On the bridge of the Heart of Steel.
Beside overturned chairs lay scattered documents that had not been burned in time. The screen of the radar console had been smashed, but the internal chassis remained intact; repairing it would not be particularly difficult.
It was obvious that those people had fled in a frantic, undignified rush, without even enough time to thoroughly destroy everything here.
Thanks to that, the Heart of Steel had fallen into the Alliance's hands almost entirely intact.
"A thousand-man unit appeared north of Daybreak City, suspected to be a mercenary outfit... but Xiao Qi has already eliminated them!"
"Master, you can rest easy now!"
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling viewport at the front of the bridge, Chu Guang quietly listened to Xiao Qi's report on the northern front. A relieved smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Well done."
With the battle over, communications between the Ruigu City area and Dawn City had been restored. The airborne signal was especially clear, allowing him at long last to speak directly with Xiao Qi like this without constantly worrying about losing the connection.
Chu Guang had been guarding against a northern threat for a long time, roughly since the conclusion of the northern expedition.
Whether through the investigation into the Bone Chewer tribe's arms suppliers or contacts with the envoys from the Flint Group, all signs pointed to the Legion having an intelligence network in the Bugra Free State and maintaining shady financial ties with the locals.
According to confessions from surrendered officers under Dillon's command, Myriarch Kondra of the 14th Legion was stationed right in the Bugra Free State.
Chu Guang was even certain that the Bone Chewer tribe sweeping through the River Valley Province had been orchestrated in part by that very intelligence network. The objective had likely been to groom a vassal in the River Valley Province similar to the Falcon Kingdom.
Clearly, the Legion had not given up after a single failed expedition. Even their military operations in Sunset Province carried the intent of laying the groundwork for the next invasion.
With the Alliance's main army pinned on the western front by the Heart of Steel, it would have been strange if the Legion's network in the Bugra Free State had made no move at all.
After hearing Xiao Qi's report, the stone weighing on Chu Guang's heart finally settled.
Outside the viewport, the downpour had stopped.
Gazing at the fading golden dusk and the earth about to plunge into night, Chu Guang's thoughts drifted with the twilight toward the land over a hundred kilometers away, bathed in sunset glow.
Though he could only make out a hazy silhouette, he could sense the storm brewing there.
Regardless, the battle on his doorstep was won. The Heart of Steel was permanently stranded in the River Valley Province, and for a short time, the Legion would no longer have the strength to covet the land beneath his feet.
With the assistance of Yun Song and his 26th Commando, the allied force of the four kingdoms should be able to hold out for a while.
Before the army marched to Sunset Province, he could catch his breath and pause for a moment to appreciate the rainbow after the storm...
Just then, approaching footsteps outside the doorway interrupted Chu Guang's train of thought.
Clad in a Type 5 "Light Cavalry" exoskeleton, Lyu Bei stood at the entrance, resting his right fist against his breastplate, which was covered in bullet marks and fissures. He spoke respectfully.
"My Lord, I have brought the man you requested!"
As the youth reported, his eyes shone not merely with respect, but with unmistakable adoration.
As Chu Guang's personal guard, the Guards Corps had participated in the encirclement of the Air Marines' 1st Millennium during the recent battle.
That figure astride the Deathclaw, charging forward with a raised warhammer, had burned itself deeply into his mind.
While whether he stood on the front lines did not diminish his Lord's greatness, at that moment, that towering figure bathed in radiant light seemed to have transcended entirely.
He was certain he was not the only one who felt that way.
Pulling his gaze from the viewport, Chu Guang turned toward the doorway.
Beside Lyu Bei stood a man with a pale face and a prominent bridge to his nose.
Physically, he was a far cry from the towering Air Marine officers, looking much more like a clerk or a technician.
And indeed he was.
According to intel from Battlefield Guy and the confessions of prisoners, this man was named Finod, the logistics officer of the Heart of Steel, holding the rank of Senior Millurion.
Though he commanded no troops, he had two more stars on his epaulets than Vannus.
When the fighting had broken out earlier, he happened to be at the Air Marines' camp. Later, when the camp was raided by the Jungle Corps, he was forced to retreat to Falling Leaves Camp, a kilometer away.
He had missed General Macklen's escape pod, missed Korwei's last-ditch transport, and finally bumped head-on into the Skeleton Corps' armored column.
Surviving long enough to surrender was quite an achievement in its own right.
Seeing Chu Guang looking at him, Finod swallowed hard, forced an awkward smile onto his face, and spoke up first.
"I... I can pay a ransom."
Hearing this, Chu Guang smiled faintly.
"Five million dinars."
At this astronomical sum, Finod's already pasty complexion turned even paler. In a trembling voice, he tried to bargain.
"I-I'm just a millurion... Isn't five million a bit too much?"
Chu Guang said casually, "Six million dinars, then."
Hearing six million, Finod clamped his mouth shut immediately.
He had already guessed that the man before him had no intention of letting him go; the ransom amount was pulled completely out of thin air.
Six million dinars...
That money was enough to outfit three thousand-man units!
While the position of logistics officer did afford him certain operational conveniences, even if he had ten thousand times the courage, he would never have dared to embezzle that much.
Finod swallowed, a trace of dread creeping into his eyes.
Did this guy plan to sacrifice him on the altar of victory simply because he hadn't caught any other big fish?
As wild thoughts raced through his head, Finod felt his knees turn to jelly.
It wasn't that he feared death.
He simply wasn't mentally prepared to lay down his life for the Grand Marshal...
Chu Guang glanced at him and asked with mild amusement, "You're the chief of logistics, and you can't even produce that much?"
Finod said bitterly, "My Lord, do you know what five million dinars means?"
"No, and I don't care. Besides, your ransom is six million. If you can't pay, work diligently and earn leniency." Seeing a glimmer of hope rekindle in the despairing face, Chu Guang smiled faintly and asked, "Can you fly an airship?"
Finod nodded nervously. "A little... I generally know how to make it move."
"Good enough." Chu Guang nodded. "I'll watch from here, and you'll pilot it. Destination: Qingquan City. If we go off course, I shouldn't need to explain the consequences."
At these words, Finod's face instantly twisted into a bitter scowl. He whimpered timidly, "M-My Lord..."
"What is it?"
"The airship's left wing was already torn off by your people... Only the stern propulsion remains," Finod explained miserably. "Forget flying to Qingquan City—if we haul in the anchor chains right now, there's a risk we'll just drift away with the wind..."
*Oh, right.*
*The wing was sheared off, wasn't it?*
Chu Guang admitted he was indeed getting a bit ahead of himself. After capturing such a colossal prize, it was hard not to feel thrilled.
Just taking an inventory of the spoils would probably take several days.
Chu Guang believed that the players were currently just as ecstatic as he was after defeating the first world boss in Wasteland Online.
Once the inventory was complete and the battle settlement report was finalized, he would share the joy of victory with his beloved players.
Clearing his throat softly, Chu Guang looked at the troubled Finod and said, "Well, of course I knew it couldn't fly. I was just testing to see if you had any bad ideas... I'm pleased with your performance. The ransom is reduced by one hundred thousand dinars; it's now 5.9 million."
Finod gave a wry, wordless smile.
Chu Guang composed his expression and added, "Show me around the vessel."
Finod exhaled in relief and bowed respectfully. "Yes, sir."
***
After securing the airship, the Jungle Corps and the Burning Corps had coerced the remaining crew to lower the vessel's altitude.
Now, the Heart of Steel hung just a hundred meters above the ground.
Aside from players with ongoing missions, most had gathered below the Heart of Steel, posing for commemorative screenshots beside the mooring chains.
After all, this was the first world boss in Wasteland Online.
And it was the server's first ten-thousand-player-scale campaign.
It had to be commemorated properly!
Especially seeing the Alliance flag hoisted atop the Heart of Steel, the airship might even become a new Alliance respawn point.
Taking a photo now meant bragging rights for the future when dealing with noobs: "Look, your starter village was conquered by yours truly!"
While the players were busy preparing bragging material for when they logged off, Chu Guang led the Guards Corps in taking over the various sections of the airship from the Jungle Corps.
Roughly five hundred crew members had been captured.
Most were non-combatants: technical personnel responsible for fire control correction, radar operation, route plotting, piloting, and maintenance.
To figure out how to operate the vessel and understand its logistical systems, their help was indispensable.
Toward cooperative prisoners, Chu Guang was not excessively harsh. He handed them all over to the Logistics Department and arranged personnel to learn airship operations from them.
Good performance would earn reduced sentences.
Frankly speaking, given the Alliance's current scale, fully digesting a behemoth like the Heart of Steel posed certain difficulties.
Although the Heart of Steel was an airborne unit, its operational doctrine resembled a navy far more than an air force.
Frustratingly, the Alliance territory contained only two lakes; there was no such thing as a navy.
The captain and various bridge personnel would have to be promoted temporarily from reserve officers in the army and air force systems.
Guided by Finod, Chu Guang arrived at the Heart of Steel's armory.
A steel arched door, fully twenty millimeters thick, barred the end of the corridor. Entering required both a passcode and a key.
"The code is 4731."
Entering the code, Finod produced a key, unlocked the door, and respectfully handed the key back to Chu Guang.
Chu Guang took the key, pocketed it, and glanced inside, instantly stunned by the breathtaking sight.
Shells thicker than a man's thigh packed ammunition racks several meters high. Folded mechanical arms stood alongside the racks, their bases mounted on T-shaped tracks.
Looking across the munitions-crammed bay, Chu Guang suddenly had an idle thought and asked, "Are the armories located in the same place on all airships?"
Finod replied respectfully, "Of course not, My Lord. Every nuclear-powered airship in the Legion is individually designed around its 'shield core,' and the preservation state of each shield core varies... Furthermore, this is one of the Legion's highest secrets."
"Even I only learned the specific locations of the Heart of Steel's compartments after taking up my post. Many junior officers serve out their entire tour without ever knowing the exact locations of the magazine or the engine room."
The so-called shield core likely referred to the wreckage of a People's Alliance corvette.
Chu Guang nodded in understanding. Rather than continuing with questions that yielded no practical use, he turned his attention to the remaining ammunition stockpiles.
With the former logistics officer's assistance, Chu Guang conducted a rough tally.
The harvest was extraordinarily gratifying.
The armory held fifty rounds of 400mm rocket-assisted extended-range shells, each weighing nearly 1.5 tons, split between thermobaric and conventional warheads.
These "sub-nuclear weapons," which General Macklen had not even had the chance to use, were now Alliance spoils of war.
In addition to the main gun ammunition, there were nearly ten thousand 100mm shells and millions of rounds of various calibers and types stored in separate compartments.
During combat, these munitions would be transported to various firing stations via mechanical arms and fixed tracks, loaded either manually or automatically depending on the munition type.
Furthermore, Chu Guang discovered five hundred 500-kilogram medium aerial bombs and seventy 1,000-kilogram heavy aerial bombs in the magazine!
The destructive potential of these things might even surpass that of the 400mm main gun!
After all, a significant portion of a 400mm rocket-assisted shell's weight was propellant, whereas the bulk of a 900-kilogram bomb's weight lay in its warhead.
A standard thermobaric bomb had a yield exceeding eight tons of TNT equivalent; by comparison, these heavy aerial bombs could easily reach twenty tons.
According to Finod, these bombs were primarily designed to crack heavily fortified bunkers and underground shelters.
Looking at the stacked racks of munitions, Chu Guang felt a faint chill of lingering fear.
It was fortunate they had tied down this airship.
If it had flown right up to their doorstep with its shield raised, hardly anyone on the surface would have survived, save for those inside the vault...
The spoils were not limited to ammunition; supply depots held military provisions, including 500 tons of canned beef and nearly 1,700 tons of compressed rations, pickled vegetables, and other supplies—enough to sustain a ten-thousand-man force for an entire year.
In a modest cold-storage room, Chu Guang even found milk ice pops and ice cream preserved in freezers.
Looking at the frozen treats, an unexpected spark flickered in Chu Guang's eyes, and he quipped, "You people lived quite comfortably."
Finod smiled awkwardly, unsure how to reply.
Chu Guang turned to Lyu Bei and said with a smile, "Go call a few brothers later to carry these ice pops and ice cream down. Distribute them among the troops at dinner."
"It says 'Centurion Special Reserve' on the box, so it should taste good. Let everyone have a taste and see what it's like."
He was still a youth, after all, and prone to cravings.
At the mention of food, Lyu Bei swallowed hard.
However, he quickly realized his lapse in bearing, snapped to attention, and saluted.
"Yes, My Lord!"
Seeing Lyu Bei's excitement, Chu Guang smiled and said nothing.
Ice cream wasn't particularly rare in Dawn City, but out on the front lines, getting a bite of anything cold was no easy feat.
It was the height of summer, and having just concluded a grueling battle, both players and locals were near the limits of their physical endurance.
A cooling ice pop right now would be an absolute delight.
While there wasn't as much ice cream as canned beef, several freezers full was more than enough to hand out one per person.
Hearing Chu Guang say "distribute them," the guards beamed with joy, while Finod wore a look of sheer dismay.
As the logistics officer, no one knew better than he how exorbitant these porcelain-white ice pops were.
The milk used to produce them was no cheap commodity; it came from the Legion's alpine pastures along the Sorat River, priced at over ten thousand dinars per barrel. Ordinary citizens had neither the status nor the means to purchase it.
Though labeled for centurions, the distance from the Legion's core territories had long since restricted its supply exclusively to officers of millurion rank and above.
To hand them out to common underlings was an appalling waste of heavenly gifts!
Yet Finod kept his mouth shut.
Disposing of the spoils was the prerogative of the man before him; he was merely a prisoner...
***
Beyond the ammunition and rations, the airship carried undeployed engineering vehicles and manufacturing equipment.
Chu Guang intended to hand these over to the Logistics Department for allocation.
And aside from inanimate cargo, the lower decks housed the Legion's slaves.
Contrary to Chu Guang's expectations, their living conditions, while far from luxurious, were surprisingly not terrible.
In a communal dormitory spanning two to three hundred square meters, roughly a hundred triple-decker bunks were packed tight, leaving barely enough floor space between them for two feet.
One side of the dormitory connected to a shared shower room with no partitions, its open space hung with rows of showerheads.
A few bars of soap lay in the corner.
Compared to the repulsive dungeons of the marauders, this environment was relatively civilized—approaching the standard of a proper prison.
Though what had occurred here was hardly civilized.
As Chu Guang and Finod entered, the slaves looked up with bewildered, anxious expressions.
While this compartment had not become a battleground and they were well accustomed to the deafening roar of cannon fire and gunfire outside, they could sense something unusual from Finod's expression and the attire of the men beside him.
Chu Guang noticed that when their eyes met his, though fearful, they did not shy away in shame.
Even though most of them wore only flimsy tunics that barely covered their bodies.
Standing beside Chu Guang, Finod cleared his throat softly and spoke in a fawning tone.
"My Lord, most of these slaves come from humble origins. Some are even wastelanders rounded up from the wastes by those brutes. I doubt you'll have any interest in them..."
In his view, compared to the priceless ice cream in the freezers, these women were the true spoils meant to be bestowed upon subordinates.
Chu Guang cast him a slightly surprised glance. "You people even categorize slaves into tiers?"
Finod said, "Uh, not tiers per se, but officers of centurion rank and above usually have private quarters, and those of millurion rank or above have additional cabins. Those rooms aren't just for storing loot; they often serve as servants' quarters as well..."
"Including yours?"
Seeing Chu Guang's half-smile, Finod looked slightly embarrassed and braced himself. "Naturally... I can't deny it. But compared to my tastes, I'm certain you will find General Macklen's collection far more intriguing."
Chu Guang raised an eyebrow slightly. "Lead the way."
Finod immediately bowed. "Right away, My Lord."
General Macklen's quarters were located at the stern of the airship, near the escape pod bay. Several Guards Corps soldiers were currently cleaning up bloodstains and corpses on the deck.
A fierce firefight had erupted here earlier; the corridor walls were riddled with bullet holes, bearing witness to the brutality of the clash.
Seeing Chu Guang approach, the two soldiers standing guard at the entrance snapped salutes.
"Administrator!"
Chu Guang nodded to them, gesturing for them to carry on, and calmly let the pale-faced Finod continue leading the way.
The group soon arrived at General Macklen's room.
The space was quite generous, completely unlike the cramped crew quarters.
Curiously, Chu Guang actually spotted the head of Yong Shi here.
The grotesque head was the size of a two-headed ox, coated in formalin or a similar preservative, preserved as a mounted specimen.
Unfortunately, General Macklen would never get the chance to hang it from the bow of the Heart of Steel.
Aside from Yong Shi's head, the room held piles of polished gemstones, diamond-encrusted gold and silver tableware, and several technologically sophisticated devices whose purposes were entirely unclear.
According to Finod, every time General Macklen captured a survivor settlement, he selected several of the most valuable trophies to add to his private treasury.
Some were handcrafted by local natives; others were scavenged from pre-war ruins.
Chu Guang had little personal interest in or knowledge of such treasures, but the nobles in Boulder City's inner circle would likely find them fascinating.
He planned to have Yin Fang pick out the technologically valuable items once they were shipped back, and then enlist familiar merchants to sell off the rest.
General Macklen's private collection would fetch a tidy sum of chips at a Boulder City auction.
Adjacent to the display room was a bedroom. Pushing the door open, Chu Guang found a woman standing inside.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, dressed in an elegant gown. Both her features and her demeanor set her distinctly apart from the slaves Chu Guang had seen in the lower decks.
Yet...
The panic and confusion in her eyes were identical.
Standing beside Chu Guang, Finod introduced her respectfully.
"Her status is quite extraordinary. She is one of... the consorts of the Falcon Kingdom's monarch. Her name is Teresa, daughter of an influential minister."
Chu Guang looked at him in surprise. "You guys even stole another ruler's consort?"
Finod explained in a low voice, "It wasn't stealing, strictly speaking. The King of the Falcon Kingdom offered her to General Macklen voluntarily."
Teresa's face was pale. She bit her lip in silence, her eyes darting between Chu Guang and Finod, trying to make sense of the situation.
Chu Guang studied her for a moment, pondering how to deal with her.
Just then, an idea crossed his mind, and he spoke.
"Hello, Lady Teresa."
Seeing the man in deep-blue powered armor address her, Teresa spoke nervously. "H-Hello... May I ask who you are?"
Chu Guang continued, "The Administrator of the Alliance."
"The... Alliance?"
A flicker of instinctive confusion passed over Teresa's face.
However, she quickly realized that her ignorance might cause offense, so she lowered her head in trepidation.
"Forgive me, I... I did not mean to offend. I have never traveled this far, and I know nothing of this region..."
"No need to be nervous. We aren't that petty," Chu Guang smiled faintly. "Besides, you are a victim of this war. We won't make things difficult for you."
Teresa looked at him blankly, then glanced at Finod.
Finod had no idea what Chu Guang intended, but being a shrewd man, he wisely kept his mouth shut and pretended he didn't exist.
Seeing her silence and guessing she was still entirely bewildered, Chu Guang said, "You probably haven't grasped the situation yet. In short, we defeated the Legion, and this airship has been captured by the Alliance."
Confirming from Finod's expression that this was no joke, Teresa looked nervously at the man before her and asked in a trembling voice, "Then... what about me..."
"You are free."
Before relief could set in, Chu Guang continued, "However, given your special identity and the fact that we may soon be at war with your country, we cannot simply release you. After all, you wouldn't want to travel thousands of kilometers home alone, only to be captured by us again as an enemy, would you?"
Teresa pursed her lips, numerous thoughts flashing through her mind. Finally, she nodded slowly and said submissively, "What... do you require of me, My Lord?"
A glimpse of fair skin stirred with captivating allure.
However, she had misread him.
What a joke. Chu Guang spent every day bantering with stunning men and women on the forum—what kind of spectacle hadn't he seen?
Ignoring her modest attempt at seduction, Chu Guang said bluntly, "Do you have children?"
Teresa blushed faintly and shook her head. "No..."
Chu Guang looked slightly disappointed.
Seeing how young the consort was, he had hoped she might have a one- or two-year-old son; it turned out she was a bit too young.
After a moment's thought, Chu Guang asked, "Are you literate?"
Teresa nodded immediately. "I can read and write... including composing poetry and music."
"Reading and writing are enough." Chu Guang nodded and continued, "The Legion's military operations in Ruigu City displaced vast numbers of local survivors. The Alliance's Refugee Home needs hands, and I will assign you to work there."
Blank bewilderment returned to Teresa's face. After a long pause, she asked softly, "May I ask... what specifically will I need to do?"
"Someone will instruct you. Your duty will be to help the people here rebuild their homes, and to learn how that rebuilding is done."
At this point, Chu Guang smiled faintly.
"That knowledge will come in handy for you."
***
The administrative divisions of the People's Alliance era were absurdly vast. The River Valley Province was expansive enough on its own, yet Sunset Province was several times larger.
The Falcon Kingdom was separated from the Alliance's core territory by more than a thousand kilometers. Even stationing one person every kilometer would swallow an entire thousand-man unit.
Directly occupying the Falcon Kingdom was unrealistic.
With a total population of fewer than a hundred thousand, the Alliance lacked the capacity to govern an enclave a thousand kilometers away; it would only become a burden to both parties.
Not to mention their cultural philosophies were worlds apart.
The best approach was to cultivate a puppet to ensure a smooth transition of power, gradually expand the Alliance's economic and cultural influence in the region, and incorporate it into the Alliance when the time was right—if there was ever a need to do so.
Failing to secure "legitimacy" was a slight pity.
Still...
It didn't really matter.
It was an improvised notion anyway; Chu Guang had never pinned his hopes on it actually working out.
He leaned more toward partnering with Enterprise after the victory to purge the Falcon Kingdom's royal house, disarm the region, and place it under the stewardship of the Lion Kingdom.
Indirect vassalage remained an option as well.
Though that route carried its own risks and uncertainties...
***
North of Dawn City.
With the full return of the Goblin Corps' flight echelon, news of victory arrived from the front lines.
Residents of Dawn City packed the perimeter of the airfield's chain-link fence.
Flowers flung enthusiastically into the air drifted alongside applause and cheers, floating from outside the airfield all the way onto the runway.
Though night had fallen, the crowd's fervor showed no sign of waning.
Amid the cheers of Dawn City's residents, the Goblin Corps players landed on the runway one after another.
The main army's triumphant return would take several more days.
The joy of victory was theirs to savor first.
The aircraft taxied slowly into the brightly lit hangar. Stepping down from her plane, Feng Qing looked at the two lines of verse carved beneath the canopy and sighed with a touch of regret.
"What a shame..."
She had prepared herself for a glorious sacrifice, even penning the poem in advance.
Who would have guessed she would make it back alive?
Just then, a head poked over inquisitively from the side, eyeing the two lines of verse near the canopy, and began muttering aloud:
"On the autumn field of slaughter, swift steeds gallop with the divine wind's aid, pursuing arrows swarm like locusts... Damn, did you write that?"
Her ID was Gui Gui, another Agility-type player who had joined the game around the same time as Feng Qing and Luo Yu, and had participated in the Qingshi Town airstrike and the battle of Pine Valley.
Her piloting skills were not particularly exceptional—just enough to fly a plane back in one piece.
Still, bringing one of Mosquito's junk planes back in one piece was, in its own way, quite impressive.
Hearing those words, Feng Qing's face flushed a deep crimson. She lunged forward, dragging the player away while stammering incoherently, "N-No, I didn't write that... D-Don't read it out loud!"
Meanwhile, in the skies outside the hangar.
Mosquito, always eager to show off, delayed his landing to put on an aerial demonstration. In the end, he overestimated the build quality of his own product and nearly snapped a wing, which finally forced him to touch down obediently.
Dawn City residents waiting along the airfield showered these returning warriors with flowers.
For the entire night until the sun rose tomorrow, all restaurants and taverns across Dawn City would offer free food and drink to these safe-returned heroes.
At that moment, in the lobby of the Highway Town inn, the clinking of glasses rang out in waves as people raised their drinks to celebrate the hard-won victory.
Not all of them were Dawn City residents; there were traveling merchants from Boulder City, the Red River Alliance, Garbage City, and even further afield.
Because of the war, they had been stranded here for days.
Now, it was finally over.
"Long live the Alliance!"
"A toast to victory!"
"May the Administrator live ten thousand years!"
Someone laughed and shouted, "Hahaha! Our Administrator is still young! Instead of wishing him longevity, you'd better wish him a house full of children!"
Joyous laughter rippled across the inn's lobby.
Sitting behind the bar, Old Hook chuckled along with them.
The waiter standing beside him remarked with a sigh, "The war's finally over... In a few days, this place probably won't be nearly as lively."
Due to the fighting in the west, numerous caravans heading west from the eastern provinces had been stranded in Dawn City.
Despite the fierce combat at the front and the heavy drain on resources, business had been booming for Dawn City's inns.
Perhaps to drown their worries in drink, beer had sold remarkably well.
Now that the fighting had stopped, those caravans would pack up and continue their journeys.
"How could that be?"
Old Hook smiled faintly, squinting at the bustling lobby, and remarked casually, "The victory parade and celebration will take place over the next few days. Many folks are waiting to catch a glimpse of that Lord's visage; they'll stay a few days more at least."
Regardless, winning was what mattered.
Once the celebrations ended, business might not stay quite as white-hot as it was now, but that would only be temporary.
Once those wandering caravans and traveling merchants carried tales of the bravery and legends forged here into the wider world...
This place would only become far more bustling than it was today.
***
At the same time, a dozen kilometers away in Boulder City.
Unlike the people of Dawn City, residents here were still living on yesterday's news, entirely unaware of the front-line developments.
The first to receive word of victory from the front was the *Survivor Daily* office.
Backed by Alliance funding, Hal had not only secured first-hand battle reports, but had even obtained the casualty list.
"...A casualty list?! Let me see!"
Hearing that the casualty list had arrived, Dolly rushed toward the whirring fax machine, her face tight with anxiety.
"I think he's in the Burning Corps!"
Hal, standing right by the fax machine, moved faster and snatched the warm first-hand dispatch into his hands.
"Don't panic... Let me look for you. Burning Corps, right? There seems to be a mention of them... *Hiss...*"
Scanning the paper, Hal suddenly drew in a sharp breath.
Seeing his reaction, Dolly grew frantic and pressed, "What is it?"
Looking embarrassed, Hal hid the fax behind his back.
"Uh, you'd better not look—"
Before his sentence finished, a fist slammed into his stomach.
The collision of metal and flesh made Hal gasp in agony. Clutching his abdomen and grimacing, he sank into a crouch on the floor.
"You... are you a savage?!"
H-How dare she punch her boss!
Though for the sake of that mutual friend, he couldn't fire her anyway...
Ignoring him completely, Dolly snatched the fax and swiftly located the line for the Burning Corps.
The moment her eyes fell upon those printed words, her right pupil contracted sharply. Beneath her short green hair, all color drained from her delicate face.
Leaving only deathly white.
[Burning Corps: A total of 500 members participated in the airborne boarding assault on the Heart of Steel, eliminating 751 enemies.]
[The battle concluded in a pyrrhic victory.]
[Only one survived.]
Chapter 405