Chapter 165: The Imminent Collapse of the Country, Chaos Unleashed
My fist is really powerful!
When Loria saw the irregularly shaped gemstone shimmering with a faint blue light, the thought flashed through her mind.
Forget about stealing or explaining things, punching Count Norton directly is more effective.
She picked up the Stone of Enka, with a smile on her face, looking around.
The world has already gone crazy, many of the concerns she had before don't need to exist anymore.
It's just defeating a fallen count, not an emperor. The empire doesn't have time to send someone to punish her. Who knows, maybe the emperor will even thank her once he knows this news.
"You did quite well."
Loria put the Stone of Enka into her inventory and praised Count Norton, who was smiling but looked worse than crying.
Don't hit people who smile at you.
"There's something I need to explain to you."
Loria suddenly became serious.
She decided to take this opportunity to clarify the purpose of the Hidden Leader to Count Norton, and tell him that trading with the Hidden Leader was hopeless, as they were very cruel.
She prepared to say all of this in the hope that Count Norton would choose the right side.
Getting hold of the Stone of Enka was only the first step of the plan. Next, they had to find a way to avoid being pursued by the Hidden Leader, and this would require the support of Count Norton.
The simplest way would be to kill everyone in the mansion, so that no one would tell the Hidden Leader that she had the Stone of Enka.
But Loria was not a true demon and couldn't be so cruel.
She always considered herself just and although many of the things she did were not aligned with justice, they couldn't be called evil either.
"Their purpose is to release the demons from the village. Do you think a crazy person who has the courage to do such things would value your life? They need you now, so they show you great respect, but if they no longer need you..."
Dangerous light flashed in Loria's eyes.
When touched by the cold light, Count Norton's body trembled uncontrollably.
"I heard that your desire, Count Norton, is to restore the former glory of the Norton family. But if the whole world submits to the demons, how will you revive it? When the Oder Empire was established, the Emperor entrusted the first Count Norton with the Stone of Enka because he had bravely fought against the demons and achieved great feats."
Loria shook her head and sighed, as if commemorating the past.
She saw Count Norton silent and wondered if he had listened to her words.
After a moment, she stepped forward and patted Count Norton's shoulder. "I will report to the imperial government about your brave resistance against the Hidden Leader and the unity of the enthusiastic masses in dealing a heavy blow to the Hidden Leader."
Loria was unsure of what Count Norton might be thinking, but she had said enough.
Threatening Count Norton directly might backfire.
She turned around and left the big mansion with Doris, but instead of immediately returning to the guildmaster home, she hid nearby.
She definitely won't easily place the treasure on Count Norton.
Now Count Norton behaves honestly, but who knows if he will turn around and report her to the Hidden Leader's people.
To prepare for this, Loria made double preparations.
The first thing is to lurk nearby and observe Count Norton's actions.
If Count Norton stubbornly goes to find the Hidden Leader's people, then she will directly eliminate him.
A person who is determined to collaborate with the evil cult terrorists like the Hidden Leader will only end up eating expensive rice if they continue to live in this world.
If Count Norton doesn't show any signs today, then Loria can only rely on Vita.
Vita is not the leader of this operation, but she can obtain firsthand information and find a way to make Count Norton keep quiet before he reveals anything.
At the end of the day, Loria was very pleased with Count Norton's performance.
Count Norton, who was humiliated, didn't leave the house at all. In the past, when he suffered this kind of humiliation, he would have immediately gathered people to stand up for him.
But today, he stayed in his bedroom the whole time. This strange behavior made the maids find it unbelievable, and they even thought he was sick for a while.
"Then let Vita handle the rest."
Facing the hazy drizzle of noon, Loria returned to the guildmaster residence.
Even though she knew that the results from the simulation were not very reliable, for peace of mind, she still ran the simulation twice.
The results of the two simulations were optimistic. Count Norton, after being attacked, didn't reveal to the Hidden Leader, who came to investigate later, that it was her who visited him that day.
With Vita mediating, the Hidden Leader didn't suspect her at all as the culprit.
"It looks good."
But Loria still couldn't relax.
Just in case, she decided to persuade the guildmaster family to move outside and avoid the trouble.
She originally thought she would have to argue a bit, but to her surprise, as soon as she spoke, Count Lidilia agreed.
"I was just planning to find a quiet place to recuperate for a while."
Without wasting any time, Count Lidilia began packing up that very evening.
Although they said it was for recuperation, it was actually for seeking refuge, so they didn't inform their relatives.
By the next morning, Count Lidilia had almost finished packing up everything.
"Moving again?"
Lady Luciene looked at Loria, who had come to their door, with astonishment.
Far away from the noisy city, avoiding those annoying reporters, she was living quite comfortably in the countryside these days. She had even prepared to live here for the rest of her life.
Loria spread her hands and said, "The situation is turbulent, there's no way around it."
Even if there wasn't the incident of the Stone of Enka being stolen, Count Lidilia couldn't continue to stay as the leader.
A large number of Hidden Leader members infiltrated the area, turning it into a boiler that could explode at any moment.
As the saying goes, a gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall, Loria felt it was better to stay away from these people as much as possible.
Now she was already burdened with a heap of divine "resentment." She didn't want to have any more conflicts with that Weaver, or else her body would become a breeding ground for gods and demons.
This is not something to be proud of. She is just an ordinary person, how could she compete with those gods?
After notifying everyone one by one, Loria embarked on her "escape" journey that very night.
On the way leaving Count Lidilia's territory, she leaned out of the carriage window and immediately saw Vita standing on the hill.
The two of them looked at each other and didn't speak.
In the end, their paths were different. As for whether they would end up in the same place, who knows?
Loria pulled her head back and closed her eyes to rest, pulling down the curtain to block the light.
Without the missing piece, the Stone of Enka, Hidden Leader's plan to release the demons should be stalled.
Loria had no interest in the direction the war between the Empire and Hidden Leader would take. She just wanted to quickly improve her strength and eliminate the threat of the demon and the Goddess of Madness and Indulgence.
As for the Goddess of Hedonism and Dark Moon...
Honestly, Loria couldn't figure out if this goddess was here to help her or had deeper intentions.
"But now, I don't have the ability to confront her. I can only take it step by step."
Loria sighed.
Life is not easy, what can we do?
She only hopes that this trip will go smoothly.
On the other side, on the hill, Vita, who sent Loria off, suddenly covered her stomach with her hand.
The situation is very bad.
During the battle that day, Weaver's power went out of control, and these days, even walking would cause her some pain.
If this continues, sooner or later she will be swallowed by Weaver.
This is different from what others have experienced.
When others are swallowed by Weaver, they at most lose themselves and become puppets controlled by Weaver.
But because she has accepted Weaver's power and has many silk threads embedded in her body, if she is swallowed, she fears she will turn into a huge spider.
"Monster?"
Vita let out a bitter laugh.
If she appeared like that in front of Loria, she would definitely be seen as a monster.
But what else could she do?
Since the day she was targeted by the Hidden Leader, her life had been destined to be gloomy. She didn't have the right to pursue happiness.
It wasn't really that bad, though.
"At least I've lived long enough compared to others."
Vita remembered the late Sylph and the group of people she walked out of the training camp with, who now only had her left.
She tidied up her wind-blown hair, put on her cat mask again to cover her eyes, and then turned around to head towards Count Norton's house.
Even though several members of the Hidden Leader died at Count Norton's house, Hidden Leader still planned to continue the cooperation.
The empire is in chaos, and the more chaotic, the better.
Count Norton happened to be a small spark that could make the empire even more chaotic.
With things having come this far, he couldn't escape anymore and could only go along with the intentions of the Hidden Leader.
...
On the fourth day after leaving Count Lidilia's territory, which was August 8th.
Loria, who had been hoping for a safe journey, encountered trouble on the way. Someone blocked the road, and it was a military group.
"？？？"
Loria's expression became somewhat unpleasant.
The army doesn't look very big, maybe only about two thousand people at most.
Judging from their appearance and clothing, this is not a defeated army. They should be a local stationed unit, and it seems they are going on a long journey for the frontline battle.
However, this army, which should have defended the empire, intercepted Loria and her team halfway.
Their objective is very simple—
They want money!
Their method is also very simple—
They rob!
"We are all smart people, it's best not to make us do it ourselves."
The leader of the army sneered at the stoic butler across from him.
His gaze moved back and forth, and finally settled on the countess, who was leaning out to observe the situation outside. His eyes instantly brightened.
"I've changed my mind now. Not only do you have to leave the money, but you also have to leave her behind."
The butler spoke in a deep voice, "Are you sure you want to do this? Sitting in the carriage is Count Lidilia."
The man blocking the way seemed momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. "Count? Where's the count? Right now, there's only a group of soldiers fighting for our country. We've protected your safety. Isn't it only right for you to give us some money? Hurry up, or my patience will disappear."
What is a troublemaker soldier? This is a troublemaker soldier.
Seeing this scene, Loria felt that the Oder Empire was really about to be destroyed. Even if it wasn't destroyed by the Hidden Leader, it probably wouldn't last long.
The local garrison was the most important force of the empire, but now they have become greedy and lustful, disregarding the rules. How can they be brave and self-sacrificing in battle?
"I'll go and talk to them."
Loria jumped down from the carriage.
With her beautiful appearance, graceful figure, and charming demeanor, she easily caught the attention of everyone who crossed her path.
"Miss, instead of following this so-called Count Lidilia, why not join us? We will protect you."
"Are you going to the Province of Claren?" Loria asked.
The man shook his head. "We are going to confront Count Norton, who recently raised a rebellion."
Loria pursed her lips. Count Norton did indeed rebel, just as he had simulated. Luckily, she had escaped beforehand, otherwise she would have encountered many troubles.
"Litt..."
"Smack!"
Loria suddenly slapped the officer who wanted to speak.
"What's your attitude? How dare you covet the countess! For your crimes, it wouldn't be excessive if I killed you three times!"
The officer was completely confused, and his followers quickly aimed their guns at Loria once they realized what was happening.
"What do you want to do?"
"You jerk!"
Loria didn't care.
Is that all?
Do you think you can do whatever you want with just two thousand people? This is a dispirited and directionless army. As long as a few "flag bearers" are eliminated, it will immediately collapse.
"If you're brave enough, come and avenge him."
Facing a large group of people, Loria prepared herself.
Shortly after, those people screamed and charged at her. She held a large sword in both hands and, relying on the agility of Kitty's Pace, defeated dozens of them in a very short time.
This level of war damage didn't make these soldiers afraid, but what happened next completely changed their understanding.
"Put in more effort, this woman can't hold on anymore."
"Don't kill her, it would be such a waste."
Amidst the clamor, Loria faced several long spears thrusting towards her.
The material used to make these long spears was extraordinary, and those who used them were skilled soldiers, possessing strength comparable to a D-rank adventurer.
Under normal circumstances, not to mention a petite girl, even an iron wall would be easily pierced.
But today, these several spears attacked simultaneously, yet they couldn't pierce through Loria's clothes and skin.
"Just like that."
Loria sneered, and in the next moment, she suddenly saw a magic-powered cannonball flying towards her from a distance. She didn't bother using her sword; instead, she grabbed it with her hand and forcefully stopped the cannonball.
Looking at the spinning bomb in Loria's hand, the soldiers who were just making noise immediately panicked.
"Monster, it's a monster!"
"Run!"
Even without Loria and her team doing anything, the panicked soldiers trampled on each other. Several people had their eyes burst from being trampled.
Loria had no sympathy for this.
These soldiers, who enjoyed the empire's provisions, had no idea how many innocent civilians they had harmed along the way. Loria wouldn't feel any burden even if she killed them.
"Tell me, how is the situation in the empire's war?"
Loria lifted the officer up.
The officer, who was scared to the point of almost urinating, explained the situation in great detail.
Can only say the situation is very bad.
Over the years, the situation of people within the empire eating a salary they didn't earn is very serious.
Now that the war has started, in order to ensure that the number of soldiers is sufficient, these officers will recruit people locally before receiving the order to depart.
The people recruited in this way are of mixed quality, mostly elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. It is extremely rare to find those who meet the requirements.
Loria finds it difficult to imagine how such an army will fight against the "regular army" formed by the Hidden Leader.
When they arrive at the front line, the morale of the normal troops will definitely be greatly affected by their performance.
"One month? Two months? It seems that the fall of the imperial capital is not far away."
