The Golden Forest.
Meila, with her younger sister who had fallen into a deep sleep from the long journey, sat down with her back against a large tree.
She had told Nausicaä everything she knew.
Meila did not participate in the discussion among the group not far away. She knew very well that she had no right to force others to act according to her wishes.
Besides, she knew nothing about the situation in the Valley of the Wind, and interrupting would only annoy people.
So she simply cleared her mind and took a good look at this "dreamland" she had heard about countless times in stories since childhood.
The scenery before me was even more breathtaking than I had imagined.
Even the artificial gardens within the palace of Pejite cannot compare to this place.
The trees are tall and straight, their branches and leaves layered upon each other, creating a green canopy. Sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, scattering dappled patterns of light.
The babbling brook and the clear chirping of birds came from all directions, enveloping her in pleasant sounds.
Meila took a deep breath.
The air was filled with the scent of earth, the fragrance of grass and trees, and a unique, indescribable aroma that brought peace of mind.
all is well.
Except for that strange tree.
Meila's gaze fell on the small tree in the center of the forest, which radiated a soft golden light and whose leaves looked as if they were made of pure gold.
She had never seen a plant that emitted such a large area of warm light, not even in the Sea of Corruption.
Even stranger were the leaders of the Valley of the Wind —the young female clan leader, the seemingly powerful swordsman, the short, stocky old man, and the burly, one-eyed elder.
Why did they insist on discussing things around that tree? Was it some strange custom?
Unbeknownst to Meila, Nausicaä and the others were communicating with what she perceived as the "strange tree" through a mental link.
Nausicaä was genuinely surprised after hearing the information provided by Meila; she hadn't expected the news brought by the two girls to be so significant.
Soon, several elders and Yupa arrived hastily upon Mu En's notification.
"I never imagined those guys were really the Kingdom of Pejite," Yupa exclaimed.
"I was surprised too, but I could sense that Meila wasn't lying."
Nausicaä recounted the story she had just heard to everyone.
Meila was a refugee who had fled from Pejite, and she happened to be among the group that had traveled with Yupa.
One of them was an expedition called " Insect Claw," which participated in the overthrow of the incompetent royal family, and they traveled together.
According to their leader, they were on their way to Pejite to complete a mission and, incidentally, to protect their compatriots from bandit attacks.
At first, the expedition team did fulfill their duties as escorts, keeping watch for the people and driving away the attacking insects.
Coincidentally, just after Yupa left with the sensitive mother and child, the jackals revealed their true colors.
It was the second night since they left Pejite, and everyone was awakened by screams and shouts.
They looted all the refugees' supplies, enslaved the men, and dragged away the beautiful women to be publicly humiliated.
Meila escaped unscathed because of her ordinary appearance and figure.
After that, at each settlement, the people of the Insect Claw would use the refugees to trick them into opening the gate, and then rush in to burn, kill, and loot.
Only through the accounts of the village survivors did the refugees piece together the truth about the Insect Claw Expedition Group.
They certainly wouldn't be bothered by the sand bandits—because the leader of the Insect Claw, " Ohara," was himself a notorious sand bandit chief!
Only then did the refugees fully realize the truth.
They helped a group of robbers and destroyed their own country with their own hands.
Thus, the Dorok People, with their rebellious and adventurous spirit, rose up in resistance, sacrificing dozens of lives to allow the Meila sisters to escape.
The two traveled day and night, almost exhausting their last bit of strength, before barely managing to reach this point.
According to Meila, the Insect Claw Expedition Group had at least seventy members, each equipped with a Horseclaw clad in armor.
In terms of firepower, they used the standard " Storm " assault rifles imported from Tolmekia, as well as various types of individual explosive devices.
To make matters worse, they also had a small cannon cobbled together from steel pipes and discarded breechblocks.
If the target refused to open the gate, they would simply blast open the city wall with cannons.
These are just the equipment; the individual skills of the Insect Claw Expedition Group should not be underestimated either.
They were all former bandits who had risked their lives to become explorers, and they had also undergone a life-and-death ordeal in the Sea of Corruption.
These people are not afraid of death as long as the benefits are sufficient.
"I used the ' Storm ' assault rifle in Tolmekia. It has an extremely high rate of fire; a skilled shooter can empty three 30-round magazines in a minute."
Mito, who was familiar with the Empire's weaponry, explained.
"Didn't you hear what the princess said? It's not just the rifles; those explosives shouldn't be underestimated either."
Gol added from the perspective of a weapons craftsman.
"If they really came from Pejite, they'll definitely have plenty of grenades and flashbangs; the raw materials for those things are everywhere in the Sea of Corruption."
Nausicaä listened to the analysis, images involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
The bandits stormed into the Valley of the Wind, blasting through the defenses with grenades, forcing back the militia with flashbangs, and finally mowing down the unarmed civilians with gunfire.
Those thugs must never be allowed to set foot in the Valley of the Wind.
This was her idea, and also the idea of several elders.
As a vassal state where half the population had been to war and witnessed the Tolmekia's years of conquest, the people of the Valley of the Wind could not possibly be unaware of the power of firearms.
Even a combat master like Yupa would always carry a rifle with him to deal with potential long-range threats.
"No matter how fast a sword is, it can't outrun a bullet. When facing an armed enemy in an open area, the best option is to find cover or fire before the enemy." This is the experience he personally imparted.
The speed of the bullet has far exceeded the limits of human reaction time.
Even the Blessed Warrior, whose physical abilities are extraordinary, are still made of flesh and blood and cannot directly confront steel and gunpowder.
As for engaging in a firearms-based counterattack, that's out of the question.
The militiamen's single-shot rifles, which required manual ejection and reloading after each shot, were powerful, but their rate of fire and accuracy were nowhere near those of their opponents.
In Mu En's words, the equipment in Valley of the Wind was almost two eras behind that of their opponents.
As for why I didn't buy some automatic firearms before... it's the same old problem: they're too expensive.
A single bullet-pressing machine is worth several tons of grain, which is completely different from a single rifle bullet that can be made by hand.
Moreover, in the past, this place was protected by gunboats, and the militiamen's guns were at most used to scare off unruly merchants.
"It seems we have no choice but to defend based on the terrain," Yupa suggested. "At the same time, send messengers to our allies, such as Pejite and Mining Town, for reinforcements. If we can hold out for a few more days..."
"No way." Mito shook his head, rejecting the idea. "Let's not even talk about whether our city walls can withstand those cannons of unknown caliber; just consider the firepower alone."
"You probably haven't seen what automatic weapons look like on the battlefield. If seventy Storm Rifle fired simultaneously, the barrage would cover the entire city wall like a torrential downpour. The defenders wouldn't even be able to raise their heads, let alone retaliate."
"At that time, they only need to send a few people with explosives to approach the city gate..."
He didn't finish speaking, but the meaning was already clear.
Once the city walls are breached, the Valley of the Wind, this mountain plain, will be completely indefensible.
A moment of silence fell over the room, and the group couldn't come up with a good solution.
However, Mu En was different from the two elders who were frowning.
On the contrary, I felt fortunate, and even vaguely excited.
According to Meila's intelligence, he has confirmed that the technological level of this Valley of the Wind world is consistent with his memory.
Aside from those completely illogical aircraft, they are at most on par with those from World War II in the previous life.
Fixed-load ammunition, automatic rifles, light machine guns, grenades... there's no advanced technology involved.
As mentioned before, a warrior needs both spear and shield when facing an enemy.
Now that we have the sharpest spear, then...
It's time for the strongest shield to make its appearance.
"How about this?"
Mu En's voice reached the ears of everyone except Yupa.
"We will take the initiative!"