Chapter 405.3: The Best Rewards Include Flowers and Applause

“New Alliance?” A look of confusion crossed Teresa’s face.

But realizing her ignorance might be offensive, she quickly lowered her head in panic. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to be rude. I’ve never traveled this far. I know nothing about this place...”

“No need to be nervous. We’re not that petty,” Chu Guang said lightly, then continued, “Besides, you’re a victim of war. We won’t harm you.”

Teresa looked at him in confusion, then at Finod.

Finod didn’t know what Chu Guang was planning, but he was smart enough to keep quiet and act invisible.

Seeing her silent, Chu Guang guessed she was still in the dark, so he explained, “You probably haven’t figured out what’s going on. In short, we defeated the Army. This airship is now under the New Alliance’s control.”

When Teresa saw Finod’s expression confirm it wasn’t a joke, she stared at Chu Guang and asked in a trembling voice, “Then... What about me?”

“You’re free.”

Before she could rejoice, Chu Guang added, “However, your identity is special. We may be going to war with your kingdom soon, so we can’t release you. You wouldn’t want to walk a thousand kilometers home only to be captured again as an enemy, right?”

Teresa’s lips tightened slightly. Countless thoughts flickered through her eyes before she slowly nodded and said obediently, “What... What would you have me do?”

That faint, enticing softness in her voice hinted at a different kind of offer.

But she had misunderstood completely.

Please

.

Chu Guang bantered on forums all day with hotshot players and beauties. He had seen it all.

Unmoved, he asked bluntly, “Do you have any children?”

Teresa blushed and gently shook her head. “No...”

Chu Guang looked slightly disappointed.

Seeing how young the princess was, he had originally hoped she might have a kid. Perhaps one or two years old. But now it seemed she was too young for that.

After a moment of thought, Chu Guang continued. "Can you read and write?"

Teresa immediately nodded. "I can read and write... I can do poetry and music composition."

"Reading and writing is enough." Chu Guang nodded and went on. "The Army's military operations in Lucky Valley Municipality displaced many local survivors. The New Alliance’s camps needs manpower. I’ll assign you there."

Teresa looked bewildered, standing in silence for a while before asking in a small voice, "May I ask... specifically, what will I be required to do?"

"Someone will teach you. Your task is to help rebuild homes for the people here, and to learn how to rebuild civilization."

At that, Chu Guang gave a faint smile. "You’ll be able to make use of that knowledge someday."

...

The Federation's administrative divisions had been absurdly large. The River Valley Province alone was vast, and Sunset Province was several times bigger than that.

The Falcon Kingdom lay over 1,000 kilometers away from the New Alliance’s core territories. Even placing one soldier per kilometer would require a full division to fill the gap.

A direct occupation of the Falcon Kingdom wasn’t feasible.

With a population of under 100,000, the New Alliance simply didn’t have the resources to control a remote territory that far away. It would be a burden for both sides. Not to mention, their cultural ideologies were worlds apart.

The best solution would be to install a puppet regime, ensure a stable transfer of power, then gradually expand the New Alliance’s economic and cultural influence in the region, perhaps formally integrating it later, if necessary.

It was a shame they hadn’t secured their reputation as an orthodox faction in the wasteland.

But... It didn’t matter much.

It had been a last-minute idea anyway. Chu Guang had never expected to actually need it.

He leaned more toward defeating the Falcon Kingdom, letting the Enterprise purge the royal family and disarm the region, then handing it off to the Lion Kingdom.

Indirect vassalage was a viable option. Though even that came with its risks and uncertainties...

...

North of Dawn City.

With the return of the Goblin Corps air force, news of victory was brought back from the front lines.

Outside the wire fences surrounding the airstrip, the people of Dawn City gathered in droves.

Flowers were thrown into the air with all their might, drifting from outside the airport onto the runway, carried by applause and cheers.

Though night had fallen, the people’s enthusiasm showed no signs of fading.

To the cheers of the crowd, the players of the Goblin Corps landed one after another.

The return of the main force would come in a few days.

But the joy of victory... This group got to savor it early.

As the aircraft slowly rolled into the brightly lit hangar, Light Wind stepped off and glanced at two lines of poetry etched beneath the canopy. She sighed with a hint of regret.

"What a waste..."

She had been prepared to die gloriously. She even wrote her final poem. She never expected to come back alive.

At that moment, a curious head popped up next to her, eyes scanning the poem etched near the canopy, muttering out loud, "Autumn fields, a battlefield. Steeds gallop with divine wind, arrows chase like locust swarms... Damn, did you write this?"

The player we ran over to spy on her was called Little Ghost, another agility type player. She had started the game around the same time as Light Wind and Falling Feather, and had participated in the Aerial Raid on Bluestone County and the Battle of Pinewood Forest Valley.

Her piloting wasn’t exactly top-notch. She could just barely get the plane back in one piece. But managing to return in a junky mosquito-class fighter was still pretty impressive in its own right.

Hearing her, Light Wind’s face turned bright red, almost purple, and she lunged forward, flustered and stammering, "N-no! I didn’t write that... D-don’t read it out loud!"

Meanwhile, above the hangar...

Mosquito, ever the show-off, had been reluctant to land, putting on an impromptu air show instead. But he overestimated the quality of his aircraft and nearly snapped the wing, finally bringing the plane down like a defeated dog.

The residents of Dawn City, waiting at the edge of the airfield, showered the returning heroes with flowers.

For the entire night all the way until sunrise, the restaurants and taverns of Dawn City would serve the victorious warriors for free.

At that moment, in the lobby of a hotel in Highway Town, the sound of clinking glasses echoed throughout the room. People raised their drinks in celebration of a hard-won victory.

They weren’t all Dawn City locals. There were also traveling merchants from Boulder Town, the Red River Union, Garbage City, and even farther places.

Because of the war, they had been stuck for days.

At last, it was over.

"Long live the New Alliance!"

"A toast to victory!"

"May the administrator live ten thousand years!"

Someone laughed and shouted,

"Hahaha! Our administrator is still young. Instead of wishing him longevity, how about wishing him lots of kids?"

Laughter rippled through the hotel’s lobby.

Old Hook, standing behind the bar, chuckled along with the rest.

A waiter nearby remarked, "The war’s ending... In a few days, this place might not be so lively anymore."

Because of the western conflict, many caravans from the eastern provinces had been forced to stop in Dawn City.

Though the front lines were fierce and war consumed countless resources, business at local inns had been booming.

Maybe it was to drown their worries, but beer in particular was selling like crazy.

But now that the war had ended, those caravans would likely pack up and move on.

"Why would it?" Old Hook smiled faintly and squinted at the lively lobby, speaking casually.

"The victory parade and celebrations will last a few days. A lot of folks are waiting just to catch a glimpse of the administrator. They’ll definitely stay a while longer."

No matter what, winning was what mattered.

Business might dip once the festivities ended, but it would only be temporary.

Once the merchants and traders spread tales of bravery and heroism far and wide...

This place would only get livelier.

...

At the same time, several kilometers away in Boulder Town.

Unlike the residents of Dawn City, the people there still lived in the news of the days before, unaware of the front-line developments.

The first to receive the good news was the editorial office of Survivor’s Daily.

Thanks to New Alliance’s backing, Hal not only received firsthand battle reports but also the full casualty list.

"... The casualty list?! Let me see!" Hearing that the list had arrived, Dori rushed toward the machine, her face filled with anxiety.

"He was in the Burning Corps, I think!"

Hal was already standing beside the fax machine, and snatched up the still-warm printout a second faster than her.

"Hold on... I’ll look for you. Burning Corps, right? I think there’s something here. Uh oh..." He squinted at the paper, then suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.

Seeing the shift in his expression, Dori grew more anxious and quickly pressed him. "What is it?"

Hal’s face twisted awkwardly as he quickly hid the printout behind his back. "Uhh... It’s better if you didn’t look."

Before he could finish, a punch landed in his gut. The collision of fist and flesh made Har hiss in pain as he doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"You savage... Are you a barbarian?!"

To punch the boss... Unbelievable!

Still, for that friend’s sake, he couldn’t fire her over something like that...

Dori ignored him completely, snatching the printout and quickly scanning for the Burning Corps’ entry.

When her eyes finally landed on those lines, her right eye twitched slightly, and her fair face beneath the short green hair drained of color. Only a ghostly pallor remained.

"The Burning Corps deployed 500 troops in the air-assault operation against the Heart of Steel. 751 enemies eliminated."

"It was a hard won victory."

"There is only one survivor."