After ending his call with the Alliance, Li Ke immediately transmitted a communication request over to the Legion. Passed up through layer upon layer of reporting, he finally got in touch with General Griffin, supreme commander of the Legion in Sunset Province.
However, once he pitched his prepared proposal, Griffin's response was far from what he had expected.
"Dream on," Griffin sneered, looking at the face in the holographic projection.
Li Ke froze for two seconds, then tried to reason with him. "You have no chance of winning anymore. If you sit down and negotiate now, you can still save Oasis 2."
Griffin stared at him for a moment, the corner of his mouth curving into a mocking sneer. "Do you think what we need is that oasis?"
Li Ke rubbed his temples in frustration.
Negotiating with the Legion was far thornier than negotiating with the Alliance.
He believed he had done thorough research and preparation, yet the price he offered still failed to spark the slightest interest from the other side.
This could not help but bring a surge of defeat.
"Then what on earth is it that you want? Surely we can discuss it."
"What do we want? Hahahaha!"
As if he had just heard an uproarious joke, Griffin burst out laughing. Only after a good while did he look back at the man before him and continue in a sarcastic tone.
"You people, still weighing pros and cons, will never understand."
Without waiting for the man on the holographic screen to speak, Griffin waved his right hand dismissively, ending the call abruptly.
"There is no need to report any more calls from the Academy to me."
His armored guard saluted respectfully. "Sir!"
Griffin nodded calmly. "Dismissed."
The guard turned and left the tent.
He was the only one left in the spacious tent.
Sitting in a carved palm-wood chair, Griffin quietly gazed out through the curtain at the silent night sky, and the flickering shadows cast upon the fabric by the brazier.
Klaas...
MacLaren...
The most fanatical died first, followed by the foolish.
Even if he disliked their styles, it did not diminish Griffin's respect for them.
Compared to the traitors who surrendered with raised hands and the cowards who shrank from stepping forward, they had fought like heroes for His Majesty the Marshal's ideals to the very end, paving the triumphant path of conquest for the Weilants with their own blood.
"Back then, we agreed to plant the Legion's banner atop the highest peak of the Great Rift Valley together and return to Triumph City laden with victorious glory..."
"How lonely it is."
Reaching out to pick up the brass flask, Griffin poured himself a glass of red wine. The crimson sloshing in the glass rekindled a flicker of desire in his cloudy eyes.
"Twisted, foolish fellows like you—neither hell nor heaven would take you in... In that case, stand there and keep your eyes wide open."
Even if all plans fell through, he still held one last trump card.
He would show those two fools through action that caution was not cowardice, and that as a loyal subject of His Majesty the Marshal, he had never feared death.
As long as his sacrifice held meaning, he would discard this flesh and blood without hesitation.
"...I will fulfill your long-cherished wish."
Even if the cost was himself.
Pouring the wine from his cup into the brazier, Griffin watched the leaping sparks and charcoal embers, madness burning across his face.
"Come, then."
You vile, hideous, chaotic barbarians...
I trust you have braced yourselves as well.
...
Oasis 3, Honey Badger City.
Beneath the towering river dike lay billowing plumes of smoke, and the distant dusk drew its curtains along with the gradually subsiding gunfire.
Before the ground forces arrived, the Heart of Steel, guided by aircraft from the Goblin Corps, had conducted round after round of bombing runs against the suburban positions.
Bunkers and trenches standing among the wheat fields were almost entirely buried by earth blasted up by the artillery shells.
After suffering nearly a thousand casualties, the Retinue Army soldiers left behind to cover the retreat finally broke under their sheer terror of death, raising their hands in surrender and marching out of the trenches.
Honey Badger City, which had held out against the Legion for three days, was captured in just two hours by the Death Corps and the Restoration Army of the Honey Badger Kingdom.
Charging into the city, Brother Edge raised his arm and shouted with his rifle held high.
"Brothers! Capture the lord's manor! The valuable intelligence and data are all there—don't let the NPCs beat us to it! Remember, don't kill those who surrender, take as many alive as possible!"
Behind him, the pack of Strength-build beasts had green light gleaming in their eyes fierce enough to terrify children, scaring the survivors so badly they dared not even step out of their homes to welcome the liberating army.
"Awoooo!"
"Wipe them out!"
Taking a survivor settlement of several hundred thousand people in less than two hours.
This MVP was practically in the bag!
Elsewhere.
Looking at the devastated national capital right before his eyes, Yade, Marshal of the Restoration Army, felt tears well in his eyes, countless thoughts churning in his chest.
He dismounted and knelt on the ground, drawing the sword at his waist and plunging it into the earth as a gravestone, pressing his palm reverently against the blade in prayer.
"Father... Mother... I have returned."
Beside him, the guards also dismounted and dropped to one knee.
Just then, a dispatch runner came jogging over.
Seeing Marshal Yade on his knees, he hastily dropped to both knees and reported: "Lord Marshal! While securing the river dike, we captured several lackeys of the Falcon Kingdom... They were planting explosives on the dike, preparing to blow up the blessing bestowed upon us by the Spirit of the Sand Sea! How should we deal with them?"
Yade slowly rose from the ground, pulled the sword from the dirt, and placed it into the runner's hands.
"Use this sword to chop off their heads and display them beneath the river dike."
A hateful glint flashed in the runner's eyes as he received the marshal's sword with both hands and took the order. "Yes, sir!"
The Alliance did not kill captives, but they had no such rules.
Against villains who had betrayed their faith and their souls, desert dwellers had their own ways of punishing the guilty.
After giving his orders, Yade swung back onto his horse, snapped the reins, and led his royal guard into the city.
The fighting inside had ended.
The governor appointed by the Falcon Royal Family had already fled, leaving behind only an accounting servant who had failed to escape in time and was taken alive by Alliance troops.
The lord's manor was currently under the control of the Death Corps.
Meanwhile, the Restoration Army under his command had reclaimed the castle and royal court that had once belonged to them.
The Legion's banner was torn down by soldiers scaling the river dike and replaced by the royal flag of the Honey Badger Kingdom, woven afresh from devil silk.
Seeing the flag fluttering above the dike, the city's residents emerged from their homes one after another, lining both sides of the streets to welcome the entering troops.
Seeing the ragged, gaunt people lining the street, Yade felt a sharp ache in his heart.
For famine to occur on land blessed by the Spirit of the Sand Sea was nothing short of blasphemy against the gods.
He turned to the captain of the royal guard beside him. "Open the granaries and distribute the food to them."
The captain looked conflicted and reported in a low voice, "The granaries are under Alliance control."
Yade fell silent for a moment. "Take me there."
"Yes, sir!"
The granaries were not far from the lord's manor. While securing the manor, Alliance soldiers had secured this place at the same time.
Yade noticed that these men were not from the Death Corps; judging by their uniforms and insignia, they belonged to the Alliance's First Corps.
"Who is in charge here?" he called out to the soldiers standing before the granary entrance.
To his surprise, the person who stepped out from behind the courtyard wall was not an Alliance officer, but a simply dressed woman wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
"I am."
Standing by the entrance, Teresa nervously looked at the man on horseback.
Just as she expected, the moment her face appeared, Yade narrowed his eyes.
The guards beside him gripped their carbines, the murderous glint of hatred shining in all of their eyes.
Several Alliance soldiers exchanged glances and stepped forward, flanking Teresa.
They had no interest in the grudges of the desert dwellers, but the manager had ordered them to ensure this person's safety, so no one would be permitted to harm her.
"What are you doing here?" Reining in his mount, Yade raised a hand to signal his cavalry to lower their weapons, glaring coldly at her.
Teresa took a deep breath and answered truthfully. "I am the representative sent by the Alliance's Refugee Home... The Alliance placed the captured grain under our management, instructing me to do everything possible to relieve the residents here—"
Before she could finish, she was cut off by angry shouts from Yade's guards.
"That grain was plundered from our lands!"
"The people of the Honey Badger Kingdom don't need relief from Legion dogs!"
"Pah!"
"You see?" Yade gestured back with his chin, his eyes narrowed at the woman before him. "The warriors of the Honey Badger Kingdom do not need your help. Hand over the keys to the granary, and we will relieve the starving.
"As for you, go wherever you please. Just stay out of our way."
He had no reason to make things difficult for an unarmed woman.
That did not mean he would show her any warmth.
Facing the chilling hostility, a drop of sweat rolled down Teresa's fair cheek.
Though a flicker of instinctive alarm crossed her eyes, she did not back down, keeping her gaze fixed on the mounted man.
"How do you plan to save those starving people?"
Yade replied without hesitation, "Distribute the food to them."
As expected.
Teresa was not surprised by his answer in the slightest.
How could royalty and nobility born in fertile lands ever experience starvation or understand what starving people thought, let alone possess experience in handling a famine?
Just like Prince Regent Samer, in their eyes, simply handing out food would solve every problem.
Yet in reality, it was far from so simple.
The root cause of famine caused by war was not merely a shortage of food, but the breakdown of social order and the paralysis of social production.
She did not fully grasp high-minded theories, but having worked at the grassroots level, she knew that merely handing out food fell far short.
Teresa took a deep breath and continued. "...Honey Badger City has eighty thousand registered households, and there are only six thousand tons of grain in the granary. How do you ensure everyone gets fed?"
Yade frowned. "What's so hard about that? Seventy kilograms per household will be enough for them to eat."
Teresa pressed on unflinchingly. "Is it the same for a family of three as it is for a family of six? What about households that have lost their breadwinners, or unregistered residents?"
Yade said impatiently, "Then distribute it per capita."
"That is even worse... Adults will snatch food from children's hands. Able-bodied youths will rob the weak and elderly. Even if the residents of Honey Badger City stay law-abiding and neither steal nor rob, someone will buy up their surplus food at low prices, only to resell it to them at exorbitant rates when they are driven to trade children for food."
Yade's face turned ashen as he stared at her.
The captain of the guards beside him snapped, "Bullshit! How could the people of the Honey Badger royal house ever do such a thing?!"
Teresa: "Perhaps they are noble and devout enough, but when there is a way to avoid tragedy, why must we pin all hope on morality and faith?"
The captain sneered, "It's not the place of a Legion dog to teach us how—"
"Shut up."
Yade barked at him, then narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Tell me what should be done."
Teresa took a deep breath and stated earnestly:
"Set up relief stations across the city, divide it into neighborhoods, and issue rations uniformly by neighborhood. While aiding the starving, register their names, ages, heights, weights, families, and occupations, and mobilize able-bodied workers for post-war reconstruction and opening up farmland outside the river dike.
"Keep the unable alive so they do not starve, and keep the able-bodied fed so their strength is directed where it belongs. They will have a difficult period, but as long as they hold out until next year's harvest, everything will turn around.
"Trust me... We have sufficient experience and capability to handle this. If you don't trust me, you can post your men to watch over me."
Teresa looked earnestly at Yade.
This was the experience she had accumulated over the past several months.
This was how the Alliance operated around Ruigu City in the south of River Valley Province, and it was far more effective than dumping food directly on the starving.
"My Lord... She is the Princess Consort of the Falcon Kingdom," the captain whispered anxiously, seeing Yade lost in thought. "Those people didn't even hesitate to blow up the river dike just to destroy us!"
Yade did not speak. He glanced at the nearby Alliance flag, then back at Teresa, who watched him tensely.
"Why are you doing this?"
Teresa was silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
"I don't know... You might not believe me, but doing this makes me feel a little better."
Perhaps...
She would have to ask the manager to convince him after all.
Yet just as that thought crossed her mind, events took an unexpected turn.
Seeming to accept her reasoning, Yade waved his hand back, signaling his guards to turn around.
Before wheeling his horse, he tossed out one line:
"...If there is any trouble you cannot resolve, you can find me at the castle."
Teresa breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her head, saying softly: "Thank you."
Resolving the conflict like this was the best outcome.
She did not expect them to forgive the crimes committed by the Falcon Kingdom, but she still wanted to do something within her power.
As for the reason—
Perhaps it was because of what that lord had answered aboard the Heart of Steel, when asked by Samer, the Prince Regent of the Honey Badger Kingdom, "in what capacity does she remain with the Alliance":
'[She] is someone liberated by the Alliance.'
'...Whether the residents of Oasis 3 or Oasis 2, all are victims of this war.'
That voice had held not a single trace of hesitation.
'We will liberate them.'
...
Wasteland time: midnight.
On the official website of another world, the forums were bustling.
In Debt God: "Hahaha! Took Honey Badger City in two hours! Tell me, are we badass or what?!"
Jieyan: "666!"
Elven King Fugui: "Pff, big deal! We fucking annihilated a whole division in two hours! (rolling eyes)"
I'm the Darkest: "Exactly! And the main forces of the Legion and Falcon Kingdom all retreated to Oasis 2! What kind of main force could you mopping-up scrubs even run into?!"
Construction Site Boy and Bricks: "Doesn't matter! We're the ones who liberated Oasis 3! (smug)"
Elven King Fugui: "Fuck!"
Elaina: "Speaking of which, Oasis 2 is next, right? (funny face)"
Escaped Mole in the Canyon: "We'll reach Bister Town tomorrow. The Legion built quite a few fortifications there, so it's probably gonna be a tough fight."
Ye Shi: "@Battlefield Atmosphere Group Pangolin bro, where are you at?"
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Spill it, what's the situation on your end? (mischievous smile)"
I'm the Darkest: "Damn! Where'd he go? He was online just a second ago."
Ye Shi: "Don't tell me he actually went off to do something shady??"
An hour ago, many had seen Battlefield Guy pop up online and mention in a thread that he had retreated with Korwei to Bister Town, the logistics hub of Oasis 2.
Yet mid-chat, he had vanished into thin air.
Recalling how he usually logged off in latrines, everyone couldn't help but worry.
The @ mentions flooded the thread.
Perhaps sensing that people were talking behind his back, Battlefield Guy finally made his overdue appearance amidst the barrage of @s.
"Ahem... Got news. Big news, absolutely mind-blowing!"
Fang Chang: "'Big news'—sure."
Commander Spring: "Did you talk Korwei into defecting? (side-eye)"
In Debt God: "How'd you persuade him? (mischievous smile)"
I'm the Darkest: "Tell us, bro, did it hurt? (curious)"
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Fuck off!"
Teng Teng: "(·ω·)"
Ye Shi: "Cut the crap, hurry it up!"
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Ahem, about the movements way over in Triumph City... Things are a bit complicated. I just sorted it out and submitted it to the quest interface. I'll make a separate post outside to lay it all out."
Across a post spanning two to three thousand characters, Battlefield Guy gave a detailed account of the factional intrigues surrounding the Legion's Eastern Expansion faction.
Simply put, Sunset Province previously had three "top generals."
The highest-ranking was Five-Star Myriad Commander General Klaas, followed by Griffin, and then MacLaren.
All three were once core figures of the Legion's Eastern Expansion faction, advocating the conquest of the Great Rift Valley—the birthplace of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee—and projecting power across the entire Central Continent through the valley.
However, the Eastern Expansion faction did not hold the upper hand within the Legion, and even the Eastern Legion was not entirely in favor of pushing east into the Great Desert.
To win the support of Triumph City, the Eastern Expansion faction led by Klaas launched the First Expedition. Due to inadequate preparations, however, Klaas perished during that campaign.
Griffin inherited Klaas's base of operations in Sunset Province and adopted a series of strategies. These included courting the Bugra Free State economically, instigating the Bone Chewer tribe to sweep across the south-central River Valley Province, and militarily backing the Falcon Kingdom to annex the various kingdoms of Sunset Province.
Yet his plans clearly went awry. Not only did he fail to conquer the desert realms, but he was even pushed back to Oasis 2 by the Alliance.
Now Griffin had only one card left to play.
That was to sacrifice ten myriads, himself, and the Legion's vassals in Sunset Province to elicit "sympathy" for the Eastern Expansion faction from other factions in Triumph City.
In truth, it was not merely sympathy.
Whether for the prestige of Triumph City or for the promising young officers and gold-plating Weilant nobles serving in those ten myriads, the Legion would inevitably retaliate against this Enterprise-backed war.
And the most probable outcome would be a War in Heaven between two "fallen empires."
Which was precisely what Enterprise had always strived to avoid.
As for whether to keep fighting, opinions among the players were clearly split.
Escaped Mole in the Canyon was in favor of pressing on.
His reasoning was simple: having just tasted the thrills of a steel torrent, he hadn't had his fill yet. If Enterprise and the Legion truly went to war, the Alliance might be able to fish in troubled waters.
Brother Edge, on the other hand, was rather hesitant.
The state of Oasis 3 had surprised him.
According to incomplete statistical data he scavenged from the lord's manor in Honey Badger City, during just one month of occupation, the Honey Badger Kingdom had suffered a 5% drop in total population.
It wasn't that he was overwhelmed by sympathy.
If the command post ordered it, he would advance on Oasis 2 without hesitation and fight those cornered fanatics to the bitter end.
It was just that continuing the fight made it impossible to see where the war would end.
"I support kicking the Legion out of Sunset Province—they started this war. But I'm not sure what to do after that. Unless we have the power to push the front line all the way to Triumph City, this endless war will drag us... and everyone else, into a quagmire."
Fang Chang: "Actually, I think arguing over whether to cease fire is meaningless. If the Legion refuses to let go, agreeing to a ceasefire won't do any good anyway. (side-eye)"
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "How about decapitating Griffin? I'll donate a plane! (mischievous smile)"
Tail: "Ooh! Sounds super exciting! Tail votes yes!"
Sisi: "If Comrade Pangolin can get his coordinates, it might be possible... But somehow that feels like it could make things even worse."
Commander Spring: "Yeah, the ideal scenario is capturing him and forcing him to surrender. But honestly, if he's already resolved to sacrifice ten myriads... he's probably prepared to die to prove his point."
Construction Site Boy and Bricks: "My head hurts... Why do I have to think about this stuff? Just tell your daddy where to beat people up. (dizzy)"
Fang Chang: "Because this is our Alliance. (side-eye)"
...
While the players debated whether to keep fighting, Chu Guang, sitting in the captain's office aboard the Heart of Steel, was lurking on his computer screen.
Although most of the suggestions his little players tagged his main account "Ah Guang" with were just memes and trolling with little reference value, when it came to key decisions regarding the Alliance's future, Chu Guang was still willing to see what players and forum lurkers were thinking.
Just as Brother Fang Chang had said, this Alliance belonged to all survivors, and naturally to the players as well.
What surprised Chu Guang, however, was that Pangolin had brought him another staggering piece of intelligence—
The governor appointed by Triumph City was en route to Sunset Province!
And he was coming with the mission to negotiate peace!
Having gauged his opponent's bottom line, things would be much easier moving forward.
"...Looks like I really do need to compensate Brother Pangolin with a set of power armor."
Having pocketed this unexpected trump card, Chu Guang smiled and closed the webpage, then looked at Xiao Qi perched on the edge of the pen holder.
"Xiao Qi, call Vannus over for me."
Xiao Qi snapped a playful salute. "Right away!"
After a brief wait, Vannus, who was on duty aboard the airship, soon arrived at the captain's office.
Without mentioning the helium-3, Chu Guang gave this Weilant, who had once served as a Legion millennium commander, a general overview of the Academy representative's forecast for Sunset Province and the Legion's likely next moves.
After listening to Chu Guang's account, Vannus pondered for a couple of seconds before speaking.
"The Academy representative shouldn't be joking... If Griffin suffers a severe defeat in Sunset Province, the Legion certainly won't let this war end hastily."
He spoke conservatively.
Chu Guang caught his meaning and nodded gently. "Yes, I know."
In fact, it wasn't just the Academy.
Even Enterprise had discussed with him the matter of quitting while ahead. Yi Chuan had even hinted that the Supreme Council was willing to provide them with a little compensation for doing so.
Under the guise of aid, of course.
"The Alliance needs space and time to develop... We have already won the space, but we still need a little more time."
"What do you plan to do?" Vannus looked at Chu Guang.
If their opponent was merely the Eastern Legion's garrison in Sunset Province, the Alliance undoubtedly possessed matched strength.
But if their opponent was the entire Legion...
Even Enterprise and the Academy joining hands would struggle to win gracefully.
He was curious how the man before him would choose.
"...I need to buy time for the Alliance."
Chu Guang drew a line in the air with his index finger, unfurling a holographic map across the desk.
At the center of the map lay the southwestern corner of Oasis 2—the location of Falcon City.
The capital of the Falcon Kingdom!
"...Our pilots fought hard to secure air superiority, and I don't intend to just throw that away. The Alliance's flag has yet to flutter over the capital of the Falcon Kingdom; if we tell our boys to go home now, they certainly won't accept it."
Vannus looked at Chu Guang in surprise, his eyebrows lifting slightly. "You intend to ignite this powder keg?"
"Of course not," Chu Guang paused, then continued. "According to intelligence, the governor from Triumph City is currently en route to Oasis 2. His mission is most likely to negotiate peace... And we will take the Falcon Kingdom's capital before he arrives."
Vannus frowned slightly. "The Legion won't sit idly by while we take Falcon City... If things truly reach that point, even if that governor comes with peace negotiations in mind, the situation here will likely lose the foundation for a ceasefire."
Chu Guang said concisely, "Which is why we won't occupy it."
Vannus froze. "Then you mean..."
Chu Guang gave a faint smile. "We will plant the Alliance's flag atop their palace, demolish their munitions factories, railways, road networks, and fortresses as thoroughly as possible, breaking their capacity to wage war and driving war-weariness through the roof from the nobility all the way down to the common folk... making them pay the price they deserve."
Looking at the astonished Vannus, Chu Guang paused, then added:
"And then, we withdraw."
Chapter 486