Alien world

Chapter 1835, Chapter 468: Paying Money or Paying Labor
Because of the indestructible nature of orichalcum, there are no issues with traditional magical firearms. Its power depends entirely on the user's limits—the stronger the wrist and arm strength, the more gunpowder can be loaded, and the greater the power. Therefore, only professionals are eligible to apply.

What if the barrel explodes? It's just a shotgun shell!

However, because loading gunpowder is too troublesome, there is no time to slowly pour gunpowder on the battlefield. The Mushroom House and the Blacksmith Shop are working together to develop various types of bullets suitable for the Orichalcum Firearm.

"How are you feeling?" Peterson lowered his hand and leaned closer.

"It's alright, if it hits, it should leave a lot of bruises," the war envoy said defiantly.

Gema remained silent, staring at the orogen musket held in the hand of the war envoy.

The Warbringer returned the musket; he wouldn't steal from someone else—outside, the Warbringer followed the "Emperor's Angel" route, high and mighty, unapproachable, but in Free City he was already considered approachable.

He noticed the badge on Gemma's chest: "Are you from the Diatra family?"

“Yes, I am the current head of the Diatra family and the sergeant major of the Winter Legion.” Gemar raised his head slightly, with a hint of pride.

The war messenger didn't care about Gemar's identity, but was curious about his rank: "What is the rank of sergeant major?"

Peterson explained, "It's not an official position, it's a military rank. The military rank is a kind of legion honor system invented by His Majesty the Annan... The longer you have served, the more battles you have participated in, and the greater your merits, the higher your military rank... Currently, it is divided into non-commissioned officers, junior officers, field officers, and general officers."

The war envoy showed even greater interest in military ranks than he had in the bronze muskets.

No soldier can refuse honor, just as no dragon can refuse treasure.

After Peterson finished his introduction, the war envoy made a rare compliment: "I've heard of political commissars, but I didn't expect you to have such a sophisticated promotion system."

The empire will reward soldiers, but only materially, because military merit is very valuable; if you earn military merit, you will be given a corresponding position.

A legion of five thousand men can have at most fifty centurions. Who is the fifty-first centurion in charge of?
The emperor's personal guard does include a centurion guard, composed of the elite of the elite.

The medals of honor awarded in each battle are only given to those who create miracles, and it is rare for a single battle to produce a young man favored by Lady Luck.

Soldiers willing to join the legion are from families that have fought for the empire since their fathers' generation. Who would care about those material rewards?
But military ranks are different; separating duties and honors is simply a brilliant idea!

Some soldiers only want to enjoy combat and know nothing about or are interested in command. Others are natural-born commanders, but must obediently wait for their superiors to be killed or retired.

The idea that Albek brought back as the political commissar was considered useful by the military department after discussion. However, it involved changing the corps from a single commanding officer to a dual commanding officer, and such a hasty change would affect combat effectiveness, so it was not suitable to adopt, at least not at present.

The military rank system is different; you can use it immediately and it can boost morale—the military department is worried about how many medals to award in this war against the chaotic forces in the north, and how to take care of the soldiers' feelings. Fighting for months, losing an arm or a torso, yet not even receiving a single medal?
"Tell me more about military ranks."

"no problem!"

The war messenger followed Peterson out of the firing range, and only when no one was around did he pat his helmet, his ears still ringing.

……

"Are you looking for me?"

On the other side, seeing that Gandhi did not leave with the war envoys, Annan confirmed his guess.

Gan nodded: "I want to know, if the forces of Chaos launch a large-scale invasion, whose side are you on?"

"The winning side." Annan said decisively, "If the Empire wins, I will be the nemesis of the ratmen, the demon hunter. If the situation is unfavorable, I have already taken care of both the demons and the ratmen. The worst-case scenario is that I will defect!"

Annan was a moderate, and he felt that the radicals in his advisors were too moderate.

When faced with Annan's honest words, Gandhi's mouth dropped open.

He really wanted to ask if he was joking, but Annan was actually capable of doing it.

If the Empire includes Free City in its alliance, and they see the situation is bad and take off to escape... that would be the biggest scandal ever, and who knows how various forces would ridicule them.

But it must be said that this frankness won Gandhi's favor—Annam's honesty was far superior to that of lords who made promises but failed to keep them.

“You should be glad that the state church sent me because I had contacted you a few times. Instead, they sent one of the stubborn members of the church…” Gandhi shook his head, imagining the scene of Annan being branded a heretic.

“Then I’ll let the ancestor speak to him.” Annan remained unmoved. “Could he say that the ancestor is also a heretic?”

"Absolutely not."

"Isn't that just bullying honest people?"

Gandhi looked at the "honest man" with a helpless expression: "Don't you have even the slightest thought of defending the Middle Kingdom and fighting to the death against the forces of Chaos?"

Annan shook his head: "We can't risk our lives. How can we make money if we risk our lives?"

Gandhi countered, "How can you make money if you don't work hard?"

Annan was stunned, inspired by Gandhi's words—did the Empire mean that there was still money to be made from war?

Gandhi was also assessing whether Annan Reeves was a suitable ally.

Imperial war envoys are never sent out lightly, and the title "Angel of Death" is not just a nice name—every appearance of a war envoy represents an irresistible call to arms and the beginning of a battle.

The Empire has learned from the lessons of the last Allied Forces: the battle of Gray Mountain cannot be called a failure, but if it weren't for the Empire and Free City holding the line, the so-called "Middle-earth Allied Forces" would have become a laughing stock.

Perhaps realizing that times have changed, Middle-earth is no longer an era where the High King commands absolute authority and kings fight for honor and military merit. Nobles are now vying to prove who is more useless, and forcing incompetent teammates onto the battlefield will only drag them down.

The empire then changed its approach, having nobles fund the campaigns and selecting only usable forces to fight alongside.

The Empire has currently chosen two factions: Free City and the Kingdom of Dimon.

Needless to say, the rumors about Annam being an illegitimate son of the Golden Family never stopped, and some even claimed that Annam was a descendant of their ancestors.

The latter, however, is the value they earned through their own efforts. They single-handedly resisted the northern ratmen demons for three years, losing a large amount of territory, yet they still did not surrender and dared to launch a counterattack. The Kingdom of Dimon earned the Empire's recognition through its actions.

Gandhi, seeing Annan deep in thought, decided not to make a hasty decision and to observe for a while longer.

The martial spirit of Liberty City is trustworthy; the only problem lies with the unreliable lord…

“Annan Reeves, you are right. What Free City needs now is development, not war.” Gandhi crossed Anan off the list of helpers. “However, as a member of Middle-earth, if you don’t contribute, you should contribute money.”

(End of this chapter)