70 Vanlenkov Autonomous State (Part 2)

"Look around you, what's your biggest feeling?"

Li Aoz turned his head and glanced at the empty street. A few pedestrians hurried by, making it seem particularly deserted.

"--Depression," Li Aoz said. "It's like a financial crisis; you can't see many aliens crawling around on the streets."

"Yes, you understand almost perfectly; this is the truth." Olavier said solemnly, "The mercenary city-state of Valenkov —15 years ago, the ' United Company ' intended to acquire this city-state, but it was rejected by its leader, Kalmetz."

Olavier sent a file to Li Aoz, which began playing a recording of the visit and cooperation talks by Shurgo Company, the project manager sent by the "United Company".

In just one year, Verrazzi, a subsidiary of the "United Company," sent 45,000 employees and seven leaders to Valenkov, clearly determined to acquire the mercenary city-state.

"The acquisition was rejected, and in less than six months, the Vanlenkov Autonomous State began to experience a break in its funding chain and a contraction in orders. Coupled with continuous defeats in battle, the number of soldiers killed in action surged. From that time on, the aliens in Valenkov no longer had strong Combat Power."

The cleaning machines were idle and lying on the street, and garbage was piled up everywhere. Many shops were closed, except for the candy store and tavern run by aliens, which were doing relatively well.

"At this very moment, the families of the fallen, who had previously maintained a friendly relationship, suddenly gathered together and, in an organized and planned manner, demanded compensation from the Supreme Legion. Coupled with protests in various regions, this completely emptied the treasury of the Vanlenkov Autonomous State."

The protest signs and placards were thrown into the trash cans. The homeless man picked them up and threw them into the campfire. The firelight turned his weathered and impoverished face orange, and the heat thawed his face. Without a word, the homeless man took out a medal ribbon from his pocket and casually tossed it into the flames, watching it curl and burn quietly.

"This should be a good thing, right?" Li Aoz asked casually. "The money from the Narrative-level Civilization should be quite a lot."

"You opened a barbecue restaurant. Although the shop is small, you have excellent skills and a family secret recipe. The number of customers is increasing day by day, and it's becoming very popular. I've decided to spend a lot of money to acquire it. Do you think I'm buying your barbecue restaurant for your customer traffic and secret recipe, or for your storefront that costs less than 20,000 Ammonium Gold?"

Olavier sneered, "The ' United Company's' acquisition is good news for professional mercenary groups, but for mercenary city-states, it's a catastrophe."

"How do you know?" Li Aoz asked.

"The reason mercenary city-states have been able to establish themselves is that, through their own efforts and accumulation, they have developed their own business channels and customer relationship networks. These are the things that can lay eggs—and that's exactly what the ' United Company ' wants. Do you think Narrative-level Civilization care about the Combat Power of these aliens?"

Olavier said disdainfully, "Aside from the C3 Luca-type Cosmic Human Race, what kind of race is born to fight? Wars are always fought based on comprehensive national strength. These aliens made their fortune through war and think they can keep winning. They throw away their wrenches and their bodies are covered in weapons. Their food, equipment, and ammunition are all bought from others."

"I understand. If an army can't be self-sufficient, cutting off its logistics will stop it from fighting." Li Aoz shrugged. "But it can't be that bad, can it? Narrative-level Civilization give a lot of money. With a couple of business deals, we should be able to live a decent life."

"Once acquired, those alien legions will be immediately dismantled and laid off, effectively shelved. The ' United Company ' (686870) will then send in its own trained mercenaries, disguised as aliens, to operate through its established network of connections, ensuring a steady and sustainable operation."

Olavier scorned:

"You actually expect Narrative-level Civilization to be 'civilized'? The more powerful a civilization is, the more domineering and thuggish it becomes. If barbarism is about rudely cutting off your head, then civilization is about skinning you alive and dismembering you, then saying, 'Sorry, my hand slipped.'"

"But wouldn't that mean Valenkov's aliens would be out of a job?"

Li Aoz glanced at the shops and stores on the street. "Nobody here does any production. Clothing stores, restaurants—that's all stuff aliens can do. I didn't see a single alien running a business. But when we entered the port, I saw combat formations sailing outwards. These aliens don't seem to have the ability to produce anything, do they?"

"Of course, the Vanlenkov Alien are no longer truly capable. They can only keep reinforcing their propaganda and pretend to be powerful and ferocious so that employers will continue to hire them, even if they themselves are out of ammunition and supplies, they will still have to go to the battlefield even if they have to physically defect."

Olavier quipped, "At this rate, these aliens will probably exhaust themselves without the ' United Company ' even needing to intervene. If I were Manager Shurgo Company, I'd at least kowtow to Red King and thank God for his protection."

Li Aoz raised his eyebrows in the distorted spacetime:

"Didn't you say you wouldn't make fun of gods?"

"Cough--"

Olavier coughed and immediately changed the subject:

"The aliens don't have the ability to produce anything, and nobody knows why. They just can't be taught how to do it. If you're interested, you can look into it. But let's not talk about that now. Let's talk about your job."

Olavier had no interest in or fondness for these aliens; they were already in the process of a slow death.

But nobody ever thinks they can have too much money.

"When it comes to Narrative-level Civilization, things get complicated. There are many forces involved, including Red King's clergy, the manager of the Verrazzi Company, and a lot of other small, messy groups. You have to understand, Narrative-level Civilization... have many powerful figures and a lot of underlings following their Big Brother. So I'll just give you a brief overview of what you need to do."

Olavier thought for a moment and then stated simply, "The leader of the Valenkov Supreme Legion, Kalmetz, has two sons and a daughter. Someone doesn't want their family line to end, so they need your help."

"To save people." Li Aoz knew what was going on, but he still deliberately said, "I'm not very good at helping the weak."

"Go and have the Dark Elf who is traveling with you set sail and take his offspring to Fire Wolf Star in the Titus Nebula. Someone there will be there to meet them."

Olavier said, "It would be more merciful of you to kill their father."

You have triggered the Side Quest – "Yesterday Yesterday Was Spring"

[Type]: Investigation/Assassination [Duration]: 7 calendar days [Difficulty]: A [Description]: "The child stays, the father dies."

Strange orders, strange practices, a strange country, a strange fate.

As a lone wolf, you are unexpectedly drawn into this conflict. Under the grand narrative, all the narrow-minded romantic entanglements seem both laughable and pathetic.

Despite the uprooted grass being cleared away, despite the thick smoke of burning blood and fat everywhere, despite the abuse of machinery and the expulsion of indigenous people, even in such a country, spring is still spring. (Note ①)

No one will feel sympathy for a country on the verge of collapse.

No one is born a warrior; it is the people who step forward and leave behind heroic figures. (Note ②)

Although you have absolutely no sympathy for the aliens, this matter is of great benefit to you.

[Settlement Conditions]: A. "The Fire Thief" - Investigate the children of ' Kalmetz Shield Emblem ' and kidnap them; Reward: Promote your life profession.

B. Yesterday's Spring - The Assassination of ' Kalmetz Shield Emblem '.

Reward: [Stratum Advancement Ticket] *1C. "Tomorrow in Doubt" - Waiting for tomorrow.

Rewards: Random rewards (determined based on task evaluation; higher evaluation yields better rewards). Note ①: From Leo Tolstoy's Resurrection.

Original text. "Even though the grass has been cleared away, even though the smoke from burning coal and oil fills the air, even though trees have been felled and birds and beasts have been driven away, spring is still spring in such a city."

Note ②: From the song "Солдатамиумирают"

Original sentence:

Солдатамиумирают (No one is born a warrior)

Солдатаминерождаются (But we can die like soldiers)