Alice in the Land of Steam

In the temporary camp of the Ash Guerrillas, Regina is reporting the current situation to Carson Borg.

"Over the course of one night, several more scattered teams have arrived at Point 11 to reunite, but the whereabouts of the remaining teams are still unknown. Currently, there are 313 members gathered in the base, of which 292 are capable of fighting, and 165 are seriously injured. All have been effectively treated. However, we are still short of supplies, including food, water, medicine, and various weapons and equipment. If we continue to be trapped in Point 11, we can only hold out for a month and a half at most."

Carson Borg stroked the machete in his hand and thought, "How is everyone's morale?"

"It was a little depressing at first, but after receiving treatment from Miss Metien and support from the Holy Goddess Church, it has eased somewhat. Considering that everyone has just experienced a failure, and that the wounded need time to recuperate, I suggest that the next operation be postponed to half a month later."

The "action" that Regina mentioned could not be a large-scale military action, but a harassing guerrilla operation targeting the Axis outposts, strongholds or supply routes in Suare City. Although the Ash Guerrillas are the most well-known civilian resistance organization in the Ansers region, as long as they are crowned with the word "civilian", their scale cannot be too large. This is already the limit of what they can do. Moreover, even such small-scale actions are not successful every time. Just like this time, they suffered a tragic failure in an action against the Axis outpost, which led to such a fate.

Failure is common, but learning from failure and getting back on your feet is a skill. Carson Borg is undoubtedly one of the best. His belief and spirit also inspire the members of the Ash Guerrilla, making them like the cursed dead wood in the Black Forest, silent but tenacious, and not afraid of the scorching sun. Therefore, the Ash Guerrilla can be repeatedly targeted but reborn, so that they become the biggest threat to the 17th Legion, rather than other larger resistance organizations.

"Half a month? It's not too late." Carson Borg pondered, "We can just contact the Ash Hand or the Forest Rangers and invite them to join forces. It is said that the 17th Legion is planning to open up a new supply route, not by airship, but by bypassing the Broken Sea from the sea, landing on Josi Beach, and transporting by land. If we can find out the truth, we can not only intercept the 17th Legion's supply materials, but also provide some intelligence to the Kingdom Army to help them cut off this supply line!"

A picture, a tactic, and an effective strategy quickly emerged in his mind. This was an instinct that the Gray Hill Eagle had developed during his years of struggle. Failure, continue; fighting, retreat. His life seemed to always cycle back and forth between the two stages, and he didn't know when he would reach the end.

As for the Hand of Ash and the Forest Rangers, they are two other resistance organizations active in the Ansus region. The former has fewer people and focuses on assassinating enemy officers and important government officials; the latter is similar to the Ash Guerrillas, and their tactics are basically based on harassment, but the area where they are active is not in the Black Forest area, but to the north of Suare, in the Salem Mountains, a branch of the Ansus Mountains.

The reason why different resistance organizations were formed was nothing more than different ideologies, some moderate and some radical. For example, Carson Borg, although he was called a Forsaken God, was essentially a moderate, and preferred to cooperate with the Kingdom's military to work together to expel the invaders; however, the ideologies of the Hand of Ashes and the Forest Rangers were much more radical. The former not only assassinated officers of the Axis Powers, but also did not spare politicians and businessmen who had dealt with the Axis Powers. Carson Borg had advised their leaders many times, saying that this would only make the neutrals turn to the enemy, while the other side coldly stated that there had never been a so-called neutral party in this war, and the significance of the Hand of Ashes' existence was to make these fence-sitters completely recognize their position. As for the Forest Rangers, they did not trust the Kingdom's statement at all, believing that the corrupt politicians had already given up this land, and even the ultimate goal was not only to drive away the invaders, but also to expel the Count of Gray Hill and the Kingdom's forces, so that the Gray Hill region would regain independence.

Of course, the difference in philosophy did not affect the cooperation between these resistance organizations. Rather, the situation had become so serious that they would have difficulty fighting the enemy without cooperation. The last operation of the Ash Guerrilla was launched in cooperation with another resistance organization called the Night Guard. However, this emerging resistance organization was not very reliable. When the war was going smoothly in the early stage, they actually had an internal conflict over the spoils, which led to the enemy breaking through the defense line and also implicated the Ash Guerrilla.

So Carson Borg silently crossed this organization off the list of partners. He was not even sure whether the Night Guard would still exist after this battle. Judging from their performance, it did not seem like they could afford to fail.

As Grayhill Eagle's most capable assistant, Regina would not oppose his decision and silently took note of the matter. However, thinking of her past experiences, she couldn't help but ask, "Do you really believe that the Kingdom Army will make good use of the intelligence after getting it, Brother?"

Carson Borg's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal and replied, "Of course, I believe the kingdom has not given up on the Ansus region, it just hasn't found the right time. They have been working hard, just like the smuggling channels we have. If it weren't for the kingdom's secret assistance, it would have been impossible to open them up. This shows their sincerity."

Regina muttered, "But they didn't provide any other help besides supplies."

Not to mention direct pressure, even covert assistance seems to be stingy. When the Ash Guerrillas were first established, Carson Borg felt that there were too few people with strategic vision and tactical thinking in the team, so he applied to the kingdom to send several senior officers to provide guidance, but was rejected by the military. The reason they gave was that if the Ash Guerrillas' resistance failed, the 17th Legion would discover the identities of these officers and put pressure on the kingdom, which would make the situation worse.

If you consider failure now, then what is the point of your supporting materials for us? Are you just using us as cannon fodder to weaken the strength of the 17th Legion? Regina still feels angry when she thinks about it now. It's just that her brother is well-mannered. If she were there, she would definitely slap him on the spot. Of course, the supporting materials will also be lost.

In the six years since the Ash Rangers were active, the Kingdom Army has made very few moves, giving people the feeling of a hibernating bear, slow and sluggish. If they were not so weak and incompetent, how could the concept of the Forest Rangers be recognized by more and more people, and even some people have shouted slogans such as the Kingdom politicians betraying the Ash Hill and the Suarez armed independence.

Regina didn't dare and didn't want to think about how many people were behind this.

It's like a farce.

"Don't worry, Regina." As if he had seen through his partner's worries, Carson Borg stopped wiping his scimitar and looked up at the dark sky with a deep gaze: "No matter how much time has passed, I promise you that Gray Hill will always belong to us."

Who do we include?
Regina believed in Brother Carson's promise, but she was also a little bored.

"Oh, brother." She suddenly remembered something and asked, "Mr. Lingge..."

"..."

Carson Borg was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "We have already received a lot of care, so let's not bother them anymore. I think Mr. Ling and his team must have their own mission in coming to the Ansers area. It is not our thing to rashly involve them in this war."

Regina nodded silently, not questioning her brother's decision, because she thought the same. If they pinned all their hopes on others, the Ash Guerrillas would never have come this far.

After discussing the next plan with Carson Borg, Regina turned and left the cabin, intending to select a few members who were good at stealth and intelligence gathering from those who were not injured to contact the Ash Hand and the Forest Rangers. This was not an easy task, but the Eagle of Gray Hill would tell them what to do. As long as he was still standing here, the Ash Guerrillas of the Black Forest would never lose their backbone.

Although, he is the one who needs rest the most.

……

After leaving the cabin, Regina was surprised to see a very special team standing in the dim shade waiting for her. The reason why I say special is that they are not members of the Ash Guerrilla, and Regina had just seen them yesterday. The most familiar one among them is the pink-haired girl. She carried a delicate pocket medical box on her back and looked around curiously, which was completely unlike the image of a doctor. However, perhaps it was her immaturity and seriousness that won the trust and respect of these warriors.

"Ah, Sister Regina!"

Finally seeing the person she was waiting for show up, the girl was obviously very happy, but she did not forget to greet him politely: "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Metien. What do you want to talk to me about? And who is this?" Regina's eyes swept across the girl's companions behind her, and finally stopped at the gray-haired girl in a black nun's uniform. She had met Shemi and Leticia yesterday, but this was her first meeting.

"Hello." The other party greeted in a friendly manner: "I am Gloria, from Metien... um, sister, responsible for taking care of her today. In addition, I am also a nun of Tianxin Church."

Ah, this... Anyone can tell that you are a nun, right? Unless you are a dress-up lover. But in the East Continent where the religious atmosphere is fanatical, basically no one will disguise themselves as a priest or a nun, because there is a high possibility that they will be targeted by a certain evil god without knowing it.

It seemed that Miss Gloria was trying to emphasize her identity as a nun in some very deliberate way, but was there any need to emphasize this? Or was there some hidden meaning that she was not aware of? Regina was too embarrassed to know how to respond, so she had to give her name as a way of greeting each other.

"Yeah." Gloria didn't notice anything strange, and said happily in her mind: "She believes I'm a nun. Did I act better than you, Bai Ye?"

"Haha." A sneer came from my mind: "You weren't acting, that was totally revealing your true nature, right?"

"Are you saying that I was born with a nun's temperament? For example, pious, indifferent, cold and noble?"

I mean you're just born stupid.

Bai Ye silently dived into the deepest part of his consciousness space. He didn't want to talk to this little fool anymore, for fear of being infected by her stupidity.

"Well, Sister Regina, actually I wanted to ask you if Mitch and Kadora are free..." Metien stated the purpose of his visit.

"Mitch and Kadora? Are you here to play with them?" Regina was a little surprised at first, but soon she was relieved. Although Miss Metien had been trying hard to act mature while treating the wounded, she was still just a teenage girl, barely a young girl. It was normal to want to interact with strangers of the same age out of curiosity.

Although Mitch and Kadora joined the Ash Guerrilla very early and were tempered by the war, they were much more mature than their peers, but Regina felt that this would not hinder their communication. On the contrary, it might make the relationship between them more harmonious. After all, both sides were very well-behaved and sensible children, so they would naturally resonate with each other in some aspects, right?
Regina has always treated these children who lost their families and homes in the war and joined the Ash Guerrillas, vowing to drive out all invaders as her brothers and sisters. Sometimes she is also worried that this long war will gradually make them become paranoid and extreme. This is not without precedent. Even adults find it difficult to maintain their will in war, let alone children?

If Metien makes friends with them, maybe this situation can be changed? This pink-haired little girl seems to have a power that can infect people's hearts. Even in the dark forest, she can shine brightly. Regina is very sure that this will be a suitable choice, so her attitude towards Metien becomes more enthusiastic: "They should still be resting in the cabin. I will take you to find them. Although those children are a little stubborn, they are not bad by nature. Please get along with them gently, Metien."

"Yeah, I will! But——"

Metien suddenly became shy and looked a little embarrassed, as if the following proposal was a severe test for her morality and conscience: "Well, Sister Regina, actually, I want to invite them to Tianxin Church to play. By the way, uh, by the way..."

Her voice got lower and lower, her expression became more and more ashamed, and in the end she simply covered her cheeks, not daring to look at the red-haired girl in front of her: "By the way, let them understand, uh, that is, understand the teachings of the goddess... like this?"

Regina blinked: "Huh?" (End of this chapter)