The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Linde received three urgent reports in a single day, all delivered through the special channels of bards. Lucanus was even somewhat displeased by these three urgent reports.

This channel is fast, but it can't be used casually. It's clear that it takes a huge toll on the bards. At least according to Lucanus, some bards in the North need to take a break.

In fact, Linde had already reacted when he received the first urgent report, ordering some soldiers of the Second Army to prepare for departure, and the North Wind Magic Train to begin maintenance and inspection, ready to support the front line to fight against those monsters at any time.

But after Lind finished reading the third urgent report, he said, "Get ready, take all the holy water and my legion for tonight, I'm going to the front lines too."

Lucanos didn't ask any further questions, disappearing into the shadows. Tia, who was eating snacks nearby, asked in surprise, "What happened? Why are you going to the front lines too? Are those monsters even stronger than your equipment?"

Tia, who is very familiar with the firepower of the Gray and White Collars, finds it hard to imagine what kind of monster could withstand the Gray and White Collars' firepower and overthrow their army.

"It's not as simple as who is stronger or weaker."

Linde shook his head. According to the urgent report from Laurie, the enemy's fleshy monsters could grow stronger by eating humans and corpses, while the sludge monsters were more of a hindrance, but they could also assimilate humans and offer themselves as sacrifices to the fleshy monsters.

Magic cannons can suppress, but to kill them, you have to hit them directly. So, according to Laurie, cannons are more of a tool for dividing the battlefield. To really kill these monsters, you have to fight with bayonets.

Holy water is more effective at weakening and restricting monsters' movements. As for whether it can directly kill monsters, Laurie doesn't have enough extra holy water to experiment with.

According to Laurie's description, these monsters are not afraid of fire, but using fire magic should be the most efficient method. The idle armories on the territory should be restarted to produce special weapons that can be used against those monsters.

"The main force has been defeated on the Golden Harvest Plain. Laurie and Isa have reduced their forces and barely managed to hold off the monsters on the Golden Harvest Plain. According to intelligence, those monsters can assimilate humans and turn them into monsters as well, so we must completely eliminate those monsters."

"You guys actually lost?"

Upon hearing Lind say that, Tia was so surprised that she stopped eating her snacks.

"No one can be a victorious general forever, and besides, we still have a chance to win back now."

Lind pulled out a document and began to write and draw on it.

Where did these monsters come from? Are they related to that thing that the demons dug up, which is suspected to be an Outer God? In any case, Linde must go to the front line in person. He can't feel at ease if some things are uncertain.

Moreover, according to Laurie, many of Doug's soldiers had fled the Golden Plains and entered Lind's territory. Although Isa brought back some of them, a considerable number of soldiers had already scattered and fled.

These soldiers will surely spread the word along the way that even the gray-collar workers couldn't stop those demonic monsters. Some nobles who surrendered or fled, and whose strength was relatively intact, will definitely make some moves. Linde must show his thunderous methods to deter these nobles.

Although dealing with these soldiers might be troublesome, Lind could understand to some extent. After all, the situation was urgent, and there was certainly no perfect solution. Lind still trusted Laurie's on-the-spot judgment.

As for the issue of the holy water being exposed, which Laurie mentioned at the end, Lind didn't care. Laurie and the other two had made the right choice. The holy water was no longer important; ensuring that the monsters didn't run rampant in the North was the most important thing.

So what if it gets exposed later? If the church wants to create methods, then let them take them themselves. If they want to use some special means to force us to submit, then Lind can simply win over the Lantern Dreamland. I believe the Lantern Dreamland will be very happy to cooperate.

As for blaspheming the goddess? You're having the Lantern Dream talk to a human who seems to be from the Golden Age about blaspheming the goddess?

Moreover, Linde was somewhat worried that the demons' attacks wouldn't be limited to this wave. Just as Laurie had said, there were countless more demons to come, and the demons might even have reinforcements. Therefore, Linde had to secure victory in this battle. This was a war he couldn't afford to lose, and he had to use whatever means he had at this point.

Soon, a series of orders were issued from the governor's residence.

The entire gray-collar workforce started operating at full speed again.

The governor's personal guard was mobilized, and the Second Army also detached most of its troops. Some were prepared to board the Northwind and head to the front line, while others, which could not be transported, were left to wait for the next train. The rest scattered to take control of the territories that had just been occupied.

The arsenal, which had been operating at full capacity, began to resume operations and started producing new weapons and equipment according to Lind's requirements. Meanwhile, batches of the so-called Governor's ancestral medicines were immediately transported to the Northwind.

The railway's current terminus is still some distance from the Jinshui Plain, but there's no time to wait for it to be repaired; we must start working on it immediately.

At the same time, Linde also had Lucanus contact the nuns, asking them to wait at the railway station so they could travel together to the Golden Plains. Linde had used almost all his strength to win this battle.

Such a large-scale mobilization could no longer be concealed, so Linde simply spoke frankly: the front lines had encountered some difficulties, and the demons had created a terrifying monster. The governor had to go to the front lines in person to take a look.

However, no major disturbances occurred in the territory, and everyone continued with their usual routines. After all, the war was still far from Linde's core territory, and for most people, it was normal for the lord to go out to fight. In addition, Linde only told half of what he wanted to say and did not mention the defeat.

Besides, prices in the territory are stable, and apart from some arsenals starting to reopen, production and daily life have not been affected. Even if someone says that the front line has been defeated, no one will believe it. Anyway, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Isn't the governor going to the front line? Everything will be alright.

Indeed, as long as the demon monsters did not set foot in Linde's territory, none of this mattered, and the actual war did not affect the homeland.

"I also need to go!"

Unsurprisingly, Lena also wanted to go to the front lines with Lind. Lind himself had the dragon's token, so he wasn't afraid, but Lena didn't.

Although, as the proprietress Margaret said, she might have triggered the token's life-extending mechanism, and Lena was still alive and kicking beside her, she was still uneasy. The psychological trauma caused by the assassination attempt on Lind had not yet faded.

After hesitating for a moment, Lind said, "Alright, but you have to stay by my side and you're not allowed to go to the battlefield, understand?"

Tia, standing to the side, was somewhat speechless. When she suggested going along, Lind had agreed without a second thought, without even a word of advice, and had even asked her to bring along the elven druids to investigate what kind of monsters those demons were.

But thinking about it, it's normal, after all, they are a legitimate married couple.

What shocked Tia the most was that even though the gray-collar workers seemed to be operating at full capacity, it didn't actually affect the daily lives of ordinary people. In other words, the gray-collar workers were far from reaching their production limits.

Linde actually still has the capacity to deal with other possible contingencies.

Finally, Lind shook Sean back to hold the rear, while he, along with Lena and the guards, boarded the Northwind.