Chapter 1202: 189. Hiding Place

“You actually thought of taking these things?”

After listening to Muen’s explanation, Hamreign’s golden pupils flickered slightly, and her gaze quickly swept over the contents of the register. What was recorded there was not merely a name. Age, sex, address, and even blood relationships—every aspect was recorded in extraordinary detail.

It was like an enormous net that encompassed the entire city.

Just as Muen had said, with these registers, together with the blueprints from before, playing this special game of hide-and-seek would certainly become much more convenient.

At the very least, they would no longer be completely blind and need to explore everything slowly.

“Who told me to be relatively weak?”

Muen shrugged.

“Without strength as powerful as Miss Dragon’s, I can only think of ways to prove my usefulness through other means. Otherwise, if I were merely a decorative vase, my dignity as a real man would absolutely never allow it.”

“The dignity of a real man......”

Hamreign looked deeply at Muen.

“You did not blush at all when you clung to my thigh before......”

“Cough!”

Muen suddenly coughed dryly and seriously argued:

“That was for the sake of saving Annabawei! Saving...... Can something done for the sake of saving people be called shamelessness? Besides, that does not conflict in the slightest with the fact that I am Belrand’s number one good man, real man, and mighty man.”

“Is that so......”

For once, Hamreign did not express disdain or contempt toward this human’s boasting. She lowered her head, and her gaze once again fell upon the register in her hands. A trace of complexity flashed through her golden pupils...... Then she suddenly murmured:

“Dividing the city into areas, locking down the population, gradually narrowing the range...... This truly can improve efficiency. If I had thought of it earlier, perhaps......”

“Hmm?”

“It is nothing.”

Hamreign slapped the booklet in her hand onto Muen’s face.

“Since you have already made sufficient preparations, then begin working. Try to end this battle quickly.”

“......Understood.”

Muen pulled the booklet off his face and sighed inwardly, wondering when Miss Dragon would become a little gentler.

However...... thinking about it carefully, although Miss Dragon was still not gentle with him, she had actually given him a reward and had even used this almost playful gesture. Did that mean the relationship between them had grown a little closer?

Now she probably would not casually attack him......

“Since you want to help, then do not be lazy.”

Hamreign’s tone became cold again.

“......Yes.”

Muen’s old face fell.

All right. He had been flattering himself.

How could Miss Dragon possibly become gentle all of a sudden?

It was already a blessing from heaven that she was not as cold and ruthless toward him.

Muen secretly glanced at Hamreign’s face. That face was still shrouded in mist, making her expression impossible to see.

Could it be that she possessed great self-awareness and knew that her fierce-looking face could easily frighten people, which was why she had always used magic to conceal it......

“What?”

Hamreign’s gaze became dangerous.

“Do you want to practice with me again?”

“I am extremely sorry, I was not thinking anything improper at all, and I will go work immediately!”

As a good man who respected women, Muen chose, as always, to courteously yield and not lower himself to the level of this bad-tempered...... wonderfully tempered lady.

It was definitely not because those golden pupils staring at his back felt somewhat piercing.

“Lord Morton.”

Muen wiped away his cold sweat, raised his hand, and called Morton over.

He instructed:

“Please have every resident immediately return to their own home. Starting today, everyone is temporarily forbidden from going outside, all movement of personnel is forbidden, and any social activity is even more strictly forbidden. In short, apart from family members, no one may casually come into contact with anyone else. Do you understand?”

“Huh? Th...... this would bring the entire city to a standstill, would it not?”

Morton was somewhat shocked.

“Then...... what about everyone’s daily lives?”

“That is what I need to ask you.”

Muen narrowed his eyes.

“According to my observations, the land and resources in this place are nowhere near abundant enough to allow you to live such a ‘wonderful’ life. Even your productive capacity is far from sufficient. Where do the supplies you normally use come from?”

“This......”

“Answer me.”

“They were brought by the great heroes.”

After hesitating repeatedly, Morton still did not dare defy Muen and answered truthfully:

“Actually, when this city had only just been established, it was not nearly this prosperous. Although everyone worked very hard to live, at most we could only barely support ourselves. It could not be described as ‘wonderful’ at all.”

“Until one day, the great heroes brought back a large quantity of supplies from the outside. Only then were our lives completely improved, allowing us to live better and better until we reached our current state.”

“The outside?”

Muen frowned.

“Yes. According to the great heroes, they discovered an area rich in supplies somewhere else within the mist. A large quantity of supplies was obtained from there. Unfortunately, people like us are still too weak and have not reached the great heroes’ level, so we cannot accompany them there. We must still trouble them to continually gather and transport supplies for us.”

As he spoke, Morton sighed. Clearly, he felt deeply ashamed that he was unable to share the burden of the great heroes.

Muen subconsciously turned his head and exchanged a glance with Hamreign.

The two of them simultaneously confirmed one thing: according to Morton’s account, the origin of these supplies was certainly abnormal.

After all, within the mist...... or rather, within the wound of this world, at most only one or two “primitive regions” similar to the one where the people of Notata had previously stayed could still remain.

But for their supplies to be so abundant was simply impossible.

[So they really were supplied by an Evil God after all?]

Muen’s lips moved slightly.

[Most likely. Those rats would not have the leisure to specifically gather cheese.]

Hamreign’s voice appeared directly inside Muen’s mind.

[Then that is strange. Since when did that bastard the Withering King become responsible for distributing supplies and food to believers? Is that not something Abundance should be doing? And the things distributed are actually this clean? We have not seen each other for a while, and He has already become this kind?]

[I do not know. And at present, it is not important. No matter what stands behind those rats, it will not prevent me from killing them.]

[......]

As expected of Miss Dragon. Truly domineering.

“By the way, do none of you have any doubts about all this?”

Muen returned to his senses and suddenly asked.

“Doubts? Doubts about what?”

Morton looked completely confused.

“......”

All right. He had almost forgotten again that everyone here was innocently naive. It was simply impossible for them to suspect their gentle, kind, and courageous great heroes.

The corner of Muen’s mouth twitched. He continued speaking to Morton:

“In any case, since you do not lack supplies, this will be easy. During the shutdown, distribute supplies normally according to the population. I am merely telling you not to come into contact with or communicate with one another. I am not trying to lock all of you away and starve you to death.”

Those survivors were hiding within this city. Therefore, apart from searching for concealed places that could be used as hiding spots, an even more important point was preventing large-scale movement of people, so that the survivors disguised as ordinary people could not casually change identities and evade inspection.

In this respect, it was no different from isolating an infectious disease.

“So that is how it is......”

Morton breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he truly had believed just now that Muen intended to starve them all to death.

However, at a moment like this, he still hesitated somewhat.

“To suddenly make the entire city do this...... Even with my prestige, it will be somewhat difficult......”

“This is Lord Hamreign’s command.”

Muen put on a stern expression.

“Of course, I will not force you. I will give you two choices now. Either you complete this task, or...... Lord Hamreign will personally do it.”

“I...... I will do it!”

Without the slightest hesitation, Morton immediately responded:

“I will definitely complete it. Give me one day...... No, half a day!”

“Very good.”

Muen revealed a smile and patted Morton’s shoulder with satisfaction.

“If you do a good job, rest assured, I will not make you work for nothing. There will be plenty of benefits!”

“Th...... thank you, Lord Muen.”

Morton took out a handkerchief, wiped his forehead, and revealed a flattering smile.

“Huh?”

Muen suddenly realized something.

Damn it. Why did this look so much like an evil colonizer psychologically manipulating a local traitorous lackey?

No.

I am a good person, I am a good person, I am a good person......

Miss Dragon is also a good dragon.

Miss Dragon is also a good dragon, Miss Dragon is also a good dragon......

After silently repeating it three times to stabilize his conviction, Muen turned his head and said to Hamreign:

“See? This is also one of the advantages of using gentle methods. A still-intact administrative system can save us a great deal of trouble. Had you killed all these people just now, the two of us alone truly would have been overwhelmed.”

“It does appear useful.”

Hamreign’s gaze swept across the surroundings.

“In that case, let us first inspect the people here, especially those from the so-called ‘Dragon-Slaying Team.’ Those rats might believe that the most dangerous place is the safest and have mixed themselves among them.”

“They should not be that brazen, should they?”

Muen was surprised.

“Who knows?”

As she spoke, Hamreign beckoned to Morton.

“Come here.”

“Huh?”

Morton’s expression became somewhat stiff......

He could still endure chatting cheerfully with the evil dragon’s lackey, but if he had to approach the evil dragon herself......

“What are you afraid of?”

Muen said disdainfully:

“You are the dignified Proxy, yet you are this timid? You have not even been beaten, and you are already so afraid? Look at me. I was previously beaten until I was half-paralyzed, but am I not still completely unafraid?”

“......”

Morton wanted to cry but had no tears. Inwardly, he thought that Lord Muen’s ability to stand so close to Lord Hamreign truly proved that he possessed exceptional strengths.

He could not compare. He could not compare at all.

“Come here. I will not do anything to you.”

“Y...... yes.”

After receiving that assurance, Morton finally summoned his courage and walked before Hamreign.

Hamreign glanced at him, then directly raised her jade-like hand and lowered it toward his head.

However, when it had descended halfway, she seemed to think of something. Her movement suddenly paused, and her entire palm changed into a single finger, which touched Morton’s forehead.

“You need to touch him to confirm completely?”

Muen, who was watching from the side, wore a solemn expression.

“If the power of an Evil God is helping conceal them, this is the only way to be certain.”

Hamreign’s fingertip remained there for one second, then lightly drew a line across Morton’s forehead.

“This one is not.”

“That action is......”

“I am leaving behind a trace of magic power to prevent those who have already been inspected from being replaced.”

“So that is how it is.”

Muen suddenly understood and applauded.

“As expected of Miss Dragon. Truly impressive. Even I did not think of that.”

“Impressive......?”

Hamreign gave a soft laugh with an unclear meaning.

“It is merely extensive experience.”

“Experience is also part of one’s strength. Miss Dragon’s excellence has already made me involuntarily want to cling to your thigh once again.”

As Muen hurriedly placed a mark beside Morton’s name in the register, he raised his thumb.

“......”

Hamreign could not be bothered to respond to this extremely annoying fellow, whose courage was growing greater and greater, and whose behavior she could no longer tell was flattery or sexual harassment.

Her thorn-covered long dress swayed lightly as she walked directly toward the next person.

......

......

“Quickly, form an orderly line. Lord Hamreign will inspect our identities one by one.”

The surroundings were very quiet. There were not even many whispered conversations.

Kran raised his head and looked at Morton, who was running back and forth while maintaining order. His cracked and bloodstained lips moved, yet he could not utter a single word.

There was nothing worth saying, nor did he have the right to say anything.

After all, he was no different.

Kran numbly walked into the crowd, numbly followed the instructions and formed a line, then numbly moved closer and closer to the evil dragon who had only moments ago terrified him.

He emptied his mind and refused to think about anything, like a hollow puppet.

Because the moment he thought even slightly, he would hear what seemed like another voice inside his body—a voice that was extremely familiar—speaking to him.

“Is this really all right?”

Like the whisper of a demon, that voice patiently tempted him:

“To simply give up resisting like this, to be casually ordered around and driven like a slave...... Is this truly all right?”