This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 456: The Final Ultimatum

Chapter 456: Chapter 456: The Final Ultimatum

Ever since the Lion Kingdom had reclaimed its entire territory, more than a week had passed.

Sommer had originally seen the hope of restoration.

However, to his surprise, although they had a great advantage, the Allied Army had stopped at the northwest border of Oasis No. 9. Not only did they show no intention of advancing forward, but they also began to dig trenches and construct fortifications right there.

Not just that.

What made Sommer even more uneasy was the rumor from acquaintances in the Lion Kingdom that the king was considering solidifying the alliance through political marriage.

And it wasn’t just King Edward.

Prince Wenter also set his sights on the unmarried Manager. Regrettably, he didn’t have an eligible daughter and was recently considering adopting a goddaughter from one of his subordinates.

Even more shameless was a certain duke, who actually sent his daughter to serve as a servant in the Manager’s palace!

What kind of rough and exhausting tasks could a pampered noble daughter handle?

Wasn’t that just playing around?

He could easily guess what that guy was planning!

Too shameless!

Unlike the Honey Badger Kingdom, the Lion Kingdom did not stipulate a limit on the number of wives one could take. Moreover, because of having too many offspring, those who claimed to adhere to tradition, in reality, did not care if their lineage flowed outside.

Thinking of those shameless people who could really do something as low as selling their daughters, he suddenly couldn’t sit still and immediately requested an audience with the Manager of the Alliance.

In the browsing room.

Looking at Chu Guang sitting on the sofa, Sommer took a deep breath, planning to get straight to the point and thus spoke with a serious tone.

"Respected Manager... may I ask how you view my sister, Miss Afni?"

Chu Guang was briefly stunned and looked at the young man with some surprise.

Just now, he was wondering if this guy was unhappy with the slow pace of the Alliance’s front line advancement and had come to urge him to speed up.

Why did he suddenly bring up Afni?

After pondering for a while, Chu Guang said,

"Miss Afni is a diligent and inquisitive young lady. Those who have worked with her have very good things to say about her, so you need not worry too much."

Although he hadn’t had much contact with her recently, considering diplomatic issues, Chu Guang had still inquired with the head of the Merchant Guild about Afni.

According to a girl named Frost Snow, the little princess from the Honey Badger Kingdom was modest, gentle and kind, generous and proper, without any of the airs or temper one might expect from a noble lady. She also took great care of the library’s books.

While this narrative might have been seen through a personal filter, the fact that one could have such positive filters meant there had to be some endearing qualities.

People don’t develop a fondness for someone without good reason.

Yet this Prince Sommer seemed to be unsatisfied with his response, pressing on relentlessly.

"... more than the opinion of others, I care about yours, Respected Manager. Or maybe, let me phrase it in a more straightforward manner, if you allow,"

Sommer nodded slightly and continued in a very soft voice, "From the perspective of the opposite sex, may I inquire what you think of her?"

Chu Guang looked at him with a bewildered expression.

"... nothing special, why?"

Seeing that the Manager had completely missed his hint, Sommer felt a headache coming on.

It seemed like the subtle ways of the nobility didn’t work well with this person.

Perhaps he should be even more direct.

Sommer gritted his teeth, let go of his pride, and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I’ve talked to my sister, and she thinks highly of you. She told me that your wisdom is like the stars in the sky, that standing by your side alone is enough to calm the mind. She would, if possible, want to talk to you throughout the night..."

Chu Guang coughed dryly, interrupting the guy’s cheesy speech.

"... if you have something to say, just say it directly. There’s no need to beat around the bush and compliment me."

If he let this guy go on, he was afraid his toes would poke through the soles of his shoes.

Sommer, almost choked on his saliva upon hearing this.

He had already been direct, even improvising a bit of romantic poetry.

How much more direct could he be!?

Completely discarding the last bit of subtlety, he spoke with a somewhat shattered mentality.

"I’m here to propose a match for my sister. Would you be willing to take my sister as your wife?"

Humpf.

So that’s what this was about.

Chu Guang came to find him this late just for this matter; he was speechless and leaned back on the sofa.

"In the Alliance, personal feelings are private. We do not mix personal matters with official affairs, nor do we engage in political marriages."

Sommer didn’t expect Chu Guang to refuse so bluntly.

His expression turned somewhat gloomy, but he still wanted to make an attempt, only to hear Chu Guang continue.

"I believe I must have said something similar before."

"If you have nothing else, please leave."

...

Leaving Shelter No. 404, Sommer stood in the square, feeling lost yet not willing to give up just like that. After hesitating several times, he went to his sister’s place.

After hearing the speedy summary from her brother, Afni sighed softly, closing the book borrowed from the library and the notes transcribed beside it.

Sommer glanced at the title on the book cover out of the corner of his eye.

"Research on Classical Economics: The Contradictions and Evolution of Production Relations and Productive Forces."

He vaguely remembered that the book Afni had been reading before also had this title.

It had been so long, and she still hadn’t finished it.

"You shouldn’t have gone to find him."

"Why?" Sommer felt somewhat dismissive of Afni’s comment.

Although no progress had been made, he didn’t think there was anything inappropriate about it.

There was already a long queue of people from the Lion Kingdom with ideas; if he didn’t take the initiative now, wouldn’t he be handing a great advantage to others on a silver platter?

Watching her still unconvinced second brother, Afni continued to speak.

"He probably values the alliance even more than himself; how could he agree to a request that may come with strings attached at this time?"

Without hesitation, Sommer said.

"What’s the conflict in that? Since he values the alliance more than himself, he should consider the issue of heirs even sooner."

Afni shook her head.

"To say such a thing shows that you don’t understand the alliance."

Don’t understand it, huh...

Do you understand it?

Sommer really wanted to ask this but after thinking it over, he ultimately didn’t say it out loud.

Because he suddenly remembered that he had been managing the refugee camp with Princess Teresa in Falling Leaves City recently, while Afni had gone to the alliance’s capital, City of Dawn, to help organize books. Far from the center of power, he himself might indeed know less about the alliance than his younger sister.

Afni paused for a moment, then continued in a gentle tone.

"The alliance is not one person’s alliance but an alliance composed of all the survivors who have suffered... He always mentions this sentence to people, and every time he does, that girl named Frost Snow’s eyes always shine with light."

"Frost Snow?"

"Yes, my friend, and not just her, others feel the same. They unite under the banner of Shelter No. 404, loyal to the Manager, but not merely loyal to the Manager. The alliance belongs to them, not the other way around. At first, I did not understand what kind of kingdom this was, but later I gradually came to understand."

"Understand... what?"

Watching her still puzzled brother, Afni spoke with a serious tone.

"The alliance is not a kingdom; the alliance is an alliance."

That voice seemed to carry a hint of beautiful yearning or aspiration.

Sommer’s expression slightly showed surprise as he looked at his sister who seemed to be becoming more and more of a stranger.

Since when had she changed like this?

After a long while, Sommer’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he spoke.

"... Have you considered changing jobs?"

Afni froze for a moment.

"Why?"

Sommer chose his words carefully.

"These books have too much influence on you; you should read something more age-appropriate—"

"Picture books?" Afni stared into his eyes, "You said I’m not a child anymore, so why should I read those childish things? Plus, you know they’re fake."

Sommer replied, "But at least they won’t make you have some strange thoughts..."

Afni said earnestly.

"I don’t think there’s anything strange about it. The problems won’t disappear just because we ignore them. As productive forces develop, we will have to face these issues eventually."

Sommer coughed, interrupting her naive argument.

"Let’s talk about your lifelong matters instead."

Of course, he knew of those matters.

But from the standpoint of the royal family, those were not for him to consider.

He needed to maintain the Honey Badger Royal Family’s rule in Oasis No.3, and then consider making the lives of the citizens there a bit better.

That was his duty and responsibility.

Afni nodded, stopped speaking, and waited for her brother’s decision.

Everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness, but she was well aware that this did not include her, who was born into the royal family.

The royal halo had given her much, and in return, she should fulfill the expectations people had of her.

To forget all this because of a word of freedom would be somewhat too selfish.

"... We need the friendship of the alliance, now and in the future," Sommer paused for a moment, "but the Manager of the alliance showed no interest in the marriage alliance I proposed. I hope you can take more initiative, of course... as for how to handle this matter, the decision is yours."

Hearing her brother’s words, Afni breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she was prepared to sacrifice her personal happiness for the family, emotionally speaking, she obviously still preferred to be united in marriage with her beloved.

It was such a relief that she hadn’t been forcibly given away to someone else.

"I understand, but I still want to say you’re too anxious about this matter."

"Our war with the Army is not over yet. That lord will surely not want to devote too much attention away from the battlefield. Talking to him now will likely have the opposite effect."

Sommer frowned involuntarily, also realizing this point.

He admitted that he might indeed be somewhat anxious. Perhaps the Alliance was merely not moving because they were not yet ready to push the front line further, not because they intended to abandon him.

Recomposed, he looked at his sister and asked.

"Is there a way to remedy this?"

Afni nodded slightly.

"Of course. If you want to gain his approval, the best way is to achieve results that he can see, instead of staying in City of Dawn as you are now, making him think you are idle."

Sommer humbly asked for advice.

"What do you think I should do?"

Afni continued speaking,

"Returning to Falling Leaves City is a good choice. The Alliance plans to extend the highways and railways to Lion City in the Lion Kingdom, serving as a transportation hub connecting Luo Xia Province and River Valley Province. The development of Falling Leaves City will be key... Every time the Manager visits the Merchant Guild to inspect work, that place is mentioned the most. He hopes that the Merchant Guild can devise and introduce more beneficial policies to help with the development of Falling Leaves City."

"Commerce is just one aspect; the resettlement of refugees is also a major issue. You see, Princess Teresa is very intelligent; she has been working hard to prove she can handle this task well."

Watching her brother deep in thought, she continued,

"The Alliance doesn’t have places like palaces, so perhaps you should try changing your thinking."

"As for my affairs, you don’t need to worry too much... our home field is after the war ends, not now."

"Please give me some time."

...

"Wasteland OL" Official Website Forum.

Today was, as usual, full of joy and bustling activity.

Falling Feather, who had found an SSSR Level Divine Pet, excitedly shared his experiences with childcare on the forum, and a bunch of single dogs used their imaginations to help him come up with ideas.

Mosquito got into an argument with a few Strength-type players over whether "Terminator 2" should be fitted with a motor and batteries.

"The Great Escape" was a massive hit in Ideal City; even Fang Chang was envious to the point of jealousy, badgering Mole to see if he was lacking funds, asking if he wanted venture capital.

Professor Yang and Lord Arrogant Brother lost money, and they were not in the best of moods.

Especially the latter, who had lost the substantial sum equivalent to a cup of milk tea, ranted in over a dozen forum posts demanding his money back, but ended up getting banned from speaking for spamming.

Surprisingly, many pleaded on his behalf.

A significant number of onlookers argued that a forum without its mascots is like a watermelon without its rind; without the lively banter of the Proud Brothers, something seemed missing.

Of course, besides those filler posts, what interested the players most was the content related to the new version.

Since the update of the "Far Ocean Trade" system in Beta 0.4 version a week ago, players had finally explored the seas at the land’s end!

Tail: "Woah woah woah! The ocean! Tail sees it!

Crow: "The sea?! Where did you see it, quack?"

Tail: "Silver Moon Bay!"

Quit smoking: "Holy crap? How did you get there?"

Wild Wind: "Niubi..."

Edge Shoveling: "I flipped through the official setting collection for a long time and couldn’t find an entry for this settlement."

Tail: "At the very southern edge of Oasis No.3! The biggest commercial city in the Camel Hump Kingdom! There are so many beautiful houses there, and yachts and sailboats too! Man, the map in this game is really super huge!"

Si Si: "Wow, super huge!"

Meat mountain big steamed bun: "+1!!! You can even rent ships at the harbor to go out to sea! The sailors there say if you keep sailing south, you’ll see an archipelago!"

Quit smoking: "6666!"

If you don’t count Fang Chang who flew to the East Coast, this was probably the first time Wasteland OL players had explored the sea in the game.

Hearing that there were still so many unexplored areas, both Backseat Drivers and players alike were getting excited.

And just then, a certain Undergound War God jumped out.

Pick up trash 99 level: "Brothers, anyone wanna see the sea, DM me fast! Let’s form a team and head south!!! (smirk)"

Difficult for the strong: "Me me me!"

Tranquility: "Old driver, take me with you!"

...

Oasis No.9.

The frontlines of the northwest.

The Spring Water Commander sitting in the front line command post, frowned slightly as he looked at the aerial photos taken by the reconnaissance drones.

"Something’s not right..."

Hearing his muttering, the Mole drinking tea across the command table glanced at him.

"What’s not right?"

"Look at these photos," Spring Water spread a few photos on the table and slid them across, "they were taken by the Goblin Corps’ planes over the southeastern part of Oasis No.3."

To obtain these precious photos, they had paid the price of two pilots.

But for valuable intelligence.

It was all worth it!

Mole stared at the photos for a moment and an astonished look appeared in his eyes. There, nestled among the undulating sand dunes, lay trench lines stretching for hundreds of kilometers.

Behind the trenches were the sparsely scattered camps of the Army Corps.

The arrangement seemed loose at first glance, but in reality, it was intricately planned, with an attack on any position leading to counter-attacks from at least two, or even three, directions.

"Hissss... That camp is quite large; there must be quite a few people there!"

Spring Water Commander shook his head,

"Not just a few, I’d say at least ten divisions!"

"Ten divisions?!" Mole showed a surprised expression.

A division equated to a ten thousand troops, which meant they had deployed nearly a hundred thousand men on the border?!

Where did the Army Corps get so many people from!

And could they keep up with the logistics?

"This is just what we have seen; their logistic convoy didn’t appear in the aerial footage, which means they should be even deeper in," said the Spring Water Commander, pausing for a moment before continuing.

"Next, we might be facing the main forces of the Army!" Mole said with a slight frown.

"Are you referring to... the Clone Group?" The Spring Water Commander grimly nodded.

"Um."

Those clones with unsound minds might not be very strong individually, but under the command of the Army’s junior officers, they battle fearlessly and relentlessly like the undead until the last soldier falls.

Their morale will never waver.

Not even machine-gun fire or artillery bombardment could make them surrender.

That was the most troubling part.

When those clone soldiers number in scale, the combat power they unleash is far beyond what a Retinue Army can compare to!

Spring Water remembered when he was observing on the Forum, just when the Pioneer arrived at the north suburb of Qingquan City, Shelter No. 404 encountered an Army’s thousand Clone Troop.

At that time, that thousand troop was led by Vanus, numbering around two thousand, establishing a position in the Elm District and shelling the Pioneer’s encampment at the north suburb of Qingquan City.

To solve those clones, thePioneer had almost everything at its disposal, even resorting to a Tactical Nuclear Bomb, and only with the cooperation of the players did they eliminate that troop.

Ten thousand teams...

And they were also equipped with ample weapons, ammunition, and supporting fire.

Spring Water had a premonition.

Their opponent might be getting serious...

...

On the other side.

Chu Guang, who was inspecting the new industrial area of Dawn City, suddenly received a telegram from the Bugra Free State.

To be precise, the telegram was not really sent by the Bugra Free State to the Alliance, but by an informant there on behalf of General Griffin.

The telegram was brief.

Putting aside the opening address and the signature at the end, there were just two lines.

"...return the Steel Heart and all prisoners within thirty days, and withdraw all troops from Luo Xia Province."

"This is the final ultimatum!"

Scanning the content of the telegram, Chu Guang chuckled, not taking the warning seriously at all, and casually handed it to Lu Bei, who was beside him.

Thirty days?

The final ultimatum?

The Alliance wasn’t frightened into existence.

Since the beginning of this war, he had never expected both sides to stop at mere words. Griffin would surely rack his brains to persuade the Army’s higher-ups to send more reinforcements from west of the Great Desert.

Unless they hit those jackals hard enough to make them abandon their unrealistic fantasies, this war would not end.

It wasn’t enough just to beat the Retinue Army down.

Sooner or later, the Alliance would have to clash with the main forces of the Army, for real.

That chance was coming soon.

Walking half a step behind Chu Guang, the commander of the First Army Corps Wrench said in a deep voice,

"According to front-line intelligence, the Army has deployed over a hundred thousand troops at the border, including the Clone Groups directly commanded by the Army... I think this is not just a show of force, they probably plan to engage in a decisive battle before the autumn harvest ends."

Chu Guang wasn’t duped by Griffin’s ruse, saying calmly,

"A decisive battle? Just a final bluster."

If they were really confident in getting these things on the battlefield, there would be no need for any final ultimatum, they would simply take it on the battlefield.

Who uses nuclear bombs, yet turns around to offer an opportunity to surrender?

Clearly, although the Army and the Falcon Kingdom’s Allied forces managed a strategic retreat before the Alliance cut their retreat path, their current situation is far from optimistic.

The Falcon Kingdom had sent a large portion of its manpower to the front lines, and normal social production could hardly be sustained. Furthermore, after losing the supply line from the Bugra Free State, they could only request reinforcements from home.

No matter how low the maintenance cost of the Clone Troops, they still need to eat, and their rifles still need to be loaded with bullets.

If the "Thunder Plan" could have been successfully implemented, with the Army seizing Oasis No.9 and then moving northward to capture the Golden Lizard, opening the north trade routes and using the Bugra Free State’s Market to trade slaves or other resources for equipment, there might have been hope to close the supply gap.

However, now that the Thunder Plan failed, even the contingency plans fell through.

Thinking that a mere feudal kingdom could supply such a vast shortage of supplies is almost like dreaming.

Of course, Griffin must be aware of this.

But even if he knew, there was nothing he could do.

At the end of the day, they were simply too far from their homeland, and now they were paying the price for their previous aggressive invasion strategy.

The Army’s hundred thousand troops at the border and that telegram, were less of a final ultimatum and more of a bluff, attempting to buy time to force the Alliance to give up the next phase of their offensive plan and go on the defensive.

"What do you plan to do?" Wrench asked respectfully.

Stopping at the door of a factory, looking at the tanks parked inside, Chu Guang’s lips curled into a faint smile.

"Our enemy has given us thirty days to respond, I think thirty days is too long, we don’t need that much."

"In light of our great relationship, I think two weeks should be more than enough!"

-

(Thank you to the lords of the "World Hall", "Makabakamo", and "East Sea Fishing Village" for their rewards!!!)

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