Chapter 474: Different Goals
New Kingdom of Ma, North Eastern Region
In the past few weeks, Jeanne Von Iris had experienced almost every emotion there was, from anger, to fear, to sadness to joy. Now as she rode her war dragon alongside the Un An soldiers, she saw the devastated viges and towns that had been abandoned or its people killed and taken. Green yellow stalks of ripening grains and fruit orchards wereid untended with overgrown weeds and vermin taking over the farms.
She sighed deeply as she thought of how much blood had stained thend and even with the onset of famine, the people had not given up. They spend much sweat and tears tilling thends and in the end, their efforts were all for nought.
As she rode her mount with a heavy heart, amotion came from the head of the column. The men broke their lines and rushed up to the front to see what was going on. Jeanne could only dismount from her war dragon as she did not want to trample anyone and she carefully led the skittish creature forward and joined the men at the edge of the forested path.
Before her eyes, she first spotted the metal wagons of the Un An parked in a row. Next, she noticed was therge swath of forest had been cleared, leaving behind ugly stumps. Then her eyes fell onto the city that had been transformed into monstrosity in her eyes.
The once pretty looking coastal city with white stone walls, red roofs and tall spiral towers with docks that should be filled with trade ships or fishing boats, now looked totally different. The white walls were gone and reced by ugly grey bs with pipes jutting out from its sides. The spiral towers were gone and reced by some kind of tall chimneys that were spewing ck smoke out.
The green ins and farms around the city had turned into a muddy paste that had spike barricades surrounding the area that could be seen from afar. A sort of permanent greyish haze seemed to have set over the city and its surroundings.
"What in the Gods...?" Jeanne was shocked. She hade to this city a few times in the past and what she remembered was totally gone. She conjured up a far seeing spell with both her forefinger and thumbs, forming two ''O''s and ced her hands one before the other and peer through her forefinger and thumbs.
Seeing through her spell, the view was ''pulled'' forward allowing her to better see the city at the distance. Tiny figures of golems stood all around the city grounds and wall and red banners and gs were almost everywhere in her view. As she turned her view to observe the changes, she saw even tinier figures toiling on the mud fields. An extremely massive airship surrounded by four more ships floated just above the sea behind the city.
"Are... are we at the correct ce?" She was confused and frightened. Cork who stood next to her was also observing the city with a pair of tubes that she knew was some kind of magical artefact with a far seeing spell on it. "Did we make a wrong turn somewhere?"
"No... That''s the city of Hensink alright," Cork confirmed. "Looks like those beetle heads had settled in for the fight..."
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New Kingdom of Ma, Reachfield, United Nations Forward Operating Base
General Joseph stood next to the pinned map on board and pointed to the city of Hensink. "1st Rifles has reached the outskirts of the city. They are reporting what we have seen from the skies."
He gestured to another board filled with aerial images taken by their recon aircraft. "The Protectorate has dug in around Hensink and fortified its position with trench works and guns."
"As for their air fleet, only therge airship and its escorts had remained as they were," Joseph said. "The rest had left heading towards the End Zone two weeks ago. We are expecting them to return in a month or so."
"1st Rifles will dig in around the city to prevent any Protectorate forces froming out of their city," Joseph exined the tactical n. "Shipments of anti tank and anti air weaponry are already on the way to the 1st Rifles. Also, 1st Armour and 1st Artillery will be joining them with the next supply convoy support the 1st Rifles."
"A second smaller FOB will be constructed at Turnstead," Joseph added. "This will be the forward supply depot and also a refuel and rearming point for the helicopters and fighters. Once that is up, we can start to establish air superiority over the region."
"Next part of the operation is for our naval fleet and Marines to arrive," Joseph said. "Once they are within striking range, Airforce take down the enemy airships and any defensive positions."
"The Navy and Marines will begin an amphibious assault directly at the city while the Army pushes in from the front," Joseph tapped on the map, using his finger to draw imaginary lines. "That is the n."
ke nodded and said, "Good, have the Army dig in first... We will hold our positions for now."
Joseph frowned as he heard the order. "Sir, shouldn''t we take the enemy out as fast as possible and before their reinforcements arrive?"
"No, we wait... Especially for those reinforcements toe!" ke dered, making Joseph confused.
"Why, Sir?" Joseph asked. "We can easily sweep in while their numbers are still low and their position not fully fortified!"
"Let them fortify as much as they want..." ke gave a dismissive wave. "I want to catch as much enemy troops at once since this is our home ground..."
"You mean you want to deplete their strength in the Old World by wiping out as much of their troops here?" Joseph raised an admiring eyebrow. "That works too... Better we take out as much of their strength here rather than when we go over there to their territory!"
"Yes," ke nodded, d that Joseph caught up with his idea. "Since they are offering themselves into our guns, why waste the chance?"
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Sea of Clouds
Two distinctive groups of airships were bunched up together in the swirling storm. One group of airships was colourful and gaudy looking, while the other looked ancient and gloomy. The mboyant decored airships belong to the Loose Confederation which consisted of armed merchantman, mercenaries and warships, all of them different in designs and looks.
Both groups took turns to take the lead and project a massive barrier to protect each other from the weather. The two allied powers worked together to travel through the Sea of Clouds by mutual agreement.
The Loose Confederation was a group of nations and kingdoms that had banded together for protection from the other Great Nations. Most of the citizens of the Loose Confederation were of mixed blood or beast people. Great Nations like the Protectorate actively waged war against any demi or beast people, making many flee from the Protectorate.
As thews of the Loose Confederation were more about freedom, many adventurers, merchants, nomadic tribes and even criminals make up the majority of the poption. With over a dozen small nations and kingdomsbined together, the military might of these small nations were no longer weak. And with the backing of an unlikely and very rich ally, further helped to make the rest of the Great Nations think twice about swallowing the Loose Confederation.
The Loose Confederation mostly conducted trade and provided mercenary services to other nations. Arge number of famous adventurers also came from the Loose Confederation that was underemployment by the other nations in clearing dungeons and exploring ruins.
The influence wielded by these adventurers among themon people were very high and were simr to a Terran superstar, making them near untouchable by any Great Nation, allowing the Loose Confederation to make use of this fact to rub in the faces of the other Great Nations.
On the other hand, the grim ck and white airships of the Dragon Lords were are total contrast from the Loose Confederation. The airships of the Dragon Lords were crafted from the bones of dragons, and each airship was highly revered as each housed the final remains of an ancient dragon.
The dragon ships used the spine of an ancient dragon as the main keel as their bones were the toughest. The ribs formed the frame of the hull, while the other bones formed the beams of the decks. Ironwood was used to lighten the weight of the airship, with the air dders of the dragons were used to store aetherium. ck armour tes were bolted onto the hull, and treated wing membranes of dragon wings and bones were used as pusher sails together with propulsion air screws powered by steam boilers.
Larger airships used two or more dragons'' bones to be constructed and could even carry two to three dragons onboard. And if there was the need for extra speed, the dragons could carry chains to help pull the dragon ships along. Each dragon ship was uniquely built and had long histories.
Historically simr to the situation of the Loose Confederation, the ancestors of the Dragon Lords were once hunted and chased from their homes by rival nations. The people fled to the northern frozen wastnds of the Old World before finding a massive mountain with natural hot springs that was inhabited by dragons.
The desperate people without any hope swore loyalty to the dragons in exchange for their protection. The dragons which long had retreated to the frozen wastnd due to the encroaching nations and even hunted or enved epted the pledge of loyalty.
With the backing and power of the dragons, the nations that chased the fleeing people were cut down, their bodies forever frozen in the wastnds. The refugees forever grateful to the dragons started to worship the dragons as divine beings.
Using the hot springs providing warmth against the frozen wastnd, the refugees built a great city around the mountain. To support themselves with food, magic and ingenious methods were required, leading to the development of greenhouse like magic barriers that trapped the heat from the hot springs and blocked off the snow and cold.
Over time, the refugees be known as Dragon Lords as they were the only nation that field dragons in their armies. Dragons in the Old World had mostly vanished from overhunting and envement. Efforts to breed dragons domestically by the Suugon Dynasty were not very sessful, instead, a smaller variant was breed, called drakes which the true dragons looked upon.
The Suugon Dynasty regrly shed with the Dragon Lords as they highly sought after a pure breed dragon. But with the natural barrier of a frozen wastnd, allowed the Dragon Lords to fend off the advances of the Suugon Dynasty.
Because of the simrity between the two nations, the Dragon Lords allied themselves with the Loose Confederation which they were very happy to do so. Because of the alliance between the two powers, the Dragon Lords were no longer isted within the frozen wastes, allowing the small but powerful nation to extend its influence into the world with their near infinite riches from the dragons'' hoard that had been gathering since hundreds of years.
With the alliance between the two powers, trade goods and news flowed in and out. The Dragon Lords invested heavily on businesses outside their region and in doing so, they were able to have some influence in the merchant world.
Now, with the rumours and spies spreading the word about the riches of the New World, both the Loose Confederation and Dragon Lords could not just sit back and watch the other nations try to conquer the New World. The Loose Confederation wants the resources from the New World to staypetitive with the other Great Nations while the Dragon Lords wishes to ensure what was sealed away reminded sealed away.