After defeating the goblins, there was still a lot of work to be carried out, even though the war where weapons were swinging and blood was flying everywhere was over, there were many tasks that needed to be accomplished as soon as possible.
First, the corpses of the Unclassified goblins needed to be gathered and cremated; the entire battlefield needed to be cleaned up. Leaving corpses out in the open would not only surely attract countless mutant beasts but could also cause the birth of a new plague; not a few times mankind was on the brink of destruction due to a plague, and the famous Black Death was proof of that.
Second, the corpses of the First Order, Second Order, and Third Order goblins needed to be taken to a storage shed where a team would be in charge of extracting as much blood as possible to subsequently filter it. After all, even though no one would eat goblin flesh, the blood of First, Second, and Third Order goblins had advantages for the human body and soul evolvers could get some temporary benefits from drinking it.
Not to mention the fact that the blood of this type of existences could be used to make small brews. So far, the potion development team that Bai Zemin had at his base had managed to find several mutant plants that had good synchronization with goblin blood and that enhanced the benefit a bit or lengthened the time of effect.
In fact, it was a pity that the war against the goblins had happened too spontaneously and without warning. It was also a pity that Bai Zemin was not yet the official leader of the survivors and fighters of the base or else he could have ordered the production of several brews beforehand and avoided countless headaches.
Third, make a proper tally of the spoils of war obtained. This would probably be the point that would take the most work and time.
During the previous war, the humans managed to obtain a few hundred treasure orbs and at least two or three million Soul Stones. Even if most of the Soul Stones were all Unclassified, these Soul Stones would serve to push the faction’s civilization tremendously, as well as maintain the future magic circles.
Finally, Bai Zemin needed to take control of the faction currently known as Chinese Renaissance and have this faction merge with his ruling faction.
Fortunately, most of these tasks did not need to be carried out by Bai Zemin himself; these were the advantages of having a faction backing him up. He just needed to read the reports later and give his approval or rejection on some things, that was all.
…
One day after the war against the goblins.
“During the previous war we lost a total of 732 soul evolvers and 210 of them suffered injuries that will put them out of combat probably for the rest of their lives unless we find some treasure capable of making them grow new limbs.”
“A total of 6349 soldiers lost their lives under the assault of the bone arrows and stones that the goblins launched towards the walls, and 7418 soldiers suffered wounds of varying magnitudes, they are currently slowly recovering. However, it is estimated that at least 20% of them may not be able to return to the battlefield in the future.”
“A total of 19 battle tanks were destroyed during the previous battle of which 12 cannot be used again while the other seven need some repair before being able to return to the battlefield. Of the 20 combat helicopters, 14 were destroyed throughout the war and most of these were destroyed during the confrontation against the enemy’s zeppelins.”
“We lost approximately 390 military vehicles with weapons mounted on them, none of them reusable. In addition, we also lost about 20% of the mechanized fleet intended to push the enemy. The total ammunition consumption is still being analyzed but so far we know that approximately 30% of the total ammunition rounds in the base armament have been consumed.”
“Due to certain stray attacks, there were a total of 102 survivors that lost their lives, 12 injured, over 200 houses destroyed and….”
At the Wu Family home, Bai Zemin was sitting on one of the large couches in the living room as he listened to the report of the pretty dressed Wu Yijun who was wearing a beautiful yellow dress that accentuated her figure and stopped just above the knees. She was sitting next to him and the sweet scent of her body helped Bai Zemin feel a little more relaxed as he listened to the bad news; at the end of the day, not everything was profit in a war.
It will be only after judging losses and gains that Bai Zemin will be able to evaluate whether the humans lost more than they gained or gained more than they lost.
Apart from Wu Yijun and Bai Zemin, there were other people in the room.
Sun Ling, Wu Keqian, Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, Feng Hong, Feng Tian Wu, Teng Hua, Liang Jing, Bai Delan, Evangeline, Cai Jingyi, Nangong Lingxin, Zhong De…. Actually, although the living room of the Wu house was large, it seemed a little too small considering there were more than 30 people in there.
Most of them were naturally standing, but none of them complained even though all of them had been important figures during the previous war. Regardless of whether they were powerful or brave soul evolvers, regardless of whether they were commanders with brilliant ideas or excellent ability to react to different circumstances; they had all earned the right to be present at this gathering.
Bai Zemin reached forward and picked up three candies that were neatly wrapped, resting inside a glass vessel waiting to be picked up. He unwrapped them one by one and handed one to the three little lolis who had accompanied him from the north to this place.
Luo Ning was used to being present at all kinds of military gatherings. Although the little girl received a lot of attention, no one dared to look at her with weird eyes after learning that the 9-year-old girl was a powerful soul evolver on the verge of level 50.
However, the Wen twins were a bit anxious and while eating the candy carefully they approached Bai Zemin, looking at everyone cautiously. They did not trust people because of the miserable past they had lived through, and the large accumulations of people were not to Wen Yan and Wen Yun’s liking.
Approximately 30 minutes later, Wu Yijun finally put down the documents she was reading on the table and put both hands on her legs as she turned to look at Bai Zemin waiting for his next words. Her long inky black hair fell free and unbound like a soft waterfall down her back, her alluring body was tantalizingly covered by the pretty innocent yellow; however, no one dared to look at her too much.
Wu Yijun had been the commander and leader in charge of one of the four battlefields for over 30 hours straight and had barely lost any men in that time. Everyone had seen her ability to raise a forest from nothing and cover thousands of meters with her seeds, slaughtering thousands of enemies per second and spreading her influence across the entire battlefield which saved the lives of countless and stopped most of the goblin advance in that direction.
Not to mention the fact that now practically everyone knew that the beautiful young woman had a crush on the young man even younger than her and that everyone came to respect him for his feats in the past days.
Bai Zemin ignored the stares he was receiving, and after pondering for a moment, he realized that there really wasn’t much to ponder.
He looked at those present and spoke neither too slowly nor too quickly, “Although the losses are undoubtedly heavy and I greatly regret the loss of our fallen brothers and sisters, I believe all of us here are able to judge that in this war the gains outweigh the losses.”
Seeing several nodding, Bai Zemin continued, “Leaving aside the two goblin zeppelins we managed to obtain in near perfect condition and which will immediately join our faction’s air forces after some repair, the number of Soul Stones calculated so far exceed 400,000 even though not even 10% of the collected pile has been reached. If we add to this the treasure orbs, skill scrolls, weapons we get from the goblins… It’s safe to say that what we got is profit in the long run.”
The loss of so many humans was naturally painful as training a capable soldier took too long and the fall of so many soul evolvers who were willing to fight was even worse. Moreover, the loss of so much war machinery and ammunition would undoubtedly cause problems in the short term. However, as Bai Zemin had just pointed out, in the long run the benefits gained from this bloody war would gradually show themselves.
“Uncle Wu, get a team ready to start repairing the zeppelins immediately. Also, prepare a separate team to study those machines. In the future, we might be able to replicate them to some extent if we find out how they are built.” Bai Zemin ordered as he looked at Wu Keqian calmly.
Wu Keqian nodded easily, “Leave it to me. I’ll also take care of using the few remaining healthy magic cannons from the destroyed zeppelins to mount them to the walls if that’s alright with you.”
“No, before that… first send the magic cannons to be studied as well. Also, I want you to give this to the trusted developer you have. ” Bai Zemin reached into his pocket to pretend to take something out of there and a small piece of sheepskin came out of his storage ring.
Wu Keqian was confused but obediently took what Bai Zemin was handing him. However, his expression changed when the records of the object flashed in his retina.
“This is…!” Wu Keqian looked at Bai Zemin in astonishment.
“With that, it should be easier for us to work on those cannons.” Bai Zemin smiled slightly and his eyes flashed strangely as he said in a low voice, “Even if both cannons are different, that blueprint should help replicate the goblin cannons and speed up the mass construction process.”
The expression of Bai Zemin became serious and he remarked in a deep voice, “Uncle Wu, this matter is of utmost importance to all mankind. I need it to be carried out immediately.”
Wu Keqian nodded deeply, “Don’t worry, leave it to me. I will take care of providing everything necessary for this matter to progress smoothly.”
Bai Zemin nodded in satisfaction and a faint smile appeared on his face. Wu Keqian was a very intelligent man, and that was why he had achieved all he had achieved in his life. Wu Yijun’s father naturally understood how important the matter Bai Zemin was entrusting to him was.
The power of the goblin zeppelin’s magic cannons was enough to massacre Second Order existences if they scored a hit. A few of those cannons mounted on the walls would be the best defense of all; not only for ground enemies but also for air ones!
After Wu Keqian departed, Bai Zemin looked at Sun Ling and said in a clear voice, “Aunt Sun, could you take care of locating the families of the soul evolvers and soldiers fallen in combat?”
Sun Ling smiled slightly when she heard Bai Zemin’s words. She brought a lock of hair to the back of her ear and said slowly, “Actually, I knew you would ask for something like this at some point. That’s why I took care of this beforehand.”
She stretched gracefully but the curves of her body made her look like a succubus to the eyes of the men in the room. Bai Zemin paid no attention to any of this and instead took the folder she was handing him.
When he opened the document, he could see the names, locations, and current conditions of each family of not only the soul evolvers and soldiers who had lost their lives but even those who would not be able to continue fighting in the future. There was even an estimate of what would happen to those families in the future after losing their main source of livelihood!
Bai Zemin was surprised, he could not help but look at Wu Yijun’s mother in a new light.
“Aunt Sun, I must say this really surprised me.” Bai Zemin shook his head and sighed. He continued, “Now I understand where your daughter’s talent and brilliant ability come from.”
Wu Yijun was brilliant in all matters of administration, she could even anticipate Bai Zemin’s thoughts and there were not a few occasions when she presented in advance what he planned to ask of her in the near future. Now, it turned out that Sun Ling was just that kind of woman as well.
“Like mother like daughter, I guess.” Sun Ling covered her mouth and let out a giggle that left more than a few people breathless as they noticed how her bosom jiggled with each chuckle.
Bai Zemin gave a chuckle and subconsciously blurted out, “Uncle Wu is lucky to have a person like you next to him. I’m sure his job has been a lot easier so far.”
Sun Ling looked at Bai Zemin and her eyes glittered strangely. After a moment, she said in a suggestive voice, “Aren’t you lucky too? You have my daughter by your side and helping you with your work. I’m sure she would be happy to help you for the rest of her life.”
Wu Yijun immediately began to move uneasily in her seat when she heard her mother’s words that clearly expressed more than what seemed on the surface.
In fact, everyone inside the room understood what Sun Ling was suggesting.
Bai Zemin immediately regretted saying those words that gave a window for Wu Yijun’s mother to say such a thing. However, he quickly acted as if it was nothing and nodded:
“In fact, I am very lucky that Wu Yijun is beside me. From the very beginning, her ideas have been brilliant, her implementations saved thousands, her power protected the lives of countless, and the weight on my shoulders was and still is far lighter than it would be were it not for her. I am truly grateful for all she did for me so far, I will make sure to repay her in the future and see to it that she and her current or future family live carefree lives regardless of the circumstances.”
As everyone in the room remained silent, Sun Ling observed Bai Zemin carefully for several seconds. Seeing that his expression did not change at all, she closed her eyes for a moment and sighed before opening them again.
With a faint smile and playful eyes, she nodded, “Let’s leave it at that…. For now.”
…
The meeting ended after another thirty minutes. Bai Zemin gave a series of commands and asked Wu Yijun’s mother to take charge of sending people to visit the families who would in the near future be affected by the fall of the men of the house.
He had them pass on his words.
All members of the families of those who had fallen in battle would be promoted to Rank 4 Nobles and for two generations would receive the treatment that such a title could offer. As for the families of those who had suffered injuries from which they probably could not recover and which would not allow them to return to the battlefield to bring food to their tables, they would be promoted to Rank 5 Nobles and would receive the treatment that such a title could offer for a whole generation.
In addition, Bai Zemin promised that one week later, the wives, mothers, and children of each of the soul evolvers or soldiers killed in combat or wounded for life would receive cloth armor made of mutant beast skin capable of being worn under normal clothing; this armor would be able to prevent damage from low-caliber bullets and in times of crisis could save lives.
On the way home, Bai Delan drove the military jeep that belonged to him in silence while Bai Zemin watched the scenery outside the window.
Luo Ning, Wen Yan, and Wen Yun were in the back seat. The three little girls were chatting quietly so their voices sounded more like sweet whispers in the company of the sound of the engine and the rushing wind coming through the open windows.
The little pink dolphin, Xiao Xiao, was in Bai Zemin’s family home. The little creature had been left in the small pool at the back of the house and although at first it seemed to have tried to communicate with the big white dog the pink dolphin gave up after several unsuccessful attempts.
Bai Zemin sighed in his heart. He still needed to finish a large amount of work that would probably keep him busy for a week or two, he also needed to contact Xian Mei’er and make sure the mermaid princess was all right, as well as get information on the situation of the seas surrounding China. After all, one of Xian Mei’er’s brothers seemed to be moving on land and this was something Bai Zemin would never tolerate.
“Zemin, what will you do with that Yijun girl?”
“Mm?” Bai Zemin jumped in his seat and looked at his father in surprise. Subconsciously, he blurted out, “What do you mean by that?”
Bai Delan took his eyes off the road for a moment and looked at his son with serious eyes, “Brat, do you want me to break your little dog legs? Playing dumb with me or what? That girl is really in love with you.”
Turning his eyes forward, he continued, “There is no way in the universe that a young, beautiful, and brilliant woman like that girl with the surname Wu is willing to work so hard to help a man just out of kindness. She’s trying to get close to you no matter what even if it costs her sleepless nights or even her life.”
Bai Zemin gawked for a moment before forcing a smile on his face.
“Father… I have already rejected her in the past…. I also made it clear to her that there was someone in my heart. What else can I do? Keep repeating the same thing to her? But wouldn’t that be immature and end up hurting her more? At the end of the day, Wu Yijun knows how things are… Now I even started dating someone recently so-“
“Mm?” Bai Delan suddenly stopped the vehicle abruptly and had it not been for the fact that the current world had no traffic like before he might have been the cause of a chain collision.
Bai Zemin even had to hastily stretch out an arm and lean on the board of the vehicle to avoid being thrown out of the window while using his free hand to hold the egg where his future daughter was being born. Hearing the screams of the girls in the back seat, he looked at her father and said with annoyance in his voice, “Old man, are you out of your mind or what?!”
Bai Delan turned a deaf ear to the annoyance in Bai Zemin’s voice. His eyes sparkled like those of a child who had received the best gift of all on Christmas as he hurriedly said, “Zemin, what did you say? Do you have a girlfriend? How come your mother and I didn’t know about this until now?”
Bai Delan’s words made Bai Zemin’s annoyance vanish in an instant and his eyes widened slightly as he stared at a blank spot.
It was only then that he realized that he had inadvertently said too much.
Bai Zemin sighed in his heart. Although he preferred to do it under better circumstances, there were things that could not be avoided… Besides, it wasn’t as if he wanted to hide it.
