"Do you know what? The Mikhland Empire has a common law, the ruling nobles have the right to add their own laws but cannot conflict with the common law. And the death penalty for rainbows is also a common law in the empire. The nobles usually follow it to ensure that their family line will always have descendants, but if they dare to resist, they must either use black magic, which is forbidden, or give birth to an illegitimate child and certainly cannot pass on power and status, or with a reward of 5 silver coins for each RAINBOW discovered, 20 silver coins for each RAINBOW noble discovered, the reward will be doubled if a RAINBOW couple is discovered, and there is an execution mechanism if there is a RAINBOW couple that is not reported. With the above, destroying RAINBOW is the most strictly followed thing in the empire.", Van Minh said. "What do you know the truth for?", Ky asked.
"We can make a lot of money reporting RAINBOW couples or RAINBOW individuals.", Van Minh replied.
"You…you can really throw away your dignity to do that?", Truong frowned.
"I was just joking. It's just that, who knows, you might need…", Van Minh looked straight into Truong's eyes for a long time before looking away.
"And that's also the only thing that Mikhland does well, while hygiene, food security, human rights, and technology are not outstanding.", Hai continued.
And no one said anything more. Perhaps only Truong held back his laughter, the three of them including Hai, Quang Minh, and Ky, did not understand why Truong laughed.
The group of five arrived at Jejimon City the next morning. As soon as they arrived at the city, the boys were surprised to see several hundred guards lying dead on the outskirts, a middle-aged man who looked like the mayor was sighing as he listened to the report of a man in his 20s who might be the secretary. Curious, the five approached to eavesdrop.
"Sir, this time the Arian bandits attacked the city again, more than 200 guards were killed, 157 civilians were injured or kidnapped, 20 shops were destroyed and 48 other shops in the city were severely damaged.", the secretary read the collected data.
"They are becoming more and more rampant. Our city is not developed so we don't have a strong army to defend.", the mayor sat down, looking at the fallen guards with sad eyes.
"They announced that they will be back in three days.", the secretary took out a piece of paper with the robbers' announcement, "Daring to reveal information about the date of the attack, proves that their network is very large…".
"What should we do now!?", the mayor was thinking deeply when Ky appeared.
"Sir, we can help, even destroy the robbers.", Ky excitedly replied to the mayor's surprise.
"But sir, this band of robbers has 320 men with infantry, cavalry and archers.", the secretary said in amazement.
"You just need to provide us with long swords and shields, the rest we will defeat the robbers.", Ky said excitedly.
Van Minh pulled Ky to a corner with Truong, Quang Minh and Tuan Hai.
"Hey Ky, what are you planning? Do you think you are strong?", Truong said angrily.
"That's right. Half-demons are stronger than normal people, right?", Ky replied leisurely.
"That's right.", Truong sighed, "But the strength is not significantly greater. You can fight 5, fight 10, but here are five of us fighting 320 robbers, that's one against 64! That's too much for five people who are slightly malnourished, not human anymore and lack experience.", Truong replied.
"We can use the city's terrain to fight guerrillas.", Ky retorted.
"The city is surrounded by plains, are you planning to use the city to fight guerrillas?", Van Minh asked.
"That's right.", Ky replied, "And using racial abilities is even more advantageous, isn't it?", Ky added.
"Ky, our slightly superior physical strength, speed, and vitality should be enough to fight 20 malnourished and diseased adult men, right?", Quang Minh said sarcastically.
"The fact that I became a Fleshmorph due to exposure to a Fleshmorph fragment only increased my physical strength, speed, vitality, and the ability to transform.", Van Minh continued.
"Then use the power of transformation.", Ky grumbled.
"The problem is that my current power is very limited, causing pain.", Van Minh replied.
"Hey, it seems like you lack good imagination and good biological knowledge to transform into other creatures.", Truong said.
"I don't lack this so I won't list it.", Van Minh replied, "What about you, your ability to combine with metal and machines is quite good, right? Thanks to accidentally consuming a piece of a dead Metaller's body, your genes and strength are almost Metaller-like, right?"
"That's right. You've only combined with metal and simple weapons. The ability to resist magical mind control effects is useless in this situation. Combining with machines is still a long way off.", Truong replied.
"I have the ability to release acid.", Hai said.
The group looked at Hai with joy, their fighting spirit rising.
"But the maximum release capacity is 10 liters, and if it's gas, it's up to 100 cubic meters.", Hai replied.
The group sighed again, their faces sad, their spirits suddenly down.
"I have a plan!", Van Minh said.
"Really?", the remaining four shouted in anticipation.
"First of all, we need a reason to help.", Van Minh said.
"Money, to polish our reputation and find evidence to help us not be suspected and enslaved.", Truong replied.
"Then just announce that we need money, the amount of money in this contract is only 20 silver coins, on the condition that we will have to use weapons provided by the city.", Van Minh replied.
He left with Ky, after a while he returned with five pieces of plate armor, five chainmail, three long swords, two bows and four quivers with 60 arrows, and four round shields with a diameter of 1 meter.
"The city is so poor! Set up a magical world where the entire city only has one piece of Manatite with a radius of 50 cm and a Manastore to store magic, which can explode so it is often used as explosives such as grenades and mines like in our world.", Ky complained.
"Be grateful, Ky. Not many people can survive and have temporary freedom like this.", Van Minh replied.
"What do you mean?", Ky asked.
"There have been 100 million people summoned from our world to this world as slaves in the past 100 years, they don't seem to be fixed to any one race but they are all between the ages of 10-19. They all have a magical ink on their chest that helps the slave master control the slaves and differentiate between other world slaves and native slaves and natives, which reduces the possibility of rebellion to almost zero. I threatened a priest and used holy water to wash away the magical marks on the group. They divided each of these 20 years into a separate generation of slaves, 4 out of 5 generations of slaves have been content to work, some do more intellectual work and help improve the lives of the nobles and upper class, but it seems that all four generations have passed away due to illness, old age and accidents. We are the 5th generation, with a total population of 20 million, currently 25% have passed away due to illness, 50% are said to have settled with their predetermined fate, the remaining 25% are the surviving group. In this different 25% group, like the previous generations, 95% of them have accepted their fate as slaves, the remaining 5%, 70% failed to escape, and that is us", Truong explained.
"It seems that we are following this path, this rare group…", Quang Minh said.
"That's right!", Hai replied.
"Then there are still 75 thousand others like us.", Ky smiled.
"I forgot to add that 80% of them later had their identities exposed, then were killed or returned to slavery.", Truong replied coldly before Ky's bright hope.
"So there are 60,000 people left…", Ky calculated, his face pale.
"Oh, 60% of them committed suicide because they couldn't stand the medieval society.", Truong said.
"You mean like no human rights, homophobia, misogyny, slavery, superstition,… right?", Quang Minh asked.
"Right.", Truong said.
"So there are 24,000 people left…", Ky calculated in a hoarse voice.
"Alright, everyone, let's go find the bandits, kill them and get the money.", Van Minh put on his armor, took his shield and sword, mounted his horse and waited.
The other four also wore bronze plate armor and chainmail, Ky and Quang Minh held their shields and swords, Truong and Hai held their bows and arrows. Mounted their horses, they left the city, starting their assigned mission. That night, luck smiled on the group when they found the bandits in a forest 80 km away from Jejimon city. a large camp with a large campfire, nearly 200 tents of more than 300 bandits, the loud laughter of drunken people.
"There they are...", Quang Minh said.
"They're drunk. The difficulty is that they still put 50 guards around.", Ky said.
"Let's just pour some oil around, then light it on fire.", Hai said with a sly smile.
"It sounds cool, but burning it carelessly can easily burn down the whole forest, and this forest is the property of old Heilop because it is in his territory, if we are discovered then we will be slaves again. Find another way.", Van Minh argued.
"Then use the blue Manatite and Manastore to make grenades.", Ky replied.
"But...", Truong expressed his concern.
"Don't think too much. Sometimes, act decisively, Truong.", Hai said, bringing the Manatite close to the Manastore, the Manastore absorbed the Manatite's energy until it dissipated into the air. The energy emitted a blue color, the Manastore appeared a crack and expanded rapidly. Hai took a deep breath, resolutely threw the Manastore, which quickly cracked and emitted a blue light. The stone flew towards the campfire, collided strongly and exploded. The five people in the group closed their eyes, covered their heads and bodies with shields. The explosion was so loud and fast that even the bandits who were the farthest away and noticed the first could not escape the explosion. Everything within a 20 meter radius around the explosion was completely flattened, leaving only a pitch-black color on the ground. Ky, Hai and Quang Minh went out to pick up every piece of armor and weapon that was left, Van Minh and Truong went out to catch the horses. After that, Ky, Hai and Quang Minh turned over the overturned and still-functioning cargo carts, loaded the pieces of armor and weapons onto them, and tied them to the horses. The group got on their own horses and returned, not forgetting to lead the horses carrying these pieces of armor and weapons back as evidence.
The remaining four people washed their faces and hands by a lake, while Van Minh used a white handkerchief.
"Do you think we will still follow the path of blending into medieval society and hiding our identities forever?", Truong asked Van Minh.
"Yes, maybe this is the most reasonable and safest path for our group.", Van Minh said.
"Is that the only path?", Truong continued to ask.
"Do you think there is another path? Looking at your different appearance, Quang Minh, Ky and Hai have caused difficulties for us from the beginning?" This mutation is really not beneficial…", Van Minh said, his eyes looking straight into Truong's silver eyes, in the moment of eye contact, Truong seemed to understand something, before Van Minh turned away.
The two were silent for a moment.
"So… what did you say to hide the truth behind it?", Truong asked.
"Genetic mutation.", Van Minh said.
Truong held back his laughter.
"What's so funny?", Van Minh turned back with a puzzled look.
"Nothing…", Truong rolled his eyes with a mischievous smile.
"The Manatite and Manastore are so powerful, why didn't the mayor take advantage of it like us? Does he think we're secret mages?", Hai thought to himself, his eyes still on the remnants of the explosion just now…
When they returned, the group returned their armor and weapons, and reported everything to the mayor in his private office.
"Is that all? It happened a bit too fast, I was most impressed by the part about using Manastore to create the explosion? I thought you guys had mages and let the mages do all the work…", the mayor stroked his beard, chuckling.
"I guessed what this old man meant!", Hai chuckled to himself.
"So the entire bandit gang has been destroyed. Although the loot didn't yield the stolen money, the horses have at least made up for the cost. Here are the 20 silver coins as promised.", the mayor handed Truong a bag of money, Truong checked and confirmed that there were 20 coins.
Truong and the other four people were about to go to the door when the mayor stopped them.
"Wait a minute, you have helped us. I also want to repay you a little as a way to show my deep gratitude. If the five of you don't mind, you can stay in this city for 7 days. During those 7 days, I will have the blacksmith change the shoes and armor for your horses and forge the best weapons in this small city as a gift from us for your efforts in protecting the city's security. Does everyone agree?", the mayor proposed sincerely.
"Agreed!", the five of them shouted.