"Tch, you really could bear to give away that much gold just like that?" Walking beside Jiu Ming and taking in the celebratory atmosphere of the Order's founding anniversary, Haruhi asked.
"I could, I could. Once you have enough gold, doesn't it become just like stones? Think of it as tossing rocks around for fun." Jiu Ming smiled and answered while looking up at the clear sky.
After the Empire's army had surrounded the mountain of gold for three days, they began withdrawing without having done anything. They had left behind a blockade, sure—but what use was that?
First, there was the issue of attacking. The Empire's army had actually tried that before, but it did not take long for them to realize that attacking the Blazing Flame Zone was simply impossible. The flames filling that place were far too powerful; whether an ordinary weapon or an extraordinary one, the moment it brushed those flames, it would be vaporized.
Pass through the narrow paths in the Blazing Flame Zone? Sure—provided you could deal with those flame monsters first. Even if they were cut down, those flame monsters could swiftly recover inside the Blazing Flame Zone. And they were not made of wood, either. Those flame demons formed entirely from lava were like hedgehogs; even without actively attacking anyone, simply brushing their bodies against a target was enough to scald a human of flesh and blood into blissful agony.
What about attacking from the air? Those flame demons could attack at range too. So what then?
They could not take the place by force, and stationing troops outside only wasted resources. They might as well use another method!
For example, after the commoners received their gold, they could conveniently take that gold back from them... under the noble name of "safekeeping"!