Only Rituals and Warfare

"There are still some."

"Hmm." Patriot nodded.

"Ludmila?"

"Less than last time," another worker replied.

"Good." Bohdrokasthim somewhat relieved. "Warriors and civilians... should be separated."

The camera remained silent.

During their time at Number Fourteen Facility, Skullshatterer and Crownslayer maintained an unusually low profile, even helping Rhodes Island restrain the former Reunion Movement members. Bohdrokasthim also held a positive attitude towards this—he completely regarded Number Fourteen Facility, managed by Rhodes Island, as his "home base."

It can't be considered wrong...

Oute switched to his other plan and put down the terminal.

FrostNova explained, "Doc Otter, the Medical Department has improved this frostbite cream according to our formula."

She boasted proudly, "It works better than any frostbite medication from Rhodes Island or other commercially available brands!"

This statement is actually biased.

Oute had seen the drug tests.

There are roughly three main mechanisms of action for frostbite medication: vasodilation, anticoagulation, and anti-inflammation. This particular product from FrostNova Xianbao has a slight advantage in vasodilation and anti-inflammation, but it's not exactly "more effective."

Its biggest advantage is its low price, as its ingredients are all common herbs found in the Ursus tundra.

However, even Oute wouldn't intentionally argue in such a situation.

He nodded and said, "Have you named it yet?"

FrostNova asked expectantly, "Not yet!"

This is in the hope that Oute will provide one.

He closed his eyes and pondered:

In the original story, this special medicine was named FrostNova in memory of the girl before him.

But the white rabbit is still alive!

Although, given the cultural context, naming this frostbite cream after her would be reasonable.

But in that case, it should also be called "Elena".

Choosing a name is so hard... I'm really bad at it.

Ursus... Polar bear...

Sunflowers look good, don't they?

However, using common terms to name drugs can lead to ambiguity.

"Let's call it 'Sun Wheel,'" Oute explained. "It's another name for sunflower."

After giving the name, Oute continued his planning.

We still need a catalyst... a catalyst that allows the operators to accept and practice the "Rhodes Island Code" with a clear conscience. Their trust in and commitment to the "Rhodes Island Code" surpasses even the laws of their respective homelands...

There's no rush, nor is there any need to actively change course—injustice and tyranny are everywhere on this land.

Watching Oute work diligently, FrostNova blushed slightly. "Sun Wheel..."

Sunflowers symbolize loyalty and love, representing the pursuit of sunlight and a passion for dreams and life.

Its flower language is... silent love, love that is not spoken. But seriously speaking... a considerable number of flowers have flower language related to love.

Finding a flower that has nothing to do with "love" would probably be much more difficult.

"Big sister!" Pelotova called out, "The soldiers are about to begin training!"

For a fleeting moment, FrostNova reached out her hand towards Oute, but after trembling twice, she withdrew it.

"Coming right now!"

"Speaking of which, big sister, is the climate in Kjerag similar to that of Ursus?" Petrova asked casually on the way.

"They're different. Although the cold is almost the same, it's different in Kjerag..."

Kjerag.

SilverAsh said helplessly, "Noesis... no matter how much you look at it, that tablet won't grow wings and fly away."

Gnosis retorted, "This is the result of our selling ourselves! We can't be too cautious!"

SilverAsh: "But didn't you agree in the end? Besides, that terminal only has the Incandescent Alloy production line!"

"Even when we were signing the contract, I was against registering as an operator!" Gnosis retorted, "Although Kjerag doesn't have a formal modern government, you're still a leader!"

"Not to mention what happened afterward..."

"Noesis!" SilverAsh gestured, looking at the aircraft that was taking off.

Gnosis sighed.

Having already placed a heavy bet on Rhodes Island, SilverAsh now has a deeper understanding of Rhodes Island strength. This time, he actually has no desire to involve Rhodes Island in... the incident.

Gnosis tugged at his collar, trying to ease the tension, and said, "Speaking of which, how will the Chernobog incident ultimately end?"

SilverAsh accepted this concession. "After all, being swept away by Catastrophe twice in a row, it shouldn't be too difficult for Ursus and Yan to end things peacefully."

Ursus, Saint Petersburg.

"... I see."

Looking at the broken half of the military knife in front of him, Fyodor suppressed his anger.

Speaker Vitter said as he saw the guest off, "The scenery at Saint Petersburg is beautiful. If Duke Wei has some free time, he might as well take a stroll around."

"Haha!" Wei Yenwu exclaimed triumphantly, "Then I shall accept!"

With a dragon's keen hearing, even from a great distance, Wei Yenwu could still hear the sound of the porcelain shattering.

Those were high-quality export porcelain produced in Lungmen —except for the cross-eyed design, the patterns were all based on real dragons.

The smile doesn't disappear, it just moves on.

When even Wei Yenwu couldn't help but smile, Fyodor completely lost his composure.

"How dare you!?" The young Tsar gripped the lower half of his face tightly, as if he could strangle his fear with it.

"Vitter! Answer me! How dare they!?"

Compared to the unrest within the Imperial Guards, even news of Koschei was temporarily ignored by the ruler and his minister.

"Your Majesty, which 'they' are you referring to?" Vitter said bitterly, "If you mean the Imperial Guards, then this must be a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding!?" The Tsar, unable to contain his anger, smashed a piece of porcelain.

It seems that smashing these gifts from Lungmen would destroy everything that damned Lungmen man brought with him.

Including... that half of a military knife.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Vitter hinted, "Grand Duke Baikal, the deputy commander of the Third Army Group and governor of Rosin, and Viscount Kerk ... the Imperial Guards is punishing these criminals."

"...Yes, the Empire's loyal blade is punishing the Empire's sinners!" Fyodor sat up straight.

He closed his eyes and asked, "One enemy at a time... right?"

Speaker Vitter advised, "Your Majesty, we have only one enemy."

"An enemy... a maggot of the empire... hmph... I guess even the Imperial Guards would get the mission location wrong?" Fyodor repeatedly suppressed his anger and fear.

"Indeed, even the Imperial Guards can get the mission location wrong," Speaker Vitter implied. "Since they got the mission location wrong, they should also receive some punishment."

"May I?"

"Saint Petersburg must do this," Vitter warned. "Otherwise..."

Vitter didn't continue.

If he were the leader of an army group, perhaps he could speak frankly, but he is only the speaker.

He was merely an "industrial aristocrat".

"Besides, even if we try our best to hide it, the Yan won't."

Therefore, it is best to treat the Ursus Imperial Guards's solo escape as an open secret.

"Then where is the most suitable place for the Empire's sharpest weapon?"

"The North," Vitter stated firmly, "Those misguided blades should be used to seize territory for the Empire in another way!"

Chapter 269 Only Sacrifice and Rong

The so-called "blood price" is "income earned at the cost of one's life" or "expenses willing to be paid to preserve one's life."

Generally speaking, money can be exchanged for necessities and also measures wealth and poverty. The poorer one is, the closer one's necessities are to survival. In other words, for the poor, money can be equivalent to life itself.

"Crossing this line of equivalence between life and resources, exchanging life for money is an equivalent exchange—and even profitable."

The Ursus children and the young Rhodes Island operators stared blankly at the silver-haired Liberi.

He peeled back the bloody veneer of Ursus's plunder; he stripped away the veneer of all of Ursus's nominal and actual taxes.

"Blood reward is the reward for violence, just as wages are the reward for labor, interest is the reward for capital, and rent is the reward for land."

"When the tax collection team kicks down the village walls, when the noblemen's tax collectors steal our seeds for the coming year, our lives are already on a countdown."

"Death is the same for both; to die silently, letting the tax collectors leave, and losing body temperature in hunger and cold is one way; to kill the tax collectors, seize the grain, and be wiped out by the noble lords the following spring as a warning to others is also a way."

"Both are taxes; collecting all the revenue for a year at once and then sending troops to wipe out the rebellious villages is one method of taxation; collecting the same revenue over three years and continuing for the next three years and then the next three years is another method of taxation."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Oute used a very "immersive" way of speaking.

The children from agricultural backgrounds already felt a sense of empathy. The noble children who remained on Rhodes Island, while agreeing, also felt somewhat uneasy.

"In this continuous process, a delicate balance is gradually established between nobles and commoners, exploiters and the exploited, meat-eaters and meat."

"However, faced with long-term rule and the greed of the nobility, this delicate balance was often deliberately broken by those in power, both high and low. They would cross the line, plundering on a massive scale, leaving not even the seeds for the following year."