"What, trying to start a rebellion?"
The gang leader slammed his steel pipe against the ground, his voice brimming with false bravado.
"You bunch of weaklings, do you really think my hundreds of brothers in Tiger Hall are just sitting around? What are you looking at?"
As he spoke, he imperceptibly began to back away.
His words had only caused the crowd to flinch for a moment; soon, their gazes grew even more predatory.
Seeing this, Xia Yu sighed.
"You really plan on just watching?" She turned her head toward a certain rooftop. "If a conflict actually breaks out and blood flows like a river in Lungmen, don't come crying to me, Wei Yenwu."
As she spoke, she gently shook the Spirit-Calling Bell in her hand.
Originally, she had intended to let her alt-account, Little Tarnished, handle it to test her combat power.
But looking at the boiling indignation of the crowd... Xia Yu was genuinely afraid that if she made a move, these Infected would lose control and charge the Tiger Hall.
She had ultimately underestimated the impact of her 'free clinic.'
It wasn't that she was worried about those gang scumbags, but if these people committed murder for her sake... sigh, then she truly wouldn't be able to leave them behind.
It would be better for her to slaughter the thugs herself than for things to go that way.
On the rooftop, the Shadow Guard felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
'Go handle it.'
Fortunately, Wei Yenwu finally issued an order.
After all, ever since learning that the girl could actually treat Oripathy and was holding a free clinic in the slums, Wei Yenwu had been monitoring the situation every second.
"Understood," the Shadow Guard sighed in relief. He was preparing to swing down and intervene when a loud shout rang out.
"What are all of you doing crowding around here!"
"What? You want to lay hands on defenseless people?" Lin Yühsia appeared at the entrance of the residential area, accompanied by several hulking members of Graytail Hall.
She wasn't passing by by chance. As soon as Wei Yenwu received the news, the Rat King naturally knew as well. He had sent his daughter back from the Governor's Mansion to the slums, bringing men to the scene. If things went south, she was to use the prestige of Graytail Hall to maintain order immediately.
Lin Yühsia had rushed there as fast as possible. Seeing the explosive tension, her blood pressure nearly spiked.
"Miss Lin," the gang leader said, immediately bowing his head upon seeing Lin Yühsia, the daughter and sole heir of the slums' uncrowned king. Not many had the guts to challenge her.
His boss might be able to, but he was certainly not qualified.
"You've truly wronged me," he cried out, pleading his case. "I was just doing a routine inspection of my gang's turf. I didn't break any rules, right? At most, I was a bit blunt, but look at these unruly mobs!"
He pointed at the various Originium Shards in the hands of the surrounding Infected, feeling quite aggrieved.
"They actually dared to threaten us with Originium Shards. They're no longer just ordinary peasants. If they dare defy Tiger Hall today, they'll dare to trample over the rules set by the Rat King tomorrow, and who knows what they'll do after that!"
"I see," Lin Yühsia nodded, glancing at him. "By the way, what was your name again?"
"Ojou-sama, my name is Zhang Hao," the gang leader replied with a fawning smile. Although the slums were filled with various gangs, everyone knew that Graytail Hall was the true uncrowned king. To have his name recognized by her was an honor.
"If these mobs aren't disciplined today, they'll rebel tomorrow. You see..."
"Rebel? Rebel against whom?" Xia Yu pushed aside Rope, who was standing in front of her, and looked at Lin Yühsia. She wore an expression of feigned curiosity. "Rebel against your father? Why don't you go ask him? I'm rebelling against him today; what does he plan to do about it?"
"Insolent!" Zhang Hao shouted back without thinking. "You little brat, your hair hasn't even grown in yet and you dare speak like that? Do you have any idea that the Rat King is—"
"Shut up!" Lin Yühsia glared at him fiercely, then looked at Xia Yu. "Miss Bailu... if you want the slums, there's no need to play games. Graytail Hall is at your disposal right now. As for my father..."
She said expressionlessly, "He's getting old. It's time for him to retire."
Hearing this, not only the lackeys from Tiger Hall but even the Graytail Hall members following her were struck dumb.
'Wait, Ojou-sama, what are you saying!'
If they weren't forbidden from contradicting her in front of outsiders, they definitely would have spoken up!
Zhang Hao, meanwhile, began to tremble all over.
'Damn it, did I just accidentally stumble into a Graytail Hall "family matter"?'
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. A routine patrol? He usually never set foot in these Infected gathering spots; his underlings handled it. The only reason he had come today on a whim was that he'd heard a doctor who could cure Oripathy had arrived. He wanted to see if it was true, and if the doctor was capable, he'd 'invite' them back to the hall.
His boss's son... had been poisoned and infected a few years back. Unlike these street rats, he could stay in a major Lungmen hospital, but his condition never improved.
If he had found a real doctor, it would have been a massive achievement.
But thinking about it now, how could there be a doctor who can cure Oripathy? It was clearly a trap—a setup to lure Tiger Hall in and force the gangs to pick a side!
Fitting his gang-logic into the situation, although there were many holes, Zhang Hao had convinced himself. After all, if a gang leader could instantly parse a complex logic chain of family struggles, conspiracies, and shadow-fighting, why would he be a gang leader?
As for Lin Yühsia... she didn't have the time to pay attention to this sweating thug. The reason she had said those words... was entirely because of her father's instructions.
'If she really wants the slums, give them to her!'
Wei Yenwu's voice crackled through the miniature earphone in her ear.
'We aren't afraid of her doing things; we're afraid of her making no moves at all, keeping us dangling and anxious every day.'
'As long as she acts, we have years of operation in Lungmen, and Graytail Hall has confidants everywhere. Are we really afraid we won't be able to figure out her objective then?'
The Rat King completely agreed with Wei Yenwu's assessment.
He didn't care about the title of the 'Uncrowned King of the Slums,' even if it was a title every gang in Lungmen coveted.
After all, if his old friends from back then knew what he was doing now, they'd probably laugh themselves to death.
A former commander of the Yan Imperial Guard—even if relegated to a local post, he should be a high-ranking general of at least the fourth rank. Instead, he had followed the Crown Prince into exile and ended up as a tawdry gang leader...
He'd be mocked to death by his peers. Or rather, they had probably been laughing for years, as matters in Lungmen could never be hidden from Baizao.
Ending up like this... Lin Gray had no dignity left.
If it weren't for the fact that Wei Yenwu truly needed someone to control the slums, Lin Gray wouldn't have actually done this...
Thus, he didn't have a shred of lust for power. If it weren't for Lin Yühsia's strong insistence, he wouldn't have even wanted his daughter to take over his mantle.
It was too embarrassing!
At most, he couldn't let go of the brothers who had followed him for so many years. As a man gets older, he gets nostalgic.
So, while Lin Yühsia felt very aggrieved, her father was probably beaming.
If Bailu truly stepped in, his daughter wouldn't have to mix in this mud-pit anymore.
"Oh, you'll really listen to me?" Xia Yu gave her a side-eye.
"Yes. The Rat King has ordered it," Lin Yühsia's voice betrayed a hint of reluctance. "Graytail Hall follows your lead."
"Fine," Xia Yu said, deciding to make use of the resources available. She commanded, "First, throw these blind fools out."
Saying this, she looked at the Tiger Hall members. "You've just picked up a second life."
"Didn't you hear her?" Lin Yühsia looked at the Graytail Hall members behind her. "Hurry up and move!"
Though the Graytail Hall members were full of confusion, they knew better than to cause a scene in front of outsiders. Once they got back to the hall tonight and closed the doors, they would get an explanation.
As the men looked their way, Zhang Hao dropped his steel pipe with a clatter. "No need to trouble you gentlemen, we'll get lost right now!"
Then they scrambled away in a panic.
Right now, he was just thankful he could escape.
"Miss Bailu," Lin Yühsia turned to look at the Infected surrounding Xia Yu. Seeing the Originium Shards in their hands, she felt a chill.
It had only been a few hours, yet these people already dared to risk their lives for her using those Originium Shards.
If she truly had some grand design... Lin Yühsia's heart tightened.
"Is there anything else you require?"
"Oh, I'm holding a feast," Xia Yu said flatly. "To help them recover. Go check on Swire. Why is it taking her so long just to buy groceries? Also, call me Doctor."
It had been hours of dilly-dallying. If she didn't show up soon, the sun would be down.
"Understood, Doctor Bailu," Lin Yühsia followed her lead smoothly. "You guys stay here and keep the peace for Doctor Bailu. I'll go find someone."
After speaking, she left hurriedly.
She left the members of Graytail Hall looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Uh, Doctor Bailu," the leader of the Graytail Hall group looked at the tiny doctor who only reached his waist, then at the eyes of the surrounding Infected. He didn't dare show any contempt. "What can we do for you?"
"You guys? Go get me some tables, chairs, and benches," Xia Yu waved her hand. "How can we have a feast without those? Also, find me a few chefs. Charge everything to the Governor's Mansion's account!"
Upon hearing the Governor's Mansion mentioned, the Graytail Hall members naturally had nothing to say. They turned around to gather the furniture and chefs.
"As for the rest of you," Xia Yu looked at the patients around her, "all of you go back and tidy yourselves up. Clean off the Originium Shards on your bodies so you don't get scratched again!"
"I'm going to have a lot of patients over the next few days; I don't have time to cure you twice!"
Lungmen had a population of nearly four million. With such a base, the number of Infected in the slums had to be at least ten thousand. This was a massive undertaking, and it involved her future plans, so it couldn't be messy.
Of course, Xia Yu didn't know the exact number of Infected; even Wei Yenwu probably didn't know for sure.
But the number was definitely not small. As Yan's most important foreign trade city, a population of four million alone highlighted Lungmen's extraordinariness. Even in Yan, with its population of three hundred million, this number was among the best.
One had to say, the True Lung of Yan was truly good to his irresponsible brother, willing to give him a city of this caliber. Oh, wait, Wei Yenwu had snatched it back from Kaschey—never mind then.
In other countries, only a capital-tier city would have this scale. It couldn't be helped; their populations were smaller. Victoria, the hegemon of the core circle, had a native population of only thirty million, excluding its colonies. Lungmen was more than a tenth of that.
That thirty million was even after absorbing the cream of the crop from Gaul.
So, after exhausting the dividends of being in the first tier of the Crystal Age, Victoria was declining day by day, while other nations were catching up and eyeing that hegemon spot.
In any case, population was an incredibly precious resource in any era.
On the continent of Terra, there were only two nations with populations openly exceeding a hundred million: Sargon and Yan. Well, if Ursus wasn't so inhumane and managed itself well, it would probably have that potential too, but the 'gray livestock' had no human rights; Ursus's vast mineral resources were built on the blood of countless lower-class people.
Sargon was visibly massive; after all, its ancestors had been truly prosperous. It was just that the basic systems were lacking, making it impossible to tally exact figures, but exceeding a hundred million was certain.
Yan's territory was also vast, and with various systemic guarantees, its population led the continent.
If not for focusing all energy on internal industrialization and urbanization to gain an advantage in the Crystal Age and prepare for the approaching war of the gods, Yan would have no problem sweeping across half the continent if it chose to go to war.
In this era, population represented productivity. If Victoria, with thirty million people, could be the hegemon of the core circle, why couldn't Yan, with ten times that number and no weak national strength?
Under these circumstances, with Lungmen as the gateway to the outside world, the proportion of Infected among its four million people would definitely not be small. Xia Yu felt that breaking one hundred thousand would be normal.
After all, there were those fleeing from outside, like Ursus; those who came from within Yan because they felt Lungmen's social atmosphere was more open; and the legacy issues from local industrialization...
In just this one afternoon, she had treated no fewer than a thousand Infected.
Fortunately, she wasn't the one casting the Incantations. Instead, she used the Little Tarnished summoned through the Vision and only needed to issue commands. Otherwise, casting that many Arts would have exhausted her.
Mentally exhausted, that is—wearied by repetitive work, rather than physical fatigue.
Tomorrow, when more people arrived, she would use the Spirit-Calling Bell to summon the Mimic Tear. Dual-core drive for even greater efficiency.
Once the grand plan for Lungmen was complete, as the most famous trade city in the East of Terra, the name Bailu would surely spread across the entire continent.
Then, carrying out her subsequent plans... would be much easier.
Priestess, hehe, Priestess. You'd better be able to produce a star-slaying weapon; otherwise, just be a good little employee for me.
With her military force absolutely guaranteed, Xia Yu was now expanding without limit.