Chapter 1: This Was an Accident

Endless darkness shrouded this land, and the faint starlight and scattered fireflies in the forest were among the few sources of brightness in this world.

The night was misty, like a thin veil draped over a grayish-white city.

At the center of the city stood a graceful and exquisite statue, visible to anyone who entered and looked up even slightly.

She radiated a unique moonlit glow in the dimness—pure, holy, and so breathtakingly beautiful and dignified that every newcomer to the city would involuntarily hold their breath.

The statue was lifelike, as if the Night Goddess herself was draped in a robe woven of moonlight and mist. Her alluring figure, half-concealed in the haze, was all the more captivating.

Yet, despite her stunning beauty, the people of the city dared not harbor any disrespectful thoughts.

She was the ruler of this city.

Not a symbol of goodness, faith, or freedom, but more often a representation of slaughter and war.

People called her the Valkyrie. In just a single year, she had tamed this wild and chaotic land.

She brought a sliver of order and proper law to this city and its surrounding territories at last.

……

The city guards were somewhat lax, turning a blind eye to anyone entering the city, including groups of ragged beggars who poured in by the dozens.

Ryan Carter lingered at the city gate for a long time. Upon seeing this group of beggars, he decisively slipped in among them and successfully entered Yong City.

No one knew which city-state these beggars had fled from, and Ryan Carter couldn’t understand a word of their language. When they saw the hazy Valkyrie statue, they froze, standing still for several seconds before leaving in dejection.

They were originally people of the Pine Forest Tribe, with their own Five-Fort City. Though their land was not vast, they were a major power in this region.

A year ago, their Five-Fort City was destroyed. The rulers’ corpses were neatly displayed in the streets, and the city’s people, left without protection, were split in two: half became slaves, the other half homeless refugees. After wandering through several cities, they finally ended up in the territory of the very culprit responsible for their plight.

It was almost laughable—after just a year, any thoughts of revenge had long been worn away by hunger and hardship.

All they wanted was a wall to keep out wild beasts and prevent dying in the wilderness, a filthy street to curl up and survive, even if these towering city walls and long streets belonged to the Valkyrie who had destroyed their home.

“There’s porridge being handed out. Go to the back street,” a bucktoothed man in an officer’s uniform came over and coldly addressed the beggars, who looked like cockroaches and rats.

“Officer, I’m from Sang Town. On my way to deliver silk to the city lord’s mansion, I was robbed by bandits. All my money and the silk meant for the city lord were stolen, and now I’m in this state. Could you please notify Uncle Grant from Sang Town to come pick me up?” Ryan Carter stepped forward and spoke politely.

“What are you talking about? Get away from me! If you don’t want porridge and starve to death, stay away from this street I’m guarding. If the lady city lord sees this mess, I’ll lose my head too.” The bucktoothed officer ignored Logan Carter and cursed angrily.

Ryan Carter had no choice but to step aside. At that moment, a group of vagrants, hearing the call for porridge, surged toward the back street, and Logan Carter was almost carried along with them.

The back street was extremely dilapidated, a far cry from the main street. Few of the wooden and mud houses were intact, and the place was a chaotic mess. Entering such a place felt like all traces of human warmth vanished, leaving only decay and desolation.

The porridge distribution was not a scam. At the very end of the back street, in a wooden courtyard, a city lord’s maid in a sky-blue dress was handing out porridge.

She smiled kindly, showing no disgust toward these lice-ridden vagrants. Even when her fair hands got dirty, she continued to hand out bowl after bowl.

Ryan Carter was hungry too. Given the circumstances, he could only go with the flow and accept the charity.

“Dong dong dong dong dong……”

But before long, the vagrants and beggars began collapsing one after another—some fell backward, others toppled forward stiffly.

Those still conscious were terrified and tried to run, but after only a few steps, they suddenly convulsed and began foaming at the mouth.

Ryan Carter was stunned.

No way!

He’d heard that some ruthless city-state rulers, in order to make their cities appear prosperous and pure, would regularly hand out food to vagrants, refugees, and beggars, only to poison them and dump their bodies outside the city in mass graves.

Just like getting rid of rats in the sewers…

The thought that he might end up like this filled Ryan Carter with endless unwillingness.