General Dunkel was the garrison commander of Gras City.
To some extent, he rather liked the position.
His rank was high, and it was respectable to mention. Most importantly... it was very safe! He didn't have to suppress the natives of the Nightmare Sea like his colleagues, guard the plantations in the Golden Sea, or struggle in the distant East, where they might not even receive a letter home all year.
As an island nation, Ingsman was undoubtedly blessed with favorable geography, which had allowed it to escape several great upheavals on the O'Farrell Continent.
Even in wars specifically waged against Ingsman, the navy had dealt with most of them.
Only during the First Ingsman-Xixi War in its history had Ingsman sent its army to invade Sese's homeland. But that had been several hundred years ago, and the final outcome had been a shameful defeat.
Ever since then, everyone in Ingsman had come to two conclusions: first, the army was inferior to the navy; second, an invincible navy was all that was needed to defend the homeland.
Sadly, many army officers agreed with this.
By now, many positions under Dunkel had taken on a peculiar quality: they could be bought and sold, and even traded like futures, with people placing bets and gambling on them.
For instance, a lucrative position would immediately attract eager buyers, and its price would double or even triple.
But if the position was about to be sent to a dangerous battlefield, well... unless they were lunatics fixated on military honors, no one would buy it. Its price would plummet, in a crash even more terrifying than a stock market collapsing in an avalanche.
At that moment, Dunkel wanted nothing more than to sell his position and rank, even if he had to pay someone to