Chapter 212 The Rabbit Dies and the Fox Grieves
Military slaves are not a new thing in the Noxian Empire... no, it should be said that they are not a new thing in the entire Runeterra.
It's just that in Demacia they are called laborers, in Bilgewater they are called shipwrights, in the Twin Cities they are called bonded laborers. Shurima, Freljord, and Noxus are more honest and just call them slaves.
These slaves usually did logistics and labor for the imperial army, and dug fortifications and served as cannon fodder during wartime.
When encountering a long period of peace, they will be transformed into labor slaves and serfs, and sent to factories and estates controlled by military nobles to sell their blood and sweat.
In the Amistan Legion, slaves have more uses.
Because Amystan pursues "technological innovation" and is fond of biological and chemical weapons such as poison gas bombs and virus bombs, her slaves who follow the army occasionally have to play the role of "experimental volunteers".
In short... the entire army knows that the slave camp is not a place for people to stay.
But at this moment, Riven had to escort her childhood playmate, whom she brought from her hometown, into this slave camp herself.
Seeing that he was getting closer and closer to the slave army's camp, Crete finally collapsed.
"Riven, don't send me there! I don't want to be a slave anymore... please." He begged.
The Noxian soldier's armor that he had worn for only two months, and which made him so proud, had now been stripped off completely.
In a trance, he seemed to have turned back into the farmer who was trembling at the feet of the landlord.
"Riven, please save me..."
Krete said nothing and stopped moving forward. He staggered and fell to his knees, just like when he saw Master Riven riding a tall dragon lizard back to his hometown in the countryside of Trivel nearly two months ago.
At this time, Riven was not riding on the back of the dragon lizard, but the height difference between them seemed to be even greater.
"Please, help me..." Crete cried until his voice was hoarse.
"..." Riven replied with difficulty: "This is the general's order. I can't help you."
Crete didn't listen. He just kept begging: "Riven, we are friends, aren't we? Do you remember, Riven? When we were little, we used to fish together, climb trees together, and steal the leftover bread from Master Kava together..."
"Stop talking." Riven gritted her teeth and said, "Krete, I really can't help you."
"You... stay alive. As long as you can perform meritorious deeds on the battlefield, slaves may be able to regain their freedom..."
As she was talking, she couldn't continue.
Because she knew she was lying.
Amystan's favorite tactic is to use the slave army as a target to attract the enemy, and then use covering incendiary bombs and poison gas bombs to eliminate these cannon fodder slaves and the enemy together.
In other warbands, slaves might have a slight chance of gaining freedom through military merit, but here, the only fate for slaves is death.
"Riven!" Crete obviously also knew his fate.
He desperately begged Riven, but Riven froze there, unable to speak or move.
Finally, Marit on the side sighed, "Riven, go. You can't help him."
"Hmm..." Riven finally responded.
"Crete, let's go," she said to her childhood friend who was kneeling on the ground.
Crete: “…”
He looked at Riven desperately, then looked around, with a hint of determination in his eyes.
"Don't run." Riven understood his thoughts. She murmured, "Don't run."
But Crete didn't listen. He ran away like a madman.
Riven was stunned for a moment and did not move.
“Riven?” Marit looked at her with concern.
Finally, Riven moved. She took a few long steps and caught up with Crete, who was desperately fleeing.
She grabbed the iron chain tied around Crete's neck, pulled it gently, and pulled him to the ground.
"Krete, get up." Riven said reluctantly, "Stop pushing me."
Crete lay on the ground, holding onto a roadside electric pole, and would rather die than get up.
Marit couldn't bear it any longer: "Riven, let me do it."
"Yes." Riven handed the chain to her best friend.
Marit gently pulled, as if dragging a dead dog, and dragged the crying Crete down the street.
After a while, they escorted Crete and other soldiers to the gate of the slave camp.
The officers of the slave camp took the shackles of these new slaves from their hands and drove them into the camp gate that was like a huge mouth of the abyss, just like piglets were being transported to a slaughterhouse.
"Riven!" Crete finally broke down. The moment he stepped into the slave camp, he struggled hard and turned back to curse: "It's you! It's all your fault! You're the one who ruined me!"
Riven was speechless after hearing this.
“That’s enough!” Marit angrily protected Riven, “ It was you who disobeyed military orders and violated military discipline, wasn’t it? We have done our best to help you, and you deserve it for things to have developed to this point!”
"You deserve it?" Crete yelled with red eyes, "How long have I been in the army? How many bad things have I done?"
"If I deserve to die because I did something bad, then what about you? The grain collection team, the labor camp, the slave camp, aren't these all the masterpieces of you officers?"
"You are the real murderers, executioners, and slave traders! It is you who destroyed Triwell, Noxus, and the entire Runeterra!"
“…”
"I..." Finally, he was dragged away by everyone in tears: "I want to go home."
With the disappearance of Crete, the world seemed to be quiet.
But Riven's hands were shaking slightly.
"Don't listen to him." Marit held Riven's hand and comforted her, "It's not your fault."
"I shouldn't have taken him to the army." Riven sighed.
"You are helping him. If he doesn't join the army, he won't be able to survive in the countryside." Marit said, "This time he was the one who raped a woman and violated military discipline, which made General Amistan angry."
It seems that what she said is correct.
But what made Crete unable to survive in the countryside? And what made an honest farmer immediately become a soldier who raped women after ?
Riven couldn't help but fall into deep thought...
"Marit." She suddenly asked with emotion: "Do you still remember what Orianna said?"
"You mean the so-called 'equality for all' advocated by that girl..." Marit originally wanted to tell it as a joke.
But somehow, even she couldn't laugh this time.
Because she had just seen with her own eyes that Crete, who had been a strong man in front of Colin and his daughter, was sent to the slave camp just because of a word from General Amistan.
It seems that what Orianna said is right, "In front of the strong, you are just weak."
Living in this world where the strong prey on the weak, they may be eating meat one second and become a delicacy on someone else's plate the next.
"Do you think we will end up like Crete in the future..." Riven felt as if she was mourning the death of a rabbit.
"Impossible!" Marit gritted her teeth and denied: "We are extraordinary warriors of Noxus, not mortal soldiers who can be used as consumables!"
"Maybe..." Riven nodded.
But doubts still lingered in her mind.
What has brought Crete to this state? Is Oriana right or wrong? Can a world where everyone is equal really be built?
"Let's go back." Marit didn't want to talk any more, so she just urged her to leave.
Riven walked away, casually putting her hands in her pockets.
She found that there seemed to be something in her pocket.
She remembered.
That was what she had confiscated from Orianna, put in her pocket and forgotten to hand in -
A volume of "A Brief Account of Gana's Thought".
Riven subconsciously took out the book "A Brief Account of Janna's Thoughts" from her pocket.
Marit's face changed slightly when she saw this: "Riven! Why do you carry such things with you? If General Amistan knew about this, she would be unhappy."
"I forgot to hand it in." Riven explained casually.
"Then go back and hand it in quickly, before anyone finds out and talks about you behind your back."
"Yeah." Riven nodded.
She decided to listen to Marit and put the booklet away and turn it in.
However, she was already curious about the leader, and after experiencing today's series of events, she couldn't help but...
He flipped it over before putting it back in his pocket.
"Don't look at it." Marit stretched out his hand to stop her.
At this moment, Riven happened to turn to one of the pages.
This booklet is called "A Brief Introduction to Janna's Thoughts", but as a portable brochure, it only contains some of the essence of his thoughts and theories.
Another part of this booklet contains several of Livi's current affairs commentary articles to help readers understand the current situation of the struggle and look forward to the future direction of the struggle.
For example, the page that Riven turned to had a very eye-catching title on it:
"Noxians, what are they fighting for?"
