Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

...

[Monta Republic]

[Steel Fort]

John Servette, Member of Parliament, pushed open the window and gazed outward from his new office. The view of the bustling reconstruction efforts in the southern urban areas of Steel Fort unfolded before his eyes.

He glanced at the sky.

"Rain is coming."

...

[Palatu Republic]

[Rainbow Creek]

The news of the military coup in Guidao City had reached Rainbow Creek.

The senior officials in the military government had yet to reach a consensus on the impact of the coup; they were even more divided on how to respond to its implications.

One military commissioner at the Palatu-Federated Provinces border demanded reinforcements, while another from the north bank of the Ashen Stream River refused to weaken river defenses;

surrender advocates began dropping insinuations, while the younger, radical faction shouted demands for a preemptive strike against the Federated Provinces.

Listening to the endless quarrels of his "subordinates" in the conference room, General Alpad Duyome stared out the window with an expressionless face.

"Rain is coming."

...

[Palatu Republic]

[Kingsfort]

Grof Magnus, Speaker of the Second Republic of Palatu, had just finished drafting a list.

The news of the Guidao City coup had also reached Kingsfort.

Upon learning of their Federated Provinces "ally's" success, Grof Magnus immediately began implementing his long-prepared plan.

After much deliberation, he crossed out a name on the list.

"This one's a spineless coward," he thought. "For now, he doesn't need to be dealt with."

A strong wind blew open the window, carrying the curtain outside. A clerk rushed into the office, fumbling to close the window again.

Grof Magnus stared out at the heavily overcast sky.

"Rain is coming."

...

[United Provinces Republic]

[Guidao City]

[Army Headquarters Auditorium]

A celebration banquet was in full swing, attended mostly by officers, with a handful of junior officers present as well.

Colonel Cornelius was delivering a speech: "For the past twenty-nine years, the people of various republics have always said mockingly, 'The United Provinces Republic doesn't have a country with an army—it's an army with a country.'"

Looking at the eager and excited eyes of the officers below him, Cornelius raised his wine glass: "Fine! Let them truly understand the power of the United Provinces Army!"

The next moment, cheers filled the auditorium.

The vibrations from the cheers even reached the detention cell below the hall.

In the detention cell, Brigadier General Balenz, under house arrest, stared out at the narrow patch of gloomy sky through the iron bars.

"Rain is coming."

...

[Iron Peak County]

[Revodan]

"Excuse me." Richard Mason, carrying a hefty stack of dossiers, tried to squeeze past the corridor crowded with his senior colleagues, careful not to step on anyone's toes: "Excuse me."

As he reached the end of the corridor, "Saber" Seber rasped out: "Mon—"

"I'll be right back!" Mason interrupted before Seber could finish. "Don't worry, I'll be back right away! Do you want something to drink? Or…"

"No need." Seber waved his hand, looking deeply at Mason, then sighed: "You've had it rough. These days… sorry for what you've been through."

Hearing this, Mason suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He looked out the window and smiled.

"Rain is coming."

...

[Iron Peak County]

[Pastures on the outskirts of Revodan]

"Tulin!" Andre shouted at the top of his lungs, sitting atop his horse on a hillside: "Tulin! Where the hell are you?!"

Startled awake from a nap, Tulin scrambled out of the woods in a panic: "Here! Here!"

"Idiot!" Andre cursed furiously: "Where's your horse?"

Stunned, Tulin scratched his head: "In the woods. I let it graze."

Andre raised his riding whip in anger, and Tulin flinched in fear.

But the whip ultimately didn't fall—deep down, Tulin knew very well that as long as he showed a fearful expression, Lieutenant Cherini's whip wouldn't strike.

Andre threatened him fiercely: "Lose a horse, and I'll give you twenty lashes!"

"Don't worry, sir." Tulin thumped his chest and promised with an ingratiating smile: "I know how much you value these army horses. I take care of them better than my own mother! This winter was tough, but we made it through, didn't we? Not a single horse died! Now they're all thriving again! Nothing to worry about!"

"Cut the nonsense." Andre scowled. "Hurry and gather the horses and bring them back to the stable."

"Why bring them back to the stable?" Tulin asked, puzzled.

"Are you blind?" Andre pointed at the sky. "Rain is coming! If a horse gets sick from the rain, I'll beat you to death!"

...

[Iron Peak County]

[Blackwater Town]

Having just finished inspecting the winter wheat sprouting at Blackwater Town's refugee farm earlier that morning, Bard was now galloping toward Wolf Town.

"Lieutenant!" Anglu suddenly shouted: "Wait!"

Bard reined in his horse and raised an eyebrow, asking: "What is it?"

"Rain is coming." Anglu caught up and pointed to the sky. "We should find a place to take shelter first."

Bard shook his head, flicked his whip, and resumed his journey: "We'll deal with it once we reach Wolf Town."

...

[Iron Peak County]

[Shovel Port]

"Mr. Alpha" gazed at the militia on the training ground. Their sloppy formations and lax attitudes filled him with foreboding.

After winter, the Revodan government finally had the capacity to launch sweeping anti-bandit operations across Iron Peak County—though conspicuously, they hadn't sent any troops to Shovel Port.

As a result, bandits who found resistance elsewhere flocked to Shovel Port. Its mayor promptly incorporated them as militia and assigned Mr. Alpha to train them.