Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Three days later, the defending troops of Sedimentation Bay successfully evacuated the encirclement before the demons had regrouped.
By now, eighty percent of the Kingdom of Wolfheart’s territory had fallen into the demons’ hands.
The First Army had gathered in the western pass and central pass of Cage Mountain, which were the only two natural passages between the Kingdoms of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Dawn.
On the same day, the construction of the road that connected the north and south was finally finished, and the cement road that came from the two sides combined together in the middle of Cage Mountain. This meant that Neverwinter had a dedicated road that directly reached Wolfheart.
When the first “Hump” vehicles slowly appeared along the horizon, cries of surprise came from the surrounding crowd.
“What’s that? They’re like small mountains!”
“They have wheels, I think they probably count as vehicles…”
“Even the outer shell is cast with iron; how much would that have cost…”
“If it were pulled by horses, perhaps even ten horses might not be able to move it.”
Hmph, ignoramuses. Sweeping his gaze over his coworkers immersed in discussion, White revealed an expression of contempt. If even this astonished them, their eyeballs would probably fall out in shock if they saw the iron bird which could fly in the sky.
He came here naturally to celebrate Graycastle’s opening of this road, and like most coachmen, in order to get his hands on a good commision—ever since the demons attacked Wolfheart, he didn’t dare to take a single step out of the region controlled by Graycastle. After all, being saved once by an iron bird was already a blessing from god; he didn’t believe that his luck was so good that he could coincidentally encounter people from Graycastle every single time.
The rear services transportation team created by the refugees had inspired White. Although the pay was not as good as the main transportation members, it was better because it was safe. What’s more, no matter how skinny and weak his horse was, and no matter how old and rundown his caravan was, it was better than the handcarts of the refugees.
But clearly, he was not the only one to notice this point, as the demons closed in further and more civilians evacuated, more coachmen went to the rear like him, and the original self-created team suddenly became a lot larger and stronger, to the point of beginning to become a industry itself.
When he thought of this, White became even more annoyed. He was clearly the one who came first; yet, he had to compete for work with these young men. If Smarty was here, he probably would have already have monopolized the situation with his own transportation team.
In just a while, those huge behemoths were already moving in front of everyone.
Even though they looked heavy and awkward, they were not much slower than horses. Especially when the machine’s figure was completely exposed, even White, who proclaimed to have seen many things, felt an overwhelming pressure.
There was no other reason except the huge sizes of these vehicles.
Just the wheels were half as tall as a person, and the thickness was thicker than a body. The periphery of the steel wheels was wrapped in a layer of pitch black rubbery material and when it pressed against the road it gave off a sense of indescribable stability. When he looked back at his own caravan that he had originally viewed as his treasure, White couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority.
When he gazed through the see-through glass window at the front of the large vehicle and met eyes with the ‘coachman’ looking down at him inside, this feeling intensified.
White couldn’t help but wonder how many times his caravan had to transport goods to match the goods transported by this behemoth in one instance. It would probably number more than ten. According to the way Graycastle priced it, that would be ten times his pay…
“They’re announcing the commission!”
Someone said and everyone immediately stopped their discussions and rushed toward the inside of the encampment. Although the transportation power of these never-seen-before vehicles far surpassed carriages and handcarts, they still needed to rely on the latter to send the goods into the various encampments and mountain regions.
White was no exception.
But there was a thought in his mind that he couldn’t get rid of.
How good would it be if he could have a steel vehicle like that?
…
Farrina pulled the hand brake and jumped out of the driver’s seat.
She didn’t expect that she would be returning to Wolfheart in such a manner. Even though she had made up her mind, she was a member of the Church in the end; even if she passed through the selections, the Administrative Office might not permit her venture to the front line.
But nobody had reminded Farrina that she was once a criminal. The routes the drivers took were purely dependent on skill. She learned all the tricks in driving the steam-powered truck in only a week, and passed the final test with full marks. When she mentioned that she wanted to take up the transportation job on the path from the Windswept Ridge to the Sparkling River, the officer responsible agreed immediately on the spot.
It wasn’t her first time passing this checkpoint—although the scenery around her was still the same as she remembered, the overall appearance was completely different. There were several makeshift houses and tents near the checkpoint, and dark and hard paths could be seen everywhere. Road blocks, towers, and metal wire fences separated the entire encampment into distinct regions, and in every region, several people could be seen bustling about.
Even without asking, she could feel that the place was filled with the scent of war.
This scent was extremely familiar to Farrina. so much so that she fell into a daze for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” Joe’s voice interrupted her surging thoughts.
“No, nothing.” Farrina shook her head. “I think I have already gotten the answer.”
As a member of the Judgment Army, her feelings about Graycastle’s power was deeper than most people. If the opponent was a noble, the First Army didn’t need to put on such a front. If everything before her eyes was created to trick her, she was probably overestimating herself.
Only the fabled demons can cause Roland to face off with his full power.
“Then next we…”
“Let’s first help the King of Graycastle clinch victory.” Farrina drooped her eyelids, “This will be the beginning of my atonement.”
“I will be by your side until the very end.” Joe lightly held both of her hands.
“Is this Farrina and Joe of the second caravan group?” A voice behind her suddenly interrupted their meeting of eyes.
“Yes, is there something you need?” Farrina coughed and then turned around and replied a little sheepishly.
The male who looked like a military officer made a salute and then said, “The commander-in-chief of the First Army, Lord Iron Axe, wants to see all the drivers of the ‘Humps’. He’s in the Cage Mountain command post now, please come with me.”
The vehicle members had already been notified during their training that the rear services transportation was also a part of the military movements. Obeying the army calls would be more important than following the pre-established transportation schedule.
Farrina exchanged glances with Joe and then nodded.
…
The moment she saw the crowd of people when she entered the Cage Mountain command post, Farrina realized that this meeting was probably not so simple.
At least, it wouldn’t be a simple condolence and welcoming meeting.
Because the woman standing in the middle of the crowd had a head of beautiful gray hair, which was a symbol of the Graycastle bloodline.
When someone stepped forward and made an introduction, she knew her judgment was correct.
The Graycastle princess, Her Highness Tilly, First Army Commander-in-chief Iron Axe, Cannon Master Van’er, Firearm Master Brian, Witch Union Operational Commander Agatha—it could be said that all the high-ranking officers of the entire front line were all gathered in this hall.
“Welcome to Cage Mountain.” Iron Axe went straight to the point. “I have a mission for you.”
