Alien world

Chapter 1858, Section 491: The Eve of the Rainy Season
Lilith continued, "Third, the Empire believes that there may be problems in Middle-earth."

"What... what about the intelligence gathered from the commercial district?"

"It's the same as before, with only a few Chaos Cult minions bewitching people."

"The ratmen and demons are unlikely to pull any tricks; they don't have the ability. The Empire hasn't said anything, which means they don't have any evidence either... But we must be wary of them infiltrating Middle-earth and causing chaos. Tell all commercial districts to increase patrols in the near future."

"Fourth, the Empire will be making moves soon, so we must strengthen our defenses."

Annan guessed this was very likely and asked, "What's the situation in Old Vale?"

……

Strategy Room.

Annan, Olmedo, and Military Minister Renato stood in front of the sand table, his brow furrowed as if deep in thought.

"Stop pretending, just say you don't understand," Olmedo said irritably.

Annan immediately lost his composure and relaxed, asking, "What's the situation at the border now?"

Olmedo picked up his pointer and pointed to the west of Free City: "There are scattered groups of rats in the north of the Duchy of Montabullock. They have no clan leaders and are all the lowest-ranking slave rats and a very small number of elite rats."

“Outpost Island is keeping an eye on the demons, and Philosopher and the Rat King are keeping an eye on the Macken Ratmen. We’ll get word on them seven hundred miles before they get close to the front lines.”

Then the preacher slid to the Kingdom of Dimon in eastern Middle-earth: "The kingdom has been under attack by the ratmen for the past few months, until the Empire issued an extermination order, drawing their attention away from the ratmen and allowing them to turn defense into offense. They have extensive experience with ratmen and demons."

"The chaos of the past could not kill them, and it will not kill them in the future either."

Finally, Olmedo pointed to the front of the Empire and said, "To enter the Empire, the Gray Mountain Range is the only way through, and Old Val, defended by three legions, is like a nail driven into the ground. As long as Old Val doesn't fall, the Skaven have no chance of crossing the Gray Mountain Range—"

“Your Excellency, I have an objection.” Military Minister Renato raised his hand.

"please say."

"You're judging the ratmen using the mindset of human warfare. Unlike us, the ratmen don't need to gnaw down towns one by one to resupply while avoiding being cut off. They can turn towns into isolated islands like waves engulfing shallows."

Renato, who experienced the fall of the Kingdom of Rikaner, understood this deeply.

“You’re right, but the Chaos forces are in the north. The Empire wouldn’t be foolish enough to put its main force in the south. The east and west are two allies, the south is the strait, so only the north borders the Chaos forces.”

After a while of discussion, news came from the Kingdom of Dimon: the Empire had also sent them a message with the same content.

Annan and Olmedo exchanged a glance and then turned their gaze to the Grey Mountain Range.

"Are we going back to Hell Mountain again?"

Hell Mountain was a place of sorrow, where they suffered their most devastating battle. They won, but they also lost.

Renato said, "Hell Mountain is just a point. To defend against the ratmen, you need a structure like the Great Wall in the north."

Annan shifted his gaze to the left side of the sand table and pointed to the territory of the neighboring Lord Franco, saying, "Is it possible that the ratmen will come around from the west?"

“Yes, that’s why the Empire included us in the Golden Covenant,” Olmedo said. “Not just because you are a candidate for High King.”

Annam immediately understood, which was in line with the empire's style.

You want benefits? Sure, but the High Kingship isn't just about power, it's also about responsibility. If you want to become the top lord of the continent of Ellen, first prove you have the ability to withstand an invasion from the forces of Chaos. That said, the probability of the forces of Chaos coming from the west is slim. This is because the Skaven and the Demons dislike the sea, they have little interest in the western part of Middle-earth, and Annam's "tentacles" are constantly exerting influence within the clans, causing the Skaven to largely ignore Free City, with only a few scattered swarms occasionally getting lost there.

Annan looked back at the Grey Mountain Range, lost in thought: "So... the Empire wants us to guard our borders, or even the Empire's borders?"

"What are you thinking about?" Olmedo asked him.

Annan pointed to the Grey Peak Mountains, his brows, which had just relaxed, furrowing again: "The ratmen are good at digging, aren't they?"

This wasn't a question, Annan quickly continued, "They also occupied the Grey Peak Mountains for as long as six months. What if... they dug a long tunnel underground in the Grey Peak Mountains before that?"

“That’s impossible,” Renato said decisively. “The three legions couldn’t have gone unnoticed when they pushed forward.”

“That makes sense… but just because the ratmen can’t break through the Greybeard Mountains doesn’t mean they can’t break through other places.”

Annan's gaze swept over the mountainous areas on the sand table.

So, where might the ratmen be lying in ambush...?

“I think we should be more worried about the demons’ movements than the ratmen,” Olmedo said. “What if the Empire wants to warn us about the demons?”

She always harbored deep suspicion of demons. Biros stayed in Free City for almost half a month, and Olmedo never went to see her once.

“Impossible. Even the commander of the Sixth Legion, the Six-Armed Serpent Demon, is with us. If he were a demon, we would have gotten the information long ago,” Annan said confidently.

But Olmedo's words left Annan speechless.

"What if it's another legion that comes?"

……

There is less than a month left before the rainy season in the North.

Compared to the south, the rainy season in the north is not as intense due to the lack of monsoon influence, but the continuous rain is still enough to turn the vast plains into a dangerous swamp.

Mosquitoes and poisonous creatures breed in the swamps, slowing down the march. Even the most elite soldiers cannot march through the swampy grasslands for a whole day.

The knights could barely move an inch.

Although the demons have occupied the snow-capped mountains, turning them into volcanoes and preventing the moisture from the far north from reaching them, causing a drought that has lasted for half a year and the rainy season is unlikely to occur... a good commander will not gamble with luck.

The plaza in front of the Great Temple of Saint Willos in the Empire.

The once vast space, which could accommodate thousands of people, was now filled with black steel, leaving not a single gap.

The National Education Army stood like a silent steel forest under the leaden sky.

The cold rain, a harbinger of the approaching rainy season, fell in sparse drops, striking helmets, shoulder armor, and robes, flowing down along the inscribed runes and into the cracks between the stone bricks beneath their feet.

The air was thick with the scent of incense, murky and cold metal, but deep within, a deeper power was surging.

All eyes beneath helmets and cloaks were focused on the far end of the plaza, at the top of the steps of the towering temple, on a figure dressed in a dark red robe, not tall, even short—Hrimon, the Archbishop of the State Church of the Tatum Empire.

(End of this chapter)