I'm in Terra

The Reunion Movement had a chance to capture Longmen, but Victor decisively abandoned the plan. He preferred a war that would involve the entire nation to a single, eye-catching metropolis. In a sense, wasn't this a sign of great courage?

"So, as long as Nikalov doesn't suffer a crushing defeat, the emperor will fully support his actions." Victor pondered for a moment, then picked up the two knights on his chessboard. "The only question is which faction the emperor will send to support him."

"They should be able to adapt to the situation, right?" Mud Rock, who had been listening, couldn't help but interject, "If the fighting on the front lines is intense, send in the strong troops. If the pressure on the front lines isn't great, then just send in the new nobles."

"Correct answer!" Victoria stretched out his right hand in appreciation. Seeing this, Mudstone sighed helplessly and took the initiative to move his head forward.

"War isn't just an opportunity for us; it's also an opportunity for Fyodor. Using war to balance the distorted forces within the country is probably the biggest reason they've tolerated Nikalov's reckless behavior until now. Of course, using this opportunity to test Yan Nation's military strength is also quite important."

After rubbing Bo Niyan's head hard, Victoria pinched his king and said, "The outcome of the war will ultimately depend on the reaction of Yan Nation. But no matter what, Luxembourg, in its weakened state, is unlikely to be summoned by the Emperor. So we can wait and see how the situation develops, and then initiate our plan when the battle becomes tense."

"What if Yan Country is weak? Wouldn't all our preparations become someone else's wedding dress?" Kashena asked curiously, looking at the chessboard.

Victoria had naturally had this in mind: "If Yan is vulnerable, then we can emulate the actions of the previous emperor. Continue to encroach on the territories of other countries, thereby completely destroying the internal structure of Ursus. However, this possibility is very low, because Yan has been recuperating for so long. As long as Ursus cannot quickly defeat Great Yan, its abundant resources and strategic reserves will be enough to bring down the entire army."

"So, ultimately, Ursus is going to be led to a crushing defeat?" Kashena understood. "Can I send a caravan to capitalize on this opportunity?"

"Of course, why not? Now is the best time for us to accumulate strength. Not only the caravans you control, but even the supplies buried near the city of Qie can be used."

PS: Today’s second chapter.

Wine Pond and Meat Forest: 114 Interlude

In the empty wilderness, an off-road vehicle suddenly stopped. The Archangel sitting in the passenger seat rubbed his eyes and pushed open the door in disbelief.

"This, this is Longmen?"

Texas let go of the steering wheel and pulled out a chocolate bar from the snack bag placed nearby. “If I’m not lost, this is the Dragon Gate.”

Obviously, Texas would not be lost, and the Angel of Death would not be wrong. This is the Dragon Gate, a Dragon Gate that is unfamiliar to the girls.

Large craters left by landing shells, knocked-down buildings, and a large number of corpses thrown like garbage in the wilderness around Longmen. The once bustling Longmen Customs is now deserted.

With just one glance, the two realized what had happened in Longmen.

"Croissant! Go tell the boss to stop the convoy. There's a problem at Longmen!"

"Understood!" Although the bread man is usually dull, she is definitely not stupid. The blood and smoke in the air have already made her extremely alert. After receiving the order from Texas, Croissant took out a small walkie-talkie and established contact with the transport team that was one step behind them.

A few minutes later, an SUV drove up from behind, and Mr. Philip came with several bodyguards to confirm the situation.

"This is......"

After just a few glances, the experienced Philip recognized something, and his calm face was instantly replaced by seriousness.

"This is a war. Longmen has just experienced a war."

"War?" Exia looked around in surprise. "Is it the Reunion Movement? It seemed like there was a Reunion Movement going on at Lungmen before we set out. Could they be plotting something?"

"wrong."

Facing Exia's doubts, Philip shook his head gravely. "This isn't something a mere Reunion could pull off. No matter how many people there are, they're just a mob. How could they possibly commandeer a full-fledged artillery unit? Or even attempt a sudden assault on Longmen? There's a change of plan. This escort request ends here. Our convoy won't be entering Longmen, so your requests are over."

"Are you planning to store the goods in a secret warehouse?" Texas nodded in understanding. Many businesses would hide their goods when faced with emergencies. After all, making another trip would consume far more manpower and resources than storing them on site, and it would also be easy to lose all your money.

"But since you unilaterally terminated the commission, this escort mission is considered accepted."

Philip waved his hand: "Of course no problem."

The bodyguard nearby noticed the boss's gesture and immediately pulled a suitcase from the carriage. Texas took the suitcase and briefly inspected it, finding it completely filled with neatly stacked red gold.

While not Longmen Coin, Red Gold's circulation rate was equally high. After confirming that the reward was exactly what he'd agreed upon, Texas politely said goodbye and left with the Penguin Logistics team.

The following scene is not suitable for them to watch. Knowing about other companies' secret warehouses would be enough to make them lose their heads.

"Is the order settled already? What do we do next?" After going over the amount of red gold again, Angelica casually tossed the suitcase to Croissant. The mission's abrupt end wasn't important; what mattered was that they had no plans for the next step.

Should I risk returning to Longmen, or should I take a break from work?

"I don't know." Texas replied seriously, "I'm not the boss, how could I possibly know such a thing?"

"That's right." Exiah lay dejectedly on the platform: "It would be great if the boss was here too."

Just as the two were complaining, an untimely voice suddenly came from the back seat.

"What are you guys babblein' about?"

Croissant, who was counting money, was startled and subconsciously threw the suitcase away.

The next second, a black shadow flew into the air and snatched the suitcase down. Unfortunately, it didn't realize Croissant hadn't locked the suitcase, and the golden strands, driven by inertia, crashed into the roof of the car and then smashed into the shadow's head.

"Croissant!"

With a shrill penguin scream, everyone in Penguin Logistics came back to their senses instantly. The Emperor had arrived in the car without them knowing.

"Excuse me, Boss, I'll rescue you right now!"

Croissant took the suitcase and casually pulled the emperor out of the pile of red gold. Then he carefully picked up the red gold pieces one by one and stacked them back into the suitcase with a serious look.

"You useless guy!" Seeing that Croissant dared to treat him differently, the emperor climbed onto Croissant's head and jumped around angrily. Unfortunately, Croissant, who was thick-skinned and tough, didn't feel anything at all and was only busy sorting out the red gold scattered on the ground.

Seeing that his punishment was ineffective, the emperor gave up helplessly: "Forget it, you are already beyond saving. Texas, turn around."

"Where?"

Texas swung the car's front end, performing a beautiful drift across the wilderness. Croissant, sitting in the back seat, stumbled, and the red gold he had just stacked fell to the ground again.

"Let's go to Xiosta." The emperor adjusted his sunglasses. "Longmen isn't safe right now, so I thought I'd just take you on vacation. But I ended up waiting for you in the wilderness for several days, thinking you were planning to stay in Ursus."

"..."

Texas and Exia exchanged a glance, both blushing unnaturally. "There was an accident in Ursus, delaying our departure for a few days."

"I understand." The emperor pushed up his sunglasses and sighed meaningfully, "Just don't let anyone die. Girls, what are you waiting for?"

Hearing that the Emperor had already noticed that the two were not virgins, Archangel felt a little uneasy and touched his thigh. Texas on the side was quite calm, as if he didn't understand the Emperor's metaphor.

The atmosphere was tense for a moment, but in the end, the Archangel in charge of the Yang corner forced the topic open.

"Um..." Exia raised her hand weakly: "There's no need to turn around to go to Xiosta."

"Of course I know." The emperor raised his eyebrows, turned around and punched Croissant next to him: "How can we punish this idiot who disrespects the boss if we don't turn around?"

Thus, Penguin Logistics set out on their journey again amidst laughter and playfulness, their destination being the peaceful and tranquil resort city - Xiosta!

At the same time, not only Penguin Logistics, which wanted to escape from Longmen, but also Rhodes Island, which had just left Longmen, was targeting this city.

"Amiya, lead Rhodes Island to Xiosta for some rest. The mayor there is a shrewd and capable man, and Rhodes Island can replenish its scarce supplies there."

"I see. What about you, Dr. Kelsey?"

"Me? I'm going to Ursus again. There are some things I need to figure out."

Wine and Meat: 115 The Prank of the Dionysus

On the third day of the Fourth Army's occupation of Longmen, all armed forces had withdrawn, leaving only a large number of ordinary citizens living under the army's control. Perhaps considering the possibility of incorporating Longmen into its territory in the future, the Fourth Army did not impose too harsh a rule within Longmen.

But that's it.

Three days later, the mobile city, which was supposed to have initiated its relocation process, remained safely stationary, meaning the Fourth Army had still not been able to breach the core area's defenses. Considering the inevitable escalation in the intensity of the fighting, an anonymous request for support was urgently sent to the Saint Fort Royal Palace.

At the same time, a small number of soldiers were dispatched in the eastern part of Longmen, and it was suspected that the Yan Kingdom's support troops were conducting a tentative attack.

Putting down the documents in his hand, Victoria let out a long sigh. Thanks to Tokashina, he was able to understand the world from a small corner.

Pieces of information, both public and confidential, were delivered to him through the Black Snake's intelligence network, making it no longer difficult for him to understand the thinking of both sides of the war.

Honestly, if Victor had to choose a capable partner from Terra, he would still choose Black Snake without hesitation. Intelligence, operations behind enemy lines, free occupation and control—as long as the target wasn't one of those behemoths or their masters, having Black Snake's help was practically equivalent to owning half the world.

Dragon Gate, Saint Fort, the Fourth Army, the Reunion Movement—everywhere Black Snake had set foot, He had left His eyes and scales. And these eyes and scales were the top agents who would never betray Him.

No secret codes or passwords are needed, just eye contact at a close distance, and pieces of information can be transmitted silently through these secret codes.

"Honestly, if your dream wasn't to rule the world, but to become the world's largest intelligence agency, you might have succeeded by now."

After confirming that the information was consistent with his own estimates, Victoria looked under his desk with satisfaction and praised sincerely.

“Gulp~~~”

With a dull and wet swallowing sound, the neatly dressed Kasheina slid out from under Victoria's desk and snuggled into Victoria's arms with a look of enjoyment on her face:

"Are you talking about that Scourge Messenger group called the Crisis Contract? I can also mobilize intelligence there if you need it. No, not just those Scourge Messengers. I can also find information about Leitania, Casimir, Syracuse, and Rembilt. As long as it's information you want to know, I can try to find it for you."

"It sounds like you have made a lot more progress than before, but we don't need these hidden agents for the time being." Hearing that Kashena was actively expanding her Snake Nest group, Victoria rubbed Kashena's head with satisfaction.

"The Integration Movement is about to arrive, and Luxembourg must be prepared to accept a large number of people. With the current tensions between the two countries, the name of the Integration Movement is definitely no longer applicable. We must find a way to coax those unruly guys back to work."

"What does the war between Yan and Ursus have to do with Reunion? Is it just because they were the index that started this war?"

Yevina, who was sitting on the sidelines, was somewhat curious. Although she didn't know why Victoria was so concerned about the situation in the Wuyan War, as a former noblewoman, she also had a keen political sense. Otherwise, she wouldn't have so easily committed herself to Victoria after arriving in Luxembourg.

"It's not just that." Victoria glanced at Mudstone, who was eavesdropping at the door, and explained in detail:

"As far as I know, the Fourth Army's attack on Longmen was unofficially announced. In other words, it was an invasion without any justification. If they could quickly seize Longmen and drive it back to the heart of Ursus, then it would be fine. After losing a city, the Yan Kingdom might not continue to pursue them."

Kasheina smiled and continued Victoria's words, "But the situation in Longmen is unclear right now, and the Fourth Army can't quickly break through Longmen's core area, so Yan Nation has room for accountability and negotiation. And Ursus wants to maximize its interests. The most likely thing to happen is to refuse to recognize the army that occupied Longmen as belonging to Ursus. For example——— ...

Victory smiled, a hint of disdain in his smile. "It's just a simple politician's trick. If they can capture Longmen, they will be the heroes of Ursus. But if they can't capture Longmen, this army will be just an unknown bandit."

Yevina was slightly shocked, her eyes filled with fear and disgust. "This is the most profitable approach for the Emperor, but it puts immense pressure on the soldiers on the front lines. After all, if the mission fails, they will face irreparable destruction."

"Let them play. Niekalov is an old general, so it's impossible for him not to know about these little tricks. He can certainly understand the emperor's actions, but understanding doesn't mean he will feel comfortable. The thorn has been stuck after all." Victoria let go of Kashena and casually picked up the coffee cup in front of him and took a sip. But as the brown coffee went into his mouth, Victoria's face froze slightly.

The originally warm coffee had turned into ice-cold liquor at some point, and judging from the taste, this was not a common type of liquor in Ursus.

"Did Yevina make the coffee?" Victoria asked casually after drinking the liquid in the glass in one breath.

Yevina nodded: "Yes, is it to your taste?"

Victoria patted Yevina's shoulder and said, "It's okay. Keep working hard. There shouldn't be any other plans for today. You and Dorothy should be prepared to accept a large number of refugees. I'm going to inspect the military camp and start a new round of recruitment."

"Then I'll leave work early too~~~" Kasheina licked her lips and twisted her slender waist to be the first to leave work: "Yevna, I leave it to you~~"

After leaving the office, Victoria put his hands in his pockets, acting as if he didn't want anyone to come near him.

In fact, his right hand had already touched his inner pocket, where he kept a bottle of fine liquor close to his body.

Although Victoria likes to collect fine wines and prefers to place a few bottles of spirits in places he often goes to, he is sure that Yevina has never approached the wine rack in the office.

In other words, Yevina made a cup of coffee for him according to the normal process right under Mudstone's nose, and the coffee was replaced with an unknown alcoholic beverage in front of him without anyone noticing.

Feeling the refreshing feeling of being tipsy, Victoria could be sure that the quality of the wine was definitely good and it did not contain any poison or other impurities.

Could this be someone's prank?

Victoria touched his chin and had a vague guess in his mind.

Wine pool and meat forest: 116 Like a dream but not a dream

Victoria inspected the barracks and announced the new conscription regulations. He performed his duties as a lord as usual, and his workday ended smoothly as usual. Everything was perfectly normal, with absolutely no signs of amiss.

But Victoria always felt that a strange pair of eyes was looking at him.

He knew it was most likely an illusion caused by the sudden appearance of the wine, but he couldn't let it go. He couldn't be sure who the visitor was, whether they were a friend or foe, or what they were up to. This uncertainty made Victoria quite unhappy.

After finishing work, Victoria sent Mudstone away and took a walk alone on the street.

People walked along the streets, but no one paid much attention to Victoria, strolling around in his coat. This was perfectly normal. Since Victoria took office, numerous laws had been enacted to improve people's livelihoods. With jobs and hope for the future, people naturally paid less attention to issues that seemed beyond their reach.

Victoria was naturally happy to have some free time. After a couple of casual walks around the street, he arrived at a restaurant he frequented and ordered some dinner. Toast, bacon, and a bowl of borscht were quickly served to him. Everything was so natural—until Victoria picked up the empty glass on the table.

According to traditional Ursian custom, anyone with a bit of money would order a shot or two of liquor when dining out. Some drank it to whet their appetite, others to finish off their meal. But Victoria hadn't ordered any drinks, and the waiter definitely hadn't brought any, yet there was an inexplicably empty glass on his table...

Oh, no. Now it's not empty anymore. As Victoria pondered this, his hand holding the empty cup sank slightly, suddenly feeling something solid. Victoria glanced sideways, and the clear liquid in the cup swirled with his strength.

After thinking for a moment, Victoria picked up the wine glass and sniffed it. It was wine, the same wine he had just drunk.

Apparently, an invisible friend had been following him since the afternoon, and even brought him a few glasses of wine as a prank.

Victoria smiled slightly, drank all the wine in the glass in one gulp, and then returned to the mansion in a swagger.

He had something he wanted to test.

After returning to the villa, Victoria briefly dealt with the secretaries who were having dinner, and then returned to his room alone.

After locking the door and setting out the glasses, Victoria took out his treasured wine.

The golden liquid flowed from the bottle and poured evenly into two glasses. Victoria picked up one of the glasses and raised it to the air. "This room is very soundproof. I've prepared some good wine to go with it. Don't you want to come out and chat?"

A light breeze blew by and nothing happened.

"This is a whiskey of just the right age. I bought it at a high price from Saint-Equipe Castle. The golden liquid is rich and alluring, and it's one of my favorites."