Chapter 1027: Magic Versus Magic

**Chapter 1017: Magic vs. Magic**

The door was pounded incessantly, and a guest shouted hoarsely, "Let us out! Don't you want to do business at this supply station? What kind of attitude is this towards your guests?"

But the door and its lock were incredibly sturdy and couldn't be broken open. Two people, famished by the scent of the Emperor's Dew, desperately wanted to climb out the window.

Only then did they realize that the windows were reinforced with wooden bars, possibly for wind protection, which now also prevented anyone from leaving.

Wang Fubao locked the door and told the guests on either side, "There's still space here for two more people!"

"I'll come, I'll come!" guests from diagonally opposite rushed over. They were staying in a five-person communal bunk, and the small area near the door was simply not enough for five people.

At least four or five similar incidents occurred in the guest area.

Others, dissatisfied with the small area marked by the white line, rushed out to collect more. They were all immediately knocked unconscious by the ready-and-waiting guards, armed with wooden sticks and clubs, and then carried back into their rooms for confinement.

There were no explanations given, and no courtesies extended.

The guards were truly hitting hard, specifically targeting shoulders, backs, and legs with remarkably skilled movements and force. One strike would send someone screaming in pain, their mind suddenly clear, before they were tossed back into their rooms.

Wherever trouble arose, they were the first to rush in and suppress it without hesitation.

After several failed attempts to challenge them, no one dared to be so reckless again. After all, the other side was numerous and powerful, armed and fierce, looking more like thugs than guards.

Some still stood within the white line, cursing at the guards. This group of rough former pirates thumped their chests and glared, completely unafraid: "This is private property. Every drop of the Emperor's Dew that falls belongs to the island lord! He's being generous by sharing it with you, so don't push your luck or take advantage. Watch your legs! Take one step out, and I'll break them!"

The words were harsh, but the logic was perfectly sound.

The unruly guests were locked back in their rooms, their pleas ignored no matter how much they screamed.

On this private property, once they disrupted order, their status shifted from guests of He Lingchuan to prisoners causing trouble.

Min Tianxi, the second-in-command, walked past a corner guest room. This room accommodated only one guest, so only one person stood outside. However, within the white line, a total of seven bottles and jars were neatly arranged.

All seven containers of the collected dew belonged to him alone. It was impressive how he managed to find so many containers.

Fortunately, he was in a corner, out of sight of other guests, or they would have been extremely jealous.

Min Tianxi glanced over, and the guest even smiled at him in a friendly manner.

Min Tianxi looked away and was about to turn the corner when he suddenly felt something was amiss. He took two steps back and focused on the white line on the ground.

"Hm? Something's wrong!"

Seeing him stop, the guest's face turned pale.

Indeed, Min Tianxi extended his foot and, with a swift scrape, the white line on the ground was smudged out of place.

"...Well, well, you little rascal, did you draw the line yourself?" No wonder it looked odd at first glance; the white line in front of this door was drawn much too far out, at least a zhang from the entrance.

The guest quickly bowed and said, "Officer, please be lenient; I can offer you a little something..." He then handed over a large silver ingot.

Min Tianxi grabbed him by the collar with one hand and directly threw him into the room.

Just as the man got back on his feet, the silver ingot flew in after him, and the room door slammed shut with a clang.

"Greedy fool," Min Tianxi mumbled, a 'Tranquil Mind' pill under his tongue. He scraped the ground twice before realizing that the original white paint on the ground had been covered with dirt by this cunning individual. This clever person had extended the boundary by three or four chi and drawn a new white line.

This way, he could place two more jars.

On a dark, rainy night, with the guards moving quickly, it was difficult to notice the misplaced white line with just a glance.

Moreover, the white line on the ground wasn't drawn with chalk or paint; it was a straightened piece of white silk.

In such lighting, and with several jars obstructing most of it, it was indeed possible to overlook the deception.

What a talent!

Seeing no one around, Min Tianxi quickly collected all the liquid from the jars before turning to shout, "There's an empty spot here..."

Trying tricks with them, huh?

The guards acted decisively, and any nascent disturbances in the guest area were swiftly suppressed. After all, while people yearned for the Emperor's Dew, being confined to their rooms meant they wouldn't get a single drop. Worse, they would have to watch helplessly as the dew on their designated spots was taken by others—that was what truly drove people mad.

As for the boatmen and sailors who hadn't booked rooms on the island, they were designated to collect the Emperor's Dew on the docks and ships, separate from the guest area on shore.

Separating the crowds helped prevent conflicts.

Despite the raging winds and towering waves at sea, Sording Island was enveloped in a peculiar atmosphere. Every person in the pouring rain looked up at the sky, eyes slightly red, terrified of missing even a drop of the precious dew.

Only the guards patrolled back and forth, beating gongs and constantly reminding everyone:

"For your own safety, do not cross the white line, do not cross the white line!"

After an hour of bustling activity, He Lingchuan's anxious heart finally settled.

Although there were constant unexpected incidents, and he himself rushed about like a fire chief, exhausted and overwhelmed, the order in Sording Island's guest area was miraculously maintained and did not collapse.

The turmoil and chaos that Yang Shanren had feared did not materialize. Despite some injuries, miraculously, no lives were lost.

The guard team, re-selected and trained for less than ten days, usually stood around lazily during training, but tonight, they performed commendably.

This was the magic of power.

Armed with sticks and entrusted with the authority to discipline ordinary people, every guard was invigorated. They stood taller, held their heads high, and roared at people with the powerful might of a tiger descending a mountain.

Thanks to Qiu Hu's continuous combat-style emergency drills over the past few days, most of the guards knew exactly what to do, especially how to control their force at critical moments, ensuring they knocked people unconscious without causing severe injuries.

He Lingchuan had witnessed the arrival of the Emperor's Dew in both Panlong City and Yuheng City, and he deeply understood that the secret to maintaining stability at such times was speed, precision, and ruthlessness!

While unrest was frightening, suppressing it sternly at its first sign, before it could escalate, quickly extinguished its momentum.

The only force that could help people overcome greed and selfish desires was absolute authority.

Obedience to and fear of absolute authority could even suppress the instincts aroused by the Emperor's Dew.

Attacking weakness with weakness, and using human nature against human nature, had proven effective time and again.

Seeing that everything was on track, he just let out a sigh of relief and was about to look up and take a few breaths of the Emperor's Dew when Reini suddenly rushed over:

"Report! The mountain on the northwest end has suddenly collapsed, and seven people are trapped! I've already dispatched a team for rescue."

"Northwest?" He Lingchuan frowned. "How are there people there?"

The terrain at the northwest end of Sording Island was complex; though the scenery was beautiful, it was uninhabited. Furthermore, with the Yangshan Archipelago expecting a hurricane tonight, a curfew had long been issued, forbidding anyone from venturing outside the barrier.

(End of Chapter)