Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 667: Insolence

TL: Rui88

In the reception room of the Lord’s Manor in Lakeheart Town, with the exception of Count Malron Ganard who was serving in the royal capital, the lords of the Northwest Bay Customs Union were gathered.

They were discussing a serious issue—how to respond to the orc invasion.

“Damn those prairie savages!”

“Bastards with hairy arses!”

“A bunch of overconfident fools.”

…

Curses of this nature filled the entire room.

“This is still quite unbelievable.”

Count Heller shook his head.

“Watcher’s Fortress is impregnable. Theoretically, the orcs should not be able to break into the Nerodan Corridor.”

Although reason told him that Paul was unlikely to have gathered everyone here just because of a rumor.

“It is very regrettable.”

Paul said dejectedly, “Alda’s intelligence agents have already sent back information. In the northern part of Nerodan, that is, the area near the Rocky Mountains, there are already traces of large-scale orc activity.”

Count Parker frowned. “If Watcher’s Fortress is still standing, does this mean the orcs have found a passage to cross the mountains in large numbers?”

Paul nodded. “I believe so.”

The words of the two sparked another round of discussion.

“Alright! We should be prepared.”

Duke Ferdinand rubbed his hands, a little nervous.

Due to the increasingly prosperous commercial activities, the lords of Northwest Bay now had many channels for information and were not as uninformed as the lords in other parts of the kingdom.

They had heard something about what was happening on the Great Plains, knew about the newly risen “King’s Tent,” knew about the Grand Chieftain named Abal, and knew that the orc army had already swept through the oasis kingdoms to the east of the kingdom.

And the Ferdinand family’s territory was located inland, in the easternmost part of Northwest Bay.

If something went wrong in the kingdom’s northeast, his territory would be the first to bear the brunt.

“The eastern towns should be fortified!”

“Dig deep trenches!”

“Train the army!”

A host of conventional measures were proposed and quickly confirmed.

But then everyone started to complain.

“Damn the orcs. If we have to train a large army, it will seriously affect our production.”

“Exactly, who will farm the land, who will work in the factories?”

“But the orc cavalry comes and goes like the wind. We have to station troops everywhere, which requires a lot of manpower.”

Paul stood up and patted his chest.

“Gentlemen, I have gathered you here to boost your confidence.”

Two attendants carried a wooden frame and placed it behind Paul.

This wooden frame was similar to an easel, with a stack of large cardboard sheets hanging on it, which could be flipped over one by one.

“What is this?”

“A manual presentation. Don’t worry about the name. For now, we should focus on its content.”

Paul flipped open the cardboard.

On the first page was a drawing of a strange machine, spewing thick steam.

—

Ma Weng, an ordinary small town in the northeastern region of the kingdom.

It was here that the Bradley family welcomed Princess Catherine and her army.

“Respected Highness! I salute you and the great royal house of Ordo.”

Smollett Bradley, the second son of Duke Bradley, respectfully knelt on one knee and bowed to the kingdom’s princess.

“Please rise, Sir Smollett.”

Catherine smiled gently, yet without losing her dignity.

Smollett stood up and looked at her with an ardent gaze.

“Since that time I fought under your command against the highland barbarians, I have not seen your beautiful face for a long time.”

Catherine said, “It is a pity you did not attend the king’s coronation last time.”

Smollett sighed. “Yes, at that time I was entrusted with an important task by my father and had no time to travel south. However, my brother brought back a thunderbolt of news for me—His Majesty our King actually betrothed his cousin to the Count of Alda.”

Catherine’s expression did not change. “This is the inevitable fate of every royal daughter. We share in the glory of the kingdom, so naturally, we must also fulfill our obligations to the kingdom.”

“But…” the man opposite her shook his head, “perhaps the king should have chosen a husband of nobler birth, purer bloodline, and more ancient lineage for you. Only then would he be worthy of your beauty and talent, instead of casually sending you to some man’s bed.”

“Insolent!”

The generals around Catherine were enraged. This well-dressed young nobleman dared to be so disrespectful.

Ofina, Lester, and Ofina all drew their swords and glared at Smollett.

To be honest, it was the first time they had encountered someone so insolent towards the princess.

The knights behind Smollett also immediately drew their swords to protect their master’s second son.

For a moment, the sound of swords being drawn was endless, and the two sides were at daggers drawn.

Catherine was very angry, so much so that for a moment she did not know what to say, as this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

“Count Smollett, my future husband is a healthy, noble, and brave nobleman.”

She added a question mark in her heart, as she had not yet gotten to know Paul deeply.

But in public, she had to defend him.

“He is a perfect match for me, and I am very grateful to His Majesty the King for facilitating our union.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

A look of deep regret appeared on Smollett’s face.

He waved his hand, and the knights behind him sheathed their swords.

Then he bowed. “I apologize to you, respected Princess Catherine. I admit that I was blinded by a strong sense of unwillingness, but I believe there are many in the kingdom who feel the same way as I do. They are just bound by so-called face and are too embarrassed to say it to you.”

These words, hidden with flattery, combined with Smollett’s expression, made him look like a lovelorn young man suffering from unrequited love.

Catherine raised her hand, motioning for her subordinates to sheathe their swords.

But her tone turned cold, reminiscent of an iceberg compared to before.

“Sir, considering your youth, I will not pursue the matter of your disrespect.”

The princess sighed. Her heart was already at Watcher’s Fortress; she had no mind to deal with such trivial matters.

“My army needs to hurry to the fortress immediately. The soldiers on the front line are waiting for our support.”

The Duke’s second son seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “Of course, Your Highness. My father had me wait here precisely to provide you with a batch of supplies and to act as your guide.”

“Please rest for a short while in the town. I will immediately return to the camp and hand over the supplies to your army.”

Catherine nodded. “Go quickly, sir. The orc army is at our doorstep. I hope you can focus your energy on protecting the kingdom’s people and your family’s territory, instead of letting your imagination run wild.”

“I will follow your teachings!”

Smollett left with his knights.

Not long after he left, Ofina approached Catherine.

“Your Highness, I have some bad news.”

AN: I suddenly remembered that as a kingdom-building and conquest novel, the protagonist hasn’t seemed to have fought a formal battle in a long time.