The rising sun has not yet dissipated the chill of the night, and the morning breeze is still a bit cold.
Outside the open city gate, a group of rickety figures slowly walked in under the vigilant eyes of the guards.
Most of their faces have turned sallow and have deep wrinkles, their eyes are narrowed into a line, and their surroundings are swollen and red.
People who farm are exposed to wind and sun all day long, which is generally the case.
The leader was an old man with a broken felt hat on his head and only a very thin work clothes on his body. His whole body was tied up and he was holding a dirty white rag in his hand, propped up with branches.
Those hands were not the red and round hands of landowners, but thick, clumsy and cracked claws, like dead tree bark.
It’s hard to tell the age of this group of people just from their appearance. There are probably no young people.
After they entered the city, they were immediately surrounded by guards who came forward to search them.
"Let them come over."
A metallic sound sounded from the square, and the guards dispersed around like a cloud, making way for a path.
Those people walked to the center of the square with fear and uneasiness.
They saw a giant as tall as an iron tower standing in front of them, flanked by another warrior with a sword, and ten similar giants surrounding him in an arc.
The giants were all wrapped in thick silver-gray armor, their robes and ribbons fluttering gently in the morning breeze, and a scrutinizing gaze came from the dark eyepieces on their helmets.
Invisible pressure came from them, and those people stopped when they were fifty meters away.
The leader of the old man had a look of joy and sadness on his face, and he moved his lips but said nothing.
After someone coughed violently, his attitude immediately became respectful, and he knelt down on the ground unsteadily, with his upper body prostrated, his forehead close to the ground, and he said clearly:
"Sinner Chris, it is a great honor to be able to look upon the face of the God-Emperor Angel."
He spoke in High Gothic, and although it was very poor, it was still understandable.
This surprised Soshyan.
While the old man knelt down, the people who came with him also worshiped the angels in the same posture, and praised the name of the God Emperor with their mouths.
Soshiyang had a lot of things he wanted to say, but he felt like he was being blocked by something. He just kept them in his mind and couldn't say them out.
"You traitors! Rebels! Thieves! Murderers!"
At this time, West spoke first, and he cursed directly at the people kneeling on the ground.
"How brave you are to have the nerve to come to see the noble angel! You should have your eyes gouged out and your tongue cut off! Hang on the city gate!"
As West's curses rang out, the nearby landowners who were watching also started shouting. The appearance of the angels gave them the greatest support in their hearts. They were originally shrinking in fear in the city, but now their hearts are full of courage.
, I just want to catch those rebellious serfs as soon as possible and torture them severely so that they will never dare to rebel again in their lives.
"oops!"
Suddenly, West flew backwards, then fell to the ground rolling in pain.
Armin withdrew his chain sword and hung it back on his waist. Just now he "lightly" touched the opponent's chest with the hilt of the sword, and then he made the person shut his mouth.
Seeing the angel getting angry, everyone immediately shut their mouths.
Those people on the ground were still lying on the cold bricks.
Then, a quiet voice floated out from the grille of Soshyan's helmet.
"Get up."
In this place, his order was absolute, and those people then stood up unsteadily one after another.
The old man in the lead regained his balance with the help of another person.
"You guys, why are you causing trouble?"
Soshyan's next words almost made them kneel down again.
"Stand still!"
Armin's scolding made their bent knees straighten again.
"Sinners dare not hide it. We really have no food, no clothing, and can't survive... But we are still obedient citizens of the empire! We are not rebels who created the empire!"
The old man was choked up after talking.
"My lord! My lord! They are lying!"
West, who had been knocked out before, actually got up alive again, walked near the demigods, and scolded the old man:
"You actually said such blasphemous words! What do you think of angels? Are you fools!"
He turned around, faced Soshyan, bent down, and pointed at the rebellious serfs.
"Supreme Angel, you may not know something. These unscrupulous people are the most cunning and often act pitiful! They are clearly cultivating the land of the God Emperor. Every time they collect taxes, they ask for grain or livestock.
Livestock, in fact, they have everything! Once the floor is lifted or the wall is opened, it is either underground or in secret storage rooms! And in valleys and deep streams, they also secretly hide unregistered farmland!"
Soshyan held it back with his peripheral vision. The man was speaking hoarsely and with righteous indignation, just like a judge judging heretics.
"My lord! They look loyal on the surface, but in fact they are the best at lying! No matter what they do, they will lie! They will besiege the city and tax agencies if they are dissatisfied at all! The so-called obedient people are simply the stingiest, the most cunning, the most cowardly, and the most cowardly.
Bad-hearted and the least religious! They are always thinking about how to undermine the authority of the empire, destroy the faith of the God-Emperor, and satisfy their anarchic desires!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
"You are the real liar! The murderer!"
West's words immediately aroused the opposition of the serfs. Their necks and faces were all red with anger. If they were not afraid of the presence of the angels, they would have rushed up to fight with the landlord.
"You use people like cattle! But the food is worse than cattle! The taxes are getting heavier every year!"
A relatively stocky-looking short man pointed at West and yelled angrily:
"A few years ago, you were charging 70%. After a year, it was 80%, then 85%! Finally it was 90%! How can you live! How can you live!"
"Why didn't you say you were delaying taxes earlier! I paid you in advance! Shouldn't you charge some interest?"
"There were heavy rains and floods that year—"
"Shit! The tax collector doesn't care about this! It's us who are forced to pay taxes! Us! Not you! It's better for you, you don't have any gratitude at all!"
"quiet!"
With a sharp shout, all the mortals lowered their heads and closed their mouths at the same time.
Soshyan glanced at the rebellious farmers and then said:
"Paying taxes is the eternal obligation of citizens of the empire. This is irrefutable."
"yes……"
The farmer's head hung lower.
"But it is also the empire's responsibility to ensure the most basic survival rights of the people of the empire."
Soshyan turned to West.
"Why do you sit back and watch the people of the empire die of starvation?"
"No, no, no...I..."
West wiped the sweat from his head and responded in a low voice:
"We have always provided the most basic relief rations..."