Unspeakable bubbles

Page 134

Of course, we can't move too fast. We should start by easing the relationship between the slaves and their masters.

But... it turns out that Andy was oversimplifying things.

One day, when he led his guards, carrying provisions and wine, to comfort the poor and needy, hoping to experience their gratitude, he received an unexpected response.

"My lord, you're late."

"Was something holding you up?"

"The progress is fast, and the brothers are all working like crazy."

"My daughter has been born. Could you please help me name her, my lord?"

There was no animosity, no hatred; the slaves surrounded them as if they were seeing old friends.

Andy noticed that the guards around him seemed to be used to it, and realized that he might have made a mistake.

Lost in thought, Andy gave a few perfunctory replies and then hurriedly left, citing feeling unwell as an excuse.

"My lord, please take care of your health."

"Sir, you can't let anything happen to you!"

"Don't worry about us working. It's hot, you should go home and not work so hard."

There was no resentment whatsoever; the respect and support these slaves showed from the bottom of their hearts were not fake.

Upon returning to his territory, Andy began investigating what 'himself' had done before.

'After three years of military service, you can become a full citizen!'

'Slaves also have the right to marry and have children!'

'The descendants of slaves are not slaves!'

Distribution according to work, the more you work, the more you earn!

'...................'

Andy discovered that the Marquis of Carmen was a genius when it came to domestic affairs.

They constructed water conservancy projects, significantly reduced corvée labor, actively built defense systems, and strengthened the slaves' sense of belonging to the territory...

He also learned from the notes that the Marquis of Carmen was skilled at developing his territory, but in Andy's mind, the Marquis of Carmen's image was still fixed as a 'nerdy inventor'.

The people within the territory were united and their army was strong and well-equipped.

The Marquis was renowned for his good deeds and was deeply loved by all.

The couple at home are loving and affectionate, and the father is kind and the son is filial.

The question is... then what else do I need to do?

Andy's understanding of the Marquis Carmen was only the tip of the iceberg, but he was already certain of one thing—the Marquis's abilities far surpassed his own!

Even the formidable Marquis Carmen couldn't turn the tide, ultimately meeting a tragic end.

Can I do it myself?

Section 148, Chapter 147: The Guard

Wandering aimlessly around the construction site, Andy pondered his next move.

The root of Marquis Carmen's tragic life lies in that undead army. The simplest way to win is for the current Marquis Carmen not to create that terrifying army.

Well, actually, even if you forced Andy to build an undead army, he still wouldn't be able to.

In this way, wouldn't I be able to have a happy ending without doing anything?

Andy didn't believe the trials of the secret realm were so simple. He looked at the slaves working hard and frantically, and thought of a problem he had never paid attention to before.

The beast tide... is probably a euphemism for the heinous act of chaotic creatures collectively invading human homes.

So, what exactly was the scale of the last beast tide?

The description in the handwritten notes is rather exaggerated.

What an overwhelming horde of ferocious beasts, a black sea of monsters...

While such descriptions can be quite terrifying and immersive, they also contain a strong element of subjectivity.

'This entry in the journal isn't very valuable,' Andy thought to himself.

However, if he couldn't get information from the notes, he had another way.

"It's getting late, it's time to go back."

No one objected to the Marquis's order.

And so, amidst the cheers of a group of slaves, Andy ended his reward trip.

Upon returning to the mansion, Andy immediately went into his own study.

He began to carefully search for useful information; the Marquis Carmen was farsighted and there was no reason for him to be unaware of the impending disaster.

Soon, Andy found what he wanted in a hidden compartment in the drawer.

As he slowly turned the pages of the parchment, his expression shifted unpredictably.

Marquis Carmen's understanding of the beast tide was far beyond his imagination; the Marquis divided the scale of the beast tide into four levels.

When a group of chaotic beings, numbering less than one hundred, gathers together to cause destruction, it is called a minor disaster.

A beast tide consisting of more than a thousand chaotic creatures is called a medium-sized disaster.

Once the number exceeds ten thousand, it will be a major disaster that the entire kingdom must take seriously.

Andy stared at a piece of parchment marked with twenty-one red dots and twenty-one dotted lines around the border of the kingdom.

At the end of all the dotted lines is a black circle with the words 'Kuroshio' written in large letters on it.

Twenty-one points, each representing a nest of chaotic creatures numbering over ten thousand.

Twenty-one dotted lines, traversing half of the Kingdom of Brad, converge into a black circle at the Carmen Territory.

"...A beast tide exceeding two hundred thousand—no, that's no longer a beast tide, but a black tide that only exists in theory!"

Andy knew all too well how troublesome the Chaos Creatures were.

He still vividly remembered the scene at his coming-of-age ceremony, clad in armor, wielding a sharp blade, riding the strongest griffin in the territory, and exhausting himself to kill a half-starved Chaos creature.

"How could more than two hundred thousand Chaos creatures have spontaneously invaded Carmen's territory without the leadership of a Chaos Lord? It makes no sense at all!"

Even human legions, once they reach a certain size, will descend into chaos without discipline and a leader; how much more so would ferocious chaotic creatures?

A black tide of this scale must be unified by a Chaos Lord.

However, both the parchment notes and the journal entries state that "twenty-one powerful chaotic creatures led their subordinates in a joint invasion," without mentioning the inevitable chaotic lord at all.

"Without the existence of an overwhelming class, it would be impossible for the leaders of those twenty-one dens to unite."

"But if such a powerful Chaos Lord exists, and its goal is to destroy Carmen's territory, why didn't it show itself until the end of the war?"

Andy was completely baffled, and his confusion only grew after obtaining the valuable clues.

However, at this point, Andy had completely abandoned the idea of relying solely on Carmen's forces to stop the Black Tide.

More than 200,000 chaotic creatures swarmed in, and even if there were no lords among them, a legendary legion would be needed to defeat them.

.................................. .................................

Bubble sat on the soft bed, gazing at the moonlight outside the window, and inadvertently thought of Masumi and Jack.

I've been in this strange place for... how many days? Anyway, quite a few days.

The little girl once sneaked out of the mansion when the guards were lax, but after wandering around outside for half a day, not only did people keep greeting her, but she also got lost.

Finally, when Bubble was starving, she was greeted by the Marquis, who arrived with soldiers.

After Bubble returned to the Marquis's mansion, the guards' vigilance noticeably increased.

Of course, this was actually useless; if the girl wanted to leave, they couldn't stop her at all.

But where will Bubble go if it leaves here?

In this unfamiliar place, the little girl was completely clueless and didn't know where to go.

Most importantly... if you go outside, you might not get any food if you're hungry.

Bubble patted her belly. Although the uncles and aunts she didn't know always called her Marquis Carmen, which made Bubble unhappy, they were almost always accommodating to her every need.

"There's good food and the bed is soft, but Bubble still wants to go home."

"Hmm?" Bubble's ears twitched; she heard a commotion outside.

"grown ups!"

Just then, the room door was kicked open with a bang.

"My lord, are you alright?"

A burly man with blood on his face rushed in. He glanced nervously at Bubble, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"After hearing that you were imprisoned by the Madam, I rushed here from my hometown without stopping. Fortunately, you are alright."

"Hurry, brothers! We can't hold off those traitors for long, we..."

"Who are you?" Bubble's question brought the man to an abrupt halt.

"I am Robin, your personal guard captain!"

"Bubble doesn't know you."

"S-lord!"