In Terra, I Have No Books Left

With aid and treatment, Sarkaz teachers also appeared in the refugee settlements, teaching the children there to read and imparting some essential health knowledge.

The preferential treatment the Witch King offered to infected individuals in Leithanien immediately lost its effectiveness, and he could only escalate his efforts.

Further increasing the baseline income for infected individuals, opening up some professions that were previously forbidden to them, and expanding the scope of their free movement. Moreover, infected individuals who successfully completed the Witch King's missions would receive special status, allowing them to move freely within Leithanien like ordinary people!

Kal'tsit was stunned by this kind of warfare. This method of confrontation could only be described as bizarre on this continent.

But her inner thoughts were...

Kal'tsit: Anything else? Bring it on! I love watching this!!!

Notice

Ugh, 38.8 degrees Celsius, dry throat, dizzy, feeling cold. 43

Today's updates are basically finished.

Sorry...25

Chapter 80: The Light Disappeared

What have the Sarkaz been up to lately?

This is what nearly half of Terra is curious about. They haven't missed the friction between Kazdel and Leithanien, but why haven't you guys started fighting! This competition is too strange?!

The most incredulous about this matter are the Sankta. They've fought the Sarkaz for who knows how many years and have never seen the Sarkaz provide such substantial aid to foreign races!

'Why weren't you this kind when you were competing with me?'

Mostima was dispatched by the Pope to inspect the refugee settlements and found that the Sarkaz were indeed genuinely helping them.

'Have the Sarkaz all gone mad?'

She thought in disbelief.

The various races of Terra are all carbon-based, and everyone has the same psychological activities. Seeing the desert refugees living far more miserably than themselves, the Sarkaz would feel fortunate for their own circumstances while also pitying these people. However, any action at the national level has its own underlying purpose; it is purpose that drives these actions.

Kazdel's distribution of Originium-inhibiting drugs to foreign races is for the purpose of forming foreign legions and ensuring its own surrounding stability. Beyond that, it is to train its own medical capabilities.

This was Theresica's arrangement. Interns who had just completed their training would first go to treat refugees under the guidance of experienced doctors. Only after being assessed as qualified could they treat their own Sarkaz people.

And Leithanien? Why are they improving the treatment of infected individuals? Is it entirely to compete with the Sarkaz?

To some extent, raising the baseline income for infected individuals is indeed to boost their morale, but it is more about expanding military capabilities.

Leithanien is also a nation that skillfully utilizes Originium Arts. While the Sarkaz prefer to refine high-purity Originium as spellcasting materials, the Leithanians prefer to use infected individuals as spellcasting materials.

Originium crystals that grow on people are generally of good purity, and flesh and blood do not interfere with spellcasting. Therefore, in the eyes of the Witch King, the infected individuals of Leithanien are essentially ammunition.

A batch of infected individuals is needed to disrupt Kazdel, another batch is needed to attack Siracusa, and then a reserve batch must be kept just in case. Thus, the preferential treatment laws for infected individuals promulgated by the Witch King include loosening professional restrictions and expanding the scope of activity; both of these are measures to increase the opportunities for infected individuals to interact with others.

Expanding the pool of infected individuals—the ammunition—was originally the responsibility of the Electors. However, the previous increases in infected individuals' income and benefits required substantial funds. Therefore, they made a deal with the Witch King, allowing him to handle this matter himself while they provided the money.

'Turning all the slave laborers into infected individuals would get even the Electors beaten to death by an angry mob!'

They did not want to live in unrest, so they chose to provide the money. They knew that this money would not be needed forever; there were plenty of ways to gradually revert the improvements in the welfare of the Infected.

As for the special status granted by the Witch King, why would the ammunition that is sent out return?

A month later, Leithanien tallied the number of infected individuals within its borders. Once the demand was met, this political game, which could be described as "bizarre" on Terra, ended with Leithanien's disruption.

They were no longer playing. Kazdel, leveraging its advantage of direct production without intermediaries, provided aid to refugees and distributed medicine to infected individuals, which was far more advantageous than Leithanien's policy of subsidizing.

Under the Witch King's orders, Leithanian Arts Users commanded armed infected individuals to charge towards Kazdel in the guise of desert bandits. At this time, Kazdel had also assembled its foreign legions.

Most of them were retired infected soldiers from Ursus, a special group that caused headaches for the administrators of Ursus. Ursus discriminated against infected individuals but also had to provide preferential treatment to veteran soldiers, making them extremely uncomfortable and close to a mental breakdown.

Upon learning that Kazdel was forming foreign legions, Ursus proactively cooperated with Kazdel in verifying household registration to prevent cases of false reporting of family members to fraudulently obtain Originium-inhibiting agents.

The recruitment office for the foreign legions was swarmed by a massive crowd. Even if only 5,000 people were to be conscripted, Theresica could select the best of the best, one in ten.

The foreign legions were uniformly equipped with Ursus gear, which was very suitable for those Ursus veteran infected soldiers. After a week of integrated training with Sarkaz officers, they were sent to the battlefield.

Knowing that their merits would be rewarded, and that their deaths might bring better lives to their families, the Ursus veteran soldiers faced the armed infected individuals of Leithanien with astonishing combat will and morale.

They advanced in neat Ursus formations, running at a relaxed pace. Even if Leithanian Arts Users unleashed magical bombardments into the ranks, these veterans would fill the gaps immediately without needing orders from their officers, without any hesitation.

Seeing that the magical bombardments were not very effective, the Leithanian Arts Users began to use infected individuals. They ordered the infected to charge the military formations.

"Vile infected individuals, the great and benevolent Witch King has decreed that if you defeat them, you will receive ordinary citizen status in Leithanien and be free to move and work!"

For this status, the infected individuals of Leithanien began to charge frantically towards the foreign legion's formations. The Ursus veterans drew their blades and, with skilled technique, cut down these infected individuals. Screams of agony instantly echoed across the desert.

Seeing that some had died, the Leithanian Arts Users began to use their special Originium Arts. The infected corpses lying on the ground suddenly began to explode one after another.

Originium clusters released their energy, carrying flesh and blood outwards. This attack caused some trouble for the foreign legions, but the Ursus heavy infantry armor provided them with excellent protection. As for infection... they were already infected.

They charged towards the Leithanian infected bombs. Sarkaz Arts Users in the rear provided support for them, replacing Ursus artillery. The Ursus veteran soldiers were very familiar with this combat method. They found their rhythm and, in a single day, managed to force nearly ten thousand Leithanians to retreat 15 kilometers into the desert, essentially crushing them with their own feet.

Upon learning that the situation of the diversionary tactic against the Sarkaz was dire, the Witch King did not become angry. They were already discarded pawns; their mission was complete as soon as they launched the attack.

The Witch King began to gather troops at the border. The Pope of Laterano issued a warning to him. However, the Witch King completely ignored the Pope of Laterano. Under his command, the Leithanian Arts User corps crossed the Siracusan border on February 1st.

Using infected individuals as spellcasting materials, Originium Arts, in the hands of the Arts User corps, were scattered into the cities of Siracusa like common pebbles.

Residents fled in all directions, explosions interspersed with the panicked shouts of the crowd and the cries of children. The Siracusan families could only turn a blind eye to all of this, because even with the military equipment sold to them by the Sarkaz, it could not change the fact that the people using them were thugs, not soldiers. These thugs could not withstand this and could only flee with the crowd to safety.

On February 8th, Lady Sicilia sent a letter to Laterano. The content of the letter was very simple.

"Save Siracusa."

The Pope dispatched two teams of Papal Knights the next day, but they could only block one route of attack, having little overall impact on the war. Large numbers of Leithanien Arts Users bypassed them and continued their invasion into Siracusa's heartland.

For a time, Siracusa was in grave danger.

Chapter 81: Insufficient Firepower

"Your Majesty, these are the casualty figures for the Foreign Legion yesterday."

Early in the morning, Manfred delivered a military report detailing the achievements of the newly formed Foreign Legion.

They had eliminated over a thousand Leithanien armed Infected at the cost of only 55 of their own soldiers. Had their armor not been too heavy to allow for pursuit, the Foreign Legion would have achieved even greater results.

In addition, there were 17 wounded soldiers. An empty airship, which had just finished delivering construction materials, was ordered to the combat zone. After landing in a safe area, it picked up the wounded soldiers. They received timely treatment at a Kazdel hospital, and those who had lost limbs were successfully reattached.

"Haven't you had breakfast yet?"

Theresica noticed the dust on Manfred's shoes. Seeing that Manfred didn't speak readily, he asked a waiter to bring Manfred a breakfast as well.

"Just eat here. I also wanted to ask you about the progress of supplementing the Foreign Legion personnel."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Manfred bowed first, then sat down properly. "Your Majesty, many people want to join our Foreign Legion. According to the previous standards, the deficit of 55 soldiers has been filled with experienced veterans. However..."

"However, what?"

"Do we really have to distribute Originium inhibitors to the families of those alien races? Can we postpone it?"

Manfred felt a pang of reluctance. Although Kazdel now had the inhibitors, they could only guarantee daily distribution to refinery workers. Under these circumstances, providing them in large quantities to aliens was hard to accept.

However, Theresica did not share this sentiment. He said, "When aliens betray us, we feel pain and suffering. And when we break our promises to them, they feel the same emotions as us."

"But..."

Theresica interrupted Manfred and asked, "Don't you want a future Terra where one day Sarkaz are just Sarkaz, and not called Fiends?"

Manfred looked at Theresica's serious expression and fell silent for a moment. "...Yes."

"Then keep the promises we made."

Theresica said, "Money can be earned again, and inhibitors can be produced after they are used up. But reputation is hard to build. Once it starts, it cannot stop, otherwise all investment will turn to naught."

"I understand, Your Majesty." Manfred nodded slightly.

After this, Theresica shifted the conversation back to military matters. Although they had won, it was still necessary to summarize their experiences. He asked curiously, "What was it like fighting the Leithanians this time?"

"Your Majesty, the overall situation is as I reported to you. We hold an absolute advantage."

Manfred paused. "However, our Sarkaz junior officers who were embedded within their ranks generally reported that they were not adapting well and that support was insufficient."

"Oh? What's going on?" Theresica put down his cutlery. "I remember arranging for Arts Users to conduct coordinated combat."

"Yes, we did arrange for Arts Users to provide cover for the Foreign Legion, but our previous battles always involved us bombarding the enemy with Originium Arts. This time, facing the Leithanians, their Arts Users used Infected as casting mediums, and they fought our Arts Users to a standstill."

Manfred explained, "In yesterday's battle, our Arts Users were fully occupied intercepting Leithanian magical attacks, which gave the front-line officers the illusion of lacking support."

Theresica fell into thought upon hearing this. This matter set off an internal alarm. Originium Arts were the specialty and foundation of the Sarkaz. Now that this advantage was being challenged, it was not something that could be ignored.

He stood up. "Let's go to the arsenal to take a look."

Returning to the arsenal after nearly two years, it no longer felt like the small workshop of the past. Management and production had become increasingly mature through daily refinement.

Theresica did not disturb the workers. He walked directly into the research department at the core area. This was the work area for the Ursus mortar reverse-engineering project.

The supervisor of this project was an Absolver named Alfred, and the deputy supervisor was Mel.

Theresica had always strictly required himself not to interfere with specific technical work to avoid causing unnecessary interference and pressure to the researchers. However, hearing from Manfred about the insufficient support had truly touched his innermost DNA.

'Insufficient support means insufficient firepower!'

Theresica couldn't help himself this time and decided to inquire about the specific situation.

He didn't understand Originium Arts, but he had extensive experience with firearms and artillery on Earth!

When Theresica appeared in the laboratory, he startled Alfred.

"Your Majesty! Why are you here!"

"Huh? Boss?"

Hearing the commotion, Mel also looked up, revealing a soot-covered face. The surrounding craftsmen also stopped their work and looked over.

"I'm here to understand your work progress, to understand..."

Theresica smiled, motioned for Manfred to find a place to talk, and then beckoned Alfred and Mel to follow him.

The four of them sat down in an empty worker's lounge. Theresica quickly asked, "How is the reverse engineering of the mortars coming along?"

"Your Majesty, we are fully capable of processing the mortars themselves, but not the shells."

"Explain."

Alfred brought over a shell and explained, "The Ursus mortar shells are divided into a propellant section that provides launch kinetic energy and an explosive section that lands in the enemy's area to cause destruction. The two parts activate sequentially, and their working principle is to detonate the Originium powder within the projectile to obtain energy."

Mel beside him looked worried, as if concerned whether Theresica could understand. In reality, he had understood from the first sentence.

"Isn't this the same as the mortars back on Earth?"

He asked, "So, where is the problem in the projectile's launch mechanism?"

"It's the launch section."

Mel quickly ran out and returned in an instant, holding two cut metal tubes. She pointed at the tubes and said.

"These are the mortar barrels after firing one Ursus-produced shell and one Kazdel-imitated shell, respectively."

Theresica leaned in to observe and found that one tube was spotlessly clean, while the other was covered in condensed substances of unknown origin near the firing pin at the rear.

"What are these things?"

"Your Majesty, they are residues from incomplete combustion after the launch section exploded."

Alfred reached out and, with considerable effort, managed to scrape off a bit. "The destructive warhead is filled with simple high-purity Originium. Ursus uses 75% purity, and we are perfectly capable of using 80% purity, which would give us greater power. However, in the launch section, it's not just filled with Originium powder; there's also something else present that we don't know about."

"It's those unknown substances that cause residue in the barrel after our shells are fired. Ursus's shells can be reloaded immediately after firing, but ours require the barrel to be cleaned after each shot, which takes a considerable amount of time. Furthermore, Ursus's shells have a maximum range of 6 kilometers, while our imitation is currently stable only up to 3.5 kilometers."

"Incomplete combustion... Can we replace the launch propellant with higher-purity Originium?"

Theresica tentatively offered his suggestion, but Mel shook her head. "No, if we do that, it will release a massive amount of energy instantaneously, and the barrel will explode."

At this moment, Alfred suddenly thought of something. "Your Majesty, information from the laboratory is scarce. Have we encountered any trouble recently?"

In his impression, His Majesty had never actively interfered with any research progress before, but today he was acting out of character. This might indicate some unforeseen circumstances.

Theresica did not hide anything. "Leithanien has recently had friction with us. Their Arts Users are also very powerful, and our advantage has become weak. The army is now in urgent need of stronger supporting firepower."

His first thought was mortars. These industrial products, unlike Arts Users, could provide stable and sustained firepower. But who would have thought there would be an issue with incomplete combustion of the propellant?

"Your Majesty, how about we import Ursus's shells?" Manfred suggested.