Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 977 - 44 Trading (Part 3)_2
Chapter 977: Chapter 44 Trading (Part 3)_2
Winters paused for a moment: “Two thousand two hundred and seventeen pieces.”
“Now, do you realize how staggering this wealth is?”
“Now, do you know what these gold pieces can buy?”
Winters paused again, scrutinizing the crowd, and slowly asked, “Now, do you understand—why it is you who have come here with me?”
“Each of you has proven your courage and ability in the most brutal battles, each one of you handpicked by myself. I can call out each of your names, and you can count every scar on my body. In Revodan, in Iron Peak County, in Palatu, you are my most trusted subordinates, you are the ones I can count on the most, you are the ones I can entrust my life to, that’s why I lead you here—instead of anyone else.”
Beneath the carriage, the crowd held gold bars and listened quietly.
“There are many doubts in your hearts. Why do we deal with the Red River Tribe? Aren’t their hands stained with our blood? Aren’t our hands also stained with the blood of the Red River Tribe members? Why are we now acting as if nothing happened, contentedly being the guests of the Red River Tribe?”
“I will tell you honestly—from this moment on, I will keep nothing from you.”
“Because the Red River Tribe can redeem our comrades-in-arms who are stranded in the fallen wilderness.”
“Because the Red River Tribe can ensure the transportation of this batch of gold.”
“Because the Red River Tribe is willing to sell us warhorses, wool, because the Red River Tribe is willing to buy our ironware, mineral resources.”
“To put it succinctly, it’s because the interaction with the Red River Tribe will allow us to grow and strengthen.”
Winters swept his gaze over the faces of his subordinates, missing no minor details.
He took a deep breath, his back against the magnificent sunrise, and for the first time, he opened his heart to his subordinates, to the world, revealing his ambitions: “The war is not over, the war is far from over.”
“Taking Iron Peak County isn’t a victory, taking Iron Peak County is far from victory.”
“The New Reclamation Legion, the Military Government, Kingsfort, they will not tolerate our existence. Sooner or later, the armies that encircle us will reappear. Only next time, they will have learned from their mistakes, they will be more prepared.”
“So we must grow strong, we must flourish, we must desperately suck up every bit of nourishment, absorb every drop of nutrients, even if they come from our enemies! Even if their hands are covered in our blood!”
Winters slammed his fist onto the carriage, causing the board to break. He didn’t amplify his strength with a spell, but to the listeners, his voice was deafening, like a roaring gale.
Winters steadied his breathing, then suddenly looked up and asked, “Why do we fight?”
“For you, we fight!” Pierre responded without hesitation.
“I don’t want you to fight for me!” Winters shouted fiercely, this time involuntarily using a sound-amplifying spell, his roar echoing through the valley: “I, you, we—we are fighting for the right to survive! We are fighting for fairness! We are fighting for justice!”
“We must fight, for if we don’t, we will starve to death! And we cannot surrender! Because to surrender would mean being sent to the gallows!”
“The Republic of Palatu discarded us like trash, not caring about the blood and sacrifices we made for her. We fulfilled our responsibility, but the Republic of Palatu did not fulfill hers!”
“Those in power alter the fate of ordinary people for their own selfish desires, treating lives as expendables, wasted in places with no meaning, no value, no use!”
“This tramples on all fairness and justice in the world! It betrays every promise made when this republic, this alliance, was founded! It lets down every hero who shed blood for this republic, for this alliance!”
“I stayed in Palatu because I can’t stand it! Because I can’t take it! Because I can’t swallow it! Because the country founded by the old marshal should not be like this!”
“I don’t know what true fairness and justice look like when they finally come to this world, but it’s definitely not what Palatu looks like today. So Iron Peak County is not the end, Mont Blanc County, Vernge County, Maplestone City, Newly Reclaimed Land… we must continue to expand, continue to conquer, continue to seize power, until the old world is destroyed, until a new world is born.”
The valley fell back into silence.
After a long time, Pierre asked, “And what after the Newly Reclaimed Land?”
“Then it’s Jiangbei Province, Westwood Province.” Winters replied with his head held high: “Then Paratu!”
The scene fell silent. For many around the carriage, the Newly Reclaimed Land was already vast, and Paratu was unimaginably larger. Many of them had never even left their hometowns before.
Pierre was silent for a moment, staring intently at Winters, and asked in a deep voice: “What comes after Paratu?”
Winters revealed a smile, the next targets were too distant for him, so far that hope was slim, but his answer was as resolute as a vow: “Then it’s Vineta! The Federated Provinces! Monta! Varn! Then the Various Republics!”
Winters did not know what his subordinates were thinking at this moment. For him, this was also a wondrous instant.
Because of the flames roaring within his chest, for the first time, he shared his deepest desires, ambitions, visions, aspirations… however one might describe them.
It was an unrealistic, vague, hard-to-achieve goal—at least that’s what Winters thought of it himself.
He shared this wish with his most trusted subordinates, not expecting everyone to accept it.
“I won’t force any of you to fight alongside me.” Winters said: “Anyone who wants to leave can do so with a bar of gold.”
No one spoke. Pierre took a few steps forward and returned the bar of gold to the carriage. The others, following Pierre, one by one, returned their bars of gold to the carriage.
Two thousand two hundred and seventeen gold bars lay quietly at the bottom of the carriage, not one more, not one less.
…
[Vashka and Pierre’s tent]
During their rest, Vashka was still groggy and asked Pierre in confusion: “What exactly is the New World like?”
“Don’t know.” Pierre collapsed directly onto the blanket and closed his eyes to sleep: “As long as it’s better than the old one.”
…
[Winters and Caman’s tent]
“No one can save the world, Mr. Montaigne.” Caman was stirring the campfire: “That is the prerogative of the Lord.”
“Do I look like I want to save the world?” Winters sipped on mare’s milk: “Perhaps I’m better at destroying it.”
…
[Anna’s tent]
Anna gazed at the drawing board for a long time, yet never started to paint.
…
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…
While Winters was busy leading his men in melting the gold men into bars, a convoy arrived at the west bank of Big Horn River.
The dawn began to break, and the silhouette of Tiefeng gradually became visible.
“[Herde Language] Wake the slaves, send out the envoys.” Hong Lingyu, who was escorting the convoy, ordered the guards as he squinted toward the solitary peak in the distance: “[Herde Language] Across the river is ‘Iron Peak County’.”
The prisoners of the Expeditionary Force, who had once become slaves of the Herders, had finally returned to Paratu.
