Although the competition between the three clans as well as the smaller clans was cutthroat, it wasn’t to the point where they were at the crossroads for survival. There were no deaths inside the Lunaris city. Sometimes the clan members of the three clans died outside but there was no trace that led to the big clans. This had made the peaceful existence inside the city possible even if it was just a façade. Now the news came from the other big cities and no one knew who had leaked it but everyone in the city knew about the situation in the capital city.
The declining age of the ancestor of royal family, the lack of geniuses capable of reaching the Nascent Soul stage in royal family, and the blatant stealing of resources from the royal family by the clans and sects, anyone with common sense could smell war was coming. The people of Lunaris city were afraid that the war would reach the city and they didn’t know who to follow. Although the three big clans were in a stalemate, this was only because there was no foreign interference but if the royal family went to war, the tumultuous period would reach Lunaris city and any law or decency shown previously would be void.
Every man would be for themselves. And it was not only the people of the city, who knows if all the clans would survive. In the war, the clans of the Lunaris city weren’t strong enough to be neutral so while choosing sides, one side will surely be defeated and the result for the defeated side is utter annihilation. Even if one team surrendered, their fate would be worse than death. So the bloodbath was inevitable. Even if they delayed getting involved they were going to be a pawn of some greater power sooner or later. Till now the small clans enjoyed the indirect protection of kingdom politics, but with this turmoil, everything will be a fair game.
The Emerald kingdom was more than a thousand years old so it surely had some protective mechanism to survive but so had the five great families and three sects. It was rumored that the sects even had some backing from the Empires. But when the big guys battled, it was always the smaller ones that got affected the most. When the news spread throughout Lunaris city, people panicked and thought of various ways to survive. Some started buying necessary everyday items like food to stockpile for the future, some bought a large amount of resources because they knew the price would skyrocket in the future, the shopkeepers began to withhold their stocks and some even resorted to stealing.
The situation in Lunaris city was chaotic. Even with the guards to maintain order, accidents happened. The people knew that they didn’t have the strength to leave the city. Even if they went to another city, there was no escaping the flames of war. And there was no telling if they could survive the wilderness while traveling. Although there were roads connecting cities, they were not safe. Sometimes there would be demon beasts and sometimes you could encounter bandits on the road. The powerful people didn’t eradicate the beasts or bandits on the road because it was a bothersome task with no rewards and it also counted as a test for people in third-tier cities and villages and some of the bandits were related to these forces.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
In Lunaris city it wasn’t the common people who were most bothered but the two other clans. They now realized why the Rijal clan was hoarding resources and in a frenzy to cultivate. They must have learned about this before and kept the whole city in the dark. Even more frustrating thing was that their spies in the Rijal clan didn’t know about this matter either. They had to waste a lot of resources to create a mole among the higher-ups of the Rijal clan. The Rijal clan was ahead of them in terms of lower-level battle prowess. Even if the clan were to be destroyed it would ensure some seed will survive. They could also start now and imitate the Rijal clan but they were too late, even if they focused all their resources and manpower, it would take months before they caught up to where the Rijal clan was now.
The rumors of war had placed the Ming and Visigoth clan in dilemma. If the two clans were to join their hands and stand on the opposite side of the Rijal clan, they would lose most of their clan member but if their side were to win, the two clans could rule the city, if their side lost, there was no hope. And if they sided with the Rijal clan, even if they won and survived they will always be below the Rijal clan. Although there were bound to be various anomalies and unexpected situations that could instantly change the tides of war, if foreign powers were to be involved, the win will cost them dearly. The two clans were angry at the Rijal clan for keeping such important news to themselves but they were even more angry at the situation they found to be in.
Although it wasn’t a hundred percent sure that the war would break out, the possibility was as high as ninety-five percent. Even more infuriating thing was that they didn’t know when the war would start, it could start in half a year or even a decade. There were too many uncertainties and it wasn’t certain which side would win at the end and if one side won, would there be peace? In the end, everything about this situation pointed towards one thing, strength. Since they were not strong enough, they had to be pawns in the game that strong ones play. But whatever happens in the future they had to make sure the Rijal clan cannot develop smoothly.
If they could hinder the Rijal clan’s development, even if their clans didn’t gain rapid power, they could at least have a chance. But if the pace of Rijal clan’s development remains the same it was certain that whether war reaches Lunaris city or not, the Ming and Visigoth clans will surely be history. The two clan leaders Liu Ming and Frideric Visigoth went to their supreme elders for discussion and called for a meeting between two clans. They met secretly under the guise of night and started formulating plans for their survival. In the end, they decided to support each other and break the façade in order to suppress the Rijal clan.