Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Western Continent
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Lamin asked again.
"The western continent?"
"Yes."
The western continent Sarcho mentioned was the First Continent.
Lamin recalled what he knew about the western continent.
The largest nation there was the Ronante-Oroban Alliance.
The two giant nations that had divided the western continent had joined forces to stand against the Union Kingdom.
Beyond that, countless smaller nations were all under the influence of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance.
Compared to the Third Continent, fully unified under the Emperor's influence; the Second Continent, where lords still squabbled but froze at the mere mention of the Sovereign's name; or the Fourth Continent, which had become a battlefield between the Empire and the Union Kingdom but maintained a relatively stable political structure outside the war zones—the First Continent remained unstable.
Even though the Ronante-Oroban Alliance effectively dominated the First Continent, their control wasn't as absolute as on the Second or Third Continents.
Because of that, they constantly had to deploy troops to quash rebellions within the continent, leaving them unable to project power beyond it.
'Still, it might be a bit more livable than the Empire or Union Kingdom. Even if war breaks out, it's nothing like the massive conflicts there.'
The Ronante-Oroban Alliance had poor relations with both the Empire and the Union Kingdom. They were currently at war with the Empire, but it wasn't on the scale of their past wars with the Union Kingdom. This current conflict was fairly recent and not a full-scale war, with a long period of peace before it. They had fought the Union Kingdom in the past, but not now.
Lamin asked,
"Why did my master go to the western continent?"
"I don't know the details. But he mentioned having a friend there."
"He never set foot in the Empire for all those years, but he was active on the western continent too?"
"...Even if you say that, I truly don't know."
Lamin answered awkwardly.
"Sorry... Is there no other information?"
"Well, I've been in the reeducation camp until recently, and I only spoke with Mr. Owen once, half a year ago."
Lamin turned to Gorgota.
"Is this information enough?"
"The gods are aiding us, so it should be fine, right? Besides, the Empire's intelligence network is active in the Ronante-Oroban Alliance too. There are even revolutionary factions emerging recently under the Union Kingdom's influence."
"Then let's move."
As Lamin and Gorgota turned to leave, Sarcho spoke up.
"Is that really all?"
Lamin looked back.
"Yes?"
"...I thought someone from the Empire would kill me on sight if they met me."
"Well, sure, some people might not take kindly to you. Secularism? Defying the gods' will? I heard back in the day it was considered worse than simple heresy."
Lamin added,
"But not me. Or him."
"Is that so?"
"My master wasn't either, was he?"
Before Sarcho could respond, the two brushed past him.
Hegemonia glared at the open chat window.
Two players stood there.
The one on the left looked like a Garuda at first glance.
But it wasn't a Garuda. No wings.
You could tell just by meeting their eyes without peering at their back.
A yellow beak, drooping fleshy comb the color of blood.
It was a rooster.
The player on the right, however, wasn't in any living form.
Where a head should be was a single red-glowing round mono-eye.
Pistons in place of muscles, circular motors linking joints flexibly, exposed hoses covered by steel plating—a robot form.
"...So, what's your answer to our proposal, Hegemonia?"
Hegemonia said,
"Don't rush me, chicken-head."
"I'm not a chicken-head. I'm Rooster-Head."
"That's even weirder. Change your nickname."
"I've been Rooster-Head since the old days. If anything needs changing, it's my appearance."
"I'll endure that."
The mono-eye spoke.
"Does our proposal displease you?"
Hegemonia replied,
"Of course it does, robot-head."
"My nickname is Vladimir."
"Too long."
"...Robot-head has the same number of letters."
"Shut up."
Hegemonia spat flames from within her steel helmet.
"Think about it. Why should I ally with you lot? Without the Empire, I could wipe you out in three years."
Rooster-Head said,
"We're just as displeased. But neither the Ronante-Oroban Alliance nor your Union Kingdom is in a good spot. To keep the Empire from winning, we need to combine forces."
"No, I'm more displeased."
"Are you a kid?"
Vladimir said,
"Hegemonia, you talk tough, but we know you're neither stupid nor impulsive. That's why we're making this offer. Besides, the alliance we're proposing is just temporary. Not a true alliance."
Hegemonia thought,
'What would Nebula think?'
The Ronante-Oroban Alliance had been one nation for decades, but they used two names because internal conflicts lingered.
'Above all, they're weak.'
After long wars, Ronante and Oroban allied, rising as the de facto hegemon of the First Continent.
But Molsa Kingdom and Sordem Kingdom were still player nations, sandwiched among countless minor states they couldn't fully conquer.
"The game's in mid-game, and you can't even clean up your own continent."
Hegemonia muttered, and Vladimir shot back.
"...Most players struggle to conquer a continent even by endgame. Scattered NPC nations untouched by players is the norm."
"'Most players' means mediocre ones."
"That's harsh. We've just had bad luck this game. Not to that level."
Rooster-Head said to Vladimir,
"Forget it. Scrap the alliance talks. I told you we couldn't ally with Hegemonia."
"...I knew that much."
Hegemonia sneered at that.
"Drop the fake theatrics. Next line's 'Guess I'll propose an alliance to Nebula,' right? Say that, no—even whisper it, and years from now the Empire will have conquered the First Continent."
Rooster-Head and Vladimir fell silent.
Hegemonia had hit the mark.
They'd tried to make her desperate, but she remained calm.
"No alliance needed, but you two could be useful."
Vladimir asked,
"What do you mean?"
"I'll take you as subordinates."
Rooster-Head exploded.
"Do we look like pushovers?"
Hegemonia nearly laughed at the unintended pun but held it in, given the gravity.
"Even you think an alliance is unreasonable, right? Equal say? But if I give orders and you obey, that's different. I'd accept that."
Rooster-Head said,
"Forget it."
But Vladimir stood still.
Vladimir said,
"And? Can we win?"
"What?"
"I asked if, with us as subordinates instead of allies, you can beat the Empire—Nebula."
Hegemonia answered,
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Hegemonia said coldly,
"The Union Kingdom is in dire straits. The key Fourth Continent front is steadily losing ground. One apostle died, and with faith resources short, revival's impossible. Power gaps keep opening. Internally, revolutionaries are causing agony. We'll need a full shift to a parliamentary system, but classism means massive pain. We're losing everywhere."
Hegemonia added,
"Plus, I have to account for you stabbing me in the back. Alliances fall that way."
Vladimir looked at Rooster-Head.
"We'll take the deal."
"Not alliance—subordinates..."
Rooster-Head interrupted Hegemonia.
"You didn't even say we could win. Why?"
"If she claimed victory, it'd be bluff. This prideful human's desperate last stand. But she's analyzing her situation coldly?"
"Ugh...!"
"Worth the gamble."
Hegemonia snapped,
"Who are you to judge me?"
Rooster-Head closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.
"Fine. Better than handing victory to Nebula."
Vladimir said,
"That's our stance. We'll serve as your subordinates."
Hegemonia laughed.
"Good. Round two begins."
Polybia.
A city-state in the southwest of the First Continent, one of the continent's premier port cities.
Built atop an ancient city half-submerged in the sea, it was the final destination for ships from the Second Continent and even the Empire's vessels from the west.
Commerce flourished, of course, but rich offshore fisheries developed too. Roads and recently railroads connected it everywhere, making it a transport hub.
Its key feature was neutrality.
It bordered the Ronante-Oroban Alliance but elected its market through council votes.
Revolutionary winds had swept the continent and world recently, but Polybia had long used votes for councilors and markets, so it was barely affected.
Secularism was the same.
People freely chose religions, and though rare, some had none.
With strong influence mediating conflicts between the First and Second Continents, Polybia was a city many dreamed of living in.
If they had the money.
"Get lost, bum."
Solotl Shimo rolled head over heels from the kick.
Shimo muttered,
"The sun... stings."
He'd started to get lost in sentiment when a passing orc kicked him.
Being small for a Solotl, he rolled again.
The orc glanced back casually.
"Sorry about that!"
Having just been evicted for unpaid rent, Shimo gathered his belongings and stood, hauling his load.
No time for pathos.
Lying in the street meant getting run over by a car.
Solotl were distant kin to Froglin.
But they looked so different no one saw the resemblance.
Smaller than mid-sized Froglin, with white skin and pink external gills exposed beside the head.
Solotl were land-walking axolotls.
Though black, fiercer Solotl existed, Shimo wasn't one.
Shimo dusted off and reapplied Deluva ointment to his head.
This ointment helped aquatic races live on land and was essential for Froglin and Solotl.
But it was running low.
"...I'm screwed."
He could return to his swamp homeland if needed, but he didn't want to.
Like many aquatics, their home seemed untouched by civilization.
"Never going back."
Shimo was an inventor.
His bag bulged with inventions and prototypes, looking like it walked itself from behind.
"Even if I die here...!"
To minimize sun exposure, Shimo hunched over while walking, then stopped and looked up at a shadow.
He thought he'd hit a wall.
But it was a Lizardman with black scales.
"Long time no see, little inventor."
Shimo blinked.
"...Teacher Owen?"