Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Destroying Mobility's Legs
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Lizardman Basen Rak Orzan spoke.
"Let's talk about that walking fortress."
Basen spread out a sheet of paper cleanly and gripped a piece of charcoal.
"First... this fortress has legs. How many were there again?"
"Twenty-five."
When Elf Tione Itimo answered, Basen shook his head.
"No, I misspoke. They're divided into large, medium, and small ones. How many of each?"
The nearby Pangolian Mago spoke up.
"Ahem, three large ones, nine medium ones, and thirteen small ones."
Basen sketched the legs with light, cheerful strokes.
"Something like this, right?"
"Yes. That's the shape of the legs."
"And they're all solid chunks of metal."
"Yes."
Basen silently sketched in the legs for a moment.
Basen said to Tione.
"You talked to the new gunpowder technicians, right? Did you ask about what I was curious about?"
"Ah, yes."
"And the results?"
"Well... unfortunately, they said it would be tough. Even estimating the weight from its mobility, it would be hard with just plain steel. It must be reinforced with magic or technology beyond our knowledge, and with the gunpowder we have, the small legs are our limit..."
Basen said in a disappointed voice.
"Even if the expedition members stick right up to the legs and plant the gunpowder?"
"Yes. It wasn't the exact same experiment, but the technical team at the palace confirmed something similar. Even if we dumped all our gunpowder, it wouldn't work."
Basen looked at Mazudari.
Mazudari shook his head as well.
"Magic isn't omnipotent. Of course, there might be a spell I haven't discovered yet that could shatter that mobility, but for now, pinning down even one small leg is all we can do."
"Hmm. Well, I figured it would be difficult from the start."
Basen wrote 'Leg destruction rejected' next to the drawing.
The current goal of the expedition led by Basen was Mobility.
He wanted to postpone investigating it if possible, but according to the priests, the gods of the Pantheon were subtly interested in Mobility.
Especially the Ambon Church, which was at the forefront of resurrecting dead gods, was providing more active support.
As they were receiving actual funding rather than just words, he couldn't ignore their will.
After observing Mobility for quite some time, Basen concluded that the best way to approach it was to destroy its legs.
Mobility consisted of twenty-five legs of varying sizes that bent like a crab's joints, and calculations showed that destroying about a third of them would render it immobile, depending on which ones.
But investigations revealed that the legs supporting Mobility were far too sturdy.
Basen said.
"What about digging pit traps?"
Pit traps seemed absurd, but Basen judged they weren't impossible.
Anything that walked on the ground could fall into a pit. There was no reason a fortress couldn't.
But Tione denied it.
"That won't work."
Tione unfolded a half-folded map.
"This is Mobility's path."
The map showed a irregularly squished circle.
"So it keeps circling this path? Then digging traps seems perfect. No need for luring."
"That's true, but there are two reasons why not. First, it takes about 43 days to complete one loop. Even if we started digging right after it passes, making a pit big enough in 43 days would be tough, right?"
Even Basen couldn't think of a groundbreaking solution.
"What's the other problem?"
"Mobility doesn't move randomly; someone controls it. They'd notice decent traps ahead of time. Plus, Rakshasa scouts check the path in front for dangers first."
Basen said.
"That's the problem. The Rakshasas."
Mobility was known to move at about the speed of a normal human walking.
Quite slow for its size, but considering the massive fortress piled on top and its nonstop movement, it made sense.
However, that speed was tricky for Basen's current forces to attack.
Matching a human walking pace required fairly quick steps from Pangolians, and if the Rakshasas guarding Mobility engaged in delaying tactics outside the fortress, catching up with a large force could be grueling.
"There are plenty of entrances into the fortress, but..."
"Ugh, can't say that's all good."
As Mago explained, Basen referred to fragmentary sketches from scouts and drew a complete picture of Mobility.
"I heard that back when the Rakshasa tribes weren't united, Mobility just cut the ladders people used to climb up, blocking attacks..."
"Climbing the legs?"
"They're rusted and covered in moss, so anyone who knows how to climb trees could manage, but aside from the three large legs, there's no other way up. And the areas where those three connect are watched by Rakshasas day and night..."
"Hmm."
Basen said.
"Looks like there's only one way."
"That way...?"
Basen lightly drew wings over the completed Mobility.
Crude as they were, the spiral shape made it obvious what they were.
"We fly in."
The spiral wings developed by the Oguri could carry two Oguri plus a bit of stone at most.
Thus, two Pangolians of similar build could ride, one medium-sized race like Lizardmen or Humans, and nothing larger.
So the number of spiral wings the expedition could use to attack Mobility was even fewer.
They had only six repaired ones captured from the Oguri, two of which had been sent to Orzan's palace.
'We need more spiral wings.'
The problem was that Heukrin—and at least the current expedition—lacked that technology.
Basen thought even Heukrin's top technicians couldn't replicate spiral wings identically right now.
'No Duduba trees for rubber in Heukrin.'
The Duduba rubber tree groves on the southern continent seemed biased eastward, though that was a guess.
Oguri in that region were producing such rubber-powered devices, after all.
'And no time to start making them now.'
Basen saw the next week as the optimal time to attack Mobility.
Mobility was heading toward the Pangolian city of Siol.
Whether it would actually reach Siol or just keep circling its usual path was uncertain, but now that it was approaching was the right moment.
He also didn't want to give the Rakshasas more time to prepare, and with the second expedition joining, Basen thought this was prime time.
'Only one way.'
Basen planned to seize the Pabirang Union's spiral wings.
Even if damaged, the expedition and Pangolians could replace simple parts easily.
Forty to fifty to carry the expedition would suffice for attacking Mobility.
'But the Pabirang Union knows about our gunpowder to some extent now and will counter it. To make the battle smooth, we need their weaknesses.'
Basen walked into the prison holding captives.
"Golt Tebari, doing well?"
Oguri Golt Tebari glared fiercely and said.
"Hmph! I won't give any more information. I won't talk to you."
"Hmm."
Basen thought it had gotten tricky.
Over the past few days, Golt had chattered about the Pabirang Union to Basen without realizing he was being interrogated, but now he belatedly understood it was an intelligence gathering.
Basen was just bewildered.
'What, now of all times.'
But on the other hand, he couldn't blame Golt for deciding to stay silent now, as it might help the Pabirang Union.
Of course, Basen hadn't come to see Golt without a plan.
'What did Kyle say to say...'
Through Mazudari's magic, Basen had consulted his brother and emperor Kyle, who gave a simple answer.
Whether Kyle's interrogation method would work was unknown, but Basen felt it would on Golt.
'Right, I remember.'
Basen said.
"Hey, Golt."
"Not talking. Hmph."
"We've decided to execute you."
"Not talking... what?"
Golt looked stunned.
Basen waved his hand lightly.
"No, not right away."
"...The Pabirang Union won't forgive you!"
"...Around tomorrow morning."
"Gasp."
Tears now welled in Golt's eyes, but Basen pretended not to notice.
"Being on an expedition means too many mouths to feed is a problem, and we don't need to keep 'useless' prisoners around."
Basen glanced at Golt here.
Golt's eyes brimmed with tears as he squeezed them shut and said.
"Fine! Kill me! If this one life can be offered for the Pabirang Union!"
Basen inwardly sighed in relief.
'Good, he can't break here no matter what.'
Basen said.
"No, death isn't the only path."
"Then?"
"We're executing half the prisoners. But there was opposition, saying we could spare useful ones. So if someone can tell us about the types of rubber-powered machines and their weaknesses, we'll let them live."
Golt said.
"Hah, but what if everyone stays silent?"
"True."
"Then everyone gets executed..."
"No plans for that. Heukrin values honor. We believe those who keep their word have value. Oh, by the way, for the rubber machine weaknesses, it's first-come, first-served. Even if you talk, if you're fourth out of six prisoners, too late."
So Golt's situation was this:
If all six prisoners stayed silent, all lived.
But if even one talked, only three survivors.
Basen turned, assuming Golt understood.
"Call when you want to talk."
As he turned, Golt said.
"Wait! Hold on!"
"...I haven't even left the prison door yet?"
"That's why I called you back, isn't it?"
As Basen turned, Golt looked resolute, as if making a great decision.
"I'll tell you everything."
Basen had to turn away for a moment to suppress his laughter.