Chapter 145
Wellington suddenly called out to the officer.
"Notify the intelligence department"
"We probably won't find anything by focusing on Iberia. We should try to investigate in Ursus and find out their real reason for sending troops."
"It can't be that they're after the wealth accumulated during the Iberia Age of Discovery, can it?"
"Clear!"
The officer saluted and then left the room.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, the Iron Duke slowly sat down on the sofa once more.
Then, as if he were a little tired, he scratched his beard.
In fact, there was another reason why he chose to remain inactive.
That is...
Intuition.
His intuition told him that it was best not to get involved in Iberia affairs.
Mingming... since he got older, he has rarely had this kind of intuition that feels like being on the front lines of a battle.
Perhaps I'm just getting old and it's all an illusion.
But no matter what, even if troops were to be sent, it shouldn't be him.
Various forces are keeping a close eye on this old man.
Not to mention.
Even many of the dukes within Victoria were constantly trying to keep an eye on him.
"Well----"
The Iron Duke let out a long sigh.
The country has reached this point, yet the dukes are still acting independently as they do now.
He wouldn't be surprised if one of these guys turned out to be a traitor someday.
Therefore, should we send troops?
At least for now, the Iron Duke can offer all the support he needs for his friends in Iberia, except for assistance.
If they wish, Wellington wouldn't mind paying a high price to clean out his dusty weapons and equipment.
Huh? What? You want Steam Knights?
Actually, that's not entirely impossible.
If Iberia could provide a "suitable" one, Wellington could have his men rummage through boxes and cabinets to see if they had any old, worn-out pieces, or pull a few still-functioning antiques from a museum.
With some modifications, it should at least still be usable, right?
Only...
Clearly, Iberia did not do that.
This shows that their national treasury simply doesn't have the funds to be taken advantage of by Victoria.
Wellington didn't care whether their empty treasury was due to the country's decline or whether their officials were busy making extra money; he only knew that this showed... Iberia simply couldn't afford this condition.
He couldn't afford to pay, but he offered a deal that would tempt Ursus to send him two high-speed warships as henchmen.
It's clear that Ursus initiated this.
The fact that they were willing to send troops... clearly indicates that it's no ordinary entity.
"Well----"
Wellington let out another long sigh.
He seemed to sense that the land was about to undergo another period of great upheaval.
Hopefully, Victoria will still have a place in the future.
If he were a few years younger, he might have been even more imposing.
But now, just watching the infighting among the various dukes of Victoria, he no longer dared to hope that the country could maintain its status as a long-established power in the not-too-distant future, or even after he was buried in the ground.
Chapter 103, Two Wishes—Fulfilled at Once!
Clang--
The steel warships roared with a metallic clang against the night sky, and the beams of the searchlights around them were enough to tear through the darkness.
Two high-speed warships were navigating the darkness, heading at full speed towards the Iberia conflict zone.
Only...
They were unaware that the moment they stepped into this country, they had fallen into a hunter's trap.
Inside the bridge.
"Sir, there's a malfunction in the fuel tank!"
"Fault?"
The highest-ranking Ursus officer present walked over to the technician with a surprised look and looked at the screen he was pointing to.
"What's wrong?"
"Just now, fuel prices suddenly dropped by 15 percentage points."
"Tsk, could it be that those damned Victoria replenished their Originium fuel with some low-quality stockpile?"
The officer frowned slightly, seemingly harboring great displeasure with Victoria, who had just passed by.
"The report states that while that possibility cannot be ruled out, the more likely scenario is—"
Before the technician could finish his guess, the flashing red light on the control panel drew everyone's attention back.
"What's going on? Fuel... fuel reserves are dwindling!"
They pointed incredulously at the indicator showing the remaining fuel, which was now leaking its contents rapidly like a bucket with a hole in it.
In just a few breaths, the fuel tank, which had been plentiful, was reduced to a critical level.
"Thud."
In an instant, the entire warship went silent, as if a power switch had been cut off.
Its speed was so high that the engine had no room to slow down, and it glided for a distance by inertia before coming to a stop.
At the same time, all the electrical systems inside the warship, including the bridge, were shut down, allowing them to completely blend into the darkness of the night.
"Damn it, turn on the backup power!"
The officer roared in frustration, and with the technician's skillful operation, the lights in the bridge were quickly turned back on.
"Report: Preliminary investigation suggests an unexplained leak from the fuel tank."
The repair crew is on its way!
"Those bunch of idiots from Ursus, they couldn't even detect such a major hidden danger before they left? When they get back, I'm going to lock them all in the warehouse!"
"Notify the crew on the other warship that we need to conduct repairs on the spot and temporarily deviate from our original marching route."
"Let them prioritize their missions; don't worry about us."
"But, sir, won't anything unexpected happen if we break away from them like this—"
"An accident? Soldier, do you think there's anything in Iberia that could threaten the Empire's warships and veteran vanguard in this godforsaken place?"
"Pass down the order: the logistics team, immediately prepare the high-concentration Originium fuel tanks stored in the warehouse. Use the batch brought out by the Ursus Empire; don't use the inferior goods given to us by those Victoria Feline!"
"Refill the fuel tank immediately after it's been inspected and repaired!"
"Yes!"
"Also... notify the soldiers to prepare for battle, although I don't think anyone would be foolish enough to confront the Ursus Empire's warships head-on in the wilderness."
Out of caution, the officer slowly spoke and gave the final instructions.
"Hurry up, hurry up, or the higher-ups will twist our heads off and use them as nests for the Originium Slug!"
The unshaven, sleepy sappers, struggling to stay awake, stopped in front of the fuel room door, carrying their heavy toolboxes.
"Phew, open the door. Be careful with your protective gear. The worst-case scenario is that the high-concentration Originium fuel has already leaked. No one should work inside for more than ten minutes! During the handover, describe the situation in as much detail as possible to the next person!"
"Yes!"
The engineers quickly donned full protective suits, then slung oxygen tanks over their backs. Fully armed, the two leaders stood in front of and behind the sealed safety door, assuming a posture ready to open it.
The others set up three devices to monitor the amount of Originium dust in the air in real time, in order to prevent the leakage from spreading.
"Open the door!"
At the command of the engineering captain, two engineers simultaneously unlocked the heavy safety lock on the security door and prepared to open it.
But...
"Damn it! It seems like something's blocking the way inside, I can't push my head out!"
"Block it?"
The engineering captain squinted at the seemingly intact gate, then glanced at the two members who had exerted force. After pondering for a moment, he raised his hand, signaling them to leave.
"Alright, get the hydraulic hammer out! Right now, restoring the fuel tank is the priority!"
"Yes!"
Click.
The engineers worked in perfect unison, preparing the hydraulic hammer and securing it firmly to the safety gate.
In fact, if this weren't a fuel compartment, given the Ursus army's usual practices, they would probably have blown open the hatch directly.
"Hydraulic hammer installation complete!"
"Prepare for release!"
"Three"
"Two"
"One"
"Hurrah!!!"
"Bang!!!"
With a violent metallic clang and a creaking, groaning sound that made your teeth ache, the entire metal security door was twisted beyond recognition by the immense force of the impact. It now hung precariously on the frame, as fragile as a windowpane.
"Snap!"
The engineering captain kicked the door down, burying it in the floor of the fuel compartment.
As for why it was blocked before, they didn't care at all. Anyway, they were going to replace the whole door, so there was no need to investigate what might have been blocking it from underneath.
"Hurry up! Hurry up!"
As the engineering captain spoke, he directed the others to quickly rush into the compartment and begin the inspection.
A few minutes later.
"Strangeness..."
Seeing the open hatch and the engineers pouring in, the soldier who had initially set up the Originium contamination detector at the door looked at the screen with some confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"If it were a leak, the Originium content in the air would have fluctuated at least slightly the moment the door opened."
"Even if it doesn't trigger a safety alarm, there will definitely be a change curve that can be observed with the naked eye... This is a very sophisticated device; it's impossible for it not to react. Where are your two?"
"Let me check... but I haven't been able to observe any changes in Originium contamination. Strange, something's not right. If it were a leak, it wouldn't look like this."
"No matter what, report to the captain first."
"..."
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