew that not a single insurgent could be left alive... Allow the enemy to survive and spread the idea of independence? Make everyone think that rebellion equated to immunity from death?

Even if he needed a bunch of idiots for a joyful contrast to the future development of his domain, weren’t there other Mountain Tribes to be used?