Chapter 37
Keith’s eyes glittered like stars.
For miles on end, mountains of loot piled up alongside the Blockade, dropped by millions of monsters. There were boundless quantities of gold coins, materials, skill gems, monster pet eggs, elixirs, and equipment. It was more loot than Keith had ever seen in his entire life, all sitting there, ownerless.
A part of him wanted to call out the command for his Collection Grimoire to swallow it up. He could instantly reach Ska’dur’s power level in one go, and all it took was one word.
For a moment, Keith’s greed almost overcame his sanity, though he held back in the end. Stealing all that loot from the Elemental Nation’s mouth would result in catastrophic consequences. Plus, it didn’t feel right.
***
With the battle over, the Innate’s military returned to the ground. The new arrivals still had to settle in and familiarize themselves with their new environment.
After a short period, Major General Luca entered one of the base’s empty warehouses alongside a group of recently arrived officers. One of them stepped out and handed Major General Luca a briefcase. “It’s all in here, ma’am.”
“Good,” Major General Luca was relieved.
She opened the briefcase on a nearby table and saw a hundred mythic grade Pocket Dimensions in the shape of cubes inside. The total value of what they contained was immeasurable.
Turning to her aide, she ordered, “Mobilize some people and start unpacking the Pocket Dimensions.”
“Right away, ma’am,” the aide saluted.
***
In another location, Ska’dur faced Markus, asking, “So? Are you planning on using those Laegur Beam Cannons during the defense?”
“No,” Markus replied, shaking his head. “They’re too powerful. I worry about what the Elementals will do when they see them in action. For now, the cannons will remain secret.”
Ska’dur pursed his lips. “We’ll lose too many people without those things. Don’t tell me you plan on using Mana Reactors as bombs?”
“Of course not. What we’ll rely on to weather through the first few days should have arrived not long ago,” Markus explained vaguely.
“Tch, fine. Keep me in suspense. I’m not worried,” Ska’dur spat, rolling his eyes.
Even after witnessing several days of battle at the Blockade, Markus showed no signs of anxiety. He knew that while his loyal soldiers lacked levels, high-grade skills, and high-grade equipment, the Innate Nation had another resource to use that the Elemental Nation lacked.
Their industry!
The standard of the Innate Nation’s blacksmithing, alchemy, arrays, science, and technology far surpassed the Elemental Nation. When the brightest minds came together combined with unlimited funding, what they came up with was terrifying.
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And so, besides the Laegur Beam Cannon and Skynet, the military had many other tools and weapons hidden from the public eye. Specifically meant for war, they would invoke outrage among the masses if used during peaceful times.
That was the source of Markus’ confidence.
The only issue with using those weapons was that whatever they killed granted no experience. If you threw a grenade into a pack of monsters, killing a dozen, you would acquire loot and nothing else. However, you’d get experience if the grenade wounded the monsters and you finished them off yourself.
Markus knew that relying solely on external tools to carry them through the Blockade’s defense was foolish, akin to shooting themselves in the foot. Levels were too important to pass by.
A balance was needed.
***
Over the following period, the Innate’s military constructed ten bases spread out between sections B21 through B40. Consisting of mostly living quarters, it was more than enough for ten million troops to garrison. There were also the necessary facilities for the thousands of craftspeople stationed at the bases to do their work.
The next wave of troops came on the second day after Keith arrived.
Yara came with them, wearing a mask the entire time. She didn’t want to expose her identity. Elaine was once the strategic brain of the Conceptual Nation’s military, so if the Elemental Nation knew that Yara backed the Innate Nation, who knew what their response would be?
Yara found Keith shortly after she arrived.
Together, they sat on the Blockade, feet dangling off the edge.
“Time for some fun,” Yara chuckled and withdrew the Innate Dimension Core from her inventory. Using it, she spent several hours setting up a large-scale event. During the Blockade’s defense, the System would automatically calculate everybody's contribution, hand out points, and operate the exchange shop. Yara was in total control of all the parameters.
While watching Yara, Keith was stunned by some of the rewards he saw.
Not only were a Mana Reactor and multiple Silverswift Skyships available for exchange, but dozens of divine grade skill gems were also available. There were even slots to use a time-accelerated Pocket Dimension.
Secretly satisfied by Keith’s expression, Yara sighed dramatically, “Sadly, I don’t know what the monsters will drop during the defense. If I knew, the exchange shop would be even more spectacular. Celestial grade equipment, skill gems, or elixirs are highly possible.”
Initially excited, Keith suddenly thought of something and fell silent.
“What’s wrong?” Yara inquired, full of concern.
“Grandma, how many people do you think will die tomorrow?” Keith asked quietly, having a unique perspective after watching Yara set up the event. Although the event’s rewards were amazing, they were unprecedented for a reason. The battle tomorrow involved a great deal of risk. He almost felt like she was baiting the Innate Nation’s soldiers to their deaths by enticing them with rewards.
In response to Keith, Yara replied calmly, “I’m not sure.”
“Well, how many have the Elementals lost over the years?” Keith followed with another question.
Yara looked at the sky, saying, “Centuries ago, the Elementals had a population of over two billion. It’s about 650 million now.”
Keith was shocked.
Doing the math, he exclaimed, “That means they lost around 7,000 people every day during the last 500 years!”
“It’s not just from the Blockade. The natives of the Sin Dimension are a scourge; they kill and hunt people from other dimensions without regard for their lives,” Yara explained, her expression darkening.
Keith recalled his encounter with the demon squad in the Foggy Marsh as Yara continued, “The Elemental Nation is in the way between the Sins and us. We don’t have to worry about them.”
“Even then…” Keith felt conflicted. “Did we really have to accept the responsibility of guarding the Blockade for a decade?”
Yara didn’t hesitate in her response and said, “Of course. Did you think the Elemental Nation would let us stay in their backyard without paying a price? Don’t be foolish.”
“But don’t they know we’ll use the monster hordes as a whetstone to catch up in strength? Aren’t they concerned?” Keith voiced his confusion.
Yara nodded. “They don’t have a better option.”
Glancing at Keith, Yara posed a question, “What do you think Torg and the other rulers will do when half their forces are relieved from defending the Blockade?”
“Ah!” Keith gasped. He hadn’t thought of that.
Yara lowered her voice. “The Elemental Nation is fed up with the Sin Dimension. Their conflict will only end when one disappears.”
After a moment, Keith sighed heavily, “Everyone is using each other to further their own ends…”
“That’s the Grandsky Realm for you,” Yara laughed.