"Ursus? I'll personally discuss the matter of Chernobog with their emperor."
For any nation, territorial integrity is of utmost importance. The emperor of the Ursus Empire would never simply relinquish control of a mobile city, even if it were in ruins. To put it bluntly, even if it were rubble, it would still be Ursus' rubble, and no one else would be allowed to claim it.
Therefore, Ursus would undoubtedly take action. Once they repelled the Ursus army's attack and demonstrated their strength, they could then negotiate.
In this world, most things depend on power. Even justice requires the strength to enforce it. If Ursus realized that the cost of reclaiming Chernobog far exceeded their limits, they would naturally cease their efforts.
After repelling Ursus' first attack, they could then approach the Ursus emperor to discuss the future of Chernobog.
If the current emperor were the previous one, Uman Ivanovich, negotiations would have been nearly impossible. He was a true warmonger who would never compromise.
The reason for his death was precisely this. He didn't step down due to old age or other reasons; he was assassinated. As for who ordered the assassination, there were too many suspects. Not only did Ursus' invasions earn him the hatred of many nations, but even within Ursus, many wanted him dead—both old and new nobles, and even Koschei, the will of Ursus, was a suspect.
While this warmongering emperor brought glory to Ursus through war and plunder, leading to prosperity, this was only possible as long as the wars were victorious.
He was a true warmonger, launching numerous campaigns during his reign: the Four Emperors' War, expeditions to Sami, ten campaigns against Kazimierz, and even an expedition to the Eastern Nations. However, it was this expedition that ended Ursus' streak of invincibility. The Battle of Blood Peak resulted in a devastating defeat for Ursus, exposing the underlying tensions that had been brewing due to the constant warfare.
Daniel Davis was deeply skeptical about the Battle of Blood Peak. Given Ursus' national strength, it was almost inconceivable that they lost to the Eastern Nations. He strongly suspected that Yan had intervened.
The reason for Yan's intervention was simple: Ursus' expedition to the Eastern Nations had to pass through Yan's territory. In other worlds, they might have been able to take a detour by sea, but in this world, that would be suicidal.
For Yan, allowing another nation's army to pass through their territory was unthinkable. While the phrase "borrowing a path to conquer Guo" didn't exist in this world, similar strategies did. Thus, conflict between the two was inevitable.
The lack of records about this event was likely due to historical censorship. Of course, this was just speculation. After so many years, only those directly involved would know the truth.
Any other emperor, after a military defeat, might have changed strategies or at least laid low for a while. But this emperor was a warmonger, undeterred by failure, and continued to wage war.
There's a saying: "A nation, no matter how large, will perish if it loves war too much, and will be in danger if it forgets war."
War isn't just about armies clashing on the battlefield; it's about a nation's comprehensive strength—economic power, resources, manpower, and more. Just like during the Warring States period in Qin and Zhao, both had famous generals, but Zhao kept losing because its overall strength was inferior to Qin's.
Constant warfare would deplete a nation's strength. For Ursus' nobles, war consumed their resources, whether they were old or new nobles.
When Daniel Davis read about this emperor's record, he was deeply frustrated. If he loved war so much, why not fight the demons to the north?
Looking at the history of Terra, many powerful nations fell because their rulers led armies to fight demons, leading to their eventual downfall.
Fortunately, the current Ursus emperor is a moderate, committed to improving the treatment of the infected. Coupled with the growing internal conflicts between old and new nobles, there was room for negotiation once they realized Chernobog was a tough nut to crack. This emperor wouldn't act like his predecessor.
The old nobles were the same. While the emperor might consider the empire's dignity when dealing with Chernobog, the nobles had no such concerns. In fact, they would be delighted if the emperor's forces were severely weakened.
Of course, all of this was based on strength.
"If you're already prepared, I won't say more. But please hurry with the medicine."
After staring at Daniel Davis for a moment, Kal'tsit left with these words. Her mood was complex. What she saw as a troublesome situation was nothing to Daniel Davis. If they had such power back then, perhaps Kazdel would have been rebuilt by now.
However, Kal'tsit was a determined person. She quickly pushed these thoughts aside and focused on the tasks at hand for Rhodes Island.
Rhodes Island's existence wasn't just her vision; it was also Theresa's legacy.
"Governor Wei, how have you been lately?" After Kal'tsit left, Daniel Davis immediately contacted Wei Yenwu of Lungmen. Since the supplies were for saving lives, the sooner they arrived, the better. Fortunately, Chernobog's core city wasn't too far from Lungmen, or else the communicator wouldn't have been able to reach Wei Yenwu directly.
In Terra, despite advanced technology—artificial intelligence, smartphones, tablets—communication was still a significant challenge.
If you were in the same mobile city, communication wasn't an issue. But between different mobile cities in different nations, phones and similar devices were nearly useless. Messengers were often required.
This was largely due to the frequent natural disasters that caused interference. In some ways, it was similar to the Grand Line in the world of One Piece.
However, while the Grand Line had Den Den Mushi, Terra had no such equivalent.
Of course, this didn't mean communication between mobile cities was entirely impossible. Knowing the problem, there were solutions.
For example, laying special lines or using relays.
"Is it resolved? Is Koschei dead?" Although it was a question, there was a hint of relief in Wei Yenwu's tone. After all, Lungmen was of utmost importance to him.
"Governor Wei, I've already said that Koschei isn't so easy to kill completely. But the part of him lurking in Talulah's consciousness has been eradicated. Talulah is fully recovered now. I saved your niece, Governor. Shouldn't you show some gratitude?"
"What do you want?" Wei Yenwu asked directly.
"Medicine. You know the area has just suffered a catastrophe. I can manage other things, but medicine is beyond me. Of course, I'll pay for it. I won't ask you to give it away for free."
"I'll prepare the medicine. But I want to know what you plan to do next." Wei Yenwu didn't believe Daniel Davis was purely helping the Reunion Movement. He must have his own agenda.
"Next? Naturally, to establish a mobile city where the infected can live freely." Daniel Davis didn't hide his intentions from Wei Yenwu. After all, building a city required many resources, and Lungmen had exactly what they needed.
"That's Chernobog. How do you plan to deal with Ursus?"
"Do you think I care about Ursus? Do you remember how Gaul fell, Governor Wei? If they don't know their place, I don't mind making Ursus the next Gaul."
For Daniel Davis, controlling the entire nation of Ursus would be difficult, even with Kyoka Suigetsu and the Feather of Truth. In the modern era, a nation's development wasn't solely dictated by its emperor. If it were, Ursus wouldn't be in such chaos now.
However, while controlling Ursus was hard, destroying it was possible. By weakening Ursus' strength, nations like Kazimierz, Victoria, and Columbia would seize the opportunity, just as they did during the Four Emperors' War with Gaul.
"By the way, Governor Wei, you must have many experts in repairing and building mobile cities, right? Could you send some over? Most of the relevant talent here has fled."
While the core city could still move, many of the other mobile city modules abandoned by Talulah had suffered significant damage from the catastrophe and needed repairs.
Most of Chernobog's experts had either fled or been killed by the Reunion Movement. The few remaining were insufficient.
"We'll talk after you deal with Ursus." With that, Wei Yenwu ended the call and quickly wrote a letter, summoning a shadow guard.
"Have a messenger deliver this to Chancellor Vytor in Sankt Petersburg immediately."
"Yes."
"The latest novel is first published on 69shuba!"
"It's Zima, Gummy, and the others. This is going to be troublesome."
After contacting Wei Yenwu, Daniel Davis left the Sarcophagus. He had no intention of studying it now. However, when he arrived at the core city's square, he was surprised to find a crowd gathered. Talulah, Ch'en, FrostNova, Amiya, and others were there, all looking troubled.
The reason was the five girls standing before them, confronting Talulah. Despite Talulah's earlier explanation, blaming the empire's grand duke for the conspiracy, the suffering of Chernobog was still caused by the Reunion Movement.
Others wouldn't—or couldn't—seek revenge against the Reunion Movement at this time, but Zima didn't care. Impulsive and hot-tempered, she charged at Talulah and the Reunion Movement members as soon as she saw them, ignoring Istina's attempts to dissuade her.
If things had gone according to the original timeline, Zima and the others wouldn't have had the chance for revenge, as Talulah's Reunion Movement would have already disbanded. But now, the situation was different.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry? Ursus curse words! I'll kill you, roar!"
Talulah's apology only seemed to anger Zima further. With a roar, she swung her black hammer at Talulah.
Clang!
Talulah drew her Originium sword and blocked Zima's hammer. Despite Zima's exceptional strength, even among Ursusians, Talulah was a Draco. Even without the age difference, their racial disparity was significant.
"If possible, I would let you kill me now. But unfortunately, I can't die yet." After repelling Zima, Talulah spoke calmly.
"Sonya, calm down."
As Zima roared again, preparing to charge, one of her companions—a girl with a white braid who looked very composed—stepped forward and grabbed her.
"Anna, don't stop me. I must—"
"Sonya!"
Anna's shout finally calmed Zima down a little, though she still glared at Talulah with rage.
"Sorry, my companion is a bit impulsive. May we leave now?" After calming Zima, Anna turned to Talulah and spoke calmly.
Though she appeared composed, anyone with experience could see she was forcing herself to stay calm. After all, there were many Reunion Movement members present. Despite their earlier broadcasts about new rules, the Reunion Movement's brutality made many distrustful.
After Daniel Davis drove away the opportunistic Reunion members, several conflicts broke out in the core city, mostly between Chernobog residents and the Reunion Movement.
"Of course. You may leave at any time. If one day my goal is achieved, you can come back to kill me. I won't resist then."
"Thank you." Anna ignored Talulah's words and signaled the others. A golden-haired Ursus girl holding a safe door panel immediately stepped forward and pulled Zima away before she could say more.
"Gummy's shield is really a safe door? But this is Ursus for you—lifting a safe door with one hand. That means Zima's hammer must be quite heavy. Too bad they didn't have this strength in the game."
"Talulah, are you okay?" After Zima, Anna, and the others left, Ch'en immediately approached Talulah, concern evident in her voice.
She hadn't intervened earlier, partly because of Talulah's explanation and partly because Zima's actions were driven by a desire for revenge. Their loved ones had indeed died at the hands of the Reunion Movement.
"I'm fine, Ch'en." Talulah forced a smile, though it looked more like a grimace. While the immortal black snake was responsible, Talulah wasn't one to shirk responsibility.
Fortunately, since her recovery, Ch'en had been by her side, helping her stay strong.
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