WebNovels

Chapter 21 - Getting Unbelievably Wealthy

Government guards set out in two large hordes—one towards Saisei, the other towards Xelz City.

Meanwhile, in the capital of New Angeles, fresh notices were plastered all over town: on walls, streetlights, houses.

"What is this?"

"Let me see."

Townspeople scrambled to read the notices, curiosity buzzing in the air. One of them read it aloud:

"Head over to the town's central fountain to retrieve coins, the new trading medium. Details will be provided in a written manual."

"Coins?"

"What are those?"

Murmurs spread like wildfire through the streets. People rushed to the fountain, eager for answers and the promised "details."

Kenzaki stood among them, flanked by his two bodyguards. His cold stare burned into the notice. He exchanged a glance with an elderly woman beside him whose eyes brimmed with concern.

His glare softened. Concern overtook him. He sighed, fists clenched.

———

At the fountain, guards handed out small pouches of coins and thin paper manuals.

People eagerly flipped through the pages.

"Ooooh, this is genius! Trading will be so much easier!"

"Yeah! Schwartz is a genius!"

One man slapped another on the back. "And you were anti-Schwartz."

He scowled. "Did you read the last page? Every week, they'll take a percentage of our coins."

"Yeah, but that's to fund development."

"What development? They didn't even say. Why are they taking more of our stuff?"

"He's right..." another added. Whispers of doubt began to ripple outward.

"Man, you just don't trust Schwartz. You're just a fucking hater." someone snapped, finger pointed.

"What? This is just the logical analysis of whatever's in here," the skeptic replied, waving the manual.

"Yeah! I agree, the new government's greedy!"

"Fuck you! They gave you something better than the bartering system and you're still ungrateful?"

"They gave us that just to steal from us easier!"

The argument quickly escalated. Raised voices, shoved shoulders. A punch was pulled back, ready to fly—But it stopped midair, stopped by someone grabbing it by the elbow.

"HEYYYYYY, WILL Y'ALL SHUT THE FUCK UP!?"

Nick had grabbed the man's elbow. His shout froze the crowd.

"Who are you?"

"Your new Minister of Defense," Nick replied with a grin.

The man yanked his arm free. "Don't touch me. You government people are just pretending to help, putting up a front. But I know the truth, all you want is this." He rattled his bag of coins.

The man stepped closer to Nick, trying to intimidate him. Nick's smile faded to a scowl.

Suddenly, the bottom of the man's bag lit on fire. The flame spread fast.

"Argh—!" The man dropped the bag. Coins scattered on the ground, but the fire didn't stop.

Then—his fingers caught flame.

"Uh... Argh... ARGH!"

He thrashed and flailed, trying to shake it off, but the fire crawled up his arm.

"Oh shit."

"Woah!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd as they stepped back reflexively. A good Samaritan dashed forward with a bucket of water.

He hurled it—only for it to ignite mid-air, turning into a wave of fire that engulfed the man completely.

"ARGHHHH!! ARGHHHHHHHH!!!"

The man collapsed, writhing on the ground. Screams ripped through the plaza. He rolled, squirmed violently, body blackening.

Everyone backed away—everyone but Nick, who stood still, hands in his pockets, watching casually.

"ARGHHHHHH—Argh... argh..." The screams stopped. The body stopped moving. All that's left was just a pile of ash in the rough shape of human, still burning in broad daylight. Smoke drifted up into the sky.

Nick finally spoke, "So, can we all be civil, please? Violence — even just attempting violence — will be punished... quite severely."

The streets stayed quiet, only the sound of fire crackling can be heard.

The crowd silently dispersed, coins and manuals in hand. Kenzaki's gaze lingered on the ash a little longer before his bodyguards nudged him to leave.

"All this is happening... and I can't even contact my ghost of a son..." Kenzaki muttered as he walked away, then he ordered, "Send another letter to him."

———

From a balcony overlooking the scene, Schwartz watched.

"Jesus." muttered the man next to him. He was massive—at least 6'9", broad-shouldered, two axes strapped to his back, wearing a beanie. On the back of his navy-blue shirt: the letter 'Q'.

"Who the fuck did you hire?"

Schwartz didn't have his usual charismatic smile on. His eyes on the scene showed disapproval.

"It wasn't me," he said. "It was Hawthorne."

"That guy's insane, man."

"He's also the one who brought us this far." Schwartz exhaled. "So... I guess I'll have to stick with the Minister of Defense he gave me."

He said, staring at Nick in the distance, casually leaving the burning corpse.

———

"HARGHHHH!!"

**CLINK!**

Thomas slammed his axe with all his strength into the rock pile blocking the mine entrance. The axe got stuck.

"Fuck." He planted his foot, trying to pull it free. "Hrghhhhh..." His face turned red.

"Let us handle it," Natalie offered. Birds already swarmed beside her.

"You know what," Thomas sighed, stepping off the rock. "I should save my strength for inside anyway. That's what matters."

Natalie clasped her hands together, speaking to the sky, "Please help us!"

A moment later, hundreds of critters scurried down the ravine, working together to move the rocks, one by one.

Thomas waited by Alexander, who stood groggily, bed hair still not recovered, an utter mess, eyes half-shut.

"I could've just destroyed the boulders," Alexander muttered.

"Yeah, well, this is easier." Thomas gestured at the animals.

After a few minutes, the mine was open. A dim, eerie tunnel stared back at them.

Natalie smiled faintly. "It's open."

"Great!" Thomas hoisted his axe which was left on the ground by the animals, his excitement bubbling. "Time to get unbelievably wealthy, boys!"

Alexander yawned gently covered by an open hand, dragging himself forward.

They entered. Thomas led, Natalie followed with her scythe and two birds on her shoulders. Alexander lagged behind, sword still sheathed by his waist.

Thomas looked over his shoulder. Natalie looked as weak as she was last night. Her steps were slow, shoulders hunched, head hung.

"You alright?"

She lifted her head. "I'm fine. It's okay."

He halted his steps abruptly. She almost bumped into him but pulled the brakes just in time.

"I shouldn't have dragged you into this..."

"You didn't. You got into my business."

"Still... I feel like I uh... I have the need to say this—uh..."

"Tommy," Alexander called, walking past. "You're looking for 'sorry.'"

"Shut up, man." Thomas turned back to Natalie. "But yeah, I'm sorry about what happened, with your pets and all..."

"Don't be." She put up her hands, "At least you two were willing to fight for me. Things didn't turn out well... but... it's fine."

She mustered up the biggest smile she could, but it was still faint.

Thomas smiled back. "Alright! MINING, BOYS!"

"What am I looking at, Tommy?" Alexander asked.

They stepped into a large chamber, torch-lit, piles of rubble scattered about. Three massive doors stood before them—two wooden, one glowing blue.

"You're looking at gates," Thomas explained. "We need keys to open them. They're probably buried somewhere in this chamber..." He gestured around. "...or maybe not. Depends on our luck."

"Alright."

"LET'S GET DIGGING!"

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