Mulong Duchy heartland.

Celeste had a very strong personal initiative, not only helping Black Sail but also for her own benefit. However, Celeste, already being a high-status, wealthy woman, didn't need the money. More importantly, she aimed at the deeper strategic game between her homeland and Aran.

If Aran were to extend the railway to Green Oasis Country Wadina, setting up stationed engineers along the way and bypassing the Narrow Sea to form a major artery across the Western Continent,

Emperor's influence would inevitably be unstoppable; the artery must be formed.

Even if the Army General of Crocodile Island died, talent-rich Aran would certainly send more strong troops.

Time.

Delaying was enough; to provide Lostra with a window for infiltrating Wadina as the Emperor's grand railway entered the small territories of Green Oasis Country, only to find his beloved had already fallen, becoming a plaything of the major nations west of the Narrow Sea.

The target was! Minotaur Emperor!

Celeste was no longer a War Monitor; to be honest, these thousands of pirates, although trained under the former Aran Knight Claude, were only at the level of thieves compared with the army.

Now Celeste even juggled the role of Chief of Staff.

But it essentially meant she was commanding the whole situation.

You couldn't expect Mr. Archer, who accompanied her, to have any brilliant ideas.

Morison's strength was fighting, its disadvantage, this explosively outspoken person could only fight.

Even compared to the East Coast Idea King Shadi, being from a military academy, he could only confirm your correct thinking.

As for Mika.

"Our pirates at Heaven Port are like this; we gamble big and consort with high-stake prostitutes.

We can't stand outsiders, and outsiders can't stand us."

Chilly winds swept across the Gobi Highlands.

In the forefront, Mika pulled the reins, halting his horse, his index finger on the bridge of his nose.

"I remember all your kindnesses.

If you meet difficulties, just come to me, I'll always repay."

Mika dismounted, gave Celeste an inexplicable look, slapped himself on the face, and quickly ran into the town ahead, eager to immerse himself in Mulong's local culture.

A dark line crossed Celeste's forehead.

They had reached their destination for this trip.

Crossing the mountain ranges of northwest Mulong Duchy at Kelor Highlands.

If Aran wanted to construct a railway through Mulong, they would need to build tunnels and railway bridges here; otherwise, they would have to make a detour of no less than 2000 miles. Considering costs, as well as future repeated transportation expenses, this place was critical.

Located in the middle to latter part of the railway; after constructing through Kelor Highlands, bypassing the peninsula where Forgotten Port of Cross Alliance was located, it would lead into the west of the Narrow Sea.

The few functionally smaller countries that came after were also Aran's underlings. Compared to these major Highlands, those minor hills and ravines didn't represent insurmountable barriers,

thus, Kelor Highlands was a must-winning location in this high-stakes strategic game.

Aran wasn't foolish; they sent advance soldiers to see what the situation was like.

But Mulong's local tribal resistance organizations, along with the Seventh Amendment, had firmly kept Aran Military Officials out.

Which left Aran Military Official's railway fronts still at the initial stages in Mulong Duchy.

The reason why those of the Seventh Amendment haven't come to Golden Palm Port to pick up people was because they were overwhelmed, always harassing at the frontline.

For Aran Military Officials, this was a war for profit, a public safety battle, so even with the advantage in soldier quality and equipment, they couldn't completely overpower.

The will to fight shouldn't be spoken of in the same breath, despite the vast disparity in sacrifices.

Not to speak of the amendment's rebels, for the local Mulong tribes, this was an existential crisis.

Beima Duchy once had a strong chance of becoming one of the six permanent countries; look what a mess it is now, a clear warning from the past.

Not to mention there are some historical lingering issues, the local tribes' United Resistance Army, though it's challenging for Aran to settle old and new vendettas at once, they must at least survive this crisis.

With Lostra's overt and covert financial support, these Mulong people were indeed fighting hard.

Golden Palm Port Rebellious Marquis had already greeted the Lord of Kelor Highlands, buddy-buddy, Black Sail was on the same side as the Resistance Army and Lostra.

The Lord of Kelor Highlands, newly appointed, was completely trustworthy.

Because a Mulong old noble bought over a month ago, now having his trunk, limbs, and head disassembled and hung to dry at the city gate by the Resistance Army, in the dry highland climate, far from decay, just some flies buzzing around, nothing too unsightly.

Now, Kelor Highlands was basically the main base of the Resistance Army, the current Lord, also one of the leaders of the Resistance Army, even Golden Palm Port Rebellious Marquis was financially supporting him.

The group of over a thousand people outside had undoubtedly been noticed.

Under the conditions of Mulong Duchy, there's no specialized military fortress; residential areas and military walls were integrated.

A thousand wearied men and horses camped outside the town, later entering the town to refit and resupply with fodder and food.

The local Lord's messenger invited Celeste and her party into the castle for crucial discussions.

"All teams, there's nobody here under the Seventh Amendment, right?"

The Lord's messenger was not a civil officer but rather a soldier with rough skin, wearing a headscarf and carrying a matchlock gun.

Mulong Duchy was now a mess.

The Seventh Amendment seemed to be aiding Mulong against Aran, but in truth, their interests were different. Being one of the most infamous organizations in the Western Continent, part of the first echelon, they undoubtedly aimed to control these transport networks to profit from the war.

Now the Mulong Resistance Army was negotiating with the tiger, yet they had no other choice. Without these zealot warriors, Kelor Highlands might have already been conquered.

"Rest assured, I know you don't allow those people to station troops here, only me and our nation's designated partners."

After Celeste hammered a wooden stake into the ground, she responded indifferently. The country she referred to didn't need to be named.

The Lord's messenger was puzzled, seeing that this woman seemed to be the leader of these people.

Of course, it wasn't just Celeste who came from Lostra. She was accompanied by former high-ranking intelligence officials from Lostra, all meticulously selected top experts.

Morison instructed his subordinates to take care of the horses while he took in the natural scenery of Kelor Highlands. The terrain was rugged, with twists and turns. Although it was a highland desert, it wasn't devoid of vegetation. The wildly growing weeds only made this desolate land appear more bleak and barren.

The towns here were no match for port cities, but the Resistance Headquarters built against the mountain still housed nearly a hundred thousand residents, almost impossible to tour in half a day, let alone a full day around Kelor City.

Morison only knew one thing: Black Sail's interests also differed from those of the local people of Mulong. The railway would definitely be completed, and this area would inevitably face devastating attacks, forcing them to submit.

Black Sail just needed to hold out until the end of the year, kill the Army General from Crocodile Island, then they could report back to Lostra. This would completely settle the matter with Fafna, no one would inquire further about the Dragon issue, and Lostra's investment could support the construction of Heaven Port. However, the tensions between East Sea and Aran would intensify yet again.

"Let's go quickly, we've had horrible food and drinks these past few days while traveling, it's time for some good food and drinks."

Archer was already very impatient. He had been living a celestial life at Heaven Port, where any drink below one silver coin was considered unworthy.

Shadi thought Archer would soon be disappointed. In this wartime situation, if the leader of the Resistance was a righteous person, at best they might have smoked meat slices.

Mulong inland was quite a difficult place to live, inherently not very affluent. Now, Aran Military Officials were coming to make money on projects, so were the puppet government officials. You tell me, who gets exploited?

Under the guidance of the Lord's messenger, core members followed him into the city.

But Mika, who had been holding back for several days, had already come in.

Kelor City, unlike any city Mika had visited, varied in its architectural style; its buildings mostly had rounded domes, preferring symmetrical stone columns, with mural details repeating triangular structures and colorful patterns, Mulong's aesthetic stood in a class of its own.

However, the buildings inside the city seemed to have been unattended for a long period, appearing hollowed out, and the main roads to the castle were unusually empty, despite the human traffic.

What was even more different...

Just like the civil war within Beima Duchy last year where the Great Nobles extorted with impunity, for every three grains of rice people consumed, two had to be allocated to military expenses.

In such circumstances, countless residents migrated to seek refuge. Those who could, fled, even if it meant becoming refugees wandering to other countries.

But it wasn't so easy; during national disasters, the border checkpoints used to block their own people were very strict.

Those who couldn't flee were just forcibly recruited by the Resistance, because there was no other option. Without continual military reinforcements, they could only face slaughter.

Owing to this extreme situation, some people abandoned everything, even willing to go to Aran-controlled areas in the east of the railway just to escape this nightmare and secure safety for their families.

Mika wandered in Kelor City, stopping in his tracks.

There were no prostitutes in the Resistance headquarters, women were rarely seen, except for the coarsely dressed nurses stationed there.

On the worn and battered stone streets, with no commercial activities, numerous soldiers with amputations and bloody bandages lethargically sat in every corner, looking up at the sky.

The numbers were too high; they were just waiting to die. Infections and diseases clouded their eyes with a dim yellow, causing non-stop coughing or emitting intermittent groans.

Everyone knew, this battle was doomed.

Undoubtedly doomed.

When fighting the puppet government, victory came one after another, like a sweeping gale.

But once the "Advancement Movement" officially started, and the Aran Lion Army entered the fray, defeat piled up like a collapsed mountain, uncontrollably. Although the front still held at the first half of the railway, it was merely a dying flash of light.

In successive exploitations, forced conscriptions, and massive defeats, the reputation of the leaders of the United Resistance Army also plummeted to rock bottom.

The city was coated in boundless despair.

On the stone streets, the trampled wild grasses broke, almost as if one could hear every dried twig hit the ground, the tyrannical spiral sparing not even the high ridge's edges.

The halted Mika waited for Celeste and her group who arrived later.

"Going to hell now."

Morison smiled thinly, showing little concern for the defeated soldiers.

Shadi was embarrassed; couldn't you speak less?

"It's too unlucky; everyone here has a deathly face."

Archer hastened a sip from his flask to calm his nerves.

Celeste rolled her eyes, thinking if she could really pull off the plan with these vermin? It was step by step from here, waiting for matters at Saleret to wrap up quickly so they could return to support.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.