Chapter 168
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Chapter 168: The Big Picture
[Hahaha, Teresa also noticed something was wrong.]
[It’s okay, Honey Karoso is as tough as ever.]
[Are my eyes really sincere?]
[Unfortunately, we couldn’t save Sophia just now.]
[We have told all the information to Honey Karoso, now it’s up to Honey Karoso.]
[Can’t save now, will save later in the plot.]
Finally, Karoso and the others broke through the monster blockade and arrived at the temporary headquarters of the Presea Empire.
The City of Freedom is said to be part of the Kingdom of Persia, but because this land is so valuable, many powerful countries have their own headquarters there, and Presea Empire is one of them.
The headquarters is quite large, with several streets included.
Technically, this kind of headquarters is not allowed to have troops stationed there, only police. Otherwise, it would change the nature of the place. However, in the Presea headquarters area, the civilians living there act as soldiers. When needed, they can quickly gather two regiments.
The main roads and rooftops of the headquarters are guarded by soldiers of the empire. Some are dressed as vendors, some as workers, and some as police officers.
In Presea’s words, they are a nation of warriors, where everyone can be a soldier. It makes sense…
Upon seeing their princess arrive, an official from the imperial embassy hurried to greet her.
"Your Highness." The official bowed to Teresa. "It’s really good that you’re okay."
"Thanks to Karoso and Will," Teresa wiped the blood off her face. "Let’s go in and freshen up."
"Yes." The official quickly signaled the soldiers to let them through.
This base is a rare sanctuary in the City of Freedom, even though they suffered losses in battles before, they managed to hold their ground.
"Your Highness, the Empire will definitely send someone to escort you. Just stay safe and sound here," the official said to Teresa.
"No, there are still many civilians trapped in the fires of City of Freedom. We can’t just ignore them," Teresa argued.
"Your Highness, those are civilians from the Kingdom of Persia, it’s none of our concern," the official quickly replied when he heard Teresa. "It’s already difficult enough for us to protect ourselves."
"To be honest, this disaster is also an opportunity. Do you know how many resources we have gathered along the way?" Teresa whispered to the official.
"Well…" The official hesitated to speak of his troubles.
He was afraid that there were not enough soldiers here, and the monsters would attack and conquer.
Fortunately, the monsters did not go crazy. They attacked for a while and then ran in one direction. Not many of them stayed behind. Otherwise, this place might not have held up.
"Has the communication been restored?" Teresa didn’t ask about this anymore.
"No, it seems like the inter-district communication of the City of Freedom has been cut off. We can communicate within our own district," the official reported.
Teresa touched her chin and wondered how to persuade the officials to send troops.
This opportunity is extremely rare. If used properly, it can help many civilians and bring significant benefits. It’s a sure-win situation.
Teresa could also understand the officials’ worries.
The official was concerned for Teresa’s safety as well as for the safety of the settlement.
Many of Karoso’s people were badly injured. Even though they had rest along the way, they were all exhausted.
"Luca, please count how many people are left," Karoso asked Luca.
Soon, Luca finished counting and reported in a somber voice, "Reporting, Captain, the guard battalion should have four hundred and sixty-seven people, but only three hundred and twenty-four people are present."
[Are we giving the wrong hints?]
[For us, the characters who die are just in the animation, but for Master Karoso, real people are dying.]
[These are all members of Honey Karoso’s guard battalion…]
[Every day losing one of Master Karoso’s units didn’t feel significant, but now it seems…]
Karoso fell silent, so many people have died…
If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely be confused at this point because Karoso came to the City of Freedom for personal gain, not to fight for humanity or protect all the civilians.
Karoso will protect his own kind, but he won’t risk everything to protect unless it’s the people of the Canglang Province.
However, even though these people died, even though they didn’t know the reason for this battle, Karoso had no regrets.
Karoso firmly believed that he was fighting for the whole Canglang Province, not for his own selfish reasons.
These people are soldiers and should be prepared to die on the battlefield.
As the heir groomed by Osiris, Karoso had a heart as strong as steel, always keeping the interests of Canglang Province in mind.
Regardless of right or wrong, Karoso didn’t care how others judged him.
"You are not wrong, and neither am I. What’s wrong is this era," Karoso looked up at the sky. "One misstep and you’ll be crushed by the currents of the era."
"I can only make Canglang Province stronger and better. If we are soft now, more people will die in the future world war."
"We have seen the changes in this free operation. Even if I don’t start a world war in the future, someone else will."
"It may be the conspiracy of the gods or the greed of mankind."
"In this strong current, we must become stronger."
[Believe in Master Karoso, we are only responsible for providing information. Master Karoso knows better what to do and how to do it.]
[Yes, we are outsiders, while Master Karoso is involved in the situation.]
[I’m afraid that Master Karoso might make wrong decisions, don’t forget he is only fifteen years old.]
[Don’t underestimate Master Karoso’s fifteen years – his level of maturity is completely different from ours.]
[When I was fifteen, I was still figuring out how to impress the prettiest girl in class. Just the other day, I attended her wedding.]
Teresa has been negotiating with officials for a while now. Karoso’s troops here have received some supplies and ammunition, all thanks to Will helping Karoso. Karoso’s soldiers have almost recovered their strength.
Luckily, it’s Karoso’s elite guard battalion, or there might have been problems at this time.
"Let me tell you this," Teresa said to the official, "we need to get some weapons, and the ammunition here is probably running low, right?"
"Your Highness, if you need, I can send someone to get it. It’s too dangerous for you to go there yourself." The official almost kneeled down to Teresa, "The City of Freedom is too risky now. If something happens to you, I really can’t afford it."
"I’ll lead two battalions, you can pretend I never showed up." Teresa said, "These two battalions were sent by you to find me, so you not only didn’t fail, but actually achieved something."
Like Karoso, she was also someone with her own thoughts.
At this moment, she didn’t want to suffer needlessly just to save face. She genuinely felt that if she didn’t participate well this time, it would be disrespectful to her father’s teachings.
Seizing this opportunity could have a significant international impact, not to mention the existing benefits.
"If you don’t let me go out, I will say that you knew my location but didn’t take care of me, even though I went to great lengths to find it myself."