Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 776: Section 527: Bullets Are the Best Gift (3)_2

Chapter 776: Section 527: Bullets Are the Best Gift (3)_2

And now, after he had teamed up with Lord Malin to provide firearms for the military, he even gained the right to recruit new talent at the academy where Todd was located.

Today was the day Todd’s class faced Antoine’s selection, where Antoine would choose those clever enough and also able to focus on achieving the vocation of a craftsman among the commoners’ sons.

Such children were usually the best candidates to develop.

But both Antoine and Todd felt that there was no need to focus on development at such times, as the craftsmen would automatically unite around Lord Malin. All Lord Malin would have to do was call to arms when the time came, and the craftsmen would know for whom they were fighting.

Lord Malin was indeed a good friend to the ideology; his every word and deed were genuine, and he hoped other comrades would feel the same.

Todd watched his apprentice enthusiastically raise their hand to speak, and seeing the satisfied joy on Antoine’s face, he too smiled and leaned against the wall, listening to Antoine’s explanation. Todd had reason to believe that this was indeed the most difficult time for the Northern Kingdom, but the future victory would undoubtedly belong to all of humanity.

The ideology must live on forever; the people must be immortal.

......

Once out of the city, the convoy, guided by Salis and Sudel, moved southward. The roads were covered with snow, and only Sudel, who was familiar with the terrain and roads, knew how not to drive the motorcycle into a ditch.

In the team was also a young man from the Winter Wolf Church named Carmen Doron, a local resident of the area. He quickly took over the guiding duties of the vehicle from Malin. Upon learning the exact location of the village, anger filled Carmen’s face: "That’s where I was born, my father’s tombstone is still there. The damned Chaos desecrated the village, I will make them pay in blood for blood."

The young man had passion and a desire for revenge, which Malin greatly appreciated, so the convoy picked up speed. Soon, on a stretch of plain, the convoy left the main road at Carmen’s direction, bypassing the previous five-way intersection and headed south—a move made to avoid a Chaotic patrol cavalry that Salis’s reconnaissance indicated would pass through that intersection in fifteen minutes. This detour was vital to prevent the enemy from spotting and possibly pursuing them.

If they took this road, by the time they noticed the convoy’s tracks, the convoy would have been far gone. If they were intent on pursuit, Sudel and Carmen had already found a hill that would be good for an ambush. The enemies would then become their appetizer for action.

For this reason, Malin handed over the driving to Jason, then confirmed the patrol team’s movements through Salis. Eventually, after they passed the intersection, they took another road heading north, narrowly missing an encounter with death—a best-case scenario for both parties.

Upon sharing the outcome with Sudel and Carmen, Carmen took over from Sudel as the new lead guide—Carmen had just visited the village earlier this year to pay respects to his father, making him the most familiar with this stretch of road among them.

Malin asked Salis to scout ahead, while he once again reviewed the satellite images that had just flown over the village.

No Chaotic troops were observed in the nearby area, and there weren’t many Chaotic Believers in the village—most were living their daily lives, with some targets chipping ice by the river and some gathering wood. Malin also spotted a gathering of Chaos in the center of the village; it seemed they were preparing dinner?

Well, as a unit of Chaotic Believers, cooking was normal, for they were not the real Chaos battle group, which could exist without eating or drinking.

Since there were no problems, Malin began to slack off using his tablet—opening a small game and happily slacking off.

What? You’re asking about driving? Jason has good driving skills; he claims even racing in F1 rally isn’t an issue, and Malin truly believes him.

Then, a little while later, news came from Mrs. Dorothy that Larraya’s little clover was nearly finished adjustment, and the estimated time for pre-launch was eight days later.

Hmm, when the time comes, I must make sure to receive those two unfortunate fellows and find them an ironclad identity in Carterburg.

That’s easy. Malin just hopes they can get used to their new bodies.

Besides, a new batch of vegetables has hit the market, and Lady Dorothy has already sent them to the Semi-Plane. Next, they will be sent to the new processing plant in Regensburg, where the canned vegetables will be transported to the Eastern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom. The Eastern Kingdom’s Dark Zone is now full of all kinds of monsters and demons, and their military is so desperate they’re even conscripting fourteen-year-old children. Millions of mouths are waiting to be fed each day.

In the Northern Kingdom, the invasion of the Chaos forces has also severely tested their military supplies. Malin’s aid is like timely rain, and the military welcomes Malin’s supplies, which are almost free. And these are vegetables—in the Northern Kingdom, meat is actually more plentiful, while vegetables are the rare and sought-after goods.

Of course, Malin’s efforts have not been without reward. For example, in the Eastern Kingdom, the royal family has once again expressed their gratitude through the Wizard Council. The Prince even stepped forward to declare that, should he survive after the Tide of the Dead ends, his life will be at Malin’s disposal.

No matter who taught him those words, Malin feels that with them, the young man’s life is definitely secure.

Moreover, the supply from Malin was marked up by twenty percent on the cost price given by Malin. This extra margin came from the royal treasury. The royal family declared that unless absolutely necessary, they would not impose additional taxes on the farmers.

Of course, these words are just for show—everyone is already taxed to the hilt. To impose more would likely drive the farmers into the arms of Chaos. After all, they have nothing to lose. Why not take down the royals and nobles who cause these troubles before dying?

Malin had no doubt about this, given that in these times, this was exactly the sort of character the farmers should have.

After ending the conversation with Lady Dorothy, news came from the refuge shelter Malin had previously visited. Val had used a mechanical body to completely clear the area controlled by the cannibals. A brand new farming zone had been established, and with the acquisition of new energy sources, Val was preparing to establish even more farming zones, expecting to reach about sixty to seventy percent of Lady Dorothy’s output.

This gave Malin a sense of achievement for the first time—this idea of feeding all of humanity seemed pretty much what Malin was facing now.

That’s perfect. Malin thought that as long as they had enough vegetables and once the husbandry operations in the Semi-Plane started mass-slaughtering sheep and sarlo beasts, all dietary problems would probably be solved.

In addition, Val had discovered a small firearm workshop within the shelter. She was now working on producing the first laser weapon—mainly due to material issues, as her mechanical body was trying hard to collect scrap for recycling. However, many materials for the laser weapon have strict requirements, and Val indicated that without finding materials of sufficient strength, this laser weapon would never be truly produced.

Malin didn’t take the laser weapon seriously—after so many years, it was unlikely to find materials with the necessary strength in the ruins.

"There are no other issues, Mr. Malin."

Following Val’s farewell, Malin began to confirm what to do next—in view of the ample supplies, Malin decided to expand the scale of the joint workshop with Antoine. Copenhagen would become the Northern Kingdom’s largest military factory. So now, the issue is for Mr. Antoine to recruit more artisans.

Of course, Malin had confidence in Antoine. The Great Craftsman was so passionate about his work.

Malin even hoped he would take better care of himself, since for Malin, he was a business partner with whom it was rare to work so well.

After all, what would he do if something were to happen to him?

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