Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 477 No War in the North

Hughes rubbed his forehead, looking at Isaac with a complicated expression.

"Go on, what happened next?"

Isaac looked embarrassed: "Later, Chief Chloe told me about the situation, so I came back."

The diary on the table suddenly jumped more than three feet high:
"It's not that simple! It's not that simple! I've told you several times, but you still wouldn't believe me, insisting that I've been corrupted!"

Then they suspected it was some ancient god's conspiracy, and wouldn't listen to anything anyone said!

[He ended up fighting Monica again before being sent back!]

"Wait!" Hughes raised an eyebrow. "You've never beaten Monica?"

Monica's ideas are indeed incredibly destructive, but what about her actual fighting ability?
Ash could take on both of them with one hand.

Isaac's face immediately turned red, as if he wanted to explain, but he stammered and couldn't say a word.

You really haven't fought one?

Aren't you a dual-path superhuman? Logically speaking, there shouldn't be many you can't beat in actual combat, right?
Hughes's gaze towards Isaac changed.

"Monica was a little anxious because she was afraid of failing her exams, so she brought a dragon's breath cannon and a machine gun." The banshee standing to the side raised her hand and shook Monica, whom she was carrying.

"Ahhhhh, stop shaking me! I know I was wrong, ahhhhh—"

Despite Monica's seemingly unreliable demeanor, she is a member of the Banshee Patrol, and her mission to protect Exa is indeed one for her, as she is issued weapons.

Exa was clearly in an unstable state and showed aggressive tendencies, but whether the warning shots were compliant and constituted excessive use of force remains to be seen.
“Let the court handle it,” Hughes waved his hand. “Since she joined the Banshee Patrol and has the right to carry weapons, she should also be subject to the law.”

He did like the little banshee, but rules are rules, and if only some people follow the rules, it is an exploitation of others.

Fairness is the cornerstone of the law.

Hughes' eyes darted around, and he pulled Isaac in as well.

"You're in the same boat, Isaac. You might need to pay some compensation."

“Of course.” Isaac nodded, without saying anything more.

"Alright, let's leave this matter at that for now, Isaac. Now, let's talk about the situation in the North. What exactly happened with the resistance?"

Everyone in the room perked up, even Monica quieted down.

Hughes had a stack of papers lying on his back; those were the documents that Finier had brought him, containing all of Nini and the others' assessments of the Northern Territory.

Nini and her companions were quite pessimistic—to be precise, they believed the resistance army was completely wiped out.

Isaac's arrival rekindled a glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts.

"It's a long story. We were doing quite well in the North," Isaac said slowly after a moment's thought.

He began by recounting his solo encounter with the resistance, how he fabricated the White Fog, severely damaged the Winter Wolf Cavalry, used a feint to seize grain, and then captured Grizzly Town.
The series of strategies and battles made everyone's eyes light up, and they couldn't wait to join the resistance and fight a fierce battle with Bazel's men.

“Unfortunately, we made the wrong decision in the end.” Isaac sighed. “Our decision to attack Sladedinburg was probably a conspiracy by Bazel.”

"I was in the first wave to enter the city. I was discovered by Lina the moment I used my detection ability, and I was caught not long after. She is too strong. I couldn't even run away."

"The instant I used my ability, I saw the scene inside the castle. Bazel was with a group of elite soldiers at the main gate; the resistance couldn't break through." "Is there absolutely no hope?"

Isaac shook his head: "There's absolutely no chance. The resistance fighters who rushed over numbered only a dozen or so, and the other side consisted of heavily armored soldiers with tower shields. They could hold the city gate without any problem. I have absolutely no idea how they could win."

"Plus Lina, who's been lying in wait. This is a trap, and we've already stepped into it."

Hughes was silent for a moment before speaking, "It was Nini who saved you. She found the resistance camp, which is now full of Bazel's soldiers. If Gwen and the others had abandoned the city and fled, would they have survived?"

Isaac's eyes dimmed slightly, and he slowly shook his head.

"The North is mostly plains, and the resistance will find no more castles that are so easy to capture. If they are lucky enough to find another forest to set up camp, they might be able to hold out for a while longer, allowing the banshees to scout the surrounding area more."

“I understand. Next, I’ll have the banshee search for clues in the forest.” Hughes stuffed the documents on the table into the wastebasket and sighed.
"Tell me more about Lina. How could she be that strong?"

"That was too dangerous, Lina, we almost all died."

Bazel was panting heavily, his composure gone. His carefully styled curly hair, scorched by the dragon's breath, now resembled a half-cooked chicken coop.

Lina was also not in good condition; her face was pale, she was swaying, and her eyes were filled with terror.

"Bazaar, what's going on?!"

“I think we’ve fallen into the resistance’s trap!” Bazel said bitterly. “It’s all their conspiracy. They evacuated the camp ahead of time and made it look like they were in a hurry to lure us into searching the area.”

"Then the monster charged at us while we were all gathered together."

Bazel suddenly turned his head: "Lina, do you recognize the weapon that monster is holding? Could it be related to the Fire-Chasing Moth?"

Nini had previously raised the cannon to him, and the cold, hard, rough steel weapon, along with the crimson jets pouring out from it, left a very deep impression on him, like a nightmare that haunted his mind.

This morning, he was still the border lord who dominated the northern frontier. With the sound of that terrifying weapon, two squads of Winter Wolves and Frost Earth Guards were all blasted into dust. These were his most elite soldiers. After this battle, he was severely weakened and it was good enough that he could hold onto his territory. He could only slowly lick his wounds.

The three dukes around him were no pushovers; they were sure to take a bite out of him this time.

Lina shook her head without hesitation: "Impossible, the Fire Moth doesn't have such a weapon. It looks like it comes from the Mechanical Sanctuary."

“The Mechanical Sanctuary, huh?” Bazel’s face darkened. “It really was a church conspiracy. I knew Gwen wasn’t an ordinary person!”

"I'm sorry, Isaac, I couldn't save you. I'm just a mortal; there's nothing I can do."

Gwen quietly placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone.

Several days have passed since the battle ended. Winter wolves have attacked several times, but they have all been driven back.

The resistance forces awaited the arrival of Bazel's main force, but after a long wait, they were nowhere to be seen.

Has he given up on this place?
Gwen didn't know.

All she knew was that she might never see that somewhat gloomy friend again.

Now that Isaac has been missing for so long, his chances of survival are slim.

The various forces, through misunderstandings, have actually achieved a delicate balance.

Time passed quickly, and undercurrents surged in the North, but no major battles occurred.

(End of this chapter)