Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 662 The Meeting in Torii Town (Part 2)

Upon entering the "meeting room," since no seats had been assigned beforehand, Dark and Wright naturally sat in the last row.

On the one hand, Dak didn't want to get too involved in Torii Town's affairs, so as not to delay his trip to Nebusk; on the other hand, the "Dark Touch" behind Wright was indeed too eye-catching, so sitting in the last row and covering it up with a cotton coat would avoid a lot of misunderstandings.

Clearly, since many of the men present were temporary conscripts who had just returned from the front lines, the place had not been cleaned or tidied up. There were still some burn marks on the wooden table that had been temporarily brought in, and even the "Krusd Federation Situation Map" hanging in the middle of the conference room depicted the situation before the collapse of the "Gnady Line".

Artyom, on the other hand, sat alone in the middle, facing the crowd. His seat was relatively tidy, and a red banner that read "Third Provisional Meeting of the Torii Town Military Committee on Supplies" was temporarily hung above his head.

In addition, a sense of decay permeated the entire conference room. The broken windows swayed precariously in the winter breeze, and the town soldiers nearby had simply removed them. Due to years of neglect and aging electrical wiring, the electric lights with their winding metal pipes connecting the walls of the conference room had become mere decorations, giving the entire room a gloomy atmosphere.

Fortunately, in another half hour the sun will rise to a suitable height, filling the area with incandescent sunlight.

The entire crowded meeting room was filled with fresh, natural air, which made everyone present feel much more alert.

"I'm sure everyone knows about the death of our former mayor, Angelica. According to reliable sources, he was attacked by the Lost Ones while transporting supplies on the edge of the Outer Naboa Mountains and lost his life." Artyom coughed a few times and began today's meeting:
"The Federal Council was very generous, especially Mr. John Rees, the current governor of Hoputov, who awarded the former mayor a 'Hero of Hoputov City Badge' as compensation for his death and as an affirmation of the contributions made by the residents of Torii Town in this war."

"Therefore, I hope everyone can stop spreading rumors about the former mayor. After all, he died in the war, in the war against the Lost and the traitors of the Federation."

“Commander Artyom, I object!” A young man in his twenties sitting in the first row stood up abruptly, picked up his mechanized right arm, and slammed it hard on the table several times, creating a small hole in the wooden tabletop as a way of expressing his anger.

"Let's talk this out. This is a place to discuss issues and reach a consensus, not a place to vent anger, 'Iron Arm'," Artyom rebuked sternly, his expression equally harsh.

“Alright, Commander Artyom, since you've asked me to discuss the issues, I'll share my thoughts.” The young man known as Iron Arm turned slightly, half his face facing Artyom, who was sitting on his left, and the other half facing the representatives of the Torii Town residents on his right, and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice:

"War is not a way to wash away anyone's shame, and even death cannot atone for the sins he has committed. In the past decade, this former mayor, Angelica, has sold at least 700,000 tons of grain, 20,000 furs, 100,000 livestock, and 5000 kilograms of scrap iron, all of which he exchanged for new rubles and silver, but the money has all disappeared without a trace."

"He also secretly made a deal with the Lost Ones to use the town's supplies to support the 'Dedication Group' in their fight against the Federation, which led to years of accountability from the officials of Nebusk and Khotov. There's something I just learned: the officials of these two cities used to allocate food and weapons to Torii Town every year. In 548 AD, they allocated 60,000 tons of various kinds of food, vegetables, and meat, as well as 10,000 old-fashioned rifles and 200,000 rounds of ammunition to help us whisper to the 'Heartless' and the Lost Ones. But we haven't seen any of these weapons."

"Now, do you want to find out where these supplies are?" Artyom asked sharply, looking at Ironarm, the town's military commander who had stirred up trouble.

“Of course! These supplies were either sold by Angelica and exchanged for inedible and useless gold and silver, or he gave them to the Lost Ones to maintain his so-called 'cooperative relationship.' I opposed these actions from the beginning, but no one could stop this embezzler and Cruz spy,” Iron Arm said indignantly.

"If our town had sufficient supplies, it could certainly have coped with the 'Federal Emergency Requisition Order' two months ago. There was no need for all the young people in the town to participate in the 'Fall of Atlas' campaign just to get that 30% exemption."

“Commander Artyom, you know that before this batch of supplies arrived, the children had almost nothing to eat. They still need to grow, and they are the future of the town and Crusde.”

“Every sin must be repaid, even if his body has fallen into the underworld and his soul has been captured by Satan.” Artyom suddenly recited a religious phrase, and then stated:

“I wasn’t originally interested in religion, but the Orthodox Church of Crusad and the Daoist religion of Qadanris contain a lot of moral principles that we should learn from. I have a list and a catalog here that can tell you in detail where the goods that Angelica embezzled are stored.”

Artyom said, tossing several copies of maps and lists to Iron Arm, who then passed them on to the people behind him for them to look at in turn.

After a few minutes, Artyom slammed his fist on the table to stop the noise from the crowd.

"Every sin deserves a fair trial. Since Artyom's son also died a humiliating death in the war, and his wife fled the town, then I will draft a judgment. Everyone, please raise your hands to vote." Artyom coughed a few times, put on his glasses, looked at the prepared plan in his hand, and read aloud:
"In view of the heinous acts of former mayor Angelica, the Torii Town Military Council has decided: 1. All honors that Angelica received in the Federal Council and its subordinate agencies are hereby revoked, including the 'City Hero Badge,' which will be returned to the issuing agency. Angelica's name will be erased from all town documents and records, and he will be barred from entering the town's Hall of Fame for public viewing."

"2. Confiscate the 'Town Heart 001' residence and convert it into a hotel to accommodate important visitors. At the same time, confiscate all the materials, weapons, precious metals, and other ill-gotten gains that Angelica has hidden in the mountainside caves of Shenqi Bianshan for many years, and distribute them equally among the townspeople in proportion."

3. Artyom, that is, I, will assume the position of mayor, and concurrently serve as chairman of the Military Council, overseeing the town's administrative and military operations, while being fully subject to the supervision of the members of the Military Council. If any violation of federal law occurs, I will resign immediately.

"That concludes the above. Now, let's begin the vote by raising hands," Artyom announced, placing the proposal on the table. Soon, the vast majority of humans present raised their right arms, including the Iron Arm that had just objected to Artyom, which struggled to lift its heavy, mechanized right arm.

"So, the first item on the agenda is approved. The agenda will be posted in the town square at noon for the residents to read. Now, Ironarm, you talk about the supplies the Federation is compensating us with." Artyom left his seat and stood to the side.

Then, Iron Arm strode forward, sat in Artyom's seat, and began to speak:

"Given that we have lost a thousand men, the Provisional Federal Council, Governor John Ries of Hoptov, and the Nebusk City Council have all sent various supplies to compensate our town of Torii. These supplies are in the form of compensation and aid, without any additional demands, but in reality, this is a gesture of goodwill from these forces, hoping that we will remain neutral in the subsequent, broader civil war and not side with any party."

“This is in the best interests of our Torii Town. Now that Angelica, that sinner, is gone, Torii Town can develop normally, and we have the potential to replace the official trading post and become an important trading hub in the east.”

"Tell us what supplies you've provided as aid this time," someone shouted from below.

"Okay," Iron Arm replied.

"Then let me explain. Most of the aid supplies this time are food, including 3 tons of grains, about 1 tons of various vegetables and vegetable products, 1.5 tons of meat, 3000 kilograms of oilseeds, 1500 kilograms of salt, 2000 kilograms of seasonings, 16000 head of livestock, 100 kilograms of high-quality seeds, 10 tons of canned goods, and 1000 kilograms of various dried fruits. These supplies should be enough to alleviate our immediate needs."

"As for machinery, it was mainly aid from Nebusk. The city council provided us with 1000 production machines, 100 vehicles of various types, 20 mechanized armored vehicles, and 6000 mechanical components. Regarding weapons, Hoputov and North Ukhata provided the most, with 13000 old-style rifles of various types, 60 rounds of ammunition, including 3500 silver bullets, 16000 rocket launchers, 20 artillery pieces, and 10 heavy artillery pieces, including the Hyacinth Cannon. There were also 150 other small arms and experimental weapons."

"The food has been transported to the warehouses by trucks from the three cities and is being distributed to residents. The weapons are being distributed by the Weapons Department of the Military Commission. However, only half of the weapons have been delivered to the weapons storage warehouses so far; the rest are still being prepared in the cities. I checked, and the food is not contaminated. Most of the weapons were collected from the battlefield and need to be disinfected."

“Iron Arm, I remember the Federation forces near Belogolsk delivered a shipment of medicine to us. Has it arrived yet?” Artyom asked.

"It's been delivered." Iron Arm nodded, then reported:

"We received 16000 doses of the Federal No. 0 drug that we urgently needed, along with the formula and some production equipment. We also received 3200 doses of the Federal No. 1 drug to prevent the 'Heartless Virus,' enough to vaccinate all the residents of the town. The Federation also delivered a batch of other antibiotics, common medicines, etc., enough for us to not need to trade for them for three years."

“That’s good. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have a week to lead the cleanup teams to the top of the Divine Mountain to wipe out the ‘Heartless People’ and wild beasts, ensuring there’s no danger within a 10-kilometer radius. Then, set up a vaccination point at the ‘Torii Shrine’ and have those careful girls vaccinate the children with ‘Federation No. 1 Servant’ to ensure they are not infected by the ‘Heartless People Virus’. Understand?” Artyom gave the order.

"Understood," the main officers of the Military Commission sitting in the front row replied in unison.

Next came the discussion on war and casualties, including how to compensate the families of the fallen, and how to avoid getting involved in wars in various places in the post-Federal Council era. Basically, Artyom proposed the solutions, and the attendees voted by raising their hands.

In reality, most of the decisions were made by Artyom, which also aligned with the will of the residents of Torii Town. As a result, no one objected, making the meeting rather boring. This caused Dark and Wright, who were sitting in the back row, to doze off, wishing that this somewhat tedious "supply meeting" would end as soon as possible.

However, the smooth meeting soon turned into a conflict.

"Commander Artyom, do you really think we can remain unscathed amidst the conflicts around the world?" The speaker was a retired military officer of about 28 years old, currently a member of the Torii Town Military Council, named George Zhang, whose ancestors were Khitan Ris, but who was born in Torii Town.

Perhaps he has been assimilated by Crusader culture; apart from his surname, his behavior, language habits, and even his appearance are almost identical to those of Crusaders.

“Then you tell us.” Artyom was clearly a little displeased, but he still lit a “curled cigarette”, took a puff, and made a simple gesture of invitation.

“Even if we can maintain independence in Khotov, Severo-Ukhata, and Nebsk, or even Novayask, we cannot avoid the attacks of the Lost Ones. Apart from your wife, Hevchenko, no one in this town possesses the ability to fight them,” George said.
"The town of Three Points in the south was destroyed by the 'Wave of the Lost'. Although the Lost were consciously enhancing humans, they were even more savage than the natives of the old empire. They left nothing but desolation in their wake, devouring humans, even chewing up skulls, and leaving only after they had completely gnawed on the corpses."

"The current war has indeed dealt a heavy blow to the 'Dedication Group,' and they won't cause trouble again in the short term. However, if we don't take advantage of this window of opportunity to ally with one side, develop our military, and recruit people with supernatural abilities, we might not even be able to build Torii Town into a trading hub for all kinds of goods before we are overrun by active Lost Organizations like the 'Church of the Crossing Spirits,' and forced to become their slaves or vassals. It is said that they have captured a beast from the west called the 'Axe of Pramini,' and are taming it to make it a weapon comparable to that of the gods."

“This is an issue that needs to be taken seriously.” Artyom nodded, expressing partial agreement, and said:
"However, it is not necessarily necessary to truly pledge allegiance to one side and entrust the fate of our Torii Town to others. We also have our own divine artifacts, which are not necessarily weaker than the 'Axe of Pramini.' You all know the 'Spirit-Suppressing Tree' located at the heart of the god Heiyama, right? The 'Relic of the Chosen One' is buried there. It is said that Angelica's diary describes it as 'a powerful weapon used to save the Wasteland Era.'"

"I think that 'relic of the chooser' is perhaps the reason why our Torii Town can maintain neutrality."