Chapter 558: The spark that blows up this bomb
The next few days, Ramwill barely had time to water his throat with watery beer after all the talking he was doing, THIS was how much he was talking!
The situation in Ferwall and outside of it has been worsening by the day. Now, there was almost no one whose crops were still alive and not frozen by the "ice weed" or "frozen weed" as the locals called these plants.
The ice weed began spreading even into the city itself, growing with incredible speed and easily breaking through the stone pavement with its powerful roots. Every morning, teams of exterminators had to deal not only with their usual prey of rodents and insects, but with the ice weeds too, and every day there were more new sprouts to cut.
Seeing that the next harvest season will end not with celebrations but with a famine, the citizens began panicking and trying to gather as much food as they could. They tried to assault merchants—who have raised the prices following the high demand—and gathered in angry crowds in front of rich mansions until these crowds were chased away by guards.
The idea that attacking the emperor’s palace would solve everything was blooming in more and more minds, thanks to Ramwill, his Wildmen, and by countless honey-tongued bees who whispered these ideas directly in people’s minds.
The entire Ferwall became a barrel of gunpowder that could explode from a single spark. Ramwill alone became fearful of walking over it—partially because he was now declared an outlaw and chased by guards, and partially because many angry people weren’t going to ask who he was at all.
At this time, when a person walked down the wrong street at the wrong time, he could get beaten up simply because his chitin looked too healthy and his eyes were too clear—after all, only rich people could afford the best doctors and to sit inside their mansions away from poor folks and their poor plagues.
Nobody knew for sure what would make this gunpowder barrel explode. Even Explanatory wasn’t in a hurry to stir something up... But one morning, during his breakfast of plain porridge without meat (Ramwill missed crocodile stew and usnea jam), Ramwill heard her agitated voice in his head.
’Ramwill-human, be ready! The emperor decided that he wanted to address the citizens. It will happen today, so we must act immediately! The extra bee soldiers are already moving into the city, but you must be ready to lead the crowd.’
Ramwill didn’t even know what it was all about, but he started eating faster anyway. Within half an hour, he was outside, talking with people again and hiding his face from guards.
’We can’t just let the emperor speak without doing anything, Ramwill,’ Explanatory had explained to him while Ramwill was wolfing down his food. ’If he says and does something that will calm down people, it will cut down the efforts we spent to spread rebellious thoughts. If he only angers them more, then people might revolt immediately and fail in this revolt without our control and support. Thus, you and our other people must be there to direct this event the way we need it to happen. Grand Commander will be happy to hear that the Ferwall is going to be ours soon.’
***
Five hours later, Ramwill was standing in the crowd in front of the emperor’s palace gates. They were tall, but not tall enough to hide the balcony from which the emperor was going to address his people.
Hearing him from over twenty meters away was going to be impossible, but a herald was going to repeat the words later—he was already standing on a small stage at the side.
Dozens of guards were also present here: some guarded the palace gates, some the herald, and others just walked along the edges of the crowd, making sure that it didn’t go too rowdy and there were no criminals in it.
Crowds were excellent hunting grounds for pickpockets, but today, more dangerous criminals were hiding among citizens. People like Ramwill.
Political criminals.
Ramwill covered half of his face and one eye with bandages, like someone who had gone through one of the many illnesses that caused chitin flaking. The group of beggars around—all people that were devoted to his ideas by now, and the food he shared with them—were hiding him much better than this "disguise".
More Wildmen were standing in the crowd, ready to speak whatever was necessary. The bees were going to spread the right words quickly—the level of organisation of this revolt was truly revolutionary.
Ramwill jolted when he heard giggling in his own head.
’A wonderful pun, Ramwill! I will record this for our books,’ Explanatory said. ’The emperor is almost here. Be ready!’
As soon as she finished talking, the balcony’s gold-adorned doors opened and the emperor of the Vardish Empire (or what was left of it), Lausel Vidiminni The Third, stepped out.
People pushed forward, willing to see and hear better, but it wasn’t helpful.
Ramwill was standing as close to the palace gates as the row of guards near it allowed, but from this far, he still couldn’t even see Lausel’s face properly, only his expensive outfit that probably had more embroidered surface than plain fabric.
There was another person next to him, carrying a scroll and a writing pen.
Emperor Lausel said something and waved his hand. Then said something more. And more. The person next to him was dutifully recording all this, while the crowd waited impatiently for when they would be allowed to actually hear these words.
Finally, the emperor left the balcony.
Ramwill was surprised the bees didn’t kill him in front of everyone. That would certainly be incendiary...
’We can’t leave the ordinary citizens who want his blood without this,’ Explanatory replied. ’The most important part begins now.’
The man with the record of Lausel’s speech left the balcony too—in a much bigger hurry. A couple of minutes later, a guard ran out of the palace’s gates toward the awaiting herald and passed him the scroll.
He cleared his throat and began reading...