Man in the Ark: Revitalizing Kazdel

"Boom! Boom..." Fierce artillery fire rained down on the frozen ground, kicking up large amounts of soil and snow. The heavy tracks of the warships rolled over the scorched and smoking ruins of the mining area, leaving deep ravines like scars on the earth.

"The central mining area has been cleaned up."

"receive."

"The satellite city mining area has been cleaned up."

"receive."

The cold, monotonous voice of the terminal broadcasting incessantly, like a piece of music with a single, endlessly repeating rhythm.

The aurora borealis shimmered in the night sky, this beautiful veil shielding the tundra from all the cries of anguish.

This night was exceptionally long.

Grand Duchess Eliza, who had just finished a warm bath, sat down on the sofa in front of the warm fireplace, wearing a white silk nightgown, and reached out to turn the tuning knob.

What was originally a cold battle report transformed into a melodious classical piece of music. Having completed all this, Grand Duchess Yelisa finally turned her attention to the letter on the table stamped with the council's wax seal. Even without opening the envelope, she knew what was inside.

"...I understand, I've always understood, my beloved Majesty. I understand your benevolence, but no one is ever truly respected for benevolence..."

"What will become of a nation that loses its energy lifeline? It will become livestock dependent on others, or, before that, seize enough energy to sustain itself. You should also understand that this is not the army group's desire... this is Ursus's desire."

“Ursus must not be weak. If she is about to become weak, then we must cut away the part that makes her weak. Once she shows weakness, she will be devoured by other predators in an instant.”

“That makes sense… What a difficult silence this is… So please forgive the choice we have made for Ursus, for the sake of the great Ursus.” Grand Duchess Yelisa’s eyes reflected the burning fire in the fireplace as she gently tossed the letter stamped with the Council’s wax seal into the warm fireplace.

A soft crackling sound of flames rose, and then all was quiet again.

......

"Shh...shh..." Deep in the cold, damp mine tunnels, the miners who had narrowly escaped death huddled around a fire, their faces etched with panic and anxiety. Even now, they had no idea what was happening outside.

The constant impact of artillery shells falling overhead and the vibrations from the warship's tracks causing small stones to fall from the mine shaft ceiling. Some unlucky individuals were hit on the forehead by sharp stones, instantly bleeding profusely.

In an emergency evacuation, medicine and food are extremely scarce. In desperation, someone grabbed a handful of fine sand from the ground and pressed it heavily onto the wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

"*Ursus profanity* Our army is slaughtering us. Relkin, what do we do now? You're usually the most resourceful, think of something quick."

“It’s not just us, but also our brothers from other mining areas. Those beasts want to kill us all.”

"But where can we escape to? Some people have been fitted with tracking chips, so no matter where they run, they will eventually be caught."

“Relkin, are you listening to us?” A dusty-faced miner nudged the shoulder of the miner next to him and shouted into his ear.

“Let’s go to Saint-Germain Castle!” The miner, who had been silent and thoughtful without participating in the conversation, answered calmly and in a deep voice.

"Do you know what you're saying? In this situation, we have no way out."

“Yeah, Ralkin, it’s too dangerous outside right now.”

The miners discussed amongst themselves, the imminent survival crisis pushing everyone to the brink of collapse, desperately hoping for a way to escape.

“I know a mine tunnel that leads to the Volgra mine, which is closest to the south and is located southeast of St. Martin’s Castle. Once we enter the territory of St. Martin’s Castle, we will be safe for the time being. I believe they will not dare to fire on St. Martin’s Castle.”

Relkin's voice was so loud it seemed to drown out the gunfire overhead. Many of his compatriots heard his analysis and nodded in agreement with the method.

"But before that, we need to find a way to dig out the positioning chip, otherwise they will eventually discover the underground mine tunnels and blast us out like gophers."

"...Anyway, there's no better way, Relkin, we're willing to go with you."

"hope everything is fine."

"Anyone else want to join us?"

Relkin was the first to get up and walk deeper into the mine tunnel, followed by a group of people holding headlamps. From two or three people, to a dozen or so, to more than fifty, they gradually formed a long line.

......

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..." The Rhodes Island landship, abandoned for repairs, sped across the ice plains, the sky stained red by warning lights slowly approaching from behind. Roy's mission for Warfarin was to evacuate the people from the villages and mines along the way before the Ursus army could.

He himself led Talulah's squad, the Black Serpent Koschche, and the Star Eater to the bombed and cleansed mining area to search for possible survivors. But before that, there was something more important to do.

"Professor Kashena, could you tell me the direction to Saint-Germain Castle?" With outsiders present, Roy respected Black Snake's status as a university professor and addressed him by his name, Kashena.

"What are you doing over here?" Black Snake didn't need any other means to determine the direction; he simply pointed and asked with interest.

"Signal to Saint-Germain: The Fourth Army has mutinied." Roy cast a spell, conjuring a ball of silk to store the intelligence, and shot it in the direction indicated by the black snake.

"Alright, time is of the essence, let's go." With the anti-gravity spell activated, Roy lifted everyone present and flew into the scorched northern mining area.