CHAPTER 836: CHAPTER 836: BETTER TO SIDE WITH THE ALLIANCE

"Strange... Not here?"

The door had been knocked on for half a minute without any response. The man standing at the door was wondering whether there was anyone inside when he gently pulled open the door, only to freeze in place at the sight of the gun barrel sticking through the gap.

Cold sweat broke out instantly, and the man quickly raised his hands to show he meant no harm, then took a quick glance at the staircase at the end of the hallway.

"No, don’t be agitated... Brother, I’m one of General Absek’s men."

With the Centurion pistol pressed against his chest, the Old Soldier asked coldly.

"Where did you hear my name?"

The man’s words came out fast.

"Mr. Bennott sent a telegram... We somewhat know that the messenger coming here is called Pangolin. Isn’t that your name?"

"Your name?"

"Anvo... Even if I told you, you wouldn’t know."

"Heh, how do you know I don’t know you." Upon hearing the name, the Old Soldier gave a meaningful smile and slowly lowered the gun.

Standing there was none other than Anvo, a thousand team leader under General Absek.

Typically, for such covert meetings, it’s unlikely for senior officers to be sent. However, it makes sense for an organization that was established less than a month ago.

Whether by browbeating or by nurturing, gaining loyal confidants takes time.

And for a bunch of makeshift monkey kings, anyone they somewhat trust has been promoted to a senior officer to keep close. When issues arise, they can’t leave it to the ambitious lackeys clamoring for quick promotions, so naturally, it’s only the senior officers who can handle matters personally.

Moreover, the choice of person for different tasks is also something to be considered.

After all, meeting with the Army’s messenger before the Marshal himself could get one shot.

Even if they are from the same faction, Absek can’t trust entirely. At this moment, the only one he could trust is Anvo, who has pledged allegiance.

With the blood debt of the chapel massacre, the path to the Army is cut off, and joining the Alliance seems improbable.

Had it been someone else who came, the Old Soldier would have been on guard, pondering if it was a trap.

However, this Anvo guy’s arrival nearly confirms that Absek indeed wants to talk to him.

And he wants to talk secretly.

Seeing Anvo’s bewildered expression, the Old Soldier wore a composed face, feigning ignorance.

"What are you here for?"

"It’s not me looking for you, it’s you looking for the General... Why else would you stay at the North Gate instead of entering the city? Everyone knows this is Absek’s garrison..." Anvo glanced at the end of the hallway again, speaking nervously, "Can you let me in to talk?"

He was worried about being seen and was also afraid that the Army’s messenger might shoot him down.

He wasn’t sure if the Army knew that he was linked to the 200 "lives" lost at the chapel and was puzzled as to why General Absek suddenly wanted to meet with the Army’s messenger. Moreover, he couldn’t know that the foreign messenger standing before him was actually an Alliance mole.

He took a great risk to save the chapel survivors, submitted a fake allegiance note, and barely earned General Absek’s trust while steadily approaching the heart of the conspiracy...

If he got shot at this moment, what a fool he’d be!

"...Wait for me here for two minutes."

Not agreeing to his request to enter the room, the Old Soldier closed the door expressionlessly, then after a moment, exhaled slowly and walked over to the corner of the room where Penny was crouched.

In a corner out of sight, Penny looked up at him nervously, mouthing the words.

"...Who?"

The Old Soldier replied seriously.

"General Absek’s man."

Penny said nervously.

"Has he discovered us?!"

Seeing her eyes filled with tension, the Old Soldier leaned close to her ear, lowering his voice so that the person outside wouldn’t hear him.

"He probably doesn’t know about you but has certainly noticed me. This is, after all, his territory. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing... I planned to meet him before the Alliance’s delegate reached Anush, to clarify his betrayal of Lord Bennott and then find a way to bring him over to our side."

The low, magnetic voice sent a tingling sensation to Penny’s earlobe, making her shrink back a little as she realized there was nowhere else to move to.

"Betrayed... Father?" she whispered, her voice faltering.

Maybe due to nerves, the breath near the Old Soldier’s ear felt somewhat erratic.

A bit stifling too.

But he didn’t have time to study Penny’s expression further, and quickly, in a very low and fast voice, he continued.

"...Yes, didn’t I tell you before? Lord Bennott orchestrated an operation, but because a more powerful backer intervened and bought off his partner, the entire plan spiraled out of control from the start."

Penny’s eyes widened, her chest heaving.

"Who is... the backer?"

"The Southern Legion is the prime suspect, the Eastern Legion and Civil Official Group clearly have no intentions of fighting."

"Uncle Ross?! How can that be!"

"Do you think a thousand team leader would have the standing to be involved in these matters? He is probably just a pawn, or deliberately set up to be one... Of course, this is only my conjecture, don’t turn it into facts in your report. I’ll update you if there’s any new information."

The Old Soldier spoke abstractly.

Now wasn’t the time for exhaustive explanations nor did it suit letting her in on everything.

For some reason, Penny didn’t insist on getting to the bottom of it this time, merely responding with an obedient "Mm."

Pleased with her response, he quickly continued.

"Next, you must remember what I am about to say. Stay here and do not leave under any circumstances, and don’t open the door, pretending you’re not here. If I’m not back by midnight, go to the hotel written on this note... I will write down the address and room number for you."

"Remember! Stick to the main roads, avoid bright spots, and no back alleys! The room’s key is hidden under the flowerpot directly opposite the guest room, you’ll understand when you get there."

While speaking, the Old Soldier swiftly wrote down a hotel address on a sticky note and tore it off, worried that Penny might find it difficult to locate, he also unfolded a map and circled the hotel location.

The infrastructure in Tiandu was quite poor, and the so-called map only indicated major thoroughfares and vague landmarks along with some marked-out blocks.

The natural passageways weren’t even depicted on the map.

The four wise brothers had indeed conducted drone aerial photography of Tiandu City, but without a VM handy there was no way to borrow one, leaving the local map as the only option.

Watching Pangolin hand over the map and address, Penny looked at him in amazement.

"This is..."

"It’s another room I set up in the outskirts of the city, with a folding pu-9 submachine gun and 200 rounds of ammo inside... You can think of it as a safe house, just in case."

"When?" Penny asked, eyes wide with surprise, the look in her eyes even more astonished.

This guy had never left her sight.

How on earth did he open a room without her knowing?!

"... I have my ways."

The Old Soldier waved off the topic with an enigmatic expression.

This thing is hard to explain.

He couldn’t possibly say he asked someone on the forum to help him open it, could he?

Anyway, the mission funding was sufficient, with money from Bennott and the Manager, he didn’t mind this little expense, better safe than sorry.

After explaining everything, he was about to leave, but Penny suddenly grabbed his hand.

He turned around to find those bright eyes filled with seriousness, earnestly looking at him.

The look was exactly the same as when I Max Black sent him off and when Coleway entrusted him with important tasks.

Unexpectedly, he had become comrades with a reporter.

"... You must come back."

The Old Soldier nodded slightly.

"Yes, I guarantee it."

That’s the one thing you don’t have to worry about.

He cannot be killed.

...

In the military camp at the north suburb of Tiandu, a bright bonfire burned slowly, with soldiers patrolling nearby carrying rifles on their backs.

In the tent located at the edge of the camp, "Lion King" Absek held a golden lion in his hand, his rough forefinger playing along its smooth lines.

This was part of Witch Camel’s collection.

Previously, Anush had turned the Imperial Palace of Tiandu upside down, finding many treasures that Witch Camel hadn’t had time to take away, and bestowed more than half of them to his subordinates.

It had to be said, Anush was indeed generous to his own people, never keeping the spoils all to himself.

It was evident that he wasn’t just after small gains; only someone with the world in his eyes wouldn’t care about the treasures before him.

Following a leader like that, with a clear reward and punishment system, wasn’t actually bad.

But unfortunately, he didn’t like picking up others’ leftovers.

Gently placing the golden lion on the table, he looked at the two people standing at the tent entrance.

One of them was his trusted aide Anvo, and the other, a person in a cloak, seemed to be the Army Messenger.

Looking at his trusted aide, General Absek spoke in a gentle tone.

"Go outside and keep watch for me."

"Yes."

Anvo saluted and turned to go outside the tent, pulling down the curtain for the two of them.

"Feel free to sit, sir."

Hearing Absek’s voice, the Old Soldier pulled back the cloak’s hood and walked straight to him, sitting down.

"There’s only this one chair here."

Hearing this amusing response, Absek chuckled and said teasingly.

"This place is for storing miscellaneous items, with tables and chairs and even a teapot; it’s not bad at all. Surely you wouldn’t expect me to invite you to the military tent for a cozy chat with all the soldiers, would you?"

Reflecting on this intriguing statement, the Old Soldier looked at him with a faint smile.

"Aren’t you going to explain?"

"Explain what?"

"Three thousand lives," the Old Soldier stared into his eyes, "this isn’t what we agreed on."

"Heh... And what about Orisa and the countless other Orisas? I won’t even mention those cannon fodder wolf clan people sent to die. Do you, an outsider, also believe we are born only to be slaves?"

Absek picked up the boiling teapot and calmly poured himself and the Pangolin sitting opposite a pot of the local Masu tea.

This tea had a hint of licorice aroma, smelling slightly bitter but tasting sweet, considered a cheap indulgence locally, popular among both Nobles and Civilians, though the way it was drunk and the amount of spices varied.

The Old Soldier had tried it once, but couldn’t get past the strange taste of cough syrup mixed with ginger water.

Drinking in the presence of the Pangolin, Absek took a sip first, then looked at his silent guest and continued.

"Mr. Pangolin, we are different from wasteland wanderers like you. Our roots are here; we deeply love this land. In your eyes, those thousand pillars stab into our backs, while we understand better than you do that those thousand pillars are us... Do you understand?"

"I don’t understand, and I’m not interested," glancing at the cup of herbal-smelling tea on the table, the Old Soldier leaned slightly forward, inches closer, staring directly into Absek’s eyes, "I want to know what you think, why you betrayed Lord Banrot."

"Betrayed?" Absek sneered, "I’m not his subordinate; how can you say I betrayed him?"

After a pause, he added.

"Besides, I’m not saying anything new; you know the state of the Civil Official Group in the Army just as well, you don’t even have a direct force, using all the discarded stuff from the four major legions. What future can there be working with you guys?"

Although he didn’t want to speak up for the Army, the Old Soldier still faithfully performed his duty, speaking in a deep voice.

"At least we don’t want your land."

"Haha, do you even believe that yourself?"

Absek laughed heartily and continued.

"And just because you don’t want it, doesn’t mean others don’t. Before the Empire even fell, Witch Camel and you guys gave away three of the thirteen states, and then there are Tiger State and Leopard State that are uncontrollable. Does the Poluo Province need to establish more nations? Thirteen of them? That’s the fate of hanging out with you civil officials! You say you don’t want land, but you want more than anyone else!"

The Old Soldier patiently replied.

"You can’t blame all the Witch Camel’s problems on us, and Lord Bennott chose you hoping you could change the Empire—"

"Oh, come on, what you want is a neutered dog. I understand you well enough."

Absek curled his lips and continued speaking.

"The Southern Legion is not a good thing, they are the fiercest wolves, but I don’t think following them is a bad thing. At least there’s meat to eat following them, whereas following behind you can only eat shit."

The Old Soldier said gravely.

"Besides overthrowing the Empire, what other benefits has he promised you?"

Absek answered without hesitation.

"Guns! Cannons! And ammunition! Also, factories to produce these things! Only with these things can we stand and negotiate with you."

The Old Soldier asked.

"What’s the price then? Since it’s bought, the cost shouldn’t be cheap."

Absek continued.

"Just Lion State, anyway, even if we don’t give it, it makes no difference—it has always been under your control."

The Old Soldier took a deep breath, unable to help but say.

"You’re feeding the wolves with flesh!"

Absek chuckled, indifferent to it.

"Wrong! Trading one state for twelve states’ peace is a curve-saving strategy!"

What a curve-saving strategy... someone with the surname Wang might hear this and say it’s expert talk.

The Old Soldier shook his head.

He did not want to criticize this man’s naivety. After all, as an envoy of the Legion, he did not have the position to do so.

And as an outsider, any reasoning he provides would be painless talk with no convincing power.

When people are extremely hungry, they’ll eat earth; when the afflicted are near death, they won’t hesitate with their mouths towards celestial elixirs or arsenic.

He could only start from the facts, patiently saying.

"...You’ve put too much faith in the Southern Legion, those people are different from us, their ambitions will not be satisfied with just one state. They will first take Lion State, wait until you’re tangled with the Empire, and then gradually press in to demand Bull State, Snake State, Dog State, Wolf State, Snake State..."

Absek snorted coldly without paying the statement much mind.

This situation wasn’t something he hadn’t considered, but it wasn’t currently something to dwell upon.

They needed to become stronger!

And at all costs!

If the Empire continues weakening, these states being taken eventually is just a matter of time, even if they don’t want to they won’t be able to stop it, nobody will care about their voices.

Only if the Empire grows truly strong can they have the capital to compete with various forces in the Wasteland!

The Weilante People aren’t invincible; there’s never been anything in this world that can’t be defeated.

The Old Soldier knew explaining more was futile, so he took out a stack of photos from his pocket, and gently placed them on the table.

"I know words are without proof... Take a look at these then."

Absek glanced at the photos, noticing the cannons and heavy equipment, his brow furrowing slightly.

"What is this?"

The Old Soldier continued.

"This is the equipment deployed by the Legion at West Sail Port, I took them casually when passing by."

"Besides, a thousand team... I mean, a thousand-strong force has arrived at the port. Additionally, there is an airship and a ten thousand troops group on the way."

"Clearly, they are ready to completely take over Lion State. But obviously, it doesn’t take this much equipment to take over Lion State, guess who this equipment is really meant to face."

Absek’s expression showed a slight stiffness, though the defiance hung between his brows still displayed "none of my business."

"...The Heavenly King Army perhaps, but it doesn’t matter, we’ll later change flags to sever ties with Anush—"

The Old Soldier shook his head.

"Too naive, however you sever ties, admission or denial is merely up to their words. Once you’re almost self-destructive, that’s when they’ll start making more demands."

Pausing, he then said.

"But if you thought these were aimed at you, that’s thinking too much. Handling you doesn’t even require a third of this amount; I dare say the remaining 90% is meant to deal with the Alliance and enterprises... or rather, to deter them."

"As for you, it’s just a flame they’ve set. Once the weeds on this land are burned out, crushing you is just a matter of minutes."

By the time he said this, the Old Soldier suddenly mischievously smiled.

"You probably didn’t know... we actually cooperated with Torch once. It was only later, Torch messed up, threatened us, so we moved a finger and extinguished their small flame."

That sound seemed like a heavy hammer, striking Absek’s heart, causing his gaze to waver instantly.

However, changing a person’s perception is very difficult, even impossible.

He’s like a victim of electric shocks, still displaying bravado, unwilling to believe the evident facts before him.

"...That’s just your speculation."

The Old Soldier nodded slightly, standing up from his chair.

"Then you should pray that a pack of wolves more wolf-like than you will keep their promises in the end."

"This game is lost for us; we shouldn’t have handed our chips to a group of opportunists. But though we have lost, the game isn’t over yet; if the Weilante People win in the end... such an outcome isn’t unacceptable for the Civil Official Group either."

Having spoken, he turned and walked towards the tent’s entrance, only when he reached it did Absek suddenly call out to him.

"Please, please wait a moment!"

The Old Soldier stopped his steps and turned around, seeing the General rise, forehead covered with bean-sized sweat, face written with struggle.

"...What should I do?"

At last, he was afraid.

Or rather he realized that the wildfire fueled by their ambitions was dragging them and even the entire Empire into an unseen abyss.

"The fire has already started, relying solely on our strength can’t extinguish it—"

Absek shouted in frustration.

"Then what should I do! Is Lord Bennott sending you here just to mock me?!"

Looking at Absek shouting loudly, the Old Soldier raised his hands to signal him to calm down. Only after his breathing settled did he patiently continue speaking.

"Listen to me first... Of course, the strength of our civil official group alone is not enough, and the Eastern Legion is too far from here. But combined with the Alliance, it might be enough."

Absek’s mind buzzed, and he was completely confused.

"...Alliance?"

He struggled to squeeze out this word, mainly because he didn’t expect that such words would come from a messenger of the Legion.

The Old Soldier sighed and made a helpless expression.

"We are also helpless. We originally planned everything, but no one expected to encounter a group of gambling-crazy maniacs. Now, to control the fire, we can only rely on the strength of our opponents."

Absek’s expression turned awkward, knowing that this guy was referring to himself and everyone in his faction as the lunatics.

Perhaps, as he said, they shouldn’t have listened to the South Legion’s temptation to gamble wildly; they wouldn’t have been driven to such desperation now.

"Just tell me directly what to do..."

The Old Soldier patiently spoke.

"The Alliance’s ambassador is right in this city. They should have already met with Anush... but I believe they are very, very dissatisfied with the current situation in Tiandu, or rather dissatisfied with Anush himself."

"If at this time, someone could raise a more equal flag... the Alliance’s requirements aren’t high. Abolishing slavery alone is enough, while resident participation in legislation and representative councils can come slowly."

Absek looked at him in a daze, not understanding why a messenger from the Legion would have such detailed knowledge about the Alliance.

If Lord Bennott hadn’t sent a telegram beforehand, he couldn’t help but suspect the guy might be a spy for the Alliance.

"...Raising another flag? How is that different from what we were planning to do?!"

The Old Soldier rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Do you only listen to half of what people say? What about the part after raising another flag?"

"Or do I have to speak more bluntly? You guys take down that fool Anush, overturn the cases against the Sun People and the Moon People, at least present the gesture of correcting mistakes, and then immediately turn toward the Alliance... I say things bluntly, but since you’ve already switched sides once, I think you wouldn’t mind being a servant to three masters."

"Next, you need to stop the invasion of the Northern Three States, Central Elephant State, and Southern Snake State... leave the already occupied areas aside, but the ongoing invasion must stop immediately! Then aim your guns outward, targeting the Southern Legion landing at West Sail Port!"

"According to our agreement with the Alliance, the Alliance will exert its influence to prevent the Mammoth State, Jinjaron Harbor, and the Military Factions of Tiger State and Leopard State from taking advantage of you."

"At least until the Legion reduces its military presence in the East, you don’t have to worry about betrayal from within. And if the South Legion bares its fangs and directly mobilizes troops, the Alliance will take equivalent countermeasures."

"Once everything is over, whether you want to continue your civil war or sit down and talk with others, it’s all up to you..."

"The side of the Alliance still sticks to the saying that the survivors of Poluo Province should determine their destiny by themselves. They don’t intend to force you to walk the exact same path as theirs... Of course, I don’t like to hear their nonsense, but for you, it might not be a bad thing."

Pausing, he added.

"As for us... to be honest, we’re somewhat disheartened. Even if previous cooperation is still effective, it will probably change its form."

The latter half was Bennott’s words, and probably heartfelt.

Although Penny still blames her father, the Old Soldier has to say a few honest words for the old man trying to save the day.

Compared to the war-crazed Weilante maniacs, the guy is actually one of the few with a conscience, willing to sacrifice his own arm to hold down the South Legion.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this guy the last correction mechanism of the Legion.

At least, he understands how to stop losses.

Absek stared wide-eyed at this guy as if looking at a madman crazier than himself.

However—

After pondering deeply for a moment, he realized this indeed seemed like his only remaining way out.

He reached out a trembling index finger and touched his nose, then picked up the cold tea on the table and drank it down in one gulp.

Having seemingly calmed down, he looked at the messenger named Pangolin and asked in a mixed tone.

"Then... what should we rename ourselves? How about calling it the Poluo Alliance?"

The Old Soldier replied without hesitation.

"You’d better discuss this matter with the Alliance. I can’t give you any suggestions."

Absek slapped his forehead and quickly nodded.

"...Right, right, I need to talk to the Alliance’s representative. How did I forget that?"

He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his hands together to ease the awkwardness.

"My memory... almost forgot, you are the Legion’s messenger, and this matter must be discussed with the Alliance’s representative."

Upon hearing this, the Old Soldier’s face darkened immediately.

"Are you questioning my loyalty to the Marshal?"

Seeing the other party poised to duel with him, Absek hurriedly apologized.

"I dare not! I didn’t mean it that way. Don’t misunderstand me."

"Hehe... whatever you mean, I’ve said what needs to be said. Whether you live or die, deal with it yourself."

The Old Soldier glanced at him warningly, then walked out of the tent under his eager farewell gaze.

Outside the tent, Anvo, who was smoking, saw Pangolin coming out and quickly led him to the side gate of the military camp, giving him a green light all the way.

After sending Pangolin off, he rushed back to the tent where General Absek was staying, unable to hold back asking.

"My lord... what does the Legion mean?"

Absek gave him a profound look.

"...The waters here are too deep. Don’t pry into what you shouldn’t. When it’s time, I’ll tell you what to do."

Realizing his impatience, Anvo quickly lowered his head.

"Yes!"

Not in the mood to lecture this guy.

Absek shifted his gaze away from this confidant and looked out at the pitch-black night sky beyond the tent, squinting slightly.

This sky of Tiandu...

Seems like it’s about to change again.