Alien world

Chapter 1838, Section 471: Choice
Food, iron ore, coal, human resources—everything that can be used for war and survival is on Free City's list.

Liberty City was already a step behind; these items had already been inflated to two or three times their usual price before this.

Fortunately, Free City has always been able to obtain low-priced resources from the Kingdom of Dimon. Annan's order to reclaim and cultivate a large amount of farmland two years ago has resulted in an abundance of grain that is used for brewing.

In addition, the industrial zone was producing boots, armor, golems, and muskets needed for the war day and night. The thick smoke above the blacksmith shops never stopped, and even the sea breeze couldn't disperse it. Every morning, it would shroud Free City with sea fog, causing many coughs to be heard everywhere.

Lilith added the "Gentle Breeze" rune to the Mage Tower, thus nipping the Free City residents' rhinitis in the bud.

At the moment of Liberty City's mobilization, in the northeast, Pearl Ridge.

The reinforcements from Liberty City arrived as the nobles eagerly awaited them.

Annan always said that the nobility is a matter of judging people by their appearance, but in fact all races and classes are pretty much the same.

Seeing the imposing and aloof soldiers approaching, everyone felt reassured, realizing that this was probably the morale of the Empire's elite troops. It was none other than the renowned Hellfire Legion.

The Hellfire Legion did not disappoint them. After obtaining the specific areas where the Skaven were causing trouble, the Hellfire Legion divided into ten teams, lined up in a straight line on the plain, and began to advance while maintaining a distance where they could support each other.

When they encountered a village overrun by rats, they didn't rush in en masse. Instead, they continued to advance from the front while flanking from both sides, enveloping the village. After a brief but intense battle, they opened up again and advanced once more, only this time the flanks became the center and the core became the two sides.

The Pearl Territory nobles following behind were dumbfounded: "What... what kind of military formation is this?"

The knight captain wanted to say that there was no such military formation, but what if he was just unfamiliar with it... Moreover, such a carpet-like sweep was not only as efficient as cavalry, but also much cleaner!

Ingrid, who was walking with the nobles, said, "Have you ever seen slimes hunt? When they hunt, several slimes will split up and crawl into a nearby rat hole, then spread their bodies out and slowly wriggle along the hole. No rat can escape the slime's hunt."

Blackwatch calls this move the Slime Formation—they didn't hold back, sharing everything they knew in just a few days.

Pearl Ridge is over twenty miles long from north to south and roughly the same length from east to west. Just as its name suggests, it is a perfect place for the Hellfire Legion to test their slime formation.

The Hellfire Legion set out in the afternoon and swept to the border of Pearl Territory by evening, solving the rat infestation that had been giving the nobles a major headache.

Each squad reported their battle results, and the total number obtained after tallying was about 100,000, which was roughly the same as the nobleman's stammering estimate of over 100,000.

A swarm of 100,000 mice is nothing to an organized army; even Star Moon Bay could hold off a wave of hundreds of thousands of mice. But for a small lord whose entire territory consisted of only a few dozen knights and nearly a hundred militiamen, it was nothing short of annihilation.

The nobles led their people to harvest rat ears, and the Hellfire Legion continued its eastward advance.

The nobles, who had just gained a sense of security, tried to persuade the Hellfire Legion to stay when they saw it was about to leave.

“They also need to go to other lords to cleanse the ratmen,” Ingrid stepped forward and said. “Instead of pinning their hopes on external forces, they should protect themselves.”

"That's a rat's nest, how can we possibly defeat it..."

"Did you see the magical firearm displaying its power? Don't you want to be like the Hellfire Soldiers, hunting rats with a flick of your finger and taking up arms to defend your homeland?"

The younger generation was already excited, while the nobles hesitated: "Without strong walls, the ratmen can still come and go as they please..."

“That’s not a problem. Have you ever heard of cement? In just two days, we can build a wall several meters high outside the border and the castle that is more solid than rock. It’s a thousand times faster than before…” The same scene then unfolded as the Hellfire Legion was putting out fires everywhere.

Hellfire established its authority at the front, while the Ministry of Rites lobbied from behind.

Following the distress call, orders poured into Liberty City like snowflakes.

Even the most stubborn, stingy, and miserly lords will change their minds after Ingrid's implication that "the Empire will not help you, and once the Free City is conscripted, it will have no time to assist you. At that time, you will only be able to rely on yourselves."

Unlike Annan, who was capable of getting along with both the ratmen and demons, they had no choice but to be loyal to humanity and resist to the death.

I've already bought "indulgences" before, so buying them again won't hurt. Just consider it money spent for peace of mind.

Armaments and cement were transported eastward by the Magic Train, arming smaller factions and bringing back loads of wealth and rat ears.

While the Hellfire were enjoying the spoils on the front lines, the remaining spoils were shared with the Sentinel Legion—who selected a group of squad leaders to serve as instructors, teaching smaller factions how to use magical firearms and cannons.

To incite their resistance and to obtain more rat ears, Annan generously offered a deal: one hundred rat ears for a bucket of cement, one thousand rat ears for a bag of grain, and ten thousand rat ears for a magic musket.

On the Dimon Kingdom's side, the royal army that retreated to the pass was busy building fortifications and stockpiling supplies, while continuing to recruit militia.

The rat-men are ubiquitous; even if they guard a pass, they might emerge from other places.

The empire fell silent, and apart from the town of Old Val where fierce fighting still raged, everywhere was filled with the calm before the storm.

……

"This swarm of rats has no clan; they are all wild ratmen. They were called upon by the ratman capital to move south to Old Vale. At first, they followed the main force, but due to the discipline of the ratmen, they scattered as they ran, forgetting which way was the right direction, and just followed the swarm, wandering here."

After capturing and interrogating several ratmen alive, Deputy Warden Shadowsong found the following content in their memories.

Liberty City breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that they had simply gotten lost and were not the vanguard.

Of course, what was said to the nobles was: "This is only the first wave; there will be a second and a third. Liberty City can't help you forever. You either take up arms and fight back, or you give up your territory. What's your choice?"

The nobles chose a third path between the two options offered by Annam: to cling to the coattails of Free City.

They were willing to pay protection money in exchange for the Annamese garrison to protect their safety.

"Annan, the time for a choice has come."

Olmedo said, "Will Liberty City continue to maintain the status quo and remain aloof, or will it demonstrate its power to the outside world?"

It's like making a naive declaration to the world: I'm ready to step onto the stage.

At that time, Annam will not just be a lord, but a... king.

(End of this chapter)