Chapter 129: Uprising on the 30th Floor! The World Plunges into Chaos!
....
Seito felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him. He knew that Yukino Yukinoshita was fully aware of what he had been up to yesterday. But why did he feel this sudden sting of "social death"? He stammered, unable to find the words.
Kanade Tachibana sensed the shift in the atmosphere. She had been napping yesterday afternoon and was completely in the dark. So, what exactly was Seito doing? Feeling a prickle of jealousy, her small hand reached out and gave Seito's waist a sharp pinch.
"Ahem." Seito rubbed his sore side and muttered, "What else could I be doing? Exactly what you're thinking." He decided to just "rot"—the path of least resistance.
"Hmph!" Yukino let out a cold snort and quickened her pace.
"Don't be mad, Flatty(Yukino)," Seito said, catching her by the arm.
Yukino didn't unleash her usual poison-tongued remarks; she didn't say a word, merely staring at him with a gaze as cold as ice.
"I mean... we're going to get married sooner or later anyway. Do you really want to end up like Haruno? That seems impossible given your personality..." He teased her with a playful tone. "Besides, it's not like I'd ever let you go."
Hearing this, Yukino felt a strange sense of relief wash over her.
"And me!" Kanade chimed in, her expression dead serious.
"Right! And Kanade~!" Seito patted her small head. Gotta look out for my fellow white-haired comrade, he thought. The three of them continued their walk home.
While Seito and the girls were heading home, a seismic event was unfolding within God's Domain!
Countless players from the Eastern Country had teleported to the various Imperial Capitals on the 30th Floor. From there, they fanned out, heading toward the surrounding territories and villages.
In a certain village:
A member of the Fatui Guild, disguised in commoner's rags, leaned toward a burly man working in the fields. "Brother, have you heard? The prices in the capital have doubled! A loaf of bread that used to cost a few copper coins is now going for 500 Gold coins!"
"Huh? I never went to school, don't you go lying to me!" the man gasped, dropping his tools.
The Fatui member waved it off. "It's the truth! Who would joke about something like that?" The man fell into a stunned silence.
In a certain territory:
A player looked at a noble with an Eastern face. "Baron Wang Xin, the Empire is rotting. Are you really going to stick with them? They've abandoned you, yet you still slave away for them? Look at your territory—it's on the fringe. When the monsters attack, you're the first line of defense!"
The player shared the news of the price hikes with the Baron. Baron Wang Xin took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "The time has come! Are kings and nobles born to their stations? The Empire is corrupt! I shall raise a righteous army and overthrow this tyranny!"
In a Bear-kin tribe:
A player stood in the central square, delivering a passionate speech. "Whether you are human or another race! The nobles see us as nothing! they trample our dignity and treat us like cattle! That was bad enough, but now? My entire month's wages can't even buy a single loaf of bread! Tell me, is that fair?"
The player's expression was frantic as he roared, "The nobles want us dead! We can't survive like this! Let us rise up! Overthrow the regime!"
The Bear-kin were bewildered. A month's wages for one loaf of bread? "Screw them! We're rebelling! Bear-kin shall never be slaves!!"
Similar scenes played out across the continent. In just a single day, uprisings sparked in almost every territory of every Empire on the 30th Floor. Countless villages and towns answered the call.
The players had completely thrown the 30th Floor into chaos. With such a massive player base, starting a revolution was easy—they could paint the blackest lies as white truths. Their slogans were loud and clear: Slay the Nobles! Overthrow the Empire! Are Kings and Nobles born to their stations?
The Imperial Royals were left reeling. They hadn't sensed a thing, yet suddenly, the world had turned upside down. Meanwhile, high-ranking nobles sensed the changing winds. They bickered with the Royals in public, but privately, they were recruiting soldiers, preparing to make their own move.
Back with Seito:
Seito, Kanade, and Yukino reached the second floor of their building. After parting ways, Seito and Kanade entered his bedroom to find Kirukiru Amou already lying on the bed, logged into the game. Without hesitation, they joined her.
Snezhnaya Territory, 30th Floor.
Appearing in his Lord's Mansion, Seito found Amou discussing matters with Mia Snow.
"You're back," Amou said with a smile.
"Mm." Seito nodded and turned to Mia Snow. "Queen, how do you find the environment here?"
"Very good," she replied. "I plan to find a suitable spot nearby to establish a small town. Most of my tribe will stay on the 17th Floor, with only a few living here for now. However, I can help you locate the Snow Maiden tribes native to the Endless Continent and invite them to stay here."
Seito pondered this. The 17th Floor needed the Snow Maidens to remain stable, so their main base would stay there. But bringing in the local tribes of the 30th Floor was a great alternative. "I'll leave that in your hands then, Queen," he said with an elegant bow.
"No trouble at all," she waved it off. As Queen, she could sense the location of her kin; it was a simple task.
Seito then turned to Amou. "How is the situation in Snezhnaya?"
"Quite well," Amou recalled the day's events. "The cities in the Far North are almost finished."
"That fast?!" Seito was floored. It hadn't even been a full day. How could they build cities that quickly?
....
Thank you for reading.
....
(T/N: Sorry for the delay update)