Officially Establishing a Nation on the Southern Continent

Sitting in the speeding carriage, Hobart looked out the window at the crowds who had yet to recover from their terror. Some sat by the roadside, blankly watching carriages come and go. Others stared dazedly at the bombed-out buildings, lost in thought.

There were also two other kinds of people. One was those weeping beside the ruins. Either the businesses that sustained their livelihoods had been blown away, or loved ones were still buried beneath the rubble.

The second group was calmer, directing everyone to put out the fires.

Hobart sighed. "Backlund truly is a city plagued by disasters."

"Those Fosac who look like Curly-Haired Baboons will pay the price," Georgina said coldly.

Hobart did not respond and continued looking at the bombed Backlund outside.

Soon, they arrived at Georgina's residence. In a private theater room, Hobart met the dignified Princess Alice.

What Hobart had not expected was that Georgina had actually hired a symphony orchestra to perform onstage.

After leading Hobart to Alice, Georgina withdrew and shut the soundproofed door behind her.

Alice rose and asked with a smile, "Did you receive intelligence beforehand that the Fosac Empire was going to launch a surprise attack on Backlund?"

Hobart hung his coat on the rack. "No."

"Then why did you try to sell Teleportation Arrays to the military?"

"I simply felt that the Loen Kingdom's three main military districts were too far apart," Hobart said. "For example, between the southern shore of the Sonia Sea and the border with the Intis Republic lie the Hornacis Mountain Range and the Takwell Plain.

"If troops needed to be redeployed between them, even if the train never stopped, it would still take three days and three nights."

Alice did not pursue the matter. "Please, sit."

Hobart sat on the broad sofa. Rather than