As the lamp burned the unknown oil, a strange fragrance filled the room.
The fire in the warm fireplace was dancing merrily.
Su Chen leaned on the wooden chair next to the fireplace, looking at the fire in a daze.
Wisps of golden flames, like the palm of a devil, hooked Su Chen’s mind.
“Mayor?” Someone beside him called out softly.
Only then did Su Chen come back to his senses.
He turned his head and saw a young girl wearing a brown tattered maid’s outfit looking at him timidly.
“Are you feeling okay now?” The girl pinched the edge of her apron with both hands. Her knuckles were slightly white as she asked nervously, “You haven’t eaten since you fainted yesterday. Let me prepare some food for you, okay?”
“Sure,” Su Chen answered casually as he tried to process the chaotic memories in his mind.
He had just transmigrated to this world yesterday.
His own memories were mixed together with the memories of his original owner. It was a mess.
At that time, all he could remember were the giant rats attacking the people around him.
After that, he was overcome by a wave of intense pain in his head and fell straight to the ground.
Not long after that, he woke up from the cold.
When he opened his eyes, he saw an empty roof.
The wooden bed under him was covered with a layer of animal fur, which still made him feel a little uncomfortable.
The coolness of the night forced him to the fireplace in the house.
The more he thought about it, the more his head started to hurt.
Su Chen furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance.
“Mayor, please eat it while it’s hot.” The maid came in with hot food and gently placed it on the table next to Su Chen and retreated to the corner.
On the plate were two pieces of freshly heated coarse wheat bread and a bowl of potato soup with minced meat and vegetables.
He did not feel hungry at first, but he did feel weak.
However, the fragrance of the wheat and the rich aroma of the broth made his stomach start to rumble.
Su Chen took a sip of the broth and turned to look at the maid.
“What… What’s your name again?”
The maid was stunned for a moment, then she revealed a gentle smile and said softly,
“Mayor, my name is Evelyn. I’m your new personal maid.”
Su Chen nodded and asked about the current situation.
“The giant rat yesterday…”
“Ah! Mayor, don’t worry. The giant rats have been repelled by the guards.”
Evelyn answered Su Chen’s question while secretly sizing up the young lord. His handsome face was frowning with a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
Perhaps he was worried that the rat attacks were becoming more and more frequent. Should she tell the mayor about yesterday’s casualties?
She was in a dilemma.
Su Chen chewed on the coarse wheat bread while gulping down the thick soup.
As he ate drank, his body gradually recovered some strength.
He slowly recalled some of the memories of the original owner.
This world had been invaded by all kinds of monsters, and they often attacked human settlements.
The smaller villages around the country had almost been wiped out by the monsters, leaving only the towns that have fortifications to rely on barely holding on.
The father of the person whose body he was occupying was the former mayor of the town. Half a month ago, he was seriously injured when the giant rats attacked. Despite the best efforts of the priests in the town, he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Before his death, however, he handed the burden of mayorship to his heir and entrusted the captain of the guard who was loyal to him to help him take care of him.
He was attacked by the giant rat a few days after he took office.
His fight with the giant rats should have killed him. However, instead of waking up to see another day, Su Chen took his place.
While eating, Su Chen glanced at the struggling maid. The corner of her dress, which had been whitewashed, was twisted into a knot by her fingers.
“Evelyn? Do you have something to say to me?”
“Ah! Mayor, I… I didn’t… No! I wanted to tell you about yesterday’s attack.” Evelyn seemed to be shocked, and then she said with a gloomy expression,
“Mayor, after the attack of the giant rats yesterday, we lost a total of 57 militia members and 13 guards.”
“13 guards? !” Su Chen’s face darkened. “Don’t we only have 50 or so guards, to begin with?”
Thinking of this, the maid’s eyes teared up.
“Yes, mayor, we are only left with 42 guards and some untrained militia.”
Su Chen was silent.
“Inform the captain of the guard. Let’s discuss the defense plan of Lake Town.”
Evelyn also felt the mayor’s heavy mood. She bowed her head and hurried out to look for Captain Ian.
Every corner of Ceylon had been attacked by monsters in various degrees of severity. The giant rat was only one of the low-level monsters. It was said that there were more powerful monsters attacking in the larger cities, and battles raged everywhere. The king had no time to care about such a small town. Without mages and powerful knights, it was only a matter of time before it was destroyed.
His host did not have any special abilities, either. It seemed that he could only plan to set up some traps or fortifications to defend against the giant rats’ attacks.
“Knock knock knock.”
A knock came from outside the wooden door.
Su Chen looked at the door. A strong man with a full beard pushed the door open and entered, sitting casually on the chair beside him.
He grinned. “Little mayor, you’re up! How do you feel?
“If you ask me, you still need to train your body more.”
His voice was just like his own.
Ian’s voice was deep. His brown hair was disheveled, and he looked like a ferocious lion. He held a metal visor in his hands, and the armor inlaid with metal on his chest had been scarred from multiple battles. Thick strips of cloth were tied to his arms, revealing a small patch of dried, dark blood.
“Captain Ian, we’ll joke later. You know the current situation as well as I do. We need to discuss our defenses.” Jiang Chen moved his body slightly and sat up straight on the chair.
“We need to distribute our defensive forces across the town. The attacks are becoming more and more frequent. If this continues, we’ll be nibbled away.”
“We also need to gather and distribute the resources.”
Ian raised his eyebrows when he heard these words.
He had previously observed that Su Chen did not have the boldness of a ruler. It was only because of his father’s kindness to him that he was willing to help the current mayor. What just happened made his eyes light up.
“Good! You know how to think about the situation now.”
Ian’s expression eased up a little.
“I have already sent people to guard the breach in the southern wall of the town. We’ve been repairing it over the past few days. It’s just that Karev and those b*stards aren’t willing to help. Their family has a beginner mage. With his help, we’d have much less pressure on ourselves!”
As they were speaking, screams and noises came from outside. “The giant rats are here again!”