The scorching day in Nagariel finally cooled down in the evening. Outside the city, in the jungle, there is a secret camp.

The Nagariel people are well aware of the terrors of the jungle. If it's not necessary, they won't easily venture into any jungle.

That's the downside of tropical areas; they're filled with nature's malice everywhere, from some poisonous plants to venomous animals, including natural traps, all of which can become nightmares for any creature trespassing into this hunting ground.

Every year, many people vanish in the depths of the forest for various reasons. If someone doesn't want to live anymore, a stroll through the jungle will suffice.

It's precisely because people know its horrors that no one would think there's a camp hidden in the jungle.

This camp is where the headquarters of the Youth Party in Mengwu Province is located.

These young people found ways to clear out a safe area and built their headquarters here. They discuss matters here and store important things here because it is safe enough.

In the center sits a young man, not tall but with a determined expression and a strong brow. He seems like the kind of character who, once appearing in a film, people will know he's not the protagonist, yet is an important righteous character.

His demeanor and aura seem to declare this point—I'm an honest and idealistic person.

He chews on a plant's root, biting it into a mush, leaving only the resilient fibers hard to break apart, while some other substances mixed with his saliva have been swallowed down.

The roots of this plant are everywhere; they taste slightly sweet when chewed, and the long chewing leaves a numb feeling. They were first discovered by some Ascetics to relieve pain, and later became a hobby for some people, casually chewing one as a form of enjoyment.

"Some foreigners are escaping. The headquarters has sent news, hoping we can be alert and early to recognize the signs." He speaks as he surveys the surrounding people, "These foreigners have drained us of our blood, and now they want to leave. We shouldn't let them do it!"

Merchants like Mr. Simon, from the "former dynasty," have basically developed the idea of leaving. These merchants, who lived during Pretton Trading Company's time, have a significant relationship with Preton.

And the Federation is the one who wiped out the culprits of Pretton Trading Company. Regardless of whether the Federation will continue to hold those partners in Pretton Mountain accountable, staying here isn't a wise choice.

As the Federation's intervention deepens rapidly, it's no longer easy to make money as easily as before. When the era of profiteering ends, it's the best time to leave.

Staying here will only lead to increased competition, causing the money they earned to be gradually lost.

So these "former dynasty" foreign merchants are fleeing, which has also aroused discontent at the Nagariel Youth Party headquarters, as they consider it theft.

Initially, Nagariel people could accept these foreigners becoming a third governing class primarily because they believed the money these foreign merchants exploited from their own people would ultimately stay on this land.

They married local women and had mixed-race children. Though they're mixed-race, those children are still Nagariel people.

They have Nagariel heritage, born, grown, and inherit business here. They are Nagariel people.

But now, these foreigners plan to flee with the wealth belonging to Nagariel. This is outrageous!

Everyone watched the young man as he poked the campfire with a fire stick, causing the burning wood to crackle, accompanied by sparks that rose and eventually extinguished in the air after bursting into dazzling light.

"Recently, our performance in various branches has been great; you all know..." The leading young man looks at the others, each one nodding as his gaze touches them, then he continues, "The fact proves one thing, those officials, priests, are not as terrifying as we imagined. It's been two days since we demolished the Temple."

"But who saw divine punishment? Did anyone get hurt or suddenly die?" The young man's eyes twinkle with a star-like light. "No, no one received divine retribution. God never existed; it was just a way for rulers to enslave us!"

"They want us not to resist; they want us to bow at their feet and obey their decisions. They want us to live in this country like slaves, becoming the nourishment for their good life."

"Now, I want to say these things are over. There's no god, no resistance; just as the great leader said, we will, and must, reclaim what belongs to us!"

"If they want to fight, we'll give them a fight!"

"If they want bloodshed, we'll give them bloodshed!"

"Even if there's sacrifice, we'll satisfy them!"

Though the young man's tone isn't very impassioned, it carries a sense of power. The youth by his side are in a confused phase of life; their youthful ignorance of the world and residual beauty colliding with harsh reality.

They cannot distinguish how the road ahead should go, but they still have youthful fervor and fighting spirit; the Youth Party has given them direction.

Everyone clenched their fists and looked at the leading young man. The leading young man seemed also excited, and only after a while did he calm down and continue on the previous topic.

"We cannot let those foreign merchants leave like this. Although our ultimate goal is to drive out these foreigners and change the current social structure, we need money, and they happen to have money."

Someone then asked a question, "Leader, what about the new Federation merchants?"

The new Federation merchants are also a trouble. If he doesn't answer this well, this young man will lose his authority.

If he uses one attitude towards foreign merchants with no backing, yet another towards the more powerful Federation merchants, such actions will leave people despising him, though they won't say so.

Everyone watched him to see how he'd answer.

The leading young man smiled slightly without feeling troubled, "That's also why we must prevent these foreign merchants from leaving easily, because of the resources, wealth, and industry in their hands!"

"Young friends, we need to seize from them what belongs to the Nagariel people, and with these, confront the Federation people!"

"When we hold factories, goods, and shops, then we possess capital to confront the Federation people."

"As long as we can unite, I believe those Federation people are definitely not our opponents. As long as all Nagariel people unite, driving these foreigners out isn't a dream!"

He spoke with resolute certainty. The core of these ideas indeed comes from the headquarters of the Youth Party; their plan is to use various methods to seize assets and wealth from these foreign merchants, then use their existing power to combat the Federation merchants.

Once the Youth Party controls the assets of these foreign merchants, combined with their appeal and local people's special attributes, the leading young man believes they will soon gain an absolute advantage in competing with foreigners.

Upon its inception, this idea quickly spread to various Youth Party branches in Nagariel, and this notion provided necessary theoretical support for their upcoming actions.

They need to utilize assets from foreigners who have looted Nagariel for years to counter the newly arrived Federation people, and all of this is to achieve the goal of self-reliance. Everything that happens in achieving this great goal is permissible.

Including violence, conspiracy, conflict, and even slaughter!

A flame burns in people's hearts, like the campfire before them, continuously burning with rage but unable to light the entire sky, yet one day, this flame will ignite the whole forest. At that time, even in the darkest moment, the sky will be illuminated by firelight!

"So, leader, what do you plan to do?"

"How can we help you?"

Seeing these energetic people with a common goal and hope gathered together, the leading young man let out a sigh of relief. As long as the young people don't yield, Nagariel still has hope.

He relaxed his expression slightly, "You all just need to purify the gold quickly and convert it to cash. As for these matters..." He paused for a moment, deciding to share his thoughts and plans.

Together for a common ideal, there shouldn't be deceit between us, "I will contact the children of those foreign merchants. After all, they were born here and grew up here. They might understand!"

"I know some of you think they're not one of us, but please believe me, I will convince them!"

…

Not far from the camp, in the city center, another young man sits on the lawn of his yard.

The emerald grass doesn't have the deep green color typical of nature at this time; rather, it's a vibrant green. A resilient life force in this vibrant color impacts everything around.

He hugs his knees, gazing at the sky. The starry heavens cannot bring a smile to his face.

Thinking about his father's attitude towards him, towards his mother, and the actions taken these days, chills his heart further.

He's no longer the small child who'd see his father's displeasure as an indication he wasn't good enough. He has grown; he has long known that he and his mother are merely his father's guise.

He wishes he could be a little dumber, but he doesn't seem so foolish.

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