Chapter 1337: Road Transportation Line

Three days later, the defending garrison of Sedimentation Bay slipped out of the encirclement before the demons could regroup, and eighty percent of the Kingdom of Wolfheart passed into demon hands.

The First Army consolidated at the western pass and the central pass of Cage Mountain — the only two natural corridors between Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Dawn.

On the same day, the road connecting north and south was finished. Two lengths of cement road, laid from opposite ends, met in the middle of Cage Mountain. For the first time, Neverwinter had a continuous paved route that reached all the way to Wolfheart.

When the first “Hump” vehicles rolled over the horizon, cries of surprise broke from the watching crowd.

“What are those? They look like small mountains.”

“They’ve got wheels — I suppose they count as vehicles…”

“The outer shell is solid iron. What would that even cost?”

“You’d need ten horses at least, and even then—”

Ignoramuses. White swept a contemptuous gaze across his colleagues, who were still craning their necks and speculating. If the sight of a steam truck left their mouths hanging open, what would they do if they ever saw an iron bird cross the sky?

He had come to the road opening for the same reason most coachmen had: a chance at a good commission. Since the demons struck Wolfheart, he had not risked a single step outside the territory Graycastle controlled. Being saved once by an iron bird was already more luck than a man was owed; he did not believe the universe owed him a second coincidence.

The rear-services transport team built by the refugees had given him the idea. The pay was lower than the main transport guild, but it was safe — and no matter how bony his horse or how battered his caravan, both were still worth more than a refugee’s handcart. What he had not anticipated was that he would not be the only coachman to reach this conclusion. As the demons pressed further in and more civilians fled, other drivers had flooded into the rear services alongside him. What had begun as a loose informal arrangement had grown into something approaching an industry. White found this deeply irritating. He had arrived first. Now he was competing with young men half his age for work. If Smarty had been here, he thought, he would already have cornered the whole operation and turned it into a monopoly.

He was still brooding on this when the behemoths rolled past.

They were not as slow as they looked. Heavy, yes, and broad as a river barge, but their pace was not much slower than a horse’s trot. When the full shape of one came clear — close enough to see — White felt an uncomfortable pressure settle in his chest. There was no particular reason for it except the sheer size of the things. The wheels alone stood half again as tall as a man, each tire thick as a body, wrapped in some glossy pitch-black rubber that pressed against the road with a solidity nothing wooden could match. He glanced back at his own caravan — the one he had spent years maintaining, the one he privately thought of as a fine specimen — and felt, for a moment, quite small.

When he caught the eye of the man in the glass-fronted cab looking down at him, the feeling intensified.

He found himself calculating, almost involuntarily: how many trips of his caravan would equal one run of that machine? Surely more than ten. At Graycastle pricing, that would be ten times his pay per haul.

“They’re announcing commissions!”

Someone shouted it, and the crowd dissolved instantly, everyone rushing toward the encampment. The new vehicles were dominant for bulk and distance, but they could not thread through mountain passes or deliver goods into individual encampments — that still required carriages and handcarts. White pressed forward with the rest.

But a thought stayed with him, persistent as a stone in his boot.

How good would it be if he could have a steel vehicle like that?

Farrina pulled the hand brake and stepped down from the cab.

She had not expected to return to Wolfheart. Not like this.

She had made up her mind — that much was decided — but she had once been a member of the Church, and even having passed the selection tests, the Administrative Office might easily have refused to let her near the front line. Yet no one had mentioned her past. The routes were assigned purely on demonstrated skill. She had mastered the steam-powered truck in a week and passed the final examination without a single error. When she told the assigning officer she wanted the route from the Windswept Ridge to the Sparkling River, he agreed on the spot without a second glance.

She had passed this checkpoint before. The landscape around it was unchanged — the same hills, the same winter sky — but the place itself had been transformed beyond recognition. Makeshift houses and tents pressed up against the old checkpoint walls. Dark, hardened paths cut the ground in every direction. Roadblocks, watchtowers, and wire fences divided the encampment into distinct sectors, each one busy with people moving at a pace that left no room for doubt. Even without being told, the smell of the place was unmistakable.

Farrina knew that smell. It settled over her like a coat she had not worn in a long time.

“What’s wrong?” Joe’s voice broke through.

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “I think I have my answer.”

She had served in the Judgment Army. Her understanding of Graycastle’s capacity ran deeper than most. If the opponent were a nobleman’s faction, the First Army would never have built anything on this scale. And if all of this had been constructed simply to deceive her — she was flattering herself to imagine she was worth the effort.

Only the demons could have made Roland face them at full strength.

“Then next we—”

“First we help the King of Graycastle win.” Farrina lowered her gaze. “That will be the beginning of my atonement.”

“I will be by your side until the very end.” Joe took her hands in both of his.

“Farrina and Joe of the second caravan group?” A voice at her back.

“Yes.” Farrina cleared her throat and turned, slightly flustered. “Is there something you need?”

The officer — male, carrying himself with the careful precision of someone accustomed to giving orders — snapped a salute. “The commander-in-chief of the First Army, Lord Iron Axe, requests all Hump drivers at the Cage Mountain command post. Please come with me.”

During training, the vehicle crews had been told clearly: rear-services transport was a component of military operations, and army orders superseded the standard transportation schedule.

Farrina and Joe exchanged a look. She nodded.

The moment Farrina stepped through the doors of the command post and saw the assembly of people inside, she understood that this would not be a simple welcome.

A woman stood in the center of the room with a head of beautiful gray hair — the mark of the Graycastle bloodline, unmistakable. When the introductions were made, Farrina’s reading proved correct.

Princess Tilly of Graycastle. Commander-in-Chief Iron Axe. Cannon Master Van’er. Firearm Master Brian. Witch Union Operational Commander Agatha.

Every senior officer of the entire front line, gathered in one hall.

“Welcome to Cage Mountain.” Iron Axe wasted no words. “I have a mission for you.”

Chapter 1337 - Road

Transportation Line Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Three days later, the defending troops of Sedimentation Bay successfully evacuated the encirclement before the demons had regrouped. By now, eighty percent of the Kingdom of Wolfheart’s territory had fallen into the demons’ hands. The First Army had gathered in the western pass and central pass of Cage Mountain, which were the only two natural passages between the Kingdoms of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Dawn. On the same day, the construction of the road that connected the north and south was finally finished, and the cement road that came from the two sides combined together in the middle of Cage Mountain. This meant that Neverwinter had a dedicated road that directly reached Wolfheart. When the first “Hump” vehicles slowly appeared along the horizon, cries of surprise came from the surrounding crowd. “What’s that? They’re like small mountains!” “They have wheels, I think they probably count as vehicles…” “Even the outer shell is cast with iron; how much would that have cost…” “If it were pulled by horses, perhaps even ten horses might not be able to move it.” Hmph, ignoramuses. Sweeping his gaze over his coworkers immersed in discussion, White revealed an expression of contempt. If even this astonished them, their eyeballs would probably fall out in shock if they saw the iron bird which could fly in the sky. He came here naturally to celebrate Graycastle’s opening of this road, and like most coachmen, in order to get his hands on a good commision—ever since the demons attacked Wolfheart, he didn’t dare to take a single step out of the region controlled by Graycastle. After all, being saved once by an iron bird was already a blessing from god; he didn’t believe that his luck was so good that he could coincidentally encounter people from Graycastle every single time. The rear services transportation team created by the refugees had inspired White. Although the pay was not as good as the main transportation members, it was better because it was safe. What’s more, no matter how skinny and weak his horse was, and no matter how old and rundown his caravan was, it was better than the handcarts of the refugees. But clearly, he was not the only one to notice this point, as the demons closed in further and more civilians evacuated, more coachmen went to the rear like him, and the original self-created team suddenly became a lot larger and stronger, to the point of beginning to become a industry itself. When he thought of this, White became even more annoyed. He was clearly the one who came first; yet, he had to compete for work with these young men. If Smarty was here, he probably would have already have monopolized the situation with his own transportation team. In just a while, those huge behemoths were already moving in front of everyone. Even though they looked heavy and awkward, they were not much slower than horses. Especially when the machine’s figure was completely exposed, even White, who proclaimed to have seen many things, felt an overwhelming pressure. There was no other reason except the huge sizes of these vehicles. Just the wheels were half as tall as a person, and the thickness was thicker than a body. The periphery of the steel wheels was wrapped in a layer of pitch black rubbery material and when it pressed against the road it gave off a sense of indescribable stability. When he looked back at his own caravan that he had originally viewed as his treasure, White couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority. When he gazed through the see-through glass window at the front of the large vehicle and met eyes with the ‘coachman’ looking down at him inside, this feeling intensified. White couldn’t help but wonder how many times his caravan had to transport goods to match the goods transported by this behemoth in one instance. It would probably number more than ten. According to the way Graycastle priced it, that would be ten times his pay… “They’re announcing the commission!” Someone said and everyone immediately stopped their discussions and rushed toward the inside of the encampment. Although the transportation power of these never-seen-before vehicles far surpassed carriages and handcarts, they still needed to rely on the latter to send the goods into the various encampments and mountain regions. White was no exception. But there was a thought in his mind that he couldn’t get rid of. How good would it be if he could have a steel vehicle like that? … Farrina pulled the hand brake and jumped out of the driver’s seat. She didn’t expect that she would be returning to Wolfheart in such a manner. Even though she had made up her mind, she was a member of the Church in the end; even if she passed through the selections, the Administrative Office might not permit her venture to the front line. But nobody had reminded Farrina that she was once a criminal. The routes the drivers took were purely dependent on skill. She learned all the tricks in driving the steam-powered truck in only a week, and passed the final test with full marks. When she mentioned that she wanted to take up the transportation job on the path from the Windswept Ridge to the Sparkling River, the officer responsible agreed immediately on the spot. It wasn’t her first time passing this checkpoint—although the scenery around her was still the same as she remembered, the overall appearance was completely different. There were several makeshift houses and tents near the checkpoint, and dark and hard paths could be seen everywhere. Road blocks, towers, and metal wire fences separated the entire encampment into distinct regions, and in every region, several people could be seen bustling about. Even without asking, she could feel that the place was filled with the scent of war. This scent was extremely familiar to Farrina. so much so that she fell into a daze for a moment. “What’s wrong?” Joe’s voice interrupted her surging thoughts. “No, nothing.” Farrina shook her head. “I think I have already gotten the answer.” As a member of the Judgment Army, her feelings about Graycastle’s power was deeper than most people. If the opponent was a noble, the First Army didn’t need to put on such a front. If everything before her eyes was created to trick her, she was probably overestimating herself. Only the fabled demons can cause Roland to face off with his full power. “Then next we…” “Let’s first help the King of Graycastle clinch victory.” Farrina drooped her eyelids, “This will be the beginning of my atonement.” “I will be by your side until the very end.” Joe lightly held both of her hands. “Is this Farrina and Joe of the second caravan group?” A voice behind her suddenly interrupted their meeting of eyes. “Yes, is there something you need?” Farrina coughed and then turned around and replied a little sheepishly. The male who looked like a military officer made a salute and then said, “The commander-in-chief of the First Army, Lord Iron Axe, wants to see all the drivers of the ‘Humps’. He’s in the Cage Mountain command post now, please come with me.” The vehicle members had already been notified during their training that the rear services transportation was also a part of the military movements. Obeying the army calls would be more important than following the pre- established transportation schedule. Farrina exchanged glances with Joe and then nodded. … The moment she saw the crowd of people when she entered the Cage Mountain command post, Farrina realized that this meeting was probably not so simple. At least, it wouldn’t be a simple condolence and welcoming meeting. Because the woman standing in the middle of the crowd had a head of beautiful gray hair, which was a symbol of the Graycastle bloodline. When someone stepped forward and made an introduction, she knew her judgment was correct. The Graycastle princess, Her Highness Tilly, First Army Commander-in- chief Iron Axe, Cannon Master Van’er, Firearm Master Brian, Witch Union Operational Commander Agatha—it could be said that all the high-ranking officers of the entire front line were all gathered in this hall. “Welcome to Cage Mountain.” Iron Axe went straight to the point. “I have a mission for you.”