Chapter 80: Passing the Buck and Traveling
Thick, bucket-wide fluorescent blue beams of light descended, crashing onto the battlefield. Half an hour earlier, the area had been a chaotic melee, but now not a single Vassal soldier or Wild Boar warrior was visible. Both sides had either retreated into underground bunkers or hidden within the trenches.
Over a hundred metal pillars, half a meter thick and three meters long, stood upright in the high sky. This was the attack form of the heavy cannon-class weapons after firing. Energy gathered at the tops of these pillars, and fluorescent blue beams blasted from their bases, forming a volley of cannon rain. In the affected area, aside from heavy tanks, the survival rate of friendly units was extremely low.
Today was the third day since the chaotic battle began. It was only afternoon, yet the Vassal faction had already mobilized the firepower of their heavy cannon-class weapons for five volleys of cannon rain.
Only by doing this could they suppress the offensive of the Sun Legion; otherwise, the Wild Boar warriors' assault would be too difficult to withstand.
At the Vassal border, the Twilight Fortress.
As a deployed T0-level fortress, the Twilight Fortress was almost like a slightly cramped city in scale. The buildings here were constructed in a short time, and with the Vassal army stationed here, the fortress looked like a neatly arranged steel city when viewed from above.
Inside the command post, located in the mid-to-rear area of this steel city, a holographic map hovered above a sand table. Over a dozen Vassal officers stood around it.
A man wearing an officer's cap and a woolen coat sat in the main seat before the sand table. His elbows rested on the edge of the table, and his fingers were interlaced. Though nearly forty, he looked about thirty years old.
This man had a stern expression and lowered eyelids. He was the commander of the Vassal forces in this battle, Lieutenant General Whitely, a high-ranking officer of the "Watchtower" military.
After the disastrous first battle commanded by Brigadier General Rez, the Vassal faction had been dealt a heavy blow. As the strongest dominant force on this continent, the Vassals immediately mobilized a large army, intending to deliver a cruel strike against the Sun faction, showing other powers the price of angering the Vassals.
However, after the war restarted, things did not develop as the Vassal high command had predicted. Three days of fighting had passed. Eager to annihilate the Sun faction, the three major Vassal powers had sent troops to the front lines without regard for cost, and the heavy cannon-class weapons had been concentrated five to six times each day.
Despite this, the enemy stood like an iron wall, stubbornly holding their defensive line. Attempts to use heavy cannon-class weapons to strike the enemy fortress had been made more than once.
The enemy fortress was strange. According to intelligence from relevant experts, this mobile fortress, about a hundred meters tall—similar in height to a T3-level fortress—was actually a T0-level fortress.
Initially, the Vassal high command didn't believe this. How could such a small T0-level fortress exist? But after the fortress withstood three volleys of cannon rain, no one doubted it anymore. The fortress was indeed not large enough, but its defense was absurdly strong.
It was worth noting that even a T0-level fortress should not be able to withstand concentrated fire from heavy cannon-class weapons. Yet the outer armor layer of this fortress held up.
Every choice has its trade-offs, and the Sun Fortress was no exception. The Sun Fortress lacked massive volume, had no exceptional ability to process living ore, and its movement speed was mediocre. It focused on two aspects: the Evolution Nest and external defense.
Su Xiao had deliberately developed it this way. In his view, no matter how strong the Evolution Nest became, if the fortress itself lacked sufficient defensive power, it was meaningless.
In this world, there were war weapons like heavy cannon-class weapons. If a concentrated strike shattered the fortress and destroyed the Evolution Nest, all previous development would be meaningless.
The Sun Fortress could be called the most defensively powerful T0-level fortress in history, bar none. This was achieved by sacrificing many other aspects.
The heavy cannon-class weapons, which had always been unstoppable in sieges, had rarely encountered such a setback.
For the Vassal faction to destroy the Sun Fortress, they had only two options: either break through the Wild Boar warriors' front-line defense, or infiltrate the Sun Fortress and detonate powerful explosives inside.
The first method was ongoing, with heavy cannon-class weapons routinely bombarding the battlefield.
The second method had been attempted multiple times. A total of 129 infiltrators had been sent. Not only did these people fail to get close to the Sun Fortress, they were discovered as soon as they approached and were surrounded and killed by the Wild Boar warriors stationed around the fortress.
The stalemate frustrated the Vassal high command, especially the bureaucratic faction. In their view, this campaign in the border region should have annihilated the enemy on the first day. Why had it dragged on so long?
Not only the bureaucrats were anxious; other factions were also worried. This battle was different from the previous conflict with humans over territory and resources. It was about preventing the pig-heads from rising from the ground.
If the pig-heads rose up, united, and formed a major power or nation, it would be an unbearable loss for the Vassals.
The Vassals owed their current glory to the pig-heads they trampled underfoot. In the entire Vassal nation, over 98% of heavy labor, dangerous work, and toxic tasks were done by pig-heads. Moreover, the Vassals didn't need to pay them; they only had to provide one or two cheap meals a day.
Male pig-heads handled heavy labor, while female pig-heads were responsible for more meticulous, tedious work. Meanwhile, a single Vassal could live a decent life without doing anything from birth.
Had no one ever questioned this? Of course, but the probability was less than one in ten thousand. Even if someone stood up against it, they would soon find their "enemies" were not just the high-ranking officials of the Watchtower, the Vassal Alliance, and the Aurora Council, but also all Vassal citizens, possibly including their own father or mother.
When a lie allows people to sleep peacefully, that lie becomes the truth they are willing to accept. And this "truth," spread by the Watchtower, the Vassal Alliance, and the Aurora Council, was that pig-heads were low-level creatures incapable of natural reproduction, commodities cultivated through the "Life Factory," and thus had no rights.
The emergence of the Sun Fortress threatened all Vassals who benefited from the pig-head industry chain, making this war irreconcilable.
Inside the command post, Lieutenant General Whitely sat silently in the main seat. The dozen or so officers standing around the sand table had solemn expressions. They didn't dare to speak, let alone breathe loudly.
The chaotic battle had lasted three days, and 170,000 Vassal soldiers had died here. Such casualty figures had enraged the Vassal high command.
Lieutenant General Whitely looked around at the officers by the sand table. On the first day he arrived at the Twilight Fortress, he had been in a good mood. His initial thought was that with Brigadier General Rez taking the lead, victory in this border region battle was certain. He, Whitely, would claim this historic triumph.
When he saw the Wild Boar warriors charging like a swarm after the battle began, Lieutenant General Whitely almost laughed out loud, if not for maintaining his dignity. He had once thought Brigadier General Rez was just jealous, claiming the enemy had no tactics. After witnessing it himself, Whitely confirmed that the enemy indeed had no tactics.
The battle was fought in the morning, by noon he was dazed, and by afternoon he was gradually withdrawing into himself. Yes, Lieutenant General Whitely's heart was a bit closed off. He was a famous general of the Watchtower, but unfortunately, swarm tactics inflicted even greater psychological damage on famous generals.
On the night after the first day of battle, Lieutenant General Whitely gave himself a pep talk in his bedroom. His thought then was that it was only one day of fighting; the enemy couldn't withstand a war of attrition.
However, on the second day, not only was the enemy not worn down, their offensive grew fiercer. Not only fiercer, but their full charge and the small pig-heads' looting of corpse combat suits became more skilled.
Lieutenant General Whitely had no good solution for this. Whenever he saw the enemy launching a large-scale charge, he had to order the heavy cannon-class weapons to concentrate fire, pushing the enemy back.
There was a fundamental solution: stop the Vassal soldiers from wearing combat suits. But this plan was too absurd. Lieutenant General Whitely immediately ordered the officer who suggested it to be executed.
"Do you have any strategies?"
Lieutenant General Whitely looked around at the Vassal officers. Their heads lowered even further.
Seeing this, Whitely's expression darkened. The battle had reached this point. He was no longer considering how to preserve his reputation or rank, but how to save his own skin.
The chaotic battle in the border region seemed evenly matched, but only the officers and high command in the war zone knew the true horror of the casualties and resource consumption over these three days. War burned money. A single volley of cannon rain might kill many enemies, but its cost equaled the total tax revenue of a ring city for three months.
The Vassal soldiers who died on the front lines over these days, along with the massive expenses in various areas, could only be offset by one thing: victory.
But Lieutenant General Whitely couldn't secure victory. Therefore, he would have to take responsibility for everything that had happened here—commonly known as taking the fall.
The Vassal high command could never be wrong. Mistakes were only made by mid- and low-level officials or officers. Lieutenant General Whitely knew well that although he was a lieutenant general of the Watchtower, in the eyes of the four people at the pinnacle of Vassal power, he was just an important chess piece, expendable at critical moments.
Lieutenant General Whitely looked around at the officers present again, this time searching for someone who could take the blame for him.
Unfortunately, all the officers had their heads down. The higher the rank, the lower the head. A brigadier general who had voluntarily moved to the second row seemed to want to bury his head in the ground.
Everyone knew in their hearts that the battle had reached this point. Someone had to take the fall, or the public's anger would be a huge problem.
Bang!
Lieutenant General Whitely slammed his hand on the sand table, causing the holographic projection above to flicker. Just as he was about to roar in anger, he suddenly thought of something. In the current situation, he didn't necessarily need to find someone to take the blame; he could substitute in a new commander mid-battle.
A name surfaced in Lieutenant General Whitely's mind: Rez. He now felt genuine respect for this man.
Without preparation or understanding, Rez had pushed his army into the border region. Although he was defeated, with nearly 100,000 soldiers of the War Hammer unit killed and over 30,000 captured, one point could not be ignored.
Brigadier General Rez, unfamiliar with the enemy's abilities and lacking countermeasures against fire, and without heavy cannon weapons or living war machines, had still killed over 100,000 enemies before leading his remaining troops out of the border region.
If his forces had been equipped with living war machines and heavy cannon-class weapons, even if he couldn't win the first battle, he would have severely crippled the enemy.
"Those people in the Tribunal are all pig-brained."
Lieutenant General Whitely suddenly shifted his attack to the Tribunal. The Vassal officers looked puzzled, but soon, a few understood what was happening and joined in denouncing the Tribunal.
Before long, all the officers present caught on. The atmosphere was one of righteous indignation. Led by Lieutenant General Whitely, these officers planned to jointly support Brigadier General Rez. The core strategy was to quickly bring Rez back. The current pot was too big for anyone to carry.
With Brigadier General Rez in command, they could at least fight the Sun Fortress to a draw. After replacing him, the Vassal side had been beaten for three consecutive days.
...
Inside the top-floor command room of the Sun Fortress.
"The enemy has retreated?"
Su Xiao extinguished the cigarette between his fingers and looked at Hausmann standing opposite him.
"Yes, my lord."
"Reason."
"Not yet clear. Speculation suggests internal issues within the Vassals."
"Mm, you may leave."
"As you command."
Hausmann withdrew with a Sun Maiden. Interestingly, this Sun Maiden, about 1.2 meters tall, was sitting on the shoulder of Hausmann, who was 3.45 meters tall.
Curiously, among the 25 Sun Maidens on their side, this one was the most special. Whether due to a problem during transformation or changes from absorbing solar power, this Sun Maiden, who was actually 28 years old, had regressed in age to less than ten years old.
For some unknown reason, this Sun Maiden had been following Hausmann ever since, usually sitting on his shoulder or clinging to his back, only leaving him during battles.
This was normal. Hausmann always led from the front. If this Sun Maiden still followed him, she wouldn't survive ten minutes.
Compared to these trivial matters, Su Xiao was more concerned about why the Vassal side had suddenly retreated. The chaotic battle had lasted three days. If they retreated now, the enemy commander would definitely face severe consequences, unless they could find someone to take the blame.
Su Xiao checked the Sun Fortress's data. They had a total of 326,770 Wild Boar warriors.
It seemed the numbers were decreasing, but that wasn't the case. The Wild Boar warriors' "Battle Instinct" ability made them stronger the more they fought. The previous three days of chaotic battle were like a brutal selection process, weeding out those who couldn't adapt to the battlefield or were unlucky, leaving only the more battle-hardened.
After waiting about an hour, Baha suddenly emerged from alternate space, appearing before Su Xiao.
"Boss, the Vassals have indeed retreated. They're almost back to the Steel Fortress."
The Steel Fortress Baha referred to was actually the Twilight Fortress. That fortress was named to provoke the Sun faction, unrelated to its appearance. "Steel Fortress" was the name more widely accepted.
The Vassal retreat seemed sudden, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. The Aurora Council had spatial teleportation technology, a combination of technology and biology.
With their capabilities, setting up a large teleportation array in the Steel Fortress to continuously send troops to the front lines was only a matter of time.
From the current situation, they should be close to achieving this. Once that happened, the balance of the battle would inevitably be broken.
To counter this, upgrading the War Lord title to an eight-star title was the best choice.
Su Xiao had previously had 11 six-star titles. After one refinement, only 5 remained. In return, he received one seven-star title, [Battle Master].
Now, he only needed one more seven-star title to begin refining War Lord. The ideal method was to exchange for a seven-star title in the title shop, saving both Soul Coins and the remaining five six-star titles.
If he could save these five six-star titles, Su Xiao wanted to later create a seven-star title to wear when fighting strong enemies.
Unfortunately, these five six-star titles, worth over 20,000 Soul Coins in total, couldn't be saved this time. To quickly obtain the last seven-star title, Su Xiao had to perform a masterless title refinement.
Opening the title refinement wheel, Su Xiao embedded all five remaining six-star titles into the surrounding sub-title slots, refining with the central main title slot empty.
[Yes/No to perform this masterless title refinement. This refinement requires 6,000 Soul Coins.]
Normally, refining a six-star title cost 1,000 Soul Coins each time. The price for masterless title refinement was several times higher. Last time, it was about three times; this time, it reached six times.
No matter how expensive, he had to do it. Su Xiao had been waiting for a ceasefire opportunity, and now it had come.
As an Eighth Rank Contractor, the usage cost and rules of the title refinement wheel hadn't changed much, but the refinement speed had greatly improved, which was gratifying.
Regarding rank level, advancing too quickly was bad. Experiencing too few worlds could lead to insufficient accumulation. But advancing too slowly was also problematic, as many basic permissions couldn't be activated.
How long this ceasefire would last was unclear. Su Xiao had a feeling that if he didn't take this opportunity to upgrade War Lord to an eight-star title, he might never get another chance. The Vassals were already furious, and the decisive battle was imminent.
Although refining the title this way would cost more, it was worth it. Besides, the profits from Kaiser's side were about to arrive.
Su Xiao and Kaiser's plan was simple: first, have Hao Mei farm reputation. Once the reputation reached a certain level, they would exchange a large number of items through Kaiser. With Kaiser's quartermaster authority, they could empty the Vassal Alliance's armory in a short time.
Practice had proven this plan feasible. In the faction reputation shop, Su Xiao had five desired items. As a preliminary experiment, Hao Mei had exchanged for one of them. Through Kaiser's hands, this equipment had reached Su Xiao a few minutes ago.
[Tip: You have received the Traveler's Blessing.]
[Traveler's Blessing]
Origin: Ser Star
Quality: Immortal Rank
Category: Special Equipment
Durability: 100/100 points
Equipment Requirements: Charm Attribute 30 points, Luck Attribute 10 points, Animal-Friendly Constitution.
Equipment Effect 1: Serendipity (Core·Passive): While wearing this equipment, you will receive the blessing of the "Traveler." As travel/walking distance increases, there will be a higher probability of discovering treasures.
Tip: The farther the travel/walking distance, the higher the probability of discovering treasures, and the higher the quality of the treasures (provided that there are indeed treasures/ancient ruins/underground palaces, etc., in the nearby area).
Equipment Effect 2: Long Journey (Passive): After walking more than 30,000 meters, you will begin to receive the "Traveler's" protection, increasing initial friendliness with all non-evil faction creatures. If you seek help after an encounter, the other party will likely provide a certain degree of assistance.
Tip: The farther the travel/walking distance, the stronger this effect.
Equipment Effect 3: Kind Heart (Core·Passive): All animal-type existences, including wild animals/supernatural beasts, have +45 points of initial friendliness towards the wearer of this equipment (friendliness cap is 100 points).
Tip: This ability is also effective against animal-type undead, spirits, etc.
Tip: Even if the other party is of the evil faction, they will not actively attack you (this effect is limited to animal-type evil factions).
Tip: This effect is ineffective against humans, humanoids, undead, void races, etc.
Rating: 1500 points (Holy Spirit Rank equipment rating is 1000~1500 points)
Introduction: You are walking luck, and also a friend to animals.
Price: 1,950 Soul Coins.
Warning: Your Charm Attribute is -10 points, making you an initial evil faction. You will absolutely be unable to wear this equipment. Forcing it will cause permanent damage to this equipment!
...
PS: (One chapter today. Fei Wen will go out for a run later, then sleep early. Survival is key.)