Robson's somber mood didn't last long. His duty now was to defend West City and ensure Count Offman's sacrifice was not in vain.
Upon returning to West City, Robson headed straight for his camp, ready to spend all his accumulated experience points.
After grinding on the city walls for a full day, his gains were substantial.
"[Host: Robson Odogin (6th Rank Silver Knight 9/5000 (Knight))]"
"[Heroes: Bo Yang Gaojiasuo (2nd Rank Bronze Knight)
Ed Deriman (2nd Rank Bronze Knight)]"
"[Skills: Perfect Knight Eight Skills (1000/1000)
Skilled: Burning Blood (0/100)
Skilled Deriman-Improved Knight Eight Skills (550/1000)
Mastered Deriman Inherited Bow Skill (1000/4000)
Mastered Magic Crystal Cannon Technique (3998/4000)]"
"[Soldiers: 110 3rd Tier Frankish Infantry (544/1000)
100 3rd Tier Frankish Archers (944/1000)
210 4th Tier Frank Skilled Infantry (1504/2000)
219 4th Tier Frank Skilled Shooters (1309/2000)
410 2nd Tier Frankish Militia (455/500)
110 3rd Tier Frank Knights (90/2000)]"
"[Morale: 60/100]"
"[Unit Cap: 2000]"
Thanks to Robson's tireless efforts, he had finally purged all the Peasants from his ranks. Now, he could field his 3rd and 4th-tier troops in significant numbers.
Even he himself had reached the 6th Rank of Silver Knight.
Although Robson and Bo Yang had relentlessly hunted the enemy's Transcendents on the battlefield, the Gray Dwarf Transcendents still managed to inflict considerable losses on Robson's army.
Of course, compared to the experience points he had gained, these losses were entirely acceptable.
After spending his experience points, Robson began preparing supplies for the upcoming escape.
First, all the beef from magical beasts, a gift from Viscount Fuman, had to be stored. It was all jerky, perfect as rations for the escape.
Waterskins were also standard issue, but Robson would need to request more from Viscount Fuman. After all, his force wasn't a standard-issue army of the kingdom; they didn't have an abundance of such gear.
There were also arrows and a host of other miscellaneous items. But most importantly, there were the horses promised by Count Offman. He would ask for everything at once...
Looking at the long list he'd compiled, Robson suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.
'Is this a bit too much?'
Figuring it was worth a shot, Robson submitted the list anyway.
To his surprise, Viscount Fuman not only had the items delivered but also came in person.
"Viscount, what brings you here in person?" Robson asked, smiling at Viscount Fuman.
"Sir Robson, you're the center of attention in the entire fortress right now. It's only natural I'd personally oversee your supplies," Viscount Fuman said with a smile. As he spoke, his gaze drifted to Ed, who was standing behind Robson.
Viscount Fuman breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that Ed was also present.
'Old fox,' Robson cursed inwardly.
Viscount Fuman must have received some inside information. He knew about Count Offman's retreat order and had come to Robson Camp specifically to seek protection.
As for how Viscount Fuman knew the breakout would be from West City?
The answer wasn't hard to figure out. The pressure was lightest on West City, and more importantly, Count Offman's son was stationed there.
Viscount Fuman didn't know much about military strategy, but he knew Count Offman very well.
The Count valued the son from his first wife immensely. Count Offman might be willing to screw Robson over, but surely he wouldn't do the same to his own son?
Thinking of this, he felt incredibly fortunate for his earlier investment. He never expected the payoff to come so soon.
"As it happens, I have some logistical questions I was hoping to ask you about, Viscount. Please, stay and we can discuss them in detail," Robson said with a smile.
It was a matter of principle: you can't be tough on someone you're indebted to.
Robson had accepted favors, and he was naturally expected to repay them. This was one of the most basic rules of survival for a nobleman.
People didn't do good deeds without expecting something in return. If you acted like an ungrateful bastard, you could expect to be ostracized.
"As it happens, I've already entrusted matters in the logistics department to my second-in-command. If you have any questions, Sir Robson, I would be delighted to assist," Viscount Fuman replied.
Robson nodded and promptly handed the army's ledgers to Viscount Fuman.
Viscount Fuman stared at the ledgers in his hands, momentarily speechless. 'He's actually serious?'
Robson didn't care what the Viscount was thinking. Making the most of one's resources was, after all, a fine quality for a nobleman to possess.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Viscount," Robson said with a smile.
"It is my duty," Viscount Fuman replied, his face twitching slightly. But in the end, he accepted Robson's request.
After seeing Viscount Fuman out, Robson prepared to begin his training to further increase his strength.
As a Silver Transcendent, the Aura in his body was potent enough to allow him to go without sleep for several days.
Robson began to circulate his breathing technique, but before he could even assume the opening stance, he heard a tremendous BOOM.
'A Magic Crystal Cannon?'
Robson recognized the sound immediately; he had heard it earlier on his way back.
'Why are Magic Crystal Cannons firing on West City?'
A barren place like the Beastman Grassland simply didn't have the resources or capability to research magical technology.
If the Gray Dwarves hadn't allied with the Beastman Race several hundred years ago, the Beastmen would have no way of producing their own Magic Crystal Cannons.
But even with the help of the Gray Dwarves, the Beastmen were hampered by their crude craftsmanship and the meager resources of the Beastman Grassland. Their Magic Crystal Cannons were still a rarity. Furthermore, the Beastmen possessed very few Magic Crystal Ore mines, which meant that a Beastman Army equipped with such cannons was an exceedingly rare sight.
Across the entire Western Front, such an army might not be one in a hundred, but you could certainly count them on one hand.
If the Magic Crystal Cannons were bombarding North City, that would be understandable. But why would they be firing on West City?
Puzzled, Robson immediately rushed to the city wall.
West City was different now. Since Count Offman's breakout plan had been finalized, its defense had become critically important. There was no room for even the slightest error.
Nothing had changed on the wall. The attackers were still the same horde of goblins, but now the enemy line suddenly included a dozen or so Magic Crystal Cannons.
A dozen or so Magic Crystal Cannons fired in unison, and the entire sky lit up with their Magic Energy Balls.
Then Robson witnessed a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life: some of the Magic Energy Balls actually dissipated mid-flight, while others fell short, striking the ground near the base of the wall.
In the end, only a paltry few actually struck the wall.
When one of the Energy Balls did hit the wall, a deafening explosion erupted, blasting a gaping hole in the stone.
The destructive power shocked Robson. If the walls of Sunset Fortress weren't so thick, a single one of those energy balls could have collapsed a whole section!
'Just how large is the charge capacity of these Magic Crystal Cannons?'
In this world, the power of a Magic Crystal Cannon was determined by its charge capacity—how many Magic Crystals it could hold at once. The more crystals loaded, the more powerful the resulting Energy Ball.
'So this is the power of a large-caliber weapon,' Robson thought, reminded of the artillery from his past life.
"Sir Robson, what are you doing up here?" Baron Oli asked, running over to Robson with his face spattered in goblin blood.
"You should be resting. We can still handle things here," Baron Oli urged.
Robson looked at the goblins surging forward under the cover of the cannon fire and suddenly remembered something. 'Wait, isn't my Magic Crystal Cannon Technique at the Mastered level?'
"Quick, get me to a Magic Crystal Cannon!" Robson commanded.
"You know how to operate one of these?" Baron Oli asked, surprised. He then led Robson to a nearby Magic Crystal Cannon.
Now possessing a Mastered-level technique, Robson could see that the current gunner's actions were riddled with flaws.
"You, step aside. I'll take over."
Robson unceremoniously pushed the gunner aside.
The gunner was taken aback for a moment, but upon recognizing who it was, he obediently stepped aside.