Alien world

Chapter 1826, Section 459: Winning Over
Barbarians entered the city-state, threw away their weapons, put on formal attire, and continued like this for hundreds of years... How much of the past glory remains?

Olin firmly believes that tradition still exists, and these flowers and plants sheltered in a greenhouse cannot represent the will of the empire.

“Oulin, you actually hung out with an outsider.”

Oulin looked up and saw several familiar faces.

"Are you doubting the judgment of our ancestors?"

When Oulin spoke, mentioning their ancestors, the young girls who had been provoking her immediately fell silent.

Ignoring their resentful gazes, Olin walked past them, then suddenly returned and stood in front of the blonde woman in the lead: "Don't think that just because you're all grown up, I won't dare to hit you."

"you……"

Oulin's gaze reminded her of ten years ago when she had laughed at Oulin's hair in front of her sisters for not being shiny enough, and then Oulin had pulled her beloved hair and turned it into a windmill. A flash of fear passed by.

"The elders are all here, how dare you!" she threatened, her voice trembling with fear.

Oulin was indeed daring, but a fight at the banquet would bring shame to the family, and she didn't want to cause any trouble for the ancestor, even just a little.

"Then I'll have the knight wait at the door for you to come out."

Spending so much time with Annan, Oulin also picked up some bad habits. Of course, she would say it was using small tricks to avoid big trouble—even her excuses were exactly the same.

……

Peterson drove Annan to the courtroom.

The dark and solemn building felt somewhat familiar to Annan at this moment. He arrived at the dungeon, where a small banquet was being held in the main hall.

The Blackwatch soldiers grilled meat and drank in the dimly lit hall. Their prosthetic limbs had been returned to them, and some were wrestling in the center of the arena as if they were still normal people.

Compared to the hustle and bustle, the banquets for distinguished guests, this is where Annam can truly relax.

Albik, who was standing by the hall's entrance, came forward and asked, "Annan, what brings you here?"

"To bring the soldiers home."

Annan looked at the relaxed soldiers: "The deputy judge said that as long as I can persuade them, the court will release him... You won't stop me, will you?"

Are you going to Liberty City with Annan...?

Liberty City is a good place to go, allowing the soldiers to avoid the vortex. Even if the Inquisition overturns the verdict on Blackwatch and clears their name, their near-total annihilation remains an undeniable fact.

As long as the Blackwatch designation exists, it will remain a bleeding, unhealable wound for the Empire.

Albek could guess what the legion commander and the chief mage had been up to these days, but it was all in vain…

Once the empire makes a decision, nothing and no one can stop it.

If the Legion Commander and he could accept this devastating news, for the soldiers who had dedicated everything to the Blackwatch, the loss of the Legion meant the loss of their very existence.

So instead of trying to dissuade him, Albek cooperated and said, "I'll help you gather everyone."

"Where's the Legion Commander?"

"They came, and then they left."

Annan also vaguely realized something.

Before long, the remaining seventy-odd Black Watch soldiers came to him, each with a different expression.

Dull, lifeless eyes; anxious, expectant eyes; eyes filled with gratitude…

"You should have guessed why I'm here... That's right, I spoke to the Inquisition and got you here. I know what you're thinking, and I assure you, you are still warriors, still capable of avenging the forces of Chaos." A moment of silence followed, then a captain wearing a gray prosthetic leg said bitterly, "Lord Annan, we appreciate your trust, but we are all disabled..."

“Who says you can’t go to the battlefield if you’re disabled?” Annan smiled.

Sending disabled people to the battlefield is undoubtedly incredibly cruel. But for Blackwatch, not being able to go to the battlefield is the real cruelty.

"You mean... a magic firearm?"

"You wouldn't complain that magic firearms aren't as exciting as melee combat, would you?"

"Won't……"

“Actually, I also think that the magic musket is a bit of a waste, but until Liberty City invents a more robust prosthetic, we have no choice but to leave it like this for now.” Annan said to himself, “Give me some more time, and I think Dumbledore will eventually make a prosthetic that can fit your bodies perfectly.”

Without much effort, he found himself on one hand, a cripple in the Empire, living the rest of his life in the shadow of defeat; on the other hand, he was starting a new life in Free City, even able to go to the front lines to avenge his comrades.

Annan's smile became even more pronounced.

Seventy-three Blackwatch soldiers, including two masters and seventy-one elites, even without their full strength, their combat experience and skills alone could significantly enhance the five legions of Liberty City.

Annan then looked at Albek: "You..."

Albek seemed to guess what Annan was going to say: "Your negotiations with the deputy judge included me?"

"Um……!"

Albek shook his head: "I'm not going anywhere."

He is at the heart of Blackwatch and knows many of its secrets; the Imperial Church will never allow him to leave.

"Don't worry, if Liberty City needs help in the future, I will find a way to lend a hand."

There was nothing more to say; Annan had no choice but to give up on winning over Albek.

"Looks like I still can't be as shameless as politicians." Annan sighed, then remembered something: "Oh right, I forgot to ask before."

"The Skullmen went to the far north to find the Great Horned Rat, and the demons stationed there are building a bridgehead... So what about the anti-magic field? And what's with this ever-expanding anti-magic field?"

"do not know."

High Priest Stunn never mentioned it; if Annan wanted to know, he would have to go back and ask Biros.

Albek revealed to Annan that, as war approached, the empire would likely send envoys to surrounding countries to mobilize them.

The empire had its own reward and punishment system, with rules similar to those of the early hunting expeditions. The more military achievements, the higher the reward.
Annan, who was just worried that hunting rats was not interesting, immediately promised: "I will contribute my share!"

Albek laughed: "See you on the battlefield."

Annan shook hands with him: "See you on the battlefield."

Without disturbing the Blackwatch soldiers who had already taken their place in the celebration, Annan simply sent Peterson to the commercial district to pick up the soldiers' families and take them to Liberty City first, and then join the soldiers, drinking juice instead of alcohol.

As he sat with them around the campfire, listening to the soldiers recount their past glories, Albek patted him on the shoulder and pointed outside.

Annan looked up and saw Aidan standing there.

Annan quietly got up, picked up a glass of wine, and went to the dimly lit outer area. He said with a hint of wariness, "Aidan, you're not going to try and steal my man, are you?"

"Even if I offer them a price, they won't come with me, will they?" Prince Aidan's figure was indistinct in the campfire. "Don't worry, I don't even have a future myself, how can I give them one?"

(End of this chapter)