Expanding the Army

The military conference began. Nimrod first listened to the briefings, and Bukayo deferred the opportunity to Szczesny.

"My King..."

Szczesny raised his head nervously, his gaze meeting Nimrod's pitch-black eyes, and his mind immediately went blank.

He stood dazed for several seconds until Bukayo nudged him from the side, helping him regain his senses and recall the youth's well-intentioned reminder on the way here.

"Look at our Lord's feet."

Szczesny lowered his head in a hurry, subconsciously changing his form of address to follow Bukayo's lead.

"My Lord, the 7th Company has secured the Piszczek. Everyone on the ship has sworn their allegiance to you."

"The ship is in good condition and ready to set sail at any time."

"Well done."

Hearing Nimrod's words, Szczesny let out a sigh of relief; he still couldn't fathom why it was he, a mere squad leader, reporting instead of the company commander.

"My King, the defensive positions at the Hive Spire have been initially established."

Rawlslev continued to address his master in his own way, even though in his heart, Nimrod was a deity.

"Furthermore, among the living captives, four thousand eight hundred and six believe that you, having slain the Mad King, are the true herald of the Omnissiah. They wish to pledge their loyalty to you."

Thierry noticed that everyone's eyes were focused on him.

"My King, I believe their loyalty is sincere."

"The way Puhach commanded this army was by cultivating a cult of personality; he emphasized his own perfect physique, claiming to be the herald of the Omnissiah."

"After years of indoctrination, his private army believed his lies. Now that you have slain the Mad King before their very eyes, their faith has been shattered."

Thinking back to the scenes from not long ago, Thierry still felt deeply shaken.

"Consequently, they naturally view you as the image Puhach had crafted."

Nimrod nodded, immediately restructuring his military plans in his mind.

Ten seconds later, he spoke.

"I accept their allegiance. Rawlslev, you are to select soldiers immediately to fill the ranks of the 1st Regiment."

"Thierry, using the personnel of House Viera as a foundation, select men from the surrendered troops to form the 2nd Regiment according to the 1st Regiment's structure."

"Bukayo, you are responsible for forming the 3rd Regiment. You may select from the surrendered troops or recruit as you see fit."

Nimrod gave Bukayo more freedom; after all, the youth's physique was still within the realm of an ordinary person, and a "Sleepless" did not possess the absolute martial power of a "Warrior," making the formation of his own regiment more unique.

"As you command, my Lord."

"Szczesny, you are responsible for forming the 4th Regiment. Your squad and the remaining captives will be your foundation. Recruit whoever else you need—do you have any questions?"

Szczesny had the fewest combat achievements among them, so Nimrod could only give him the leftovers after the other commanders had made their picks.

This was also his final test; if he dared not accept the order, Nimrod would have him remain a squad leader.

Szczesny was stunned; he had not expected to be promoted from a squad leader directly to a regimental commander in one leap.

Though surprised, he did not raise his head this time, nor did his brain shut down.

"My Lord, since you trust me, I will certainly not let you down."

"Szczesny, do not be nervous. I will not be picking from the captives; those men are all yours."

Seeing that Bukayo had his own plans, Nimrod approved their allocation scheme. After a moment of thought, he spoke again.

"In that case, send the remainder back to Tezwork and order Howard to form the 5th Regiment."

Five full-strength regiments totaling twelve thousand five hundred Warriors, including commanders and the armored vehicles to be supplemented later, would result in a supply consumption that Nimrod could financially sustain while occupying Tezwork and Lukpo.

Moreover, he was still set to conquer two more hive cities; if not for the lack of talent, he could have easily added another five to ten regiments.

[Still lacking talent!]

As Nimrod thought of this, he remembered the two portions of "Know-it-all" potion that could be concocted. He looked toward Thierry.

"Do you have any technical talent among your men?"

"My King, I have a technical team under my command, thirty-seven people in total. Among them, only Wojciech Bielik can be considered a true technical expert."

He said this while pulling out a data pad to show Nimrod the file.

"The House Bielik has been mechanics for generations, and Wojciech has dealt with machinery since he was a child."

"The technique to awaken the machine spirit of the mag-lev train was something he researched and then taught to the others."

"I require his services."

Nimrod decided to keep this man by his side for observation; if his ability and loyalty met the minimum standards, he would cultivate him into a "Know-it-all."

"It is his honor to serve you."

Thierry gladly offered up his most capable technical talent. "I will send him a message immediately, ordering him to come and report to you."

Nimrod's gaze swept across the four regimental commanders. "All of your regiments are to undergo swimming training, especially the 4th Regiment."

Szczesny wore a bitter smile as he followed the other three to obey the order, thinking to himself in distress.

Is my Lord intentionally reprimanding me? He knows I cannot learn to swim.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with neat brown hair, dressed in red robes with white trim, walked quickly into the palace and bowed solemnly to the group.

"My King."

"Lord Thierry, my lords, Wojciech Bielik offers his greetings to you all."

"I hear you are a technical talent. I am now entrusting you with two tasks: one is to repair the cracks in my heavy halberd, and the other is to research waterproof weapons."

Nimrod immediately issued the test tasks to Wojciech to verify his capabilities.

"As you command, my Lord."

"Szczesny, stay. The rest of you, withdraw."

Thierry's loyalty still required testing, so Nimrod decided to first cultivate Szczesny into a Beyonder.

After everyone had left, Nimrod looked at Szczesny.

"You seem to be under a lot of pressure?"

"My Lord, your discernment is clear. Everything else is fine, but I truly have no talent for swimming."

Nimrod picked up a book from the desk and handed it to Szczesny.

"Go to the side hall to read and await my summons."

"As you command, my Lord."

After taking it, Szczesny discovered that it was not a book on military theory as he had expected, but a book on rhetoric.

He walked helplessly to the side hall. Although his background was slightly better than that of a lower-hive dweller and he had received a basic education at the Shrine of the Omnissiah, allowing him to read and write, rhetoric was a field only needed by the upper echelons like nobles, Arbites, and Lawyers. He had no foundation in it whatsoever.

Szczesny felt that today was both his luckiest work cycle and the one that caused him the most distress. Even so, once he sat in the leather chair, he immediately entered a state of serious study.

Just as he was struggling in earnest with the rhetoric book, he heard Nimrod's voice.

Szczesny picked up the book and walked quickly into the palace.

He stopped ten meters away from Nimrod, but the giant walked straight up to him.

Szczesny saw Nimrod's left hand extend, offering a vial of potion; the blue, gelatinous substance looked like the ocean.

"Drink it."

Szczesny did not hesitate for a second; he took it and downed the potion in one gulp.

Half a standard hour later, under Nimrod's guidance, Szczesny had mastered meditation and Spirit Vision.

"Thank you for your grace, my Lord."

The Sailor said excitedly, becoming more convinced than ever that Nimrod was a deity.

"Are you still worried about swimming now?"

"My Lord, the sea is my home. I want to jump into the ocean right now."

"The opportunity will come soon enough."