Volume 6 Chapter 91 - Opening Land Access
Actually it was worse than chief staff officer Derank’s worries.
This Magic Cannon that Great Magician Mayev said took all the elites of the military magic machine development center three months of hard work and three hundred and forty thousand gold coins to develop, whether it was in terms of attack power or precision, couldn’t compare to the real Magic Cannon.
During the morning testing, this Magic Cannon’s best range was only less than a thousand meters and the cannonball had landed over fifty meters away from the target.
There was no need to compare this to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s Magic Cannon. Even in chief staff officer Derank’s Spirit Turtle Regiment, it would be hard for him to accept.
This kind of unreliable thing, not to mention attacking the enemy, it might be a problem of accidentally attacking their own people.
What filled chief staff officer Derank with despair was that during this practice fire test, the Magic Cannon had actually…...exploded!
This powerful military magic machine had actually exploded!
When he was far away from the military magic machine development center, chief staff officer Derank felt a fear in his heart.
If it wasn’t for Great Magician Mayev being by his side who had released a magic barrier to protect everyone, the Magic Cannon’s explosion would have blown him and the surrounding people to pieces.
Moreover, Great Magician Mayev had been very calm about such a shocking thing. He had even told chief staff officer Derank that this was a normal thing, so there was no need to make a fuss.
When chief staff officer Derank asked about this, he learned that since the military magic machine development center had been built, there were over twenty accidents like this. That was why Great Magician Mayev was so calm.
“It’s normal to encounter accidents when researching magic, what is there to be surprised about?”
Thinking of the calm look Great Magician Mayev had when he said this, chief staff officer Derank couldn’t only give a bitter laugh.
He couldn’t deny Great Magician Mayev’s words because he agreed that there would be dangerous accidents when studying something as dangerous as the military magic machines, but this made one thing clear for him. It was that the Sack Kingdom’s current research into the military magic machines were far from being able to compare to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s.
To rely on this military magic machine development center to catch up to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce was a fool’s dream.
If they couldn’t catch up to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce in terms of military magic machines, the Sack Kingdom would never be able to stand up again.
This was what chief staff officer Derank was the most worried about.
Chief staff officer Derank deeply knitted his brows as he took the horse carriage back to Nordham City. Looking up to see that it was already close to noon, planned on reporting in at headquarters and checking with the intelligence department, but he suddenly saw a Magic Car motorcade with a familiar flag slowly coming out of the city.
Since the Lampuri Kingdom and the Sack Kingdom had developed diplomatic relations and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce started working with the Sack Kingdom, it wasn’t a strange thing to see Magic Cars in Nordham City.
But this motorcade drew chief staff officer Derank’s attention because the flag was the flag that represented the Frestech Chamber of Commerce!
“These are the representatives from the Frestech Chamber of Commerce? Why would they suddenly come to Nordham City?” This question filled chief staff officer Derank’s mind before he suddenly thought of something.
The Moon Shadow Tribe had worked with the Frestech Chamber of Commerce to drive away the Spirit Turtle Regiment’s blockade on the Moon Shadow Tribe’s territory. Although this was not publicized and didn’t create much of a stir in the Sack Kingdom, not even being discussed in the army headquarters, it was impossible that there would be no consequences of this matter at all.
Three days ago, chief staff officer Derank had received news that the Frestech Chamber of Commerce would send a representative to the Sack Kingdom and what they would be discussing would be related to the Moon Shadow Tribe’s territory.
Chief staff officer Derank was filled with disbelief when he heard about this.
The Frestech Chamber of Commerce had sent their guards to attack the Sack Kingdom’s regiment and now they were sending a representative, they simply didn’t put the Sack Kingdom in their eyes at all.
But after thinking about it, he felt that it made sense.
If there was no follow up, why would the Frestech Chamber of Commerce make a move?
The Frestech Chamber of Commerce appeared in Nordham City and they were preparing to leave, did that mean the discussions were already over?
What were the results?
Chief staff officer Derank changed his plan to go to the army headquarters and changed the direction of the horse carriage, heading towards the north of Nordham City.
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“What was the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s request?” The Sack Kingdom’s department of commerce chief Paula Alvin looked at chief staff officer Derank in surprise, “Hey, Derank, someone who is crazy about fighting, how are you suddenly interested in this?”
“Nonsense, we just fought with the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s guards a few days ago, naturally I would pay attention to their moves.” Chief staff officer Derank snappily said.
He and Paula Alvin were classmates and old friends, so naturally he could say what he wanted to say.
“It’s like this…..But I heard that your Spirit Turtle Regiment was beaten until you ran away, you couldn’t fight back at all.” Chief Alvin said with a teasing smile.
Chief staff officer Derank rolled his eyes and gave a helpless sigh, “There’s no other way, those Frestech Chamber of Commerce guards are just too strong. Not to mention our Spirit Turtle Regiment, even if the elites of the Marlow Empire or Candra Empire went, I don’t think they can stop them.”
“So? You’re just giving up on fighting?”
“Bullshit!” Chief staff officer Derank was filled with rage, “As a soldier, how can I easily speak of giving up! Alright, stop wasting words. Tell me, what excessive requests have the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s representative made? They have just taught us a lesson, so they must have conditions, right?”
“They did make a proposal, but if you want to say it’s excessive…..that wouldn’t be right.” Chief Alvin shook his head, “At least to me, it isn’t excessive to our Sack Kingdom at all and would actually benefit us greatly.”
“Benefit?” Chief staff officer Derank was stunned, “How could that be possible?”
“There’s nothing impossible about it. The Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s representative wanted our Sack Kingdom to open up the western territory, to build a road that leads from the Black Rice Wasteland to the north of the continent. The Frestech Chamber of Commerce wants to establish a road that goes from the Stantine Duchy to the Black Rice Wasteland, then to our Sack Kingdom before reaching the northern countries. It would make it easier for them to transport their goods to the north.”
“Oh? The Frestech Chamber of Commerce had this plan?” Chief staff officer Derank was silent for a bit before he couldn’t help giving a slow nod, “This does seem like the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s style and sounds very good, but I’ve heard that the Frestech Chamber of Commerce sent a fleet to search for a path to the northern seas? If they want to open up this sea route, why would they waste all this effort for a land route?”
“A sea route isn’t equal. The most important difference is that once winter comes, the northern seas will be frozen and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce can’t rely on sea transport. So if I was Xu Yi, I would also find a land transport route.” Alvin explained.
“Oh…...Then this means the Frestech Chamber of Commerce sent their guards to attack us with the Moon Shadow Tribe elves just for this?”
“Based on their current actions, it should be like this.”
“Then why did they do all this, they can just go talk to the government.” Chief staff officer Derank was confused.
“You think that…...if the Frestech Chamber of Commerce didn’t do anything, the government would easily accept opening the territory for their caravans?” Chief Alvin asked.
“This…..” Chief staff officer Derank thought about it before shaking his head with a bitter smile.
The Sack Kingdom had many people who were hostile towards the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, especially the military. There were few people who could examine the Frestech Chamber of Commerce rationally like chief staff officer Derank.
If the Frestech Chamber of Commerce directly requested the Sack Kingdom to open their territory, many people would find it a challenge and it would be strange if it had passed.
“Hei, when did our Sack Kingdom become a place where we can only bully the weak…..” Chief staff officer Derank gave a bitter laugh in his heart. When he looked up to see the smile on chief Alvin’s face, he couldn’t help asking in a curious voice, “Why do you seem so happy? Could it be that you don’t feel shame over the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s caravan running over our territory?”
“Shame?” Chief Alvin blinked in a daze like he didn’t understand this before he revealed another smile, “Alright, I understand what you soldiers think, but to be honest, for me as the department of commerce’s chief, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce is the best partner. We want to take the initiative in working with them, we don’t want to have any hostility towards the Frestech Chamber of Commerce at all.”
“Why?”
“Why? He, Derank, you soldiers only know how to ask for funds all day, but do you care about how the kingdom gets all the funds that are given to the army headquarters?”
Chief staff officer Derank’s face turned red and he gave a cough, “This…..I still care about it a bit. I know that the kingdom’s finances are not that good right now and the funding is very tight.”
“It’s good that you know!” Chief Alvin gave a cold snort, “Let me tell you, since we started working with the Frestech Chamber of Commerce two years ago, the Sack Kingdom’s business taxes have been growing each year. Especially this year, if it follows the current trend, this year’s tax will be four times larger than three years ago! Do you know what that means?”
“Four times?” Chief staff officer Derank was surprised, “It’s that much?”
“It is that much.” Chief Alvin said with a serious look, “Derank, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce coming to work with us is a good chance for us. Not to mention that Frestech Chamber of Commerce making such a big move to force your military side to concede, even if they didn’t do this, I would have represented the department of commerce to make them concede!”
Seeing the serious look on chief Alvin’s face, chief staff officer Derank curled his lips and didn’t say a thing.
Why did he feel like when he thought of the soldiers that protected the country, it felt like he was thinking of criminals?