Section 26: A Sudden Windfall (Part 2)

Leonardo was the first to start applauding, “Excellent! No wonder our leader always wanted to meet Mr. Hegel again, and personally devised the plan to rescue him from the wicked Valencia.”

“Comrades, today we have achieved a great victory. With the help of our orc brothers, we annihilated a regiment of Warrenheit’s forces. Though our losses are not insignificant, what we’ve gained is considerable, proving that we have the strength to defeat our enemies!” Leonardo leapt onto a crate as he spoke.

“Long live Comminesson! Long live the leader!” Gamio shouted, raising his arm.

Encouraged by Gamio, the remaining revolutionaries present all lifted their hands to cheer.

“All right, all right, don’t dawdle. Quickly count the numbers and move these arms away. Mr. Hegel, please come with me. The leader has long wished to meet you, and also the gentleman from the Far East.” Leonardo began directing the revolutionaries to clear the battlefield.

Most of the mules originally pulling the transport wagons had been killed by stray bullets; the rest were so frightened by the battle that their legs gave out, and no matter how the revolutionaries prodded them, they wouldn’t budge. The revolutionaries had to carry the crates themselves, fortunately, there were over a hundred Pierce people whose immense strength allowed them to carry three stacked crates at once.

The battlefield was swiftly cleared. The bodies of fallen revolutionaries were prepared for burial, while those of the slain soldiers of the Randyan Third Regiment were left by the roadside. Their weapons and ammunition were stripped, and even the Pierce and Monk people took their clothes and boots.

The group slipped into the dense forest, and Leonardo stayed close to Wei Wuji and Mr. and Mrs. Hegel. “Mr. Hegel, let me take you to see the leader right away,” Leonardo offered.

Unexpectedly, Hegel refused, turning nervously to Wei Wuji, “Mr. Wei, do you know what you and Mage Layard discovered today?”

“Not good. Cecily may have been captured,” Wei Wuji answered after a brief hesitation. “We found a wanted poster in the streets that looked very much like Cecily. However, by the time we saw it, it was being torn down, leaving only posters of Mr. Hegel and your wife.”

Hegel’s face turned ashen, and Lady Serra fainted. From the start of their flight until now, so many perilous events had occurred—any single one enough to fuel gossip for days among the town’s busybodies. That Lady Serra had made it until now before collapsing was a testament to her nerves, but when she heard their daughter might have been seized by Gaul City, she could bear it no longer.

Hegel hurried to steady his wife. When Wei Wuji confirmed that Serra had only fainted, Hegel was somewhat reassured.

“Mr. Leonardo, I’m afraid I cannot go to see Master Grant immediately, for my daughter is in grave danger. I beg you to help me. If Cecily can be rescued, I promise to follow you to the base,” Hegel pleaded.

Leonardo didn’t answer at once. He glanced at Wei Wuji and said softly, “This Mr. Wei…”

“I am Miss Cecily’s friend,” Wei Wuji replied. “Even if you are unwilling to help, I will go to rescue her myself.”

With Wei Wuji’s stance made clear, Leonardo had to respond. After a moment’s deliberation, he said, “Mr. Hegel, to be honest, according to the original plan, I shouldn’t even be here. I was supposed to wait for you on the other side of the Negro River. But things changed suddenly—the leader believes the time for uprising has come, and we are preparing to attack Gaul City.”

“Attack Gaul City?” Hegel exclaimed.

“Yes, the Comminesson Revolutionary Group is preparing to seize Gaul City, and the action will take place within two or three days. According to our intelligence, the church is currently pressuring Warrenheit, the representative of the merchant class. The leader believes Warrenheit will not yield to the church. On the contrary, he has always been ambitious, with powerful forces behind him. He may even take this opportunity to challenge the church, and perhaps purge their influence from Randyan territory. If so, Warrenheit will struggle to manage Gaul, making this the perfect moment for our uprising.”

Leonardo spoke sincerely, “So, Mr. Hegel, I understand your urgent desire to save your daughter, but I hope you can wait patiently for two more days. Look, we have already seized arms, which will further equip our members. The leader is negotiating with the Monk and Pierce tribes; if successful, more orc brothers will join our revolution. On the third day, we will launch the Gaul uprising, and then we can rescue Cecily along the way.”

Hegel was startled and delighted to hear that the Comminesson Revolutionary Group intended to attack Gaul City; his spirits lifted. But when told he would have to wait two days, his face darkened and he murmured, “But... what if, in these two days, something happens to Cecily? Oh heavens, if Cecily comes to harm, I could not go on living.”

Leonardo quickly replied, “Mr. Hegel, I don’t think you need to worry so much. Remember, their real target is you. If they only catch Cecily, she isn’t in danger. If something were to happen to her, how could they hope to lure you out?”

Wei Wuji nodded, “Let’s do it this way, Mr. Hegel. I promise you, if after two days they are still unwilling to help, I will go and attempt the rescue myself.”

Hegel was moved, looking at Wei Wuji with gratitude, “Mr. Wei, thank you so much. But let’s wait until after two days. Going into Gaul City alone would make it very difficult to rescue Cecily.”

“How many batches is this now?” the beautiful young woman asked impatiently. She was beginning to regret tagging along with Raven out of boredom to protect some important figure.

Raven sat atop the highest point of the house, gazing into the distance below. There, on a small platform, Mr. Martin was giving an impassioned speech—the same young man who had stopped the church’s carriage and had challenged Archbishop Child about the need for reform.

His oratory was far inferior to Warrenheit’s in the Grand Hall, but his passion exceeded even that of the Prime Minister, so although he still needed to hone his skills, his fervor was contagious to many.

However, he did not realize that his days-long speeches, while Warrenheit turned a blind eye—since the Prime Minister needed him to stir trouble and distract Child—were testing the archbishop’s patience. For such a troublesome nobody, Child’s preferred method was to simply eliminate him.

Money may not buy everything, but it can buy enough; violence may not solve all problems, but it can solve you. Those were Archbishop Child’s own words, and two of his favorite methods. This time, he chose violence, since Martin was not important enough to warrant bribery—such exchanges were reserved for people like Senator Kidd.

Thus, Martin had been accosted by four different groups over three days. First, the local thugs bribed by the church; then, the church’s official security clergy; the next two groups were not even formal church affiliates, and the last included Child’s own attendants.

Yet Martin still stood in place, delivering his speech in halting rhythm, because he had Raven and Helen by his side.

“This is the fifth batch, I think,” Raven sighed.

“It’s not fun at all, always stuck on this rooftop,” Helen complained. She was now dressed in the city’s most fashionable long skirt, looking quite the lady. Compared to eating wind atop the roof, she’d rather stand up and admire her own dress.

“When can we go find Wei Wuji?” the beautiful girl grumbled.

Raven could only reply, “Didn’t I promise you? As soon as my task is done, we’ll go find him. But right now, I don’t know where he’s gone—at least we need some news before we set out.”

“Right, I know someone who might know where he is. His name is Amango; apparently, he’s in this city too.”

Helen stood and straightened her dress. “That settles it. You keep working here, and I’ll go look for Amango. If I get any news about Wei, I’ll come back and tell you.”

Without waiting for Raven’s reply, Helen leapt down from the other side of the roof. Raven had no time to call after her and could only retract his half-extended arm.

PS: Ah, in the previous update I used the term “Minié ball” directly, which led some to believe Mr. Hegel was a time traveler. Whether he is or isn’t, I’ll keep it a secret for now; it’s not time to reveal it yet. So I’ve changed the earlier section from “Minié ball” to “Hegel ball.” Later, when the Randyan side uses Minié balls, I might restore the original term, since Warrenheit, as a time traveler, knows its real name, and after Hegel’s escape, Warrenheit would never use a traitor’s name for the ammunition. Sorry about that.