Chapter 24: Forming the Vostonia First Regiment

"My Lord, the entire treasury belongs to you."

Howard said piously. He had just used the Spirit Vision taught by Ninglu to observe this world; even this most ordinary technique made him realize the power of the extraordinary.

Spirit Vision can grasp the emotions of the person one is conversing with, which is a practical technique for a noble, allowing one to gain the greatest advantage in negotiations.

"No need. You should first focus on being a good 'Arbiter'."

Ninglu saw Howard's desire to gain more power and admonished the blonde noble.

"Have what I have selected sent to the palace."

Ninglu did not pause for a moment, pointing out twelve types and nineteen pieces of Potion Material, including the Siren Stone he had seen earlier.

He also additionally selected eleven items that were not Potion Material, mixing them in.

"My Lord, I will immediately send someone to deliver them to your palace."

On the way back, Ninglu sent a message to Luoersiliefu, ordering him to come to the palace for a briefing.

Upon returning to the palace, Ninglu immediately organized the Potion Material in his hands; he had gathered enough for a "Sailor" and another "Warrior" Potion.

Besides that, the "Witch" Potion was still missing one main ingredient, called the Thousand-Foot Snake, which is actually a variant of a highly venomous centipede that lives in the Lower Hive and can grow up to two meters long.

Since there was no suitable candidate, Ninglu was in no rush to brew the Potion.

Afterwards, he received Luoersiliefu.

Luoersiliefu, conducting his first formal briefing, was somewhat nervous; he took a deep breath.

"My King, my brothers have suffered a total of two hundred and fourteen casualties in the previous attack on the Hive Tower, the subsequent defensive battle, and the mopping-up of rebels."

"Currently, one thousand and fifty-three men are fit to continue fighting, most are rebuilding the Hive Tower's defenses, among whom three hundred and seventy are guarding your fifty-eight factories."

"In addition, there are one hundred and six wounded; they survived, but all have suffered some form of loss."

Luoersiliefu checked the data on the Data Slate and completed the first part of the casualty report.

As he organized this report and saw the numbers, he realized what a glorious victory this was.

With only two hundred-plus deaths, they had captured the entire Hive City; this was a glorious victory that only Ninglu could create, a poem sung by the Old Night Myth.

"I will pay Priest Luoxiji for his services to replace their prosthetics."

"Afterwards, ask for their opinions: whether they wish to continue serving the Vostonia First Regiment, or choose to settle down in the Upper Hive houses of those destroyed families."

"As you command, my King."

Luoersiliefu accepted the order, a trace of longing appearing in his eyes, and then he heard Ninglu's appointment.

"You shall serve as the Leader of the First Regiment."

Ninglu recalled the future organization of the Astra Militarum: ten men to a squad, with one Captain; two to five squads to a platoon, with one Platoon Commander; two to six platoons to a company, with one Company Commander; five to ten companies to a regiment, with one Leader.

He adjusted it based on the current situation: "Ten men to a squad, with a Captain; five squads to a platoon, five platoons to a company, ten companies to a regiment."

"For the vacancies, you are to recruit in the Upper Hive; once the formation is complete, you shall serve as the Leader."

Luoersiliefu struggled to keep up with Ninglu's speaking speed, taking shorthand notes on the regiment's organization; he could not write many of the characters and had to use letters that only he could understand as substitutes.

When he heard he was to serve as the Leader, his hand slipped, and the page turned to the next one.

"Besides forming the regiment, you must also replace and teach the soldiers how to use their weapons and equipment, and pay attention to fire support coordination."

Luoersiliefu came back to his senses; this was not difficult for him as a "Warrior".

"For the training curriculum, ask the guard commander of the Howard family and adjust it as you see fit."

Ninglu thought about how, after leaving Vostonia, he would have to conquer the Sea of Music, and then thought about how the "Sailor" Potion could only exert its maximum effect in an oceanic world, so he continued.

"Additionally, add swimming to the training program; go to the Water Guild and demand their cooperation."

"Your regiment will eventually head to an oceanic world to wage war; this is the purpose of the training."

"You must also keep an eye on those in your regiment who perform exceptionally well; I will evaluate them in future battles."

Drinking the "Sailor" Potion grants the extraordinary ability—"Aquatic Transformation"; whether they could swim before is unimportant, potential and loyalty are the keys.

"As you command, my King."

After noting down the points one by one, Luoersiliefu continued his report.

"The workers of the Hantemanxi Dome have all ascended to the Dome; they have entered the various factories and, under the guidance of the original workers, are striving to learn how to operate the complex tools."

"Only the factory owners were collateral branches of Boleslaw; they have all been executed. The foremen of each team, upon learning that you have obtained the support of Sage Kaminski, have all expressed that they will serve you."

"Currently, all factories have resumed operation and will be fully functional within three work cycles."

Ninglu nodded slightly, "Among our people, are there any technicians who can analyze a Standard Template Construct?"

"My King, in the Lower Hive, someone who knows a hundred words is already considered a scholar; we tinker with those weapons based entirely on experience."

"People like Bukayo are fugitives from the Upper Hive, but true technical talent is a resource of the nobles and could never drift down to the Lower Hive."

"Add one item to your training curriculum: learning. Go find Howard."

Luoersiliefu responded listlessly: "As you command..."

Seeing Ninglu's expression change slightly, he immediately perked up.

"As you command, my King."

"Go."

After Luoersiliefu took his leave, Ninglu pondered to himself.

【Even with the Standard Template Construct Fragment, it cannot be used immediately.

I need a technical talent; if I cannot find one, I must cultivate one myself. I am still missing two types of Potion Material for the "Knower".

It is not just a technical talent that is lacking, but also various internal administrative talents. There are certainly those among the nobles who are capable; they must also be racking their brains, trying to find a way to obtain a position.】

After resting for a moment, Ninglu met Luoxiji in the white room.

This young Tech-Priest had sharp facial features and still retained some human characteristics; having been warned, he wisely suppressed his curiosity about Ninglu's body.

"King Ninglu, Luoxiji greets you."

He held a Data Slate with his lower pair of mechanical limbs and began to ask.

"What type of weapon would you like to use?"

Ninglu's current digestion progress is over halfway; since he still needs to play the role of a "Barbarian" and attacking other Hive Towers also requires breaching doors, he decided to use heavy weapons for the time being.

"A Heavy Halberd."

"I hope to receive the weapon and armor as soon as possible, preferably within eight work cycles."

As these were transitional weapons and equipment, Ninglu did not make excessive demands; speed was what he valued.

"I will do my utmost, but I ask for your cooperation; there are some technical parameters that must be finalized by you. What is the ratio of your weapon to your height?"

Luoxiji was meticulous and continued to ask Ninglu.

In the Curie Shift, Ninglu sat on metal chairs and at a table collectively crafted by the Artisans of the Hantemansi Dome, sent by Luoersiliefu, to handle official business.

【Hive Security Force Reconstruction Plan】

During the process of capturing the Hive City, fewer than one in ten of the security forces that intercepted Ninglu remained.

His subordinates were barely enough to guard the Hive Towers and factories; for now, the duties of the security force were being temporarily handled by the guards of the Finde Family, but this was not a long-term solution.

The report in Ninglu's hands was a proposal submitted by the Captain of the Finde Family guards after questioning the security force members, but it was too conventional; recruiting personnel and having the dozens of surviving security members train new recruits would take too long.

Just then, the communicator rang.

"My King, Count Yelena of the Kurnikova Family requests an audience."

"Let her in."

(End of chapter)