Urwendale, a small border town in Demacia.
"Hualuo, it's just ahead." With the wings of the giant eagle named Hualuo, Quinn soared freely in the sky of his hometown.
She was a child of a poor family in Irwindale, the daughter of the village blacksmith.
But a few years ago, due to a bad accident, she had a good relationship with the Bouvier family in Xiongdu, which changed her fate.
On the one hand, it was the recommendation and sponsorship of the Bouvier family; on the other hand, it was due to her own talent and ability, as well as the tacit following of her animal friend, the giant eagle Valor...
Quinn quickly grew from a country girl in a border town into a powerful and meritorious Demacian warrior.
Today, she is the beloved general of Marshal Tiana Crownguard and the strongest ranger known as the "Wings of Demacia".
Over the past few years, Quinn has served her country faithfully, fighting with distinction against Freljord barbarians and Noxian invaders.
But now, Noxus and Demacia have already stopped fighting. The Freljord people in the north are said to have reached a cooperation with the Crownguard family and no longer raid the south.
There was peace both inside and outside the kingdom, and she finally had the opportunity to take leave from the army and return home to visit her parents.
"Hualuo, let's land here." The outline of the hometown village had vaguely appeared in front of them.
Quinn specifically asked Hua Luo to fold his wings and land outside the village to avoid appearing too conspicuous.
Although her current strength and status are no longer what they used to be, she doesn't want to act like an officer in front of her fellow villagers.
So she temporarily released Hua Luo to the nearby mountains, letting this human-like giant eagle hunt and rest on its own.
Quinn herself was wearing simple clothes and carrying the crossbow that she had brought back from her hometown. She walked slowly towards the village along the familiar mountain path.
"The village is almost the same as when I left." Looking at the familiar scenery of the mountain village, Quinn felt very at home.
"But..." She looked at the empty farmland in the valley: "Where did everyone go?"
It was still broad daylight, and it was the busy farming season. How could there be no one in the fields?
Could it be that the wyverns have invaded again and everyone has gone back to the cellar?
But when she flew all the way here, Hualuo didn't detect any trace of a pterosaur.
With these doubts and a hint of worry about his parents and fellow villagers, Quinn couldn't help but quietly quicken his pace.
When she returned to the village, that worry quickly disappeared:
Everybody is here.
They all gathered in the open space at the entrance of the village...
"Meeting?" Quinn looked at the distance with some confusion.
I saw a simple podium built on the open space at the entrance of the village.
The villagers gathered in front of the stage, including her parents.
Although her parents were standing far away on the outskirts of the crowd, wearing clean new clothes, they didn't seem to fit in.
But like the other villagers, the two of them looked up intently at the stone podium in front of them.
A one-armed man was standing on the pile of rocks, shouting something passionately to the villagers below the stage.
"Is this... the butler sent by the lord?" Quinn thought so instinctively.
Her village was a tenant village, and almost all the villagers were tenant farmers who had been working and farming for a certain lord for generations.
Usually, apart from the steward sent by the lord to collect rent and negotiate interest, no one else is idle to hold meetings for the villagers.
So Quinn crept closer.
She was not in a hurry to reunite with her parents, but wanted to first listen to what new tricks these lords' lackeys were planning.
Although because of her success, the lord and his lackeys no longer dared to offend her family.
But those villagers were also her friends and elders who she had known since childhood. If the lord treated them too harshly, Quinn would definitely not stand idly by.
With this thought in mind, she took a few steps forward.
At this time, the one-armed "head of the family" shouted on the stage: "First, regardless of the planting method and who is responsible for the means of production, the land rent will be reduced by one-fifth!"
"Good!" As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers burst into cheers.
"Huh?" Quinn was stunned.
The lord is not here to raise the rent this time, but to reduce the rent for the tenants?
What happened? Why did that greedy old man suddenly change his nature?
She was wondering if she was hallucinating, and then she heard the one-armed man continue to shout: "Second, the interest income of the money owner shall not exceed 15% per year!"
"Good!" The villagers cheered again.
Reducing rent and interest rates, this operation made Quinn even more confused.
And the one-armed man continued: "Third, no prepayment of rent is allowed!"
"Fourth, any form of extortion and unpaid labor is prohibited. Tenants who borrow grain from the lord during the spring famine may not receive a discount after the harvest!"
"Fifth, all usury and other acts are prohibited; for debts older than ten years, creditors may not refuse the debtor's request to suspend interest and principal repayment!"
"Sixth, the total amount of interest paid by long-term borrowers shall not exceed the principal!"
"seventh……"
Reduce rent and interest, ban usury, fight against extortion and unpaid labor... this series of people-friendly policies made the villagers cheer.
The more Quinn listened, the more confused he became.
Is the Lord crazy? Why has he suddenly become so kind?
While she was in shock and doubt, someone from the village stood up and asked the "leader" on the stage hesitantly on behalf of everyone:
"Mr. Oren," the villagers called the one-armed man. "The policies you mentioned are very good."
"But...will the Lord really agree?"
Quinn: “???”
Wait...this...isn't this person the leader's family?
Then he is...
"Of course the Lord is unwilling." At this time, Mr. Oren laughed and said, "But as long as we all in the Irvingdale Farmers' Association unite , we can make him willing."
"Is it really possible, Mr. Oren? We can't defeat the lord..."
"Don't worry! We are here! Today I will prove to everyone that we are capable of protecting you and make you stand up straight and say no loudly in front of the lord!"
“…”
The conversation continues.
But Quinn's scalp was tingling after hearing this.
My goodness, he, they are...rebelling?!
She is a hero of Demacia. But her fellow villagers formed an underground organization called "Urwindale Farmers' Association" and became bandits who violently resisted the lord?
"Oh my God..." Quinn's forehead was covered with cold sweat.
She knew what fate would befall her fellow villagers once this matter became known.
And her parents...
Oh, yes! Her parents are here too!
"Dad! Mom!" Quinn almost couldn't help but shout out on the spot.
Thinking of the serious consequences this incident might bring to her family, she couldn't help but quietly quicken her pace, and taking advantage of the lively atmosphere at the scene, she quietly pulled her parents out from the outside of the crowd.
"Huh?" Her parents didn't react yet.
It was not until their daughter dragged them behind a large tree that they recognized the visitor in surprise: "Quinn?"
"You're back? When did you..."
"Shh!" Quinn whispered to his parents and looked at the crowd over there warily.
Seeing that the villagers were still discussing and hadn't noticed what was happening here, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to her parents and said, "Dad, Mom..."
"What are you doing here?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"What?" The old parents didn't realize why their daughter was so excited.
They looked at each other and answered : "To participate in the activities of the Farmers' Association..."
"Farmers' Association activities?" Looking at his parents' innocent faces, Quinn felt his blood pressure rising.
She said angrily, "What kind of farmers' association activities are these? You are clearly just... ah!"
She finally became an officer, but her parents turned out to be bandits.
"Dad, Mom..." Quinn said helplessly: "No matter how greedy and shameless the lord is, he is still a legitimate noble of the Kingdom of Demacia. How can you think of overthrowing the lord!"
" Eh?" Quinn's parents were stunned for a moment: "We didn't say we wanted to overthrow the lord... We just hope that the lord can be kind and reduce the interest and rent for the folks in Irvingdale."
Yes, whether it is the villagers or the leaders who planned these movements behind the scenes, no one wants to overthrow the lord now.
The villagers had been tenant farmers for generations and could not imagine life without the lords. Even if they were mobilized to rebel, they would only seek a certain degree of improvement.
The Leader does not yet have enough grassroots power to lead a thorough social change in Demacia.
They also need to maintain the old order from collapsing prematurely, and of course they cannot eliminate the lord class too early.
Therefore, the leader's choice was to send a small number of propaganda cadres into the Demacia countryside to organize the vast majority of Demacia farmers to join the farmers' association.
On the one hand, the leaders mobilized everyone to fight for interest and rent reductions; on the other hand, they would continue to pay interest and rent to the lords for the time being.
In this way, the fundamental interests of the lords will not be completely shaken, the resistance will not be too fierce, and the world will not be in chaos.
At the same time, the leader can also use this campaign to fight for interest and rent reductions to initially train the Demacia peasants' ability to fight and awaken the class consciousness of the majority of serfs and tenants;
In the process of the struggle, the Peasant Association was built into a cohesive and combat-ready grassroots organization. On the one hand, it allowed the power of the Leaders to penetrate into the grassroots of Demacia, and on the other hand, it was able to mobilize more Leaders and more comrades from the grassroots of Demacia.
Anyway…
For the leaders of Demacia, this was a training exercise before the decisive battle.
For the noble landlords of Demacia, this is the final test before the "end of the world".
Those who lead the way will keep a record of their mistakes. Who is enlightened and progressive, and who is evil and reactionary, will eventually be fairly settled when the wind of change sweeps across this land.
Of course, Quinn's parents were not aware of these considerations.
But they also believed what Mr. Oren said: "This is just a moderate movement to fight for everyone's legitimate rights."
"Gentle?" Quinn's face darkened.
They are asking for rent and interest reduction, and you are still being mild?
"The lord is not a kind man. Even if you just ask for rent and interest reduction, he will only regard it as a riot by bandits, and then..."
"It's okay." Quinn's parents said confidently: "Mr. Oren is the leader. He said that with the protection of Goddess Janna, the lord will definitely agree to our request."
"Goddess Gana? The leader?" Quinn was stunned for a moment.
The Hextech Flying Gate that leads directly to Zaun is located outside the city of Xiongdu. She had just returned from Xiongdu, so she certainly knew who the Leader was.
But what she didn't expect was that these leaders from thousands of miles away had actually infiltrated Irvingdale.
However, since this was done by the leader, then...
This movement seems to be quite mild.
This time they did not even ask for the lord's life, but only asked for rent and interest reduction...that was really too gentle.
"No!" Quinn tried hard to dispel these distracting thoughts.
No! No matter how big the other party is, how powerful they are, or how feasible this campaign is...
This is a blatant rebellion against the lord and a threat to the peace and order of Demacia!
They are the enemies of Demacia, her enemies.
"Dad, Mom, how could you get involved with these bad... these dangerous people!" Quinn was helpless.
But her parents were still stubborn: "But Mr. Oren is a good man. A few days ago, a wyvern attacked the village, and he saved everyone from the dragon's mouth at the cost of his arm."
"I know he is a good man!" Quinn already knew how good the Leader was.
It is not known whether Marshal Tiana Crownguard was not vigilant enough or King Jarvan had other considerations... Nowadays, the brochures of Leader of the Wind are distributed all over the streets in the military camp of Xiongdu.
Almost every German military officer now has a copy of "A Brief Account of Jana's Thought".
If she had not still remembered the kindness of the Bouvier family in recognizing her, and the appreciation of His Majesty Jarvan and Marshal of the Crownguard, she would probably have been "bewitched" by those Zaun people.
Quinn knew that the leaders were all good people.
"But..." Looking at Mr. Oren's broken arm, Quinn was speechless again.
Thinking of the lord's greedy face, she couldn't wonder why the villagers would follow the leader.
But Quinn still couldn't understand: "Dad, Mom, the villagers followed the leader to make trouble, so why are you getting involved?"
"Didn't you receive the money I sent home in the past two years?"
In Demacia, if a family can produce an extraordinary warrior, it can instantly change one's fate, just like Fan Jin passing the imperial examination.
Quinn is not only an extraordinary warrior, but also a rising star in the army who is highly appreciated by great nobles such as the Bouvier Family and the Crown Guard Family.
Her family used to be very poor, but they are no longer short of money in recent years.
If Demacia's land resources were not so tight and the royal family rarely conferred new titles on new nobles, Quinn might have already become a lord and had his own manor and territory.
Therefore, those poor tenants just followed the leader...
"Why did you join this Irvingdale Farmers Association?" Quinn was puzzled.
"Um... well..." The old parents replied somewhat embarrassedly: "In the beginning, we just wanted to join the Farmers' Association to get some benefits."
In the past, Demacia's rural trade channels were completely monopolized by noble lords and wealthy merchants.
Whether it is consumer shopping, selling agricultural products, or taking out credit loans, every step of the economic activities of Debang farmers is exploited.
Now, the leader is here.
"In the Irwindale Farmers' Association Cooperative, we can buy farm tools, seeds, and even fertilizers and various daily necessities from Zaun at cheap prices."
"Leaders will also purchase agricultural products from villagers at a fairer price than those profiteers."
"If anyone is in urgent need of money, they no longer need to borrow from unscrupulous loan sharks. Leaders will provide low-interest loans to everyone in the farmers' association to help the villagers tide over the difficulties."
Quinn's parents listed many benefits of the Farmers' Association.
In fact, they initially joined the Irwindale Farmers' Association just for the various affordable goods provided by the cooperative.
But then, they mixed up...
"Your mother and I feel that..." the father said to his daughter, who was an officer, a little embarrassedly, "What Mr. Oren said seems to make sense."
"It is not the Lord who feeds us, but we who feed the Lord."
"It's not that we have been in debt to the lord for generations, but that the lord has been sucking our blood with usury for generations."
Once you understand these, you can establish a simple class consciousness.
"In the past, we couldn't defeat the lord at all. Even if we were so poor that we were starving to death, we had to endure it ourselves."
"But now we have the support of the Leader and Goddess Janna, so why should we endure it?"
Quinn's father said this, and her mother nodded in agreement.
"This..." Quinn was speechless for a moment.
She couldn't argue with her parents.
Her parents were obviously rich for too short a time and were not rich enough, so they did not have time to escape from their original status.
They still regard themselves as ordinary members of the village and stand on the same side as the villagers.
So...what about her?
How should she choose?
"..." Quinn hesitated for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Dad, Mom, come with me!"
"I'll pretend I didn't see anything going on here...and you guys shouldn't hang out with these people anymore."
After all, she couldn't betray the kingdom.
It was Demacia that gave her the opportunity to succeed, and she must be loyal to Demacia and to King Jarvan.
"This..." Her parents were still hesitating.
The old couple looked at the lively conference scene not far away, with a hint of eagerness in their eyes.
"Stop messing around!" Quinn said angrily, "Yes, I know those leaders are very strong."
"But no matter how powerful those leaders are, this is still the kingdom of Demacia!"
"The main force of the Wind Leaders is in Zaun, thousands of miles away. If you follow them and cause trouble, even Goddess Janna won't be able to save you in time!"
Quinn's worries are not without reason. But...
"It's okay." Her parents were still confident: "Mr. Oren said that the Wind Leaders of Demacia are actually very powerful. Even if there is any danger, the Wind Leaders' warriors will arrive quickly."
"Just because he said it, you believe it?" Quinn was so angry that his teeth were itching.
These leaders encouraged the villagers to rise up against the lord, but they only sent this so-called Mr. Oren.
And the warriors of the Leader...where are all the warriors of the Leader?
"There!" Suddenly, Quinn's parents looked up at the sky excitedly.
The villagers not far away also stopped talking and looked up at the sky with excitement.
"W-what?" Quinn looked at it in surprise.
I saw that above the sky, there was actually a huge team flying towards here.
This team probably has several hundred people, and every one of them can fly, and they fly very fast...
This means that this is a team composed entirely of extraordinary strong men, a legion of mages with terrifying combat power.
"What's going on?" Quinn was shocked and immediately became nervous.
A few hundred extraordinary strong men are more than enough to capture cities and territories.
Is it necessary to make such a big show to deal with a small lord of a small border town?
"What are they doing here?" Quinn asked hurriedly. She was worried that the Leader had quietly organized such a powerful supernatural force on the German border. Was there some more terrible purpose?
But to her surprise, her parents said, “They came here… to show us.”
Yes. These extraordinary strong men appeared in groups just to show off to these tenant farmers.
Because of the absolute gap in military power between people in the extraordinary world, the spirit of resistance has almost completely disappeared in the DNA of mortals.
Therefore, if leaders want to mobilize the farmers in Debang, it is not enough to rely solely on the farmers’ association to provide material benefits and do ideological work.
Even if the farmers were willing to believe in the power of Goddess Janna, they could not help but have the same concerns as Quinn:
"You leaders are all far away in Zaun. If something dangerous really happens, will Goddess Janna be able to save us in time?"
To this, the Windleader responded: "We are not far away in Zaun. We are in Demacia, right beside you."
In order to prove this point to the majority of German farmers, the German branch of the Leader specially organized this massive armed parade.
They organized hundreds of extraordinary strong men and flew across half of Demacia in a few days to demonstrate the strength of the leaders to the grassroots farmers' association members in various regions.
The effect of doing this is very obvious.
"The Leader! The Warriors of the Leader are really here!"
Seeing those hundreds of "immortals" descending from the sky in a mighty force, the tenant farmers who had originally been skeptical about the struggle suddenly cheered excitedly.
The leaders are so powerful, why should they be afraid of struggle?
"This..." Quinn looked at it with mixed feelings.
It turns out that the power of the Leader in Demacia has been quietly accumulating to such a great extent.
Demacia, I'm afraid it's in danger.
What should she do? Should she follow her parents and betray the king she swore allegiance to?
The more Quinn thought about it, the more troubled and distressed he became, until...
"Miss Sona?" She saw the leader of the army of leaders.
She was so familiar with that face that Quinn couldn't help but shout out loud, revealing her presence.
"Quinn?" Sona, who had just flown down from the sky, also noticed this old acquaintance.
Quinn was recommended and promoted by the Bouvier family, which was equivalent to half a retainer of the Bouvier family.
And Sona’s full name is…Sona Bouvier.
She was the adopted daughter of the Bouvier family, and her mother was Madame Lestara, who had recommended Quinn.
"Ms. Sona..." Quinn's CPU crashed instantly.
She could never have imagined that she would meet the young lady of her benefactor's family here.
"You, you are also a leader?" she asked in disbelief.
"..." Sona's expression was subtle. The answer was self-evident.
Quinn was silent for a while.
She looked at her parents beside her, and then at Sona, the young lady of her benefactor's family.
"Could it be that Lord Barrett and Lady Lestara also..."
"Hmm..." Sona hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.
Her adoptive parents were well-known philanthropists in Demacia, the kind of nobles who would even sell their own land to help the poor. Plus the influence of her good daughter...
“Yes, they are also leaders.”
Quinn: “…”
A few days later, the Demacia branch of the Leader welcomed a new comrade.