Chapter 500.1: End of the Expansion Pack

The glory of victory belonged only to the victors.

For the defeated, even if they are allowed some dignity, it was difficult to feel any true joy. Compared to Ideal City and Dawn City, Falcon City seemed particularly quiet.

Though the ceasefire was titled the ‘Falcon City Agreement’, the treaty itself had nothing to do with the Falcon Kingdom, nor did it take their interests into account. Still, to the nobles there, it wasn’t necessarily a completely bad thing.

The mighty Triumphant City had finally made a move. Though they didn’t send a large army to help them save their reputation, at least they spared them the humiliation of surrendering as a defeated faction. As for Bist Town...

That godforsaken place wasn’t even part of Oasis No.2 to begin with. From the start, it had been something General Klaas forced into their hands. If the New Alliance wanted it, they could take it. It wasn’t a loss anyway.

Only the common folk in the capital, or more accurately, the young men recently discharged from military service, felt indignant about the result. They had fought a war with no purpose, and all they had to show for it were scars, disabilities, or worse. Many had lost their homes, even loved ones. In the end, not a single person above them had changed, the king was still the king, and the leash was still held by the Wislanders.

What made it worse was that the Wislanders didn’t offer them a single bit of compensation!

In the royal chamber, representatives from all sides took away a treaty they were very satisfied with. The room, which belonged to the royal family, was finally returned to the king. They were only a few guest rooms short of fully reclaiming the castle.

A group of well-dressed nobles sat there, feeling honored just to occupy chairs that were still warm, as if the negotiations at noon had anything to do with them.

"So in the end, the New Alliance gave up Oasis No.2?"

"Looks like it."

"Wonder what effect that’ll have on the desert?"

"Can we disband that Civilian Regulation Committee now? Those piggies are always shouting rebellious nonsense, and they’ve even gotten mixed up with deserters!"

"Maybe the Wislanders will help us clean up that mess."

"Ah... I just hope the Wislanders don’t drag us into another unprepared war."

"This new governor-general seems alright. Definitely better than that idiot Klaas."

Watching the murmuring nobles in the council hall, King Morgott’s face remained unreadable. To him, it was just a change of masters. Whether it was the Army or the New Alliance, there was no real difference.

If anything, the Army had been easier to deal with. At least the Wislanders seldom touched the royal family’s slice of the pie. As long as they behaved, everything stayed in order.

At that moment, a stern-faced man strode in with long, confident steps. His hair was dry, his skin rough, and years in the army had aged his once-handsome young face with lines he shouldn’t have had at his age.

"Your Majesty, the head of the William Industrial Zone has reported that the New Alliance army has evacuated the zone, especially the foundry. Almost all equipment has been taken, even the engineers and technical workers, along with their families."

William’s voice carried a bitter anger, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke.

He valued industrialization more than any noble. Though those oil-stained machines didn’t produce milk or honey, they could help seize vast lands through force. After the war, he believed more than ever that only industry could save the kingdom.

That was why, after the New Alliance released him the day before, he left Bist Town without even bothering about the remaining troops and rode straight to the industrial zone he had founded. But when he got there, what he saw plunged him into despair.

The New Alliance had taken everything that could be moved.

Aside from a few empty workshops and warehouses, the huge industrial zone had been stripped bare.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to control his emotions and continued with a trembling voice. "... I humbly request that you meet with the governor-general and urge him to pressure the New Alliance to return the equipment and the people they seized."

Hearing the plea of the young man before him, Morgott sighed helplessly, "The governor-general won’t help us... He even gave Griffin’s gear to the New Alliance. The war is over, child. The cake has already been divided. Today, we will only discuss the future."

There was one thing he didn’t say.

They weren’t just left out of the cake-cutting ceremony, they were the cake.

William clenched his teeth. "Then at the very least... Those craftsmen should be returned to us as prisoners. They claim to oppose slavery, surely they’re not going to enslave them, right?"

King Morgott was silent for a moment. "That administrator didn’t go that far."

Hope flared in William’s chest.

"Then..."

Morgott sighed again, "They let the captives decide for themselves whether to stay or leave."

William froze.

The nobles at the council table muttered among themselves, until Count Kernway couldn’t help but curse aloud and slammed his fist on the table. "Bastards."

...

The next morning.

Taut, who was dressed in a sharp suit, arrived early at the Civilian Regulation Committee building. He greeted the gatekeeper cheerfully and hummed a tune as he headed for his office.

This building used to belong to the tax bureau. After the New Alliance took the ledgers, the pompous officials didn’t dare return, so they gave it to the committee instead.

Since becoming the Chairman, Taut felt his status had drastically changed.

Especially when the nobles looked at him with fear and respect, it made him feel like a titled noble without one. Even the king didn’t dare demand a bow from him.

To highlight his special status, he had commissioned the royal tailor, the same one who served King Morgott, to make him a unique hat.

Unlike the nobles, of course, he paid for it.

He admired the feathered hat on his desk with growing satisfaction, eventually putting it on and admiring himself in the mirror with great pride.

Just then, the door burst open. As he looked up, his secretary rushed in, clearly panicked.

Taut frowned in displeasure. "Didn’t I tell you to knock?"

The secretary roared, "Forget the door... Something’s wrong! The New Alliance... they’re leaving!"

Taut’s body jolted as he shot up from his chair, bracing his hands on the desk and widening his eyes. "Leaving?! The New Alliance is leaving?!"

The secretary nodded anxiously, exasperated. "Yes... They returned to their airship early this morning. The airship hasn’t taken off yet, but they’ve retracted their anchor chains."

Taut instantly lost all interest in his hat. He yanked it off and tossed it aside, then rushed in front of his secretary, asking anxiously, "Did they leave any instructions? What do we do now? Who do we follow? The Wislanders? Or the King?"

The administrator’s complete silence filled him with dread. Remembering the looks the nobles gave him at the execution ground, a chill crept down his spine.

The secretary hesitated before replying, "They said... They said our people must ultimately save themselves. They’ve already did what they could. The rest is up to us."

Taut stared blankly at his secretary. "They came and did what they could... and now it’s up to us?"

Looking at the meticulously crafted hat on his desk and the rifle leaning against the window sill, he suddenly wanted to cry...

Seeing his bewildered chairman, the secretary sighed, but they were in the same boat. For the sake of his life, and his family’s, he patiently added, "Actually, things aren’t that bad. The citizens are on our side. Many are veterans, and they hate the Wislanders even more than the New Alliance. If we can rally them, we might become a formidable force."

"What’s the use of rallying them?" Taut snapped irritably.

He knew better than anyone that those people were just a ragtag mob. At the king’s command, they would probably string him up themselves.

The secretary lowered his voice.

"Even so, we have to try... The Wislanders don’t have many weapons right now, and the new governor-general knows nothing about this place. They need our cooperation, militarily and economically. If we play along, we can use them to counterbalance the court. They might not even care if this kingdom ends up with two kings."

Taut calmed down after hearing his secretary.

It was a good idea.

The Civilian Regulation Committee was made up of representatives from every industry. More than half of the city’s handicrafts and industrial output passed through their hands. At best, the nobles could contribute some grain from their manors.

Unless the new governor-general only wanted to be a glorified landlord, he wouldn’t easily offend the committee for a bunch of nobles he barely knew.

Most importantly, if he did something, there was still a chance of survival. If he did nothing, he would be dead for sure.

"Call a full committee meeting."

The secretary breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, sir."

...

While the Civilian Regulation Committee scrambled to act, far away at the edge of Oasis No.2 in Bist Town, the scene outside the East Gate was just as chaotic.

Beside the road, Wiedler clung to a concrete barrier, sobbing as he pleaded with two soldiers approaching him.

"I’m not leaving! This is my home! I’ve dedicated my whole life to this place, I want to stay!"

One tall soldier chuckled, "Wouldn’t it be better to go back to being a baron?"

The other added with a grin, "Yeah, don’t you have an estate? Go back to playing lord there."

But to their surprise, Wiedler’s reaction was even more intense. His tearful voice now carried a trace of desperation. "I don’t want it! I’d rather be a commoner!"

Like hell I’ll go back...

Surrendering to the New Alliance without a fight was already a capital offense, never mind openly serving as their bootlicker. Everyone back home hated him now. Especially the look Prince William gave him before leaving...

That look had chilled him to the bone. He had been so scared that he sent people overnight to Oasis No.2 to bring his entire family over.

If he had known earlier the New Alliance wouldn’t even occupy Oasis No.2, he never would’ve groveled so hard. But who could’ve seen that coming?

The way the New Alliance stormed in, they looked like they were going to flatten the entire Falcon Kingdom!

The two soldiers glanced at each other, thinking they couldn’t just leave this guy there embarrassing himself. So they walked over and hauled him to his feet.

"Get up."

"If you want to stay, stay. No one’s stopping you, just don’t block the road."

Wiedler’s eyes lit up. "You’re really not kicking me out?"