My Players Are So Fierce

The story diverges into two threads: just as the war in the Northern Peninsula of Rhenia comes to a pause, with the Chaos Fiends being shattered and entering a pursuit skirmish phase, the Kato area, hit by a Merfolk attack, is far from peaceful.

As early as the outbreak of the Black Disaster on the Ligurian Peninsula, this area had been placed under military administration by the Exploration Corps, and local industries, under the Cape Family’s leadership, entered a wartime support mode, with several factories fully committed to producing war materials for self-sufficiency. As a result, not only did they avoid trouble, but the increase in orders even led to a wave of “prosperity”.

Especially for the workers; although they had to work overtime, they were satisfied because they earned more.

However, this situation did not last long. Precisely speaking, when refugees from the Ligurian Peninsula flooded in, a subtle change occurred, particularly because a considerable number of these refugees were Half-body Men who possessed certain technical skills, and they also needed to make a living, thereby allowing local factories to gain from the situation.

Many workers were replaced by Half-body Men who were more sensitive to machinery. These fellows even brought advanced technology from Charldo Harbor, which made the factory owners laugh with joy even in their dreams. Yet, as the victims of this wave of “professional upgrades”, the displaced workers were very unhappy.

They targeted their anger at the refugees who took their jobs. Although there was no large-scale conflict on the surface, hostile exchanges were not uncommon behind the scenes.

The Half-body Men were fine; they possessed “core competencies.”

Anyone with a skill could live quite well in the commercially rich Kato area and be prized by factory owners from all walks of life, but the Rhenian humans who followed the Half-body Men to Kato were in an awkward position.

Having already been disadvantaged by leaving their homes, they now found themselves targeted with hostility by locals, and they were already filled with enough rage.

In this situation, expecting help from the factory owners was impossible; one could never expect capitalists anywhere to be compassionate. Gradually, these refugees became the most unwelcome people locally, often being harassed by local gangs, much to their annoyance.

Moreover, to prevent the escalation of conflicts among the lower classes, the Cape Family arranged for the Ligurian Peninsula human refugees’ temporary camps to be set up near the coast.

This was originally a goodwill gesture, allowing the refugees to barely fill their stomachs with catches from the coastline, but the direct result was a second blow when the Daguan Fishmen harassed along the coast.

On the night the Daguan Fishmen attacked the coast, three refugee camps were breached, nearly a hundred people were killed or injured, and only with the aid of the emergency-deployed local militia were those ugly bastards driven off, but this was only the beginning of the problem.

The Dorod Fortress, near Lake Xiuerpres, had already faced massive Merfolk assaults, putting it into a state of alert. The Exploration Corps warriors stationed there were already stretched thin maintaining the connection between the Kato area and the Ligurian Peninsula, not able to spare manpower to guard the refugee camps. The Wolfsbane Clan, who controlled the local gray areas, was willing to help, but the problem was the refugees couldn’t afford the “protection fee”.

Given the “factional characteristics” of the Wolfsbane Clan, naturally, the little ruffians and lazy opportunists who rose to become vampires were not going to provide protection for these oil-less poor souls; thus, days after the coastline was attacked, the refugees were forced to form their own armed group to defend the camp.

However, this action inadvertently touched the fragile nerves of the local factory owners.

There had always been friction between local people and refugees, and conflicts were not unheard of; now the refugees were arming themselves, what exactly were they planning?

As a protector of local businessmen, Count Leon had been busy handling these matters for the past couple of days.

He felt that the businessmen were overthinking.

Perhaps their guilty consciences were causing paranoia; in any case, more than one person had already requested him to find a way to expel these ever-more-dangerous mobs.

Factory owners always had simple ideas; with the abundant human resources in the Kato area, even if they expanded their factories, they would prioritize hiring locals. The wages were already pressed very low; unless those refugees wanted nothing but a meal, they simply could not compare to the local workforce in terms of cost-effectiveness.

However, these guys came from the more affluent Ligurian Peninsula to seek refuge, and their previous conditions in the Half-Person Factory were much better than local factories. Just hearing about their various demands was enough to make local factory owners feel absurd, let alone meeting them.

A 12-hour work system, a resident factory doctor providing free medical care, employee dormitories…

Never heard of it!

Never heard of it all!

Letting these guys stay locally to spread such dangerous thoughts might even corrupt the local hardworking workers; they must be driven out! Must be driven out entirely!

“These short-sighted bastards!”

In a wooded estate near the Dorod Fortress, Count Leon had just seen off an elegantly dressed old factory owner, and the moment the latter got into the carriage, Count Leon’s hypocritical smile vanished from his face.

Were it not for the fact that the other party had been part of the Cape Family’s business system since his father was alive, with the foolish suggestions that old bastard just made, the Count would definitely have demoted him mercilessly.

“He dared to suggest I should leave the refugee camp issues alone, letting the Merfolk deal with the troubles for us… Listen to that! Years of comfort have dulled the once sharp mind, and now he isn’t even qualified to be a bad guy.”