People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Wait, isn't this exception a bit too overpowered? Why is it all targeting us Sarkaz?

What did we Sarkaz do to you? We Sarkaz even picked up the materials for building our mobile cities on the street, we didn't steal or rob, and you still want to attack us?

The Terrans have demonstrated with compelling evidence that the way to unite a large group of people with ulterior motives is not through shared ideals or charismatic leaders, but through a common enemy.

After realizing that this conference might also be a conspiracy against the Sarkaz (although it wasn't), Theresis couldn't sit still any longer.

No way! This can't be allowed! This is no ordinary conference; we must take decisive action!

Watch me give those little bastards in Londinium a good beating!

What? You're asking me why, while the All Nations Conference in Sherag might be targeting the Sarkaz, I'm going to take a hard line against the citizens of Londinium?

Uh, because Sherag's side is too strong?

Ernst never dreamed that his first certification of strength would come from Theresis. Theresis, too, never imagined that one day he would award a medal of strength to such a small place as Sherag.

There's no other way. If there were only one or two national leaders in Shelag, he might take a risk and send a shapeshifter or go himself to behead them, and that would solve the problem.

But there are too many of Sherag's men. If he were to actually go there, he wouldn't be going to behead someone; he'd be going to serve them food and offer them drinks.

Ahem, Chairman Therese has given important instructions on the future work of rebuilding Kazdel by the Sarkaz. Our current focus should be: "To fight external threats, we must first secure internal stability."

To this end, he sought out Leto, the commander of the Lentinium city defense forces who had already surrendered to Sarkaz.

Leto was a descendant of the old Gallo-Gallic Empire, yet he rose through the ranks to the sensitive position of commander of the Londinium city defense force. Therese didn't bother to speculate whether there was something fishy going on behind the scenes.

However, he exercised restraint during Sarkaz's invasion of the city that night, chose to stand idly by during the tragic incident of Cavendish and Stafford's "dukes fighting and dying violently!", and chose to watch from the sidelines as Sarkaz officially took over the city council. Finally, he chose to lead his troops to surrender at the first opportunity. This "excellent" teamwork ability did indeed pique Therese's interest in him.

After a brief encounter, he learned of the aspirations expressed by this Gallic remnant.

“I have no intention of occupying this city. Once I have achieved my goal, I can naturally hand over the city of Londinium to you so that you can revive the Gallo Empire you speak of.”

Therese gazed at Leto, who maintained a standard bow, and made a promise without reservation.

"Not only that, I can also transfer control of the several small Victorian towns controlled by Sarkaz to you."

There is only one condition.

"Do your job well and help me eliminate those stubborn resistance fighters in the city. You should also know that what they are doing will not cause any unacceptable damage to Sarkaz, but will only cause greater casualties to themselves and innocent civilians."

Leto replied, without any superfluous words or emotions:

"Yes, General."

Therese paused, gazing at the obsequious soldier before him, as if genuinely offering advice:

“I’m a reasonable person, but my subordinates may not be. So I suggest you don’t have any crooked ideas and just do your job.”

Leto bent down even further:

"I understand, General."

Therese nodded slightly, watching Leto leave the hall before calling out:

"Manfred, Manfred, go and fetch the pardoner for me..."

His voice paused for a moment, and a look of confusion and realization flashed across his face.

"Ah, Manfred isn't here."

Manfred's absence felt strange; he, the so-called chairman of the Kazdel Military Council, didn't even have a single person he could command.

He flicked the hidden blade he had given her back to his eldest disciple, Ascalon, who had imparted all her martial arts skills to him. Her closest comrade-in-arms and sister were now strangers to him, and after their battles, they were separated by death. Most of the Sarkaz warriors who had fought alongside him and beheaded Kal'tsit had perished in the civil war.

No one saw the future, nor the future he promised.

"In the blink of an eye, the era of the six heroes has already passed for so long."

In the empty hall, Theresis let out a sigh of mixed feelings and walked out of the heavy door.

He didn't lament the fickleness of fate; it was all his own choice, his free choice.

Freedom is the choice to have nothing.

Chapter 320 Every family has its own troubles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you are all outraged and find the Sarkaz tyranny intolerable!"

“Since the fall of Londinium, Victoria has ignored us. The Grand Dukes have symbolically organized a few evacuation operations, but the allocation of personnel has been completely unfair! We have been left here, why?”

“We are the ones who built Victoria. We laid every pipe and every brick in this city. But when danger comes, we are left in this city, praying for the outsiders to save us while humbly shining the shoes of those demons. What kind of logic is this!”

“Victoria has abandoned us. For months, news about Lentinium has become increasingly scarce, and most news stories only last a day! And behind him, how many lives have been changed because of him!”

"This is the front line of the battle between Victoria and the Sarkaz, but it is my home!"

"We must take back our city!"

"We must take back Londinium!"

"We must take back our homeland!"

— Declaration of the Londinium Self-Salvation Army.

The author is Allard Cumberland, patriarch of the Victorian Cumberland family, Duke of Cumberland, "the Everlasting Noble One".

This declaration, unsurprisingly, did not have much of an impact.

The Sarkaz had long since completely controlled all of Lentinium's propaganda channels, and the only thing broadcast to the outside world was the self-deceptive claim that "there is no war in Lentinium." The self-defense army, the Sarkaz, and the inhumane occupation—as long as they were not known, they did not exist.

Yet its existence still inspires many people.

Regardless of the scheming and exchanges of interests behind the formation of the Londinium Self-Salvation Army, at least from today onwards, the Victorians in the city of Londinium, which is occupied by the Sarkaz, finally have a systematic, organized, and programmatic leadership organization.

The Londinium people were no longer lambs to the slaughter in the hands of the Sarkaz, but gradually began to become true warriors.

Speaking of fighters, we must also mention another group that roams the unchanging tundra of Ursus in the far north of Terra.

The Reunification Movement has grown increasingly powerful.

By continuously recruiting infected individuals and homeless people, gaining like-minded partners and comrades, and earning the trust of the inhabitants of the tundra, the Reunion Movement seems to be experiencing an unprecedented period of growth.

However, the reality was quite the opposite of what was expected.

The continuous influx of infected and homeless individuals has exacerbated the food crisis. The productivity of the tundra was already insufficient to support a large population, not to mention that the Reunion Movement was merely a nomadic group without a fixed settlement, unable to engage in agricultural production, and unable to be self-sufficient.

Their food supply relied almost entirely on bartering with nearby villages and hunting on the tundra. The latter yielded negligible results, while the former, when the population was small, provided enough food to barely feed most of them. But once the population grew, the situation changed drastically.

Resources on the tundra are limited; you can't exchange them for more even if you want to. Villagers also need to make a living, and when the first village refused to exchange resources due to a snow disaster appeared, the Reunion Movement's fragile supply chain immediately broke down.

Ursus showed no mercy; the well-supplied Imperial requisitioning teams and inspectors showed no leniency. In order to deal with the potential for conflict, Patriot Bodrocaste advocated a military-first policy, prioritizing all food supplies for the army, that is, for the use of the guerrilla fighters.

"Only if we ensure that our warriors have the strength to fight can we be unafraid of Ursus."

Due to a severe Oripathy infection, Bozokasti's voice was somewhat slurred. However, as a key member of the Reunion Movement's combat force, his words still carried considerable weight.

Talulah usually listens to Bozokasti's advice, but this time was an exception.

"Captain, we cannot stand by and watch our infected compatriots die!"

Talulah's words were earnest.

"They are all infected with Oripathy and are malnourished. If there is no food, they will all die!"

"This...is...a last resort." Bozokastie's voice was icy. "The battlefield...is just like this."

He seemed to understand Talulah's predicament and took the initiative to say, "If... you can't say it... I can... announce it for you."

"I!"

Talulah's voice choked up.

It wasn't that Bozokasti had hit the nail on the head; he was just somewhat incredulous.

How could the "Patriot," whom the guerrillas called "Captain," the Yetis revered as "Big Daddy," and all the infected in the Reunion Movement admired, utter such cold words?

He even questioned whether it was because I, Talulah, was unwilling to take on this responsibility?

[As expected, it all comes down to the Sarkaz; he probably never had any empathy for the Infected, did he?]

The thought suddenly popped into her mind, and Talulah shuddered. She quickly turned her head away, erasing this strange speculation from her brain.

No, no, Bozokasti is the leader of the infected guerrillas. Without him, the Reunion Movement might not have made it this far. How could I be so suspicious of him?

A look of shame and embarrassment crossed Talulah's face. She took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Captain, the infected chose to join us because they trust us. If we abandon them now, how are we any different from Ursus?"

"They...are not..."

Bozokasti's eyes flashed red, and noticing Talulah's unyielding gaze, he sighed softly, not revealing his true intentions.

Did the infected people join Talulah and the Reunion Movement because they believed in them?

No, Bozokastie saw it better than anyone. Most of the infected were just a mob. They didn't have any concept of belief or disbelief; they simply had nowhere else to go.

These supporters are incredibly fragile. If, at this very moment, the Ursus picket lined up their megaphones and shouted, "Surrender and you'll get a sack of black bread!" they would probably surrender immediately. And if they added, "Tell us about the guerrillas and you'll get another sack," their betrayal would likely be even more "eager" than fish scales in a boiling pot.

What makes a soldier a soldier is that he has been tested by iron and fire, possesses iron discipline and willpower, and what sustains him in battle is not money or bread, but faith.

Talulah was too young; she confused herself and treated everyone who gathered around her as a friend.

She hadn't realized that friends like that could easily stab you in the back without warning.

Bozokasti did not answer. He seemed unwilling to force himself to speak, as it would be a waste of breath. He simply stood firmly in front of Talulah, his imposing figure like a high wall, blocking Talulah's view.

Talulah also understood what Bochokasti meant.

He would not allow himself to take the food with him and share it with those infected.

But this doesn't align with Talulah's ideas.

[I am clearly the leader of the Reunion Movement. Bojokasti recognized and supported me in the beginning. Why are you stopping me now? Do you even see me as a leader?]

The sinister thought seeped into my mind again, like a drop of ink on a blank sheet of paper, impossible to shake off.

Talulah felt a little nauseous.

How could she, how dare she think such a thing?

No, I can't get entangled with Bozokasti here any longer.

Talulah took a deep breath and looked at Wendigo in front of her:

"Captain, is there really no way you can make an exception?"

"They exist because of us... Talulah... don't... get the order wrong."

Talulah: "......."

"I understand."

She nodded with some difficulty.

Seeing this, Bozokastie breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He was unwilling to fight with Talulah. He had high hopes for the child's future; her ideals were grand, though somewhat detached from reality.

And reality is precisely what he, Bozokasti, needs to overcome.

"Later... let... Yelena... announce... this matter."

Bozokas comforted him.

"Leader... please get some rest."

Leader, now that things have come to this, you're starting to call me leader?

You clearly didn't respect my opinion, yet you called me "leader" at the end. Captain, are you mocking me?

Talulah lowered her head, pursed her lips, and did not answer. She simply turned around and left.

Bozokasti didn't care. He could understand that Talulah might have some feelings about making such a decision.

After all, she still has a long way to go.

And he will help her.

PS: Speech image

Chapter 321 Vice President Wilson: Ah~ Snow Leopard~