Apocalypse Lord-Chapter 47 - 45: A Good Neighbor at the Door?

Deep in the forest, the footsteps crunched over the snow as the Lord’s guards, clutching their iron weapons, struggled to advance.

The leading Iron Guard Captain Henry suddenly stumbled.

He looked down and realized he had stepped on a corpse covered by the snow.

The corpse’s face had been gnawed beyond recognition by wild animals, appearing to be a woman clutching the remains of a child.

"It’s truly disgusting!"

With a look of disdain, Iron Guard Captain Henry kicked the corpse aside. Every winter, runaway serfs trying to escape the winter tax appeared all over the Southern Territory.

The Lord kindly sheltered these wretches and only collected a small land tax each season, yet they tried to escape every day, utterly unreasonable!

The wind and snow grew stronger.

The journey was filled with the frozen bodies of those who died of exposure.

Henry instinctively tightened his fur coat, cursing, "This damned snowstorm! Why did it have to fall today?!"

Surely Viscount Roland is having fun with women under warm blankets right now?

Henry’s heart itched with envy, but the thought that he would soon lead the Iron Guard Corps to drag Viscount Roland out of bed filled him with excitement.

The Iron Guard Captain glanced back and noticed that the once neat formation of the Iron Guard Corps had stretched into a sparse line.

The snowstorm had come far too suddenly.

The guards, still wearing simple leather coats, shivered in the cold wind, though their body fat offered some slight protection.

Everyone trudged forward through the snow, panting heavily with their beer bellies.

Overall, they lived better than the wretches did, even though the Lord consumed all the fat and marrow of the people, the Iron Guards managed to scrape a little powder off the bones of the wretches.

Iron Guard Captain Henry wrapped himself up quite tightly.

"We’ll soon reach the Viscount’s territory, no one is allowed to fall behind!"

He shouted, "Once we reach Viscount Roland’s territory, I permit you to satisfy your desires with women and children before you kill anyone!"

Hearing this, the guards’ spirits lifted, and their eyes grew excited and greedy.

This was what they looked forward to the most!

Seeing this boost in morale, Henry’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

·

·

At the edge of the pine forest, Ed was speaking seriously to the gray-haired Lord.

"Lord, the physical capabilities of these young men are just too poor."

The officer from the Alliance stood straight and reported truthfully, "I plan to first hone their physical bodies and wills, and then teach them how to deal with complex battle situations."

"Follow your plans; I trust you."

Lin Lan nodded, watching the young men bustling about. He continued to ask, "By the way, what do you think about the Ash Soil Spears being made over at the camp?"

"As a cold weapon, its strength is remarkable, and it can grant the user a certain ’power,’ making it easier for me to draw out the user’s potential..."

Ed replied, "But there are far too few spears. So far, only two Centurions have the special spears."

He glanced at Centurion Colin whom he appointed.

The young man was carrying the Golden Spear and chopping wood with enthusiasm.

Ed clearly understood what the Ash Soil Spear represented; the Lord possessed the Sunshine Refining Technology, monopolized by the Angsak people!

But he wouldn’t rack his brain over the Lord’s origins like a politician, nor be shocked or fawn over.

"Sir, I don’t recommend placing too much hope in cold weapons; that’s definitely a wrong path."

He said bluntly, "You should find ways to apply Sunshine Refining Technology in areas more suitable."

From an Alliance soldier’s viewpoint, Ed saw the limitations of cold weapons as too great.

With the Age of Exploration unfolding, battlefields changed almost every year.

Large-scale curses, long-range artillery fire, new-age legion ships, War Giant Structures, and the heartless Mechanical Legion...

Cold weapons cannot effectively deal with them on the battlefield, no matter how strong they might be in specialized applications.

Ed would realistically pour cold water over the situation, recounting his opinions in full.

As for the territory’s poverty, technical progress, and other issues, those were matters for the Lord and the craftsmen to consider, not within his responsibilities.

Perhaps... that’s why he had been ruthlessly abandoned by his former superior.

Yet Lin Lan was quite satisfied with Ed’s long-term vision!

"Give me some time, Ed."

He smiled, "While cold weapons are only transitional, they’re currently my only way to enhance the territory’s combat power."

"I understand, sir."

Ed nodded, his gaze toward the young men growing more stern, "I will train them to the best of my ability..."

Suddenly, a loud shout interrupted their conversation.

—"You bunch of lowly fools, stop right there!!"

Yo! Are they finally here? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Lin Lan’s eyes lit up.

In everyone’s sight, some scattered figures appeared from deep within the forest.

The man at the forefront was afraid his enemies might miss him, waving a long sword and sneering at the axe-wielding youths:

"This is the property of the Southern Territory Lord, you wretches are doomed! Next, I’ll chop off your heads myself!"

His guards also started shouting, their jeering voices echoing from the forest.

The wind and snow grew more severe.

Ed squinted his eyes, and despite the blurry vision from the snowstorm, his experience allowed him to quickly assess the enemy’s situation.

About one hundred men, all holding the most ordinary cold weapons, completely lacking formation, with discipline so lax it’s laughable...

A pure rabble.

"Jay, Colin, lead your Decurions, form two wedge formations!"

Ed immediately gave strict orders, and the young men instinctively mobilized at his command. In a flash, they formed proper formations.

Jay and Colin stood at the front of the two Hundred-man Squads, glaring at the distant enemy.

No one retreated.

Because the Lord stood right behind them at this moment!

"Do you need me to help, Ed?"

Lin Lan seemed eager as well.

"Sir, I’m unclear on the extent of your power, but please give these young men a chance to grow."

Ed offered timely advice.

Frankly, if over two hundred well-trained young guys couldn’t handle this little enemy, there wouldn’t be a reason for Seagull Town to exist.

Lin Lan nodded.

Using the Giant Squad against them certainly seemed like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut...

Meanwhile, Iron Guard Captain Henry sensed something was off too, as those wretched peasants hadn’t panicked and run, instead standing in two groups, even brandishing weapons!

How could they dare?!

"Listen up! I’m the Iron Guard Captain under the Southern Territory Lord! What you’re doing now is nothing short of rebellion!"

Henry declared proudly, then gave a hard kick to the butt of a guard beside him.

"What are you waiting for? Get on with it!"

He laughed loudly, "Chop them down, then the women and children in the town are yours to enjoy!"

Lin Lan’s eyes instantly turned ice-cold.