"If you want my advice, I'd put a ring of Magic Cannons around the place and blast the hell out of the Ratfolk."
With war on his mind, Annan seemed intent on turning the Floating City into a War Fortress. Move the shacks five meters back, mount a cannon in that tower window—one man could hold the pass.
If need be, they could even drop the whole thing like a meteorite—but Annan kept that to himself. Count Ulmit probably wouldn't want to spend 500,000 gold narls just to hear a bang.
Forget dropping it on the Ratfolk; he couldn't bear to send it into battle at all.
Its only purpose was to make Free City look as though it had strength in numbers.
Plenty of space had opened up among the shacks outside the city, just right for settling the Ratfolk.
At that evening's banquet in the City Lord's Mansion, the Ratfolk Elder, Count Ulmit, and the two neighbors formed a loose alliance for mutual aid in this remote backwater.
But Free City was the only one that could truly hold the front line.
The Stuen Ratfolk had an important role too: keeping them informed of the Ratfolk-Demon Allied Forces' movements.
The Montablinlock Duchy and Franco's Territory would help defend the city. Count Ulmit... would just drink Free City's liquor.
The Ratfolk Elder said more of his people were still in the Northern Frontier and on their way. But when Annan suggested sending those Ratfolk to the neighbors, both objected.
They flatly refused to let Ratfolk into their territories.
"That's fine. If they don't want them, I do."
Ratfolk Artisans were wonderful. Just look at Lucky Mouse in Free City.
As for the Ratfolk using the opportunity to start an uprising... Annan might have worried a little a few months