Chapter 516: Chapter 525: Someone Is Causing Trouble

She had him now, for the time being, but she wasn’t in a hurry to kill him. She would hand him over to Felix Lawrence and the others to deal with.

Compared to her, Felix Lawrence and the others hated River Larkin even more. If River fell into their hands, his fate would be far more wretched.

Stella Sterling started to look forward to it.

After leaving River Larkin’s room, she went to find Black Swan.

Not long after, the door to River Larkin’s room was pushed open and Selene Larkin walked in. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the empty room. "Strange, where’s River Larkin? I told him it was about to start. Why would he disappear now?"

Meanwhile, the main hall was already filled with people from the various factions, large and small, surrounding Veridia.

They all depended on Sanctyr Base for their survival, so they wouldn’t dare miss a day like this.

Each had brought one or two subordinates, and the hall was soon packed. They had also brought the grain they were required to turn in today.

A scene like this should have been bustling with activity, but surprisingly, the hall was silent. Everyone sat obediently in their seats. No one uttered a sound or spoke to those beside them.

In fact, they all eyed each other with suspicion.

Their relationship was rather peculiar. They were all vassal factions serving Sanctyr Base.

But on a normal day, they weren’t partners. On the contrary, they were all rivals, just trying to survive. Disputes were inevitable, and they had even fought bloody battles over resources.

So they were not comrades; they were mortal enemies. They had the blood of each other’s people on their hands and would have gladly stabbed one another to death.

If this weren’t Sanctyr Base, and if they didn’t fear incurring its wrath, they would have started brawling long ago.

As it was, they were all forcefully suppressing their animosity for one another.

So, not only was there no conversation, but their gazes were filled with pure hatred.

The atmosphere in the room was rigid, filled with the palpable tension of a crisis waiting to happen.

’These people are so strange. If you knew what was going on, you’d know they’re here for a meeting. If you didn’t, you’d think they were here for a brawl!’

In the shadows, Black Swan, dressed in a Sanctyr Base uniform, blended into the crowd. Watching this bizarre scene unfold, he couldn’t help but sigh internally.

It was the first time he’d ever witnessed such a bizarre spectacle.

Then, he began to ponder the purpose behind Sanctyr Base’s methods.

’Sure, it reduces their own administrative burden and brings all these factions under their banner, but the underlying risks are huge. These people are a powder keg. If a real crisis were to happen and Sanctyr Base needed them, I bet they wouldn’t just be useless—they’d actively hold them back.’

’Or maybe Sanctyr Base doesn’t need their help at all. All they require is the monthly grain tribute. As for anything else that happens to these people, the powers that be at Sanctyr Base probably couldn’t care less!’

’That must be why they’re allowed to fight and squabble. It’s a way to control their numbers and prevent any of them from growing strong enough to threaten Sanctyr Base itself.’

Black Swan shook his head, a hint of excitement in his eyes as he gazed into the distance. Then, he gathered some items and left the hall.

Before long, Miles Sanctus arrived. He glanced at the tributes the people had brought, and a flicker of satisfaction showed in his eyes.

As was customary, he began to address them, employing his usual mix of threats and promises to ensure they maintained a healthy fear and reverence for Sanctyr Base, so that the thought of betrayal would never cross their minds.

Once he was certain no one dared show any trace of discontent, Miles Sanctus had them turn over their grain and was preparing to dismiss them.

But just then, the unexpected happened.

Massive explosions suddenly rocked several locations within Sanctyr Base.

The blasts were deafening, and the entire base began to shake violently.

Panic flashed in the eyes of the smaller factions’ members as they all shot to their feet.

"What’s going on?"

"Why are there explosions in Sanctyr Base? What’s happening?!"

A panicked murmur swept through the crowd.

Then, they began eyeing those around them warily, on guard against anyone trying to take advantage of the chaos.

At the same time, their own anxiety began to mount.

Nothing like this had ever happened before. It was a first for everyone, and no one knew what to make of it.

Their first suspicion was that the people of Sanctyr Base were turning on them—that they had been gathered here specifically to be wiped out in one fell swoop.

After all, while many small factions were present, each had been limited to a maximum of three representatives, and none were allowed to carry weapons.

If Sanctyr Base wanted to eliminate them, there was no better opportunity than right now.

Could it be that Sanctyr Base could no longer tolerate their existence and had decided to annihilate them all at once?

Panic and despair flashed in their eyes.

All the while, the explosions continued to roar.

Miles Sanctus’s face was a mask of fury. He roared, "All of you, shut the hell up!"

He then ordered his men to go and see what was happening.

This day wasn’t supposed to be special, yet in its own way, it was.

If everything had gone smoothly, they would have handed over their grain and left. It would have been completely unremarkable.

But with an unexpected incident like this, everything changed.

All of his vassal factions were here today. ’If something goes wrong at Sanctyr Base, they’ll all witness it,’ he thought. ’It will damage our prestige and have a significant impact on our ability to rule in the future.’

At this thought, Miles Sanctus’s gaze turned icy.

’No matter who is behind this today,’ he vowed silently, ’I’ll make them regret it.’

’But my own personnel, no matter how incompetent, couldn’t possibly make a mistake of this magnitude. So it’s very likely...’

’Someone has infiltrated the base.’

’Good. Just perfect. Someone actually dares to come to Sanctyr Base and stir up trouble!’

’Today, I’ll make sure they never leave this place alive.’

Miles Sanctus did not go to investigate himself. He remained where he was, effectively pinning down the leaders of the small factions with his presence.

This would prevent them from running around outside and causing more problems.

He wasn’t worried about the situation outside. Sanctyr Base was a well-oiled machine. Even if there had been a security breach and someone had managed to sneak in, a minor disturbance like this would be suppressed quickly with the strength at their disposal.

Peace would be restored in no time.

’All the better,’ he thought. ’Once the troublemakers are caught, I’ll deal with them right here, in front of everyone. It’s the perfect opportunity to make an example out of them and reassert the might of Sanctyr Base.’

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