Alien world

Chapter 1833, Section 466: The Ratmen's Plot

Twenty minutes later, the officials who had spoken in turn were generally divided into two factions:

Departments led by the Ministry of Construction, which needed a stable environment for development, expressed caution, while those that could benefit from the war expressed support.

It's equivalent to the moderates and radicals in Liberty City.

Regardless of the reason, they are genuinely acting in the best interests of Liberty City, not simply to line their own pockets.

"Youth is wonderful," Renato thought, recalling how he, too, had been like them in his youth, full of ideals and passion, but lacking the fertile ground for his dreams to blossom.

squeak-

The doors to the council chamber were pushed open, and the legion commanders, led by Fermi, were the first to stand up, placing their hands in front of their hearts.

"Let me introduce you. This is Biros, a commander under Lilith, the Sixth Legion Commander of the Demon Lord. She has abandoned the darkness and joined the Free City."

Peterson, the aide sitting at the last seat, rolled his eyes and suddenly clapped his hands loudly: "I've heard of Lady Biros's reputation. She has a formidable name in the Sixth Legion. No wonder she's Lord Annan. With Biros here, there's hope!"

The officials applauded, giving Bérôme ample emotional value.

Annan gave Peterson a "you did a good job" look, then led Biros to sit next to his older sister and Olmedo: "You two continue."

Youth also represents efficiency. The discussion has reached a conclusion. The moderates want to wait and see, while the radicals immediately launch their attack. Overall, the radicals outnumber the moderates.

Among them were those who wanted to establish Free City's reputation and trade through victories, and young warriors who longed for glory.

Annan asked the six-armed serpent demon, "Byros, what do you think?"

Dozens of eyes turned to her, but Biros remained calm. She needed to gain Annan Reeves' trust, so she said, "I know the Macken rats. They are greedy by nature and appear brave, but in reality, they want to run away as soon as they encounter setbacks."

"What do you mean?"

Biros wouldn't bring up the flaws of the Macken ratmen for no reason.

Olmedo continued, "The Six-Armed Serpent Lady is saying that the Macken Ratmen are brave but reckless. Their attack on Old Val Town is somewhat abnormal. They attack mindlessly even though they know they can't take it down. It's very likely that they are covering up their true purpose."

Biros looked at Olmedo, and the two nodded to each other, acknowledging each other's existence.

"What does that mean?"

A goblin floated up between the two of them, asking a question.

Olmedo remained calm: "It means that so many ratmen crowding in front of Graymountain are like a water sphere that keeps getting bigger. They can't bite through the three legions, but once they leak out from a certain direction... no one can stop them."

"So they came for us?!"

"I don't know, our Dimon Kingdom, or even the Empire, could be a target."

With that in mind, Olmedo announced, "Reply to these lords that Free City will make a decision as soon as possible, and tell them to remain calm. Just in case, Free City will open up arms sales, allowing them to freely purchase weapons to arm themselves."

Other powers would be frantically sending spies to the border to gather intelligence by now. But Annan doesn't need to go through that trouble; he can easily obtain detailed information by simply using his connections within the Stunn and McKenne clans.

If they hadn't left so decisively beforehand, it's not impossible to leave an undercover agent in the Devil.

But those smaller factions were unaware of this. All they knew was that the ratman army was only five or six hundred miles away, and their scouts were disappearing one after another. Even more frightening was the possibility that some of the scouts had messed things up, allowing the ratman army to extend a tentacle towards them. They clung to the Free City's proposals as a lifeline, constantly sending lobbying groups with lavish gifts to Free City to lobby.

The Free City's original intention of "arming itself" was misinterpreted by them as selling indulgences. They waved their savings certificates and shouted to sell them their goods, regardless of their usefulness, eager to show their loyalty. Some nobles even sent their sons and daughters as hostages and gifts, treating the Free City as a small empire.

After all, the Empire has made it clear that it won't help them, and if Free City doesn't intervene either... they'll have no choice but to send their own troops. A lord's private army is fine for dealing with bandits, rioting peasants, and low-intensity warfare, but for large-scale war...

Cavalry counters infantry, while hordes of ratmen counter cavalry.

Of course, this is also related to the release of the latest issue of "Voice of Freedom," which featured a scene of Annan pushing his ancestor into the palace gardens surrounding the mountain.

This continued for two days. News came from the north that there was indeed unusual activity in the Ratman capital, but not in Old Val Town, but in the Kingdom of Dimon.

They used the old town of Val to draw the Empire's attention, while their main force secretly moved eastward to prepare for a surprise attack on the Kingdom of Dimon.

After all, taking Old Vale wouldn't benefit the Skaven, and Graybeard Mountains? They're already barren.

The Kingdom of Dimon is different; its heartland is rich in food, minerals, and wealth. Take it, and it will become a new breeding ground for the Macken ratmen.

"The cunning rat has even started playing tricks on us..." Annan sneered, and sent the message in two parts to the Empire and the Kingdom.

The news from Annan came at just the right time, as Grand Marshal Galkin was leading his troops outside the pass to wipe out the rat horde and vent the kingdom's anger.

Upon receiving the news, Joan immediately led her squad out of the pass to catch up with Grand Marshal Galkin's army.

wow-

Inside the tent, Grand Marshal Galkin folded up the letter, went to the map, found the location of Old Val, and then watched as Joan drew a large oval in front of Old Val with her finger, representing the current scale of the rat swarm.

If we imagine the rat swarm as a balloon that is still inflating...

Grand Marshal Galkin's gaze fell on both sides of the "balloon," with the western part of Middle-earth to the left and the Kingdom of Dimon to the right.

"What else did Annan say?" Marshal Galkin looked up.

"No, Lord Annan said he trusts your judgment."

In fact, Annan didn't say it either—but if Joan told the truth, he would have wasted his time as a merchant since he was a teenager.

Grand Marshal Galkin stared at the map in silence.

The adjutant chimed in, “Marshal, our scouts have indeed been spotting unusual rat swarms in the west recently, but they are not targeting us, so we have not interfered.”

"A far larger swarm of rats has gathered around Old Ward than we imagined. The rat people are waging war just to reclaim a small town?" Grand Marshal Galkin sneered. Trusting the intelligence from Annam and distrusting the rat people, he ordered the entire army to retreat back to the pass.

As the Kingdom of Dimon retreated, the long-awaited guest finally arrived at Annam's door—the Imperial War Envoy.

The Imperial War Envoy, clad in obsidian armor and a cloak, resembled a black knight, while the document behind him was in the robes of the Imperial Church—the familiar priest Gandhi.

Annan remained calm, showing none of the trepidation most lords displayed when welcoming special envoys. Peterson, standing beside him, held his head high like a rooster, utterly fearless.

(End of this chapter)