Chapter 80: Warhammer: What Do You Mean You Conquered the Zerg

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

"Hah, the Supreme King is too courteous."

"I'm nothing more than one of your new colleagues."

His tone was neither humble nor arrogant, but the content of his words kept his posture low.

Then he lifted his eyes to look at Karadong on the main seat, his purple eyes carrying just the right amount of "respect."

The word "colleague" was used just right.

You run your Noble Council, I run my Planetary Governor's Office.

No one can boss anyone else around.

Karadong's pair of green eyes narrowed slightly.

He was actually quite displeased, but couldn't find fault.

The other party gave enough face, and spoke beautifully.

If he kept putting on airs again, he'd instead seem petty.

"Sit~" Karadong hadn't yet spoken that "ba" character behind it.

Lin En had already smiled and nodded, taking his seat in the first row on the left side.

His meaning was clear: I've already given you enough face, you old thing, don't be ungrateful.

Those nobles were all watching him, with some surprise in their eyes.

How long had it been since anyone had been so bold in front of Karadong?

Lin En didn't care about the gazes of the crowd; he lifted the wine cup already prepared in front of him.

The cup held a dark red liquid, appearing crimson under the lamplight.

This was Dolido Aged Wine.

A specialty grape wine of the Agricultural World Dolido, with an annual output of less than a thousand bottles, reserved exclusively for the highest-ranking nobles of Bryweiss Upper City.

This cup was worth a month's rations for ten thousand people in the Lower City.

Lin En took a sip.

The taste was mellow, with fruit fragrance and the aftertaste of an oak barrel.

Not bad.

He set down the wine cup, leaned his body back slightly, and struck a pose of "I'll just watch, not speak."

The meeting officially began.

Just as Lin En had expected, the so-called "Upper City Council" was essentially a group of resource-holding nobles dividing spoils and vying for interests.

Whoever's family had snatched another family's production line, if not returned, they'd come to blows.

Essentially no different from those tribal chiefs Lin En had encountered in the Lower Hive before.

At first, everyone was slightly restrained because Lin En was present.

But soon, discovering this new governor was just sitting there tasting wine, and Karadong also closed his eyes to rest his spirit without expressing a stance, this group of people gradually regained their former "flair."

"The three starch production lines in Dian District, our Kroll Family wants two!"

"Bullshit! Those three lines were originally the Stone Family's property; you snatched one last year taking advantage of the chaos, and now you want to snatch another?"

"What do you mean snatched? That was a legal merger and acquisition, with documents from the Legal Affairs Department!"

"Legal Affairs Department? The Minister of Justice is your little brother-in-law, you damn well of course have documents!"

"What did you say?!"

"I say you damn well are just an ugly-eating vulture!"

"You!"

Arguing, slapping tables, exposing each other's shortcomings.

The entire council hall was noisy like a vegetable market.

But the aunties at the vegetable market at least wouldn't threaten to mobilize private armies to wipe out your whole family at the slightest provocation.

Lin En sat there, sipping wine, watching this group of people argue until their faces were red.

His gaze occasionally rested on Karadong.

This Supreme King still had his eyes half-closed, occasionally taking a sip of the expensive red wine in his cup.

But Lin En knew the other party was also observing him.

Just as the arguing reached its peak, and two nobles were about to fight across the table,

"Enough." Karadong spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but carried unspoken authority; the hall instantly fell silent.

All those arguing closed their mouths, sat back in their seats, tidied their attire, and regained their "dignity."

Only then did Karadong open his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the whole room, finally landing on Lin En.

"Governor Kerry·Feng."

He spoke, his tone flat.

"You've just come to Bryweiss, possibly not yet clear about the recent situation."

"Just three days ago, a new Green Skin Fleet landed outside the Frost Ban Wall."

"There are many of them; the defensive pressure on the Forbidden Wall is now more than double what it was before."

He paused, giving everyone time to digest the information.

Then he continued: "The Brangte Longsword Star Legion can barely hold on any longer."

"If we don't send reinforcements soon, once the Forbidden Wall falls, the Green Skins will march straight in, engulf the entire Bryweiss Plain, and then lay siege to the city."

He spoke very bluntly.

The Nobles, who had just been arguing incessantly, were all now lost in thought.

Karadong looked at Lin En and stated his true purpose:

"So, I propose."

"Let each of us contribute some troops and supplies to reinforce the Forbidden Wall."

"What do you all think?"

On the surface, these words were high-sounding and fully in line with the original intent of the Upper City Council.

To discuss matters of life and death for Bryweiss.

But Lin En smelled a conspiracy.

As soon as Karadong's voice fell, someone immediately responded.

The first to speak was the Family Head of the Gruman Family of the Twelve Star Families.

A middle-aged man who was bald and fat, but whose eyes were as sharp as a fox's.

"The Supreme King is right!"

The Gruman Family Head stood up, his voice loud:

"The Green Skins are the enemy of all humanity; defending Bryweiss is everyone's responsibility!"

"Our Gruman Family is willing to support one hundred thousand private soldiers, plus six months of rations for two hundred thousand people!"

His voice was passionate and stirring.

Those who didn't know him would think he was truly a loyal minister concerned for the country and its people.

With the Gruman Family taking the lead, others immediately followed suit.

"Our Stone Family supports eighty thousand private soldiers, plus half a year's rations for one hundred and fifty thousand people!"

"Our Kroll Family supports one hundred and twenty thousand private soldiers, plus three months of rations for two hundred and fifty thousand people!"

"Our PDF Third Legion can deploy fifty thousand elite troops, plus one hundred Chimera Armored Vehicles!"

"Our Industrial Alliance provides three hundred heavy engineering machines, five hundred automatic cannons, plus five hundred million rounds of ammunition!"

"Our Wasteland Walkers can field ten million militia; they are familiar with the Ice Plains environment and can serve as Auxiliary Troops!"

"Quotations" rose and fell one after another.

The Hall became lively again.

Lin En listened silently, calculating quickly in his heart.

The Noble Council mainly provided frontline troops and rations; the Industrial Alliance provided equipment; the Wasteland Walkers provided "cannon fodder."

The rations sounded like a lot, but distributed among the soldiers on the Front Line, they wouldn't last long.

Although the quality was uneven, no matter how you said it, added together they were indeed a considerable force.

Enough to ease the pressure on the Front Line.

Apart from the State Religion Bishop, only two people in the room had not spoken.

Karadong and Lin En.

Everyone's gaze focused on the two of them.

Just as Lin En was preparing to "quote," Karadong's aged voice sounded first:

"Our Saint Galus Family supports four hundred thousand private soldiers."

"Plus one year's rations for one million people."

"And, one Holy Knight!"