While the members of the Guerrilla unit were rejoicing over the improvement of their Oripathy, the pro-war nobles who received the news from afar could no longer sit still.
They had suspected that the documents hadn't vanished in the flames but had been taken by others. However, they never dreamed those items would fall into the hands of Patriot, Buldrokkas'tee!
Given his military record, if he truly wished to seek an audience with the new Emperor, he would be treated with the utmost respect despite being Infected. If those documents reached the Emperor, the Sovereign would be delighted—he might even use it as leverage to rewrite the Infected Processing Acts! Once Patriot delivered that intelligence, they would be finished. The supplies had already been smuggled out; there was no way to recover them.
The new Emperor had long been at odds with them, but he lacked a pretext to strike, fearing he would drive the neutral factions into the arms of the opposition. Their original plan was to wait for Kashchey's success, blame the disappearance of the supplies on Kashchey's faction, and then use a war with the Yan Empire to cover their tracks.
"We can wait no longer! If that Infected truly leaves the tundra and hands those things to His Majesty, we are all dead men!"
Inside a secret chamber, a portly Ursus noble slammed the table, his face masked with anxiety. This was Valaislov, the man currently providing logistics for the Third Army Corps and the greediest among the pro-war nobles. It was through his hands that those supplies were sold to other nations or used to fund insurgencies. They couldn't rely solely on the Black Snake; they needed other factions to stir up chaos. But if this exposure happened, he would be the first noble the Emperor hanged!
"Then what? Send a squad to arrest them? Do you think our people can catch that Guerrilla unit on the tundra? If they were that easy to catch, I wouldn't have lost so many men!" a gray-bearded old man said gloomily, his tone unfriendly. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Third Army Corps. The drivers and trucks used for the smuggling had been diverted from his ranks. He had tried to wipe out the Guerrillas before, but all attempts failed due to Patriot's ghost-like tactics. Pursuing them with a landship was difficult and risked the ship being boarded and captured.
"Then just leave it! At worst, we all wait for death together! I'm just a small fry anyway," an angry voice interjected from the side. This person was responsible for the transit points. They were sick of the constant finger-pointing; couldn't anyone think of a solution instead of bickering?
"Gentlemen, calm down. This is no time for impulse," a man sitting in the head seat interrupted. His authority was enough to douse the anger in the room. Everyone fell silent, waiting for him to speak. "The main problem is Patriot. As long as he dies, everything returns to normal. Didn't the Third Army just commission a new landship? Let it go under the guise of an extermination campaign. A battle of this scale is perfect for breaking in a new vessel."
"But... Sir, even a new warship can't stop a Guerrilla unit that strikes from nowhere! They might sneak aboard and seize the ship!" the previously arrogant noble said, now sounding humble. The man before him was a general who had served the late Emperor—a figure so prominent even the current Emperor had to greet him personally.
"Foolish thinking!"
The old man struck the floor with his cane, rebuking the man. "Has your brain rotted? Simply force the Guerrillas to fight you head-on! Destroy the villages that might support them—force them out into the open!"
It was a ruthless plan that involved using the lives of innocent villagers as bait. But these men didn't care; as long as the objective was achieved, no sacrifice was too great.
"But... that is Patriot! He is an elite whose tactics are written in military textbooks! Can the Emperor's Blades..."
"Forget about the Blades! Without the Emperor's direct command, if they are discovered participating in a battle alongside our private interests, the consequences would be catastrophic!" The old man cut him off. Realizing there was no room for negotiation, the noble bowed and left.
"Any news from Kashchey? He is also on the tundra, isn't he? Does he have any valuable leads?"
"According to his subordinates, there are no leads. His operation still needs several years."
"Fine. We also need time to prepare. This war is the only way for us to reclaim our full power! No matter how many people are sacrificed, we must succeed!"
Weeks after the meeting ended, the Varyag, the latest landship of the Ursus Third Army Corps, sailed out of the drydock, vowing to use the blood of the Northwest Guerrillas for its maiden voyage.
Deep in the tundra, Jeanne was busy mining Originium, preparing for the great events in her "Revelations." However, her workers were not Infected, but a different kind of creature—one far more efficient.
The ground shook slightly as a creature resembling a giant lizard sprinted out of the pit toward Jeanne, followed by several smaller, dinosaur-like beings. This giant lizard was a Land Dragon (Earth Wyrm). Jeanne utilized its natural affinity for burrowing and underground life, controlling it to dig the tunnels while the smaller dragon-kin loaded Originium onto its back.
With its raw strength, a single Land Dragon's excavation efficiency was faster than fifty Infected workers combined! Jeanne even had half a mind to get rich by starting a mining business with them. Although the amount of Dragon Blood in its veins was low—meaning its intelligence was no higher than a common beast—under the influence of Jeanne's "Dragon Witch" trait, it became the perfect miner.
Furthermore, it could handle plowing fields and pulling heavy carts. As for its diet, it could return to a special imaginary space at night to feed itself. When these creatures first appeared, they gave Talulah quite a shock; she had thought they were some kind of mutated Originium slugs or monsters.