In the Fischer family's basement, three members of the family were momentarily silent.
Byrne even harbored a glimmer of hope, thinking the Cyart army might bypass Nasir Town, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
The Cyart and the Rhea were the most sworn enemies among the Eastern Four Kingdoms, waging war and looting each other in the decades before they signed a peace treaty. The last battle, which occurred on the border of the two countries twelve years ago, had left a heavy toll of dead and wounded, marking the memories of many Cyart people.
The Rhea were known for their fierceness and brutality, far from the civilized reputation of the Cyart in mainstream opinion.
They were even one of the rare countries on the Ouden Continent that still adhered to a feudal lordship system, where the Rhea kings' cohesion and control fluctuated between strong and weak.
After much thought, Irene asked, "What's the situation in Nasir like now?"
Lucius said, "The news hasn't been released yet. It's only circulating among the major families, but I think it's only a matter of time before it spreads throughout the whole city."
Narrowing his eyes, he spoke gravely, "We don't know how many troops the Rhea have sent, nor when Cyart reinforcements will arrive, but in any case, we can't gamble on it."
The standing armed forces of Nasir Town consisted of a hundred or so patrolmen armed with flintlocks, and when counting the extraordinary exponents and guards from the major families, there were only about three hundred people capable of joining the battle in total.
Moreover, they were not professional soldiers, and their actual combat power was incomparable.
"Each family is packing up valuable goods, preparing to leave Nasir temporarily. I think fleeing to Fein City is the best route."
"Good."
Having made their decision, the three didn't hesitate any longer and went off to take care of their respective tasks.
Irene was in charge of deciding which valuable items to take with them, while Lucius went to call the Fischer family's guard and servants, informing them of the situation and instructing them to notify their families to bring their belongings immediately.
Suddenly, Lucius said, "Byrne, go to the Taylor family right away. We still have to retrieve a sum of fifteen Gold Coins from our investment."
Not long ago, Byrne had spent a considerable amount of money on pharmaceutical research, and now the Byrne family had only about ten Gold Coins left in assets, which would likely be insufficient for the journey as refugees.
No sooner had Byrne left his house and reached the street than he realized the news had already spread. People were hustling about in panic, running back and forth very anxiously.
Because the servants of the various families in Nasir were related to many townsfolk, the news spread like wildfire, from one to ten, ten to a hundred, making it impossible to keep a secret.
He jogged through the noisy streets to the Taylor family residence, only to discover that the entire family's estate was deserted.
Byrne stood stunned for a while, then realized that the remaining half of the payment could not be retrieved for the time being.
But, the Taylor family could run temporarily, but not forever. As long as they remained in the vicinity of the East Coast, Byrne was confident they could be found.
Moreover, he believed in his heart that several years of acquaintance with Robert would prevent him from outright defaulting on the debt.
By the time Byrne returned to his family, all the neighborhoods were in an uproar.
No, he quickly realized that it wasn't just the people on this street who were shaken by fear; the entire Nasir City was in great panic.
Baron Hovern was absent, the town chief was utterly unreliable, and with no one to lead the townspeople in resistance, everyone was thinking of fleeing as quickly as possible.
Most of Nasir's adults had experienced war and knew all too well how cheap human life became once war broke out, the overwhelming fear instantly pressing down on them.
Just as Lucius had thought, many people decided to flee westward to the safest place, Fein, the only city on the East Coast. Their caravan quickly became massive.
The Fischer family's dozens of members blended into the first few thousand refugees, along with Old Ramon's family from the blacksmith shop and sea merchant John's family, making the final count about a hundred or so.
Irene suddenly noticed with surprise that Old Ramon's mind had become very clear, talking and handling matters in an orderly fashion.
The escape had begun.
Dragging families and carrying many belongings made the large refugee caravan slow, likely taking seven to eight days just to reach the territory of Fein City, and with the impact of the snowy environment, it could take even longer.
On the third evening of the escape, the outdoor climate grew increasingly cold.
Snowflakes danced gently through the air, weaving a tapestry of purity, floating like elves, lightly brushing everything on the ground.
As the sun set, thousands of fleeing refugees chose to make camp next to the forest after crossing a frozen river.
Different incidents emerged within the throng of refugees during several days, with frequent acts of theft and even outright robberies occurring.
The town chief had disappeared at the first opportunity and the Taylor family as well, while the other three knight families discussed that night who should lead them in maintaining overall order.
The Fischer family, however, experienced no attempts at theft or robbery, partly due to their high reputation and partly due to their considerable martial strength.
The dozens of the Fischer family were setting camp, with the tired guards and servants all working hard. So far, Irene had managed to handle all sorts of situations very adeptly.
In the first years, most matters within the family were handled by Lucius, but now she had become adept at managing the internal affairs of the Fischer family, even more patient than Lucius.
After comforting two frightened cooks, Irene approached Lucius and Byrne, her inner unease prompting her to ask,
"Our caravan is a conspicuous target, could anything go wrong?"
Fully armed, Lucius shook his head and calmly, pointing his sword to the north, said,
"That troop from the north, from Rhea, will be heading straight for Nasir after passing through the jungle. For them to find our group in the vast wilderness is virtually impossible."
Indeed, several thousand people might seem like a lot, but in the vast expanse of the East Coast, they were like a small bunch of ants, and the chances of them encountering another small bunch of ants by chance were extremely slim.
Lucius continued,
"Moreover, if the Rhea troops wander aimlessly in the wild, the risk is too great. It would be better to raid Nasir and then turn and run,"
Byrne, who was listening nearby, suddenly looked up and said,
"There is one exception, though. I've heard of an exceedingly rare Spellcasting Bequest, the prophecy-type spells, that can accurately pinpoint a target's location."
Lucius remained silent. The strategically valuable prophecy-type spells did exist, but the chances of them being in that Rhea troop were not high.
Moreover, the likelihood of this group of Rheans stubbornly insisting on going after their group was nearly non-existent.
Unless there was someone or something extremely important within the entire escape party.
Lucius revealed a smile and calmly said, "This is a low-risk gamble; nothing will happen."
"Um, I understand."
Irene nodded gently, turned, and continued to console members of the Fischer family.
Soon, people came seeking treatment for sickness, as several elderly people had nearly succumbed to the cold weather and the demands of the journey.
Irene did not refuse, striving to save the old people's lives, and the people of Nasir were all deeply grateful to her.
Until a group of people with white hair and beards approached her.
Irene was slightly taken aback. The members of the Fischer family looked over; it was the silver descendants from Nasir Town, who not long ago had swindled a sum of money from the Fischer family.
Irene calmly watched them as a man with white, long hair stepped forward, clearly someone of higher status among the silver descendants, his clothing bearing symbols that flaunted a spellcaster's identity.
The silver descendant man fell silent for a while before finally asking with neither subservience nor arrogance,
"Madam Irene, the elder of our clan suddenly collapsed and has not regained consciousness. We suspect it may be a disease triggered by the cold weather and the fatigue. We beg you to save our elder, seeing as we are both followers of the Lord of Salvation."
Upon hearing this, Irene revealed a bright smile as if delighted by some happy thought.
She had healed too many people and knew that the cold, combined with fatigue and emotional excitement, could easily cause malignant changes in the hearts and brains of the elderly.
"As a fellow devotee of the Lord of Salvation, of course, I will save the respected elder of the silver descendants. Rest assured," Irene said.
Irene paused here, causing the middle-aged man to grow anxious before she continued,
"However, the Fischer family is currently in a very difficult situation, and we hope that you will offer assistance in the name of the Lord of Salvation."
The middle-aged man nodded, unsurprisingly asking, "Fischer family, how much assistance do you need?"
But when Irene finished, his expression changed.
"We left Nasir in a hurry, and we urgently need thirty Gold Coins."
Although everyone among the silver descendants knew Irene was asking a sky-high price, they had no choice but to oblige her. After all, just as only the elder of the silver descendants clan possessed the "Extraction Spell," Irene of the Fischer family was the best healer among the thousands in their party.
Ultimately, it was the shortsightedness of the elder of the silver descendants clan that had led to this unfortunate situation, unlike sea merchant John, who would rather take a loss to make a good impression on the Fischer family.
The silver descendants clan was extremely unified and quickly gathered the thirty Gold Coins, earnestly beseeching Irene to save their elder's life.
When she treated the elder of the silver descendants clan, she didn't completely heal his ailment but left a portion untreated, ensuring that the silver descendants clan must beg Irene daily.
After returning to the Fischer family camp, the sky had gradually darkened, and the snow grew denser, falling slowly like suspended feathers.
Irene suddenly discovered that Grandma Narda, the mother of the thieves' gang leaders, was silently waiting for her with a black iron box.
Because of the Dawn Church's basic principles of "secrecy" and "caution," Grandma Narda rarely came directly to the Fischer family.
Irene asked in puzzlement, "Grandma Narda, what brings you here?"
As soon as Narda saw Irene, she quickly approached, speaking excitedly,
"A few days ago, my children came across something from a merchant, which could very well be a Mysterious rare artifact."
She leaned in and lowered her voice, "You once said that the lost Lord of Dawn needs them, and these past days I've not had the chance to hand it to you. I feel now is the time to give it to you."
After saying this, Grandma Narda respectfully presented the black iron box.
Suddenly, Irene felt a tiny tremor from the powerful will of the Lord of the Lost! Inside the black iron box seemed to hide something extremely important, something that even the great gods could not disregard!
She was utterly astonished. What exactly was inside the black iron box?
Just then, puzzled murmurs arose from the crowd around her, followed by gasps of surprise!
"Someone's here!"
"Look over there, quick!"
"Ah!"
Irene and Grandma Narda abruptly looked up, their gazes joining the crowd's in the direction everyone was staring.
In the dim light of day, black figures were gradually multiplying on the far side by the riverbank, becoming more distinct and moving closer, appearing like a terrifying Black Tide slowly advancing as if to devour everything.