Night falls.
The searchlight beams swept slowly across the night sky, across the thick clouds and the pitch-black sea, endlessly and tirelessly.
Tidis Fortress is located in Tidis Town, Coastal County, in the western border of the kingdom.
Half of this military building is built at sea, with a deep-water pier made of reinforced concrete that stretches into the sea like a giant steel arm; the berths are prepared for armored dreadnoughts.
However, the true core function of this fortress was not to dock those surface ships.
It was specifically built for resupplying and docking the four aerial units known as the " Goliath-class Flying Battleship," which were dubbed war behemoths.
Therefore, the kingdom spared no expense in constructing a giant fortress-like aerial dock here, reaching a height of seventy meters.
Several railways radiate from the fortress to various towns in the western administrative region, transporting soldiers and supplies day and night.
The Railway Valley, 400 kilometers away, is just the terminus of one of its branch lines.
The meeting hall is located on the fifth floor of the central castle of the fortress.
Outside the glass window was the pitch-black sea, with only the distant lighthouse flickering intermittently.
A heavy oak table sits in the center of the meeting hall, and portraits of past Western Commanders hang on the walls, making it clear at a glance that this is the core of power in the entire fortress.
At the head of the long table, the obese General Muoro was in a rage, slamming his fist on the table, causing the teacups to jump.
"Waste!"
The sound echoed in the conference hall.
"A fully armed infantry company! They were driven away by a bunch of peasant miners?! What are you all good for?!"
He glared at a captain standing by the long table, who was clutching his cap, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"General, the circumstances were special at the time—"
"Special my ass! Look at what your bullshit report says! 'The boy emitting golden light fights alongside the sky pirate leader!' Do you think you're submitting an article to a newspaper?!"
He grabbed the report and slammed it down on the captain's face.
"Isn't it just that you're afraid of taking responsibility for giving the order to fire? Do you think I can't see that?"
"In the Western Frontier, I'm the one who calls the shots. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up. What are you afraid of!"
"You actually managed to capture half your men—I think you should just get rid of this skin and go work in the mines!!" Mouro continued to roar, spittle flying everywhere.
The captain's lips moved, but he didn't dare to reply.
Mouro said the same thing last time, and when the council members arrived, didn't they still obediently hand over a few junior officers to take the blame?
But he dared not utter a single word; in his rage, Mouro might actually pull out a pistol and kill him on the spot.
Mouro sat back in his chair, panting heavily, and took a big gulp of tea.
Seemingly not yet satisfied with his rant, he turned his attention to the other side of the long table.
The black-clad agent's face had been cleaned, but the bandages wrapped around his forehead and nose made him look somewhat disheveled.
"And your Intelligence Department, aren't you the best at doing all sorts of secretive, underhanded things? Yet you can't even catch a young girl!"
The agent stared blankly ahead, seemingly oblivious to Mouro's reprimand. This indifference only fueled the general's anger.
Just as he was about to continue his rage, an elegant young voice rang out.
"General."
The one who spoke was a handsome young man sitting in front of the agents.
He wore a well-tailored brown suit, his blond hair was neatly combed, and gold-rimmed sunglasses perched on his nose, completely concealing his eyes and revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Colonel Muska, head of the Intelligence Department of the Northern Kingdom.
He held up his white porcelain teacup, gently blew on the steam, and said unhurriedly, "It's not your place to reprimand my men. As for being driven back by the miners—that's your army, General."
It's not mine.
Mouro's face turned purple, but he couldn't find any excuse to refute it.
He hated this man, hated his perpetually composed demeanor, and hated even more how, at such a young age, he had climbed to a position equal to his own, or even more trusted by the prime minister, simply because of his noble birth and nepotism.
But he had to admit that Muska was right.
Although the agents didn't catch anyone, at least they weren't beaten into running away with their tails between their legs by the miners.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Mouro finally managed to squeeze out the words through gritted teeth, trying to emphasize his authority. "I am the commander-in-chief of the Laputa Plan! All departments involved in the operation are under my command!"
"Therefore, you should reflect on why your soldiers failed in a mining town, instead of wasting time on pointless accusations."
Looking at Mouro's fat face, twisted with anger, Muska's contempt deepened.
Stupid, short-tempered, greedy, and abusing power to oppress subordinates.
The fact that such a person could control the military power of the entire western border is clear evidence of the corruption of the kingdom's system.
As for his own negligence in attracting Dola's Gang's attention, which led to Sheeta's fall—he has selectively forgotten that.
That was just an accident, and it's not too late to fix it.
Finally, Mouro slumped back into his chair, looking deflated. He should have remembered that he could never win an argument with this sinister fellow.
"That's it then." He waved his hand impatiently.
"Your Intelligence Department doesn't need to worry about what happens next. I will send people to monitor all airspace in the Western Territory. Once Dola's Gang's airship is spotted, we will immediately dispatch fighter jets to intercept it."
In Mouro's view, the miners of Valley Town must have colluded with the Sky Pirate Family, and the Volucite must have fallen into Dola's hands.
"As long as we can find them, we'll definitely get our things back—"
Halfway through the conversation, the meeting room door was suddenly pushed open.
A black-clad agent strode quickly to Muska's side, leaned down, and whispered a few words in his ear.
After listening, Muska put down his teacup and looked at Mouro.
"It seems there's no need for you, General, to mobilize such a large force."
"What?" Mouro frowned.
"I just received news," Muska said with a hint of pleasure in his voice, " Dola's Gang's airship, the Tiger Moth, has headed towards Valley Town, and it seems they don't intend to leave anytime soon."
"Therefore, you no longer need to bother monitoring the entire western airspace; the target is right there waiting for you to catch it."
He paused for a moment, then plunged the knife into Mouro again. "Of course, that's assuming your Champion aren't so frightened by those miners that they dare not set foot in that town again."
Mouro felt his blood pressure spike, and steam practically burst from his bald scalp.
He stood up abruptly, the ruby medal on his collar swaying violently.
" Muska! You one 1"
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll have to keep you company for now."
Muska also stood up, straightened his perfectly wrinkle-free suit cuffs, and turned to walk towards the door.
He needs to rest well so he can be in the best condition to welcome the distinguished "princess" who is about to arrive.
The three left the conference hall, and the luxurious wooden door closed gently.
Bang!!!
With a loud crash, Mouro swept everything off the table.
He was openly mocked by a nobleman young man old enough to be his son, and he couldn't even refute him.
This is an utter disgrace!
In the conference room, the other accompanying officers exchanged glances, none daring to step forward and dissuade them.
"Order! The entire First Armored Battalion is to assemble! Depart at six o'clock tomorrow morning and flatten that place!"
-"
Mouro stopped mid-sentence.
He suddenly thought of something.
Had I fallen for Muska's provocation?
Was that guy deliberately trying to provoke me and Confundus Charm, hoping to make him suffer another setback?
For example, you might excitedly lead your troops to attack, only to find that the air pirates have already moved on, leaving behind a group of miners who know nothing about the situation.
In this way, all responsibility for the failure of the operation can be conveniently shifted onto oneself.
Yes! That must be it, he wants to seize command!
"General?" a lieutenant colonel whispered a reminder; he was the battalion commander of the armored battalion.
"Hmm... we'll send out troops in two days. First, send reconnaissance planes to keep a close eye on Dola's Gang, see if there's anything fishy going on." Mouro's eyes darted around, gradually calming down.
The officers exchanged bewildered glances. A few air pirates? Did they really have to wait two more days?
"Hmph, that kid Muska definitely withheld crucial information, trying to embarrass me again—too bad, I'm not that easy to fool."
So, what are you planning to do?
"Call upon Goliath!" Mouro slammed his fist on the table. "We'll send our warships straight there and show everyone who's in charge in the western part of the kingdom!"