Chapter 568: Day 5,040 – Viewpoints 51
The Leader, Hamid
“A disaster! The heathens killed one of our own, we have to respond.”
“You saw their power! We have no chance against that monster in human flesh. His stats are immense. And the number of cities he has, is too large.”
“Appeasement? Bah! Fight, fight to the death, I say.”
“We don’t even know where his cities are? We would have to fight him directly. If you want to do that, go right ahead.”
“If we can’t easily kill the sword user or the monster, then we have no chance.”
“The Leader was right to make peace.”
I listened to the arguments from my men swirl around me as I sat brooding over the recent developments. The giddiness that Emperor had shown at seeing the map made me regret letting him view it. But we couldn’t afford to fight.
Looking at Michael’s stats and that of his teammates we were completely outclassed. That woman and the man with him were far higher than I had expected. I could fight, but I didn’t think I had a chance. If our stats were even, then I would not have allowed him to trample all over our pride. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
Out of all the things I had expected, a random Emperor of 19 cities to just show up out of the blue was not one of them. His plan to send people out to expand and create a warzone, was brutal but clever. We would have to use it as a tempering ground to gather knowledge, resources, and to prepare for the future.
Also, the boarder needed to be secured much more. We couldn’t afford hordes of rampaging Westerners invading our zones. They were from the East of this place, but they were still the West in my mind. I knew how destructive Imperialism was to the places the Imperialists took over.
We just had to be too hard to swallow and not give any offense. Meech and the Indian Sultanate were going to die and soon. That was one thing I was confident about. I anticipated them sending an envoy begging for sanctuary when death in human form came to them.
That many stats in one person was something I had always worried about. I had hoped the rest of the cities would be in turmoil while I slowly progressed, but it hadn’t been enough. Nowhere near enough. The sheer difference in cities and scope, the very thing that made Emperor Michael giddy, was exactly the thing that was the final nail in the coffin.
My advisors and soldiers kept arguing and I let them. They needed to express themselves and get their opinions off their chest. Well, I might just have to pick another wife from the new arrivals that were showing up today. That would help relieve the stress and headache from this encounter.
This entire situation had devolved into a complete disaster in my mind. Our isolation was over. The hope had been to build up and grow stronger over time to take some cities to the South. But we weren’t fast enough. The East had been considered a wasteland for the longest time. Now that was all changing.
“What do you think Leader?” one of my men asked me. Everyone turned to look at me. I hadn’t even been paying attention, but I knew how to handle this situation.
That was another thing he was right about. Leaving my fate in someone else’s hands left a bad taste in my mouth. That is why I put up with the cramped conditions on the airship and risked my life in the fights. There was also a small sliver of hope that we would find a way to escape this place and return to Earth. To stop the senseless deaths that occurred.
Now that people were showing up, I didn’t know what to do. They had no clue where they were, or what was going on. I hesitated on what to do. I knew I should probably leave the city, to keep searching for Michael, but looking at these confused and crying people made me reconsider.
Doing what was right was never easy. I leapt off a building and landed in the plaza, attracting attention. “Does anyone here speak English and can translate to Hindi?” I called out.
“I can speak, English, alright,” a younger man came over and said.
“Some of this can be complicated, you sure?” I asked.
“Yes, I can help,” he replied.
“I am Doctor Benjamin Katz. What is your name?” I asked him.
“I am Daler,” he replied, and I nodded at this. Other people were gathering around.
“Everyone, please be quiet, I am going to explain things. No questions until the end.” Daler began to shout loudly out in Hindi and people began to quiet down thankfully even if there was still muttering and looks of concern.
“You have been transported to the Systemic Lands. There are several cities that transport people, once every 10 days from Earth. No one knows why or how. Or if it is possible to return.” There were screams and cries, but thankfully people didn’t riot. Being upfront and honest was important to getting people’s trust.
“I was separated from my teammates. But let me explain some things to help you out.” I then began to talk about the monsters outside of the city. The store and points. Daler did his best to translate it all, but I could tell he was a bit overwhelmed.
“While I would like to stay and help, I need to keep moving to find my teammates. But hopefully this information will help you all organize yourselves and avoid needless panic,” I said in conclusion. That was when the shouting began. Lots and lots of shouting.
People were in a panic. Demanding answers, demanding their family, demanding help. There was nothing more I could do for them. I needed to leave and keep looking for Michael and anyone else who might have survived. While this empty city was a mystery, there was no use staying here. I couldn’t save everyone unfortunately.
I began walking away. Thankfully no one tried to stop me. Just as I was about to kick off the ground and go full speed, I heard a shout. “Wait up,” Daler said and caught up with me. “Can I come with you?” he asked. I wanted to say yes, but it just wasn’t possible with his stats, which were zero.
The gulf in abilities was too much for this to be a realistic option. “I am sorry, but I will be traveling too fast.” I said and kicked off the ground, leaving Daler behind.
As I traveled through the city, I thought I heard screaming behind me. I let out a heavy sigh at that. People were the biggest threat, far more than monsters around this place. How else could a city be depopulated except for mutual annihilation?
