Relief flooded my system as I realized it wasn't all for naught. My writing was still practical. While we worked and experimented, I thought about ways to circumvent the newfound problem. Perhaps paper would work? Unfortunately, we weren't able to play with the tablets for long as one of the assistants that ran this place burst into the study room Lian and I were using for our studies.

"Sage Jie Mins, the elders request your presence in the hall immediately." He said in a hurry. He was sweating and looking around as if an enemy could jump him at any moment. I looked at Lian to see if she knew what was happening, but she looked just as confused as I did. Even though we had become a relatively large city, a call for an assembly was still a very laid-back ordeal. If they needed me this urgently, it couldn't be anything good.

I stood up, and Lian looked at me nervously. Trying to reassure her, I decided to help take her mind off it, at least for a bit. "While I'm gone, do you want to work on making the sharp stick we were thinking about?"

She nodded, "Of course, Sage. I'll get working on that."

The man shook his head, "I'm sorry, apprentice Lian, but it would be wise not to leave the City Center for the time being."

Lian and I looked at each other, and I shrugged, not having any more ideas about how to distract her.

"I'll stay here and practice then." She said, looking a lot more nervous than before. Drat. I made it worse.

But I didn't have the time to ruminate on this, as the assistant was clearly impatient. As I followed the man back out of the room, I noticed how it wasn't Cai Lin who came to fetch me but this guy I hadn't interacted with yet. "What's going on? Why isn't it Cai Lin not coming to get me? Why is my presence immediately necessary?"

He continued to sweat, walking with hurried steps that I could keep up casually because of the height difference. "I apologize for being the one sent instead of Administrator Cai Lin," he said. "The meeting was urgent, and Cai Lin needs to attend, so someone has been sent to fetch him as well."

This whole interaction was getting concerning, and he tried dodging my question. "What is the reason behind the immediate mass assembly?"

He started clamping his fists and walking even more rigidly, his back straight. "I am not privy to the information and do not want to spread rumors."

Seeing that I continued staring at him, he cracked, "I don't know all the details, but from what I've heard, there was a fight."

"But we have fights all the time? With so many people from all over, it isn't surprising that there are arguments and even some physical confrontations." I already had a rough idea of what was happening, but I didn't want to believe it to be true.

He looked straight ahead, "Blood was drawn between the guards and the refugees. There were deaths."

My blood ran cold. I knew things were getting tense, but I didn't think they were getting that bad. Did all the bugs finally blow everything out of the water?

"Did anything else happen?" I crossed my fingers as I awaited his response. I was not ready for anarchy.

He shook his head, "Not at the moment. All the guards were deployed the moment the commotion was curbed. I'm sorry, but this is all I know. You'll have to hear the rest from the elders."

We approached the council hall, and I heard a commotion. "You greedy bastards keep all the food for yourselves! Why is it a sin when we want more?! The plague will kill you al-."

I heard a thump, which was followed quickly by a groan. We rounded the corner, and I saw a man tied up in the middle, slumped over himself, trying to catch his breath with two guards at his side. The seats were mostly filled except for a few, as most elders spent their time in this building. Their expressions varied from worry to anger. I looked at all of them, and none of the faces I saw looked calm. Even the Chieftain, who was often calm and collected, looked like he wanted to punch someone.

We waited in tense silence, with a few elders quietly conversing among themselves. I had trouble hearing what they were saying, but I could guess what they were talking about. The man in the middle. He tried screaming out some more times, but each time, he was kicked in the stomach to shut him up. After everyone got to the council, Chieftain Ming spoke up.

"We have assembled because the refugees attempted to raid our food storage." The elders started to whisper, but Ming powered on. "We were able to prevail against these thieves and bandits, but we lost some noble lives that defended our lifeblood with honor. They were overwhelmed, and the battle was intense, but they prevailed!"

There were some sighs of relief in the crowd and murmurs of approval. So the worst hadn't yet come to pass. I looked at the burly man. So, it seems he was probably the instigator.

The Chieftain continued, ignoring the commotion around him. "Today, we need to implement policies on how to deal with these perpetrators and the rest of the refugees."

The response was immediate. "Death to these bandits!"

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"How dare they take our kindness and then turn around and stab us in the back!"

"Death upon them and their family!"

I looked around me, and every single man in this chamber seemed to be out for blood. And I couldn't even blame them; Many of these people probably knew the guards that were killed personally. The only people who seemed to be collected and not asking for blood were me, the Priest looking at me, and the Chieftain, who finally seemed to be in control of his emotions with his ever-present straight face.

I spoke up as people finally calmed down, turning towards the Chieftain. "How bad were the casualties on both sides?"

The Chieftain frowned, "Will that make a difference in your judgment?"

I shook my head, and he returned to his straight face, "Three on our side died with multiple wounded, and we took down nine on their side, capturing six of them. The rest scattered."

It hurt to hear the number. Sure, more people died due to the bugs, but this was murder. Not some unfeeling insect that doesn't know any better but to follow its genetic coding. "And we have them in our prisons, I presume?"

The Chieftain nodded, and I thought about what I heard from the man before he was silenced: how they weren't eating enough. I looked at the Chieftain and asked, "Were the amount of rations I had directed changed at all without my approval?"

"Not at all. The grains and produce are run under you unless the elder in charge of hunting has changed how much meat is given". We both look at the Hunting Elder.

He shook his head, "The amount of meat you told us to give out should still be the same."

I looked down at the man who had instigated all of this. "What is your name?"

He looked up and then at the guards. I nodded, and the guards took a single step back. He snorted but quickly spoke up. "My name is Jia."

"Why did you attack the storage room, Jia?" I asked him. If someone was skimming off the top and keeping these guys hungry, I needed to figure it out since that was a problem.

"Why else? You guys are feasting on the food while our children and wives starve. Why wouldn't I want to feed my family? Aren't you a 'Sage'? You should know this," He spat out.

The guard stepped up, about to kick him again, but I raised my hand to stop him. "Are you aware of the murder you committed?"

He sneered, "They shouldn't have been adamant about protecting food over their lives."

I didn't like him already. I didn't stop the guard from kicking him this time. As I wouldn't let disrespect for the dead happen in front of me.

"Can you take him out of this hall to a separate room?" The guards looked at the Chieftain, who intently looked at me before nodding. The guards roughly grabbed the man while he was still trying to catch his breath.

Once he was out, I addressed the Chieftain. "I want to interrogate the rest of the thieves. Can you separate them from each other and bring them in one at a time?"

He looked at me strangely, "What are you trying to figure out here, Sage Jie Mins?"

I looked him in the eyes, trying to peer into his soul to show him my seriousness, "The truth."

After a second, the Chieftain nodded and spat some orders at the guards and assistants around him. "I hope you're not wasting my time."

The Chieftain addressed the elders, "While we are waiting for the orders to execute, we need to discuss what to do with the refugees. I vote that we exterminate everyone related to the revolt and put harsher restrictions on the rest of the refugees as punishment for their actions."

There was agreement all around in the crowd. Are these people crazy? Why are we punishing all the refugees for the actions of the few?

"I disagree."

Silence fell at the gathering as I spoke these words. "Why are we punishing the many because of the few? It is counterintuitive to do so. All that would end up doing is cause more unrest and revolts."

"What do you suggest we do then?" He asked me, his straight face slowly turning to a frown.

I answered him back, not looking away. "Nothing for now. We need to figure out the reason behind their actions, whether it was desperation or greed."

All the elders shifted uncomfortably, pretending that they weren't hearing us arguing.

"Fine… We will wait for the interrogation to decide on what to do." He huffed out, clearly unhappy.

The silence was broken as the first pair of guards arrived; this man, too, was spitting and cursing. "You animals! May your goddess d-"

He, too, was silenced with a well-placed punch to the guts. Once they got to the center, the guards dropped him unceremoniously. I started the interrogation immediately. "What is your name?"

He stared at me with a glare. His beady eyes and face red with anger stared me in the soul. We stared at each other, me frowning while he smirked. Seeing that he wasn't replying, I tried the next question. "Why did you people attack the food storage?"

He continued to stare at me without replying. Not liking his attitude, the guards decided to kick him for his silence. The man started cackling the moment he got air back in his lungs. "You punch me if I talk and kick me if I stay silent. This hypocrisy is humorous!"

He continued to laugh even through the beatings the guards were giving him. I shifted uncomfortably as I almost started to feel like the villain here. After a few more seconds, I let the guards drag him away. The following person was dragged in, this one not as loud as the others. His hair matted against his sweaty forehead, but his eyes remained clear as he looked around. He must be the actual mastermind or at least someone who knows what they have done and has a clear conscience.

I skipped the question about the name and jumped straight to the interrogation. "What was the reason behind the attack on the storage?"

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow but then smiled as I saw something click behind his eyes. "We were doing so because the people distributing the food were starving us. It was nothing but an act of desperation, Sage Jie Mins. I pray that you hear our pleas for innocence."

"And are you aware of the men you killed to get to the storage?" I asked, trying to probe him for more information.

"We never did such a thing! We are being framed!" He defended himself. "I bet it's the Chieftain. He has clearly only tolerated our presence, unlike you, who has embraced us with open arms. I bet it's him who is trying to frame us to get to all the refugees."

The Chieftain raised his hand, signaling a beating. As they were about to start the beating, I raised my hand to stop it. Both of the guards looked conflicted, looking from the Chieftain to me.

The man's smile widened.