The next morning, in the capital city.
Inside a dilapidated wooden house deep in an alley.
After finishing a simple breakfast, Zana stretched his body a few times and prepared to step out the door to start his day's work.
But as soon as he opened the door, he felt something fall onto the back of his hand through the gap above the door. It was wet, like a drop of water. At first, he thought it was rainwater and didn't pay much attention, especially since he had clearly heard the sound of heavy rain late into the night.
However, when he went to wipe his hand, he noticed the liquid was red and slightly thick. Zana's body immediately trembled.
'Blood?'
'Did someone die nearby last night?'
'Someone took advantage of the sound of the heavy rain to commit murder around here!'
Instantly, his mind automatically conjured the most likely explanation.
In this dark alley, aside from ordinary poor folk, there were also several groups of low-level gangsters.
Though those guys weren't particularly skilled, they were vicious enough!
For a few gold coins, they wouldn't hesitate to kill. Fighting over territory during a rainy night wasn't beyond their capabilities.
After hesitating for a moment, Zana slowly opened the door and peeked his head out to observe the situation outside.
What met his eyes was a sea of crimson. The uneven road surface was like a pool, already filled with a significant amount of blood.
Thin streams of blood stretched from the entrance of the alley all the way to the end. Even the houses were stained, as if someone had painted them all with blood, creating an eerie and unsettling sight.
??
What the hell is this?
As he caught the faint scent of blood in the air, Zana felt deeply puzzled.
He couldn't figure out where so much blood had come from!
Logically, even if all the people in the alley were combined, they couldn't possibly have bled this much.
His gaze shifted to his neighbors' houses. The usual crowd that would have already been out chatting and joking was nowhere to be seen. Only the faint movement of shadows through the door cracks indicated that people were still inside.
This sent a chill down his spine, and he felt the urge to immediately shut the door!
After another moment of hesitation, his eyes widened as a wild thought crossed his mind: 'Could it be that Maddon Duchy has fallen? Did someone take advantage of the heavy rain last night to storm the capital, leading to the fall of the duchy? Is that why there's so much blood outside, and now they're slaughtering the city?'
With this thought, his expression hardened. Pressing his body against the wall, he quietly began to move toward the exit of the alley. If his assumption was correct, he needed to escape this remote alley before anyone noticed him!
"Gulp…"
As he got closer to the alley's exit, Zana couldn't help but swallow hard. His heart began to race under the tension, and he could feel the gazes of people peering through the cracks of doors and windows in the houses around him.
'Everyone is watching me!' he suddenly realized.
He even vaguely saw a large group of gangsters lying on the roof of one of the houses, secretly observing him.
'Kid, you've got potential. You're brave!'
Zana felt like he could read the meaning in the gaze of one of the bald thugs.
As his head was about to peek out of the alley, he faintly heard the sound of footsteps outside, a stark contrast to the usual bustling scene!
Instinctively, he wanted to pull his head back.
But driven by courage, he didn't do that. Instead, he stuck his head out and looked around.
The empty street had no pedestrians, nor were there the corpses Zana had expected to see.
There was only an old man sweeping the ground. The crimson blood water rippled with each sweep, accompanied by the eerily silent surroundings, making Zana's heart race...
After a mental struggle, Zana slowly moved forward, timidly using the gentlest tone he could muster to ask the old man, "Old man, what happened in the capital yesterday? Why are there no pedestrians?"
Hearing the voice, the old man, who had his back to him, suddenly stopped sweeping. Like a rusty machine, he slowly turned his face to Zana and answered in a lifeless, hoarse voice, "Nothing much, just that the color of the rain is a bit strange..."
Each syllable was drawn out, as if slowly crawling out, combined with the bloody surroundings and the old man's sallow face, creating an extremely terrifying atmosphere that made Zana's hair stand on end.
"So... so this blood water is just rain..."
Licking his lips, Zana forced a smile. The old man before him gave him a chilling feeling.
Just as he was about to retreat, the old man's eyelids lifted slightly, as if remembering something, and he added, "Oh, by the way! This Blood Rain is said to be related to a tragic love story. Some say it's a blessing from the heavens. You might want to check out the end of the street. It's said to be very touching, with a large group of girls crying their hearts out..."
??????
Zana was immediately stunned, not understanding what the old man meant.
With his limited knowledge, what connection could there be between a tragic love story and Blood Rain??
How could it be related to a blessing from the heavens? Shouldn't this be considered a dire omen, a divine punishment???
With these puzzled thoughts, he began to walk towards the location the old man had mentioned. Along the way, he encountered some sparse crowds, but everyone looked cautious or confused, clearly not understanding what had happened.
It didn't take long for him to reach the end of the street, where a large crowd had gathered. Just as the old man had said, there was indeed a large group of girls crying, and they were crying so bitterly, discussing something that left Zana completely baffled.
In his confusion, Zana leaned in to listen carefully to what they were talking about...
And once he started listening, he was captivated!
You have to admit, Duke had gathered dozens of poets, storytellers, and orators to craft a story that was not only beautifully written but also incorporated a plethora of melancholic elements, making the plot twists and turns incredibly captivating.
Maddon Duchy: The male lead from a poor family, Maddon Duchy; the female lead from a wealthy family whose fortunes have declined and needs a helping hand, Yar Principality: the noble second male lead who, after helping the female lead's family, becomes engaged to her, primarily responsible for being a background character and getting cuckolded.
Through the efforts of dozens of creators, the three have formed a complete story chain!
Not only does it provide a detailed description of the complex emotions between the male and female leads due to an accidental meeting, but it also subtly portrays the intricate troubles of their respective families and the various injustices and contradictions in the world.
For example, the second male lead, who was cuckolded but still chose to 'forgive her, of course!'
Finally, it adds a touch of drama by having the male lead die on the spot under the sinister blows of the second male lead, who tries to break them apart, accompanied by the scene of the female lead's suicide triggering the Blood Rain. Even if it's not unprecedented, it's at least among the top three in the industry in terms of depth.
It immediately captivated Zana, who lives in this era lacking entertainment and has little exposure to such things!——
'The love story between the commoner Mark and the wealthy lady Evlora??'
"The love and hate entanglements of several families??"
'And there's even a noble fiancé from Yar Principality who's there to stir up hatred??'
'What's more, both the male and female leads end up dead, could this be a magical version of Titanic + Romeo and Juliet???'
Drinking the vegetable soup in front of him and watching the maids nearby crying and passionately discussing, Olthagia tilted his head, finding it somewhat interesting.
Judging from the plot, whether it's on Earth or in this other world, the tastes of the masses seem quite similar.
The only question is, what sin did the female lead's fiancé commit in his past life? He had his wife taken away, tried to get her back, and still ended up being scolded and nailed to the pillar of shame.
Even Olthagia, the great villain, couldn't quite figure out the reasoning behind it.
Perhaps, this is the meaning of 'a simp dies a bad death.'
Then, he truly didn't expect that his casual action would lead Jem to understand the tactics of a propaganda war. In a few days, this newly crafted story would spread across the country, stirring up hatred towards Yar Principality among the lower classes.
It could be considered a small favor to Jem, though Olthagia himself didn't feel it.——
After finishing his meal, Olthagia said to the housekeeper standing beside him, a beautiful and perfectly built woman around twenty-five years old with a serious expression, "Prepare a carriage for me, I want to go out for a stroll today."
Hearing that Olthagia wanted to go out, the housekeeper was momentarily stunned before replying:
"Yes, my lord."
Since she was transferred here, she had never seen Olthagia go out, and he rarely interacted with others. In her observations, although Olthagia's temperament and appearance were extremely outstanding, he seemed out of sync with the world, never showing concern for external matters.
Even when Prince Jem personally visited, it didn't make him the least bit nervous; instead, it was Prince Jem who seemed somewhat reserved. This puzzled her greatly, but she also knew that many things were not her place to meddle in, so she never asked.
It might sound a bit negligent, but over the past two or three months, her understanding of Olthagia, the master she served, was limited to just his name and general behavior. Beyond that, she knew nothing else.
She didn't even know his origins or his full name.
At best, she could say she knew him slightly better than a stranger!
Fortunately, although Olthagia's demeanor was cold, his temper was remarkably good. He never lost his temper with anyone, no matter how careless their actions might be, and he never nitpicked or held grudges.
Otherwise, she would have found the situation quite challenging.