Chapter 635 — The Extended Line of Defense

"My lady, if you cannot tell the difference in that, then I'm afraid we will never be people of the same road."

Victoria watched the half-elf before her in silence. Since entering the Shadow Realm, it seemed that not only had this half-elf lady's aura changed, but her personality as well, just a little—yet the things she had said... were perhaps no less than what she truly thought in her day-to-day life.

"I will try my best to understand," Victoria said calmly.

"Then that's your problem. To be honest, I rather dislike nobles—most of them, anyway. But lately two exceptions have appeared in my eyes: one is you, and the other is Berke, the one who lit the beacon fires," Amber turned around and said as she continued on her way. "I used to think the lofty virtues nobles talk about were all boasting, but at least from you two, I've seen some things that actually exist—but then again, Duchess, an individual cannot represent the whole. I still don't like nobles."

Victoria once again caught up with the half-elf's steps. She kept silent for a short while, neither defending the noble system nor explaining to this half-elf—who seemed to hold a deep prejudice against the noble class—the meaning of bloodline inheritance, even though she had once cared greatly about such things. Yet at this moment, she found she did not wish to argue for any of it at all.

After the silence, she merely asked a question: "In the past two winters, did truly not a single person starve to death in Xuanyao City?"

"Of course. We have a complete system of population statistics and management. Every death and every birth is on record."

"...How did you manage it? Without a noble system..."

"Do you mean grain supply or population management?"

"Both."

"Oh, then that will take some explaining," Amber raised her head and glanced at the collapsed castle, no longer very far away. "We should probably start with the relationship between land and people..."

...

On the northern plains of Red Maple City, by the banks of the Gorgon River, Gao Yang stood on a watchtower in the frontline camp, gazing at the bustling scene toward the docks.

Cannon fire and flame had driven the corruption and pollution from this plain, and the Cecil Legion had successfully captured a large dock that had once belonged to the local lord. After tense reconstruction work, the engineering troops had widened the road atop the old docks and reinforced the stone piers, turning the place into a temporary military wharf. At this moment, ranks of neatly arrayed tanks were rolling onto those reinforced piers, and squares of fully armed soldiers were queuing to board the ships.

On the surface of the Gorgon River, three of Cecil's main warships were carrying out patrol duty at a distance from the piers, while a series of escort gunboats converted from civilian vessels, or light gunboats rushed out of the rear shipyards, cruised back and forth across the broad river. Several more sturdy ships, broad-decked and steady-hulled, lay alongside the piers, loading the soldiers and war machines that were coming aboard.

Those cargo vessels, which did not look like warships at all, were converted military freighters dispatched from the rear—though they were called military conversions, time had been so limited that in truth they had only had steel plates added at key points of the hull, a set of shield generators welded onto the body, and a magic-net terminal installed in the hold capable of establishing a connection with the Pathfinder. They did not even have a basic weapons system (adding one would have meant large-scale modification of the power spine, and the shipyards simply did not have the capacity), so their safety depended entirely on their escorting warships.

These "armored heavy transports" had originally been intended for evacuating refugees from the northern regions, and conversion work had begun when the ground forces first pushed north. But by the time they were finally completed, Gao Yang found that there were hardly any refugees left in the contaminated zone to evacuate, so the vessels were reassigned to transporting all manner of supplies and matériel to the front. And today they had taken on a new mission: to set sail together with the Cecil fleet, loaded with tanks and soldiers, bound for the Saint Sunil defense line to hold that vital gateway.

This force, advancing north along the Gorgon River, would reach Saint Sunil several days ahead of the main ground forces.

Footsteps came from behind, and Philip stepped onto the watchtower. After saluting Gao Yang, he said: "The Steel Rangers have delivered Duchess Victoria and Amber to the vicinity of Tulip Castle. The soldiers visually confirmed that the mage tower is indeed still operating. If all goes well, the news will be sent to Saint Sunil today."

"Very good," Gao Yang nodded. "By the time they return, loading here should be just about finished—perfect timing to board and set out."

Philip hesitated slightly, then could not resist confirming once more: "You really mean to go personally?"

Gao Yang laughed: "I'm already here. What difference does it make to go a little farther north?"

"But the mission this vanguard force must carry out is hard and dangerous—to reinforce the royal capital as quickly as possible, it must detach from the main ground forces and, after reaching Saint Sunil, fight alone for at least five days without rear support. In the worst case, Saint Sunil will have fallen before this vanguard arrives, which would mean the vanguard is being delivered straight into the deepest heart of the monsters' encirclement—even with the Pathfinder and the two warships Aurora and Morning Star covering the withdrawal, the losses would be catastrophic."

"Which is exactly why it needs a strong ground commander," Gao Yang glanced at Philip. "You must stay behind to command the main legion, so that leaves me."

"...That is indeed the case."

"I will go to Saint Sunil first to organize the defensive line. With fire support from three main battleships, there will be no problem in the north," Gao Rong said, patting Philip on the shoulder. "You need only continue advancing according to the plan—set up the coastal defenses, stop those monsters from further contaminating the western shore, and finally, we will rendezvous at Saint Sunil—closing this blockade line."

With that, he let out a soft breath and said lightly, "As for whether the royal capital will fall before then... Victoria firmly believes that Baiyu and Wales can hold Saint Sunil. I will trust her this once."

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