Chapter 111: My Name is Sei, and I am a Down-and-Out Painter!
.....
Five hours later...
God's Domain, Floor 30.
Under the buff of Seito's skill, "Protection of the Gale," the Fatui finally arrived at their destination. The Far North was a land eternally shrouded in ice and snow—a vast, white expanse of silver-wrapped peaks and frost-covered plains.
The members of the Fatui guild immediately spotted the Baron's fiefdom. A rough estimate put the area at about fifty square kilometers—a massive territory. Naturally, the number of NPCs within was equally significant. Even from a distance, Seito and the others could see Level 100 NPC soldiers patrolling the walls.
"It looks like a direct frontal assault is out. We need to use our wits," Seito mused. Their current levels weren't high enough for a clean sweep; even if Seito could slaughter the NPCs himself, some would undoubtedly escape to notify the Empire. If that happened, seizing the territory would become impossible.
After a moment of thought, Seito activated the Deprivation Order.
[Ding! You have issued a Deprivation Order against "Baron William".]
[The final result will be settled after the war concludes.]
Scanning the system prompt, Seito opened the guild channel.
[Sei: Change into NPC clothing. Enter the territory in small batches and wait for my signal to act.]
With that, Seito swapped his gear for a set of tattered commoner rags and was the first to enter. Following his lead, the rest of the guild members donned the humble garb of NPCs.
Half an hour later.
The Plaza of the Baron's Fiefdom.
The plaza was currently a sea of people. Countless commoners stood there, their eyes fixed on Seito, who stood atop a statue pedestal as if they were waiting for something significant to happen.
"Everyone, allow me to introduce myself. I am a down-and-out painter named Sei. I've come here today to vent a bit about my own life experiences."
Seito's voice was low, his eyes carrying a deep, soulful look. The local commoners glanced at each other, confused, but they didn't interrupt. They simply waited in silence.
Taking a deep breath, Seito projected his voice.
"Those of us in the remote regions might not know this, but I used to live in the capital of the Storm Empire. I had an income of five hundred gold coins a month—life was decent enough."
"But do you know why I ended up so destitute?"
As he asked this, the commoners looked at Seito's tattered, ruined cloth clothes and shook their heads one after another.
"Then, do you know how much a single loaf of bread costs in the Storm Empire's capital?"
Again, they shook their heads. Seito's tone suddenly shifted, filling with an endless, burning resentment.
"Fifty thousand gold coins!"
"A full fifty thousand gold coins!"
"You couldn't even fit that many coins into a single chest!"
At this point, Seito's voice became high and impassioned.
"It's because of those damned nobles! What do those nobles take us for? A pack of filthy animals?! Fifty thousand gold coins for a loaf of bread?!"
"They want us to starve to death!!!"
Hearing Seito's fury, the commoners were utterly stunned. Fifty thousand for bread? Holy crap! Are the nobles insane? They didn't doubt Seito's words; having lived under the yoke for so long, they knew the nature of the nobility. They were parasites sucking the blood of the people.
In an instant, rage ignited. Countless commoners clenched their fists, staring intently at Seito.
However, Seito wasn't finished.
"Think about it. In a situation like this, do we even have a choice?"
"It's either them or us!"
"If this continues, we either die or we rise up in revolution!"
"The Imperial nobles don't treat us like human beings, so why should we treat them like gods and support them?!"
Fury billowed in the hearts of the crowd. He was right! They were being pushed to the brink of death. Even though they were in a remote area, once the Baron heard about the prices in the capital, he would surely adjust the local standards to match. How would they survive then?
As for the idea that the Baron wouldn't do such a thing? Hmph! They had lived here long enough to know the Baron was a petty, greedy man to his core.
The fire in the commoners' eyes blazed bright.
"We can't let this happen! Kill him!"
"That's right! We work ourselves to the bone just to survive! Why should the nobles oppress us?!"
"If they won't let us live, then none of us will!"
As a few voices rose, the rest of the crowd was swept up in the emotion, letting out collective roars of anger. Most people are willing to endure oppression just to stay alive, but when survival itself is threatened, they have nothing left to lose.
Seito scanned the crowd and shouted:
"Comrades! We need a leader!"
"A leader with enough ambition to lead us to survival! To fight the Imperial nobility to the very end!"
"He must have startling wisdom! Genius strategy!"
"And most importantly, this person must survive! He will lead us all to victory!"
The crowd looked around at one another. Finally, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Then it should be you! I believe in you, Sei!"
As if finding their target, the cry was taken up by thousands.
"That's right! Sei! You're the only one who can lead us!"
"Sei! You are the leader of our rebel army!"
Seito laughed inwardly. A large portion of these commoners were actually Fatui players, acting as "plants" to stir up the crowd and create momentum for him. The effect was perfect.
Seito pressed his hands down, and the plaza quieted. He spoke coldly:
"If I become your leader, I will never lead you to ruin! This is a war! A war between us commoners and the Imperial nobility!"
"On this path, some may die, and some may live! I hope that from now on, we refer to each other as Comrades!"
"Valor in battle! Peerless service! These honors will be ours as we rise! Even if you fall, you will bring glory to your ancestors! Your name will be recorded in history and placed alongside your forefathers! Your descendants will look upon you as their greatest pride!"
At this, Seito slammed his fist over his heart.
"For Snezhnaya! To victory!!"
The crowd of commoners, seeing Seito's posture, followed suit. They straightened their backs and slammed their fists over their hearts.
"For Snezhnaya! To victory!!"
.....
Thank you for reading.
(T/N: Man, these days don't have much time to translate due to working overtime.)