Aris Province, Iris City
The city that once belonged to humans had now changed banners.
Aura Warriors from the wilderness stood on the streets, their figures burly, their armor stern, and their cold, fierce Aura made every passerby cower in silence, only daring to lower their heads and walk by in a hurry.
This once prosperous city had now been officially taken over by the Aura Kingdom.
Violet Boulevard, once the liveliest street, had lost its former hustle and bustle and the scent of flowers, replaced by a suffocating silence.
The bluestone pavement, polished smooth by days of heavy footsteps and horseshoes, had accumulated unscooped dust in its cracks. The air was filled with dust and the faint metallic tang after friction, as well as an indescribable murderous atmosphere.
Caleb the Bard hugged his worn pearwood lute, tightened his faded old cloak, and walked slowly along the wall.
His gaze was lowered, yet he couldn't help but secretly scan the city that had changed hands.
The streetscape was fragmented.
Familiar shop signs still swayed slightly in the wind, and the faint scent of wheat wafted from the bakery, but standing in key positions were no longer the serious or lazy faces of the Xio guards he knew.
An Ogre Warrior stood like a weathered stone statue at the street corner.
He was entirely clad in heavy Iron armor, holding a bludgeon covered with blunt spikes. His massive size and Iron armament made people look on in awe.
The Ogre's eyes were slightly closed, and a faint, even snore came from beneath his faceplate, as if he was napping and slacking off.
However, whenever someone approached within ten steps of him, his eyes would open a slit, and his tawny pupils would sweep indifferently before closing again once no threat was confirmed.
Caleb was looked at by the Ogre just like that.
He instantly felt a chill run through him, his steps froze in place, and his heart pounded violently in his chest.
Countless terrifying thoughts flashed through his mind.
He was afraid that the Ogre would walk towards him, grab him with its fan-like large hand, and then chew him up and swallow him like a chicken drumstick.
This was very possible.
According to Caleb, the status of citizens in provinces ceded like theirs was not much higher than that of servants.
Even if the opposing side were a human nation, its soldiers killing some civilians would often not receive any severe punishment.
Moreover, the opponent was a wilderness monster known for its barbarism and ferocity, rumored to drink blood and eat raw meat.
Under the Ogre's gaze, Caleb even had hallucinations, as if he saw his long-deceased grandmother waving at him. Memories from his childhood uncontrollably surged into his mind, and cold sweat soaked the back of his thin shirt.
But this was just his overthinking.
The Ogre guard merely glanced at him indifferently, confirmed that this scrawny human had no weapons and didn't seem to be making any dangerous moves, then once again closed his eyes slightly as if dozing off.
Eating raw meat and drinking blood?
If the Ogre guard knew what the bard was thinking, he would surely scoff.
Just a naive bumpkin... Not to mention him, even Ogres from his father's generation rarely ate raw meat directly, unless they were on a march with extreme food shortages. At the very least, they would roast it before eating.
Eating raw meat and drinking blood was a habit of the older generation in the wilderness.
However, for the new generation, while they weren't averse to raw meat and would consume enemy blood on the battlefield, it was more of a ritualistic tradition or a sense of honor, not a daily occurrence.
Their Aura Ogres and the previously scattered Ogre tribes in the wilderness were already completely different.
For example, while old Ogres were also big and round, they were full of flabby fat, merely bloated. Aura Ogres, however, were muscular and looked like Iron towers.
This was like the wilderness goblins and those goblins from the Matna Kingdom who could read and write, and even master alchemy technology.
Due to different education, resources, and environments, although they shared the same appearance and race, they were like two different species in thought and behavior.
Wilderness creatures have never lacked intelligence; it's just that environmental conditions didn't allow for it.
When they gathered in the form of a kingdom, when a powerful Emperor granted order, their development speed was astonishing.
On the other side, after the Ogre shifted his gaze, Caleb took three deep breaths before daring to move again.
He continued forward along the street, encountering many Aura guards along the way.
Several Werewolf patrol teams marched past in neat steps, standard scimitars hanging at their waists, their fur neatly combed; two Trolls carrying weapons emerged from an alley, their heavy footsteps making the ground tremble slightly; and in the distance, Centaur archers could be seen on the tower.
As time passed, the bard's tense heart slowly calmed down.
There was no burning, killing, and looting as expected, no rampant atrocities.
Although the streets were deserted, several shops were actually open.
The Aura warriors appeared unusually restrained, possessing a crude yet distinct discipline, unlike any story of monster massacres that Caleb had ever sung.
This made him reflect.
He also recalled the kingdom's previous changing reports on the Red Emperor; the newspaper headlines he had seen and heard firsthand in taverns spun in his mind like a carousel.
[The tyranny of the Red Iron Dragon is tottering, civilization will ultimately triumph over barbarism]
[The ferocious Red Emperor seizes a satellite, the hateful Aura Kingdom occupies border regions]
[Bad news, the Aura Kingdom has broken through Norton Pass]
[The esteemed Red Emperor arrives in Iris City]
The last headline appeared recently; notices plastered all over the streets were replaced overnight, as if yesterday's curses had never existed.
"Are my bad impressions of Aura truly my own thoughts, or do they stem from Xio Kingdom's previous propaganda?" Caleb thought silently, a hint of confusion rising in his heart.
As a bard, he knew better than ordinary people how stories were woven and how narratives were shaped.
But he never thought that one day, he too would become someone swayed by words.
A few minutes later, as the sky grew dark and the twilight cast long shadows from the buildings, the bard arrived at an open square.
This was also the destination of his adventurous outing today.
He heard that food was being distributed here.
On the north side of the square, rough but sturdy long tables were set up, piled high with food.
Large quantities of somewhat coarse but substantial buttered bread were stacked into small mountains, several large wooden barrels of cloudy jam with fruit pulp fragments emitted a sweet aroma, and there were even many large Iron pots steaming with thick soup made of vegetables and some meat chunks.
Food was being distributed in an orderly fashion.
And those standing behind the tables distributing food were not humans.
For example, at the long table closest to Caleb.
On the left was a Snake Woman.
Above her waist was the graceful body of a human female, her long hair tied with a blue ribbon, her face delicate but her pupils were serpentine vertical slits; below her waist was a long, powerful snake tail, its dark green scales shimmering in the twilight, currently coiled on the ground.
She was using her long-nailed fingers to hand bread and thick soup in a wooden bowl to a trembling little girl.
The one in the middle was the most noticeable, a Centaur.
Her tall, athletic upper body wore a simple linen shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing strong forearms; her long brown hair was braided into a thick plait that hung over her chest; her lower body was the sleek, chestnut-colored body of a steed, her four hooves shod with simple horseshoes to prevent damage to the flagstones.
She was using a large wooden spoon to scoop jam from a barrel and spread it evenly on slices of bread.
A little further to the right, a Wolf Woman was in charge of the soup pot.
She had grayish-blue fur, a fluffy large tail wagging slightly behind her, pointed ears perked up alertly, her eyes scanning the queue, occasionally calling out in a common tongue with a slight accent.
"Don't push! There's enough for everyone! Line up properly!"
Most of those receiving food were pale and emaciated commoners, children, and elders.
Most of them dared not look up, silently took the food, and hurried away.
But there were exceptions.
A boy of about seven or eight years old stared blankly at the strong, beautiful horse body of the Centaur woman, which trembled slightly with her movements, almost forgetting to reach out for the jam-smeared bread already offered to him.
It wasn't until his mother anxiously pulled him that he reacted, grabbed the bread, and ran off with his head down.
Hunger ultimately overcame fear.
The bard felt his shriveled money pouch at his waist, finding only a few pitifully thin copper coins left, not even enough to buy a few pieces of the hardest black bread.
After much hesitation, shame was overcome by the desire for survival, and he silently joined the end of the nearest queue.
The line moved slowly forward.
When his turn came, it was the Centaur woman who was in front of him.
She bent down slightly, a movement that lowered her upper body, which was much taller than a human's, to Caleb's eye level. Then, she handed him a large piece of jam-smeared bread and a large bowl of thick soup, the wooden bowl's rim still steaming.
Caleb reached out to take it, his gaze inevitably meeting hers.
They were very large, dark brown eyes, with little white, warm and bright, and the pupils were horizontal ovals, like those of a real horse, yet possessing the unique expression of an intelligent creature.
"Here."
Her voice was not as clear as a human female's, a little lower, with a certain richness. Although she had an accent, her articulation was clear.
"Tha... thank you."
Caleb took the bread and soup bowl.
The warm touch and weight of the bread made his throat move, and the aroma of the soup wafted directly into his nostrils.
Iris City was originally a wealthy city, but the war still had a severe impact here.
To cope with the front-line war, Xio Kingdom levied several special taxes, coupled with hoarding by nobles and merchants, the lives of the common people at the bottom were very tight, even difficult.
Caleb had no special talents and had not embarked on any extraordinary path.
An ordinary bard like him, who made a living by performing, saw his performance opportunities sharply decrease and his rewards become pitifully small. He had been hungry for some time.
And there would only be more people in worse situations than him.
Caleb took the food, turned to leave, but then paused.
He turned back, hesitated, and then asked, "Excuse me... why are you doing this? I mean, distributing food for free." He added, "This doesn't seem... doesn't seem like something conquerors would do."
The Centaur woman paused.
Her large hooves gently tapped twice on the spot, making soft 'clop, clop' sounds, as if she was thinking.
A few seconds later, she replied, "It's an order, an order from above."
She paused, recalling more specific wording, then continued, "They said that conquest isn't just about planting a flag; most importantly, it's about making the conquered truly accept the new rulers in their hearts."
"We come from the wilderness, so we're not very clear about your human preferences and habits."
The Centaur woman's tone was frank, "However, before the great His Majesty Ignas established the nation and unified the wilderness, our ancestors all tasted the pain of hunger."
"The taste of an empty stomach is not pleasant; we all know that."
"Now, Iris City belongs to Aura, and you will also become part of us."
She looked at Caleb, the poet's gaunt face reflected in her horizontal pupils, "And our Aura citizens will never stand by and watch their compatriots starve."
"This is the most basic."
The bard was stunned, not expecting such an answer.
Meanwhile, another Snake Woman heard the conversation. She turned her head, flicked her forked tongue, and revealed a cunning smile, adding, "After they occupied Iris City, the first thing they did was clear out the private treasuries of the major nobles here, levying public order maintenance tax and order reconstruction tax on them."
"The raw materials for the food you're receiving now were bought with that tax revenue."
The Snake Woman blinked her vertical pupils, and in a mocking tone, she teased, "Those stingy nobles are very well-off; just scraping off a layer is enough to feed all the commoners in your city. This is just the first batch, there's more to come."
In reality, the common people of Iris City had been starving for a long time, yet those noble lords seemed to see nothing, taxes still rose as they did, and banquets were still held as they were.
Now, the Aura Kingdom had taken over Iris City.
The first thing these legendary monsters did was not a bloody suppression, but rather to plunder the wealth of the nobles to feed these common people.
Who exactly is civilized, and who is a monster?
The bard, including others who heard these words, felt very complex emotions.
Some showed expressions of sudden realization, some lowered their heads in thought, and others had long-suppressed resentment towards the nobles surface on their faces.
Caleb's heart was also stirred.
He looked down at the warm bread and fragrant soup in his hands, then suddenly raised his face to look at the three alien race women distributing food.
"Beautiful ladies, your kindness flows like a spring over a dry riverbed."
He let go of the lute he had been holding, resting it against his leg, freeing his hands to hold the food, and bowed slightly, "Please allow me to improvise a few verses for you, to express my gratitude."
Without waiting for a response, Caleb gently inhaled and began to recite in a voice that was not loud but clear, audible to everyone nearby.
"When twilight's cloak covers the city walls' sharp edges, strange guardians stand at the old watchposts."
"In their hands, not torches and swords, but wheat and wooden spoons, bestowing warmth and satiety upon trembling hands, injecting hope into expectant eyes."
"Today's sustenance comes from yesterday's greedy store, today's order is built upon yesterday's chaos."
"Ah, strange benefactors, may these humble lines of poetry return a moment of warmth to your side."
.
His improvised verses were not complex, yet they captured the scene and the feelings in many hearts at that moment.
He hummed a light, grateful melody, which, when coupled with the poetry, had a comforting power.
Finally, Caleb bowed slightly again.
"Your poetry... is quite good, and your voice too."
The Centaur woman smiled slightly, revealing her neat teeth, "Tomorrow, same time, same place, we will still be distributing food here. Remember to come, don't be shy, we don't eat people."
She made a small joke, and the few commoners who heard it also relaxed a bit, some even letting out low laughs.
Caleb nodded, carefully holding the soup bowl and bread, and turned to leave.
He found a stone step at the edge of the square, sat down, and wolfed down this long-awaited full meal.
The hot soup warmed him all over.
On the way back, at a certain corner, Caleb paused.
On a bulletin board plastered with various notices, he saw a newly posted parchment.
The paper was of good quality, and the ink was fresh, standing out among the many yellowed and damaged old notices.
[Recruiting eloquent individuals, bards prioritized, excellent remuneration, food guaranteed]
It didn't specify what the job entailed, only giving an address in the east of the city, with a red stamp representing the Aura Kingdom at the bottom.
"Is this... a recruitment order from the Aura Kingdom?"
Caleb leaned closer, reading carefully, "Not recruiting powerful warriors or Casters, but bards instead? Why?"
He was confused, yet also somewhat tempted.
The war had made Xio's taxes suffocatingly heavy; he was already penniless, and he didn't want to keep accepting charity.
If he could earn money through his own abilities and support himself, that would be a long-term solution.