The Phoney War / Long Live Siracusa ...

"I know. This was meant to be saved for later. We're taking it out now so we can train a batch of people first."

Theresica said with a smile, "Whether they're pilots or production workers, all of them need time to build up experience. If we start now, we can get ahead of everyone else."

Chapter 90: The Sit-Down War

Hearing Theresica say this was an arrangement for the future, Zeppelin didn't dare delay. He immediately ordered the Airborne Machinery Factory to prepare for production.

Theresica, meanwhile, personally began selecting pilots. She provisionally decided on four: two ordinary people and two Arts Users skilled in machinery control.

Just as Theresica was wholly absorbed in tinkering with her new toy, Manfred suddenly came looking for her.

"Your Majesty doesn't seem very concerned about the war in Siracusa these past few days."

"What's there to see? Aren't we in the superior position?"

Theresica said this, but Manfred silently handed over a document.

"Your Majesty, please take a look. This is a more detailed battle report."

Theresica took it and glanced over it, then frowned.

The Leithaniens had stopped taking the initiative to attack the urban district of Palermo, which was controlled by the Sarkaz. The Sarkaz, following the policy they had demanded when entering the war—avoiding close combat with Leithanien Infected—also didn't dare attack the Leithanien Arts User group, lest they provoke the Infected bombs.

The battlefield in Siracusa was actually becoming peaceful!

"How are the Leithanien casualties?"

"Your Majesty, in the earlier battles, the Leithanien Arts Users always sent Infected to attack while they hid behind them. So the actual casualties among the Leithanien Arts User group are probably very few."

Manfred said, "On our side, because we've handled the Infected corpses very promptly, burning every corpse around the camp, our casualties are also actually very few."

Good grief! They had been trading volleys of spell artillery for several days, yet the main forces on both sides had suffered nothing more than superficial injuries?!

"Are the Leithaniens just going to waste time with us in Palermo? Do they still have anyone supplying them?"

Theresica was somewhat surprised. Everyone had to eat. The Lady Sicilia was supplying the Sarkaz, but the Leithaniens in Siracusa were all troops of the Witch King! Now that the Witch King was gone, were the Twin Empresses secretly planning to recruit them?

Manfred shook his head and took out another document.

"Your Majesty, this is a letter from the Leithanien combat corps."

Theresica took it, opened it, and read it. Its meaning was simple: Leithanien and the Sarkaz had not truly developed any deep hatred during this war. If the Sarkaz needed to, they could claim to have dealt Leithanien a severe blow, and the Leithaniens would cooperate. They only hoped that the Sarkaz would allow them to return home so they could settle their country's political problems. Their token of thanks would be a phonograph.

What did they mean by a phonograph?

Theresica had Manfred summon the Confessor and asked him to explain what sort of device the Leithanien phonograph was.

"Your Majesty, Originium Arts can be activated by Arts Users, but they can also be released with external assistance. We convert the structure of Originium Arts into symbols and seal them inside Originium crystals. Once charged, they can be used repeatedly. The Leithaniens, however, convert the structure of Originium Arts into sound. They can release Originium Arts simply by repeating specific syllables."

At this point, the Confessor's face showed a hint of admiration. "Using sound to release Originium Arts is indeed a clever idea. They only need a simple mechanical device to rotate a wax disc, allowing the sound to repeat continuously. In this way, the Originium Arts can also be released over and over, provided there's enough energy."

After hearing the Confessor's explanation, Theresica handed him the letter. "Take a look. You're the expert in this field."

The Confessor read it for a while, then shook his head. "Your Majesty, a phonograph isn't suitable for us."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Your Majesty, using repeated sounds to release Originium Arts was the Leithaniens' idea, but the phonograph itself was designed for Leithanien by me personally. Its maintenance is extremely complicated."

The Confessor explained, "To ensure that the repeated sound is perfectly accurate, the wax disc must have extremely precise grooves carved into it. Production must be done by people with exceptionally sensitive hearing or deep knowledge of musical tones. Only then can the needle produce the correct sound as it passes over the disc. That requires more than a decade of training. Starting from zero would be completely impractical for us."

"Also, every pass of the needle damages the disc itself. It's extremely easy for the pitch to become inaccurate. Once that happens, the Originium Arts can't be released properly. The device is also easily disrupted by sharp sounds nearby. Once interference occurs, the phonograph can't function normally."

After the Confessor's explanation, Theresica now understood exactly what a phonograph was. She ordered Manfred, "We didn't receive any letter. However, our agreement with Leithanien only said that we would hold back the Witch King's forces... So if the Leithaniens don't attack, we won't cause trouble either. Every Sarkaz life we can spare is a profit."

"Understood!"

Manfred accepted the order and left. From that moment, the Palermo front in Siracusa truly quieted down.

The Sarkaz and the Witch King's troops silently watched each other amid the ruins of Palermo. The Arts User group occasionally fired a few rounds of Originium Arts into empty areas, while the Sarkaz Arts Users returned fire toward similarly vacant ground.

The large number of Infected corpses from the earlier battles were still being transported away, so Siracusa assumed the fighting inside remained fierce. Although the Twin Empresses of Leithanien knew that the battle here was staged, they had no intention of exposing it. Instead, they did their utmost to conceal the truth.

Leithanien no longer had the Witch King. Half of the combat forces it had sent out were locked in a bitter struggle with the Papal Knights. It truly couldn't afford to lose the entire Arts User group as an organized force. If that happened, Leithanien would lose the foundation that allowed it to survive in Terra.

They were currently trying to recruit this force under their command by promising it sufficient political status.

But all of this left Russell of Kazimierz unable to sleep.

Kazimierz bordered Leithanien, and what it needed was a weak Leithanien. She had been willing to sit down with Theresica and discuss matters precisely because she hoped the Sarkaz and Leithanien would fight fiercely over their old grudges. That would not only weaken Leithanien, but also deliver a heavy blow to the already underpopulated Sarkaz.

She knew very well that Kazimierz had paid the Sarkaz a great deal in compensation, while the Sarkaz had also begun earning vast sums through their ties with Ursus and Yan. Without interference, Kazdel would enter a period of steady development. In the future, it could very well become Kazimierz's greatest threat!

Unfortunately...

Russell sighed helplessly. All her plans had now turned to dust. Who would have thought that the Sarkaz and Leithanien, those two mortal enemies, could actually endure each other on the battlefield and wage a sit-down war?

Chapter 91: Long Live Siracusa

The war of Leithanien's invasion of Siracusa ended in an anticlimactic fashion, with the Witch King's death serving as the turning point.

Under the witness of the Laterano Pope, the Twin Empresses signed a peace treaty with Siracusa. It contained only one condition: Leithanien had to recognize Siracusa's independence.

The Twin Empresses urgently needed to purge the various forces within their country and consolidate their position. Otherwise, the remnants of the Witch King could rise again at any time. To buy themselves this time, they could only accept the demand.

Meanwhile, the war expenses Siracusa had to pay the Sarkaz had already reached a terrifying figure. The refugee settlement camps in Kazdel still held a huge number of war refugees, whose daily consumption of supplies was astonishing. The Lady Sicilia could no longer tolerate prolonging the matter for even one more day.

She chose to stop while she was ahead and announced that the two countries were restoring peaceful relations.

"Thank you to Kazdel for helping us during this period. Now it is time for them to return home."

That very day, the Siracusan refugees' return procedure began. They chose not to take Sarkaz airships, instead walking home under the Lady Sicilia's arrangements. Siracusa had established supply distribution points along the route, which was far cheaper than entrusting their transportation to the Sarkaz.

On the Siracusan side, the Sarkaz also began withdrawing from Palermo, handing their positions over to the returning Siracusan families. The Wendigo who had just arrived at the war zone immediately turned around and headed back to Kazdel. They had prepared to join the battle, never expecting it to become an armed parade.

The Sarkaz's decisive departure made the Lady Sicilia breathe a sigh of relief. They had truly feared that the Sarkaz would become guests who could never be sent away.

The excited Lady Sicilia held a banquet, inviting Theresica and several Sarkaz officers who had fought in Siracusa.

"The Sarkaz are truly a group of brave warriors. They can hide quietly in the ruins and wait for the enemy to walk right past them. That is difficult for Siracusans to do, yet warriors like that are everywhere among the Sarkaz."

The Lady Sicilia had drunk a little, and her words were full of praise for the Sarkaz army, along with some other thoughts.

"If only Siracusa could have warriors like that..."

"Oh? Lady Sicilia, do you... have something in mind?"

Theresica could see that being so easily overrun by Leithanien had left the lady deeply unhappy.

"We need better weapons, but weapons alone aren't enough."

The Lady Sicilia filled her own glass with wine and gestured for the attendant not to move. She personally filled Theresica's glass as well.

"Siracusa also needs soldiers. A true army. A group of people worthy of wielding weapons. I want to send Siracusans to Kazdel and commission the Sarkaz to train them."

"Oh? That's quite an unusual decision."

Theresica lowered her head and thought for a while. "This could very well lead to the military experience we've painstakingly summarized being taken by other countries... It would be a considerable loss."

"We don't need a force as comprehensive as the Sarkaz. We only need an army capable of accomplishing a few specific objectives."

The Lady Sicilia said, "For example, defending cities or suppressing riots..."

She had read some of the military reports the Sarkaz had made public to her. She knew that the Sarkaz had specifically formed a Siracusa Expeditionary Combat Group. She had also been astonished to discover that some Leithanien units that had been able to chase Siracusans away were beaten senseless before the Sarkaz! All of that had happened during urban defense operations.

If urban defense was so effective, couldn't Siracusa form such units as well?

Once the thought appeared, it lingered in the Lady Sicilia's mind. Being able to resist Leithanien through her own strength was simply too tempting for her at present.

"Please understand a weaker nation's pursuit of strength."

Seeing that Theresica continued thinking without changing expression, the Lady Sicilia didn't waste her breath. She gave a slight signal, and an attendant immediately brought over a document.

Please take a look.

The Lady Sicilia made this gesture. Theresica paused briefly before opening it.

It concerned the additional terms previously decided upon for interfering in the Siracusan war, though some changes had now been made.

Siracusa now needed to rebuild. Kazdel would produce the huge shortfall in civilian equipment, making this an order no smaller than one from Ursus. In addition, Siracusa would announce that for the next ten years, all goods exported to Siracusa by the Sarkaz would be unilaterally exempt from taxes.

At the same time, the Lady Sicilia wanted to construct a defensive line along the border between Siracusa and Leithanien. The bidder for the project was blank, but clauses written in Kazdel's script had already been appended below.

To be honest, the treaty was extremely tempting. Once signed, Kazdel's civilian industries would experience tremendous growth.

However, the Sarkaz also needed to export some genuinely good products.

Mortars, semi-automatic crossbows, and the like...

"This is truly an excellent treaty. I can barely resist."

Theresica said with a smile, "However, there are a few minor problems."

"What problems?" The Lady Sicilia waved her hand, and all the attendants immediately withdrew.

"The mortars we used this time were all original Ursus models. Kazdel itself doesn't have many in reserve, so exporting them is impossible. But..."

Theresica paused. "We do have imitations. They're somewhat more troublesome to operate than the Ursus versions."

"What's the difference?"

"Sarkaz models don't shoot quite as far, but they can reach 3.5 kilometers. Their rate of fire is also slower. However, we can produce them and provide Siracusa with a stable supply, along with instruction and training."

"Acceptable." The Lady Sicilia nodded. Her immediate concern was solving the problem of having something rather than nothing. Whether it was good enough could be considered later.

"There's also the matter of semi-automatic crossbows. I'm afraid we truly can't export those."

Theresica smiled helplessly. "Their components wear down extremely quickly. The Sarkaz are currently studying whether we should continue using them, because they place a tremendous strain on our logistics. Soldiers also need a long period of training to use them proficiently, among other problems."

"However, Lady Sicilia, you needn't worry. We have a batch of Victoria-made infantry crossbows. Their quality is excellent. If you want to buy them, we can provide them, as well as large quantities of bowstrings and bolts. The price would be roughly half the usual price of bolts."

Theresica smiled and waited for the Lady Sicilia's decision. The crossbows themselves were not expensive, but bolts were another matter. Archers needed training, and combat consumed ammunition.

After production had been divided into stages and placed on assembly lines, Kazdel's bolt output became astonishingly high. That was why the Sarkaz dared to equip semi-automatic crossbows in large numbers.

If Siracusa imitated the Sarkaz and equipped itself with semi-automatic crossbows, even if Theresica allowed their export, Siracusa would be crushed by the enormous consumption of bolts.

Importing Victoria's infantry crossbows better suited Siracusa's consumption levels. With Kazdel's help, they could completely afford high-intensity daily training. Besides, Kazdel had obtained one batch from Victoria, then produced another batch itself, only for semi-automatic crossbows to appear soon afterward. The unused crossbows had been left in storage to gather dust.

Now that Siracusa needed them, Kazdel could conveniently clear out its inventory.

The Lady Sicilia seemed to have thought of this as well. After considering it, she accepted Theresica's suggestion and instead arranged to import Victoria-made infantry crossbows for Siracusa.

The atmosphere was always harmonious when cooperation went smoothly. Just as the two were preparing to discuss cooperation in other areas, a Sarkaz officer hurried over.

"Your Majesty, this is a message the Confessor sent you."

Theresica smiled apologetically at the Lady Sicilia, then accepted the letter. The moment she read it, her expression turned ugly.

"What's wrong?" the Lady Sicilia asked with concern.

"No, it's nothing. The Leithaniens simply broke their promise."

Theresica said with a half-smile, "Cultured people really are something else."

Chapter 92: Powerful, but Politically Clueless

"To prevent the spread of Oripathy, the great Empress has decided to establish special Infected communities. Please vote."

"Agreed."

A plenary session was being held in the High Tower Council Hall of Leithanien. The Elector Counts read out the Empress's policies one by one, then had the nobles present vote on them.

Every policy brought here had already been discussed by the Elector Counts. Which measures would be promulgated and which would be rejected were already settled. The votes were merely a formality.

Most of the mid- and lower-ranking nobles in the council hall were familiar faces. They knew better than to expose anything, instead tacitly accepting the signals from the high-ranking nobles and playing their parts as emotionless voting machines.

To them, the Witch King and the Empress were merely different names. In essence, there was no difference between them.

"As for the social welfare previously distributed directly to the Infected, once the centralized communities are built, the funds will be placed under the management of the local nobles and distributed appropriately. I hope all of you will fulfill your responsibilities properly and manage the Infected communities well."

When the Elector Count finished speaking, smiles appeared on the nobles' faces. The Empress, like the Witch King, had risen to power through her own strength, but governing the country still required the support of the many nobles. By handing control of the funds to them, the Empress was buying their loyalty.

"What a benevolent Empress."

"Leithanien truly is fortunate."

The nobles praised her one after another. Just as the Elector Count was about to continue, a finely dressed attendant hurried into the hall.

He went around behind the Elector Counts and whispered something into their ears.