Chapter 312: Only the Demon King can save the fallen demons!

Titch was adjusting his collar at the entrance of the fortress, looking at the cavalry team slowly approaching in the distance with a complex expression.

He never thought that he would meet General Hamorton, who once made him terrified, in the capacity of a "Baron."

Until a few months ago, he was chased by this guy's warship on the high seas and almost died in the belly of a fish...

"Baron, General Hamorton is here!" Lumier, disguised as a servant, reminded him in a low voice to pay attention to managing his expression.

This slippery guy—

Always picks the easy jobs!

Titch complained in his heart, but had no time to argue with this guy who stood and talked without back pain.

"I know."

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his anxiety, barely put on the smile that a noble should have, and walked up.

Seeing Titch, who had been waiting for a long time, at a glance, General Hamorton took out the etiquette he used when meeting prominent people in the Empire's mainland, and dismounted from a distance.

In other parts of the New World, he would never curry favor with a "fallen local tycoon" who had mixed himself into a side dish.

Stepping forward, General Hamorton extended his hand with a smile: "Long heard of your name, respected Baron Titch! It is an honor to meet you today."

When he heard the words "long heard of your name," Titch's heart twitched, but fortunately, there was no flaw on his face, and he extended his right hand with a calm smile.

"You are overstating it, General... Compared to a nobody like me, you are the giant whose reputation resounds throughout the Vast Ocean!"

Holding General Hamorton's hand, Titch's mind subconsciously flashed the scene when he saw Hamorton from afar back then.

At that time, he was still an insignificant little person, still hesitating whether to change his career to be a pirate. Perhaps because he had a guilty conscience, the other party's look at that time scared him out of his wits, and he didn't sleep well for several days.

And the General Hamorton in front of him was polite and humble, without the overbearing appearance of the past at all... it was simply like two different people.

While Titch was secretly puzzled, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Perhaps Lumier was not wrong—

These big shots are also human, and they have another face for "their own people" in private.

Obviously, he regarded himself as one of his own.

After some pleasantries, Titch invited General Hamorton into the fortress, while the cavalry following General Hamorton were arranged by Lumier.

His Majesty the Demon King's servant also prepared a sumptuous meal for them, but it was in the tent where the servants stayed, and the utensils were also pottery used according to the Empire's regulations.

"It's really surprising, this is... uh, your mansion?" General Hamorton looked around, only to see a circle of low stone walls standing around, and there were only a few hastily pitched tents inside the wall, looking like a refugee camp from afar.

Titch coughed awkwardly and explained hurriedly: "I'm really sorry, General. Originally my mansion was much more decent than it is now, but the storm last month was too violent, and even the roof was lifted into the sea, leaving only these walls to block the wind."

General Hamorton was startled when he heard this, and then showed a concerned expression: "So that's it, Baron has really suffered."

His attitude was gentle and sincere, and it came from the heart, completely different from the attitude when he was appeasing the residents of Deadwood Port just now.

Titch smiled embarrassedly, worried about revealing flaws, so he didn't answer, and led General Hamorton directly to the entrance of the main tent.

"This is it! My conditions here are limited, and the preparation was hasty. If there is any poor hospitality, I hope the General will forgive me..."

"Haha! How can there be poor hospitality? I am just a rough person, not so picky about food, bread and rum are enough—"

Hamorton laughed and stepped over the tent door that the servant took the initiative to lift, having already prepared himself to welcome a rough meal.

He wasn't here to eat anyway, just meaning it would be fine.

However, when he saw the sumptuous food covering the long table, he was stunned on the spot, almost unable to hold back the drool at the corner of his mouth from falling onto his beard.

That could no longer be described as sumptuous—

It was simply luxurious!

I saw a clean white cloth spread on the long table, with silver utensils and wine glasses neatly placed.

In the center of the table, there was a golden roasted suckling pig, filled with spices, roasted carrots, and stewed mushrooms in its belly.

Beside it was a pot of steaming dragon turtle tail soup, the soup base was made of fish bones and dried tomatoes, floating with herb crumbs, and faintly floating with the fragrance of red wine.

Further away were rows of pickled sea fish and air-dried beast meat, paired with rye bread and crude cheese, as well as hometown dishes from the Empire—caramel roasted apples and onion baked beans, and cream baked scallops with strong fragrance.

As for the wine, it was indeed the rum common in the New World—but that was not important.

General Hamorton finally remembered to swallow his saliva, couldn't help but wipe his mouth with his sleeve, and then looked at Titch beside him.

"Unbelievable... do you usually eat this?!"

Titch was also a bit confused.

The task was issued by him, but he didn't expect the Demon King's servant to be so attentive to make him a table of Imperial feast.

"Uh... of course! I mean, usually we don't make so much, I can't finish it alone." Titch didn't organize his language well for a while, just barely maintained the noble's appearance, without revealing flaws.

However, the calm appearance in General Hamorton's eyes was completely understood as another meaning—

The variety of food here is already so rich that even a Baron can maintain a more extravagant style than living in the Empire's mainland!

Those spices were used as if they didn't cost money, and there were so many that they could even be mixed into the candles burning on the silver candlesticks!

General Hamorton's eyes suddenly became eager.

He really came to the right place!

Seeing his fiery look, Titch thought he was hungry, so he hurriedly invited him to sit down.

After the two sides chatted for a while, Hamorton cleared his throat and finally stated the main topic of his trip.

"Baron, I wonder if Prince Kelin is nearby? If it is convenient, I hope to visit him in a while!"

A look of regret appeared on Titch's face, and he said the lines Lumier had prepared for him.

"I am very sorry, General Hamorton, His Highness the Prince is not in Deadwood Port at the moment. He went to Assam, the holy city of the Armored Dragon Clan, half a month ago to discuss a trade agreement with the Gutafu United Kingdom. The Lizardman King appreciates him very much and kept him there for a few more days."

Hearing the word "trade," Hamorton immediately regained his spirit and asked eagerly with eyes full of eagerness: "Trade? What do you need to purchase from there?"

Titch shrugged, his tone frank: "Grain! You have also seen that we have no other source of grain here except for the fishing industry. The land on the northern coast is not suitable for farming, we can only rely on the river valleys and plains in the inland area... I think this is also the reason why those Lizardmen allow us to recuperate here."

Hamorton pondered for a moment and asked again.

"Then... how is the grain production of the Gutafu Kingdom? Do you know anything about it?"

Titch shook his head with a wry smile.

"I don't know the specific amount. But their population base is there, and there must be a lot of grain, not to mention that they also use the power of machines for farming. I heard that one Lizardman can manage hundreds of acres of land."

This was also the line Lumier taught him, although Titch felt it was nonsense.

Based on his experience as a landlord in his early years, it is already considered high-yield for a tenant family to plant 10 acres of land by manpower.

If there is an ox or horse to pull the plow, the capacity can be increased to 20~30 acres, but it cannot reach hundreds of acres... not to mention that even if it can be reached, there is not so much land for him to plant.

If it is a free farmer, he has heard that some villages next door can plant 50 or 60 acres, but generally need to hire two seasonal helpers, and the wife and children also need to assist in farm work.

However, it is a coincidence that General Hamorton opposite is a graduate of the Naval Academy, who has never touched a hoe in his life, and has no concept of what hundreds of acres of land means, so he doesn't find it strange.

But when he heard that the power of machines was at work, he couldn't help but widen his eyes, forgetting to breathe for a moment.

"The power of machines?! You mean... they use metal puppets to plow the land?!"

Although there are still a large number of officers in the Empire's military who look down on the power of machines, believing that this is a strange skill brought by the God of Machines, and they will eventually eliminate them all after they completely conquer Hell.

However, Hamorton does not think so.

As an Empire naval officer who deals with steam engines every day, he knows too well what incredible power those machines possess!

The energy contained in the white mist is no less than the extraordinary power—

If it can be applied to farmland, this group of Lizardmen living on the Janna Continent is probably even more powerful than he imagined!

Titch was slightly startled, not expecting Hamorton to understand the tractor as a metal puppet.

But he thought about it, it seems there is no difference in understanding it this way, and finally just nodded without any correction.

Hamorton fell into intense thinking, silently evaluating the weight of this intelligence, and the pros and cons of cooperating with the Gutafu United Kingdom.

At least for now...

There is no harm in getting along with this powerful kingdom. After all, they have no energy to open up new battlefields at this juncture.

As for the future...

We'll talk about the future later.

He cannot decide the Empire's future strategic direction for the big shots in the Shengcheng, he can only make the judgment he thinks is correct at the moment.

Thinking of this, his expression condensed, and he said solemnly: "Baron, this time I came... besides visiting Prince Kelin, there is another important matter I want to discuss with him. This matter concerns the supplies on the Empire's front line, and I hope you can convey it to him for me!"

Titch swallowed, and nodded with a normal expression.

"Please speak, General."

Hamorton's eyes swept over the sumptuous food on the long table, looked at Titch again, and said in a firm and urgent voice.

"The storm that swept through the entire Vast Ocean previously seriously interfered with our shipping order in the eastern coastal region of the New World. Not only were civilian shipping routes impacted, but military supplies were also seriously affected! In order to solve the supply shortage, I represent Saint Yier Castle and make a formal request to you—we hope to purchase a batch of grain from you, no matter where these grains come from."

Titch took a sip of the rum in the glass and asked calmly.

"How much?"

"The more the better!" Hamorton said without hesitation, "We want as much as you have!"

Saint Yier Castle is stationed with an army of 100,000.

And outside Saint Yier Castle, in the eastern coastal region of the New World, there are hundreds of large and small military fortresses of the Empire, and an army of more than one million is in urgent need of material supplies!

As long as the shipping distance for grain can be shortened as much as possible, the saved transport capacity can be allocated to weapon resources.

This is a very simple math problem.

The more the better...

Looking at General Hamorton, who had sincere eyes, Titch was dumbfounded for a while, not expecting him to suddenly throw out such a request, and it took a long time before he scratched his cheek with his index finger and said.

"This... I have to discuss it with His Highness the Prince, but our port's transport capacity is limited, I am afraid we cannot support large-scale shipping—"

This should be a good thing.

But he is not sure if Deadwood Port has the ability to take it on.

"This is easy to say," General Hamorton saw his embarrassment, but laughed, looked at him and continued, "To show our sincerity, the garrison of Saint Yier Castle can help Deadwood Port build a deep-water port! According to the standards of the Empire's military port!"

Help us build a deep-water port?!

Titch was stunned for two seconds, then looked at him in surprise, his mouth unable to close.

"This... are you serious?!"

He knew that the Empire's Navy had a high degree of autonomous decision-making power in the New World, but he didn't know that the power in the hands of these generals was so great!

This is simply a pie falling from the sky—oh no, it is clearly a gold mine!

Looking at Baron Titch, who was surprised to the point of being unable to close his mouth, General Hamorton nodded solemnly.

"There is no joke in the army, of course I am serious!"

There is a large surplus of materials for rebuilding Sardo Port, including professional port construction personnel.

Anyway, repairing that port temporarily is of no use, and it only benefits a group of merchants who only consider themselves and do not consider the Empire at all. It is better to move part of the transport capacity and materials to another colony of the Empire—Deadwood Port on the Janna Continent.

At least this can help the Empire's Navy solve the immediate problem.

And it can also strengthen the trade cooperation between the Empire and the Gutafu Kingdom, and strive to include the latter in the Empire's tribute system.

The rear command headquarters asked him to act according to circumstances to tide over the difficulties, and this is the way he thought of to kill two birds with one stone!

"Great!" Titch slapped his thigh excitedly and promised immediately, "As long as you can solve the transportation problem, I can guarantee that every cargo ship leaving here will be filled with sun-dried corn! By the way, is corn okay?"

"No problem!" Hamorton said with a smile, "Our soldiers are not picky eaters, and corn is also one of our staple foods."

He was originally worried that the Lizardmen of the Janna Continent had a strange diet, such as eating dried mice, insects, or strange wild fruits, but now it seems that it is no different from the Empire?

There is also staple food planting here!

A relaxed smile appeared on Titch's face, and he nodded and said.

"That's good."

There happened to be a lot of old grain left in the granary of the Holy Armored Dragon Kingdom, and now it has all been inherited by the newly established Gutafu United Kingdom.

That was the granary for tens of millions of Lizardmen. Considering that the appetite of Lizardmen is twice that of an average young human, it is more than enough to squeeze out a little food for Saint Yier Castle.

Lumier said before that you can just agree to the conditions favorable to him—

Blame it on those Lizardmen if you can't complete it.

Unexpectedly, before even seeing Prince Kelin himself, half of the purpose of this trip had been completed. A happy smile also appeared on Hamorton's face, and he almost wanted to pull Baron Titch's shoulder to call him brother.

Next is to wait for Prince Kelin to return!

He has to meet this noble with the highest status of the Empire on the Janna Continent, many things cannot bypass this mysterious Prince.

In addition, the construction of the port can start in advance.

The reason why he brought so many warships this time is actually to carry personnel and materials for building the deep-water port.

Repairing the supply line is the top priority, and he will not be like the bureaucrats in the rear who wait for the seal to be stamped before doing things.

After docking the port matter, General Hamorton called a cavalryman to give orders, and suddenly remembered a small matter, so he said.

"By the way, I heard from my captain that... the engineers of the Gutafu Kingdom seem to be very good at repairing steam engine boilers?"

"That goes without saying, they have that stuff everywhere, it has been like that since my grandfather's generation."

"Everywhere?!"

Hamorton blurted out, and it wasn't until he met Titch's strange expression that he realized he had made a slip of the tongue, coughed and said.

"I am surprised... but it just so happens that the garrison fleet of Saint Yier Castle needs maintenance, can you please make it convenient? Of course, we will pay, according to the market price!"

After all, this money is paid to the Gutafu Kingdom, General Hamorton was embarrassed to say "Buddy, look, we have repaired the port for you, can this money be waived?".

What's more, Captain Derike said that they didn't mention money last time, so General Hamorton was naturally embarrassed to owe money again.

Titch didn't take the initiative to mention the waiver, hearing that the other party was willing to repair the ship according to the market price, he was even happier in his heart.

The quote for repairing boilers in Deadwood Port is 5,000 silver coins!

"No problem! This is easy to say! I will send a messenger to the outpost of the Gutafu Kingdom on the mountain... how many ships do you need?"

Issuing tasks to players to repair ships is a sideline given to him by His Majesty the Demon King—

As long as this money is taxed, it can eventually go into his pocket!

General Hamorton waved his big hand, and one sentence directly stopped Titch's breathing.

"A total of twenty-eight ships, let's maintain them all."

He had seen the engine efficiency improvement of the *Grace*, and the craftsmen of Saint Yier Castle were also amazed after seeing it, feeling incredible.

He wanted to see if the repair engineers here were really that magical, or if everything was just a coincidence...

As for money?

That is a matter for the quartermaster to consider.

In the hinterland of the Sun Staircase Mountains, a slight sound of space distortion came from between the steep rock walls.

As the nether-colored light flickered above the magic circle, a delicate and pretty face slowly appeared on the ordinary open space.

The acolyte waiting by the teleportation array was slightly stunned, thinking he had made a mistake at first.

It wasn't until a few orcs, goblins, and strange demons also walked off the teleportation array that he slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

But not long after, he couldn't help but start worrying about other things—

Are these guys really high-tier demons from the Demon Capital?

I always feel they are not as reliable as those guys in the Graveyard Labyrinth...

"Boss, is this our future lair?"

Behind Yige, an orc with a height of two and a half meters and a burly physique couldn't wait to poke his head out, looking around excitedly.

Those large nostrils sniffed the fresh air in the mountains rapidly, sucking out goosebumps on the back of Yige's neck.

"Feels good! It's just that the facilities are a bit simple!" Another goblin stood on tiptoe, trying his best to look at the scenery in the distance.

"It's already good! After all, we are just starting..."

Unlike his thick-skinned subordinates, Ig was full of tension, his hands gripping the straps of his backpack tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

Inside that backpack was the core of the Demon King's territory—it was the highest-level core secret of the entire Hell!

Looking at this group of unserious subordinates, he lowered his voice to remind them: "Don't wander around, and follow me closely in a moment! Although this place is remote, if an adventurer suddenly pops out and steals the core, it will be all over!"

Although the demons behind him agreed, none of them took it to heart, still curiously looking around.

Among them, besides orcs, goblins, and demon-men, there were a few Shi Laimu, and a group of little demon fodder with small horns.

These guys were all brothers Ig had made while serving on the front lines, having just stepped onto this strange continent from the teleportation array.

Thinking that they would be subordinates of the Demon King in the future, and might even get to be Demon Generals, everyone appeared exceptionally excited.

Isn't this much better than being cannon fodder on the front lines?

Obviously, they did not know the truth that cannon fodder is cannon fodder wherever they go.

However, for the time being, they didn't have to worry about being ambushed by adventurers who might jump out; after all, Deadwood Port was currently just a port crowded with "refugees"—it was actually on the same starting line as their non-existent Demon King territory, so no adventurers would come here.

"Mr. Ig."

Just as Ig felt at a loss, an acolyte beside him nodded slightly and bowed to him.

"I am a servant of His Majesty Luo Yan, ordered to wait here for your arrival. Since you have arrived, please come with me."

He did not think highly of this High-Tier demon from the Demon Capital.

It is said that when the Demon King first took office, he was all alone, and as soon as he landed, he was in a human town... yet he had never been at a loss like this.

However, perhaps this was exactly the reason why the Demon King chose him.

"O-okay! Thank you for your trouble!" Looking at the acolyte who walked up to him, Ig nodded hurriedly, then scrambled to call his subordinates to follow.

A group of strange-looking demons and monsters following behind a handsome young man looked comical no matter how you looked at it.

If an adventurer really passed by here, they would probably only mistake the guy carrying a small schoolbag for a victim kidnapped by demons, and would never think that something incredible was hidden in that backpack.

The group of demons followed the mountain road through several narrow canyons, the craggy road bathed in sunlight, and the blue ocean in the distance gradually appeared in their field of vision. The demons were in high spirits, and even the expression on Ig's face relaxed slightly.

However, when they rounded the foot of the mountain and the port in the distance appeared before their eyes, Ig's expression instantly stiffened.

On the northern coast, warships with imposing momentum were quietly anchored in the harbor, the Imperial Griffin flag fluttering in the wind at the bows, majestic and solemn.

"... I-is that the Imperial Navy?" Ig's voice was clearly tinged with tension, obviously not yet accustomed to the battlefield outside the desert.

The acolyte nodded calmly, glanced at these young masters from the Demon Capital, and said lightly.

"It is General Hamorton's fleet."

"Hamorton!"

Upon hearing this name, the expressions of the demons instantly turned from tension to terror, especially the orc warriors who had been very active just a moment ago, shrinking their necks, their fur standing on end.

"It's actually the Imperial Griffin Hamorton!"

"H-how could it be him?!"

"Is that the legendary general who defeated General Saibeisi?!"

"Didn't they say this was the countryside of the Empire?! What is that guy doing here?!"

Although there was suspicion that General Saibeisi had gone easy during the Battle of Saldo Port, this legendary general had still made the brothers on the Eastern Front suffer enough in the subsequent Battle of the Scarlet Wasteland.

They hadn't had the chance to experience it in the central region before, and it was fortunate they hadn't.

Otherwise, given how reliable their boss was, whether they could have survived until now would be a mystery...

It wasn't just the cannon fodder from the front lines who were afraid; as their big brother, Ig's face was as pale as paper, his panicked eyes like those of a frightened deer.

But even so, he still fulfilled his duty as a commander, shouting to his subordinates while trying to appear calm.

"You... d-don't be afraid! Senior... I mean Lord Luo Yan, he he he will definitely not leave us to fend for ourselves!"

However, his small stature was not even half of General Hamorton's, and his generous words did not boost the morale of the cannon fodder like the latter's had.

On the matter of pre-battle mobilization, the Empire seemed to have scored another point—

The demons who had just stepped onto the Gana Continent hadn't even seen the shadow of an adventurer, and their morale had already hit rock bottom.

The acolyte leading the way smiled coldly, not taking their fear to heart, and continued walking ahead with a calm expression.

Originally, he had held a glimmer of beautiful fantasy about Hell, but now it seemed that these demons who had been cowering underground had long since lost the courage and fighting spirit of a thousand years ago.

It's no wonder that after so many years, they were still being rubbed into the ground!

It is worth mentioning that after seeing how degenerate the High-Tier demons were, this acolyte's faith not only did not waver, but became even firmer.

His heart was filled with sincerity.

Without a doubt—

Bayeli could no longer save them.

Only His Majesty the Demon King, chosen by God, could save these degenerate demons!

(End of chapter)