Chris was enjoying the show.
Now that he was a king, he could no longer roam wherever he pleased, so his greatest pleasure was hiding alone in his study and watching the players fight the snake-men through their livestreams.
Chris thoroughly enjoyed watching. When three giant Venomous Salamanders burst out of the water, he abruptly sat up straight and watched even more intently.
This livestream was far more exciting than any movie.
Once the three Venomous Salamanders died and the players started pumping water again, Chris paid even closer attention. He knew all too well what would happen next... Diu Ni Leimu had submitted a special logistics requisition to the rear specifically for this decisive battle.
The requisition was so enormous that no one in the Military Affairs Department dared approve it except Chris.
So far, neither the Holy Crusade Army nor the Railway Corps had used those supplies. Clearly, they had saved them for the very end-right now... Chris watched with intense interest and anticipation.
Byron Thorne stood on a mound that had become slightly drier thanks to the drainage work. His old priestly robe, spattered with mud, made him look out of place among the smartly dressed or rugged players and soldiers around him.
Everyone passing by, whether players or members of the Railway Guard Corps, ignored Byron standing there. They all had things to do and no time to spare for an idle man.
The smell here was foul enough that Byron had strapped a crude respirator over his face, but it did little beyond providing psychological comfort.
For the air held more than a poisonous stench. There was also a deeper, soul-chilling aura of corruption, like invisible tentacles tugging at the keen senses he possessed as a former priest of the Earth Mother Goddess.
He