Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

With the monsoon bringing the first rainfall of the Imperial Calendar year 560, the vast plains of the Newly Reclaimed Land regained their vitality once more.

New grass sprouted beside fallen leaves, cloaking the earth in a thin layer of green; pine and oak trees unfurled tender shoots, giving the forest an entirely distinct hue.

Even deep within the still snow-clad Jinding Mountains, swathes of pale-yellow blossoms braved the frost, blooming first on the white wasteland.

Yet, the arrival of spring did nothing to alter the fate of those living on this land; their lives were instead overshadowed by the looming clouds of a new war.

The Maplestone City Incident ended in an overwhelmingly tragic fashion: General Adams took his own life in martyrdom, and a large number of New Reclamation Legion officers were either killed in combat or executed, with only those who surrendered immediately spared.

The legion's direct-affiliated troops stationed at Maplestone City were absorbed by the victors, while the few New Reclamation officers who narrowly escaped the siege ensured that the grisly events of Maplestone City became widely known.

However, the flames of rebellion did not sweep across the land as some had anticipated.

As news of the Maplestone City Incident spread further, the Newly Reclaimed Lands Province instead fell into an unsettling silence.

No one rose to call for revolt or raised their banners in defiance. The garrison posts and defensive units in each county made no declarations, as if nothing had occurred.

The Red Rose faction occupying Maplestone City also remained idle. They issued no commands to the counties, nor did they rush to consolidate power; instead, they merely announced an obituary for General Adams in the name of the New Reclamation Legion.

Yet everyone knew that the current peace was nothing but the calm before the storm.

The Red Rose faction was racing against time to reorganize the Newly Reclaimed Legion's direct-affiliated troops it had just absorbed, while the remnants of the New Reclamation Legion, filled with fury over the Maplestone City massacre, were gearing up for battle and seeking alliances.

The quieter the current situation seemed, the more enormous the amassed forces on both sides would grow, and the more devastating the war would be once it erupted.

A new wave of refugees broke out from Maplestone City. Large numbers of wealthy merchants and estate owners fled with their families, driving horse-drawn carts laden with their possessions in droves toward the Paratu inland.

Meanwhile, those who were unable to escape could only gaze fearfully at the gathering storm clouds on the horizon and pray that war would not reach them.

...

...

[Iron Peak County]

[Revodan]

"My apologies, Major Meyer, truly sorry—and oh, Major Nevitz, my apologies to you as well." Mason stood alone before the envoy of the Red Rose faction, wearing an expression of utmost sincerity and offering profuse apologies: "Captain Montaigne is currently not in Revodan, so I ask that you both wait for a few days."

"Not in Revodan? Then where is our dear Captain Montaigne? Captain Mason, are you intending to brush us off with 'old injuries acting up' again?" Major Meyer casually leaned against the negotiation table, speaking leisurely: "To my knowledge, Captain Montaigne's injuries have already healed—in fact, he appeared publicly just three days ago."

Mason knew clearly that the other party was hinting that they were not entirely ignorant about Revodan's affairs. This implied that either someone inside Revodan was colluding with them or their spies had successfully infiltrated the city.

"Major, my deepest apologies. Captain Montaigne's old injury has indeed healed, yet he truly isn't in the city at the moment," Mason innocently explained. "He's out of town."

"Out of town?" Major Meyer raised an eyebrow, asking with interest, "And what might he be doing out of town?"

Mason scratched his head. "Attending to personal matters."

...

After barely managing to deal with the Red Rose envoy, Mason left their quarters in haste and headed toward the other end of Revodan's city center. The words Major Meyer had said during their parting continued to echo in his mind.

"Captain Mason." Major Meyer's tone was mild, yet carried an unmistakable warning: "If you still wish to rejoin the ranks of the regular army, I can tell you that this is your last opportunity."

Major Meyer stood up, patting Mason's shoulder. "The war will eventually end, and the wise will align themselves with the victors—so I advise you to think it over carefully before making a decision."

Mason had always known he was not adept at negotiation. He disliked dealing with people, as their words were often half-truths. By contrast, numbers never lied.

Thus, as Mason rode his horse, he silently evaluated Major Meyer's message using mathematical reasoning, as was his habit.

"For threats, I'll give a rating of 7. Though Maplestone City's forces lack advantage, Kingsfort's power far exceeds the New Reclamation Legion. From a probabilistic perspective, Kingsfort is more likely to emerge as the victor," Mason thought. "However, for honesty, I'd give a mere 3. If we lose our value, based on Kingsfort's typical behavior, most of their promises will likely be broken."

On the whole, the attitude of Kingsfort's envoy was relaxed yet confident. They neither made urgent appeals for Iron Peak County's assistance nor issued stern threats coercing the county to pledge allegiance.

It seemed as though the Red Rose faction did not particularly care which side Iron Peak County chose, as if Iron Peak's involvement was merely icing on the cake—welcome, but not essential.

"But... perhaps this is precisely their negotiation tactic. Who knows?" Mason thought, exhausted both mentally and physically. "Better leave this puzzle for Winters to solve."

Riding through the city, Mason arrived at the gate of a grand mansion on the other side of Revodan.

The guard stationed at the entrance stepped forward a few paces to help steady Mason's horse.

"Are the guests still inside?" Mason dismounted and handed the reins to the guard.