Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 721: Collins’s Financial Crisis

TL: Rui88

The Alda fleet had been at sea for more than half a month before they could finally see the coastline of Horn Bay in the distance.

As they passed the waters near Fort Ness, great plumes of smoke could already be seen rising into the sky through telescopes. According to the fleet’s latest intelligence, the Crusader Army had already launched its offensive against Fort Ness.

Commander Queller’s real concern was Lion’s Port. Under his orders, the Alda fleet pressed on towards its destination without a moment’s delay.

Fortunately, their destination was near Fort Ness. After sailing for only a short while longer, the fleet entered the harbor of Lion’s Port. The small, burgeoning city still showed no signs of battle, and a sigh of relief went through the ranks of the fleet.

After docking and mooring, Queller stepped onto the pier and headed straight for the Town Hall.

When the massive southbound fleet approached the port, it first caused a small panic—considering the current tense situation, panic was inevitable.

But when someone spotted the Alda Navy flag flying from the fleet, the panic immediately turned to joyous surprise, which then spread throughout the city.

The Northwest Bay had finally sent people to protect them. The dark clouds that had hung over the city for days dissipated in an instant.

“General Quik! Thank you for coming.” Inside the Town Hall, Liszt, upon learning of the fleet commander’s arrival, ran directly to the main hall and shook his hand firmly.

Quik responded, saying, “I have come under the orders of Marquis Grayman to strengthen the defenses here!”

The leaders of Lion’s Port were summoned to the Town Hall to study the latest situation with Quik and his men.

At the meeting, Quik announced Paul’s order—that Quik would serve as the overall military commander of Horn Bay. After no one voiced any objections, he immediately appointed Elvin to continue as the head of local defense.

After getting a grasp of the situation, he declined the welcome banquet jointly hosted by the city’s merchants and hurriedly took his men to inspect the city’s defenses.

Meanwhile, in the Crusader Army’s camp, Commander Edwin Cook, appointed by the Holy See, furiously rejected the Horn Bay Church’s request.

“My mission is to help you crusade against the godless heretics, not to help you plunder the wealth of innocent people!”

He was very angry. The local Church actually wanted his army to attack the neutral people of Alda, which made General Cook, who had always prided himself on his chivalry, feel insulted.

Even setting chivalry aside, from a purely military perspective, what good would it do to make another enemy?

This bunch of troublemakers who only knew how to chant scriptures. No wonder they couldn’t handle the New Protestant Alliance on their own and needed the Holy See to come from thousands of miles away to clean up their mess.

“General, please understand!” said the representative sent by Archbishop Elvis of Horn Bay. “While your officers and soldiers were fighting and bleeding, it was the people of Alda in Lion’s Port who were engaged in filthy trade with those blasphemers. Countless amounts of food and weapons were sent into the hands of the blasphemers by them; otherwise, our war would not be progressing with such difficulty. Therefore, the people in Lion’s Port are our enemies, and they also stand in opposition to the Heavenly Father.”

General Cook frowned. “But the people of Alda also trade with us. A large portion of our weapons were bought from them.” He did not agree with the archbishop’s envoy.

“They charged us far more than the normal price!” the envoy said through gritted teeth. “A bunch of profiteering scoundrels. Their moneybags are flowing not only with gold, but with the blood of countless people who have sacrificed themselves for God.”

Cook waved his hand dismissively. “The attack on Fort Ness is already difficult enough. Let’s not invite any more trouble.”

With that, he flung his cape and walked out.

The envoy’s face was a mixture of emotions. After sitting dumbly for a while, he hurried out of the tent, wound his way through the camp, and entered another tent.

The King of Collins had been waiting here for a long time. Seeing the envoy enter, he immediately went to greet him.

“Your Excellency, how did it go? Did that stubborn Cook agree?”

“Agreed my arse!” the envoy swore. “It seems there’s no hope with him.”

“This…” The King of Collins was speechless for a moment, his entire face stiffening.

The envoy roughly recounted his conversation with General Cook. “Can’t you just hold on a little longer?” he asked, frowning as he saw the king’s ashen face.

“Hold on? How can I hold on?” the King of Collins suddenly shouted as if on the verge of a breakdown. “If I don’t find some money soon, how am I supposed to pay my soldiers?”

He paced anxiously around the tent, each step thudding heavily on the ground, making loud noises as he waved his arms in fury.

“Do you know? This damned war has already emptied our treasury!”

The inland countries of Horn Bay were not as wealthy as the coastal ones to begin with. When they launched the war, they had thought that with the support of the Holy See, they could immediately sweep through the New Protestant Alliance, but their earlier defeat in the north had shattered this beautiful dream.

As the Holy See changed its strategy and increased its investment in Horn Bay, the Crusader Army began to “gnaw” its way through the south, step by step. Although it was a steady and cautious approach, the process had also exhausted the already meager coffers of the inland nations.

The envoy yelled, “As long as we take Fort Ness, will Your Majesty still have to worry about not having money for military pay?”

“I doubt how much money is even left in Fort Ness!” The King of Collins’s eyes were bloodshot. “And when will we take it? A month? Two months? A year?”

“I have no doubt about the victory of the Crusader Army! But if this goes on, future histories will record such a ridiculous tale—on the eve of victory, the great King of Collins was overthrown because he couldn’t pay his soldiers. Hahaha, how laughable!”

Looking at the hysterical king, the envoy said, “If we really want to make a move on Lion’s Port, we still have to consider the Kingdom of Ordo…”

“The Kingdom of Ordo?” The King of Collins looked at the envoy as if he were an idiot. “Does that kingdom still exist? Do you know nothing of what’s happening there? There are orcs in the north and Jars in the south. The country has long since fallen apart. What protection can it offer a port so far away? Besides, Lion’s Port isn’t even royal property… Wait!”

The King of Collins shouted, “I’ve got it! I’ve got it!”

“What have you got?” the envoy asked hastily.

“Jars! Yes, Jars! Hasn’t he already agreed to stand with us against those blasphemers?”

The King of Collins became excited, his earlier despair gone, as if he had discovered something incredible.

“Using the people of Ordo to fight the people of Ordo, this idea is brilliant!”

“I have met him, I know him! As long as I promise him a share of the port’s wealth, Jars will surely agree!”