บท 75: Chapter 75: Life Is Precious Nourishment
The middle-aged man had made up his mind—no matter the cost, he would stay!
Arye, with a cold expression, stared at the man for a moment before firmly rejecting him:
"Sorry, but you don't meet the requirements to join the Defense Forces. With your frail condition, you'd just be marching to your death on the battlefield. I need soldiers who can fight and follow orders. I am responsible for my army and for the Governor! Now, leave immediately. If you continue to disrupt discipline, you will be executed according to military law."
The middle-aged man was soon dragged away by Defense Force soldiers.
Arye understood and pitied the poor man.
But in the army, and on the battlefield, excessive compassion could be deadly.
A man as weak as that would only die meaninglessly in battle, potentially endangering his fellow soldiers!
To put it bluntly, not everyone was worthy of giving their life for the great and merciful Governor.
You can't just grab a gun, rush into battle, and die for the Governor—it's not that simple.
You must first have the qualifications and undergo rigorous training before you even have the chance to carry a newly-made laser rifle and offer everything for the Governor on the battlefield.
Otherwise, it's a waste and a desecration of the Governor's generosity!
That being said, the family of the middle-aged man wouldn't be left to starve.
Life could generate hope, and for Eden, that hope was precious nourishment.
Eden wasn't a Chaos God, but he wouldn't let life go to waste so easily.
Allowing loyal lives to be squandered was a costly extravagance.
He would ensure that every life fulfilled its potential.
As the middle-aged man trudged home, devastated, Eden had already passed a new law.
This law would provide half of a Type I corpse starch bar, with one-twentieth wheat content, to special families in extreme difficulty within the district.
While this small portion wouldn't eliminate hunger, it would at least sustain life.
This would offer a glimmer of hope to those families, allowing them to survive the hardest times.
After this brief episode, Arye inspected the rest of the recruitment office before heading back to the barracks.
He needed to train the young recruits hard, increasing their combat capabilities.
Only by doing so could they win the war against the damn Hoffman family, ensuring that more of his soldiers would survive.
All for the infinitely merciful Governor!
While the King's Court was mobilizing for war, Eden kept a close eye on the situation within the Hoffman family's territory.
He could sense the darkness within their lands growing deeper.
The power of darkness was slowly increasing, and he knew he had to act quickly!
To weaken the Hoffman family's strength, Eden took a page from Yusef's book and sent out numerous spies to disrupt their territory.
However, his method wasn't through Chaos corruption, inciting rebellion, or spreading rumors—those were the dirty tactics of small-minded people.
Eden opted for a direct attack.
He ordered his spies to regularly distribute Type I corpse starch bars, with one-twentieth wheat content, and large quantities of propaganda flyers throughout the Hoffman family's territory.
These bars and flyers conveyed a clear message to the people of the Hoffman lands:
The King's Court district had enough food, and under the God-Emperor's name, they vowed to accept any who dared to break away from the Hoffman family and offer their loyalty to the Governor.
This tactic was highly effective.
In the following days, wave after wave of people secretly fled the Hoffman family's lands to pledge their loyalty to the great Governor Eden Grant.
This greatly strengthened the King's Court district.
Inside a secret laboratory within the Hoffman family's territory...
A mutated gray rat, covered in scars, cowered in a corner, fearfully watching the hateful human named Yusef.
Lately, it had been receiving less and less fresh meat, and Yusef had become more and more erratic, beating it senseless at the slightest provocation.
It was completely unreasonable!
Though the gray rat's eyes were filled with terror, its round, beady eyes were secretly scanning for an escape route, hoping to flee when the opportunity presented itself.
Of course, it had already tried a few times but had failed each time, only to be beaten even worse.
Humans were terrifying—far more brutal than it was.
The rat couldn't take it anymore! Despair welled up within it, and it let out a few pitiful squeaks.
Hearing the sound, Yusef flew into a rage:
"Damn rat! Are you mocking me?!"
Raising his mechanical arm, he retracted his hand to reveal a gaping cannon barrel, firing two blasts toward the rat.
Boom! Boom!
The gray rat took both blasts head-on, its body charred and its once-wide eyes now shut. It lay on its back, belly-up, motionless.
If one looked closely, a single tear could be seen sliding down its face.
The rat's heart had died.
It didn't dare move, and the lab workers barely dared to breathe.
Recently, anyone who angered Lord Yusef had seen their entire family fed to the god-spawn birthed by the Thousand-Eyed Master.
Yusef was furious. He had suffered the greatest humiliation of his life.
All of his flawless schemes had been easily unraveled by that fool Eden!
Many of the spies he had sent had lost contact!
Yusef couldn't comprehend how Eden, that coward, had managed to secure food.
In the end, he could only conclude that the food and farming technology came from the Grant family's vault.
Like the Royal Guard, they must have been treasures safeguarded by the Grant family.
Eden, that despicable man, had been hiding his strength all along, waiting to make a mockery of him.
And to top it off, that scoundrel had even sent him a letter of thanks!
Yusef felt as though he had been deceived and mocked, much like his ancestors had been by the Grant family three thousand years ago.
The humiliation was unbearable!
However, Yusef had seen through Eden's devious plan.
That sly trickster was trying to provoke him into rashly starting the final battle!
But Yusef, the great Yusef, would never fall for such a simple trick.
The King's Court core had been maintained and fortified for three thousand years. Even after the heretical rebellion, the remaining defensive weapons were incredibly powerful.
Attacking now, before the true offspring of the Thousand-Eyed Master had hatched, would be a foolish act of self-destruction.
In fact, Yusef hoped Eden would lose patience and attack soon.
Then, Eden could enjoy the chaotic gift Yusef had prepared for him...
With that realization, Yusef quickly calmed down and devised a response.
If Eden cared so much for those underhive peasants, then Yusef would make sure he didn't get his way!
"Hmph, the Grant family's full strength is now exposed.
When the time for the final battle comes, victory will be mine!"
At that moment, in the refugee camp within the Hoffman family's territory...
Many refugees from the King's Court district were gathered there.
Most of them had been incited and manipulated by spies, leading them to betray the district, branding them as undesirable elements.
During the Night of the Uprising, they had rioted, looting and burning, but were suppressed by the enforcers.
Some had scattered and barely escaped the streets alive.
After the Night of the Uprising, fearing retribution from the King's Court, they fled, either alone or with their families, to the Hoffman family's territory.
But upon arrival, they didn't receive the promised shelter or food. Instead, they were thrown into this refugee camp.
Later, they learned that the King's Court had resumed food distribution, offering delicious wheat-infused corpse starch bars!
Their regret was palpable.
They cursed the King's Court and the damn Governor.
Why didn't he provide food sooner? If he had, they wouldn't have made such a mistake.
Now, they planned to escape the camp that very night and return to the King's Court.
Hadn't the flyers promised that anyone who escaped the Hoffman lands and offered their loyalty would be accepted?
If they returned in good faith, the King's Court couldn't refuse them—otherwise, it would be an affront to the God-Emperor himself!
(End of Chapter)
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