Flames blazed into the sky.
Countless citizens weaved through the streets, carrying buckets of water towards the granary in the west of the city. Drop by drop, they condensed precious water using rudimentary water-gathering devices, splashing it onto the raging inferno consuming the granary.
Yet, at this moment, they showed no hesitation.
Buckets of stored water were brought forth, desperately trying to extinguish the burning granary. Alas, in the face of such an inferno, their efforts were like trying to fan a raging fire with a single leaf.
"Extinguish the fire!"
"Extinguish the fire!!!"
The clamor echoed through the night. Chen Yu, having received the news, rushed to the scene of the granary fire and witnessed firsthand the citizens' relentless efforts to save it.
"City Lord, look..."
Klein frowned, pointing at the burning granary, his face etched with anxiety, sweat dripping down his forehead.
The granary was their lifeline!
Tens of thousands of tons of grain were stored within. Until the harvest outside the city, Fengqi City relied on the granary's reserves for survival.
Now that the granary was ablaze, if the fire wasn't quickly put out, all the grain inside would be destroyed.
"Quickly, tell the citizens to withdraw! What if they get caught in such a massive blaze?" Chen Yu, standing in the distance, frowned deeply. "Stop them."
Deputy Commander Lauren immediately led the members of the legion to drive back the citizens fighting the fire at the granary.
Unexpectedly, the cavalry legion members were unable to stop the citizens determined to save the granary. With reddened eyes, they continued to rush towards the granary with their buckets, disregarding their own lives.
"Are they courting death!"
Chen Yu's gaze sharpened as he reprimanded them. The entire granary was constructed of wood, standing over ten meters tall. Each load-bearing pillar weighed hundreds of pounds.
The entire granary was already ravaged by the fire. If a load-bearing pillar broke, the citizens fighting the fire would be buried within.
"Everyone, stop, stop!"
Chen Yu, unable to stand idly by, ran towards the granary. Just then, a 'crack' sound suddenly echoed from the granary.
The sound was not insignificant, yet it was masked by the citizens' shouts to fight the fire.
Despite this, Chen Yu heard it clearly. His eyes narrowed as he followed the direction of the 'crack' sound, and he saw a load-bearing pillar, unable to bear the strain, snap.
Tragically, near the broken pillar, there were several citizens still splashing water.
"Come back!!"
"Come back!!!!"
Chen Yu's voice grew hoarse as he witnessed this scene. The citizens fighting the fire seemed oblivious, and no matter how Chen Yu shouted, there was no response.
"Damn it!"
Chen Yu gritted his teeth fiercely, and an astonishing aura erupted from within him.
"What are you doing?" The little demon grabbed Chen Yu's arm, looking at him in panic. "Don't tell me you're going in. Didn't you hear the load-bearing pillar break? The granary is about to collapse, and you'll be buried inside. Chen Yu, you're not a Saint Realm expert!"
"I am the City Lord."
Chen Yu broke free from the little demon's hand. The elements within him became even more violent, and a barrier of elemental energy condensed around him, pushing back the citizens still intent on fighting the fire. He then resolutely charged into the granary engulfed in flames.
Of course, he understood what the little demon meant.
Regardless of whether others in the city regarded him as a Saint Realm expert, his Saint Realm was a facade, a false impression created by his elemental affinity.
His true cultivation level was merely Gold Realm.
If the granary truly collapsed, given his cultivation and the raging inferno, his situation would be perilous. Even if he survived, he would likely be injured.
"City Lord!!"
Vice City Lord Klein exclaimed. The little demon pressed a hand to its forehead.
"What is this all about?"
RUMBLE—
The moment the little demon touched its forehead, the entire granary collapsed with a roar. The little demon's heart, which had been resting on its forehead, instantly leaped into its throat.
"Chen Yu!!!"
"City Lord!"
Both the officials in the City Lord's mansion and the citizens outside cried out in alarm at the moment of collapse. Amidst their cries, a figure emerged from the rubble of the collapsed granary. Chen Yu, his face blackened by soot, shielded two citizens carrying buckets.
"Hurry and get out of here, it's too dangerous."
"City Lord, you..." The rescued citizens looked at him with worry. Chen Yu shook his head. "I'm fine, are you two injured?"
"No."
The citizens shook their heads repeatedly.
The two people who were still within the collapse zone when the granary caved in had felt despair. They were ordinary folks with no extraordinary abilities.
If the collapsing structure had crushed them, their lives would have ended there.
Just as the pillars were about to fall on them, Chen Yu appeared in time and single-handedly supported the collapsing pillars, using his body to shield them, and walked out of the ruins.
"It's good that you are safe. Go out now."
"Alright."
The citizens carrying buckets scurried outside. The little demon, Klein, and Lauren also rushed to Chen Yu's side.
"City Lord, are you alright?"
"What do you think?" Chen Yu glanced at them with a relaxed smile. "Don't worry about me. Go check on the citizens and see if anyone was injured while fighting the fire."
"And the granary..."
"There's no need to extinguish it anymore." Chen Yu looked back at the burning ruins of the granary. "It's already burnt this badly, let it burn."
The entire granary burned for a full half hour.
Even from the City Lord's mansion, the thick smell of smoke could be detected.
"City Lord, the burning of our granary must be someone's doing!" Klein, clenching his fists, suddenly looked up and exclaimed with red eyes. "The granary was just built, the grain was just stored, and it caught fire at night. This is too suspicious."
"Then who do you think did it?"
"The sub-cities!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Klein declared with wide eyes.
"It's definitely them. The sub-city lords are the ones who least want Fengqi City to prosper right now. They were also behind the previous divisions within our city. When I was City Lord, I was suppressed by them numerous times."
"Do you have any evidence?" Chen Yu raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"Do we need evidence for this?" Klein frowned, his eyes bulging as if about to burst. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Calm down."
Chen Yu raised his arm slightly. He intended to pat Klein's shoulder but only managed to pat his arm, speaking calmly.
"Everything requires evidence. Even if it was the sub-city lords, you can't deal with them without proof. Are we going to attack their cities directly based on our assumptions and guesses? Let alone anything else, does our city have the military strength to oppose them?"
"If you say so, does this matter just go unpunished?" Klein exclaimed in disbelief.
Tens of thousands of tons of grain, reduced to ashes by a fire.
How could such a loss be borne?
In the underground world, grain production was already low, and food was scarce. Even the royal city of the Tatu Kingdom might not have reserves of ten thousand tons.
"Don't worry, I've already sent Lauren to investigate," Chen Yu said softly.
For a moment, a heavy silence fell upon the City Lord's mansion.
After a few minutes, the gates of the City Lord's mansion were pushed open, and Lauren, the deputy commander of the cavalry legion, entered, looking dusty.
"City Lord!"
Upon entering the conference hall, Lauren gave Chen Yu a standard knight's salute.
"How did the task I assigned you go?" Chen Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. Lauren reported diligently, "There were no casualties among the citizens, and they have all been evacuated to safety. The grain in the granary has all turned to ash. When the fire subsided slightly, I led our men in several attempts and managed to retrieve some charred meat from inside."
"How are the citizens' emotions?"
"With the granary burnt and the grain inside turned to ash, their emotions are a bit low," Lauren said softly. Chen Yu nodded with a slight smile. "I can understand."
Not long ago, they were all refugees. Even though Chen Yu's policies had given them renewed confidence in the future.
Suddenly, the granary burned down.
The sense of food scarcity in their hearts began to resurface.
Their low spirits were understandable.
"As for the Luo Ma you mentioned, I've brought him back too," Deputy Commander Lauren stated. Klein's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Yes, yes, yes, wasn't that Luo Ma responsible for the granary's safety? Where is he now? Bring him in quickly, we must clarify what exactly happened!"
"He... actually knows nothing about the fire."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Klein was instantly enraged, his mouth agape as he exclaimed.
"He doesn't know? Was he not responsible for the granary? How could he not know about the granary fire? What did he do?"
"When I caught him, he reeked of alcohol."
Lauren frowned deeply, his expression tinged with strong self-reproach.
"During the granary fire, he and other on-duty personnel were drinking at a tavern in the city. He is currently outside the mansion. If you have any questions, City Lord..."
"Let him in!" Klein's voice was hoarse as he shouted.
Lauren gestured towards the entrance, and over a dozen members of the cavalry legion entered with their heads down. Luo Ma, leading the way, was supported by two people holding his arms. The moment they let go upon entering the conference hall, Luo Ma fell to his knees, bowing his head in abject fear.
"The granary caught fire, where were you?"
Lauren grabbed Luo Ma by the collar. Luo Ma, filled with terror, dared not utter a word, his head remaining bowed.
"I told you to speak!" Klein grabbed Luo Ma's chin, forcing him to raise his head. "The granary caught fire, where did you go?"
"I... was drinking at a tavern in the city."
"With whom?"
"Everyone who was on duty."
"Damn it!" Klein kicked Luo Ma fiercely. "Drinking? Have you forgotten the City Lord's instructions before he left?"
"I..."
Luo Ma's eyes were filled with fear, his voice tinged with tears.
"I didn't expect anything to happen to the granary. I was just... suddenly happy to be appreciated by the City Lord, so I thought of inviting the on-duty colleagues for a drink. I swear, I really didn't mean to drink too much. Who knew that at the tavern, one drink after another, and I... I drank too much."
"City Lord, I truly didn't mean for this to happen. Please spare my life!"
"City Lord!!!"
Luo Ma, kneeling on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly. Klein, his brain oxygen-deprived from anger, found a chair and sat down, gasping for breath.
"Luo Ma, no one can spare you for this."
"Confine him to the dungeon."
After taking several deep breaths, Klein shouted, clenching his fists.
The cavalry legion members on either side immediately appeared beside Luo Ma. Luo Ma, still kneeling, cried out even louder, crawling on the ground to Chen Yu and grabbing his leg.
"City Lord, please speak for me!"
"Didn't you say I resembled an old friend of yours? For the sake of your old friend, please spare me this once. I promise I will never do it again."
"I really didn't mean to, City Lord!"
"I do indeed appreciate you," Chen Yu, his leg being held, looked down into Luo Ma's eyes. "Unfortunately, tens of thousands of tons of grain in the granary were burnt to ashes, directly plunging Fengqi City into a food crisis. If I let you go, how will the citizens of the city let you go? You must bear this sin yourself."
Slowly raising his gaze, the members of the cavalry legion dragged Luo Ma out.
No one paid heed to his desperate cries.
"City Lord..." Klein, seated on the chair, spoke. Chen Yu raised his hand. "You should go back too. Let me be alone for a while."
"City Lord, I was also responsible for this matter..."
Lauren stepped forward as well. Chen Yu still raised his hand, signaling him to stop.
"Let's go, I'm tired."