Night had fallen, and a bright moon hung over Yage City, adding even more beautiful decoration to this town full of art.
But unfortunately, no one would pay attention to these things anymore.
"How is it? Has the parade started?"
Stephen asked.
His subordinate nodded.
"It's started. The estimated parade time is from ten o'clock tonight until eight o'clock tomorrow morning. It's already past ten now, so it should have been going on for a while."
Stephen nodded and said:
"Then there's no time to waste, let's run quickly."
However, Stephen's subordinate still looked somewhat worried.
"But, Master, are you really sure everyone will be as emotionally agitated as we think?"
In Stephen's plan, the angry crowd would put all their attention on Chris's public parade, allowing them to escape safely.
But would things really go as Stephen expected?
His subordinate was very worried.
What if some people didn't care about Chris at all?
After all, the city-state was now facing the crisis of imminent destruction!
Who would put their energy on a so-called traitor?
However, Stephen showed him a confident smile.
"Don't worry, group emotions are always extreme."
"They're not good at thinking, but they're extremely good at passing judgment on others."
"Once they start hating someone, they'll start competing over who hates that person more."
"Trust me, at least today the citizens of Yage City will definitely be blinded by the hatred we've created and put all their attention on Chris."
Having said that, Stephen no longer cared about his subordinate's reaction and walked toward the door on his own.
Although the plan to control Yage City had indeed failed, he had indeed secretly embezzled quite a bit of city-state property during his time in office. As long as he could escape to the Iron Empire, he could live a much more prosperous life than before!
However, he didn't know what would be waiting for him at the Iron Empire border.
......
"We really trusted you for nothing back then!"
"Were all those promises you made to us in the past lies?"
"Fortunately Master Stephen exposed your conspiracy, otherwise we would all have become your slaves!"
"Traitor who secretly communicated with enemy countries!"
"......"
Under the blood-red sunset, on the streets of Yage City, Chris's public parade was underway.
The sounds of abuse were endless. Chris, restrained in the prisoner's cart, just stared blankly at these people she had once risked her life to protect.
She opened her mouth wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.
Because she not only knew her voice would immediately be drowned out by the people's abuse.
But also knew—even if her voice could really reach their ears, not a single person would believe what she said.
Vegetable leaves, eggs, stones—all kinds of things kept being thrown at her.
Under the care of jailers controlled by Elashia, her body was no longer in serious trouble.
But some things wouldn't recover like the body's recovery.
Chris looked at the bright moon hanging in the sky.
What kind of country was the Elasia Empire?
And why did Elashia insist on having her?
Thinking of these things, Chris smiled self-mockingly in her heart.
Even at this time, all she was thinking about was still Elashia.
From the jailers' mouths, she had already learned—the citizens of Yage City would execute her tomorrow.
Looking at the angry expressions of those citizens before her, Chris couldn't help but show a relieved smile.
Actually, she hadn't had a single truly happy day in all these years as consul.
All these years she had almost no personal life, dealing with city-state affairs from morning to night every moment.
Ordinary people avoided her like the plague. Apart from work, she had almost never spoken about anything else, and friends were even more of a luxury.
Moreover, judging by the results, no one had ever really cared about her.
In the citizens' eyes, she was probably just a machine...
After so many years, she herself felt she was about to become a machine.
Without joy or sorrow, without self or selfishness.
As if emotions had long been lost.
If Elashia hadn't suddenly burst into her life, perhaps she would have even faced the people's judgment with an expressionless face...
However, that pink-haired girl's sudden appearance in her life had greatly changed the trajectory of her life.
She had not only asked herself questions she had never considered—"Is doing this really worth it?"
But had also healed her years of injuries and illnesses.
Had also shattered the arrow that was about to hit her during battle.
Had also saved her from the jailer's hands.
And many other things...
Unexpectedly, it was Elashia who came from a foreign land who became the light in the final period of her life...
Looking at the citizens cursing at her and throwing things, Chris surprisingly discovered—her emotions actually weren't fluctuating at all?
No grievance, no anger.
Time just passed bit by bit.
After the jailers carried her around Yage City several times, the time finally came to seven in the morning.
Seeing that the time was almost up, the jailers also began transporting her toward the execution ground.
Watching her prisoner's cart head toward the execution ground, Chris felt unusually troubled in her heart.
She originally wasn't afraid of death, because in her original consciousness, her life didn't exist for herself at all, but existed to repay this city-state.
However, after meeting that girl who claimed to be the Empress of the Elasia Empire, subtle changes had occurred in her heart.
Although they had known each other for a short time, that girl seemed to radiate an irresistible affinity that made her hope to spend the rest of her life with her.
However, facing Elashia's final invitation, she had still chosen to refuse.
Such a choice looked objectively stupid, but Chris believed—even if she could go back in time once, she would still make the same decision.
Because no matter how the citizens in the city-state treated her, it was this city-state that had adopted her in the past.
And she had long ago made a vow to repay this city-state with her life.
Really asking her to leave this place with Elashia, she still couldn't do it.
The prisoner's cart clanged as it moved forward, reminding Chris—her time was running out.
Seeing the execution ground appear before her, Chris couldn't help but look at the sky once again.
She sighed in her heart once more, if only the Elasia Empire had adopted her from the beginning...
She secretly swore in her heart.
In her entire life, she owed no one except Elashia.
If there was a next life, she would definitely repay Elashia's kindness from this life.
The prisoner's cart finally arrived at the execution ground.
The jailers brought her out of the prisoner's cart and had her stand on the execution platform.
"From now on, I will enumerate the crimes of the condemned Chris!"
The executioner stood on the platform, reading the judgment in his hands.
"First charge—secretly communicating with enemies, punishable by death!"
"Second charge—attempting to control the city-state, punishable by death!"
"Third charge—......"
"......"
"Twentieth charge......"
"......"
"Thirtieth charge—disorderly private life, punishable by death!"
"Fiftieth charge......"
Listening to the judgment, Chris couldn't help but find it ridiculous.
Except for the first two charges which still looked somewhat decent, the other charges were more outrageous than the last.
There was even "disorderly private life"?
She didn't even have personal time, yet could have a "disorderly private life"?
Wait...
Chris suddenly understood what was wrong.
The charges against her, except for the first two, were clearly just a copy of the city code!
This accusation gave her the feeling it was hastily made to get by!
Looking around, and thinking of a curse she had heard during the parade—"traitor who secretly communicated with enemy countries."
Combined with the sudden advancement of her death sentence...
Something was wrong here!
Chris immediately realized!
The document the executioner was reading was personally written by the consul.
But this document was perfunctory to an abnormal degree!
This was definitely not right!
To thoroughly kill herself as a threat, Stephen should have been more serious!
There was obviously something fishy here!
Chris hurriedly looked around.
From the surrounding people's eyes, she could also see confusion.
Why would Stephen do this...
Chris couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she thought.
But just as the executioner was reading the accusation halfway through, she finally learned the reason.
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion and the sound of the city wall crumbling came!
Immediately after, a terrifying blast wave directly sent several people at the scene flying!
Even those lucky enough not to be directly blown away all fell heavily to the ground!
Lying on the ground and looking south, Chris and the citizens saw a scene as terrifying as the end of the world.
The protector of Yage City's citizens—that ten-meter-high, three-meter-thick city wall—had been blown to pieces without warning?
And what was broken wasn't just a single breach, but the entire wall had directly turned to ruins!