What is a high-speed warship?
It is the pride of Ursus, a heavy weapon of the state, and the ultimate symbol of absolute military power on Terra. Before a high-speed warship, any rebellion appears laughable. Why does Ursus dare to oppress the common people and the Infected so brazenly?
Is it not because they possess military might that the latter can never hope to reach?
Even though the Guerrilla has attacked many mines, they have only earned the tooth-grinding hatred of a few nobles whose profits were damaged. Almost no one in the broader Ursus Empire views the Guerrilla as a significant threat. In their eyes, the Guerrilla is just a small-scale nuisance. If the fleet sets sail, even if the Guerrilla gathered every Infected in the snowfields, they would be nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs.
Ordinary troops cannot breach the thick armor of a high-speed warship, nor can they withstand the Originium cannons mounted upon them. The only reason the Guerrilla hasn't been wiped out yet is that they fight a guerrilla war—the fleet simply cannot catch them.
But once the Guerrilla settles down and begins to expand, the nobles profiting from the mines will be the most overjoyed.
The Black Snake found the person before it utterly arrogant. What did three warships represent? They were enough to crush every member of the Guerrilla, even with a legendary unit like Patriot present. No matter how powerful he was, boarding and stalling a single warship would be his limit. While he fought, the remaining two ships could slaughter every other member of the Guerrilla.
Truthfully, the Black Snake was perplexed: where did this person come from?
The attack on Alina had nothing to do with it. Although it noticed Alina was the pillar of Talulah's spirit, it hadn't planned to strike here. If it were to act, it would have waited until they reached the south, using conspiracies to manipulate some Infected into doing the deed. It hadn't expected this accident, though it was happy to see it happen.
But everything that followed had spiraled out of its control.
This sudden newcomer was far too mysterious. It naturally saw what Patriot saw: this was an indisputably powerful individual. Initially, its only concern was that if such a powerhouse joined the Guerrilla, its future schemes would need adjusting—though that wasn't necessarily bad, as the resulting chaos might just be grander.
Moreover, this person didn't seem particularly fond of the Infected, which relieved its worries. Still, such a powerful figure appearing in Ursus warranted attention; it had already prepared a file for her... but the events that followed completely overturned all its prior judgments.
That person cured Oripathy.
To be precise, it wasn't a full cure, but it wasn't far off. At that moment, the Black Snake's brain almost evaporated trying to comprehend how she did it. It had watched those dozens of spells through Talulah's eyes today, scouring its memories for any similar school of Arts, yet it found no clues.
But reality was before its eyes. The Black Snake knew exactly what that person's existence meant for the Infected. Its first instinct was that another nation was plotting against Ursus, seeking to incite an Infected rebellion. Yet, on second thought, if any country obtained such Arts, why would they throw such a treasure away? It defied logic; even if the person in charge was a complete fool, they wouldn't do such a thing.
To find a lead, it even contacted its other hosts, searching for any trace of Xia Yu. But even after shredding ancient texts and intelligence reports, it found nothing useful. This person seemed to have appeared in the snowfields out of thin air. No entry records, no witness reports... nothing.
Mysterious origins, wearing ancient armor, and judging by her speech and behavior, she seemed to lack understanding of this world—or rather, this era. Otherwise, she wouldn't say three warships were easy to handle.
'Wait,' the Black Snake thought, 'could it be some old monster buried in the snowfields has risen from their coffin?'
This was troublesome. Regardless, it could not let her interfere with its plans.
Under Xia Yu's influence, the Guerrilla was no longer heading south but choosing to turn back north. This was diametrically opposed to the Black Snake's plan. If you head north, who will capture Chernobog? Am I supposed to move the city to the snowfields? Setting aside the logistics, how would I manipulate the Infected to spark a war between Yan and Ursus after capturing Chernobog in the north?
If Chernobog moved north, it wouldn't face the commercially driven city of Lungmen. In the north, there were only two options. Slightly to the south was Yumen, the northwestern border gate of Yan; to the north was the Northern Tundra Defense Line, Yan's iron wall. Both places were heavily garrisoned. How could anyone attack that? It would be gifting them a mobile city.
The Yan army stationed in Yumen usually trained with Behemoths as hypothetical enemies. How could Lungmen compare to that strength? The Northern Tundra Defense Line was even more of an iron fortress; those people fought against demons!
Attacking Lungmen was a choice made after deep deliberation. That city was historically controversial, allowing for a reaction window to mobilize armies after the incident. This was a conspiracy, something that couldn't see the light of day. You couldn't move large-scale troops to the border before the event, or everyone would see what you were doing. At that point, let alone Yan, plenty of people within Ursus wouldn't want to start a war easily and would find ways to ruin the plan.
Thus, one had to stay still and then use Chernobog to quickly secure a casus belli. Once the deed was done, the opposition within Ursus would have nothing to say. This required the target city to be a "soft persimmon," and Lungmen fit that ecological niche perfectly.
If it were Yumen... it would be over. Before the news even reached St. Ursusburg, the Yumen army would have already seized Chernobog. Fight? Fight what? The Infected could bully the Patrols and police, but against a regular army—and the elite among them at that? They would be seeking death.
Therefore, this person had to be eliminated. Even if she couldn't be killed, the army had to be mobilized to encircle the Guerrilla, forcing them to continue south.
In an instant, while listening to Patriot and the others discuss the subsequent plans, the Black Snake finalized its own. There was no need for elaborate plotting. Once the Guerrilla attacked the mines on a large scale and the nobles sent warships to suppress the bandits, it would just lend a hand. It would send its trusted units on warships to utterly crush the settled Guerrilla. It would drive them south, eliminating people close to Talulah along the way to force her into a total mental breakdown.
Ultimately, the foundation of Ursus was its military. Such an action would be seen as reasonable and beyond reproach. It just had to be careful not to kill the Guerrilla outright.
As for this Xia Yu... it looked through Talulah's eyes at the mysterious figure. We'll see. Perhaps she could be kept around. With her, inciting the Infected would be even easier once I occupy Talulah's body. Of course, she might be hard to handle. It would be best to coax the secret of her Arts out of her before killing her. Seeing her attitude toward Talulah, she seemed quite interested in the girl; perhaps it could work.
The Black Snake was also very interested in Arts that could treat the Infected.
"Is something wrong?" Inside the tent, Talulah touched her face and looked at Xia Yu in confusion.
"Nothing," Xia Yu smiled at her. "Just looking at you."
"Oh... uh?" Talulah looked at Xia Yu, completely dazed, but the latter didn't intend to explain further.
She could only continue discussing the next route with everyone, her mind full of fog. Xia Yu lowered her gaze. 'The Black Snake, huh...'
Truthfully, if she wanted to, she could expose the Black Snake's true identity right now. With her prestige among the Infected, Patriot and the Shieldguards would certainly stand with her. The Black Snake's threat was negligible.
But Xia Yu wanted more! Could a single Black Snake satisfy her? If she exposed it now, she wouldn't be able to stay long after completing her mission. That wouldn't suit her plans. No matter what, an anchor had been planted in this world. She and the Terran civilization would share glory and ruin together. Thus, the task of confronting the apocalypse brought by the Observers had to be put on the agenda.
But look at this pathetic Terra. What can they do? Feudal autocracy and capitalism coexist, and slavery is still common. Relying on uniting these people? You'd be lucky if they didn't stab you in the back!
Xia Yu wanted to change this world. Since the first stop was Ursus, she would start with this nation. First, unite the grassroots Infected, slowly accumulate strength, establish base areas... step by step. Her temporary goal was to bring Ursus entirely under her control.
This wasn't something that could be finished in a day. Even though her combat power was currently peerless—allowing her to fly to St. Ursusburg, take the Emperor's head, and hammer the Great Nobles one by one—that would be mere destruction, not construction. High pressure and autocratic rule might last for a while, but she wasn't a ruler who could stay on the throne forever. If you weren't there to maintain it, and only returned occasionally to kill a batch, the whole country would eventually turn away from you. The Witch King was the perfect example.
What? You say you can unite the commoners? Don't be silly. How? Every policy would have to be handled personally. Do you know how big Ursus is? Was Wang Anshi's Green Sprouts Law intended to help farmers? Yes, but what happened during execution? It became a tyrannical policy. Was the Witch King's social reform good for ordinary people? Yes, at least commoners could afford higher education, yet he was still overthrown by the Leithanians. Why?
Aside from oppression, the main reason was that he was too engrossed in research. The entire country was the mouthpiece of the nobles. No matter how good your policy was, a simple manipulation of the rules could let your hard work go down the drain. If the executors of the policy are not of one mind with the publisher, do you expect it to be carried out smoothly?
Without talents she trained herself, without a matching social system, and without a population that sufficiently supported her, such a rule would be a mirage. Power wouldn't even reach units below the city level.
If she could stay in this world forever, killing while nurturing new forces might work, but she couldn't. Furthermore, as a modern person—one raised under the Red Flag—Xia Yu had her own pursuits. One who has seen civilization cannot tolerate barbarism. With this start, if you don't guide an equivalent of the October Revolution, would you be worthy of your education? Whose hands wouldn't itch seeing this situation?
Therefore, the Black Snake couldn't be killed immediately. She had to leave herself enough time to lay the foundation for the Guerrilla. This wasn't the work of a day. In Xia Yu's plan, the Black Snake would certainly not watch the Guerrilla return to the snowfields; the corresponding encirclement would soon arrive.
By then, the Guerrilla should have gathered a large number of Infected, providing a solid mass base. All that remained was military force. Once the encirclement fleet arrived, she could flex her muscles, roll over the Ursus fleet, and kick the nobles' heads around like balls to intimidate the entire empire. Then, she could talk with the Black Snake.
She would eventually depart, so she had to leave the Guerrilla a stable environment for development. As for the Black Snake? It was no threat. With the Frenzied Flame present, there was no fear of it not compromising. It would likely be the one forced to negotiate peace with the Ursus nobles.
'If I encounter a modern world in my future travels, I'll bring back a few copies of Das Kapital and such books,' she thought. (You know what I want to bring, I just can't write it explicitly). 'I'll throw them at Talulah and have her read and learn well!'
In three to five years, when the Infected have elite soldiers and ample grain, they can tear up the agreement and spark a massive rebellion across Ursus! Sweep the feudal nobles into the dustbin of history! Then, use Ursus as a springboard to plot for the rest of Terra! After all, how can one prepare to fight the Observers with these insects around?
The Black Snake? Psh, no threat at all.
In such a lighthearted mood, they finished discussing the next route.
"Hey, it's mealtime, right?" Talulah was the first to stand and stretch. She pulled Alina and FrostNova along, then looked at Xia Yu. "Let's go, we'll eat together."
Nearby, Patriot and the rough Shieldguards also rose and headed out. Xia Yu had just stood up when Alina took her hand. "Doctor Xia Yu, is your body really okay?"
"I'm fine, this is nothing," Xia Yu shrugged helplessly. "Just dozens of Incantations, a piece of cake." It wasn't tiring at all.
"You absolutely mustn't push yourself," FrostNova added immediately, sounding concerned. "I told you there was no rush. Treat the critical cases first, and the rest can be done slowly..."
"I couldn't help it; so many people were looking at me with such longing," Xia Yu sighed. "I went softhearted."
"You are a good person, but we cannot let a good person be harmed while doing good deeds," Talulah advised. "In the future, let's avoid using Arts on such a large scale."
"How many Infected slave laborers are usually in one mine?" Xia Yu asked, thinking seriously.
"Anywhere from dozens to hundreds," FrostNova explained best. "Even the largest mines won't exceed a thousand. After all, the Infected are never unarmed or incapable of resisting."
"Even the most ordinary Infected might awaken their own Arts after being infected, and they can cast using the Originium in their bodies instead of a staff. If there are too many, they become hard to manage."
Her eyes dimmed slightly. "If one or two lucky ones who awakened Arts raise a call, it's not impossible to overrun the entire mine. The more people there are, the greater the risk."
"And for the nobles, increasing the number of guards means exponential expenses. In the snowfields, resources are hard to come by, so most nobles would rather keep things small and open multiple mines than build one large one."
"That's also why it's so easy for us to attack the mines."
"A few hundred people," Xia Yu nodded. "That number is manageable. None of you have the manpower to take down two or three mines at once, right?"
"Don't worry, the Guerrilla won't be that reckless," FrostNova said excitedly. "Every target we pick is carefully selected."
She felt encouraged, sensing that the Doctor was relenting.
'So, releasing dozens of spells is a burden for her too,' Talulah thought. She had to be careful from now on and set some regulations. Unless it was a critical case, people would have to wait in line. Otherwise, as the Guerrilla grew, if everyone came to the Doctor the moment a small crystal grew, it would be too exploitative. She wasn't a machine.
Just because she was kind didn't mean she was a pushover. Talulah guessed that among the people the Doctor helped in the past, there must have been ungrateful types like that; that's why she had stopped Talulah earlier and asked if they would betray her...
'Sigh, such a kind Doctor must have suffered a lot in the past. I will never let her be bullied! Anyone who tries to take advantage can look forward to exile!'
At that moment, the Black Snake parasitic in her consciousness also opened its eyes.
Kind? Good.
A kind person is easily bullied.
This one is much easier to manipulate than people like Patriot.
Interesting.
Amidst their conversation, they approached the makeshift mess hall.
"Doctor! Doctor!" Just as Xia Yu was about to eat the captured Ursus military rations with Talulah and the others, the cook called out to her.
He excitedly brought over a large bowl of food and placed it before Xia Yu.
"Doctor, please eat this," he said, his hands nervously rubbing his apron. "Eat this to nourish your body."
Xia Yu looked down. It was a large bowl of stewed meat with various green vegetables and mushrooms floating on top. It smelled delicious and was clearly heavily spiced. Beside it sat soft white bread.
"I'm not bragging, but I used to be a head chef at a hotel," the cook said excitedly. "No one ever found fault with my skills. If it weren't for this disease, sigh."
"Doctor, please eat. If it weren't for you, how could we be so at ease? I prepared this specifically for you."
Xia Yu looked around. From FrostNova to Talulah, to Patriot and the Shieldguards, everyone else held bland, tasteless military rations.
Who could swallow food like this?
★ ★ ★
T/N: I must have gotten hit by something yesterday. I forgot to release some chapters when I was uploading them by batches... If you read early, you missed a couple of chapters. Please backtrack to "The Power of the Elden Ring".