About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

"Thank you for your understanding. Now it's time to celebrate - celebrate that you chose the right side."

Tallulah put down the transmitter and gave the group of nobles a wicked smile.

"Duke Tallulah—er, Tall..."

A noble stood up and wanted to call out to Tallulah, but didn't know what to say.

"It's just a code name, my friend. You don't have to be so reserved. Just ask whatever you want to ask."

"You... uh, why, why are you helping those infected?"

The noble struggled to get this question out of Tallulah.

"Interesting question. If you could understand this, you wouldn't be sitting here risking your life just to get a bite of carrion left behind by a ferocious beast."

Tallulah smiled and mocked the other party, then took a look at the somewhat tattered black tablet made by Orson in her hand.

"Duke Baikal has begun the next step. Marquis Rostov, I'll leave the finishing touches to you. I have other things to do."

"I understand—Duke Tallulah."

The Rostov family head bowed to Tallulah, who then left the meeting room without stopping.

"——You actually didn't try to be clever."

After leaving the meeting room, Tallulah casually walked to a window, and her tone and demeanor became like that of the "leader of the Reunion Movement" in the North instead of "Duke Tallulah".

"Just treat it as a pastime, my daughter. I hope that next time you won't need my strength, and will be able to manipulate these weaklings without any sense of self-determination."

The voice of the undead black snake came from Tallulah's mind. The entire meeting process was led by Koschei.

This was the result of Talulah and Orson's previous negotiation in the consciousness space - asking Koschei to help persuade the nobles who originally planned to stand on the Baikal faction.

The real reason why Kosice decided to help the infected was actually very simple: he was forced by Orson.

The negotiation process that day was extremely deadlocked. After all, Kosice was a "concept" that had been around for nearly 2000 years, and there was almost nothing that could be used as a bargaining chip to shake him.

Until Orson materialized the TV series and film collection of "the mysterious man from the East, known as the "Dominating Demon", a terrifying existence codenamed XZ", and forced Kosice to watch it.

Kosice rolled a 6D6 SANCHECK

To materialize something in the realm of consciousness, Orson himself also needs to experience it once, so what follows is a pure test of willpower.

Orson started with XZ, and then materialized videos like "Jade Festival", "The Age of Laughter", "The Insect King's 24-Hour Song Return", "Are You Worthy of It, Potion Brother?", "Beast Enemy Zoo 2", "The Unstoppable Gangdamu", etc., and dragged Kosice to watch them together until he agreed to the deal.

Finally, Kosice, who poked out his own eyes, felt a moment of sincere admiration for Orson for the first time. The willpower of this young man is probably beyond the description of ordinary people.

In the final outcome of the torture of men and women, Kosice promised Orson and Tallulah to deal with those nobles, in exchange for Orson never materializing those hellish things again.

Back to the present——

"Everyone has his own ambition."

Tallulah responded to Kosice unhappily, looking at the black screen in her hand that was faintly rippled.

This was the surveillance network Orson had been deploying when he found W—a frequency reflection array. It could detect activity within a certain radius, centered around the Rostov family.

"Duke Baikal's elite troops within the city have begun to move. You mentioned before that there are even internal guards among them?"

To be precise, the Inner Guard has its own agenda. They've learned of the Northern Reunification Movement, and therefore likely believe the Undead Black Snake has failed. Next, these self-righteous executioners will likely attempt to kill you in the name of the late Emperor.

"You sound happy? Are you waiting for my death so you can inhabit another soul?"

Tallulah marked the suspicious trajectory action and then asked Kosice sarcastically.

"How could that be, my daughter? The scene I'm looking forward to is not your death from those dirty and meaningless violence, I'm looking forward to the despair on your face when you realize that what you did was meaningless."

"Then do you think I would still be desperate now?"

【…】

Kosice responded with a rare silence.

"Sleep, Kosice. I have a fierce battle to face, and you can watch quietly or sneer at everything I do."

[Tallulah, Tallulah, are you planning to go to the battlefield like this?]

"Are you still going to mock me for being meaningless?"

[I mean - you should change into a black lace dress that suits your temperament better -]

System prompt: Kosice has been banned by administrator Tallulah.

"I feel like I can't always rely on Orsen. This old snake seems to be gradually becoming more and more outrageous..."

Tallulah shook her blushing cheeks, then checked the longsword at her waist, confirmed that her armament was in good condition, and left the corridor.

In the realm of consciousness, Kosice sat silently on the throne, staring motionlessly at a dusty corner of the distant bookshelf.

"Over 2000 years? Time really flies."

There is a record of the life of the first owner of the name "Koschei".

52. Integration, cohesion, and spread

In the north, near the Reunion Movement's base, a group of people were staring at the troop carrier in front of them and pointing.

"How on earth did Tallulah get hold of something like this... That Kosciuszko guy's legacy is truly terrifying."

Frost Star and the Snow Monster Squad looked at the two troop transports in front of them that could accommodate at least 50 people with expressions of disbelief.

"According to the intelligence from Tallulah, the patrol team has received instructions to allow infected people and civilians to enter the country. Our next actions will no longer have to be as secretive as before - I feel like I'm dreaming."

Big Bear from the Yeti Squad marveled that he had encountered more strange things in the past year since joining the rebels than in all his previous life combined.

"Yeah, in the past, I would never have believed that the infected could do this—"

Frost Star looked at the core members of the Integration Movement behind him. These people were all wearing uniforms with red and yellow as the main colors, and carrying the same standard cold weapons and crossbows.

A year ago, this group of people were just a bunch of "insignificant infected" struggling to survive in the North. They had no systematic combat capabilities, no names of their own, and no so-called bases or supply lines.

But now Frost Star suddenly discovered that the Integration Movement had grown to a certain scale. They were no longer infected people who could only wander around and survive for food and clothing, but had truly become an organization that might be able to change some things.

All these changes are closely related to the boy who likes to talk but cannot speak.

"Sister, Petrova and I will follow and join the advance team. Should you guys be alright?"

Big Bear and Petrova boarded the troop carrier and looked at Frost Star with some concern.

"Although we've issued notices to those villages, I'm afraid few of their residents will join this operation... If that's the case, the pressure on your main force will probably be enormous."

The Reunion Movement's operation is mainly divided into two parts. A part of the shield guards, snow monster squad, crossbowmen and other elite soldiers will arrive in Che City as quickly as possible in troop transports to provide combat support for Tallulah and others.

The majority of the remaining guerrillas and infected warriors will march normally under the leadership of Frost Star and Patriot - facing the Third Army.

"Don't worry, our goal isn't to confront the army head-on. Even with just these few people, we're enough to carry out the mission, right, Dad?"

Froststar looked at the Patriot beside her.

"The Ursus army... is already rotten. While we must fight with all our might, there's no need to... fear those rusty... war machines."

The Patriot spoke in a staccato voice.

"Dad, your voice, could it be..."

"The goji berries in the goji tea just got stuck in my throat. What's wrong, Yelena?"

“…Nothing.”

Health products are indeed a special attack on the elderly. Even the Spear of Ursus and the Shield of the Infected cannot withstand the terrifying health products.

But I have to admit that there really seems to be some unknown ingredient in those weird health products that can inhibit Originium infection to a certain extent, which is outrageous.

"See you later, Sister Froststar." "We're ready to go, Froststar."

Ino and Sasha also walked onto the troop transport vehicle. They would lead the warlocks and crossbowmen respectively to provide support to Qie City.

"Well, be careful. This mission is more difficult than the previous ones, but I trust you."

Frost Star nodded to the two boys. Unlike the young and weak boys when they were first picked up by Tallulah, they have grown a lot now. Even the white-haired Liberian boy who used to be shy and always hid behind Sasha has now become independent.

"Sister Shuangxing, I will pass on your thoughts and feelings to Teacher Orsen!"

Ino gave a shy smile that was full of feminine charm, which made Snow Rabbit's ears stand up.

"Sasha—please take care of Ino!"

"...Huh?" Sasha looked confused.

At this rate, this white-haired guy will probably have to go to Big Bird to work as a waiter tomorrow...!

Frost Star held her forehead. Her competitors already included Tallulah and Alina, and now she had to compete with a young boy for a man? What kind of world was this?

After watching the advance troops from Qicheng leave with a subtle feeling, there were still some soldiers left in the stronghold who wanted to follow them on the march.

"..."

Frost Star glanced at the clock. The scheduled gathering time was 20 minutes later, but until now no one from the villages covered by the Integration Movement's trade network had joined.

"Dad, how many people do you think will eventually join this operation?"

Froststar looked at the empty snowfield not far away and asked the Patriot.

"Don't hold your hopes too high. Neither you nor I know what impact Tallulah's policies will have on this continent."

"Um……"

Frost Star sighed. The seeds that the Integration Movement had planted over the past year were waiting to blossom and bear fruit today.

15 minutes before the scheduled gathering time, dozens of infected people arrived at the gathering place one after another, but these people were originally warriors belonging to the Integration Movement.

With 10 minutes left before the scheduled gathering time, some residents who originally lived in the north gradually appeared one after another.

There are still 5 minutes until the scheduled meeting time——

"..."

Frost Star blinked, unable to believe what she saw.

A crowd that seemed to have no end gathered at the gathering point, and many people continued to rush here.

"This is the meeting point, miss!"

"...Yes, um, are you sure you want to participate in this operation?"

A middle-aged man asked Shuangxing, and the latter asked back in disbelief.

"Oh, forget it! Anyone who wants to fight the army head-on is simply going to die!"

"but you……"

"But we don't want our next generation to continue living in this godforsaken place! Since those bastards in Qie City can live so comfortably, we finally have this opportunity now, so we must fight for it ourselves!"

The uncle patted the hunting crossbow on his back and gave Frost Star a thumbs up.

“—Yes, you are right.”

Frost Star nodded, still a little dazed.

She once thought that her and Tallulah's efforts would never bear fruit, and that the infected and exiled civilians would never have the chance to return to the warm land of their childhood where they could grow food. She even thought that the infected would be sold out and betrayed by these residents of the North.

But she didn't expect that the fire would really spread and gather today in the snow-covered north.

Those who want to return to Qie City, those who want to change their fate, those who want to change the future for the next generation, those who want the infected to be able to hold their heads high and survive -

Although these people had only received the most basic military education, and although all of them combined were not as strong as a detachment of the army group, but... they really responded to this action. This was the only time, it was the roar of the infected... no, it was the roar of those "forgotten people".

"Dad, I..."

"Hold your head high, Yelena, and save your tears for when the war is over."

The Patriot patted Froststar's shoulder gently, and the latter bit her lip and nodded.

"Your arrival here means you already know the fate you will face next—that is the embodiment of hell, the nightmare called battlefield."

The Patriot looked at the group of fire seeds and spoke in a low but majestic voice.

"In war, soldiers are not remembered. No matter how many lives we sacrifice, they are just numbers in the mouths of politicians."

"No matter the outcome of this operation, no one will leave a mark in history. Everything will be buried and forgotten with the blizzard of Ursus."

"But—history will change because of us, warriors."