Chapter 121: Recruiting 50,000 Troops! System Announcement? The Imperial War Begins!
...
Seeing this, Seito stroked his chin. This was excellent news.
The ancestors of the Storm Empire had been crushed by the Divine Flame Empire on the 50th floor. This meant that Easterners within this empire were marginalized and devalued. If that was the case...
Seito suddenly had a plan. He looked toward the young general, Ye Anlan, and spoke loudly: "General Ye, I am the new Lord of the Snezhnaya Territory."
"And I intend to overthrow the tyranny of this Empire!"
The moment the words left his mouth, not only were the enemy soldiers stunned, but the spectating players were equally floored. Nearby, the members of the Round Moon Guild watched in shock.
"Seito-kun became a Lord?!" Yui Yuigahama's eyes sparkled.
"It's normal. The reward for the previous event was a Lord's Decree. Becoming a Lord is simple for him," Yukino Yukinoshita remarked calmly, as if she had already seen through his rise. However, they had no idea that Seito hadn't used a decree—he had used a Deprivation Order to incite a grassroots rebellion and forcibly seize the land.
Ignoring the confusion of the soldiers, Seito shouted again:
"Soldier comrades! You know better than anyone how the Empire treats you! Is such an empire truly worth defending? They discriminate against our skin, and they oppress the poor."
"To them, the commoners are just livestock struggling to breathe! To them, you generals are merely tools for war!"
"The Empire isn't worth it! And neither are you! The Blue Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise! In this cycle of sixty years, the world shall find great fortune!"
"I am going to achieve a monumental undertaking that will shake the heavens and earth! Are you willing to join me? When the time comes, your names will be etched in history, and becoming generals or marquises will be a simple matter!"
His words stirred the hearts of the soldiers. But... could it really work? They knew they were exiles, but the thought of overthrowing the Empire was terrifying. The Empire was vast, boasting a million-strong army. They were just a drop in the bucket.
"Well said!"
Suddenly, a commanding voice broke the silence. The crowd parted as a dignified middle-aged man stepped forward. It was the Lord of the territory, Viscount Bai Feng.
Bai Feng looked at Seito, his eyes full of reminiscence. He scanned his soldiers, then looked at the Snezhnaya troops, and spoke slowly.
"I followed the Great General years ago and achieved many military honors! But the reason I was exiled wasn't because of my skin—it was because I was a commoner!"
Both sides were stunned. It wasn't about ethnicity, but class? They never imagined that a decorated general would be cast out into this frozen wasteland simply because of his birth. It was a hard pill to swallow.
"What? Why is everyone silent?" Bai Feng roared. "This son-of-a-bitch Empire! I've been done serving them for a long time!"
He turned to Seito. "Sir, what is your ambition?"
"To hunt the nobles and overthrow the Empire! By the Mandate of Heaven, may we have longevity and eternal prosperity!" Seito answered without a second's hesitation.
He could tell Bai Feng was a man of ambition. Ambition was good—he only feared those who were content to be "salted fish" with no drive.
Hearing this, Bai Feng dropped to one knee and cupped his hands. "General Bai Feng greets my Lord!"
"General, please rise! We seek to return a world of equality to the people. Externally, we shall call each other 'Comrades,' and I shall be the 'Leader'!" Seito waved him up, explaining his philosophy.
Bai Feng nodded enthusiastically. Seizing the moment, Seito launched into a "brainwashing" speech—a mix of "no retreat" rhetoric and the fiery oratory style of a certain famous rejected art student from history!
In an instant, the way the soldiers looked at Seito changed completely.
"Leader!" Bai Feng asked excitedly, "What is our first move?"
"Unify the Far North! From this day forth, I am the King of this frozen land!" Seito declared proudly.
"Good!" Bai Feng turned to his troops. "All soldiers, assemble!"
Clang! Clang!
The army fell into line. Bai Feng mounted his horse, ready for war. Seito smirked. This trip was worth it—he had gained 50,000 seasoned troops and a valiant general.
He looked toward the nearby players. Though their levels weren't high, their combined strength was formidable. He issued them a shared quest and then turned back to Bai Feng.
"General Bai, on to the next territory!"
"Understood!"
With that, a combined force of 150,000—Fatui players and NPCs—began their sweep of the Far North.
As Seito began his move, a system announcement echoed in the ears of every player on the 30th floor.
[The Imperial War has begun!]
[Player Lord "Sei" is attempting to unify the Far North! This has greatly angered the Storm Empire!]
[Please choose your faction:]
[1. Snezhnaya Territory]
[2. Storm Empire]
The players were in an uproar.
"Holy crap! Sei is actually trying to unify the North?"
"Isn't the Far North the Storm Empire's backyard? This is a declaration of war!"
"Hahaha! I'm joining the Storm Empire!"
"Idiot, join Snezhnaya!"
"Why?"
"Sei has 'God's Might' and space-based talents. His mobility is insane. Do I really need to explain the advantage?"
"Sss... you have a point!"
Players scrambled to choose, but the vast majority flocked to Seito's side. His abilities were too broken; if he decided to launch a sneak attack, the Empire wouldn't even know what hit them.
.....
Thank you for reading.