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301. As long as the Legion launches an attack...
The city-wide curfew has lasted for nearly five days.
The impact it brings goes far beyond the superficial public resentment - it brings something that locals are unfamiliar with.
It does not refer to the goods of the Star Peace Company, nor to the phantoms entering the market in Dongcheng District, but to the "people" who are visible but seem to be there.
At the eastern entrance of Klippe Castle, away from the statue of the builder, the guards were quietly replaced by many taller warriors. Their iron helmets were like the crustaceans that had long been extinct in Beloberg, and the weapons they held were not mainly spears and halberds, but hammers and flanged winged staffs, which looked like heavy weapons.
Obviously, their equipment was designed to fight not phantoms, but things with thicker armor.
If you look closely, you'll notice arcs of light flashing across the bodies of these even larger guys than the sturdier Belobergs. The texture on the surface of their armor contains energy, and the circuits of their individual shields flicker constantly as if they can breathe. Every soldier here is equivalent to a mecha, and is even more sophisticated than a collection team.
In addition to those formidable weapons and armor, and their tall bodies, they all wore a wolf-mouth-shaped mask. In Beloberg, where bears are the main animal symbol, wolves are not very popular among artists. They bring omens of uneasiness and disaster, and of course, they may also be the interpretation of "cooperation and clustering."
Changes in the troops guarding Fort Klein have made the officials who are still working very uneasy. They only know that in order to fight against the original group of alien visitors, the enemy called "Company Fleet", the Great Guardian introduced these Buli Warriors who also came from the sky, and threatened that they would help Beloberg return to the starry sky in a more peaceful way that does not require plunder.
But if the company fleet relied on selling goods to plunder everything here, then Bu Liren's behavior was more in line with the stereotype of "bullying". They had no good faces towards the Iron Guards, and lacked sympathy for civilians - if they met civilians on the road who had no time to dodge, they would walk straight over and knock them away. The force and weight were comparable to that of an underground truck, and they even smashed a bus head-on. Many people have been admitted to the hospital because of this brutal patrol method.
The residents called them "evil spirits" and "werewolfs", but the Buli warriors were proud of these magical and slanderous names. With the help of synesthesia beacons, they savored the fear of the locals and the pleasure of being domineering, as if this place had become their new pasture.
It's a pity that, except for some individuals they were hunting, the Beloberg people had not received the blessing of the King of Medicine on a large scale. Their bodies were weak and their lifespans were short, so there was no need to plunder them in any other sense. This became a key factor in the Buli people's relative "friendliness" towards them. Otherwise, Beicheng would have witnessed the same scene as wherever Qing went.
The wolves walking side by side strode up the stairs into the Guardian Hall, glanced at the Minister of Military and Political Affairs - and gave a mocking smile to the angry old man, but the ferocious expression under the helmet could not be directly observed by humans, otherwise it would surely make this minister, who was temporarily promoted but firmly opposed to the introduction of external security forces, feel even more fear.
"...The Great Guardian has been waiting for you for a long time. Show some respect, outsider."
This minister, who came to power almost instantly, upholds the usual toughness and determination of Bay City. Although he supports Cocolia in continuing to counterattack the Rift Realm, he has accumulated a lot of resentment towards the Buli people for their disregard for the sovereignty of Fort Kerber.
"Hmph." The werewolves snorted heavily, and when talking about Cocolia, their postures straightened a little.
The door of the office was wide open, and Cocolia had her back to the werewolves, as if retaliating against their rude visit.
The light of a new round of polar day fell on her through the stained glass, but it did not emit a sacred color. Instead, it made the scaly ice on her right hand more prominent.
It was a blessing but also a curse. The Bu Li people looked at him with envy and vigilance, but ultimately did not take a step forward, maintaining basic demeanor - they also respected the strong.
Although the other party is just an indigenous leader, the power she possesses is unfathomable. She is a being with power comparable to that of a hunting envoy. In addition, she is able to maintain a territory in the area affected by the star core disaster and will not tolerate being humiliated by ordinary tribal warriors.
If he wants to humiliate someone, the war chief must come in person.
"...You need biomass and soldiers. I gave you permission to 'assimilate' the rebellious Seventh Guards, but you presented me with this result."
Cocolia turned around coldly—the purple light in her eyes was brighter and sharper than in the past few days.
But this does not mean that she has regained her sanity... The ice crystals that have spread to her shoulders seem to be proof that she has fallen even deeper, even though in Bu Liren's eyes that is a symbol of greater power.
"'Cha' was abducted."
The leading warrior's tone was not as aggressive as before, although it still contained a hint of dissatisfaction: "You didn't say they got help from the Sea Rangers."
"You know the rangers better than I do, yet you were still stopped by them. This forces me to re-evaluate the necessity of our cooperation."
The soles of Bu Li's feet began to freeze.
"...The beast herd is your retreat--" Faced with this capricious female tyrant, the Bu Li people had no choice but to bring out their fleet in the hope that the other party would calm down.
The mission had indeed failed, and the police had indeed lost face, but the order given by the war chief was to continue cooperation rather than withdraw troops, which was enough to explain many problems.
Cocolia once killed one of their warriors with her own hands - turning him into freeze-dried powder with no possibility of resurrection, but the war leader was still willing to work with her, not only because he valued the "magic medicine" hidden among the opposition, but also because of the favoritism of the arbitrators.
They have to make progress in this star region to restore the balance that has been tilted by visitors from other worlds.
This was the first time that the arbitrators, who were worshipped as gods by the natives, had contacted the tribe. In the past, they had disdained to show up, or perhaps there were not so many imbalances in the universe worthy of their gods' personal attention. But this time, with the introduction of the Riddler, they found the War Chief and were willing to provide certain help, which showed the importance of this small frontier town and the woman in front of them.
Bu Liren was not interested in balance, but was very interested in the shortcut to immortality without side effects that balance provided.
The blessing of the Medicine King can be "fought for" by everyone, regardless of their status. The balance promised by the arbitrators is now tilted towards them rather than the "sprout". In the words of the War Chief, it is worth a try.
"As soon as your daughter gets strong, you will face a joint attack from the company and the rangers. Even if the beast herd wants to save you, it will cost a lot."
The soldier with frozen soles still calmly told the good news: "With the guarantee of the Arbitrator, if you fail, we can also take you and the Cancer of All Worlds away and sow seeds in the new world. Just a small setback, so you lose trust in us? Buli's army is strong. If they help with all their strength, several Seventh Regiments will not be a problem."
"...Don't think I don't know that you are just one of the tribes. Contact your war chief and ask him to come and find the elixir he wants in person - I will never give it to him."
His feet relaxed, Cocolia's words were still very unkind, but everyone in Buli knew that the crisis had been resolved.
The next thing to do is to get approval and support from the war leader:
"...Zhanshou, Chijicha has been abducted."
"He betrayed us."
The star core briefly released its communication interference, and the moment the long-distance link was established, the bio-screens in front of the werewolves projected a tribal leader with more noble armor.
"There are less than a hundred rangers here. I think they knew in advance that we needed to replenish biomass, so they set up an ambush - the Arbitrator brought new information. There are two 'pills' here. It must be that the other pill sensed your presence."
"Isn't this a leak of information?"
"Yes, it has nothing to do with that woman."
The war chief was actually trying to show goodwill to Cocolia - even though she had no respect for the werewolf leader and her eyes were even colder.
"I will send more warriors to assist you, Great Guardian, but providing orbital support carries the risk of engaging in battle with the Company's fleet and the Star Train. You need to ensure that the Cancer of All Worlds opens a passage and provides us with precise coordinates. As long as the beasts launch a surprise attack, the rangers on the surface will not be a problem."
"They have a messenger. Didn't the arbitrator explain it to you clearly?" Cocolia once again questioned Bu Liren's dispensable intelligence system.
Although the goal was distorted, the basic logic of being a commander was not erased by the star core.
"Yes, there are two. But the ungrown Order Envoy is just a pill."
"I will use all my resources to attract the two envoys of abundance to show up, but I need you to come down and help to ensure an unquestionable victory." Cocolia put forward her conditions.
"...My original intention was to go down and retrieve the sprout myself, but the situation of the Legion is still unclear. A great lord might come in person, and then the Arbitrator will not continue to provide assistance. To ensure that the herd is not leaderless, and to fulfill our agreement, I will let Cha retrieve it for me."
The war chief cunningly rejected Kokolia's invitation to go to the battlefield in person.
"why?"
"Because of the Konosuba. They aid out of faith. They will only help if the Maharaja is confused and delayed by the Riddler and the Historian."
"...Wait, you're talking about Lord Destruction?"
Knowing much more about the train than these idiots, Cocolia thought Wolf Head was talking about Sora, who had too many identities.
"Yes, the thawed legion will summon their master. Your layout will definitely attract the messenger, but if the Riddler betrays us and delays the arrival of destruction, we must leave immediately after obtaining the elixir - we must wait for the opportunity for the elixir to appear and not cause any trouble."
"...You're not going to deal with the Seventh Regiment?" Cocolia seemed to accept the other party's reason for being a coward.
"Humph, even if all of Beloberg's conventional forces were added together, including the company's thugs and rangers, they would not be a match for the beast herd." The War Chief said proudly.
"The only tricky thing is the Star Train. The Nameless Guests have different abilities, so some of them might be tough to deal with."
At this point, Cocolia was very sure that although the arbitrator did not deceive the war leader, under the guidance of the mysterious preconceived notion, this group of Buli people seriously underestimated the strength of the enemy force.
They are just a group of wild beasts driven by the wish for immortality. They can be of use, but I'm afraid we can only rely on them to take the star core with them when they retreat.
Although she somewhat looked down on the other party, when Cocolia's consciousness was manipulated, she would prioritize ensuring the safety of the star core - so she accepted the conditions of this speculator who only had the title of war leader.
In addition, if the "carrier" is suitable, whether Beloberg can be included in the embrace of the new world does not seem to be the most urgent...
Bu Liren can prolong their lives by "eating humans", but the way Star Core and she continue their own existence can be more efficient.
Everyone knows that the star core spreads destruction, but few people know that destruction and the star core are not tied together. The purpose of the Cancer of All Worlds' existence has never been as simple as "destruction."
"I don't care whether you think highly of other obstructors or not...get rid of the Seventh Regiment for me."
But no matter how the war chief boasted about the strength of the Buli tribe and its ability to crush all opposing armies on the front battlefield, Cocolia still strongly demanded that they must deal with the garrison regiment which was only the second closest to Fort K in a straight line.
Not attacking the 1st and 3rd Regiments directly - even if there was a lame excuse like it would cause a huge backlash from the enemy's strongest army, it would still be more practical than attacking the 7th Regiment...
The war chief was unsure of her meaning. He thought that Cocolia wanted to test the strength of the tribe and also to ensure the safety of the official army's flank.
"Even if you don't do it, I will do it myself tomorrow. If you must convince me that you will fulfill your promise, this is my condition."
Is this woman so afraid of being outflanked? Has she forgotten that as long as there is orbital strike force, any ground army is just paper?
Yes, she has been in contact with the star core for so long and has been blocked for too long that she has forgotten the essence of planetary landing operations. It is normal that her brain is not very sharp, but the hateful thing is that she alone has the capital to challenge Bu Liren on the ground.
Even though he was very unhappy, Zhan Shou still agreed to her conditions:
"My personal soldiers will make up for Chi Jicha's mistake and show you my sincerity, Great Guardian. In exchange, use your method to lure out the elixir, and don't let them get away - I heard that one of them has mastered some kind of blessing of space teleportation, and the other is the leader of the Earth Fire. Make sure one of them appears at the confrontation site, and you can return to the universe. Have I made myself clear enough?"
“…It’s very clear.”
A hint of confusion flashed across Cocolia's eyes, but was quickly replaced by indifference.
The hologram went out, and Cocolia's sense of oppression shifted from the image back to the wolf-headed warriors.
Not sure if it was an illusion, but Bu Liren felt that Cocolia looked duller and less emotional than before.
"You can go now. Remember, I only give you one day."
302. I lick the dislocation!
"I'm here to take over the shift, Karin! Let's go down and eat!"
"Well, senior, remember not to adjust the position. This distance is just right for hitting the target on the edge of the square."
"Hey...are you going to leave your beloved gun to me?"
"It's not my Boyce, it's the new gun the teacher gave me."
On the four-story building at the other end of the barbed wire isolation zone - the city area that was once the most severely eroded by the Rift has been tightly defended. There are more than 20 firing points covering the direction of the square from north to south, staring at the Wolf-Headed People and the Kburg Guards who occasionally pass by.
Karin was rustling down from her reconnaissance position and helping Asuna enter the camouflage net.
Compared to her skin and hair color which blend in with the metal walls of Bay City, Asuna's hair is too bright and difficult to hide, so a camouflage net is very necessary.
"…Is this the new 'gun' you mentioned?"
Even Asuna was stunned when she saw the machine gun that came from nowhere on the gun position.
"It was removed from the Gustav. The teacher replaced it with a head particle cannon, and the live ammunition weapons were transferred to us."
Hua Lin calmly stroked the thing that was thicker than an anti-aircraft gun and said, "To a MS, it is really just a 'gun'."
"Then the trajectory of this thing is falling..."
"So don't adjust the secret position. I've been busy for a long time."
"Ahahaha——I really want to find an opportunity to test shoot!"
As Karin expected, after only a brief surprise, Asuna immediately felt the urge to play with the new toy.